The Missing Piece

Chapter 7

"JAY! JAY! WAKE UP!"

"Huh?"

Jay felt a sharp tug shaking him back and forth and a familiar sound shouting his name. His eyes opened, but just a slit. He saw a blur of brown hair, shaped like a fire, probably with a lot of hair gel, swinging back and forth.

"Kai?" Jay muttered unenergetically.

"(sigh) You're alive...." Kai sighed, pulling his friend's hand until Jay sat up straight, eyes blinded by the sunlight. For a second, he can't remember why he is here. Why is he drenched with cold water beside the river instead of on his bunk bed?

"Why am I wet?" Jay muttered, still half conscious.

"How am I supposed to know? We found you soaked near the river. You kind of looked like you were dead. you're barely breathing." Kai explained, wrapping his friend with a towel.

And then it clicks. Now Jay remembers why he's here in the grass. Jay shuddered, splattering water everywhere.

"Woah, easy there, dude, you're gonna make my pajamas wet." Cole spluttered, covering his face from the water.

Jay shrugged off the towel and darted along the river until it branches into three smaller rivers.

"Where is she?" Jay muttered, tilting his head right and left, trying to catch a glimpse of where Nya could be.

"Jay, are you okay?" Kai followed Jay's glances, but just like him, he saw nothing. "What are you looking at?"

"Nothing, nothing..." Jay muttered. There's a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"Come on, let's bring you back inside. It's cold out here." Kai ushered Jay to the Bounty.

"Who's teacup is this?" Zane's voice rang from the kitchen as he waved a blue ceramic teacup in the air, still half filled with tea. Jay giggled as he raised his hand shyly, wrapping the towel around his body to prevent the cold air from freezing him.

~~~

After changing into his usual suit and putting his soaked pajamas in the washing machine, Jay spent the whole journey to the Island of the Keepers in silence, watching the blue waters stir below. Sometimes, a school of whales and dolphins will jump out of the surface before it dives back down again. Jay watched the animals' little routine before staring to the horizon again.

Not long after, the sky darkens, and thunder and lightning dance around the sky. Tall jagged rocks with purple crystals act like lightning rods to protect the island. The Bounty swerved right and left, trying to avoid as many rocks as possible.

 "Time to launch the catamarans!" Kai nodded to Cole.

Cole pulled a lever, and a gray grate on the bounty's upper deck floor opened. Inside the grate, three catamarans are ready to be used. One by one, the ninjas strapped in their life jackets and crawled under the grate. Kai pushed a button, and a secret opening, large enough for the catamarans to pass through, opened, and the catamarans were dropped down like a brick. Kai volunteered to stay on the Destiny's Bounty to prevent the ship from getting damaged again.

"WOOHOO!" Cole cheered, pulling the sails tightly as the catamarans whizzed through the air and dropped down with a huge splash. "Now I know why Kai doesn't want to come down here." Cole smiled, shaking his hair as water sprayed everywhere.

Jay can only smile at his friend and silently commandeer the catamaran, dodging clusters of rocks and bolts of lightning. Lloyd and Neuro followed Jay and Cole's catamaran in hot pursuit. Lloyd has taken the wheel while Neuro pulled on the sails embracing the powerful wisps of air rushing through his face. Then, there's Zane. He is speeding alongside the two huge catamarans. Zane's the smallest of all the three since only Zane is driving this one.

The three catamarans did pinwheels and flips along the way, dodging the rocks here and there until they could finally see a massive island. The island has an enormous mountain in the middle, covered with moss. As they get closer, the island is littered with purple gems everywhere, and moving purple dots can also be seen on the island.

Pulling their catamarans on top of the light blue sand, the ninjas walk around the area, searching for a keeper who can lead them to the Chieftain. It's been a while since they last came here. Just as they are about to step on a wooden lift, a hand pat Jay on the shoulder.

"JAY!"

"Huh," Jay looked back and spotted his old friend, PoulErik, the two-headed keeper in the Island of the Keeper. "Oh, it's you guys!"

"Why didn't you tell us you were coming gift of Jay?" the top head asked.

"Oh well, I guess we're in a hurry." Jay shrugged. "Hey, can you guys show us to the Chieftain?"

"Sure. This way to Chief Mammatus." the bottom head ushered the group to the wooden lift. The lift carried them to the top of the mountain, where a keeper with a tall staff and crown sat on his throne petting a weird-looking dragon.

"ZIPPY!" Jay jumped excitedly, meeting another of his old friends on the Island.

"Ah, the ninjas!" Chief Mammatus announced excitedly, standing from his throne to bow to the ninjas. In turn, the ninjas put their hands together and bowed to the Chieftain.

"I'm sorry for your recent loss...." Chief Mammatus sighed, sitting back down on his throne.

Jay looked down sadly at another mention of the loss. Standing beside him, Cole patted his shoulder to calm him down.

"And we are sorry you lost your Storm Amulet in the battle." Zane apologized, bowing low again to the Chief.

"The Storm Amulet is not a big problem to us. We can still sustain ourselves despite its loss, but I can see that your loss is greater than ours." The Chief muttered sadly, looking at Jay's sorrowed face. "To what reasons have you come to this time, ninjas?"

"We are here to bring back what is once lost." Zane pulled himself from his respectable bow. "We are here to beg your highness to give us some of your purple gems to restore our friends and bring peace to Ninjago and our hearts."

A brief silence occurs at the mountain except for the lift going clickety-clack, transporting coconuts here and there. While the chieftain pondered this proposal, the ninjas stared in awe at Zane's great words.

"Very well," Chief Mammatus nodded. "I shall send PoulErik with you to gather as many gems that you need."

"Aren't these crystals vital for your survival?" Lloyd asked, scratching his head.

"Of course not." Lloyd backed away.

"Very well then. What are you waiting for?" the Chief raised his staff mightily.

"Thank you, your highness." Zane bowed down, followed by the other ninjas.

The ninjas walked back to the wooden lift. After the elevator hit the landing with a loud thud, PoulErik ushered the ninjas to follow him down a series of stairs to the ground floor. The ninjas follow PoulErik through dense jungles dodging huge palm leaves as they pass by. Soon they come across a massive cave with a large brass gate.

"This is the Storm Cave." The top head explains.

"This is where Storm Crystals come from." The bottom head smiled, waving his staff in the air.

PoulErik crouched down, dusted some sand on the ground, and a keyhole appeared. They jabbed the staff tight into the keyhole and turned it clockwise. A rumble of stone and sand fell as the brass gate slid upward, clearing the entrance. Inside the cave, Storm Crystals of every hue of purple illuminate the dark cave.

"Now, ninjas can take as many as they want." PoulErik smiled.

The ninjas rushed into the cave without being told twice. They grab as many as they can carry, stuffing them in a duffle bag until it can hold no more. Before Jay zipped the duffle bag closed, a voice rang in his head.

'Change anything, change everything....'

Shaking his head to shake the thought, he zipped the bag and hauled it to his shoulder. After thanking PoulErik for the help and showing them back to the shore, the ninjas set off on their catamarans. As he dodged the rocks again, Jay's thoughts whirled as he pondered the plan in his mind. Is this the correct thing to do?