Legends of Ninjago: Book 3: The Four Fangs

Chapter 15: Holiday Fluff

Cole and his friends were standing outside of his house. It was half past seven o'clock. Numbly, he felt the weight of the plaque Mr. Peabody had given him in his hand. His father's car wasn't in the driveway.
"Do you want us to come with you?" Kai asked quietly.
He drew in a breath. "I've got this."
He took the key from underneath a nearby garden rock and unlocked the door, wiping his feet as he entered the foyer. In one hand he had the plaque, in the other he held a stack of boxes. He gingerly went up the stairs in the dark and placed all of it on his neatly made bed, the plaque resting on top beside a small note.
Next, he went around the guest rooms, straightening up and grabbing stray items. When he closed the last door, standing out in the hall, he felt this terrible feeling in his gut. Like a feeling of... finality.
In silence, he came back downstairs and looked around. The house really did feel awfully empty.
Cole distributed the things he had gathered among the others, then threw his hood on and shoved his hands into his coat pockets. He kept his eyes on the ground as they started walking down the street, watching the colour of the fairy lights on the houses fade in and out of view on the snow.
The air was so cold that night you could see your breath, flying into the gentle wind. The birds had already gone to sleep. Many people in the neighbourhood had as well. Not a door slam or car engine could be heard for a mile at least. The teens moved unseen, like phantoms in the night.
Before he knew it, they were in the woods again, getting ever closer to their ship which they had left behind. Back to the wild. Back to freezing in his bed. Back to campfires and bug bites and rations.
The ship and everything in it was exactly the same as they had left it, just twice as cold and covered in icicles and snow. It rocked gently as they boarded, and creeped under their footsteps. When they had reached the living quarters, still laden with their sleeping bags and pillows, they brought them all together in the center of the room and Kai made a small fire in his hands for them to warm themselves by. They all watched the silent flames flicker up and disappear.
One by one, they fell asleep, rolling themselves up as tightly as possible, still wearing their coats, and huddling together. Kai stayed awake for as long as he could, but eventually he had to call it quits and put the fire out. The room was marginally warmer now, but it didn't stay that way for long. Truly, the only thing keeping them warm now was each other.
Cole's eyelids hung lazily open. He assumed he was staring at the wall, gently bobbing in the darkness. On his right, Jay was snoring warmly. On his left, Zane slept, practically room temperature by comparison.
As he very slowly drifted off to sleep, the last three weeks went by in his mind's eye. The training, the warm meals, the warm tub, being together leading up to Winter Fest, the snowy little winter town all dressed in twinkly lights, and then the competition had come and ruined everything.
So much for his performance being for his mom...

* * *

Morning sunlight streamed in through the windows at a sharp slant. Cole wasn't sure who else was up, but there were a few people shifting under all the blankets.
"It's Winter Feeest," Keaton drowsily declared with more lament than genuine excitement. No one really acknowledged her.
A few minutes later, Kai asked, "So now what?"
Cole stared at the ceiling. "We go and find the real Blade Cup."
"Go back to Ninjago City?" Said Zane sceptically.
"Yeah, I don't need anymore incarceration accounts on my record, thanks," Jay quipped.
Ann breathed out. "We can't let them get those daggers."
"Why not?"
"Because we know that they're planning on using them for revenge."
They all stared off into space for a while.
Then Cole heard the sound of someone's head shifting.
"Do we have to go today?" Keaton asked in a small voice.
"...No... I guess we don't."
"Really?" Nya asked, propping herself up so that she could see Ann.
"We don't have all the necessary supplies for another voyage. Plus, we know where the real Blade Cup is and the Serpentine don't. We've got some time."
They all continued to lay there, thinking.
"So does that mean we can stay for Winter Fest?" Keaton pressed, sounding more hopeful.
Ann sighed. "Sure."
"Woohoo!!!" Her sister cried, leaping out of bed and then yelping as the cold air hit her all at once, making her dive back into her sleeping bag. "Can we go right now?! Can we? Can we? Can we?"
"We could get breakfast in town," Nya offered.
"I could eat," said Jay, getting up.
"Yeah, why not," Kai threw in, pushing back his sleeping bag.
"Hold on," said Ann, sitting up and stopping everyone. "I have one rule for today. Everybody sticks together, got it?"
"Yes, mom," Jay whined. Ann responded by tossing a pillow at his face.
"Well what are we waiting for!?" Keaton cried, pulling on Nya's arm and leading them all out of the freezing ship. Zane was at the rear of the group and noticed Cole still laying under the blankets.
"Are you coming?" He asked.
"Yeah," Cole said quietly. "Just give me a sec."