So I do this over on Undeniable and I'll do it here. Feels warning. Don't read in public and please don't forget to comment. ~W.R.

{Location: Crystal Pass/Mayor's home} (Seliel's POV)

I don't sleep a wink all night. I just sit on my bed and stare at my posters, hoping they'll come to life and save me. Half a dozen kids sleep in my room as I grip a kama in my right hand. Please, someone, anyone, please help us. I think about mom, she's been gone for 4 hours, why isn't she back yet? Something hits my door and I jump to the sound. "Morning, Marci." I relax.

Marci looks worse for wear. Her bright clothes are torn up and bloody and she looks out of it. She sits by me as Kevin, a second grader whose parents are downstairs, whimpers to run. Marci takes a deep breath, "When did you start carrying that?"

I'm too tired and wired to lie. I tell her everything. Everyone else is asleep so my secret will be safe, "So yeah. I'm becoming a ninja now."

"Wow." She runs her hands through her hair, "So you saved me."

"Yeah."

"Thank you."

The sun is peeking through the mountain tops as I'm free to say what's on my mind, "I should have started sooner. Maybe I could.."

"Seliel," Marci stops me, "I did a little reaching out. Not even the Golden Ninja could stop these things. You're lucky to be alive."

I sigh and bite my lips to keep all my worries for spilling out. I stare a hole at the Black Ninja poster. What's taking them so long? "I know. But Mom's out there."

"If everything you said about your Mom is true, I think she's ok." Marci is a tad doped up still from the way she slurs her words a tad, "So do you think I can help?"

"With what?"

"Duh. Being a Ninja."

I look at her. I wasn't expecting that one.

She gives me a small smirk, "They can't do it on their own." She points to the team picture of them I managed to snag from a library book, "And neither can you."

"Maybe you can be like my bat girl. Like in baseball." I smile a little at my joke.

"And do what. Look pretty? I mean I've got that part nailed but I can do more."

"I'll think about it." I still beg the pictures to come to life and help us. "But I'm sure you can keep my secret."

"Yeah." Marci relaxes as a warm knock hits the door.

Dad looks like he had a week of meeting crushed into a sole day with how heavy the bags around his eyes are, "They're leaving." I jump to my feet and step over any sleeping kids and open my window. The robots are tugging away huge rocks from the mines, plenty carry away parts of each other I managed to break. "In about an hour we'll-."
Srick. A sword stabs something. It sounds flesh like. A noise I know because of what I've trained to hear. But as far I know, it can only mean one thing. I get out my window and walk on the roof. Where is she? Where's my mom? I get to the lower level roof of the house as I hear a gasp for air. 200 yards away from my home a robot has his sword in someone who wasn't in the house.

Her hair's like mine. Her clothes are plenty bloody and she has a large black messenger bag that's dropped to her feet as blood drops onto the grass.

Mom.

I hear someone scream as I jump off the roof. I tuck and roll and run faster than the track team. But the robot pulls his sword out as her body flops down. He joins the others as he sticks the bloody weapon on his back. I get to her as the sun comes up higher as I slide onto my knees and push her over. "Mom?" My eyes water and I try CPR, "MOM?! WAKE UP!" I scream that over as something crawls into my heart. Shame. I failed her. I should have gone with her. I shouldn't have let her go. "MOM, PLEASE! YOU SUCCEEDED. YOU GOT WHAT YOU NEEDED. WAKE UP!"

She's not waking up. I sit down better and cradle her. My tears hit her face so many times. If she was conscious, she'd feel them and tell me to stop. I resort to getting closer to her and cry harder. My voice is raw but if it can wake her I don't mind being mute after. I rock her as slippery hot blood makes a moat around me.

Someone touches my shoulder. "Seliel." Marci gets down further and rubs small circles on my back. Don't say it. It's not true. It's not true. IT'S NOT TRUE! I cry harder as some sick twisted part of my brain give the truth a little room.

"She's dead." I can feel a steady stream of tears run down my face. Mom. "She's dead. She was killed." I look up a little. Whatever sunlight we had has disappeared as an eclipse happens. The way the moon covers the sun makes it look kinda blue. A crescent sun. The picture is burned into the deepest part of my mind as a shadow casts over my life.

I didn't get a hero.

My home didn't get a savior.

The robot killed my hope.

And I lost my mother.

No word can describe this. This feeling made a tiny camp in my soul and will stay there forever. It's a part of me and it's as real as the eclipse. I lost my mother. She's dead, here in my arms.

And they didn't come.

My tears slow as my mind puts together one more truth. The heroes of Ninjago abandoned us. They let this happen. Even if they did try to stop it they should have done it better. The Ninja didn't protect me, my home, my people. My lips quiver, "I swear Mom, I'm not going to leave anyone. I vow to protect my home. I promise to do it for you."

Then I cry some more.

"And if the Ninja come here of all places, they'll pay dearly."

{Location: The clinic} [Two hours later]

Why? I look at a portrait of my mother as it's pretty much broken in half. This place looks just as bad at the rest of the town. But why did she have to do it? Why did Mom have to venture out here? I barely feel her bag strap in my hands as I'm numb. Everything seems more distant. Still here but pushed to the sidelines. My dad and some others are looking in the caves for the rest of the people as a couple of us try and put back together our home.

Not me.

I'm just sitting here are my heart beat wildly. At its pace, someone could think I'm running at 70 miles per hour. I should be doing something. I should be helping. Or blow off steam but every time I move I feel her weight in my arms again. I don't move like she can't. My eyes are puffy red, my nose is runny. Oh geez, why'd I have to think of my nose? My mind takes me back to one of the times I was sick.

"Now," Mom wipes my nose with a tissue then gives me orange juice, "We can't let little boogers in the OJ can we?"

"Mom." I whimper and try to form a ball when my foot gets caught in the bag. Something's in here. I undo the button holding it. The lights flicker in and out for my hands as my finger feel sharp corners. I hold the bag up and pour out cassette tapes, encased in small boxes and has a small note card with a number on it. Then there's a grey cassette player. I fumble to open the first box and place it in the player. Then hit play.

"Hello," Mom's voice echoes in her clinic and it sends a round of tears in my eyes, "This is Dawn Shadow Quarzstone. If your listing to this, I'm dead." That word sends shivers down my spine. It's true. I don't like it but it's true. "Now, I bet you're expecting my will or testimony or what not. I'm sorry to say that isn't what's on these tapes. These tapes hold the mistakes I've made. If for some reason these tapes are gone that means my enemies have taken them." Enemies? Who would be foes with my mother? She was so kind, she was a pillar of the community and she never hurt a fly as far as I know. "I've made at least 10 tapes, with back ups at my home. If any more are made they will be placed in this bag. You don't have to listen. I recommend not to actually. But if you want to know my true colors, flip the tape over." Click. The player opens up and my finger flip the tape over. I don't care about what mistakes she made. I want to hear her. I need to hear her.

Click. "Still here. Ok, just remember you're bringing this on yourself. My Mother and Father weren't wealthy. But they had a lot of kids. My older neighbors called us, baby boomers. I know the term implied that there was a war that both my parents survived but no one ever talked about it much. I was about 15 or so when we got our boat, the Mercy. It wasn't big, just enough for a family of five. Father had no experience what so ever sailing a boat but I think we got out further than expected. There was a storm. I don't remember that just lots of screaming, flashes and something heavy hitting my head. The next time I woke up I was on a beach. I looked for anyone I knew. But I didn't even see a wooden plank from the boat. This tape was shorter than I expected. I guess I spent too much time yapping on the first side. The story continues on tape three." Click.

Like that she's gone. I look in the next tapes, 5,4,6. No three. Wait. My fingers find it in a tiny plastic case.

"S.Q." Victor is standing over me. Nicks and scratches covered his face but a big bruise swells his left eye close, "Oh thank goodness," He hugs me as I hold still. "I thought they got you."

"I'm fine." Now, go away so I can hear my dead mother speak.

"You don't look fine," He sits down, almost on a tape, "Your eyes are red."

"MAYBE BECAUSE MY MOM WAS JUST MURDERED IN FRONT OF MY FACE!" I scream. My heart tears a little at saying it aloud.

"Oh." He lets go as looks around, "What are you listening to?"

"None of your business."

"Come on." His green eyes bear into mine, "We use to tell each other everything and a little more."

"Yeah, then you went on vacation, we broke up. You stalked me and I had to go to school with three policemen."

"There's no pleasing you is there?"

"Leave me alone and I'll think about it." I glare.

"Fine." Victor gets up but paused at the door. "If you need a hand with those tapes, let me know."

No sooner does he leave is when I press play, "Before we can continue the story, there are some things you should know. When I woke up, I hit my head pretty hard. I didn't remember anything about myself other then I was lost. I got to my feet, cried like a baby for a while then looked around. Not too far from the beach was a jungle and I remember thinking it was like the zoo. I went in. The first thing that caught my eyes was all the untamed nature. Some of it looked cut and trimmed but mostly it was free. I yelled for help for a long time but nothing came. I could go on and on and on, therefore, this is a longer tape. Get comfy." I press pause, scoop the tapes back in the bag and run back home. My home is being cleaned by locals so instead, I run to the backyard. By some miracle, my needle kit is still here and I find my headphone in. I sit in my favorite lawn chair, put the earbuds in and press play.