14 | FOURTEEN
14 | BEDROOM BLUES
IT HAD BEEN DAYS SINCE EMMA LEFT THE SHOP OUT OF THE BLUE. Everyone was confused once it happened, they had woken up and she was gone, like she just vanished. Cole was distraught, he thought he was the reason his sister left, but he let her have her space. He wanted to go find her right away, but training was brutal and on a tight schedule that the ninja didn't have time off.
But finally, they had the opportunity to go to the village and see if they could bring their friend back. They didn't expect Lou Brookstone to be on his way out, and when he noticed his son and friends standing at the door, he welcomed them in with tea and soft music. "Don't let us stop you from getting what you need to get done, Dad," Cole told him, noticing that the man was holding a binder of dance notes and a bag of dance costumes. "Oh, well, it's nothing really," the man said, a sigh leaving his mouth as he glanced at the staircase leading upstairs. "I'm filling in for Emma for a dance competition she's coaching, and well, you're right. I should get going," he said, picking up the bag from the floor.
"Why can't Emma make it?" Jay asked, raising an eyebrow. Lou shrugged, "She isn't feeling well. She hasn't left her bed in days," he explained, wandering toward the door with keys in hand. "Well, make yourself comfortable. I'm sorry I can't stay, but I really must be on my way."
"It's no problem, have fun," Cole called out as the door closed and the ninja were left in the living room of the Brookstone home. "Hasn't been feeling well? You think that's why she left?" Kai asked, earning a shrug from Cole as he neared the stairs, "Let's find out, boys."
After climbing the stairs, Cole slightly opened the door and saw a lump of a person buried under layers of blankets. Emma was facing away from them and appeared as if she was sleeping. Cole sighed, "Em, you up?" he wondered, immediately feeling guilt after shifting his sister from being so peaceful. "Leave me alone, Cole," her voice followed.
Cole stepped aside from the door and allowed his friends to walk in to the small room. "We miss you back at the shop," Jay told her, walking over to the other side of the bed and plopping on the floor in front of Emma's face. The girl opened her eyes and glared at Jay before sitting up with a grunt. "I wasn't there long, your lives can go back to the way they were before," she mumbled before rubbing her tired eyes.
Cole plopped onto his back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. "Being in here brings back some good times," he said to himself. "Yeah, you haven't been here in years, you know, before you left," Emma growled, climbing out from under the covers and walking to her mirror where she snapped open the curtains and was met with a flood of light.
"Come on, don't do this," Cole pleaded, tossing his head to look at the girl who leaned against the wall. "A transition from a dancer to a ninja can be hard, but -- " Zane began, offering a second opinion, "But nothing," Emma interrupted. "You don't get to change the life I made. Being a ninja isn't who I am, and as I'm discovering all these secrets about my mom and me and everything else, I've decided that I'm tired. I'm seriously just tired. I never slept at the shop, I was always worried, always angry, and never happy. So if you could all just kindly leave me here, I'd be eternally grateful," she snapped while walking out her door and downstairs to the kitchen.
The ninja followed her down and Lloyd was the first to catch up with her, his hand wrapping around her wrist and tugging her around to face him. She first looked at their interconnected arms and then his eyes before narrowing her own. "We can help you. That's what we're here for," he told her.
The girl yanked her arm away and stomped to the fridge to grab a water. "I don't want your help."
"You're just like Nya and it makes me want to punch you in the face," Cole grumbled, earning a fist to the arm from Kai. He shooed him off and walked over to the counter where he lifted himself onto it. "Seriously, Em, just tell me what's up."
As the words left his mouth, Emma pursed her lips and looked down at her feet, telling herself not to say anything to her brother. "Em," Lloyd urged.
The girl lifted her head and shrugged, "Nothing," she abruptly said. "Nothing's up. Absolutely nothing."
Kai rolled his eyes and knew they were going to be at the house for a while. He picked up a spoon and started to admire herself in its shine while Jay poured himself a cup of water after getting Cole's permission.
"Is that the truth, or is that a lie?" Cole demanded, his voice getting louder as he was getting more frustrated with her answers. "You opened the letter, you went to the cemetery, you had the dream, yet you still haven't said a word!"
"Because you never asked!" the girl shouted, tears threatening to spill from her eyes as Cole pushed on and on. "You never asked how I felt! We both had that dream, yet instead of saying anything, you went back to sleep! I was scared, I was upset! Yet my own brother didn't even have the audacity to make sure I was okay!"
Cole was left speechless as the tears ran down his sister's cheeks and when he stepped forward she pushed him back before turning around. "I don't want this life, Cole," she whispered. "It's too hard, it's too much."
"This is who you are, Em," Kai said carefully. She shook her head and wiped her eyes, still not facing any of the ninja. "No it's not. I'm not that girl you all want me to be."
"Then be who you want," Jay suggested, his cheerful voice bringing a sigh to Emma's mouth. "With a cherry on top?" he begged. The girl turned around and closed her eyes before breathing deep. "You better help me."
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