Chapter 5: Shock

~Disappear~
~ [Dear Evan Hansen]~

"No one deserves to be forgotten
No one deserves to fade away
No one should come and go
And have no one know he was ever even here
No one deserves to disappear
To disappear
Disappear."

**********

Nothing big happened after that. No spontaneous popularity. No cute boys suddenly sending love letters. No huge change from the walking ghost I was. But I was apart of the music program. And that itself was amazing.

We'd play all kinds of different music. We'd explore various songs and even study famous lyrics. It was everything I loved all rolled into one. So even though I sat in the back with my guitar, constantly being bumped into, ignored, called "Selena", and generally ignored by everyone- even Ava- I felt...happy. I was happy. I had what I wanted. Right?

But...Why couldn't I be fulfilled?I loved it. I really did. But as my strums and plucks began to grow slower and softer until they finally ceased all together I felt this strange emptiness inside as the rest of my peers carried on without me. Maybe that was it. The fact that everything always seemed to move in a totally different world than the one I was in.

I tried to express these things to Ava. I tried to just talk to her. She was friendly enough, listening to me as she stood with her band friends.

"Yeah. I totally get that." Ava nodded along, giving me a sympathetic smile. But just as quick as she replied to me one of the girls grabbed her and pulled her back towards them. I tried to join in. I really did. I thought... perhaps I just need to get in there instead of standing on the side. But it was hard. This twist in my gut made my heart speed up. This nagging feeling that I didn't belong made my body scream DANGER and even though the people were friendly....they didn't exactly make any move to try and keep me comfortable. Eventually they had moved on as well.

It may seem like whining.

It may seem like it's my fault. I need to get more involved myself.

But after awhile of blaming yourself you start to realize that maybe it isn't all you.

These poisonous things robbed my brain as I strode around the streets. My heart felt heavy. My emotions seemed to be full of something foggy and dense. I took a shaking breath as I continued my walk.

"Just breath." I told myself. I began to softly sing a song. Some random one from the radio or something. But it was enough to get out my emotions as I made my way down the street. It was quiet. Peaceful. Almost too peaceful for a big city, especially one like ninja. So maybe it was that perfect irony that made a giant truck go barrelling down the road.

The road a kid was currently crossing.

My heart leaped in my throat. A wordless scream erupting from me as I lunged forward and grabbed the boy, tugging him back so we went flying to the ground just before it could hit him. We crashed down hard and I heard a sickening crack as his skull his the concrete.

I was seeing tunnel vision. Fear like ice through my veins. I barely comprehended the blood on my own body from falling as I laid him gently down, supporting his neck as he cried out in pain.

"Hello? Miss, are you okay?" I blinked, my eyes falling on a black gloved hand on my shoulder. I looked up, my eyes widening in shock when I was caught in the deep brown eyes of the earth ninja.

"I'm fine." I said, shaking out of my daze as I glanced down at the kid in front of me. "He hit his head."

The earth ninja nodded quickly. His hand flying to something by his ear as he began talking to someone. I looked down at the kid. He was shaking, his fingers gripping his purple hoodie as his eyes danced around.

"I think he's in shock." I breathed.

The earth ninja cursed and he bent down at the kids side, nudging him. "Buddy? It's me, the earth ninja. I'm going to need you to take deep breaths for me, okay?"

The boy nodded jerkily, I took his hands, they were clammy against mine as I gently eased him into the correct position.

"What's your name, sweetie?" I said gently.

"N-n-nelson." He said shakily.

"That's a nice name. I'm Siena and this is the earth ninja. We're here to help you." I continued. My free hand slid into my pocket and I tossed it to the earth ninja. He fumbled with the device before eventually catching it.

"Have you called 9-1-1?" I asked. He shook his head, eyes locked in on mine. "Call them. He may need to get his head checked out and if the shock grows worse we'll need professionals to take care of him."

Earth wordlessly nodded once more before pressing the screen and starting the call.

"Do you have anyone we can call?" I turned back to Nelson.

Nelson winced, a hand moving to his head. I could see blood there. I grabbed his hand before he could touch it. "Nelson? Who can we call?"

"M-Mom." He stuttered. I raised his head slightly to examine the head injury. It didn't look good.

"What's her number?" I continued talking to him as I took off my scarf and pressed it against his head.

"Uh..." he hesitated as the earth ninja got off the phone and came back beside me.

"I have a first aid kit in my drill." He told me.

I scrunched up my brow and gave him a look. You stupid! "Then get it!"

"Right." He appeared flustered, straightening his black gi as he ran to the vehicle parked near by.

I looked back at Nelson. He was sweating and he looked nauseous, his breathing was starting to grow quicker.

"Calm down sweetie, you'll be okay." I said quickly. My mind moved to a little song I made when I was a kid and I unintentionally began to murmur it.

"Cherry sunrises. Red and pink. Little games and skating rinks. Small smiles out of the way, acts of kindness that light your day." I glanced at Earth. He was chucking random items out of the drill, tool boxes, shoes, a giant lightning ninja plush with a dagger in its head. "Ice cream cold and sweet. The cool lake water on your feet. How I love these summer times. I make them special, I make them mine."

My singing broke off when his eyes closed and he seemed to be convulsing. My heart plummeted when the rise and fall of his chest stopped.

No.

My body moved before my brain and suddenly I was over him. My hands placed firmly in between his ribs as I began compressions. Earth had come scrambling back but I ignored him when I reached the final push and bent down to give him rescue breaths. I paused, my first aid training flooding back as I looked and listened. Nothing.

Again.

My arms were staining and tears were in my eyes as the fear finally broke free.

"It's okay. You got this." Earth told me, he placed his hand on my shoulder and after I delivered another row of breaths he pulled me back and switched.

I watched, frozen as Earth did the procedure steadily but eventually I was jogged out of my mental freeze.

"You're doing it wrong." I blurted.

He froze, staring at me. "What?"

"The compressions," I swallowed, my throat dry. "You're not positioned correctly."

His eyebrows flew up in surprise and for a moment he just gaped.

"Here." I got up onto my heels and I adjusted his body, he moved with me as I placed him in the correct way. "There. Now it's easier on your arms."

Earth continued the compression but as he did he raised an eyebrow at me. "You know- fifteen.... sixteen.... seventeen...- I'm the master of earth- eighteen....nineteen- I'm a lot stronger than the average person."

"I know." My gaze stayed on Nelson. "But it was still the wrong form."

He grunted. A slightly amused smile on his face as he watched me.

"You've done enough compressions." I told him.

"Oh...right." He stepped back and glanced over his shoulder. "The ambulance is here."

I stood with Mr. Earth Ninja as the paramedics took Nelson. "You saved his life." A kind woman with pretty dark hair braided with feathers and beads said. "He's started breathing again and he should be stable while we get him to the hospital."

I smiled. "Thank you." She nodded to me before climbing into the ambulance. I watched as they turned on the sirens and drove away.

I stayed there for a few more seconds. Watching the shape turn around the corner before I began to move. I froze when I realized the Earth Ninja was staring at me.

"What is it?"

"You were a lot more confident back there." He burst out.

"I beg your pardon?" He spoke as if he's seen me before.

"I mean... you were very confident back there." The brown eyed ninja corrected.

I narrowed me eyes suspiciously. An odd familiarity was niggling in the back of my brain but I chose to ignore it... for now. "I..guess. My mom insisted I take first aid."

"Well you did very well." He told me.

I smiled." Thank you." It was easier to push aside any worries when you didn't have time to over think things. I blinked. I didn't feel those now. I studied the earth ninja. It was a lot easier to talk to someone with a mask covering their identity. He was like a blank canvas.

"Well..." I said awkwardly, stepping back. "I should get going."

"Wait!" Earth said abruptly. I paused. "You're...bleeding."

I followed his gaze. My finger touched the wound that had appeared from falling against the gritty side walk. "I guess I am." I said numbly.

"Let me help!" Earth ninja insisted. "It's your turn to get patched up."

"Okay." I shrugged. He guided me to his earth drill. A giant vehicle with a golden drill at the front. I sat down at the edge of the side walk as he cleaned my scrapes and wrapped them gently with gauze.

"Thank you." I told him politely when he was finished.

"No problem." Earth straightened. "Least I could do with you doing all the hard work with Nelson."

I ducked my head shyly as I took his chivalrous hand up. "I should drive you home." He told me.

I blinked. "A-alright."

It was weird riding in the back of basically a celebrities car. It was super comfortable and the earth ninja liked to blare his music really loud like a teenage boy but there was this...weird foreign feeling that still kept me tense in my seat, afraid to touch anything.

"This is my building." I directed him to the apartments and he pulled up. The people arguing on their car outside of it froze when the huge drill rolled into a parallel park. "Thank you very much...uh Earth ninja sir."

"Have a nice evening!" He replied cheerily, popping open the top so I could clamber clumsily out. I tripped and fell, making him jump but I quickly shot to my feet.

"I'm okay!" I announced, sheepishly. "Er- say hi to Lloyd for me!"

His reaction was not what I was expecting. First he cursed then he erupted into awkward laughter. "W-what? Why would I do that?"

"...because Lloyd's the green ninja." I reminded him, giving the guy clad in black a funny look.

"He announced it...."

"In front of all of Ninjago."

"And you work with him."

"Ohhh... that Lloyd. Yeah, will do." Earth was reversing his drill before he even shut the top before he quickly sped away. Leaving me greatly confused.

"I don't understand men." I muttered before I turned and traipsed into the building.

authors note****

Well that took an unexpected turn.
I did not expect that to happen! I had no plans whatsoever for this chapter and I resorted to almost-death.

Of course. Go figure. XD.

Anyways, I couldn't resist squeezing a song in there but I hope you aren't too annoyed. I love song writing but for some it may become tedious and over done. I'll attempt a non song chapter...eventually.

You're probably confused because in Musically Me, the rest of the ninja had also revealed their identities but I wanted to play around with a different direction 😏.

So in this story only Lloyd has revealed his identity and Cole is ridiculously bad at hiding it.

I hope you liked the chapter! If you did, please vote! If not then do what you want! (WITHIN REASON- I dunno, go eat a doughnut)

LuckyBugBooks 🐞