***Okay, I'm not cueing this song, but just imagine this playing in the background while Nya talks with Jay for his POV in this chapter. It makes everything better-

If I don't respond to any comments tonight, it's because I'm working my butt off to write the final chapters of this story. Things are INTENSE. This chapter's over 5,000 words LOL

Also, let me know if you find a plot hole so I can fix it. I think I've eradicated most.

Finally, Ninjago City laws are...interesting. I'm trying to make them somewhat accurate and believable. At the same time, I need them to work a certain way for this story. Keep that in mind as you read.

Fun fact - in case you didn't know, I don't own Keurig coffee. So when you see the reference to that brand in this chapter, you'll know that I'm not the owner of Keurig :P***

***(Jay's POV)***

I lay in my bedroom of the sea vessel, precariously left alone and feeling all around miserable. Skylor returned to the ship with a subdued Pythor about half an hour ago, but there's been no sign of Harumi.

And there's no sign of a way to save Lloyd or Cole. Kai's still out of his head, as well.

I guess we're just waiting here for Harumi to get back for another hour or so. It's nighttime now, and the Dark Island is still teeming with Oni, so it's best if we don't go looking for her. If she's not back soon, though, we'll be sending out a search party.

I hear a soft knock on my door, and Nya pops her head in without waiting for a response. She smiles sympathetically when she sees I'm still awake.

"Hey," I smile against the throbbing I feel in my head. "Come in."

She slips inside, closing the door behind her and coming to sit on the edge of my bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Fantastic. I love getting concussions." The sarcasm is real.

She rubs her hand over my arm. "You're still here, though. I'm glad Pythor's machine didn't get you – I'm glad you're okay."

"If you weren't glad I was okay, there might be a problem."

She chuckles softly and kisses my cheek, one of the few places that doesn't hurt right now. "You're right."

I'm about to say something sweet, but Pythor's angry shouts from the room over just ruin the moment. Seliel's watching him right now (armed with a gun, no less), and I'm sure they're into some kind of argument. That couldn't go wrong in any way.

"Any word about Harumi?" I ask.

Nya fixes my covers. "No. Skylor's ready to send out a search party soon. Said party would consist of me, her, and Zane. PIXAL, Seliel, and Kai would stay here with you."

"Goody." Kai's out of his head, PIXAL's incredibly naïve, and Seliel's a butt. I'd love to be stuck here with all three of them at once.

Nya places her head on my shoulder in a silent reminder that she's here for me. "It'll be okay, Jay. We shouldn't be gone long, and we'll be heading back to Ninjago in no time. And Zane said you're not suffering from brain bleeding or anything, so we get home, you'll probably just need a quick medical examination before they give you the 'okay'."

"Yeah. It doesn't fix that I'm nauseous and dizzy and achy, though."

"Getting some sleep might help with that. I'll be right here to make sure Nadakhan doesn't suddenly appear." She rearranges herself next to me.

"Thanks," I grumble.

"You're welcome." She hesitates for a moment, then whispers, "I'm sorry for not trusting you earlier today – what with the whole 'we-shouldn't-be-mission-partners' thing. You're right. We do make a great team. I guess I'm just a little wary of our relationship getting in the way on missions."

That makes me smile, just a little. "It's okay, Nya. I'm glad you're talking to me about your feelings on 'us'."

"I'm trying to be better about that. I know that back in February, neither of us were ready for a relationship. You were too obsessed, and I was just...well, I guess I kind of took you for granted. I fake-dated you, for crying out loud. In a way, I'm glad Lloyd came between us because it means that we didn't date and do horrible emotional damage to each other."

"And I guess you think that...we should forgive Lloyd?" I extrapolate.

"I've forgiven him," she admits. "And I miss him, too. He wasn't the source of our problems, Jay. We were. Not to say that he was right for threatening us and bringing my parents' death into things, but Lloyd's not some dream-crusher out to destroy us. All three of us were messed up."

I think about what she says for a moment.

I may not hate Lloyd anymore, but I'm still not friends with him. And I'm still low-key mad at him for what he pulled with Nya. Besides splitting us up, he also was kind of over-controlling back when they were best friends. Not that she didn't bite back, but it wasn't fair that he thought he could control the clothes she wore or the guys she had interest in.

But Nya and I have both changed. Maybe he has, too?

There's a shout up on deck, and Nya and I both leap up. As I do, pain splinters through my skull, and I groan.

Nya whips out the radio at her side, holding it close to her face. "What happened?"

Skylor responds over the speaker, "Two individuals have been spotted. Zane and PIXAL are leaving to identify them as we speak."

"Do they seem hostile?"

"Negative...at the moment. I'll keep you posted. Over."

I close my eyes as Skylor's end of the radio cuts off. "I hope Kai just ordered pizza or something, and whoever the two people are outside are delivering for us."

Nya smiles affectionately. "I don't think so."

"It's nice to dream sometimes, though." I gingerly move my arm to take her hand. "You know what we need to do once we get back?"

"Take you to an urgent care?"

"Yes, but after that."

"Finalize the details for Kai and Skylor's wedding? It's a little over a week now."

I groan. "Holey moley, you're right. And we're still missing Lloyd and Cole, not to mention that Skylor's husband-to-be is nuts. We have to find a way to fix all of this."

"I agree. I just don't know how." She plays with my fingers that are wrapped around hers. "So what do you think we should do after we work all that stuff out?"

"We need to go on our date."

"What date?"

"You know, the one I promised I'd have with you back in February? Our Breakfast at Tiffany's date? The one where we each take each other out to do things we've never done before?"

"Oh, that," she smiles. "I'd like that." She turns back on her radio and says, "Report, Skylor."

"Zane and PIXAL are approaching the individuals now," she replies. "Stand by."

We spend moments in silence before Skylor's voice comes back over the radio. "Are you there?"

"Yes," Nya replies.

"Great. The two individuals are Harumi and Lloyd. And they have a sword called a Djinn Blade that can theoretically help us get Kai and Cole back to normal."

Nya furrows her eyebrows. "Repeat, please?"

"Harumi and Lloyd are back with Nadakhan's sword. We may be able to fix Kai and Cole's issues with the weapon."

Nya sighs with relief, a smile tilting her lips. "Thank you, Skye. Thank you."

"No problem. Over."

Nya rises. "You shouldn't be alone right now. Do you feel up to greeting them?"

I slowly untuck myself from the blankets, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. "Okay."

Nya helps support me as we walk out of the room and up on deck. I eye a crate up deck and take a seat on it, willing the dizziness in my head to end.

Lloyd's head appears over the side of the boat as he climbs in, and Nya runs over to him, grabbing his hands to tug him upward.

"Oh my gosh, you're okay!" she exclaims, holding him tightly.

He seems taken aback at first, but he quickly recovers from his shock and hugs her back. "Hey."

"None of you are giving me a welcoming party?" Harumi asks, climbing up behind Lloyd. Lloyd turns from Nya and extends a hand for her, helping her up.

"I brought something for you," she announces, setting what I assume is the Djinn blade before us. "I trapped Nadakhan in here. Maybe you can find a way for us to use it to help your friends." She emphasizes the 'your' there, making it clear she's not one of us.

Skylor examines the blade. "You told me that over the radio, but I don't know what we're supposed to do with this."

"Nadakhan's inside that thing?" I frown.

"Courtesy of me," Harumi nods.

"Huh. I wonder if he can get out," I muse.

"Should we bring it to Misako?" Nya suggests. "She's a history buff. She might know how we can use it to help Kai and Cole."

"That's not a bad start," Lloyd agrees, one arm around Harumi. "I say we take it back home and worry about it there."

"But Nadakhan's in there," Skylor cautions us. "We'll have to be careful with it."

"Have fun with that," Harumi says flippantly. "Oh, and I should probably mention the abundance of young women trapped in that sword, including one or two former elemental masters."

"The...what?" Nya asks.

"Harper Cauley. I think that Nadakhan's sword has to do with Harper Cauley." She begins to walk toward the stairs as though she's just explained everything.

"What's 'Harper Cauley'?" Nya frowns.

Harumi pivots. "Oh, you don't know? I thought the police chief told you. He said he did, at least." She shrugs. "You'll have to ask him, not me. He knows more about it than I do."

***(Nya's POV)***

It's fair weather sailing back to Ninjago, and we arrive within two days. Surprisingly and suspiciously, it doesn't seem as though Nadakhan has escaped the Djinn Blade. And after Jay's miserable first night on board, his health has improved considerably.

Since we've just now docked, I suppose our first order of business is to get him examined. Even though Zane says he's fine, I'm still a little concerned.

Jay holds my hand as we walk up the boardwalk to greet the police chief. Once our boat got close to the mainland, we radioed the police force so they'd be ready and waiting to take Pythor. They're also providing a police escort to an urgent care for Jay.

''Congratulations!" the commissioner exclaims as we approach. "Great job on getting to that island and saving Ninjago once again."

"It's no problem," I smile. "Are you ready to take Pythor off our hands?"

As if on cue, Skylor and Zane exit the boat, a loudly complaining Pythor in their grasp.

"You fools!" he exclaims. "Unhand me!"

"You'll have fun with him," Jay chuckles. His black eye offsets his jubilant expression, though.

I look at the police chief. "Did you send one of your officers to transport us to some sort of urgent care?"

"Yes," he replies. "And your teammate Brookstone is doing fine at the hospital, by the way. He's still asleep, but at least he's okay."

I'm about to ask him about Harper Cauley – whatever that means – but a frown dampens the chief's features. "Something's come up in the two hours since you radioed me."

"Oh, great!" Jay cries. "Not again! All I'm asking for is a few weeks off of fighting crime! Is that really so bad? Can't criminals ever take a break?"

"It's...not that," the police chief sighs. "Miss Smith, the mental state of your brother is still unstable as of now, correct?"

"Yes," I say slowly. "That's why we have the Djinn Blade in our grasp. We think that it may have the ability to help him regain his sanity."

"That's good," the chief replies. "Your team needs to get cracking on how that blade can help Kai as soon as possible. Meanwhile, the city has ordered that your brother have a psychiatric evaluation."

"Okay," I frown. "That doesn't sound so bad to me, but your tone says otherwise."

"Yes," he sighs. "You're not eighteen, right?"

"No. I'll be seventeen in less than two weeks. Why?"

"Well..." He raises an arm in the air helplessly, then limply lets it drop to his side. "About an hour ago, we got a call about your brother."

"Like, the police force did? What kind of call? He hasn't been around to commit any crimes."

"Right. Well, you know Ninjago City law is rather...interesting, and it seems that social services wants to review your brother's custody of you. If he doesn't pass that psychiatric evaluation, then you'll be taken out of his custody."

I scowl. "Seriously?"

"Yes," he sighs. "And there's more."

Jay squeezes my fingers. "Uh...what do you mean by 'more'?"

"Your team informed me two months ago that Mr. and Mrs. Smith were dead and that Miss Smith and her brother came to Ninjago City illegally at first," the chief sighs. "I've kept that under wraps. However, a living relative is already pressing for temporary custody of Miss Smith." He looks directly at me. "She calls herself Sunny Liu and says she's an aunt of yours. Don't ask me how she knows that Kai went crazy while you were gone."

I sputter. "Auntie Sunny?! There's no way she could know what's wrong with Kai!"

The police chief jerks his head toward the escort he has ready for Jay. "I'll tell the others what's going on. It may be best for you to go ahead and settle important matters right now, so I suggest you get a move on."

I scoff. "Sunny can't just take me from Kai! He's going to get better...eventually!"

"I'm sorry," the chief says sympathetically. "Ninjago City laws aren't perfect, but most of the time, they work. That's just not the case this time. I'll do everything in my power to ensure you go back to your brother as soon as possible, though. Although you first came to the city illegally, Kai's nineteen now and is fit for guardianship. But Kai has never legally applied for legal guardianship of you. If he doesn't pass that psychiatric exam, he won't be fit to sign the forms for your custody, and there's no way you'll be able to stay with him until he's mentally fit to care for you."

"That's not fair!" I yell. "Ninjago City laws are horrible! First, they took Seliel from us. Then Zane tells us she's back with us for good because of a wish Cole made with Nadakhan. And now I'm being abducted by my aunt?" This is nuts!

"Are you sure she's fit for guardianship?" Jay asks. "Kai seems to think she's bad news."

The chief nods. "She's mentally sound, has a well-paying job as an interior designer, and is married to a renowned lawyer in Ignacia. That's why the whole guardianship process is going so quickly – her husband carries a lot of weight in this situation."

"Ignacia is four hours away!" I exclaim. "If Sunny takes me, then I'm going to be four hours from my team, my brother, and the girl who's almost my sister-in-law! Don't I get a say in whom I go to? Skylor would be happy to be my guardian! She's marrying my brother in a week!"

"I'm sorry," the chief apologizes. "I don't make the rules for the city. In Ninjago City, minors don't get a say in their guardianship and are entirely dependent upon the city to choose proper guardians for them. Now you need to go and tie up whatever loose ends you have right now." He places a hand on my shoulder. "You may not get another chance to settle things in your life until Kai's mentally sound."

I start to complain again, but Jay tugs on my hand and pulls me toward his police escort. "Come on. Arguing isn't going to help right now."

"Neither is doing nothing!" I wail.

"I know this is bad, Nya. We just...we need to think about this. I'll ask the police to skip the urgent care and take us to...to..." His expression morphs from confusion to clarity. "Mystaké! We'll talk to Mystaké. She probably has some tea that can make somebody sane, right?"

"I don't know," I moan. "All I know is that I can't go with my aunt. Kai says she hates elementals, so she has no reason to want me. However, she's pressing for my custody anyway. Gosh, I don't like this."

"I don't, either, but I promise we'll find a way to fix it." He gives me a reassuring smile that almost hides his doubt.

After he redirects the police escort to Mystaké's tea shop, we climb in the back of the police car and begin our pensive drive. Jay tries to initiate a conversation several times, but I'm too lost in my head to be of much interest.

I liked Aunt Sunny back at the beginning of this year. She mailed me a Christmas card, then she sent me a few personal letters, and then she asked to exchange phone numbers with me. I was fine with it. I'd always known that my mom had had a sister, but I'd never interacted with her until this year.

Come to think of it, when I asked Sunny about coming to Ignacia – I was considering employment there back when I was thinking of running away – she helped me find some references. She recommended one in particular that I had to submit my medical records to. However, the time I sent those in was about the time Kai figured out I had intentions of leaving Ninjago City – that would've been April, I guess. He put me on lockdown and made me come live at the blacksmith's shop for a month, so I don't think I responded in time to receive those job positions I signed up for.

Sunny wanted me to run away.

I'm starting to believe more and more that she's as bad as Kai says. Some of those organizations she hooked me up with were probably shady.

I suddenly regret sending my medical forms in to that one place. I guess I thought nothing of it at the time. My family never used to mention Sunny, and she was a taboo subject for Kai, so I had no reason not to trust her.

Until now, when I'm not so obsessed with running away that I ignore all the red flags she gives off.

My phone buzzes in my pocket, jerking me out of my thoughts. I look down to see Skylor is calling me.

Ignore.

I am not discussing this with her right now. I don't need her idle promises that Kai will be fine and that everything's okay.

"Nya?" Jay asks from beside me. "You look...tormented."

"That's the best way to put it," I huff. "She's evil, Jay. Sunny is evil."

"We're almost to Mystaké's," he smiles down at me, looping an arm around my shoulders. "And you know full well that you can take your aunt on, no matter how evil she is. You're a boss. And I'm right here to help you, too. Not that you'll need help, of course – we're going to stop her before she ever gets custody of you. We're going to fix Kai's mind so he can sign those guardianship papers and legally assert his custody of you."

"I hope you're right." I wrap my arms around him gently, knowing he's still a little sore from our time on the Dark Island.

"You should trust me more," he teases. However, there's a serious note to his voice. "We look out for each other now, Nya. I told you at the start of our relationship that I'm not going to demand more than you're willing to give, but there are some things I don't compromise on. And one of those is your safety and wellbeing."

"I can take care of myself." Though what he said there was kind of hot.

"I know you're capable, Nya. I'm just saying that you should trust me to look after you. I trust you to look after me."

I don't respond to him, instead pointing to the roadside sign fast approaching. "We're here – Mystaké's tea shop."

"Good. We're going to fix this, Nya." He gives my fingers one last squeeze.

Once we've parked, we run together into Mystaké's tea shop.

She looks up from her magazine as the bell rings on the door above us, then sets the periodical down on her front counter. "What now?"

"Kai's insane," Jay blurts, his reassuring demeanor vanishing to reveal that he's actually freaking out. "And we need you to find some tea to make him not crazy so Nya isn't placed in the custody of her evil aunt."

Mystaké raises an eyebrow. "Can you say that in English?"

I sigh. "Kai went nuts due to a wish with Nadakhan. Do you have some kind of tea that will help him regain his senses?"

"What kind of wish did he make?" she frowns.

"We don't know. Whatever happened, though, Kai isn't in his right mind anymore. And now I'm in danger of being placed in the custody of my elemental-hating aunt."

The shop owner heaves a sigh. "Gosh, I leave for a few days to get a refund for Eterni-tea, then come back to find you all need Lucidi-tea. I think I have some in the back." She rises from behind her desk and walks in that direction.

Jay and I follow behind her. It's not like we haven't been in the back of her shop before.

Mystaké hums to herself. "Now, this tea should work as long as he didn't somehow get hold of Insani-tea. The two teas don't work to fight against each other. If it was just an insane wish with Nadakhan, though, he'll be back to normal in no time." She grabs a ladder and sets it up against the wall, then climbs up it and snatches a box from the top shelf.

"While you're at it," Jay says, "do you have anything that could help Cole? Nadakhan wished him into a deep sleep."

"I was only gone for five days," she groans. "Apparently, you all can't take care of yourselves. And I thought you'd be fine after our last visit!"

"In our defense," Jay pipes up, "none of us are older than nineteen, and we don't have a sensei anymore. Now, can we get that tea already?!"

"I'm working on it! The Lucidi-tea should work for both your friends. As long as Kai didn't drink Insani-tea and Cole is only in a deep sleep – not a coma – we can make this work." She steps off the ladder and tosses the box at us. "Make one cup for each of your friends. They'll be fine within ten minutes of drinking it. It's fast-working."

"Thank you," I say, sighing with relief. My phone buzzes in my pocket.

I pull it out. Skylor again.

I press it to my ear. "Hey, Skye. How – "

"You ignored my calls!" she exclaims.

"Yep." No regrets.

"You" – she takes a deep breath – "you need to get to the police station now. We have problems."

"Such as?"

"Problems such as that Kai failed his psychiatric exam, and it's only a matter of time before you're signed into the custody of your aunt."

"But" – I swallow – "but we got some tea that will help clear Kai's mind. He can retake the test and pass it this time."

"Then you need to get over here as soon as possible. All efforts of Zane, PIXAL, and Seliel to use the sword to help have failed!"

"Got it!" I hang up, grabbing Jay's hand and dragging him toward the door. "We have to head back to the police station! Kai's been declared mentally unstable, and he needs to drink that tea!"

He grips my hand tighter, and we run out of Mystaké's shop together. We both race to sit down in the back of our police escort's car and, after shouting hurried orders to the poor officer in the front, we speed through town. The officer even turns on his lights so we can make it to the station quicker. I'm pretty sure he is not supposed to do that, but I'm grateful all the same.

Jay squeezes the life out of my fingers the whole way there. I don't know whether it's because he's frightened of the drive or frightened of what might happen with my aunt. I'm not going to ask him, either – I'm murdering his hand with my grip, as well.

We suddenly slam to a stop, our bodies all lurching forward.

We're here.

I unbuckle my seatbelt and shove my door open, my brain temporarily shutting off as I forget to release Jay's hand. Our fingers seem to be locked together.

Instead of making me let go, he unbuckles his own seatbelt and allows me to drag him out my door.

We rush into the police station, and I breathlessly ask the woman at the desk, "Where's my brother?"

She looks confused, but the police chief pokes his head out from around the corner. "You guys can come with me. I heard you have some sort of tea – do you need to use the coffee machine to brew it?"

Jay frowns down at the box. "I don't know that Lucidi-tea comes in K-Cups."

"Doesn't matter," I bite out, running toward where the police chief stands. "What matters is that Kai drinks this stuff so I don't fall into my aunt's custody!"

The police chief nods curtly, leading us to a small kitchenette. "You can brew it in here. Kai's in the room across the hall – that's my office." He points to a closed door to indicate which he's talking about.

"Thank you," Jay says. I'm already fumbling with the coffee machine to get this stuff finished for Kai.

"How long will it take to brew in a coffee maker?" Jay asks. "That coffee-pot looks old-ish. I don't think it knows what a K-Cup is."

"I don't know," I fret. "Check the box. Does it have any instructions?"

Jay picks up the tea box with slippery fingers, dropping it once. "I...don't see any instructions."

"Fine! I'll just put the grounds in a coffee filter, brew them, and hope everything works out." I snatch the box from him, rip open the top, and pull out a tea bag. I proceed to –

"You know they have a hot water faucet, right?" Jay asks, taking my shoulders in his hands.

I swear and grab a nearby paper coffee cup. Jay takes the cup from my hands and places it under the hot water faucet, then runs about eight ounces of steaming liquid in. He dunks a bag of the tea in, then looks down at me over my shoulder.

"It should only take a few minutes to steep," he assesses. "Are you going to be okay?"

"No!" The word rushes from my mouth, fast and honest. I don't care about keeping up any sort of an untouchable reputation right now.

Jay turns me around to face him, then pulls me into a tight hug he knows I'll gain comfort from. When I first told him about my parents' deaths, he hugged me like this. After I ran away for a few days at the beginning of April, he hugged me like this. It's his way of saying 'I'm here for you' through physical touch.

And it's just what I need to feel myself let go, just a little. It's amazing that the master of freaking out can instill this much calm in me, but I guess Jay and I are just good for each other like that.

"Are you keeping an eye on the tea?" I ask, my voice muffled in his shoulder.

"Yep. Looks like it needs another few minutes."

"We don't have 'another few minutes'!"

"If we want the tea to work right, we need to wait, Nya."

I take a deep breath, knowing he's probably right. I'm so tempted to turn around and look at the tea, just to see if he might possibly be mistaken, but...I don't.

I'm going to trust him with this, and I'm going to enjoy this moment where we can just be close to one another.

"I'm...uh, glad you're here," I say awkwardly. Putting my heart on the line is really difficult.

"Me, too." He runs his fingers through my hair. "Fun fact: Being stuck on a boat where you can't shower really doesn't make you smell good. You're still better-smelling than Cole, though. At least you wear deodorant."

I smile against him despite myself. "Yeah. You're pretty fresh, too."

"At least we both smell bad, though. I'm not the odd one out here."

I feel tears gather in my eyes at his stupid ways of distracting me from my problems, and I try to discreetly wipe them on his shirt. I have a feeling he knows I'm crying, but he doesn't press me to tell him my feelings or something stupid like that.

I'm grateful for his understanding.

"Nya?" he says after a few moments.

"Yeah?" I try not to let my voice sound too nasally.

"The tea's ready."

I jerk backward and grab the cup, adding a little cold water to it from the sink. Jay helps steady my shaky hands, and we bring the glass across the hall to the chief's office.

After a quick knock, we both step in to see Kai in a chair next to the commissioner. My brother beams at us.

"Nya!" he exclaims.

"Hey, Kai." I wrap his hands around the hot cup of tea. "Will you drink this for me? Jay and I just made some tea for you."

He looks at it skeptically. "The demons, Nya. Did they make it?"

"No. It was Jay and me who just brewed it for you, okay?"

He frowns, shrugs, and takes a sip. He proceeds to lick his lips, then down the rest in a few gulps. I guess the master of fire isn't that sensitive to heat.

I look at Skylor standing behind him. "So..."

She jerks her head at the police chief. "Ask him."

The commissioner sighs. "Your aunt doesn't yet have custody of you. You're technically in custody of the city right now, so you're allowed to be here."

"Great. And the tea should be working any time soon." I look down at Kai. "Feeling any better?"

He furrows his eyebrows. "I was never feeling bad. Why? Are you trying to poison me? Are you a demon?!" He grows visibly panicked.

"No, Kai." I pat his shoulder.

We wait several minutes, occasionally questioning Kai to judge his mental state. However, he seems just as crazy as he's been the past few days.

After fifteen minutes, I snap. "The tea's not working. Did Mystaké give us a dud or something?"

Jay frowns. "No...but she did say that it had limitations, right?"

"I wasn't paying attention," I huff.

Jay thinks for a moment. "I'm pretty sure she said the tea wouldn't work if Kai somehow had drunk...Insani-tea. That's it! She said Lucidi-tea doesn't work against Insani-tea."

I sputter. "But I thought it was a wish that made Kai go nuts!"

"Maybe he wished for Insani-tea," Jay shrugs.

"Why would he do that?!" I feel like pulling out my hair!

"I don't know, Nya, but it's in the realm of possibilities. I – "

The door suddenly slams open. The officer who didn't bother to knock barges in with several sheets of paper.

"This was just faxed in," he says breathlessly, handing the sheets to the police chief.

The commissioner scans them quickly, then growls, "Darn it."

I swallow hard, my heart dropping to my stomach. "Please enlighten us as to what deserves darning."

He sighs. "Miss Smith, I'm afraid you are now in the custody of your aunt and uncle."

I blanch. "Now?!"

"Yes. We'll have to work out the details with them as to when they're coming to pick you up, but you're currently her ward."

***You guys are going to kill me soon-***