***Here's the first oneshot I wrote...***

***(Nya's POV)***

You don't know me. No one does.

I take my favorite spot in a café that serves good beans and good reads. It's a hole-in-the-wall restaurant just outside Ninjago City, and it's my favorite place to stay under the radar and occupy my free time.

Two years ago, I would've found this café boring, but I'm not the girl I was in Ignacia.

I run my finger down the side of my romance novel and take a whiff of the decades-old book. It has that delicious smell a novel gets when it's left on a shelf, alone and unwanted, for years. The smell that begs me to read it. The smell that –

"Hi," says a happy voice.

Hi? I thought I was entirely unnoticed!

I paste on my poker face and look up, closing the pages of my novel over my index finger to keep my place.

I'm met with laughing blue eyes, a freckle-smattered face, and a recycled paper coffee cup.

"Hi," I say, for lack of anything better. "Have we...met before?"

"Oh, lots of times. Um, but we don't know each other well. I usually take your order here; we make small talk while you count out exact change. Man, you must have a lot of change. You always have the perfect monetary amount for your drink."

"Um..." I can never come here again. "Yeah. I guess...I just didn't recognize you at first." Who the heck is this guy?!

"Anyway," he beams, "I brought you your drink today. I was making mochas instead of taking orders this afternoon, but I was just about to go on break, and I saw you sitting down, and I thought...well, would you mind if we sit together?"

No. No! "Uh, I'm, uh, leaving soon." I actually had no intention of leaving until about two seconds ago, but it seems like a good idea now.

"Oh." He looks disappointed, but his face suddenly perks up. "That's okay. I'd be happy to sit with you for a few minutes, or however long it is until you plan to leave. If it's all right with you, that is."

I cough. I'll just look suspicious if I refuse, so I guess I'll have to wait out a few minutes of sitting with this guy. "Um, okay. Have a seat."

He presses my coffee into my hands. "Thanks, Nya."

What the...he knows my name? No wonder they always get my name right on my drink! But...no one is supposed to know who I am!

I should've developed an alias.

I clear my throat. "It suddenly occurs to me that I don't know your name." Now tell me so I can look you up on the Internet later and avoid you like the plague.

I can't risk anyone having connections to me, or my old connections will find me.

"I'm Jay. Jay Walker." He seats himself across from me. "Whatcha reading?"

"Oh, uh..." I hold up the copy of the book I'm reading.

He gasps. "Jane Austen? That's so cool! I'm a sucker for romance, too. What's your favorite book of hers?"

I smile down at my drink. "Sense and Sensibility."

"Really? Why?"

"Because the smart older sister gets proved right in the end, while the stupid younger sister gets stuck with her second choice for a husband." Because that's the way I wish real life worked. I wish there was justice like that.

"Pfft, that's not the way the story goes. The younger one gets the guy who really cares for her, even though she doesn't care for him until later. She wouldn't have been happy with the original guy she fell in love with, so she's much better off with her new love interest."

Against my will, my mind is inundated with memories from my past – of Cole Brookstone, the boy I swore I was in love with. We did so many fun, crazy, rebellious things together in high school. And then one day, when our deeds started to catch up with us, he showed up with some sweet, rich girl whose daddy could pay off his debts.

And I was left with a world of regret and hurt. I am the younger sister.

And my older sibling, my brother? He's still dealing with the repercussions of what I've done. I only wish I could give him a happy ending, but right now...I can't even give him my address.

"Hey, you okay there?" Jay asks, covering my hands with his.

I feel warm tingles ripple up my skin from where he touches me. "I – I'm fine." I press my drink to my lips, taking a hot sip.

"Okay," he smiles. "You just kind of seem distant. Um, anyway...would you like me to tell you about myself?"

"Why not?" As long as we're not talking about me, everything will be okay.

"All right. Uh, my favorite color's blue, I'm the biological son of a movie star, I've worked here part-time for three years now, and I attend Ninjago City University. I'm a senior in college this year, and I'm going into criminal justice. But that's just one of my many interests – I like to dabble in lots of different things. Like romance." He pokes a finger at my novel.

I admit, I didn't catch most of that. But I swallow hard at the one thing I did catch.

Criminal justice...

"I actually write romance," he goes on. "I haven't tried getting it published or anything – I don't think it's good enough for that – but I have several hundred thousand words of it on my laptop." He chuckles, running a hand through his curly hair. "Listen, this is gonna make me sound like I'm nuts, but...would you be interested in maybe beta reading some of it?"

"I – what?" I'm so lost. And I need to get out of here – if this guy's becoming a cop, he could totally find out my identity!

He smiles sheepishly. "Would you like to maybe try out reading some of my romance work and, um, give me feedback when you're done? I know it sounds stupid and all. It's just...well, it's really nice to meet someone with similar interests, and I can't tell any of my friends I write – except you, that is. It'd be really nice to share my stories with someone. And since you already know all about my writing habits now, you'd be the likely candidate."

"Oh." I swallow. "Cool. Listen, I really need to get out of here." I scoot my chair back, but he takes my hands again.

I look down at our twined fingers and shiver in pleasure at the attraction I feel. It's been a long time since I've been touched.

"Listen, Nya..." His eyes study mine. "You don't have to lie to me."

"What?" I pull my hands away from his.

"You don't have to lie to me." He bites his lip, choosing his next words. "I told you I was into criminal justice. More than that, though, I'm into missing persons research. And...I know you're Nya Smith, Kai Smith's younger sister he's been looking for over the course of the past two years."

I blanch. How...my brother...looking...

I hastily gather my things off the table. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"No, no! It's okay," he reassures me. "I've known your identity for a few weeks now. But I never said anything – never turned you over to Kai – because over the year and a half you've been coming here, I've seen that you're lost and scared, but mostly...good."

"Good? I – I'm not – good."

"Yes, you are. And I was worried Kai had done something to cause you to run away. I mean, you obviously had some problems in your high school years, but I don't think that's the case anymore, is it? Did Kai force you to steal and – "

"Leave me alone," I bite out, storming toward the door.

I can't live here anymore. I should've gone by a different name, gone somewhere farther from Ignacia than Ninjago City.

"Wait." He catches me by the elbows, pulling me to him for a hug.

My breath hitches. It – it's been so long so I've been touched...it just feels amazing for someone to hold me close against them.

I gulp. But I can't enjoy this moment. I have to –

"I'm not turning you over to the authorities," Jay says softly, stopping my wild thought process.

"You're...not?"

"No. As I said, before I knew your identity, I could tell you were a good person."

"Why do you even care?" I finally find the strength to extract myself from his embrace.

"Because you matter to me. For some reason, over the last year and a half, I've just...really come to see you as a person. I look forward to coming here because there's always the chance of seeing you. I always make sure they top your coffee with light whipped cream when you come in. I know you always get a receipt for your order and slip it in the front pocket of your purse. You...matter to me."

I search for words, but none come. So instead of responding to him, I tug my used coat tighter around my shoulders and run. I run out the door, down the shop's front steps, across the sidewalk, toward the train station. Ninjago City still uses trains. And whichever one runs through next will be my ticket out of here.

"Wait! Nya! You forgot your purse!"

I laugh bitterly. Of course, I did. And now I have to go back to this guy so he can't use my license and fake ID and...my secrets...as evidence.

I slowly turn toward him to see his face haunted with fear. He stumbles over the sidewalk as he rushes toward me.

And that's when I realize I'm right in the path of an oncoming train.