The Black-Hearted Ninja (The Dark Triangle #1)

Captured!

Although Kai had learned to never scare his sister again, the other ninja caught on to Kai's trick. In the days that followed, Jay and Cole both screamed and woke Nya in a panic, but by the time Lloyd had tried the trend, nobody came. They were all fed up by the pranks. When you're a ninja, danger is around every corner. To fake it was annoying, childish, and perhaps even dangerous itself.
The string of screams in the night had finally stopped by the time Kai and Jay were staying up late to watch TV. Jay was talking through the show.
"Hey Kai, did you ever watch MY show? It was pretty hilarious and it got great reviews. Too bad they replaced me with that wannabe Kathy once I quit to go to the tournament of elements. Despite what Lloyd said, I was not wearing makeup. It was concealer-" " Jay, will you please be quiet for once?" Kai grunted. "I'm trying to watch the show." From behind them came a sinister voice. "Yesssss. Pleasse ssshut up!" Kai and Jay whipped around. Standing there was a Fangpyre they didn't know the name of. "Now, if you'll just come with me..." The serpentine hissed. "Aaaaah!" Kai and Jay both screamed but it was too late. The snake hit Kai on the head with a frying pan and then held a cloth over Jay's mouth. Struggling, Jay faded away, wondering why no one was saving them.
     Jay woke up in a dimly lit cave wrapped in chains. Looking around, he saw Kai a few feet away from him, groaning. Jay opened his mouth to speak but then realized a wet cloth was stuffed into his mouth, making him unable to talk and difficult to breathe. Starting to panic, Jay tried to take deep breaths as he felt tears drip out of his eyes and run down his cheeks. He felt powerless, alone- where was Nya when you needed her?
   Kai was having similar thoughts. He saw no way out of the chains that bound him except unlocking them. Kai looked over at Jay, who seemed to be having a panic attack right then and there. He would have tried to calm his friend down had it not been for the damp cloth stuffed in his own mouth. Kai struggled against the chains, but it was no use. He wasn't going to get out anytime soon.
    Back on the bounty, Nya had noticed things were unusually quiet. She knew something was missing. Where was the adorable, nervous, chattering boy she knew so well? Where was Jay? Nya raced to Kai's room to wake him, looking for aid in her search, but when she got there she saw that her beloved brother was gone! Rushing into the living room, Nya saw the TV filled with static. A frying pan dropped on the floor. And a single red scale. Everyone!" She screamed. "Kai and Jay have been kidnapped by the serpentine!"
    Things were not going well for Jay back at the serpentine' base. Although he kept telling himself to breathe, his body just didn't listen! Jay was hyperventilating, he was lightheaded and he just wanted to scream or cry or TALK! Kai saw the absolute panic in Jay's eyes and struggled harder at the thick chains that bound him. Jay was going to hyperventilate to death if he didn't do something!
    Suddenly, the door burst open. There was Nya, standing triumphantly for a moment until she ran with worry to Jay's side. Cole, ghostly but still strong, held the Fangpyre that had captured them up with one arm. Lloyd held the other serpentine off with his green power. Zane and Pixal spun into the room, breathless. Skylor held Kai's sword as if daring him to come get it.
    "Jay, what happened?" Nya gasped, pulling the cloth, wet with Jay's tears, out of his mouth. Jay first took several deep breaths, calming down from his panic attack. Kai grunted and Nya removed his gag as well. "What am I, chopped liver?" he asked. Nya waved him off as she reached for Jay's hand. "We got-kidnapped-" he said, breathing deeply, "I-panicked-" then burst into tears again. Nya hugged him and said, "Well, now everything is fine. Let's get out of here. And then think about getting you some sort of therapist."
Nobody saw Cole staring jealously at the couple. Well, nobody but the snake in his fist. Taking its chance, the Fangpyre reached out and punched Cole in the stomach. Reeling, Cole dropped the creature and it slithered towards the prisoners. "Nya, the snake is free!" Kai yelled and Nya whipped around. "Skylor, Zane, Pixal, unchain them. Cole, Lloyd and I will handle this!" Nya ordered and before anyone could protest, she jumped into battle. Zane used the saw in his arm to hack at the chains while Skylor used golden power (absorbed from Lloyd) to break them. Cole and Lloyd took on the group of serpentine while Nya confronted the leader. By working together, the black and green ninja managed to defeat the horde of snakes while Skylor, Zane and Pixal broke the chains. "Retreat!"
Lloyd told the group once Kai and Jay were free. The serpentine as well as their general slithered away, but Jay saw something. "Wait!" He cried and then ran, shocked, over to a crumpled form against the wall. Their robes were stained with blood, they gave a feeble cough, and upon closer inspection, there was a red-hilted fang bade imbedded in their stomach.
"Nya!"