𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄 ❀ 𝐂. 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐍𝐄 ➀

XVI. 𝗶 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱𝗻'𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗰𝘁𝘀

𝐕𝐈𝐀

"Are you sure we can trust this woman?"

I knocked on the door, turning to Cole. "Mika took care of me for my entire life— I'd trust her with anything." I gave him a stern look, "And you trust me, right?"

Cole stuck his tongue out at me, adjusting the backpack on his shoulder. We'd already eaten all of the food reserves he'd packed-- it had been another two day flight back to the mainland. Luckily, we were smart enough to take periodic breaks so Cole could charge his 'battery', so we didn't have any more incidents. We'd navigated to Mika's suburban house pretty easily. It was just off the limits of Ninjago City, a few miles in the middle of nowhere.

"I just want to make sure we know what we're getting into," Cole muttered, placing a comforting hand on my arm. "I don't mean to doubt you, but there's not many people we can trust nowadays."

I waved him off, "Stop worrying so much, Cole. It's going to be fine. I promise." He raised an eyebrow, as if he didn't entirely believe me. I heard footsteps from inside the house, getting closer to the door. "Now shut up and cut me some slack."

The mahogany red entrance swung open, to reveal Mika. Her beautiful dark skin shone under the morning sun like obsidian. Her face lit up at the sight of me. I tried to ignore the sour glint in her chocolate brown eyes when she spotted Cole. She did well to cover it up, though.

"VIA! Oh my, thank goodness you're safe!" She tugged me into a tight embrace, and I laughed as she squeezed me tight. I winced as she gripped my shoulder a little too tightly, but I wasn't about to rain on her cheery mood. She pulled away and faced Cole. "So, you really are running around with the Ninja! Nice to meet you. Cole, right? I'm Mika Terrace."

"The pleasure is all mine," Cole's fake politeness was only noticeable to me. I sent him a quick glare before I held Mika's hand in mine.

"Can we come in? We're... kind of rushed."

Mika's eyes widened, "Oh dear girl, of course! Come in, come in! Make yourselves at home, really." She stepped aside, allowing us into her entryway. Her home was a cozy style-- not too big, not too small. It was decorated in a traditional Chinese style, and I really thought it matched her aesthetic.

"Beautiful home." I commented, inviting myself to sit on the couch.

Cole plopped down next to me, and while Mika disappeared to another room for a moment, he leaned in close and whispered, "Are you 100% sure we can trust her? She... seems a little too welcoming."

I tapped his hand with my pointer finger, "I'm sure. She won't do anything to hurt me. I believe that with my entire soul." Cole still didn't look convinced. I was about to offer him further reassurance, but Mika re-entered the room and I glued my mouth shut.