The Master of Dragons

Chapter 7

(TW: mentions of cutting and suicide)

(A/N: I didn't think that it would get this dark, but once I started writing I couldn't stop. Also, sorry for the inconsistent posting. I've been really busy irl.)

      Cole walked down the hallway towards Daniella's room. After another round of fighting with Jay, he needed to talk to someone. Cole hesitated as he came closer to Daniella's door. She had been distant ever since he and Jay had been fighting, and he couldn't quite figure out why. He had ran through several different memories, before and after Jay and Cole had it out in the Walker's trailer but he couldn't pinpoint a moment where he had said something to upset her. Maybe Cole could ask her and they could make up.

      He stopped at her closed door and softly knocked. He waited for a reply, but was confused when none came. He knocked again, slightly louder this time. The door unlatched itself and opened slightly.

"Dani? Is everything okay? You never have your door shut," Cole called out, pushing the door open wider. The light was off, giving the room an absent feeling. A dark feeling. Cole ran his hand around on the wall before finding the switch and illuminating the room.

"Dani?" he called again, walking in.

      Daniella's room was tidy, everything in it's place. Her projects laid untouched on her crafting table, as if she hadn't worked on them in weeks. He walked over to the table and picked up a picture frame. It was of all of them; Kai had his arm around Lloyd's shoulders, playfully ruffling his hair, Jay was standing next to Nya, trying to tell a joke to make her laugh, Zane and his falcon were next to them. And standing next to Zane was Daniella and himself. Daniella had looped her arm through his and they were laughing at Kai and Lloyd.

      He set the picture down and grabbed another one. This one was smaller, just him and her. The ninja had gone out for a team picnic. There was a walking trail that the others had wanted to walk on, but Daniella was still too tired from the Final Battle, so they had stayed behind. Cole remembered staying with her, laying on the blanket next to her as she read her book. Before long, she was laying next to him, watching the clouds and dozing off. The others had found them sleeping on the blanket and Kai had the great idea of taking a picture. He ran his thumb over the frame before setting it down, wondering why she had framed that picture.

      He walked over to her bed, the one untidy thing in her room. The blankets were thrown this way and that, her stuffed animals all over the place. He sighed as he sat on the edge.

"Do you want to come out so we can talk?" Cole asked the mountain of blankets. No response came and he looked down to the ground.

"Okay. You don't have to come out. I just wanted to make sure that you were alright, after what happened."

      Cole waited for a response, turning to look at the blankets. He frowned when she still didn't say anything. He reached out to touch her, but hesitated. He knew that she was hurting, and sometimes she would shut down and keep to herself.

"Come on Daniella. Talk to me. I haven't seen you all week, and it's starting to scare me. What did I do wrong? What did I do to hurt you?" Cole begged.

"Fighting over Nya is what started it," a voice snapped from the doorway. Cole turned to see Lloyd standing there with his arms crossed.

"Fighting? What does that have to do with it?" Cole asked, his hand still hovering over the blankets.

"Well, it was actually the match maker game that Nya played, but the fighting solidified her fears and drove her over the edge. Not that you cared, because you were too busy trying to woo a girl who has never showed you any romantic interest." Lloyd lectured.