a second chance

change

im actually pretty excited for this interrogation.

  me, jay and nya get to kryptarium prison later that afternoon. cole still didn't want us to go, and kai hasn't talked to me at all, but this time im much more confident about going. it feels good to have some support, however small.

  "careful," nya says to jay as we walk down the hallway towards the interrogation room. jay balances the tray with the truth tea.

  "relax, ive got this," jay says.

  we enter the interigation room. harumis already sitting there. my heart rate picks up.

  "hey." i say.

  she looks up. she looks... tired.

  jay sets the tea on the table.

  "i'd drink if i were you." he says.

  "please?" i add.

  jay rolls his eyes.

  harumi picks up the tea and gulps most of it down.

  "so..." nya starts with the first question. "why did you stop garmadon from escaping?"

  harumi hesitates for a second, then responds, "he had killed a guard. and he was going to kill the rest of them. and... i couldn't let that happen, i guess."

  a good feeling starts to fill my chest. hope, i guess.

  "you were telling the truth. before." i say.

  harumi nods.

  "but why couldn't you then?" i continue. "why couldn't you let him kill them?"

  "cause it..." harumi pauses again. "it was wrong?"

me, nya and jay exchange looks. has harumi actually changed? i can believe it, easily, but i don't want to get my hopes up. too late. they're way, way up.

  "do you think...?" i start to ask harumi, but i don't really know how to phrase the sentence. have you changed? went through growth?? have you recently not felt the urge to murder or emotionally torture someone???

  "why was it wrong?" nya asks harumi. she kinda sounds like a scolding mother.

  "i guess because" harumi starts. she shrugs. "isent that just a basic rule of life- don't murder anyone? just let them be."

  huh. she definitely seemed less impulsive.

  let's try a different kind of question.

  "if you could get out of kryptarium right now," i said.

  "which your not." jay interrupted.

  i sigh.

  "-what would you do?" i finish.

  "...find a job." she says. "it could be anything. i dunno. i don't really care. start over."

  i hear jay whisper loudly, "i don't think the truth tea is working."

  choosing to ignore him, i say, "so that stuff about being normal you said last time? you meant that?"

  she nodded slowly.

  i feel a tap on my shoulder and jay pulls me and nya to the corner of the room.

  "i don't buy this." jay says. "harumi? the quiet one? wants to be normal?! id like to point out she hasn't said anything about guilt!!"

  "we can ask her about it." i say. "i think... i mean it makes sense. that she's changed, and that she wants a life? maybe... maybe that's all she's ever wanted."

  "yeah right." jay says.

  "jay has a point." nya says. "i don't get her. she had a chance to have a life. she betrayed us, remember?"

  "i don't know, i just..." i glance back at harumi.

  i don't get her either. what does she really want?

  "i'm getting the feeling that she has changed." i say to nya and jay. "i don't know whether she's changed for the better, but she is different."

  nya looks back at harumi too, and then back at me.

  "i agree," she says.

  "she does seem less... evil." jay adds.

  i turn around and walk up to harumi. she looks up at me expectantly.

  ...she's really cute.

  "ok, so-"

  just then i heard an explosion from far off somewhere. the ground shook and i stumbled.

  "what was that?" nya wonders aloud. harumi stands up.

  "an earthquake?" jay said.

  the guards ran in and one said, "good, she's still here."

  "what? what happened?" i ask them.

  "garmadon escaping!"