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

Ring Ring

Skylor's P.O.V.

When I became a ninja I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Seriously, at first it was fine. Besides Kai's shameless flirting and the tendency for bad things to happen all the time, I enjoyed it. Missions. Fighting. Punching things in the face. No more noodles for this girl! Of course, I never expected Cole to turn evil and go on a killing spree. But then again, nobody did.

Now Cole has brutally murdered Lloyd, Zane, and Pixal, and he's not going to stop there. Although Cole is being terrible and slaughtering all his friends, I must appreciate the careful planning of his attacks. Having grown up evil, I understand how hard it is to be original with your wickedness, and on all accounts Cole is doing a good job at that. He's even scared me, and it takes a lot to faze me.

After everything that's happened, I'm the most sane person on the team. Zane and Pixal are dead, as is Lloyd, the leader. Jay had a nervous breakdown and he's usually in a fragile state anyway. Nya is trying to handle it. She seems determined that somehow she will stop Cole. There's a plan struggling to form in her mind, but really, she's just too damaged to put it in action. Cole has done this all for them, Nya and Jay, and it's showing in the two. And then there's Kai.

What can I say about Kai?

He wouldn't even see Zane or Pixal. He won't leave Lloyd's side. The spark has left his normally fiery eyes and now he just looks dead, as dead as the friend he won't abandon. So here we are, Kai and Lloyd and I, in this small room with dried-up blood on the floor, and I don't know what to say. I was never good with feelings.

Kai is hunched over Lloyd with his hazel eyes fixated on the glazed-over green ones of the boy, as if begging him to come back, as if asking why. Nya is dealing with Zane and Pixal by herself, and Jay is off God knows where. So it's just us in the small room, and I don't know why I'm here. I should go help Nya, who's probably started crying again. Just when I'm about to escape the uncomfortable silence, I hear something.

"I swore to protect him..." Kai's voice cracks when he speaks. "I gave my word and what did I do? Nothing. Now he's dead."

What can I do?

"You're right. You did give your word. And you broke it." I say coldly. It will hurt but this is what Kai needs to hear. Really, what everyone needs to hear. "Lloyd died. Zane died. Pixal died. They are our friends and they were murdered. But it's not our fault. It's Cole's, and if you just give up and stare sadly into Lloyd's emerald green eyes, you won't get anywhere and you will die next. You have to put your big boy pants on, Kai. This is not just serpentine and ghosts anymore. People are being killed. And if you don't know how to deal with that, maybe you shouldn't be a ninja."

Kai looks up. Instead of the anger I expected to see on his features, there is only remorse.

"Maybe you're right."

I'm saved from having to reply by something that I almost thought I'd never hear again.

A phone ringing.

A phone? The lines are disconnected. But it's definitely ringing. I walk over to the phone and pick it up.

"Hello, is this Jay?"

"No..."

"Oh, well, it's Edna, his mother, dear, and we've been worried sick! Jay hasn't been answering our calls for weeks, and he was supposed to visit us three days ago! Has something happened to our poor baby? Please put him on the line!" A torrent of sound rushes out of the phone. Of course it's Jay's parents. Creepy phone calls were so last horror movie.

"Sorry, Edna. It's Skylor, the orange ninja. Jay can't talk right now. We're having some -problems over here at the Bounty and so don't expect to hear anything for the next few days." I say.