Chapter 1: Something Is Wrong

Nya

The moment I awaken I know something is wrong.

There's a dropping feeling in my stomach, and my throat is tight, closed, and it's quiet.

Too quiet.

Slowly, I pull the covers away from my head. I sleep under them because one never knows what noises one might hear during the night when one lives with seven teenagers. As soon as I reveal my face to the world, I'm hit by a beam of sunlight. Flinching, I turn away from the window, shielding my eyes from the brightness. I don't like the dark, I never have, but the light can be a little much sometimes. Kai jokes that I'm a vampire. I tell him that if any of us were to be a vampire, it would be Cole, but he's already a ghost, and nobody can be two creepy paranormal things at once, right?

It doesn't matter. Vampires don't exist. I don't think. I didn't believe in ghosts, either, or possession, until Morro came along.

I close my eyes against the light, but there are spots in my vision, and I listen. I listen for any suspicious noises, really, any noises at all. The quiet is deep, almost as if my walls were made magically soundproof during the night.

Maybe I woke up early? But no, it's late October (my birthday was a few days ago), and in late October, the sun rises late, and as far as I know, this morning the sun is still blazing outside. Besides that, I feel better rested than I have in weeks, not the opposite. My head is still hazy from sleep, there's gunk in my eyes, and drool has dried on the side of my cheek. I check the clock on my bedside table (which is the most accurate one in the house; I like keeping perfect time) and see that it's eight in the morning.

Eight.

My sense of dread increases. It's a Monday, and on Mondays, Sensei wakes us up at six. He says it builds character to train before the sun rises in the freezing cold wearing nothing but a thin ninja GI. The rest of us hate it (except Zane; Zane wakes up that early anyway), but Wu insists. We aren't allowed coffee, even. Just herbal tea.

There's something going on here, I can sense it. Something bad.

They're all dead, that's it. Dead. Every last one.

They're all dead and Cole still owes me a birthday present.

The jerk.

I was expecting something great this year.

Motivated by this theory of death and undelivered gifts, I jump out of bed. I have blue sheets. Kai doesn't like them. Usually I make my bed (even if the world is ending or we have to go on a mission or something), because I like my room to be perfect, but today there's no time for perfection. Today I feel a sense of urgency and fear that can only be compared to how I felt the day my father died. Like the whole world is quiet, waiting for something, something huge.

The hall is as quiet as my room, and the stairs are, too. But when I come into the kitchen, there's a sign of life. Or, I guess death, because I don't think ghosts count as living creatures.

"Cole," I say. He's floating a few inches above the surface of a chair, eating. Do ghosts need to eat? I don't know. Cole eats anyway. He can chew the toast just fine, despite his teeth being transparent. "Where is everybody?"

Cole looks at me through his hair. There's a moment of silence.

"Asleep." Cole says, and takes another bite of toast.

"Oh." I sigh, and walk over to the table, pulling out a chair next to Cole. "I thought they were dead."

"Morbid." Cole says.

I shrug, and take a piece of his toast. (Jay and I are the only people allowed to take Cole's food. Jay because he's Jay and me because I can get away with anything around Cole.)

We sit there, not talking, comfortable silence, for a minute or so. Chewing. Toast is the only food Cole can't mess up, he's even ruined cereal. The bread is a little burnt, blackened around the edges, but it's good, and there's the right amount of butter.

"Why are they asleep?" I ask.

"Sensei didn't wake them up."

"Oh."

I eat another bite of toast.

"Why didn't Sensei wake them up?"

Instead of replying, Cole hands me a piece of paper. It looks old, with frayed edges, but someone's scribbled a note on it in green sharpie.

Kai, Jay, Zane, Cole, Nya, Skylor, Pixal, and Lloyd,

I have sensed that there is a disturbance in the balance between good and evil, a surge of power within the Darkness. When you read this, I will be traveling to the Dark Island to investigate. I have good reason to believe there may be a cure for Cole's transformation into a ghost on the island. I am not sure how long I will be gone, until then, keep Ninjago safe.

Do not follow me, and do not slack off.

Best wishes,

Sensei Wu

I look up from the paper, frowning.

"So he just left?" I say.

"Took the dragon." Cole nods.

"While we were all sleeping?"

"In the dead of night."

"No warning?"

"I didn't know. The note was on the counter when I came in for food. I don't think Sensei planned this. He just sort of went." Cole brushes some hair out of his eyes. "Had a 'prophetic vision' or whatever."

"I just can't believe he left us without supervision. Bad move on his part, if you ask me." I say, setting down Sensei's note. "Eight teens, seven of us with elemental powers, riddled with drama, alone on a flying ship, charged with the duty to protect our world? Seems like a recipe for disaster."

Cole makes a weird noise, kind of like a sigh and a choke and a cough at the same time, but less frightening than its description and more…amused. I think he might be laughing. "At least we'll be responsible." He says, touching my arm. That's something strange about Cole as a ghost. If I tried to touch his arm, my hand would go right through him. But if he touches me, his fingers are corporeal.

We're quiet again, Cole looking at me, me looking at his faintly glowing fingers where they touch my wrist. Cole doesn't glow very much in sunlight anymore, but at night he's luminescent. His hand is cold, kind of a damp cold. I don't mind.

"I thought something horrible had happened. I thought everyone was dead." I say, still watching Cole's hand.

Jay would say I think about death too much, but Cole just tells me, "That's probably a valid conclusion to jump to. I don't blame you."

My eyes travel up to meet his.

"I thought you had died without even giving me my birthday present. You're late enough as it is."

Cole's lips play with an idea of a smile, curving up at the corners. He rarely gives anyone a real smile, when he does, it makes everybody wonder why he doesn't more often. Cole's smiles are magnetic. Today he's about halfway to the full deal. There's a hint of sadness behind his eyes that spoils the whole thing.

"I'm not going anywhere." He says, and when I lean on his shoulder, it's solid.

"I should hope not."

Cole and I have a strange relationship. He's depressing and occasionally emotionless and he eats more than he needs to. Cole can push my buttons in ways nobody else can, and I don't really think we're supposed to be friends. On the other hand, we're close, and our friendship is unquestionable. Even when we're exchanging insults or reminding each other all the things we're doing wrong, even if we're in the middle of one of our huge arguments, Cole is on my side. He's reliable, and I find myself depending on him more than I should. Cole is my rock.

"When I woke up, I had this awful feeling that something bad had happened." I muse. "I guess I could tell that Sensei was gone. I thought it'd be worse."

"How do you feel now?" Cole says.

"Still uneasy." I admit. The twisted stomach sensation hasn't gone away.

"Well, no one's dead yet. And Wu will be gone for a couple weeks, tops. So I'm guessing there'll only be some minor injuries."

I laugh a little. It's bound to happen, what with all the infighting we seem to have. "This is going to be a crazy few weeks."

Cole gives a noncommittal sound, and I look up at him.

"What's the worst that could happen?" Cole says.

I shrug, and take another bite of toast. The sun shines through the windows like it has something to prove.

But the toast does nothing to ease the pit of dread in my stomach. And as much as I like it when Cole puts his arm around me, his quiet caring makes my chest hurt and my throat close.

And there are shadows where there shouldn't be.

And I don't know why.