~ Part 4 ~ | Wake-Up Call

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**Android Ashley (Erika Henningson - Write Out Loud) **
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"Android Ashley
I wish I were you
Instructions tell you what to do
And if you fail you can't feel blue
Android Ashley
When you're good to go
Maybe then at last I'll know
How to fix the bugs in Ashley 1.0"

~ Erika Henningson

******

Zane wasn't used to sleeping in the same room as another. He lay there, contemplating all the different thoughts that seemed to move around his mind. Zane Julien was smart. Almost too smart for his own good. His mind could easily calculate the most complicated of sums. He knew almost every fact about various creatures and memorized the dictionary front and back. He had almost every answer to everything.

Except for the answers on him.

Zane shook his head, shaking away the worries that nipped at his mind as he lay in the dark. The window in their room allowed the moon to shine just a little bit of light into their room. It bounced off the walls and landed on his roommate. Kai Smith was his name. He had hair that seemed to defy gravity. It was mostly product, Zane knew. Probably some of the gel of Cliff Gordon's brand. Zane took a tentative sniff. Definitely. He had brown hair. A light colour. Perhaps cedar. His eyes were brown too but had an odd amber shine to them. It was very unusual for what appeared to be Asian roots. Zane would have to research more on that. Kai's body language showed that he was agitated. His sleep was restless and he tossed around a lot. Zane contemplated what the social protocol was in this situation. Should he wake him?

"Kai?" Zane stood and strolled over to the boy's beside. He was tangled up in his blanket. "Kai Smith?"

His only response was indecipherable muttering and thrashing. Zane gently nudged him, taking him by his shoulders and gently shaking the brunette. He did wake up but when he did, he shot straight up and smashed his forehead into Zane's.

Kai swore incredibly loudly and clutched his forehead as Zane blinked, slightly fazed and raised a hand to his own very slowly. "Ow." Zane mumbled.

Kai whipped his head to glare at Zane, his eyes like fire as he snarled at him. "Why the heck did you do that?" He snapped.

"You appeared distressed." Zane said simply.

Kai just stared at him before huffing and laying back down. He rolled over, pointedly giving Zane his back as he shoved his blankets over his head.

"You're welcome." Zane told his roommate before returning to his own bed, making Kai's jaw drop as he simply closed his eyes casually.

*****

A loud blaring jolted Kai out of his sleep. He groaned and rolled over as the loud voice of his head master radiated throughout the entire school.

"Good morning students. We are starting out our day early with a nice relaxing hike to stretch our muscles. Please join me outside the building by the front doors in thirty minutes." There was small crackled but the voice of Wu was still talking. Judging by what he was saying he didn't realize the system was still on as he began talking with an old woman about his constipation issues.

Kai snorted but rolled over, yanking his blanket over his head as he closed his eyes to sleep.

"I advise that you start getting ready for the walk." The unnatural perfectly calm and emotionless voice of Zane cut in.

"I advise that you shut up before you get a pillow in your face." Kai grumbled. He beard rustling but after a moment Zane returned.

"You only have so much time and you need a proper nutritious breakfast before-oomf!" Kai smirked at the wall as Zane froze, blinking in confusion as he glanced down at his feet. "Did you...use a pillow as a projectile to hit me?"

"I told you to shut up." Kai replied innocently.

Silence.

Maybe he finally left. Kai let out a sigh as he relaxed.

Then something thwacked him in the side.

"Wha- ZANE?" Kai screeched as the boy assaulted him with cushion, and he didn't hold back, putting full force into each blow. "STOP IT!!!"

******

"Oof!" Jay groaned as his body hit the floor. He heard Cole groan as the headmaster prattled on the speakers as he peered at the ginger haired roommate on the ground.

Cole snorted and watched as Jay continued to tangle himself in his blankets as he tried to get up. Jay huffed as he finally managed to worm his way to his feet, still tightly trapped in a blanket burrito.

"Do you need some help, buddy?" Cole snickered, sliding out of his bed and proceeded to yank at the covers. Jay yelped when his body went with the force, causing him to trip and crash into Cole.

"What are you-"

"Ow! That's my head you ding-dong!"

"Stop elbowing me!"

"YOU STOP-"

"Hello?" They both froze as Nya pushed through the door they forgot to lock and glanced in. Her eyebrows almost flying off her forehead as she focused in on the two idiots sprawled on top of each other on the floor.

"Well..." Nya drew out the word slowly. "I guess I'll walk on my own."

"Wait! Nya!" Jay stumbled up, stepping on Cole's face and stomach in the process as she quickly shut the door, muttering, "Boys are so weird." Under her breath as she left.

Jay finally made it to the door by the time she was long gone and groaned, thudding his head against the surface of the door. Cole came up behind him, hissing through his teeth with sympathy as he patted him on the back.

"Yeah..." Cole ran his tongue along his teeth awkwardly. "You aren't impressing her any time soon."

******

"Why is an old man so much fitter than us?" Jay whispered not-so-quietly as they staggered up the tall, rough mountain scape Master Wu insisted on taking them up.

Cole didn't respond, focusing on chugging his water as he leaned back with his hands on his hips. He was pretty good at hikes. He literally scaled some of the highest peaks of Ninjago. And yet this odd, long-bearded senior citizen was out-doing him at clambering up an incline that was almost perfecting straight upwards in a vertical line.

"Are we done yet?" Kai moaned, leaning forward with his hands on his knees. Zane strolled causally by him, not a hair out of place, not a drop of sweat broken, nor wrinkle in his clothes. Jay wondered if he just stood in some sort of contraption and sprayed hair spray all over himself to keep everything unnaturally perfect.

Nya stretched, wincing his her neck cracked. "We better hurry up or Wu will leave without us." Nya sighed, glancing up at the man as he stepped up the slope like it was nothing. Jay stumbled as a rock rolled under his foot, making him crash awkwardly into Nya.

Jay coughed. "Uh- s-sorry." He muttered, stumbling back only to trip on the same rock. Nya's lips turned in a smile as she steadied him, gripping his forearms as his legs seemed to move like there was ice beneath him. When he finally regained his balance, Jay breathed out a sigh of relief but when he glanced up he was nose to nose with Nya.

He stared into her eyes, his breath catching as he studied her. She was even more beautiful up close. A small beauty mark on her cheek, it moved when she smiled. Her eyes were a deep brown that seemed to suck him in.

"Ahem." Kai coughed pointedly. A squint eyed stare fixed on the boy in the blue sweater. Nya rolled her eyes and moved back as Jay rubbed his neck awkwardly and fell behind Cole as they moved on.

"Dude, it's like the first day." Cole hit him gently in the chest with the back of his hand. "Slow down, man."

Jay sputtered and hit him back. "I'm not- we aren't- I don't- YOU SLOW DOWN."

Cole rolled his eyes. He was beginning to get to know this kid very well already. Jay was an open book. It wasn't hard. Cole could easily tell the type of person he was and how the awkward jokester reacted to things. Even though he was very different from the kids Cole had hung out with back at home, he felt himself smiling as he shook his head. Maybe this kid was growing on him.

"Pick up your feet, students, you look half-dead." Wu called from the top of the small alcove they were struggling up.

"UGH! Can an avalanche just come down and knock him around a bit, please?" Kai groaned, swinging a leg in frustration.

"That would not be good. The slope is pointed at a ninety degree angle, meaning that if there was an avalanche we would be hit too." Zane said helpfully.

There was a slapping noise as Kai face-palmed. Nya scowled. "Well don't just stand there! You guys are so busy complaining we could be up there already!" She snapped as she made it to the top.

"She is correct. We waste a lot of energy complaining and kicking in frustration." Zane backed her up as he started to climb.

Kai pressed his lips together as he reached for the next hand hold up the vertical slope.

"Great. Now there's two of 'Em." He sighed.

authors note****
The song semi relates to the chapter because Zane's a nindorid and Jay's awkward... I dunno I just couldn't find a song and I really love this one. It's such a great song!

LBB