Chapter Text
“Don’t miss the bus, Lloyd!”
The early sun crept through his blinds, forcing his eyes to blink open slightly. The soft, airy voice of his mother chimed from the kitchen, and he barely grumbled in response. Flailing an arm over his face, Lloyd sighed through his nose, staring at the ceiling.
School was always mundane, especially because he was just another kid amongst the crowd. However, he did have his one friend, Jay. They usually took the bus together to school in the mornings–
The bus.
His mum’s words sank in at last, and he shot up from the bed, hopping on one leg as he threw on his clothes. Darting from his bathroom to his bedroom with a toothbrush in his mouth, he shot a glance at the clock. 7:45.
The bus was due around about now.
“Lloyd?”
Koko’s hands were soaking up the lukewarm water, the dish soap bubbling up her arms. She watched as Lloyd ran past her, through the kitchen, his hair a mess and the true definition of ‘bed hair’. Shaking her hands dry and dabbing them on a tea-towel, Koko rushed over to her son, who was already tying his shoelaces.
“Lloyd, don’t forget your breakfast.”
“No time, mum—“
Lloyd huffed, stomping his shoe on, his flimsy backpack hanging onto his shoulder like a life support.
Koko grabbed his shoulders as he stood up straight, one of his hands already on the doorknob to leave.
“I hope you have a great day at school, honey.”
Her voice was quiet and soft, sent out like a wishful whisper. Amidst the chaos of sleeping in, Lloyd took a second to breathe, smiling back at his mother with a lopsided grin.
Koko pecked his cheek, patting his shoulders as he recoiled slightly.
“Thanks, mum.”
Wiping his cheek, he nodded sheepishly, swinging open the door and darting out to face the many stairs of the apartment building to get outside.
Jay shifted slightly, gripping his orange scarf, which he always foolishly wore, but for good reason. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, eyes glued to the entrance of the apartment building.
He slept in again. We’re gonna miss the bus.
The door stayed unmoving.
Oh, come on, Lloyd!
As if Jay had manifested it, Lloyd practically fell through the door, and Jay didn’t even give him a second before grabbing his wrist and dragging him in a half-sprint to the bus stop.
Picking up the speed, they both turned corners, ran across roads, and at last, the bus stop was in sight.
And the bus was just leaving it.
Despite their desperate yells and pleas, the bus only sped up, turning the corner, out of sight.
“We missed the bus. Again, Lloyd.”
Jay could barely get the words out, as each syllable was dressed in wheezes and huffs. As if to mirror him, Lloyd only responded in a strangled whine, sandwiched between groans and heavy breaths.
It didn’t take long for Lloyd to recover, though, as Lloyd was now the one dragging Jay to the nearby community bikes.
“Time for plan B then.”
The wind pushed past Lloyd’s sandy blonde hair as he skidded to a stop, halting Jay as well, in front of a couple of bicycles. Jay quickly grabbed one, and so did Lloyd.
His hands drifted along the chipped, green metal frame, settling firmly on the peeling rubber handles as he began pedalling before he was even sat on the stool properly.
“Dude, slow down!” Jay wheezed, pedalling desperately to even himself next to Lloyd as they drifted past cars and pedestrians.
The doomed ringing of the school bell in the distance stood out like a piercing siren for the two boys as they continued to pedal.
“We’re not gonna make it!” Jay shook his head, eyes wide as he stared at Lloyd, who was darting his eyes around frantically.
His eyes fixated on a dirt trail from off the upcoming sidewalk, its entrance overgrown with weeds; twigs and leaves sticking out from the bushes hugging its sides awkwardly.
“I know a shortcut, just follow me,” Lloyd yelled into the wind as he pedalled faster, pivoting his bike to slot into the dirt path entrance, the stones and uneven ground becoming immediately apparent as his whole body shook on his wavering bike.
Holding his breath, Jay had to slow down to turn onto the path; he instantly fought his wobbling bike to stay onboard.
They were headed downhill now, their speed increasing and control decreasing rapidly.
Jay had to fight the urge to close his eyes.
“WhEre Are yOU tAking US?” his voice shook with each bump in the ground, and it sounded as if someone was rhythmically nudging his throat as he spoke.
Lloyd took the risk and peered behind his shoulder briefly: Jay’s widened eyes should’ve been the warning.
The tyre bashed into a rock, and Lloyd swung off balance, his hands forced off the handles as his bike took him off the track and down a narrow opening, framed in stinging nettles and sticks.
Shielding his face, Lloyd couldn't see where he was going, but it was regrettably steep as his heart sank from the drop, like the split second you realise something’s completely wrong and your heart skips a beat. A deep scream tore from his throat as his bike hit yet another stone, but this time it sent him flying off, his arms flailing, eyes darting around and pinpointing the ground quickly approaching him.
The impact was like a shockwave rippling through his body.
Rolling on his side, he groaned, already knowing that there would be a nasty bruise in the morning. His eyes fluttered open briefly, widening completely as a distant glow caught his attention. He sat up, his legs weak from the adrenaline, so he crawled forward, his body aching with every contact he made with the soft, lush grass. The glow became more apparent. It was a green flower. Its stem was a deep emerald shade, holding the budding, moss-green petals, their tips painted a pristine white. Intrigued, Lloyd reached out, the flower’s stamens the source of its otherworldly glow, and drifted a finger along the edge of a petal.
The feeling was instant to the touch. It wasn’t pain, no.
His heart skipped a beat, his hearing weakened, and his eyesight blurred. Recoiling his hand, Lloyd must’ve started to breathe quicker, hyperventilate even, as he could feel his chest rise and fall unevenly. A small flash of green plagued his hazy vision, and the next thing he knew, he was unconscious.
Squeezing the bike’s brakes harshly, Jay screeched to a stop, his breathing fast as he looked down the snicket that Lloyd had just vanished down. Propping the bike on its side gently, Jay hesitantly began the descent, leaning back more and more down the steep ditch to maintain balance.
Pushing sticks out of his way, Jay cupped a hand around his mouth as he yelled into the abyss ahead of him, “Lloyd! Are you okay?”
No response.
“Can you hear me, Lloyd?” Jay’s panic was apparent; the pitch of his voice would always drastically increase, and voice cracks became more frequent when he was in this state.
He lost his footing. Slipping down the dirt: his heart jumped up to his throat as he wrestled the air to grab something. His fingers curled harshly around a thorned twig, and a sharp breath was sucked through his teeth as he felt the undeniable breaking of skin. Jay would rather not have thought about it, but he couldn’t help but compare the sensation to the feeling when you bury your nails into your palm. Though, instead of nails, they’re like nails nails - ‘screws and nails’ nails.
Sucking in a shallow breath, Jay continued down the steep dirt path. He kept his fist clenched, not wanting to take a peek at the blood that was already trickling down his wrist, as an opening widened ahead of him. It was a grassy patch, caged in by thorned bushes, trees, and tall grass. Making the last steps, Jay squinted, making out the image of…
Lloyd!
Jay’s breath hitched as he tripped over his feet to reach Lloyd, who was fully knocked out, but thankfully harbouring the recognisable rise and fall of his chest. Without a second thought, Jay heaved Lloyd up onto his back, his legs turning to jelly with each step.
Through a heaved breath, Jay’s eyes dotted from the ground up to the dirt snicket he had just barely come down from.
“You’ve got to be kidding me…”
His voice was strangled with each step he took up the steep path, his breath whistling like a kettle ready to explode. Each forced stomp and each weak kick left clouds of dirt behind them.
Jay whined, his voice echoing in the hollow, grassy, bumpy terrain, and he was pretty certain he could hear a few birds squawk as they flapped away out of the trees.
“Lloyd, we’re gonna be so late!”
————————————————
It was a rough but rhythmic movement. Forcing his eyes to squint open, Lloyd figured out what was happening: he was slumped over Jay’s back, his head resting on Jay’s shoulder. The ground was no longer the uneven, dusty dirt path he vaguely remembered, but the familiar, flat concrete path to their school.
“Jay?…” His voice was much worse than he imagined. It sounded like a choked-up frog, and felt like he had swallowed a whole sandpaper block.
Jay must’ve zoned out completely, as he jumped out of his skin, causing them both to topple forward onto the ground. Undoubtedly, they both could feel the loose stones of the path graze across the skin of their faces as they hissed through their teeth.
Pushing himself up barely 3 centimetres off the ground due to his weak limbs, Jay sighed, grunting a small: “Sorry.”
“We might as well skip school today, Jay.” Lloyd had managed to push himself up on his knees. “You and I don’t look like we can walk.”
Jay shook his head desperately, finally rolling himself on his back. “Dude. Our parents will know if we weren’t in school all day. Your mum would freak out and send out a search party, and my parents… they’d probably talk my ears off.”
Reaching and pulling himself up on a street lamp, Lloyd groaned, “You’re right, you’re right. Let’s get to the locker room at least, then we can get some of our energy back.”
Lloyd offered Jay a hand, neither of them having much strength to do their role in the action. Despite his muscles screaming in agony, Lloyd put an arm around Jay’s waist as they both supported and leaned on each other as they took miscalculated and uneven steps to the door, snugly hidden at the side of the school.
The pain would’ve been enough of a nuisance as it was, but the mid-morning sun felt more blistering than normal. Though it might’ve been the unnecessary and excessive amount of exercise the two boys had to do that morning. The sun wasn’t blanketed in clouds, either, leaving them both unshielded until shade fell on top of them as they neared the side of the school.
Feeling his senses drift back to him, Lloyd was more alert, supporting Jay’s failing body as they both snuck around the hallways and into the boys’ locker room, which was typically empty during class time.
Breathing softer than he had for the whole morning, Jay let himself be guided by Lloyd onto the cold metal bench plastered in the middle of the locker room, and it wasn’t long before he laid down on his back. He couldn’t help but let a small grin spread across his face.
Slumping against a locker, Lloyd slid down it until he hit the floor.
They both sat still for a couple of minutes, comfortably filling the silence with heavy breaths, growing slower and more even as moments passed quietly.
“So… what the hell was that about?” Jay began, and Lloyd didn’t even bother to answer because he knew this was the start of another ramble.
“You said you knew a shortcut, but obviously you didn’t know where you were going. To be fair, it could’ve been a good shortcut that could’ve saved us time if you hadn’t fallen down that snicket! Which cost us lots of time. Then I had to come down and get you because you weren’t responding! You were unconscious, and I had to carry you all the way back up the snicket, to then carry you all the way to school! You know I don’t go to the gym, you know I’m not built for that.”
Lloyd looked over at Jay, giving him a look that said: ‘Are you done?’
By the sounds of it, no.
Jay gasped, “You were unconscious! Lloyd, are you okay?”
His voice shrieked again in panic, which always made Lloyd chuckle.
“Yeah. Though I don’t remember what happened-“ He spoke in rushed confusion, his sentences broken up as he wracked his brain for any recollection of memories. “I think there was a… glowing flower? I’m pretty sure it made me high— or something like that? It wasn’t painful. I swear there was something that happened before I passed out…”
“Green?” Jay mumbled under his breath.
“Yes! There was this flash of green before I passed out, but I couldn’t see what it was because my vision went awful.”
“No, no—“ Jay shook his head, sitting up and squinting at Lloyd, “Have you always had bright green eyes?”
Tilting his head slightly, caught off guard by the random comment, Lloyd laughed nervously, “No? My eyes are like a dark green, with a bit of hazel—“
“Doesn’t look like it. They’re bright green right now.” Jay shook his head, his eyebrows furrowing in worry.
Before Lloyd could freak out, the locker room door was slammed open, and the infamous science teacher, Mr. Marden, replaced it with arms crossed and a scowl dancing on his face.
It didn’t take a genius to know that they were both in for it this time.
Especially after the stunts they would always pull in his classes during all the science practicals. It was safe to say that Lloyd and Jay were not made for science in the slightest, which cost them the price of being in Mr. Marden’s bad book.
For instance, the ever-popular ‘Copper Sulfate crystals’ practical. The classroom was humid: the perfect temperature for a nice afternoon nap after having the best homemade lunch packed by your own mum, so Lloyd had managed to drift asleep during the demonstration. Sitting next to him, Jay was doodling in his science book; the thing he often did when the words spoken by Mr. Marden were going in one ear and out the other. Heaven knows how he passed the recent science test.
Chatter spilled out around them as their classmates buzzed and darted around the classroom, gathering all the equipment for the experiment.
Lloyd shot up in his seat, looking over at Jay, still doodling away, as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes with the heels of his palms.
“What are we doing again?...” A yawn escaped Lloyd as he stretched with a drawn-out grunt, only to rest in a slumped position with his head in his hand.
Jay hummed, “I don’t know, that salt practical or something?”
Pushing against the desk, Lloyd groaned under his breath as he stood up to follow the crowd and gather the materials he didn’t even know the names of.
Jay had sprung into focus as Lloyd reappeared with arms full: clattering a Bunsen burner on the desk alongside an evaporating basin and a couple of other things.
Granted, Jay was only trying to help, but had managed to set his science book on fire as Lloyd warned he was switching the Bunsen burner on. It was a whole spectacle.
From that day on, Jay and Lloyd were always on Mr. Marden’s radar in science lessons; he wouldn’t let them catch a break.
And of course, it had to be him to catch them skipping class in the boys’ locker room.
Shamefully walking down the corridors with a fuming teacher following closely behind, Jay and Lloyd were sent back to their class, and it had to be algebra of all things. Lucky them.
Their gentle footsteps echoed shallowly in the empty hallways; an awkward silence drifting ominously in the air.
Great.
Lloyd shook his head at himself, distracting himself with the feeling of a tatty, shredded piece of paper in his hoodie pocket.
What a way to start my Monday: with this heck of a morning. He scoffed quietly.
This’ll just worry mum for absolutely no reason, Lloyd. Congrats. Worrying mum who’s already working three jobs just to keep us afloat–
Lloyd was shaken out of his thoughts by a slight nudge on his shoulder. He turned to look at Jay, who leant in to whisper: an attempt to seclude the looming figure behind them.
“Hey, Lloyd.” He began, a childish grin spreading across his face, “If anything weird happens because of that glowing flower-thingy, let me know.”
Nodding with a slight shake of his head, Lloyd chuckled softly. It was amusing to see how this whole ordeal was entertaining Jay’s wild imagination.
Didn’t he mention I had bright green eyes earlier?--
Stopping abruptly in front of their algebra classroom door, Mr. Marden didn’t need words when his face said everything for him. The two teens were practically quivering in their shoes as the tall man towered over them like a skyscraper, his arms crossed and brows furrowed firmly.
Slipping into the classroom, Lloyd and Jay both bee-lined for their seats: Jay sitting by the window at the front, and Lloyd sitting near the back next to Nya.
He only knew her name from Jay’s endless rambles about her, Nya being Jay’s crush and all.
Lloyd rarely spoke to anyone but Jay. Sure, the occasional friendly small talk, but never long talks with a new friend.
Slumping into his seat, it took him a second to catch his breath before he could face algebra, and he reluctantly took out his pencil case and book from his bag.
Nya had her head resting on her arms over the desk, watching intently as Lloyd scrambled for a working pen: scorching each pen across the paper profusely in hopes a smidge of ink would appear. Nya’s black ponytail swayed as she sat up, getting a better look at him.
He was a mess.
Lloyd’s once sandy blonde hair was now speckled with dirt that almost made him look brunette, and light scratches on his face, dots of red painting each line as the wounds weren’t deep enough to properly spill any blood, and small tears in his dark green hoodie, a couple of leaves clinging to the loose threads.
Nya smirked to herself in disbelief, “You okay, dude?” That made Lloyd jump.
“You look like you’ve been dragged backwards through a hedge.” She whispered.
Lloyd looked over at Nya, laughing to himself.
I would’ve preferred that. He thought solemnly.
Instead, he settled for: “That’s one way to call it.” He shook his head with a half-hearted grin, multitasking as he jotted down the algebraic problem into his book with the working pen he finally found.
Nya smiled fondly, “What was your name again?”
“Lloyd. Lloyd Garmadon.”
The teacher’s voice grew distant as Lloyd caught a glance of Jay in the corner of his eye, swiveling around on his chair, staring him down.
Lloyd jolted slightly, looking around briefly, trying to confirm if it really was him Jay was death staring.
It wasn’t news that Jay had a crush on Nya; Lloyd had known for the longest time - probably ever since he knew Jay.
Lloyd had offered to talk to her for him, but Jay would always cocoon in on himself - refusing in a bundle of flustered mess.
Was Jay now staring at Lloyd to get him to set him up with Nya?
Lloyd tilted his head slightly.
Or was Jay staring at him, still obsessing over the eventful morning they just had?
Shrugging, Lloyd decided to settle on the first idea. Even if Jay wasn’t hinting at that, he’d thank him eventually.
Leaning in closer ever so slightly, Lloyd turned to Nya, catching her off guard.
“Man, algebra sucks.” He grumbled.
Dropping her pen onto the desk and leaning back on her chair, Nya chuckled, “I know, right? None of it makes sense to me.”
Lloyd perked up with a sly grin on his face.
“Oh, really? Well,” he began, “My friend Jay is good at this stuff, if you ever wanted some help after school.”
Nya furrowed her brows, “Who?”
Waving a hand in front of himself, Lloyd shook his head. “Don’t worry about it, I can come too. We can sort out a revision session for the three of us.”
Lloyd held out a hand, “Deal?”
“Sure, deal.”
“Is there a problem in the back?”
Miss Brooks' grainy voice rose in volume, leaving only silence in its midst.
Jumping in his seat, Lloyd turned, instantly clasping his hands on the desk and straightening his back.
“No ma’am.”
Miss Brooks rolled her eyes unnoticeably, followed with a sigh.
“Then you can come up here and finish this problem for me.” She gestured curtly to the blackboard: graying from years of chalk scribbled over it. Her voice was dripping with a smug tone as she stood to the side, watching Lloyd closely.
Standing up from his desk carefully, Lloyd gulped as he approached the front of the classroom, eyes from all around him tracking his every move.
Clasping his fingers around the nub of chalk, he glanced up at the algebraic problem in huge characters on the board, his brain too fogged to even begin to solve it.
3p = x^2 - 4b
His brows furrowed, the thoughts coming to his head only serving to make the situation worse.
If I didn’t get cocky and insisted I knew a shortcut, I would’ve been here for the whole lesson and would know how to do this easily now.
His hands moved like clockwork, scorching line after line below the question.
3p + 4b = x^2
And the whole deal with the flower? What even happened?
Lloyd continued to drag the chalk along the board, as if trying to cover up the constant voice in his head, but never truly being able to erase it. He hadn’t even noticed his other fist clenched tightly by his side.
Why all of a sudden do I have a weird Monday morning thrown at me, when my whole life has been so ordinary?!
√(3p + 4b) = x
Taking a deep breath, Lloyd stepped back, trailing his eyes along his firm traces of chalk, down to his final answer.
It was only then that the deathly quiet nature of the classroom sank in. He turned his head to Miss Brooks, the motion feeling like trying to pry open a rusted bottle top.
Before she could nod shallowly, the sharp screeching of the bell shot him out of his trance completely, and welcomed the deafening choir of chairs scraping across the floors.
Lloyd shook his head desperately, letting himself drown out Miss Brooks’ voice as she rambled on about homework due for the next lesson as he took precise steps back to his seat. Though, he caught a glimpse of Jay’s wide-eyed expression staring at him, partnered with his mouth agape. Nevertheless, Lloyd continued to his desk, piling all his things together to then just shove them into his bag, figuring he could just ask Jay what was up during lunch break, which only just dawned on him was now.
The thing that really worried him, however, was Nya’s scrunched-up, unreadable expression tracking Lloyd as he flung his backpack onto his shoulder. He could only read traces of curiosity and something else that he couldn't quite name at the moment. But before he could ask, Nya was already out of the classroom like a bullet, the look not leaving her face as she uncharacteristically watched the ground as she walked.
What was that about?...
————————————————
Chatter echoed off the walls of the canteen: people leaning over the beige, foldable tables to get closer to their friends opposite them, and some people blatantly yelling to others 4 or 5 tables away from them. It was the type of environment that was undeniably familiar, almost like a second home.
Almost.
It was human nature to secretly despise the loud room, despite knowing it was rarely hostile.
Still, it was one of the only places in Ninjago High School where students could chat freely without a teacher screaming their ears off.
Weaving through the small gaps between tables, Lloyd juggled his tray of food, eyes glued to the apple rolling around uncontrollably, and he couldn’t help but hold his breath with each step.
Jay was sitting alone, recreating his fixed glare at Lloyd from the algebra classroom as Lloyd gently placed his tray down. He quickly set the apple upright and climbed into his seat next to Jay on the bench.
Silence fell between them, and Lloyd raised an eyebrow.
“What?”
Jay continued to stare, brows furrowing as he shifted slightly, as if brewing the right selection of words in his head.
Lloyd rolled his eyes, slightly impatient. “No, nothing weird happened because of the flower. Just— forget it,” Lloyd sighed. “It was just a bad morning.”
Shrugging to himself, Lloyd picked up the metal fork, cloudy with age.
“I probably passed out because I was tired from sleeping in, or something. Or I bashed my head pretty hard falling down that snicket.”
His tone was wistful, as if he didn’t even believe the words coming out of his own mouth.
The tray in front of him consisted of a short glass, filled with lukewarm water, no doubt, and partnered with a lone apple. On the other side, a small plate was dressed with soggy vegetables: broccoli, sweetcorn, and something he couldn’t name. Canned Mac ‘n’ cheese pooled on the side of the plate, sliding down, ready to invade the vegetables’ space. Lloyd grimaced, looking over at Jay’s tray, knowing full well the Mac ‘n’ cheese would be gone. He never understood how Jay could like the canned slop.
“No.” Jay’s voice made Lloyd’s eyes dart up, brows raised.
“I saw this green… thing.” Jay spoke like a crazy person, arms flailing, trying to convince Lloyd, “It was like a glowing energy thing! From your left hand that was clenched next to you when you were doing that algebraic question!”
Lloyd laughed, but instantly stopped when Jay shook his shoulders with a grip that could only be a result of stress.
“You have like— like superpowers or something, dude!” Jay shook Lloyd with each syllable. “You looked stressed at the front. Do you reckon the powers are connected to strong emotions or something?”
Lloyd grabbed Jay's wrists, bringing both of them to a still state, staring at each other as Lloyd processed.
Lloyd’s gaze faltered.
Superpowers?…
As if reading his mind, Jay nodded excitedly with a childish grin spreading across his face.
But how is that even possible? It’s pure fiction, and this is reality. Jay’s just getting ahead of himself, isn’t he? He did mention he binge-watched the Starfarer movies again last week…
But what if he really did see something?
I was stressing over that algebraic problem. So maybe it is linked to strong emotion. If it’s real.
What will mum say? She can’t know. Is it dangerous? What if I hurt someone? How drastically will my life change? If… if it’s real.
Jay nudged Lloyd’s shoulders again, and Lloyd looked up, following Jay’s wide-eyed gaze to his own hands around Jay’s wrists. A green light emitted from his grip.
Shifting in his seat, Lloyd couldn’t help but let out a strangled yell, thankfully drowned out by the endless chatter around them. He stared at his hands, panic etched on all of his facial features as he turned his hands around.
Front. Back. Front. Back.
Until Jay grabbed his wrists.
“You need to calm down.” He spoke carefully, head tilted down slightly as his big eyes looked into Lloyd’s widened, panic-driven ones.
Lloyd’s breathing, which he hadn’t even realised was quickened, began to slow down as he mirrored Jay’s example.
Breathing in, and then out. In… then out.
Putting his hands on his knees, Lloyd nodded quickly once he was calm again, and Jay nodded in return.
“How about we go to the library after school?”
“Why?…”
“To see if there’s any answers on this whole… green— thing.”
Jay gestured to the whole of Lloyd with a chuckle.
Lloyd sighed with a reluctant grin,
“Okay. We’ll try to find some answers later.”
————————————————
“There are literally no answers anywhere!” Jay groaned, slamming his head into a thick book, pages beginning to yellow from age.
Lloyd would usually say something slightly optimistic for Jay, but couldn’t even begin to argue. There was nothing even remotely referencing green powers from a plant. It was hopeless.
They had been at it for an hour after school now at least, sat on the floor surrounded by a fort of history books... And some comics, since Jay insisted that they might have the answer.
“Excuse me,” a slightly monotone, yet warm voice spoke with a small snicker at the sight of Jay buried in a book. “Do you need help finding anything?”
Lloyd looked up, eyes groggy from the long day. It was that smart kid. The one who won in that “beat the computer” maths challenge a bit ago. Zane, was it? He had on a blue sweater, accompanied by his friendly, welcoming smile.
Lloyd shook his head with a tired hand waving in front of himself, opening his mouth to speak before Jay interjected.
“Who are you?” Jay lifted his head from the book, rubbing his forehead after regretting slamming it down onto an obviously thick and hard book.
Shrugging slightly, still harbouring his kind smile, “I’m Zane, a student librarian. I’m just offering help; I didn’t mean to appear nosy.”
Jay nodded slowly, skeptical since he didn’t get along well with anyone except Lloyd.
Standing up from the floor, Lloyd smiled back at Zane.
“Don’t worry about it; we’ve looked in pretty much every book.” He let out a sad chuckle. “Jay and I should probably head home.”
Lloyd gestured to his friend behind him, who was already lifting piles of books to slot them back into their respective homes on the shelves.
“Well,” Zane spoke comfortingly, “I can spend some time now looking on the internet for answers if you would like.”
“No.” Lloyd cleared his throat, fumbling with his own words as they escaped his mouth in a hurry, “Really, don’t worry about it, it’s nothing.”
Zane held a finger up to say something back, but Lloyd had already grabbed Jay’s arm and pulled him to the library exit.
The evening sun hit their faces like a heated blanket. Lloyd was quick on his feet, Jay stumbling behind until he pried his arm free.
“There was nothing! We’re going crazy, Jay!” Lloyd yelled hysterically, twisting around to face him.
“What about your uncle?”
“What?”
“Your uncle.” Jay began, “You’ve always said that he used to ramble about prophecies and stuff.”
Lloyd shoved his hands in his hoodie pockets. “I’m not going to go see my uncle.” He mumbled under his breath, “I haven’t seen him since my dad left.”
“This seems right down his alley, though.” Jay shrugged, “It’s worth a try.”
————————————————
It’s worth a try.
Lloyd hopped off the bicycle seat, inhaling deeply through his nose.
Lloyd and Jay had just gone back down the ditch to get the bikes back, waving goodbye as they reached their apartment complex. Biking down to the harbour, Lloyd figured talking to his uncle Wu was worth a try.
Perched by the docks, a once extravagant boat now withered against the test of time lay. It looked abandoned. But Lloyd knew it was far from it.
Lloyd dropped his bike on its side, the wheels still spinning with a faint whirring sound as he approached the ship. Wu always mentioned this boat, the Destiny’s Bounty. What a nerdy name.
“Hello?” Lloyd spoke softly, not wanting to disturb the evening tranquility.
“Uncle Wu?…”
Lloyd’s voice grew louder and more impatient as he called out his name a couple more times.
“Hello, Lloyd.”
Wu had somehow appeared behind Lloyd, making him shriek and jump out of his skin.
“What brings you to the Destiny’s Bounty, my nephew?”
Lloyd sighed, “Look— I don’t want to be here long; my mum will get worried, but I thought you might be able to help me?…”
After his father left, Lloyd wanted to avoid any connections with him, including his brother.
Wu had always been a bit weird, speaking often about Lloyd’s grandfather as if he were a God. A bit weird is an understatement. It was extremely weird.
Reluctantly, Lloyd began to explain about how he slept in and missed the bus with Jay, so they had to ride bikes. About how Lloyd insisted he knew a shortcut but managed to fall into a ditch, and found a weird glowing green flower, and how he had passed out after touching it.
“It’s true,” Wu whispered, cutting Lloyd off.
“The prophecy of the Green Ninja.”
Lloyd squinted, scoffing at Wu with furrowed brows.
“Forget it. I knew this was a bad idea.” He spat, “Green ninja? Seriously?”
Lloyd was obviously unamused, already making his way to leave the boat, until a surprisingly tight grip encapsulated him.
Lloyd looked down at Wu’s frail, wrinkled hand curled around his wrist, with a grip so secure Lloyd was too stunned to pull away.
“You have elemental powers now, don’t you, Lloyd?” Wu’s voice lowered, a wise tone replacing the once unreadable one.
Lloyd’s eyes widened: opening his mouth to object, but nothing came out. Wu nodded briefly, a sincere smile growing on his features.
“You have a responsibility now.” Wu began.
“You must defeat the oni that lay in the underworld. Now, you are the Master of Life, and the oni will escape and stop at nothing to hunt you down.”
Yanking his arm back and holding it close, Lloyd shook his head desperately, backstepping until he hit the edge of the Destiny's Bounty.
Wu called out, but Lloyd was already running off the dock, tripping over his feet as he picked up his bike and pedalled.
Pedalled until Wu’s weak calls were out of earshot.
What have I done?…