Flames of a Phoenix //Ninjago - Next Gen\

T h r e e

Everyone seems at awe at the building in front of them, and I don't blame them. It was almost like it was out of a fairytale, the sun casting golden rays behind the cabin as it ever so slowly starts to set. Grinning to myself, I open my mouth to urge everyone inside when I pause. "Where'd Maddy go?" I frown, double checking that she wasn't hiding behind the other girls.

"Hey, guys!" We all glance over to the previously missing girl, who seemed to have walked around to the side of the cabin without anyone noticing. "Zane's here too!" She gestures us to follow her as she disappears around the corner.

I hear the remaining women mutter between each other as we follow after the yellow ninja. We walk around the corner of the building and spot Maddy standing near 'Zane', who only blinks owlishly at her in return. In his pale hands were a couple of tomatoes he had picked fresh from the garden he stood by.

The garden was well looked after, fruits and veggies sticking out like a sore thumb between all the other greens. Blackberries, raspberries, cabbage, strawberries, tomatoes, cucumbers, you name it and it was most likely growing there.

'Zane' moves his stare from Maddy to the rest of the group, taking in each of their appearances individually before he stops on my frame, a weak smile tugging at my lips. He sighs quietly, almost like he had seen this moment coming. He brushes the remaining pieces of dirt off the tomatoes and steps past Maddy, who watches him with confused eyes.

"I'll meet you inside." He mutters to me as he passes, only sparing a quick glance before he continues to walk along the stone path, out of our view. I briefly hear the cabins front door open and close.

"Uh..." Emilie utters, raising an eyebrow in my direction. I only give her an innocent shrug in response, which makes her frown. She didn't like not having answers, apparently.

"Look, can we keep the questions till after? I know you're all busting with them, but let's get inside first and things will start making more sense." I suggest, tilting my head towards the direction 'Zane' had walked off in.

"I'm so confused." Maddy whispers at the back of the pack as I lead the way to the front of the cabin, a shaky hand grabbing the doorknob and slowly opening the door to reveal the inside of the building.

If you thought the outside was impressive, then the inside decorations were stunning. When you first step in, you're instantly greeted with a large fireplace which was already crackling with life, smoke drifting up and out of the stone chimney. A large red rug with grey spirals sat in the middle of the room in front of the fireplace with a glass coffee table, a leather four seater couch had its back to the door with two recliner chairs placed either side of it, the rug just barely touching the couches legs.

To the left was the kitchen, which was currently hidden by a white wall, the doorway nothing but an archway. A smell was wafting from the room, which instantly caught Maddy's attention. To the right was a small library with a spiral staircase sitting in the middle of the room, going up to the second floor.

"There's a library?" Jade grins brightly, Emilie just as interested next to her as they both practically drool over the room. "Look at all those books, some of them look ancient!"

"That's because some of them are older than all of us in this room combined." The voice of 'Zane' snaps everyone out of their wonder, the man almost having blended in with the white wall of the kitchen. He still holds the tomatoes in his hands, which were only the thing that stuck out from all the white.

"Is that you, Z?" Another voice calls out from the kitchen, gruff and deep compared to the smooth yet gravely voice of 'Zane'. The man steps out of the archway from the kitchen, a black apron on over his white button up and a tea towel in his hands, sleeves rolled up to his elbows. "I need those tomatoes, tin-head." He scowls, coming to take the food from his friend when the presence of other people in the room catches his attention.