Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

     A women with rich, brown hair was sitting outside, rocking slowly in her chair, waiting for her husband to return. All around the female were scrapes of metals, wires, metal sheets, nuts, you name it, it was here. Of course, that was kinda the point at Ed and Edna’s Scrap N Junk, the largest junkyard in Ninjago. The female smiled gently at her surroundings, loving the cool breeze that the night would bring, loving how the stars were shining so brightly and so clearly, loving the multi-colored lights they had everywhere, that were twinkling beautifully, and loving the soft, silver light that bathed everything.  

     The woman, known as Edna, was so distracted by the lights she didn't realize that her son had snuck out of bed and was right beside her, looking up at the sky with wonder and joy in his blue eyes. This little boy was named Jay, he had bright ginger locks with dark, sky blue eyes, and was rather pale for a boy who lived out on the desert. He had patches of freckles on his cheeks and on his thighs, but the rest of his body had single freckles near each other. Of course, there wasn’t just freckles littering this young boy’s body.

     Soulmate Marks, four to be exact, were also there. Each one a different shape and form, symbolizing a different person for each one. These  marks were the very reason young Jay had gotten up from bed in the first place. Jay, possibly to get his mother’s attention, started to climb up her legs, Edna simply laughed and helped her son up so that he was sitting on her lap with his legs forming Vs beside him. Edna’s arms were hugging his waist, in case he were to fall.

     “Mommy.” Jay spoke, his voice was high-pitched, Edna loved it.

     “Yes sweetheart?” Edna spoke gently, rather curious as to why her son would get up so soon after being tucked in. “What are these marks on my body?” As if to emphasize his point, Jay pointed to the one on his left arm. The pattern was of burning flames, bold and bright. They started at his wrist and ended at his elbow, wrapping around his arm as if to devour it. Edna smiled, of all of Jay’s marks, this one was her favorite.

     “Why sweetie, those are Soulmate Marks.” Jay tilted his head, unsure of what she was saying. Edna couldn’t help the love she felt for son suddenly flare, he was just too darn cute! “Yes, Soulmate Marks, everyone has one, since there is always someone ready to complete you life. They show that there is someone out there, out in the world,” Jay sucked in a breath at that last part since the Junkyard was the only world he knew. “That is perfect just for you.”

     “Perfect for me?”

     “Yes, hand picked by Fate.” Jay took in the information, not really understanding all of it, but he could see the gist of it. Something was still bothering him, which Edna could clearly see.

     “What is it sweetie?”

     “Mommy, you said everyone had a mark right?”

     “Yes sweetheart.”

     “Then, Mommy, why do I four?” Edna laughed softly, surprised that Jay had caught on to that little detail. “Because Jay, you are special.”

     “Special?” Jay’s eyes were wide, curiosity and wonder swirling in his eyes, it was hypnotizing. Edna nodded.

     “Yep, a special little snowflake. You had more than one mark because you have more than one soulmate.”

     “I thought you said there was only one person perfect for me.”

     “Jay dear, I was talking about people around the world. Most people only have one soulmate, but you have four.” Jay nodded, looking the information over in his head, suddenly Jay squeaked, his eyes wide once more with joy.

     “Does that mean there are four people who are perfect for me?” Edna laughed. “Yes dear, this means there are four people who are perfect for you.” Jay smiled, causing Edna to laugh a little louder. Edna pulled Jay close, deciding she wanted some company while waiting for her husband to return. She hummed a soft lullaby, trying to get Jay to sleep. Jay yawned and snuggled closer to the warmth of his mother, happily descending into his dreams.

Chapter Text

     Years later, Jay was about to have a taste of the outside world. Sure, he had seen the desert, and once he had wandered a little way into the Sea of Sand, but that was about it. The rest of the world was a complete mystery to Jay, his only information of it coming from his parents who told him stories of tall buildings and loud streets, stunning festivals, and the wonderful lights and colors that were even more beautiful in the night. After so many years of begging, Jay had finally convinced his parents to let him go to high-school. And so here was Jay, staring himself in the bathroom mirror, trying to make himself presentable. After all, you only get one first impression. 

     His once fire like hair had dimmed down a bit, his eyes were the same deep, dark, sky blue orbs as they always had been, and he was a bit darker now. After spending countless hours building in the hot sun of the desert, Jay had managed to get a tan. He was definitely taller now, but he was only average height, his eyelashes were freakishly long though, and he was unnaturally thin. He wasn’t underweight, but he was kinda scrawny, straddling a line between bone-thin and having a little flesh on his skin.

     Jay ran a hand through his hair, trying to decide if he should leave it to the side or have his bangs slightly obstruct his left eye. He was currently wearing a pair of dark blue jeans, which at first seemed like a horrible idea since he lived in the desert, but it was to hide his ice mark. Jay wasn’t ashamed of his marks, not one bit, but he had heard that the outside world wasn’t as accepting of those who were different. Thinking about the hidden mark made Jay a little sad, it was so beautiful. It was almost completely white, with hints of deep blue, it started at his right ankle and ended near the beginning of his thigh.

     Like frost on a window, it traveled upwards, crossing and recrossing, shaped kinda like ferns. It was so beautiful, every detail perfect and flawless, it was quite a shame Jay had to hide, but not just under the pant leg, but under knee-high socks as well. That last part made Jay groan when he heard it since Jay did live in a desert and just wearing pants made him break out in sweat in under a minute. Thankfully, they had air conditioning.

     Starting at the wrist and ending at the elbow, this pattern was the brightest by far. The prominent color was red, nearly devouring the orange and yellow highlights. It was wrapped around Jay, and if angled right, could look like actual flames in the sunlight. To hide this one even more, since Jay might have the chance of gym class, they wrapped bandages around it. Jay never liked bandages, and wasn’t sure where this disliked spawned from, but he really couldn’t do anything about it. Jay cringed at the feeling as he tried to rub the mark, wishing he could trace the pattern.

     The final mark Jay had, and the one they weren’t hiding, was the one that started on his right shoulder and ended near the base of his chin. This one was energy, swirling patterns of gold surrounded by green, it was quite enchanting. It appeared to be in a kinda tornado like structure, lines sometimes branching out and joining others. Though the green was really on the outside, specks of it was inside the gold, like dust. This, to the world at least, was Jay’s one and only soulmark, and Jay wished it didn’t have to be. The others were just as beautiful and just as important, but sadly, since they really couldn’t cover the one on his neck, he had to hide the others.

     A deep sadness filled his stomach at he thought more and more about the hidden marks, but from what he heard, those deemed different were ostracized by others, abandoned and alone. And Jay certainly didn’t want high-school, the most important years of his life, to be like that so he put away his differences, like putting away an old doll that you cherish, not sure when you’ll see them again.

     “Jay, sweetheart, please hurry. We have to leave soon and you can’t miss breakfast on your first day!” Jay whined, staring at himself in the mirror once more before deciding to let his bangs hang free, slightly obstructing his sight, but it was fine. As Jay opened the bathroom door, heading towards the dining room, he took a deep breath and exhaled. Today was going to be a day like no other, today was going to be great.

     As it turned out, it was a one hour drive from home to school, so Jay was grateful he had gotten up so early. The entire ride, Jay was glued to the car side, looking at the world he had lived in for fifteen years, but never being able to actually see it. It was amazing, but also really scary, and very similar. Jay assumed that was because he was in the desert and everything looked the same for miles on end. He remembered when Dad would come home from getting groceries, and once they were done putting everything up, he would sit on the couch and tell Jay stories about the outside world. 

     Like this one time when he got attacked by a stranger who nearly knocked him out cold with one punch. Or this other time when he shoved so hard, he fell into the street and almost got hit by a moving vehicle. Now that Jay really thought about it, there weren’t very many stories that didn’t involve danger or near-death experiences. 

     Despite this, Jay still wished to see the world, to see the planet he inhabits and all the joys that came with it. He knew the world wasn’t all bad, after all, this was the same planet where his parents. At the thought of his parents, he looked towards them. He smiled when he saw they were holding hands, despite the rule to always have both hands on the steering wheel at all times. His eyes trailed to their soulmark, which was a patch Canterbury Bells. They are broadly, funnel-shaped flowers, with leaves that are irregularly toothed, and with a round shape. Kinda like an egg. They are normally a deep blue and are found in open, sandy or gravelly areas.

     Jay found it really cute that the mark, which was located on the top of their hands and traveled to their wrist and had an outlining of purple, ended up being a desert flower, hinting at their future in the desert where they would start a small business collecting scrap metal and selling it after it being improved. Eventually, they would adopt their one and only son and raise him there as well. Jay smiled and turned back to the window, watching the sand full land roll by.

     When they had finally reached the city, Jay was beginning to lose hope they would ever make it. Jay’s eyes were wide, trying to take in every detail before it zipped away. The buildings were enormous, leading up to the sky, some buildings Jay couldn’t even see the top! People were absolutely everywhere, and from all different races and ages. There was this one male with dark skin who was carrying, what Jay presumed, was his daughter on his shoulders, she laughed with glee. Another woman was holding hands with a young male, both had rather pale skin and for the second he saw them connect eyes, it looked liked spark went flying.

     Jay was so overwhelmed, and this was without mentioning all the noises! Sure, Jay was accustomed to loud noises with the whole living on a junkyard and being an inventor like his father, but these noises were like no other. 

     Dogs were barking somewhere in the distance, cars were driving past him at alarming speeds, making some high-pitched noises when they suddenly had to stop and start again. People were speaking everywhere, some loud, some soft, some with deep, strong voices, and others with high-pitched squeals. Jay even saw someone singing, and boy was he good. It was like hearing an angel sing, or Jay assumed that was what it sounded like.

     All in all, it was awesome! Everywhere he looked something new came into view, and sure, Jay could feel the knot of dread twisting in his stomach at the thought of so many new things all of the sudden in his face, but Jay couldn’t wipe the smile off his lips. This was just so… foreign, but Jay liked it. He liked it a lot. Jay turned when he heard his mom laugh, only to find her already staring at him.

     “Having fun sweetheart?” Jay nodded, not even trusting his voice in case he started to ramble. Edna laughed again and turned back to the front, her hand comfortably on Ed’s knee.

     All of a sudden, Jay found himself staring up at his high-school. Well, to Jay it felt like it was staring at him, looking down at him intimidatingly. Jay was just now really grasping the fact that he would have to spend at least seven hours with kids he had never met before, he was so distracted by the fact that he was finally free that he missed the one, tiny detail that he was in-fact from a junkyard, that was across the desert and he has never actually met another human being besides his parents. Jay doesn’t know the first thing when trying to talk to someone, much less someone his actual age. Jay gulped.

     Ed, as if sensing his son’s distress, placed his hand on Jay’s shoulder comfortably.

     “Don’t worry son, you’ll do just fine. I feel it.” He smiled encouraging at Jay, who just kept staring at the school.

     “Ha, ya, just fine. Despite the fact I have no idea how to even talk to someone because I’ve only eve talked to two people in my whole life, I’m about to spend seven hours with kids from all different races, genders, and ages even though I have only known two people my entire life. I’ve never even been the same room for more than thirty minutes! Yeah, I have this one in the bag.” The last part was layered with sarcasm, and Edna sighed as she came up on her son’s left, Ed was on his right. “Well, sweetie, you never know until you try.” Jay sighed, defeated. “I guess you are right.” Jay mumbled.

     Edna smiled and leaned over to give her son a kiss on the cheek, “That’s the spirit son!” Ed said, squeezing Jay’s shoulder lovingly. Jay smiled weakly, fear still present, Jay was horrible at hiding his feelings. Jay watched as his parent’s car disappeared into the distance, leaving him stranded in a world that was still a mystery to him, even with all the stories he heard. Turning back to the large stone steps that were going to lead to a new whole new world, Jay took a deep breath and exhaled. He had told himself earlier today was going to be a day like no other, and attitude was the first step to making this a great day. 

     Jay quickly found himself in the front office, which was a small room that consisted of a desk that looped around where a lady known as Mrs. Michaels sat, typing away at her computer. She had short, dark blonde hair that was shoved to her left, she wasn’t young, but she wasn’t old either. Her skin had a slight tan as well. There were three black chairs pushed against the wall, Jay was seated in the middle one and kept squirming, they were so uncomfortable! A fish tank with one lonely fish was shoved in the corner next to the last chair, where a tall student was sitting.

     The room itself was silent, but noises from the outside were leaking in through the open door. Majority of these noises were voices and the sounds of shoes squeaking against the floor. The thought of so many people crammed into one space, pushing and shoving against each other, each having to sit in neat little rows right next to each other was scaring Jay to no end, and the longer he waited, the worse it got. Jay was beginning to  break out in sweat when suddenly a door opened from the North wall, which was opposite of the entrance. The main office was right to the left when you walked in.

     An old, Japanese man stood in the door frame. He wore a straw had, had pale skin that was wrinkled from age. Also, he had quite the beard. Well, Jay tilted his head, more like three beards. He had one big one in the middle that was the longest and was white as snow. The other two strands of hair were actually a mustache, the longest Jay had ever seen. With color just as white as the beard, they were only a few inches shorter than the actual beard. After Jay stopped looking at his facial hair, he noticed he wasn’t wearing a suite like he thought he would, instead it looked more like a kimono. 

     Jay finally looked back up and jumped a little when he saw that he was staring right at him, his eyes were like obsidian, but there were pools of wisdom hidden right beneath the surface, Jay gulped nervously. The man smiled and beckoned him forward with a staff, which Jay just noticed. If this is the principal, like Jay was assuming, why did he have a staff? To punish misbehaving kids? To bestow fear on others? Whatever the reason, Jay wasn’t sure he really wanted to find out.

     Jay got up and followed the elder into a small hallway, they passed two more offices and a small cubby area that Jay couldn’t see what was inside as he passed. At the end of the hallway was the principal’s room, it had a small table with a red cushion on each side. On the walls, which where a dark wood color, were glass cases containing weapons. Jay counted four weapons, a katana, a pair of nun-chucks, a scythe, and a pair of shurikens. Jay shivered, why did this man have so many weapons?

     “Sit.” The man said, indicating to the red cushion in front of the table, or was it behind it? Jay couldn’t tell. On the small table sat a baby blue teapot with a matching cup and a cup of sugar, Jay sat down on his knees. The man poured a cup of tea and asked how much sugar Jay would like, Jay declined, he wasn’t fond of tea. He simply shrugged and added his own amount and took a sip, staring at Jay with an emotionless expression that had Jay squirming like a little kid who had just done something wrong and was trying to hide how guilty he felt.

     “You are Jay, am I correct?” Jay nodded, too scared to talk. 

     “Hmm, you seem frightened. Tell me, what bothers you?” Jay rolled his shoulder a little, getting figgity. “Well…” Jay gulped again. “Why do you have so many weapons?” Of course, this wasn’t the main reason he was scared, but it was definitely contributing. The man laughed quietly.

     “Ah, the famous question. Well, these weapons once belonged to my father, and his father before him.” He looked at the weapons, his eyes glistening with nostalgia. “When I was a young boy, I trained with these weapons,” At the thought of that, Jay felt even more frightened, not only did his principal harbor weapons, but he could use them. “Each one is rumored to have a special power. Only those who share the same power would be able to use the weapon to its full extent. The katana of fire, the scythe of earth, the nun-chucks of lightning and the shurikens of ice.” As he spoke, Jay looked around at the old relics again and felt some odd fascination with them, like an old connection being reborn again. 

     “But alas, no one has proven themselves to possess such abilities. But we are not here to talk about the weapons, we are here to talk about you.” And with that, Jay spent some time talking to the old man about how school was, what it was about and what it would be like. The conversation ended with Wu, as Jay had learned that was what everyone called him here, signing him up for tutoring. Though Jay had tested in the correct year, his parents did try to keep up with school, there was much he didn’t know and honestly, Jay didn’t mind the extra help. When they walked back to the office entrance, Jay found a girl waiting there. She was pretty, with short black hair that framed her face beautifully, unnaturally pale skin, delicate looking body and beautiful brown eyes. She was absolutely stunning. Jay could already feel the blush warming up his cheeks.

     “Hello!” She stuck out her hand, her smile bright and friendly. “My name is Nya, and I will be your guide today.” Jay hesitantly took her hand, relishing in how soft her skin was. After they shook hands, Jay still feeling small tingles in his hands form the first contact he has had with another human being his own age, they set off to his first class. And honestly, the rest of the day was just a jumbled mess to him. Having come into the school year one month late meant a lot of catching up to do, which made Jay even happier he accepted the tutoring offer. He didn’t really talk to anyone, though a few people walked up to him and some even made comments on his visible soulmark. Jay was a stuttering mess the entire time. 

     At the end of the day, Jay found himself getting swept away with the crowd, trying desperately to avoid touching as many people as possible, which was extremely hard. It seemed everywhere he turned there were students in lines heading in one direction, home. Surprisingly, Jay actually managed to dislodged himself from the crowd and had to take a breather in the front office. Mrs. Michaels laughed from her desk, making Jay blush a little.

     “At first it will seem like the tide is against you, but trust me, you’ll get the hang of it eventually.” Her voice sounded like a child's, and it caught him by surprise. It was high-pitched, but at the same time it seemed almost… masculine? Jay wasn’t sure, but he just nodded and headed towards the hallway. The door to Wu’s room was open and he could see four individuals already in there, sitting on cushions like before, with one empty for him. As Jay got closer he noticed they seemed to all be celebrating something, which sparked Jay’s curiosity. What are they celebrating? Stopping at the entrance, Jay saw something that made his heart stop.

Chapter Text

     On the back of one of their necks, they had shaggy black hair and dark skin, was a ice pattern, the exact same one the was currently running up his right leg. “No way.” Jay said, which caught the attention of a male with bright blonde hair and eyes the colors of ice. Jay hisses loudly as pain suddenly shot up his leg, the same one with the ice pattern. The blonde hissed as well, not as loud as Jay, which got the attention of the brunette sitting next to him.

     “Zane? You okay dude?” His voice held concern as he place a hand on the blonde’s, Zane’s, shoulder. The brunette looked up and saw Jay in the entrance, leaning against the door frame, panting quietly. By now, the one with shaggy, black hair had looked over his shoulder and was watching the scene with confusion, it also revealed another blonde, this one was platinum.

     “It’s him.” Zane finally got out after the pain in his chest subsided, looking back at the male in the doorway. Jay looked up, he had looked down to check on his leg, feeling like he was being watched and yelped when he met eyes of amber, almost a red color. This time, it was the fire pattern that was burning. The one with amber eyes grunted and grabbed the back of neck, like it hurt. “Yep,” He got out, he was grinding his teeth together. “Definitely him.” The one with black hair nodded and waited for the redhead to get over the pain in his arm, which he was cradling in his chest, before deciding to speak.

     “I know that you are in pain, trust me, but we need you to sit down before you look at any of us again.” This voice, he assumed it belonged to the one with black hair, was deep and soothing, it immediately started to calm Jay down. Deciding he didn’t have better idea, Jay obeyed and sat down on the last cushion, the one next to male with icy blue eyes. When he looked up, he found Wu looking at them curiously. “Good move there Cole, taking control before more pain could be endured.” Cole, Jay noted. Must be the one with black hair.

     “Alright, since we are all here, I guess now would be the the best time for introductions....” Jay whined a little. “Does this mean looking each other in the eyes?” Wu scoffed. “Is there any other way?” Jay whined again.

     He glanced up to find the one they called Zane looking at him, Jay smiled shyly, he smiled back. As Jay quickly found out, the one with amber eyes was Kai, the one with black hair was in fact Cole and when their eyes met, Jay’s entire back was on fire. The final male had green eyes and was called Lloyd. It took Jay a few minutes to recover from the burning on the side of throat.

     Wu nodded and dismissed them to a room that was slanted and instantly gave Jay a headache, since he had never been on anything, but flat ground. The ground was a strange checker patterns entirely blue. This was the I.S.S. during the day and the detention room after school. Wu was grateful and dismissed Kai and Cole from their detention sentence a day earlier, but they had to stay anyway. Zane, as it turned out, was Jay’s tutor and they were actually supposed to tutor in the library, but some club meeting was happening and after just meeting their soulmates, it seemed rather cruel to separate them. Jay wasn’t sure why Lloyd was here yet.

     So here they were, just kinda sitting here in silence. After a moment or two, Jay decided to break the silence. “So, Kai and Cole, why did you two have detention for two weeks?” The pair laughed and went on to explain on how they had gotten into a huge fight on the first day of school. Apparently, some buff guy was bulling this girl and that didn’t sit well with Kai at all, so he stepped in. Cole, for some unknown reason at the time, felt bad for leaving the hothead on his own so he tried to break it up, but some idiot jumped in as well and took Cole with him.

     “Do fights happen often?” Cole shook his head. Jay nodded and they all descended into awkward silence once again. “Jay, where are you from? Wu informed me that I would be torturing someone who wasn’t from the city.” Jay chuckled a little and rubbed the back of his neck in a sheepish kinda way, a small blush warming his cheeks once more. Lloyd tilted his head curiously.

     “I’m form the Sea of Sand, I live in Ed and Edna’s Scrap N Junk.”

     “So,” That was Kai speaking. “Like, what's it like living in the desert?”

     “Well, it’s quite fun actually. Since I didn’t have school, I was free to do anything. I got to build a lot and spend hours helping my dad invent and even invent a few machines myself.” Jay was about to go on, but Cole interrupted him. “Wait, so you’re a inventor?” Jay nodded. “Just like my dad.”

     “Zane here is a tech freak himself.” Jay gasped and turned towards the blonde in question, his eyes wide. “Really?” Zane nodded and Jay smiled. “That’s great, maybe we could invent something together?”

     “I don’t see why not.” Jay’s smiled got wider, Zane smiled at the sight, and was about to say something when Lloyd decided to speak up.

     “Did you have any friends at the junkyard?” Lloyd was observing Jay from his desk, which was right behind Kai’s, who was across from Jay. “Well….” Jay tailed off for a moment. “I had my parents?” It was spoken more like a question, like Jay wasn’t sure that counted for a answer. Lloyd nodded, while Kai looked at Jay with surprise.

     “So, you’ve never met anyone besides your parents?”

     “Until today, no.” Jay tilted his head a little to the side, analyzing something inside his head. “What is it?” Cole asked. “Well, now that I really think about it, I’ve never been outside the junkyard before.” Cole raised a eyebrow while Kai took in a breath of shook. “Never? So, this is you first time ever going outside?”

     “Well, not entirely. I remember this one time when I was little where I was able to take a few steps beyond the entrance, but they quickly grabbed me and took me back inside. Besides that, I’ve never been outside the walls really.” Kai whistled a little while Zane tilted his head a little. Cole turned to Lloyd, a question obvious in his eyes.

     “How did you know he lived in a junkyard? He never said that.” With that realization, they all turned to Lloyd who shrugged. “I remember my father mentioning a junkyard that sells metal out in the desert. I assumed it was the same one.” Cole nodded, apparently satisfied with the answer, Jay was still confused. “How does your father know about it?” They all turned to him with looks of surprise and shock, Jay wriggled a little in his seat. “Do you know who I am?”

     “Lloyd?” Again, Jay wasn’t sure if that was the acceptable answer. Kai was looking at him like he was insane, Zane was staring at him curiously and Cole was looking at him with… pity? Lloyd shook his head.

     “I’m not just Lloyd, I’m Lloyd Garmadon.” Lloyd said this like it was a common fact, and judging by the others reaction, it must be. Jay still didn’t get it though. “So? I’m Jay Walker, what’s so important?”

     “No way! You’ve never heard of Garmadon before? You know, supposedly evil businessman who rules over everything?” Jay just shook his head as Kai looked at him with shock, apparently Garmadon is a big thing here. “Remember Kai, he’s form the desert. Garmadon’s reign doesn’t reach that far.” Zane pointed out, Kai sighed.

     “I know, but I thought everyone knew about Garmadon... Also,” Kai turned to Lloyd, who raised an eyebrow. “Sorry for calling him evil, I’m sure he is a nice man.”

     “No hurt feelings, what the public sees is pretty much who he is.” Jay furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “Wait, he’s evil?” Cole quickly jumped in before Kai could speak again.

     “That’s what everyone says, but no one really knows the man.” Lloyd scoffed. “Well, I can tell you, he’s not the walk-in-park kinda parent.” Zane tilted his head. “But he must’ve walked in the park at least once to survey his work.” Kai groaned, “It was figurative language Zane.”

     “Oh.”

Chapter Text

     Lloyd was the first to leave the small pack of teenagers. Apparently, his father had a meeting that went on a little too long, but Jay felt like Lloyd was lying somehow. Not that Jay could really say anything, he’s only know him for about 20 minutes and Jay has never seen anyone try to lie, so who was he to say anything? Right before he left though, Cole purposed they should change phone numbers so they could talk later, and that’s what they did. Kai questioned Jay as to why he had a phone, after all, he lived in a desert with really only two people to talk to and Jay told him he got lost in the junkyard a lot when he was younger.

     “So, how come you guys never talked to each other before today?” Jay was lost in his own logic since they all go to the same highschool, and Cole and Kai both got detention together, he needed the others to help him break this seemly impossible question. “I don’t have any classes with them because I’m a Junior and I’m in all honors.” Zane’s voice was always above a whisper, it was also calm and really… smooth? Jay wasn’t sure how to place it, it felt like running a hand over a piece of smooth metal. Jay looked over at the blonde, surprise evident in his eyes.

     Zane tilted his head a little, not expecting that reaction. “Wait, are you all in different years?” Jay quickly looked over to Kai and Cole, Jay was so wrapped up in the moment he hadn’t even considered the possibility. “Well, I’m a senior and I think Kai is as well.” Kai nodded. “The only class we have together is Personal Fitness.” That was Kai talking and Jay pouted just a little, upset that they wouldn’t be there to guide him during Freshman year.

     “What about Lloyd?” Zane smiled a little, he could sense that Jay wanted to stick together. “He is also a Freshman.” Jay smiled, happy to have at least one soulmate with him. Kai wanted to point out that they could easily have completely different schedules, but he wasn’t oblivious, he could see Jay found comfort in the idea so he kept quiet. And for awhile, they all just sat there and talked, a lot of it was just some normal questions. Like, what’s your favorite color? Jay’s was electric blue, Zane’s was a weird shade of white, Kai’s was blood red, and Cole’s was simply black.

     Some questions were personal, well to Jay they felt personal, like have you ever kissed anyone or have you ever gone to a party? Both Cole and Zane never kissed anyone, but Kai has heard a story about how he kissed some kid on the street when he was little. Kai himself doesn’t remember such a thing, but he has heard his parents mention it. Jay also found out he wasn’t the only child here, Zane, Cole, and Lloyd were all single children. Again, Kai is the oddball since he has a younger sister. She’s currently a Sophomore and into Theater which caught Jay’s attention since he has always wanted to be in Theater.

     “Can I still join a club?”

     “Depends on which one. Some are too full for more members and others are on a time limit.” Jay noticed that Zane seemed to know everything about this school, but he supposed that is to be expected of someone who is in all honors. “What about Theater?” Zane hummed, looking off into the distance a little, like he was looking for information. “If I heard correctly, there is a possibility of being able to join. It is highly unlikely for you to get a part, though. That is if you planned on auditioning.” Jay nodded, absorbing the information.

     “You plan on joining?” Kai’s deep and kinda gruff voice broke Jay out of his thoughts. “Kinda.” Kai raised a eyebrow, Jay felt a blush creep onto his cheeks. “I’ve always wanted to be in theater, and I never had the chance until now.” Kai nodded, satisfied, Jay sighed a little. It was at this moment that Wu entered the slanted room, announcing that is was time for them to return home. Jay whined a little, he really enjoyed talking with the others and wished to know more about them. Thankfully, he had their phones numbers. The four walked toward the entrance, Kai asking Cole what he did for exercising, Jay assumed it was because of how buff Cole was. Zane was walking next to Jay, who were both walking behind the older males, and Zane just had this small smile on his face, like he was smiling about some inside joke. Jay didn’t want to intrude on Zane’s inner peace and Cole and Kai were wrapped up in their own conversation so Jay just kept quiet.

     Walking through the entrance, Jay was a little baffled when he saw what was waiting for his soulmates. For Kai it was Nya, which really caught Jay off guard since it was pretty obvious it was his sister, the brotherly hug around the shoulders and him calling her ‘little sis’, were tall tale signs. For Cole it was a black suv, which Jay just found really intriguing and weird for someone like Cole. For Zane there wasn’t a car for him, Nya had a motorcycle for Kai, it was merely a old looking guy who had snow white hair that was combed back and had the same icy blue irises as Zane. Jay believed it might be his father, but the weirdest part was that a falcon was just casually resting on his shoulder and the moment Zane was a shoulder-length apart, the falcon flew over and sat on Zane’s shoulder.

     And Zane wasn’t phased, he let the hug bird sit on his shoulder, hell he even started petting it! Jay was highly confused, but for all he knew, having big birds as pets was normal, so he didn’t say anything. Thankfully, Jay parents were already here, Jay was scared that they were still awhile out, but they were just waiting for him in the car. He smiled and entered, Kai and Nya had left earlier and Cole and his car was right behind them. Jay watched as Zane disappeared into the distance, but not before Zane smiled at him and waved, Jay quickly waved back. The gesture didn’t go unnoticed and Edna quickly asked him about it and started making teaseful remarks, causing Jay to blush and stutter out a explanation.

     Edna squealed when Jay revealed that he was in fact one of his soulmates, and though Ed didn’t really say anything, Jay could see him smiling happily for his son. The entire ride was Jay getting pestered by his mother about his soulmates, every now and then Ed would throw in a question of his own. Jay tried to answer them as much as possible, but he didn’t have a long time to talk with them. After what felt like a decade of non-stop questions, that were getting really embarrassing, they finally arrived at home and Jay was very tempted to just jump out of the car, as long as it meant he could finally escape their questions. Thankfully, such measures were not needed since his mother noted he must have a lot of work to catch up on and dismissed him to his room, saying she will call him for dinner.

     Jay smiled and went to his room without question, eager to get away from the questioning. As Jay closed the door to his room, his phone started vibrating, which actually scared Jay since he never really used his phone before this and had completely forgot it existed. Jay felt his cheeks burning again, he was a teenage boy who lived in a junkyard that, admittedly can be really creepy and scary at night, but it was only normally for something like that to scare him, but a phone? That was just sad. Jay disposed his bag on his carpet, which was a baby blue, and took his phone out of his pocket, his pulse spiking a bit when he saw it was a text from Lloyd.

     Lloyd:Hello Jay.

     Jay:Hi Lloyd! Whatcha doing?

     Jay layed down on his bed, which had a midnight blue comforter, since it got extremely cold at night and it went with his dark blue pillows and blueberry colored sheets. Jay crossed his legs out of sheer instinct.

     Lloyd:Zane told me we are in the same year and I was wondering if we had similar schedules.

     Jay:Okay. Do we want me to text it to you?

     Lloyd:That would be helpful.

     Jay rolled his eyes at the smart alec answer and just texted his schedule.

     Jay:

Blue Days-

Homeroom~7:50am-8:15am~Algebra 1

Period 1~8:20-9:20~French 1

Period 2~9:20-10:20~English 1

Period 3~10:20-11:20~Algebra 1

Period 4~11:20-12:20~Physical Science

Period 5~12:20-1:20~World History

Lunch~1:20-1:45

Period 6~1:45-3:45~Choir

Gold Days-

Homeroom~7:50am-8:15am~Algebra 1

Period 1~8:20-9:20~Health

Period 2~9:20-10:20~English 1

Period 3~10:20-11:20~Algebra 1

Period 4~11:20-12:20~Physical Science

Period 5~12:20-1:20~World History

Lunch~1:20-1:45

Period 6~1:45-3:45~Child Development 1

     Lloyd:Nice. We have almost every class together.

     Jay:What classes don’t we share?

     Lloyd:Electives.

     Jay:...Which ones are electives again?

     Lloyd:First and Sixth period are electives for us.

     Jay:Aww.

     Jay:Hey! You wouldn’t mind helping me with homework would you?

     Lloyd:I suppose I can help.

     Jay rolled his eyes again and quickly grabbed his backpack and hauled it onto his bed, Jay had a lot of catching up to do.

Chapter Text

     Jay felt weird being in the car again. They never let Jay out of the junkyard, so he had no reason to go in their car until now, though he did go in there a few times when he was younger because he was curious about what was inside. It was also weird being outside of the junkyard, watching as sand flew by, only to be replaced by more sand, and so on. The radio was on, but it was turned down low so Jay couldn’t actually hear what was playing, and no one was talking. Jay dozed off a little, staying up late last night and not being able to sleep in was hard, but when they entered the city, Jay was fully awake once again. His eyes were darting everywhere, desperate to take everything in, desperate for something new. 

     It only took thirty-five minutes, after they entered the city, to reach the high-school, so Jay was working against the clock. Once they got to the high-school, Jay felt anxiety start to pour in as he looked up at the enormous building once more. Jay had memorize his schedule the day before and what path to take so he set out immediately for his Homeroom, which was on the first floor. His Homeroom teacher, and third hour teacher, Mrs. Mize, was very friendly. She has soft brown hair that fell around her face like curtains, pale skin and kinda chubby. She gives him a warm welcome since he was the third person to get there and goes back to whatever she had been doing on her computer before.

     Jay says hello back and sits in his seat, which is also his seat in his third hour, and pulls out some World History homework that was due in two days, but he was close to finishing it. As time went on, and as he got closer to finishing his Cornell notes, more students trickled in. Jay looked up after fifteen minutes of nonstop working and tried to find a familiar face, but no one stood out. Jay had heard that, in certain classes, the years were mixed and Jay had hoped that maybe he shared Homeroom with one of his soulmates, but it appeared he did not. Jay whined quietly, but went back to work, on the last bit of his notes. 

     With two more minutes of Homeroom left, Jay finished his notes, and with a smile of victory plastered on his face, he checked his phone. There was a message to join a group chat which had been sent out last night. He joined.

Jay:Sorry, I didn’t check my phone last night or this morning.

Zane:Lloyd told us as such since you had been up late last night doing homework.

Lloyd:Ready for you next class Jay?

Jay:A little. It is going to be a pain to catch up.

Kai:What class do you have next?

Jay:French.

     The bell rang, scaring Jay so much he had to scramble to catch his phone before it clattered to the floor. A girl with insanely bright green hair had seen him struggled and couldn’t help, but start laughing a little. She had a cut off green shirt, which were probably against the dress code, and ripped jeans, adorned with combat boots. Jay’s face grew hot, but he could tell she didn’t mean it in a cruel way. Jay watched as she got up, throwing her bag over one shoulder and interlock hands with a tall, brunette guy that Jay just realized was there.

     His hair was sticking straight up in a mohawk style, he had fair skin like the girl and his soulmate mark, Jay assumed it was his mark anyway, was a purple snake that coiled around his neck and ended near his left eye. It was kinda pretty and worked well with his black shirt and black jeans. As they walked out the door, Jay putting his bag on, he saw that the girl had the same mark on her stomach. He must not have noticed it, but it was wrapped around her stomach and back, the head circling back around to devour her belly button. Jay couldn’t help, but feel happy for them, complete strangers.

     Jay was grateful he had his Algebra class as homeroom since it was right next to a set of stairs, and his French class was on the second floor. He made it right before the bell went off. 

     “Bonjour Jay, ça-va?” It took Jay a moment to respond, but he eventually remembered what he was supposed to say. “ Ça-va bien.” He nodded his head and smiled a little awkwardly, but she didn’t seem to mind as she nodded back and went back to talking to another student. His French teacher had a soft tan with soft, honey locks that barely went past her chin. She was wearing a plain white t-shirt with dark purple jeans. Jay never fully saw her mark, but he definitely did see something light orange and round when, on the first day of his arrival, the skirt she had been wearing rose up and revealed a little of her calf.

     Jay slide into his seat, sitting his bag down on the floor beside his chair and getting out his binder, which is where he would keep all of his French notes. Jay didn’t have anyone who was sitting next to him, but a guy with ebony hair and skin that looked kinda grey sat across from him. The guy has grey eyes and seemed really aggressive, so Jay tried to avoid talking to him. Jay found him kinda scary. 

     Sadly, it appeared Jay would have to talk to him since they were practicing introducing themselves, asking for age, personality and nationalities. “ Bonjour, je m’appelle Jay. Comment tu t’appelle?” Jay felt like he was saying it way too slow and checking his notes way too much, but he was too scared of messing up. 

“Bonjour, je m’appelle Shade. Comment ç a-va?”

“Ç a-va bien. Quel âge as-tu?”

“J’ai quatorze ans, et toi?”

“J’ai quinze ans, merci. Quelle est ta nationalite?”

“Je suis américain . Quelle est ta nationalité?” Jay had to pause for a moment since he had never asked his parents what his nationality was, he had never even thought about it before now. “ Je suis am éricain. Comment es-tu?”

“Je suis intelligent, et toi?”

“Je suis beau.” And that was what they did for pretty much the whole hour. At one point, they got up and walked around, asking various people the same question at least three times. Jay kept stumbling over his words, but the other students seemed patient and kind, so Jay didn’t feel too bad for it. 

     After taking a full two seconds to remember how to say goodbye in French, Jay said goodbye to his French teacher and was walking pretty fast down the hall, ecstatic for his next class since he knew Lloyd would be there. Jay felt kinda silly for it, but he has missed his soulmates all night, though Lloyd made it a bit more bearable by talking with him for most of the night.

     The moment Jay stepped through the door, his eyes were darting from face to face, searching for Lloyd. Jay spotted him in the back of the room, sitting in the very last desk in the last row, the seat to his left was empty. Lloyd waved at him, Jay smiled and immediately went towards him. Jay was there in under a minute and Lloyd just smiled at how happy Jay was. Though Jay missed it, Lloyd didn’t miss the weird looks everyone gave him as he sat down besides Lloyd. Lloyd opted to ignore them, as he often did, and turned his attention to Jay. “Hey Jay, how are you?” Lloyd watched as Jay’s long-sleeved, dark blue shirt rose up slightly, exposing nearly invisible tendrils itched into a black background as Jay reached down on his left to get his book out of his bag.

     “I’m doing fine, a bit tired though.”

     “I bet, but you did get a lot of work done, which can’t be said about many students in this high-school.” Jay giggled a little, which made Lloyd giggle since it was insanely cute, and both turned to their book since they had to read for twenty minutes. English class was passing by uneventful, they were currently going over story elements since they would be writing a narrative piece in a few weeks. Lloyd helped Jay as much as he could, but Jay didn’t need much help anyway, so for the majority of the class he was just sitting there.

     The teacher gave them a packet to finish and a website of some sorts to get their answers from, which Lloyd had completed the night before while talking to Jay. Lloyd had no homework due in any other class, once again the result of helping Jay last night, so he just sat there, talking quietly to Jay every now and then whenever Jay had a question. Jay got the packet done in record time and, with the rest of the English work he had finished the night before, turned in his packet. The teacher was surprised with how much work he had gotten done, thanked him, complemented all of his hard work, and went back to grading papers.

     Jay hummed and started heading back to Lloyd, but was intersected by another student. He had ghostly pale skin, dark green eyes that were hypnotic, hair as black a midnight with a neon green streak in it. Lloyd tensed up as he saw what was happening, quickly getting up as Jay stumbled back a step and looked up at the stranger, who had some long legs. The teacher looked up at the sound of chairs being pushed back and stood up once she saw what was happening.

    “Morro, don’t start something.” Her voice was low and left no room  for argument, but Morro just smiled really creepy like as he turned his attention to the teacher. “No worries Miss Gaudette, I just want to as him a question.” His eyes quickly snapped back to Jay, who felt really small compared to him since he towered over Jay, but before he could ask him anything, Lloyd was pushing him out of the way to get to Jay. He put himself between Jay and Morro and glared defiantly at the taller teen.

     “Back off Morro.” Lloyd hissed, which made Morro laugh and made Jay, who was feeling really confused and embarrassed since everyone was staring at them, move closer to Lloyd’s back, almost touching. The class had gone silent, eagerly watching the scene in front of them as if they were a chocolate cake and were starving. “God, why is everyone being so paranoid? I just want to ask him a simple question.” Morro’s eyes were alight with sinister pleasure as he watched Lloyd try to make himself taller, which was futile since Morro was legitimately a giant. Feeling kind of useless just standing there, Jay spoke up, “What do you want to ask me?” Lloyd looked at him over his shoulder, bewildered, but quickly turned back to Morro.

     “I just want to know why you’re hanging out with this faggot.”

     “Morro!” The teacher hissed immediately, while Lloyd’s shoulders tensed up. Jay was horrified, especially by the harsh language. “What? It is a legitimate question!” Morro faked innocence as he threw his arms open, adding to his act, but the teacher was having none of it. “You know very well what you have done wrong, and you also know very well where you are going now. Back your bag and leave.” The teacher was livid and, despite her small size, seemed ready to rain hell. Morro didn’t say anything in response, just grabbed his bag with a smirk on his lips, and purposely bumped his shoulder against Lloyd’s as he walked by.

     The class was silent, and so was Lloyd as he grabbed Jay’s wrist and lead him back to their seats. The teacher just looked sad as she sat back down and opened her laptop. Pretty soon after Jay and Lloyd sat down the room was once again filled with the sounds of typing, but no talking to go with it. Jay’s face was red as he looked over at Lloyd, who had his forehead resting on his arms. Jay chewed the inside of his cheek, contemplating what he should do. Deciding Lloyd was more important, he pulled out his phone and sent him a quick text.

Jay:Hey, you okay?

     At first, Lloyd didn’t move, but after a moment he did. He pulled out his phone, which Jay noted had a green case, and started typing.

Lloyd:Yeah. Morro is just an ass.

Jay:What happened between you two?

Lloyd:Nothing happened, just another perk of being a Garmadon.

     Jay’s eyebrows furrowed, this was about his dad?

Jay:He’s mean to you because of your dad?

Lloyd:Yep. Everyone is Jay.

Jay:Well that’s stupid.

     Lloyd snorted when he saw that, smiling a little since Jay was right, it was stupid. Looking over, Lloyd found Jay smiling at him, obviously happy to have put a smile, even a small one, on Lloyd’s face.

Lloyd:It definitely sucks. Nothing I can do though.

     Jay, feeling a little brave, decided to make an attempt of humor.

Jay:And they definitely swallow. Let it be known though, that I think you’re pretty cool.

     Lloyd eyes bulged for a split second before he was covering his mouth, trying to hold in his snicker as Jay just sat there and smiled. The bell rang and Jay slide his phone back into his jean pocket as Lloyd did the same, shaking his head with a small smile. They walked side by side in the hallway, the tension had been lifted and Lloyd was just smiling, happy to listen to Jay’s story about how he had gotten lost in the junkyard and nearly got killed. It was clearly exaggerated, but Lloyd suspected he was doing it to make him laugh, which made his smile wider and laugh a little louder.

     By the time they get to their Algebra class, they are both kind of breathless and red in the face since they had been laughing so much. Their teacher takes notice, but says nothing as they walk to their seats, which are in the back of the class. Nothing extraordinary really happens in Algebra either, just some weird looks from other students and the teacher talking in front of the class for the entire period. As they were walking towards the door, Jay turned in some of his completed homework and Mrs. Mize just replied with a simply thanks while not taking her eyes off her phone, her brows furrowed in concentration.

     They were just talking, heading to Biology, when Jay accidentally ran into someone, who just so happen to be really strong because the impact made Jay stumble back three steps. Lloyd grabbed his shoulder to steady him, but Jay didn’t pay much attention as he had just realized who he had ran into. 

     “Zane?” Lloyd, after making sure Jay was completely steady, looked at who Jay had ran into, and was caught off guard to find that Zane was indeed there. “My apologies Jay, I wasn’t looking.” The blond’s face was pulled into a small frown as he observed Jay, who was rubbing his shoulder gently. “Did I hurt you?” Jay looked up from where he had been looking at his shoulder, his eyes widen as he watched Zane extend his own hand and, resting on top of Jay's own, start gently massaging his shoulder as well. Remembering Zane had asked a question, Jay stammered out a replay. “N-no, just got a little surprised.”

     Zane smiled at him, Jay felt his cheeks grow a little hot. “Good.” Which is all he says, still rubbing Jay’s shoulder, until he pulls back a second later. They’re silent for a second before he opens his mouth, ready to say something, but gets interrupted by a tan arm being thrown around the blonde’s shoulders. “Well, if it isn’t my favorite nerd.” It was Kai, with his amber eyes, and spiky brunette locks that look like he had just woken up. Jay found it kind of attractive, so he wasn’t complaining. Zane’s face was twisted in confusion as he turned toward Kai, their faces really close. “How many nerds do you know? I doubt the number is very high and besides, you just met me yesterday, surely you couldn’t have come to that conclusion in less than a day.” Kai just shook his head, sighing, but chuckling at the same time. Zane just looked confused.

     “You’re my soulmate, I think I’m going to like you best no matter how many nerds I end up meeting Zane.” Kai squeezed his shoulder, Lloyd was laughing under breath. “You know, not all soulmates work well. Some even end up hating each other.” Jay’s eyes went wide as he heard that, Kai just rolling his as his hand traveled upwards to run his hand through Zane’s hair. “Wait, wait, wait,” Jay’s hands were flailing as he spoke, easily getting everyone’s attention, “Soulmates can end up hating each other?” Jay was horrified. Kai straighten his posture as he took in Jay scared look, Zane opened his mouth, but closed it back since he knew it wouldn’t have been helpful information, and Lloyd just sighed quietly. 

     “Some soulmates to end up hating each other, but they aren’t common at all.” That was Kai, trying to cheer Jay up as quickly as he could, Zane quickly backing him up. “Kai is right, it is extremely rare for soulmates to end up hating each other, there are hardly any pairs where they dislike each other.” Jay nodded, deflating a bit, as Cole came up behind him. He gently poked Jay in the side, which made Jay squeal and jump, running into Lloyd who scrambled to support both of them. He caught himself against the wall, Jay leaning on his shoulder as Kai started laughing.

     Cole was also laughing, not as hard as Kai though, “Sorry Jay, just couldn’t resist.” Jay’s cheeks were burning as he realized that, one, he was not in danger, and, two, that he had just pushed Lloyd against the wall. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry Lloyd, are you alright?” He asked as he spun around, apologizing repeatedly as he helped Lloyd get off the wall. Lloyd was also laughing, and kept telling Jay he was fine. Cole also apologizes, but they hear the first bell go off and they all depart, Kai waving to everyone as they leave. Lloyd was still giggling at Jay as the turned, the titles going from a simple white to a teal color, Jay’s cheeks still a rosy red.

     They made into World History right as the bell rang, they were safe. Their teacher, Mister Krux Smith, twin brother to another teacher, was definitely the hated twin among the students. He has a  cranky old attitude, refuses to accept modern times and do everything by paper and pen. His brother was the complete opposite, eyes alight with wonder and curiosity for the new world and technology. From what Jay has heard, the only thing the twins have in common is an evil glint in their eyes that will appear from time to time. Jay would be lying if he said he wasn’t afraid of the older twin.

     Snow white hair was slicked back on top of his head, mustache kind of drooping, black framed glasses circled around hate filled brown eyes. Hate filled eyes that were trained on Lloyd and Jay as they quickly made it to their seats, Lloyd sat right next to the door while Jay was more in the back.

     “Next time boys, I expect you before the bell rings.” His words were harsh and his lips were set in scowl as he got up from his desk and headed for the whiteboard. He was wearing a long, grey sweater, and as he reached up to write, Jay caught a glimpse of hot pink on the front of his arm, but no visible shape. It was a challenge between the students to figure out the twins marks. Despite being here for ten years though, not a single person has been able to figure it out.

     They were taking notes over the Serpentine Reign for the whole hour, which was something Jay has never even heard of, despite it being the cities history. At the end, as they were packing up, Jay handed in all of his finished work, receiving only a grunt of surprise before he’s being dismissed. 

     The lunch room was a huge mess. Huge crowds of people filed in, cramming into the tight spaces between the thirty or so tables. Shouts and yells were everywhere, pushing and bumping was happening everywhere, and Jay just felt so small compared to the student body. His heart started to beat faster and his breath got heavier, getting tense. Being alone all his life was nice and all, but it utterly failed at preparing him for this.

     Jay had completely forgotten about Lloyd beside him, who was looking for a vacant table. The blonde turned to Jay, mouth opened, but no sound came out as he looked at his soulmate’s worried face. Lloyd frowned and affectionately bumped his shoulder against Jay’s, who tore his wide eyes from the cafeteria to Lloyd’s worried green ones. He jerked his head to the side and started to move forward, making a path for Jay to follow behind him, who was sick with anxiety.

     Lloyd lead him to a set of tables, one half was filled already while the other half held only one student. Jay slipped in at the very edge as Lloyd placed himself next to Jay, trying to shield him from the other side of the table. The only other student at the table was busy doing what Jay would assume is French, because it definitely looks like French from where Jay was. He had some cool hair, Jay had to admit. It was mostly white, up until the middle, where it was midnight black instead. He had honey skin tone with a black hoodie and black jeans.

     Jay started to silently much on some cookies, as Lloyd got out history homework, more Cornell notes. Jay swallowed before speaking, “aren’t you going to eat Lloyd?” The blonde shook his head, barely shifting from his position as he continued to work. “I don’t make lunches in the mornings so I can have more time to do my homework and relax at home.” Jay frowned and silently passed on of his cookies to Lloyd, who looked up at him with a raised eyebrow.

     “You should start making lunches or simply getting them from school. It’s not very healthy, it could make your metabolism slow as your cells go into survival mode, not to mention it’s better for you to eat a full lunch and dinner if you want to keep slim and healthy in general.” Both freshmen turned to their table mate, who looked up after a moment, “especially if you plan to exercise.” He began to put up his binder, which read French 2 in the corner, confirming Jay’s earlier thoughts. “I don’t see you eating.”

     “That’s right, but I had some French to quickly do so I decided to wait a moment. I’m willing to share if you’re feeling hungry.” True to form, he grabbed a lunch bag from his bag as Lloyd just shook his head, unwrapping the cookie Jay gave him. “Thanks, but no thanks stranger.” He simply hymned as he began to eat a simple ham and cheese sandwich. They were all silent for a moment, until two people came over to their table.

     One was a tall, pale female with silver hair in a ponytail on top of her head, she sat to the left of their table mate as the other sat down to his right, who was tan with brunette hair going backwards. “Hey Neuro, how has your day been?” And just like that, Jay and Lloyd are forgotten once again as the trio talks among themselves in quiet chatter. Lunch is over before Jay really processes that time is passing, he spent most of it talking to Lloyd and doing homework.

     Jay hates that Lloyd has a different class then him, already so used to the short, blonde being by his side, but choir wasn’t half as bad as he thought it was going to be. The teacher was funny, even though he was a little… off. His last name was Stone, but most just call him Dareth, who had dark skin and brown hair that twirled at the top. He honestly seemed kind of delusional to Jay, but he was charming in a way.

     Choir was over two minutes before the bell so Jay quickly turned in his late homework, which wasn’t a lot compared to other classes, but now Jay has to learn the song they’re singing, and he’s far behind on that. Jay sighed as he observed the hoards, they were huge masses of children that are so loud Jay can barely hear his own thoughts. Quickly, Jay made his way to the auditorium, which took a little longer than Jay would’ve liked.

     As quietly as possible, Jay pushed open the wooden doors and was shocked to see that the auditorium was absolutely humongous. Rows of black seats stretched from the doors to the stage, which was a wooden platform covered in props and people rehearsing. There was a thin gap besides the rows that lead to the stage, and even thinner gaps between the seats. Jay felt like he couldn’t breath and that his legs were going to give out. He loved to sing and always found himself drawn to theater, but now that he was really here, so close to one of his childhood dreams, he was mortified.

     Jay nearly collapsed when he felt a tap on his shoulder, jumping a little and snapping around, ready to fight off some horrid beast.

     “Hey Jay, I heard you wanted to audition.” Jay sighed in relief as he realized it was just Nya, his guide from earlier, and Kai’s sister. Jay’s cheeks suddenly got hot as he realized how childish he must’ve looked and cast his eyes down, embarrassed. “I-I didn’t hear you walk up behind me.” Nya just laughed, high as bells as she observed the awkward teen. “Doesn’t matter now, Miss Johnson is a witch in human flesh so you only get one shot at this.” Jay snapped his head up as Nya grabbed his wrist and started to drag him to the stage, her raven hair bobbing with her confident stride.

     “What!” Jay was embarrassed with how high-pitched his voice was, but he got no response from the girl as she managed to get him backstage, few turned to look at the pair as they passed. Backstage was packed with props, old and new, big and small, and some weren’t even finished, but they were all in the same space as one another. There was even a small office backstage with a poster on the door, it read ‘Miss Johnson’ in big, curly letters. Nya stopped dead right in front of the door, causing Jay to run into her and whine as he smashed his nose into her back. She whipped back around and gave him an encouraging smile with pearly white teeth as Jay just looked at her in horror. 

     “I don’t kn-”

     “Don’t even think about stopping here.” Nya effectively cut him off, “I bet that’ll you’ll do just fine, just keep calm and cool and you should be in the clear.” Nya quickly reached over and knocked on the black door as Jay began to speak, who then made a sound of panic as Nya swiftly walked past him, giving him a thumbs up. Jay made a move to grab her, but stopped with the door swung open, revealing Miss Johnson herself. She didn’t look scary at first, caramel skin with honey curls, thin and proper. It was her face that made Jay nearly piss his pants. Her lips were set in a permanent scowl, eyes narrowed to make the most piercing glare Jay has ever seen, and that glare was on him. 

     “Well, come on.” She snapped and turned back around, red dress flaring dangerously, Jay was just steps behind her. Silently, he closed the door and, after a moment of shock of the decor, hurriedly sat down in the chair that was opposite to her own, separated by her desk. The room was covered in posters from previous play, and even a few rewards in glass cases were thrown into the mess as well. It was silent for a few minutes, Jay just looking around as Miss Johnson stared him down, green eyes filled with menace. 

     “Why do you want to do theater?” Her tone was harsh and it honestly scared Jay, who took in too quick of a breath before responding. “What?” Jay’s eyes went wide as he realized what he had just said, god, he was so stupid! Her eye twitched as she crossed her arms over her chest, Jay’s legs were shaking. “Did I stutter? I asked you why you want to do theater.” Jay gulped, and cringed at how loud it sounded before answering, “Because I live in a junkyard Miss, and one of my childhood dreams was to perform on stage.” It sounded lame, Jay knew that it did, but that was his reason.

     “We stay after everyday, don’t be late or I’ll drop you and we stay until 5 every night, so don’t even think about leaving early, unless you’re dying I suppose.” She spoke with authority as turned back to the papers on her desk while Jay just stared at her, confused, before she looked back up and barked at him, “what? Scram!” Quickly, and clumsily, Jay dashed out of the office, face burning. He ran straight into Nya, who easily caught him, and laughed when Jay jumped back.

     He turned and quickly shut her door, nearly screaming when he realized he had slammed, but he had no time to apologize as Nya grabbed his wrist and started walking away, Jay nearly fell a couple of time as he was dragged a second time. Once they were a far enough distance she turned back to him, obviously wanting an answer. “I’m in.” Nya’s chocolate eyes went wide with glee as she quickly crushed him in a hug, Jay squeaked in surprise. “That’s awesome, Kai’s going to be so happy!” Jay just smiled as he realized that one of his childhood dreams just became a reality.

Chapter Text

Hello everyone! I know it's been years since I last updated this, and I wouldn't be surprised if everyone assumed I abandoned it. I have not. I've always planned to finish it, but all my work, all my subplots and chapter outlines, all my rewrites are on my very old, very slow computer that I'm not sure will turn on. Now, I have a new computer after 10 years and after ignoring it for another year, I want to try again. Currently, I'm charging my old computer to hopefully copy over my files as I had a lot! Hopefully I'll be ready to upload here again next week? As I'm sure you've noticed, I'm not very good at keeping a schedule, but maybe the millionth time is the charm right?

Anywho, I hope you have a good day or night and fingers cross I get my files back! Also, my taste in ships have changed over time, but I will be keeping to my original premise as close as possible.

Chapter Text

Okay, so I definitely got my dates messed up on that last post, probably because I was up so late, so I deeply apologize for that! Okay, bad news, my old computer is completely gone at this point and I did not get my files back, which really sucks because I had a lot on there! Good news, I remember a decent amount, as I would call it, but a lot of my sub-plots and character developments are lost. So, here's the question for who ever may be still reading this, how often should I post? Like, once or twice a week? Whenever I complete a chapter?

Honestly I'm leaning more once a week on this fic so that I can update my others once a week as well. Sadly, as all my previous work is gone, this will probably take longer than anticipated, but maybe a total refresh is what the fic needed anyway. I'm sorry for the mess up, and I will update with the first rewrite on the 14th, as I don't update on the 13th, bad luck and all.

Thank you for reading and please have a good day or night!