Salt: A Ninjago story

22: Have You Met My Sister?

Nat pushed past Hitch, who fell against the wall resigned. It had been nice; the time she'd had him for herself. Was this what it was like to have a friend? Then released a snort of derision at herself 'you can't catch a friend' and bowed her head at how pathetic she was.

Nat was through the door and heading down. She let her staff bump down each stair with her slow descent.

Kai rolled his eyes. If the slow percussive strike was supposed to unsettle him, then whoever this was had mistaken him for someone else. Reclined on the bunk, he swung his legs to the floor, leant forward onto his knees and waited for his visitor. With an unimpressed look on his face, he couldn't have been more relaxed. The figure that emerged from the stair turned to him. But the figure was familiar. He was sure it had not been her, but there she was. Or was it? 'Hitch?' he asked. The figure swung her staff and swatted a box at the bars of his prison. Confusion made him on edge. Then he realised, it must be one of her sisters 'so, which one are you?' he asked.

'Get up!' she ordered as she stalked across the cellar out of reach of the bars.

'Why the hell should I?' Kai replied belligerently.

'Because you don't want me to make you' the sister growled in reply.

Kai lay back down on the bunk 'yeah, good luck with that' and relaxed, putting his hands behind his head.

Already tightly wound by nature, Nat saw red. This self-righteous, arrogant ninja loved himself a little bit too much and needed bringing down a peg or two. She raised her staff and ran at the bars, aiming it between them. As the staff caught, she swung her feet up onto the wall and levered the bolts at the ceiling cross bar. The bars wrenched away as the old plaster crumbled under the force. Kai not having witnessed the silent charge fell off the bunk in shock when he was hit by the falling ceiling. Before he could orient himself, Nat had leapt into the cell and rushed him. She pulled him to his feet and pushed him against the wall, her staff pushed up against his throat.

Kai's anger was instant. Orange light flickered through the dust, the fire in the furnace stoked by an invisible hand. Kai smiled his most charming, sinister smile at the sister 'You're not as cute as Hitch' in a flash, Nat span her staff and hit him in the side of the head. Kai dropped to the ground in pain.

'And you're not as cute as you think you are' she replied, the end of her staff now hovering between Kai's eyes. He narrowed them to focus on Nat at the end. There was a low rumble as the cellar began to vibrate; an explosion ripped from the furnace and the heavy metal door flew between them, blasting the staff from Nat's hands. They both ducked. As she stood Nat laughed 'you didn't expect that, did you? You're brash and arrogant! You have no clue what damage your powers will inflict when you unleash them. I can hear it, your fear... It cries out in uncertainty for the damage you will cause, just before you act,'

'Well I don't know where you got that from, because that is exactly what I'm trying to do to you!'

'Your fear was for yourself. You are everything I expected and selfish to boot! It's the damage you inflict that will be your undoing, one day it will be your sister' the cellar was alight.

'STOP!' Hitch ran into the cellar 'Stop it, both of you' she picked up a mop handle and tore at the water pipes running along the ceiling. Water poured from them, but without direction it would do little to extinguish the blaze. She turned back to Kai and her sister 'please, you can stop this' to who she was talking, neither was completely sure. Nat stepped down and Kai swept his arms in the air controlling the spread of fire into a solitary ball. He placed it back into the furnace and it dispersed.

'Rrrraaaargh!' Hitch growled at the air 'I've had it. I've had enough of fighting, of living in fear, of being alone, of not having a friend... of this life!' Nat and Kai stood silently as if they were children being admonished. Hitch looked at them in exasperation 'we may have been brought here as kids and had no choice, but who the hell said we had to stay as adults?'

Kai looked sharply at Hitches sister beside him, a look of confused realisation on her face and he stepped back. He knew from experience, it was not good to get between a siblings discussion.

Hitch continued as if she had suddenly seen the light 'There's no reason, not anymore. We could just leave... Think about it' she rambled her thoughts aloud 'we could go somewhere... somewhere quiet. Somewhere that you won't be able to hear anyone in your head anymore'

Nat took in her sisters words and looked back to her 'but... what about Gene?'

'We don't even know where she is, and... I don't think we could persuade her even if we tried. You know how she feels'

'They'll find us'

'No... no they won't. You could hear them coming a mile off. Literally. They would never get close enough. But if they did...' Hitch shrugged 'I'd just fool them'.

Nat fell into silence. Kai looked between the two sisters; one in the stillness of thought, the other wound up with nervous energy. Hitch's fists were balled tight at her mouth, in intense prayer, her whole body spasmodically rocking a tense countdown, waiting for an answer.

'...Yes' came Nat's quiet reply.

Hitch was in silent raptures, her face at once light and carefree then tightened as if she would cry. She pulled it back and ran over to her sister throwing her arms around her 'thank you' she whispered into her shoulder.

Kai stepped forward 'So, you wanna get out of here or what?'

With moist eyes and a smile Hitch jumped up at Kai and threw her arms around him too 'YES!'

He happily accepted her affection and whispered 'hot dang Rosie, a smile suits you'

Hitch continued to beam at Kai as she set herself back on the ground and he took her hand and dragged her towards the stairs. Catching them up, Nat tripped Kai with her staff 'rein it in Romeo' she snarled and pulled Hitch away from him as she overtook.

Kai scrabbled after them as Hitch gave him an apologetic shrug 'she can hear what you're thinking' she shouted back and then ran close to her sister and quietly asked 'what was he thinking?'