"I saw what you did to the ninja yesterday. You're pretty powerful for a child."
8-year-old Seth turned around to see a woman wearing dark robes, a hood pulled over her head hiding her face.
"I'm not suppose to talk to strangers, but thanks. And how'd ya see me?"
"I've been watching the ninja for a while now. Would it possible for us to talk privately?"
Seth glanced ahead at his teenage brother, Toto, who was suppose to be bringing him home from school. Toto had been talking to some friends for the last twenty minutes and wasn't paying much attention to Seth. Toto always seemed to turn a five minute walk into a ten minute one.
"Not right now."
"Do you know when it would be convenient?"
He shook his head. "What's your name?"
"Webbly."
"Sounds pretty made-up to me."
"I'm also the Darkness' Princess."
"Even more made-up! Darkness doesn't have a princess!"
"Not in this realm, it doesn't," the woman agreed.
"You're crazy. STRANGER DANGER!" he shouted before running in the opposite direction and straight into his brother, knocking them both down. Soon he had 3 pairs of eyes staring at him as he and Toto both got to their feet.
"What the heck?! You okay?"
"There was a lady."
"You'll have to be more specific," Toto told him, "Old lady? Young lady? Hot young lady?"
One of Toto's friends snickered. "Desperate," he coughed.
"Oh, shut up, Ryan!" Toto snapped at his friend before turning his attention back to his little brother, "Did she hurt you?"
"No, I'm fine."
"Then why'd you scream?"
"I didn't scream. But it was 'cause she was crazy."
"So are you," he told him. "Well, see ya later, guys. I gotta take Seth home before the 'crazy lady' comes back."
After some walking and taking a ride in an elevator, they got to their apartment and saw Shadow, their 22-year-old older sister and guardian, waiting in the doorway. "You're late."
"Only by.." Toto checked his watch, "Half an hour?!"
"Exactly. How would I know if you were dead if you're never on time? I can't call you-"
"Speaking of that, can I get a phone?"
"You know I can't afford that. Maybe if you got that part time job we'd have more money for extras."
"I can't be on the soccer team and have a job."
Seth ignored them; they were always having this argument. He went to the room he shared with his brother to start on his homework. He was concentrating hard on his times tables when he heard tapping at the window. At first, he only glanced there. Is that- he thought. He didn't even finish his thought before looking over again and gasping. It was that woman from before, only this time the hood had fallen from her head. Seth could see that her skin was ink-black, like Lord Garmadon's had been when he was evil, in some places and dark grey in other places. and her eyes and hair were the same way. She wasn't standing on anything he could see; she appeared to be floating. Creepy and crazy, Seth thought, Sounds like Toto's type.
The woman said something, but he didn't hear it. He set his homework on his bed, went up to the window, and breathed on it. In the condensation Seth wrote, 'What do you want?' The woman did the same thing right above his and wrote, 'A favor.' After a minute spent deciphering the backwards words, he circled his previous words. The woman wrote another message beside her first one. 'Let me in.'
'No,' Seth underlined that three times. He knew he should probably be running to one of his siblings, but he was actually curious on what she had to say. Kinda scared, but curious. He suddenly thought of a solution and opened the window just a crack. Now he could hear her and she couldn't get in.
"Whaddaya want, creepo?" Probably not the best way to greet someone, but Seth usually spoke his mind.
"A favor."
"Ya already said that. What kinda favor?"
"I want you to use your powers and..." Webbly muttered the rest so he could barely hear it.
"Whadda I look like to you, a super villain?! Why would I do that?!"
"Reward," she said simply.
"What kinda reward?"
"I believe you asked the ninja for ice cream? Something about how you've only eaten it once?"
"Tell me more about this plan of yours. And how are you flying or whatever out there? Aren't people staring?"
"You'd think after seeing the Overlord, dragons, and other bizarre things they'd be used to it, but, yeah, of course they're staring!"