I awoke to the familiar whirling of the fan. It spun round and round, keeping the whole room cool from the humid beach outside. It was nice to finally shower and change into a clean set of clothes. I could hear Morro sleep-mumbling from above me, and Storm was snoring from his bunk. They were both passed out, exhausted from the days past. Even Peak was as still as a log, dead asleep from last night's trauma.

     I wished I hadn't woken up. It was much easier to pretend all your troubles were gone when you were asleep. Yet, faint memories of blurred faces and voices I couldn't understand lingered in the edge of my consciousness. My dreams had been nothing but chaotic, leaving me with a chilling fear that the Overlord would try to speak to me again.

     I quietly crept out from beneath the covers, reaching into my luggage to grab a bottle of concealer. I made my way to the bathroom, where I was finally able to turn on the light and take a look at myself.

     Sure enough, my eyes were dark and faded, with large grey bags hanging beneath them. My hair was a bird's nest, hanging loosely down my face much like Morro's. It was hard not to see my brother when I looked in the mirror. Morro never took much pride in his appearance, mostly because he was an introvert and hated going anywhere outside the home. He never had to look nice for others because 'others' were never there.

     I looked exactly like what I was. I was unreasonably tired, scared, betrayed, bitter, and ready to go home to stop this stupid quest. This prophecy had taken Ver from me. It had taken the veil off my eyes and exposed me to who I was really fighting alongside.

     My mother was the Quiet One.

     She was a dangerous psychopath who was once willing to take over all of Ninjago.

     Sure, I listened to her sob story about changing, coming back from the dead, and the old Morro. But did I believe a word of it?

     I still wasn't sure.

     How long will you follow them to this realm's destruction? How long will you keep letting them lie to you over and over?

     Ver's words pounded through my brain as the scratchy bathroom fan sounded above me. I could hear the cool whirl of the air conditioning unit outside and the creak of the bunks as someone turned over in their slumber. Everything was so still that my bunkmates would all probably wake up at the drop of a pin.

     My parents hadn't just lied about the prophecy, they'd lied about everything. They'd lied about who we were, why we were following this quest, and they lied about themselves. I had lived my whole life believing falsehoods. Ver left us because she was able to see through it. And now that I could see through it, I wasn't sure I wanted to stay either.

     Of course, I put on a fake smile and expressed to my mother that I understood her pain. I told her I forgave her and returned to the ship a happy man. I couldn't get away with being depressed like my twin. I knew Morro well enough to know he believed Mother's sob story and was working on truly forgiving her in his heart. He just needed time.

     I, on the other hand, wasn't as golden hearted as him. I wasn't my understanding, compassionate brother.

     Squeezing the concealer bottle, I poured out the cream onto my forefingers and started to massage it on the area under my eyes. I used the stingingly cold water from the faucet to style back my hair. However, when I looked back at the mirror, I could still only see his face.

     Morro didn't need to keep up the façade.

     Morro didn't need to be the golden child.

     Morro hadn't been cursed from birth.

     I didn't even stand a chance at being the son from the prophecy. The perfect act I put on was all a mask. Underneath I was the child who could potentially end up more dangerous than the Overlord himself. Underneath I was scared and angry and bitter. But I couldn't drop the act, not for a single second.

     The mask was the only thing I had left to my name.

     Without all the superficial admiration, I was going to be overlooked. Sure, I had talent, but that wasn't enough to qualify for the savior of the realm. The only reason people might think I was 'the son' was because I was the reincarnation of my father. The Overlord was right. I lived in the Green Ninja's shadow. And without living in the shade, I would become as meaningless as the power I possessed.

     Even the people who 'cared' for me only saw the façade. Morro actually had made a real companion with the mountain girl. All I had was Carmen (who I was sure only liked me for my looks), Aureole (who was obviously afraid of me), and Storm (who was becoming less active in our friendship as each day dragged on). The mountain girl—Nori—actually enjoyed spending time with my brother. Or... at least it seemed that way. They obviously hadn't bonded over looks, and certainly not because Morro was the epitome of charisma.

     Morro didn't have to wear a mask.

     Morro didn't have to live a lie.

     I heard a loud pop, then immediately slapped my hand over my mouth. I hadn't realized I had been clenching my teeth so tightly. Hesitantly, I opened my mouth to see what damage had been done, only to hear the pop again. It was coming from the door.

     "Heyo, Shade? Whenever you're done can I please get in there?" Storm's voice was needy.

     I swiveled back to the mirror, splashing water on my fingers and attempting to tame my bedhead as quickly as possible. "Yeah, yeah, of course. I was just getting ready for today; I'll be out in a second."

     A second to cover up the exhaustion.

     A second to cover up the lonely bitterness.

    A second to put on the mask, and a second to make sure it was tight enough so no one saw what was underneath.

>(<>)<

"We need a plan." Kai slammed a map down on the table in the dining room, nearly knocking the massive fruit bowl over. Storm dropped his apple slice just in time to lunge for the tipping bowl.

     Kai paid no attention to his nephew. "Ver is out there somewhere with our key. She's in league with the Overlord, and he obviously knows we need the key to beat him. Thus, step one of our master plan is to get the key back."

     "Kai, Ver gave no indication of where she was staying, nor where the Overlord might be. Seeing as we haven't seen him yet, and he is pretty massive, my guess is that even she has no idea where he is," Father countered, moving Kai's pointer finger away from the part of the continent we were on.

      They went back and forth for a bit about possible locations, while Mother kept awkwardly giving Morro and me glances. Aureole, Nori, and Peak were quieter than mice, none of them nibbling at the thin slices of fruit on their plates. Storm kept looking at the door out of the dining room, despite no one being there.

      "I say we go back to Ninjago City and wait." Father crossed his arms. "The Overlord is bound to come out of hiding at some point. We won't be able to find him now; we haven't been able to find him for the past twenty years."

     "Ver has to be hiding somewhere near here," Kai protested. "She might be able to take out a flying ship with her powers, but there's no way she can just fly across the continent—"

     "I think you—we... we underestimate her."

     "So, you think she's flown across the continent?"

     "No, I'm just saying—"

     "Would you two please stop?" Peak stood up, jolting the table hard enough where Storm was forced to intercede again to stop the fruit bowl from spilling. "Arguing isn't going to get us the key back."

     "Why do we even care about the key?" Aureole snapped. "It literally is a lost relic that no one cared enough to learn about. How is it supposed to help us defeat the Overlord? It isn't even sharp enough to stab someone."

     "The key brought Carmen with it," Storm pointed out, to which Aureole made a face.

     "I..." Peak spoke again, looking around the room nervously. "I think I might have an answer to that."

     Everyone turned to him, though some of the faces were more suspicious than trusting. The dark-haired boy's shoulder hitched with a deep breath before he finally forced out, "When I was out trying to gather the parts to fix the Bounty, I overheard some of the Overlord's minions—the Time Twins—talking. One of them mentioned returning to... returning to the Dark Island. Maybe that's where Ver is."

     "The Dark Island?" Father echoed, facepalming soon after. "Leave it to us to forget to check the only logical place. Of course he went to the Dark Island—"

     "One of the twins also mentioned that the Overlord needs the key to power a machine."

     Everyone quieted instantly. Mother was the first to speak as she fiddled nervously with her sleeves. "What type of machine?"

     "He didn't say much." Peak's eyebrows were furrowed in concentration. "Something about how 'he's' been trying to unearth it for years and 'he' needs the key to activate it."

     "Machine... machine... oh, I wish Zane were still here." Kai paced around the edge of the table. "I barely know anything about ancient technology."

     "Yet we do know that the Overlord needs the key to power a machine. Said machine can be assumed to have been buried on the Dark Island, which means it was probably a relic of the first fight of this realm." Father studied the map again. "Everything that is a relic of the fight between my grandfather and the Overlord is always a recipe for disaster. Just ask the Stone Army, or the Golden Weapons-made-into-armor, or Overlord's reincarnated form, or—"

     "We get it," Kai grouched. "It seems like we need the key for serious reasons, and not just because it brought some untalented girl with it."

     The way Storm and Aureole were giving each other knowing glances was starting to make me suspicious. Then, they'd both not-so-discreetly look my way. Combined with Mother's staring, I was beginning to feel extremely uncomfortable. Clenching my fists under the table, I controlled the urge to shift the temperature and plastered an interested visage on my face.

     "If the Twins think they are going to return to the Dark Island, then perhaps that is where Ver will take the key," I repeated the point from earlier, steering the conversation away from Carmen.

     "We should head there next." Kai pointed to the map again.

     "Without a plan?"

     "Yes, without a plan. We don't know what type of artillery the Overlord has been gathering the last twenty years. We barely know anything about what to expect when we get there." Kai turned to his lifelong friend, his eyes shining bright. "But we do know that this is our best lead. This might be our only shot to get the key back and complete the prophecy at the same time. So, I say we take it."

     "Kai has a point," Mother said softly. Neither her nor Kai had made eye-contact the whole morning, so her agreeing with him was a surprise. I assumed there was some leftover tension from yesterday's outburst. Kai's eyes widened, but he gave her a grateful nod.

      "Basically, you want us to waltz straight into the Overlord's playground." Aureole stood up beside Peak.

      "I know it's dangerous," her father countered. "But you all are ready. We've been preparing you for this fight for your whole lives. It's time we finally give you a chance to put those awesome skills to use."

      Morro smiled at the comment, his first real smile in a timespan that seemed like forever. Peak and the others also looked a bit less afraid and hesitant. The earth elemental nodded towards the former fire ninja. "Then let's fly. We'll keep training and preparing for whatever may come our way. We're going to win this fight; we're going to save the world."

      A weak sense of hope simmered through the air, and it was enough to make everyone more confident in what would come next. It was time to finally confront the ancient evil.

      It was time to finally face the prophecy.

     And, in a deeper sense, it was time to finally see who the prophecy had chosen as its beloved son.

I had felt many things over the past ninety-six hours, but nothing was as nice as the feeling of an AC unit rustling my hair. I went into the research room—which was more of a minute, velvet room with a couple bookshelves, a small couch, and an even smaller table—just to stand under the one of the biggest vents in the Bounty. For days I had been forced to trek for miles, forced to carry heavy luggage, forced to sweat and sweat without being able to wash it off. One of the first things I did upon entering the Bounty was shower, and I was already feeling much better.

     It was so nice to have plumbing again.

     The adults had quickly discovered that the crash Kai and Peak had suffered had destroyed about half of our remaining fuel. This meant we didn't have enough to fly all the way to the Dark Island, and certainly not enough to fly back. They decided to sail on water during the days and sail airborne on autopilot during the nights. If that all went according to plan, we should arrive at the Dark Island in a little over a week.

     None of us had any idea of how quickly this vague machine doohickey could operate after years of unuse. We also weren't sure what the machine could do and if it could harm any Ninjago citizens from the Dark Island. With these uncertainties in mind, the adults found their plan of getting to the Dark Island very promising. It would take us all a bit of time to recover, as well as fit in some final training before the fight.

     Shade started up training again the day we set off. I was too sore to put in the effort he did, though I assumed his aggression towards the training dummies was his way of letting out some stress. Shade hadn't spoken to me much since Kai and Peak arrived; our interactions mostly consisted of head nodding. It was unusual for Shade to speak so little to me while he babbled on inanely to everyone else, but I didn't think much of it. I was still trying to get through the fog of truths and lies myself.

     After a few days Aureole had helped Carmen out of bed onto the main deck, where both of them went through simple training exercises. Storm volunteered to train with Shade quite often. It was unusual to see him that determined to work on his skills, but I guessed it was a good thing to see him impassioned on honing his abilities. We were going to fight the manifestation of darkness, after all.

     Shade quickly noted that we needed to train Noria. She just stood there, wringing her hands, as Shade asked her if she knew anything about martial arts.

     "My deepest apologies, sir. My family's profession is not in much need of combat; our society as a whole is relatively safe. There is no need to learn aggression when the Grand Master sends guards to handle every dispute."

     "Then we'll have to teach you some basic defense moves." Shade's impeccable demeanor faltered at the news. "What are the abilities of your elemental power?"

     "Elemental power, sir?"

     "Your voice."

     "I can speak many languages, sir," Noria's voice was quiet. She still hadn't removed the droopy sunhat she had been wearing ever since she left Shadow Bay, even though it was cloudy outside. She was also still dressed in the floor-length, patched up working gown, which made her look like someone out of a colonial style story. Aureole said she'd rejected any costume changes thrown her way. Noria certainly didn't seem like the type of person to hone an elemental power.

     "Anything else?" Shade's voice had a hint of annoyance in it, something Noria was picking up on. Her shoulders hunched forward as she discreetly took a step away from him.

     "I can change my accent, sir."

     Shade groaned. "Can you at least... I don't know... hypnotize people with your voice? Can you break glass with a high note? Can you shatter someone's eardrums with a song?"

     Noria was positively mortified at his words.

     "Alright, I guess we'll have to experiment until we find some more uses for your power." Shade surveyed her, thinking to himself. "It shouldn't be that hard to figure something out."

     "My sincerest apologies, I do not believe I will be of much assistance during this ordea—"

     "Nonsense, nonsense!" Shade flashed a perfect smile, ushering her over to a training dummy. I paused my own routine of practiced moves to follow them. "You'll do excellent, I'm sure. Can you sing for me?"

     Noria's eyes went wide with fear. It was odd to see her showing this much emotion. To me she was always a blank slate, always the epitome of calm and composed. It was that demeanor that caused her to seem like she was genuinely listening to me. Combined with her calm, informative replies, she had led me to believe that she was pretty much the perfect conversationalist. Other people loved to cast off my logic driven school facts as boring, but she always listened and never complained. It was refreshing.

     It didn't stop me from wondering why she was emotionless around me and 'normal' around Shade.

     "Begging your pardon, sir, but I don't sing."

     Shade faltered again, the second time in their encounter. He almost never faltered, so something must be wrong. "Is something wrong with your throat? You're talking normally."

     "I am recovering well, and my voice is adequate." Noria wouldn't meet his eyes. "But I cannot sing for you."

     "Cannot or will not?"

     "Will not, sir."

     Shade narrowed his eyes. "You do realize the whole reason we brought you here was so you can sing, right? I'm not asking you to sing me Lila Key's latest album; I'm just asking for you to give me two notes."

     Noria pursed her lips. "My apologies, Mr. Shade, sir, but I will not sing."

     "Why not?" Shade's voice rose with annoyance.

     "My mother has instructed me never to do so."

     "Your mother isn't here!"

     "Shade, perhaps this isn't the best time," I cut in quickly, stepping between the two. Shade's shoulders were heaving up and down with his angry breaths, and for a second I felt the temperature twinge with his rage. He blinked, and it was gone. Back was the calm and confident Shade, who gently pressed his palms together when he addressed me.

     "We have to train her, Morro. We need her to sing so we can defeat the Overlord."

     "I understand that." I spun to glance at the mountain girl, only to find that she wasn't there. Shade's eyebrows twitched when he noticed, but he didn't crack.

     "Do you have something we need to discuss?" I gently asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

     "I'm fine," Shade's voice was hollow, despite his rather calm appearance.

     "I know the news was upsetting. I myself am still getting over i—"

     "I'm fine," Shade repeated, stepping away from me. "All is forgiven. I just would appreciate it if everyone could participate in training so we aren't underprepared when facing the Overlord."

     I stepped back from his cooler tone. His face quickly flickered back into a pleasant visage, and he nodded at me. "I will go find the girl."

     "No, I think you need to stay here," I said slowly. Was that... tension in the air? Shade had always welcomed me, no matter the circumstance. Even when we were little kids fighting with each other, he'd still have my back when the time came. Sure, everyone was grieving, but there was this strange hollowness behind his eyes now. I wasn't sure what it meant, and I was scared to find out. "I'll find Noria. Perhaps I can convince her to train a little."

     "That would be appreciated." Shade nodded again before walking over to find Aureole and Carmen.

     I hesitated for just a second—worried for him—but decided against further action. Maybe Shade just needed some space. He had just been told his family had lied to him and he was going to beat the manifestation of darkness. That news would be hard for anyone.

      I wandered off through the Bounty's halls, poking my head in each room to see where Noria might have gone. The walls were still adorned with various pictures of the Ninja in their younger years, though a few of us as kids had been mixed in. The Bounty in itself had been out of use for several years, so I assumed the parents had stopped decorating it once they retired from their 'ninja business'.

      I finally found the girl of interest in the research room, which made sense when I thought about it. She still refused to bunk with anyone, so she had been camping there. I knew she was using the research room because that was where I used to hide when everyone else was being too loud. Now I was forced to endure Shade, Storm, and Peak's chaotic discussions, though none of them had stayed up late over the past few days. All there was before bedtime were murmurs about training or seasickness, then everyone quietly did their own thing. Even Aureole and Carmen didn't chatter as loudly in their room.

      "Hey," I said, since I literally seemed to know no other way to approach her. She was always so strangely... unfeeling. Every time I talked to her, I feared she only put up with me because it was so obvious I was socially awkward.

      She didn't answer. Noria was sitting on the sofa with the straightest posture I'd ever seen, blankly staring at the bookshelves in front of her. Hesitantly, I sat down on the other end. For some reason she flinched whenever I got more than four feet close to her.

     "Shade... Shade didn't mean to be so rude," I scrambled for words. "He's just stressed about this whole mission."

     Her hands twitched, but that was all I was getting out of her. I sighed, getting up and crouching down in front of her. "Why doesn't your mother allow you to sing?"

     She met my eyes before uncomfortably looking away. I never noticed their hue before; it was unnatural. There was a deep, mystical purple hidden among the blue, along with small gold flecks that broke up the color.

     "I... I cannot—will not tell you that. I am sorry," Noria finally said, attempting to scoot backwards but only finding the back of the couch.

     "Please?" I asked. "We need you to sing for the prophecy. Maybe if we understand why your mother doesn't want you to sing then we can work out a reasonable compromise."

     "I cannot compromise. I am sorry," she responded blankly.

     I pursed my lips. "Can you at least train with us, then? We won't push you to do anything hard; we just want to teach you some basic self-defense. It will help you survive this upcoming fight."

     She hesitated, mulling the idea over.

     "We won't force you to use your elemental power. We just want to make sure you're well equipped to defend yourself if you're attacked."

     Noria eyes flickered around the room. Her breathing was quiet and small. Whenever we didn't speak the only sounds I could hear was the gentle thrum of the air conditioner and the grunts of the training ninja outside.

      "Is..." she started slowly, "is it a rule? To learn how to fight?"

      I resisted the urge to massage my forehead, suddenly understanding why Shade was so aggravated. Sure, I accepted that she regarded the rules more than her own health, life, and happiness. But sometimes her sticking-to-them got a little annoying. Our world wasn't like Shadow Bay. We were not going to kill her if she didn't do what we said.

     "Yes," I replied, lying through my teeth. "Ninja never quit, and Ninja never leave friends behind. You can't do those things if you're dead. Besides, we need to get you home alive so you can return to your family."

     There it was again, the slight tremor of confusion across her features. It was almost as if she thought she was 100% going to die on this mission.

     "Very well. I will... train." She grimaced at the words, but that was her only indication of displeasure with them. "Should I return to Mr. Shade?"

     "No, no," I waved my hands, thinking of Shade's temperament at the moment. "Um... give me five minutes and I can start you on a basic routine. I'll... uh, I'll meet you out on the deck."

     I rose to my feet, surveying the mountain girl. It was hard to see, but she was trembling. Was she scared of training? Surely she knew we wouldn't hurt her. As I made my way out of the room, trying desperately to calm my heated cheeks, I heard her murmur to herself, "I do not have a choice."

     Was she talking about her dedication to the rules? Or something else?

     I am grieving too, just in my own way.

     She'd said that at the beach. That statement alone would explain why she walked around with the same hollowness as Shade. I was confused as to why she would be grieving, but then I remembered why she had agreed to come with us in the first place. It was either that, or her entire family would be killed for sheltering outsiders. She had given up everything for our cause, probably assuming this meant she would never reunite the ones she loved. More than ever, I wished to break past that hard shell and comfort her, to assure her she'd be brought safely home soon, but communication was key, and she did not wish to communicate with me.

     There was a wall between the two of us, a wall of unspoken words that she understood and I didn't.

     I had made it more than clear that I was willing to be a shoulder to cry on, but she was a block of stone in my presence, only showing humanity around others. No, not others.

     Shade.

     Perhaps tolerance was all that there ever was between us. Maybe I was just intruding on her grief, maybe I was just not cut out for trying to make new friends. It was probably just like that girl from the school dance. Underneath Noria's silence, she was trying to push me away because she actually liked...

     They always wanted his companionship. Never mine.

     That's why she was a conversationalist around Shade and a passive listener around me.

      He was perfect and I was... nothing.

     That's why Shade had to be the son.

      Because if I were it, then we didn't stand a chance. 

This wasn't the first time I'd had a concussion, but never before had it been this bad. I could barely even remember why I had it, much less the events surrounding what the others called 'the attack'. All I knew were two things. One: whatever this attack had done had made everyone (save Shade, since he was an angel at handling tough times) really upset. Two: my grandparents probably would have died of shock after learning I didn't just bust my head, but I also lost the key. Oh wait. They didn't care about the key; that's why I was allowed to keep it.

     Just thinking about the key made me feel like sniffling, so I tried to avoid all thoughts of it as much as possible.

     If I had gathered details correctly, 'the attack' had basically brought back Shade's sister—who was secretly evil—and forced the adults to uproot the supposed lies they were telling everyone. For example, there was a fulfiller of the prophecy. And it was a son of Harumi and Lloyd. Naturally, it had to be Shade. The other boy didn't stand a chance.

     "Lift your arms a bit higher. You want to aim for the gut, not the intestines." Shade gently moved my outstretched arm up a fraction higher. He was softly smiling as he did it, with flushed cheeks and an awkward glint in his eyes.

     My stomach did so many flips and flutters I figured I might die of happiness in the next couple minutes. I performed the move with as much focus as I could muster (in my defense, the love of my life was standing right next to me) and turned to Shade with a giant grin once I was done. He gave me a thumbs up, then had me rest to my original position.

     So far, we were about six days into our traveling session, and I had never done anything more boring in my life. The adults stayed away from their angsty teenagers as they focused on navigating the ocean. Said angsty teenagers spent most of their time training or sulking in various parts of the ship.

     The worst offender of angsty-ness was Singsong, who still wouldn't say two words to anyone. Even Shade's brother had given up trying to talk to her beyond their basic training every morning. That made him pretty angsty, since I gathered that he didn't really have friends. Anyone who spent five minutes around him would probably recognize why. He was just so awkward. I had no idea how he and Shade could be twins. It was like genetics had put everything good into one twin and left the rest with the scraps.

      Shade spent most of his time on the deck, so that's where I went to hang out a lot. He didn't mind helping me through my forms when Aureole wasn't around. In fact, since she was often not around, Shade and I got to spend a lot of time together.

     He smiled every time he saw me, and never hesitated to help me with the utmost kindness whenever I struggled with learning the moves. The effects of the concussion were lessening with each passing day; Shade always expressed the fact that he was impressed with my progress. I knew I could never match his perfection, but maybe I could become decent enough to protect him. With each passing day, with each hour we spent training together, I could feel the bond between us growing. We were two branches twisting together to give each other strength. He was mentally drained by Ver's attack, so I revived him with my vicariousness. I was physically drained from the attack, but he did the best he could to build up my stamina.

     My only worry was the upcoming battle.

     Did I want to fight an ancient legend only used to scare children?

     Not exactly. I mean, the only fights I'd ever participated in were a couple of fist fights when I got caught stealing. These kids were preparing for an all-out war. They had been training their whole lives for an all-out war. There was no way a couple weeks' worth of battle training could make me good enough to survive a war, but perhaps it could make me good enough to save Shade from being stabbed or something.

     I must admit, I thought about Shade and the battle a lot. I might die in a couple of days, and then what would be left? Who would remember me? Would anyone miss me? Would Shade care? Well, of course Shade would care, but I guess I thought about the others as well. I often pictured Shade kneeling next to my dying body, pouring out feelings I knew we shared between us. Then, he'd make a promise to take me back to Ninjago City if I were to miraculously survive. And then I'd miraculously survive, and we'd go to Ninjago City and start dating. Then maybe one day we could get married. The only reason he didn't say anything now was because everyone expected him to marry Aureole. Once we confessed to each other at death's doorstep, everyone else would understand we were meant to be.

      "Carmen, you're staring into space again."

      "Sorry," I said, blushing as he corrected my stance. "I was just thinking about... um... battles and whatnot."

      His smile tightened. "Yes, that is certainly an interesting subject to dwell upon."

     "Can I ask you something?" I went through the motions again, gathering up my courage at each little nod Shade gave. "What do you plan on doing once you defeat the Overlord?"

      We could always pour out our feelings now...

     "What makes you so sure I'm going to be the one who defeats him?" Shade crossed his arms, a ghost of a flirtatious smile flickering across his lips.

     "Well, to begin, you're an incredibly talented fighter," I started, my grin growing the more his cheeks flushed at my words. "You're also kind, level-headed, intelligent, powerful—"

     "I think I get your point," he laughed, still messing with his perfect hair and not making eye contact. The lack of eye contact made me suspicious... he had to be nervous about something. Was it my compliments? Was he actually blushing because I was flirting with him?

     "So..." I drug out the syllable, stepping closer.

     "I don't know. I assume we'll go back to Ninjago City and I'll probably go to college." Shade wistfully looked into the distance behind me. "Whatever normal people do, I guess."

     What normal people do. Normal people raised families. Normal people fell in love and got married. Normal people led basic lives with the people they treasured the most. My excitement grew the more I took in his words, because yes, yes, yes, I was that person.

     We could be 'normal' together.

     I asked Aureole the same question later, though her answer was more strained than Shade's.

     "I don't think I'll have time to get married. My parents get into enough trouble for trying to spend time together; everyone thinks their main focus should be on keeping the company alive. Seeing as they want me to replace them at some point, I suppose my days will be filled with endless paperwork and business meetings. I don't want to attempt a relationship if I know I can't devote time to it."

     I shifted on my bed as I watched the brunette untie her hair. It tumbled down from its bun, swishing elegantly against her back. Aureole's eyes dimmed with the large bags beneath them, but the sight of her luscious hair made her light up.

     "Well, when this whole mess is over, I'd like to move to Ninjago City," I said, fiddling with the sleeves of the spare kimono Aureole had lent me. "I don't think Shade will want to come to Kunci."

     Aureole stopped brushing her hair. She turned around and looked at me. "Why would Shade want to come to Kunci?"

     "I just said he's not going to want to. I'll just come to Ninjago City so we can spend more time together." I leaned against the bedroom wall, relishing the softness of the bedsheets. It was so nice to have an actual room to sleep in, rather than thin sleeping bags on rocky soil.

     "Hold it." Aureole held up a hand. "You... you think Shade...?"

     "What?" I snapped, suddenly feeling very attacked. "What were you about to say?"

     She laughed, though the longer it lasted the more bitter it became. Eventually she trailed off and cleared her throat. "Carmen, let me tell you something as a friend who's known him since he left his mother's womb. Shade does not like you like that."

     I shook my head. "Let me tell you this as a friend. He smiles whenever I come around, he's always willing to listen to me, today he was literally blushing when we were tal—flirting. He couldn't even meet my eyes half of the conversation; he was so flustered by my words. He's in love, and I like him back."

     Aureole laughed again. "Fine, then tell me what you know about him."

     "He's handsome, smart, brave, talented, kind—"

     "Not his superficial traits. Tell me what he's like deep down."

     "I... uh..."

     "Exactly." Aureole rose up from her seat. "You know just as much about him as I do."

     "Shade is deeply devoted to his family!" I countered, reaching up to my key for strength, only to find the key wasn't there. Why wasn't it there again? Oh, there was a battle and it was stolen. "He cares for his sister. He wants to have proper control over his powers—"

      "Everyone loves their family! Everyone wants to make sure they don't hurt the people they love!" Aureole stood at her full height (which was actually much taller than I was) after setting down the hairbrush. "All superficial. Do you know what haunts his nightmares? Do you know which face appears in his mind the most? Do you know what he actually enjoys doing, or is he just naturally built to like every single sport/game/activity he's ever attempted? I've known Shade his entire life, and the deepest things I can tell you about him are these: one, he hates peanut butter and jelly; and two, he was afraid of turtles when he was six. That's it! Shade only lets you know what he wants you to know. You understand him no better than I do.

      "I'm sure if he actually loved you, he'd break down and discuss his hopes and dreams with you. But no, you're just another Shade-fan in his eyes. Just like I am. He'll treat you the same as the rest of them, dumped before the end of the week."

     My mouth dropped open in shock. Several incoherent words made it out before I finally stuttered, "The rest of them?"

     Aureole stopped her emphatic movements, suddenly realizing what words just left her mouth. She sat down on the edge of her bed, rubbing circles into her forehead. "I shouldn't be angry," she murmured. "My frustration doesn't start with you, Carmen. I'm sorry; the world's just a bit tough right now. Dad's trying to apologize about never being there for me like he wanted—since he doesn't want to lose me like Lloyd lost Ver—but I told him now's really not the time for sentimental cr—"

     "I don't care about your dad. What do you mean 'the rest of them?'" My head was spinning from my sudden movements, but I was too aggravated to care.

     "It doesn't matter. Forget what I said. I just don't want you to be hurt if Shade doesn't choose you in the end."

     "WHO ARE THEY?" I cried out, nearly stumbling over from the blurriness that was taking over my vision.

     "His stalkers!" Aureole snapped back, unable to keep her limited temper for any longer. "His girlfriends! Literally every single girl he went to school with! They all loved him. They all went to enormous lengths just to prove they were worthy of him. He humored them, of course, to keep them from getting too creepy, but there was no love behind it. He never cared for any of them, and he'll probably never love anyone ever again because of them."

     "What are you saying?" my voice dropped low. "I'm some creepy-stalker lady who Shade probably secretly hates? I actually care about him, Aureole. I'd do anything to make him happy every single day for the rest of our lives."

     "As would they." Aureole tugged at her hair, looking more distressed than I'd ever seen her.

     "I'm not just another 'Shade-fan'." I stomped over to the door, "We've got something special. I've seen it ever since the first time we locked eyes. Maybe it's time I finally prove it to you."

     "Carmen, please listen to me. He doesn't love you. This path you want to take, it only gets people hurt," Aureole begged, but I had already left the room. I could hear her scramble to pull on a nightrobe and run after me, so I jogged faster down to the boys' room. Blood pumped through my brain, making both my head and collarbone ache.

      Aureole was jealous.

     I had heard Storm make jokes about how her and Shade were supposed to be married when they were older, but Shade always laughingly dismissed those. She was right about one thing, though, how could any girl not fall in love with Shade? I didn't blame her for being enraptured by him, but I couldn't believe she would say such atrocious things just to make me back off. If she wanted me to step down from my future soulmate, then all she had to do was name a time and place where we could duke it out.

     The petty woman didn't stand a chance. She might have magic, but I had enough spirit to give the fight my all. I would give everything for Shade, and he'd see my tenacity as something worthy. Something heart-wrenching. Something worth loving.

     But Aureole would never duel me. So, if she wanted to play the shallow game of trying to make me back down, I knew a foolproof way to get her off my tail. If Shade confessed his love for me now, then she'd never bother us again.

     I slammed open the door, making Bluebell nearly fall off his bunk in surprise. Shade and the dark-haired boy—Parker? —were playing checkers on the floor, while the white-haired boy read quietly on his bed. They all hesitantly looked in my direction, taking in my flushed face, rumpled, borrowed kimono, and bedhead that made a bad-hair-day look nice. I was in no way a symbol of beauty in the moment, but I knew Shade saw past my looks.

     "Carmen?" Parker started awkwardly, only to be cut off as I passed through the room and kneeled in front of my true love.

     Shade turned pink as I stared at his mosaic-like eyes. "Shade, there's something we need to address."

     Aureole ran into the doorway, opening her mouth to stop me—

     "I love you, every part of you, ever since I first laid eyes on you. I know we have something special, and no matter when times are tough, we'll always be there with each other. Aureole is trying to keep us apart—please, tell her the truth. Tell her what you've always known to be true."

     The whole room went painstakingly quiet. Parker coughed awkwardly and backed away from us, while Bluebell's face was a strange mix of shock and agony. And Shade... Shade hesitantly reached up to where my hands were clasped in a prayer-like motion.

     For the first time his ever-constant demeanor faltered as he struggled to pull together a string of words. However, he shouldn't have been hesitating. We were in love. All it took were five words to end Aureole's game forever.

     The lukewarm room shifted colder, then hotter, then back to cold.

     "Carmen," Aureole's voice was layered with humor, as if she wanted to pass this off as some sort of joke.

     I didn't give her a chance to finish.

     "Tell them you love me, Shade!"

     He faltered yet again, suddenly shaking his head and backing away. "Carmen, I-I..."

     "I told you he doesn't love you," Aureole interceded, trying to pull me away. "If anyone loves you it's Stor—it doesn't matter. We're going to war soon; none of us need to be occupied with this ordeal."

     Bluebell now looked like he wanted to die.

     "No!" I tried to shrug Aureole off, but she was too strong. I started to wiggle and twist with all my might despite the pain it was causing my collarbone. "Shade, please!"

     "Aureole's right," Shade finally said, gently reaching out to touch my shoulders before pulling his tender hands away. "Carmen, you've been a delightful companion, and your vivaciousness always makes me smile. But we're on the edge of war. I can't decide if I'm in love or not if I'm too busy trying to make sure we don't all die soon."

     "True love stands firm through any situation!" I could literally feel my heart breaking. Maybe its shattered pieces would slip through my collarbone wound and bleed all over the floor with my sorrow. "It doesn't matter what we're up against. We'll always be there for each other."

     "Carmen—"

     "Don't," I wept, clenching my fists in Aureole's hold. "Don't dance around the truth. Quit hesitating and tell me what you really feel. Obviously you're either very embarrassed or are trying to find the nice way to crush my heart."

     He pursed his lips before leaning back. The cramped room was silent, save my shaking inhales as I fought against nausea and blurry vision. Everyone else was holding their breaths in anticipation, waiting to see who was speaking the truth. Deep down, I already knew what Shade was about to say. But every bone in my body was praying that the words wouldn't escape his lips.

     "My apologies, Carmen, but I don't love you," Shade finally said, his voice becoming eerily calm. "I'm sorry it had to come out this way."

     I imagined my bleeding heart shattering against the ground, clinking into a thousand tiny pieces around everyone's feet. My own pulse nearly stopped at his words; my breaths hitched as tears openly flowed from my eyes.

     Stupid Aureole. Stupid Shade. Stupid me, for ever believing there was such a thing as love.

     When her grip slackened momentarily, I wrestled away from Aureole, fleeing down the hall before anyone could come after me. I ran all the way across the open deck and down to the storage room at the bottom of the boat. The dark room was filled with large crates of weapons, ammunition, and other miscellaneous supplies, which made it the perfect place to hide. I couldn't face them.

     Shade didn't love me.

     He didn't love me.

     He didn't love me.

     Sure, I hadn't gone on this adventure for him, but he had always been there. He gave me hope in a future beyond the grasping hands of Kunci and my grandparents. Shade was the thrill of adventure; he was the calling to a life much greater than the one I lived as the Midnight Menace. When I first looked in his eyes, I had felt it. There was a spark between us, a spark I foolishly thought would ignite into something more.

     It turned out I was wrong.

     Only hours earlier I was convinced I could fight in a war, even if it was for the sole purpose of protecting Shade. Now, I wasn't sure at all. There was no one to love, no one to fight for. Maybe I would end up dying in this upcoming fight, and then no one would even care enough to remember me fondly.

     Somehow, through all the heartache and grief, I found I didn't care about me either.