Chapter 1: History Project

It was a sunny day in Ninjago. The people of Ninjago city were bustling about doing daily business. There were people working, talking, kids playing and going to school. A young boy, around 15 years old, with short black hair, wearing jeans and a blue jacket is staring at a video game, playing very intently. He walks under a large sign that reads: SENSEI WU'S ACADEMY. Kids are swarming out front, talking and laughing. The boy skillfully avoids people and cars as he plays his game. He looks up when hears someone call his name.

"Cliff!" A girl, his same age, with long red hair pulled back into a ponytail, wearing a short, orange dress, and lots of makeup walks over to him.

"Hey Amber." Cliff looks back at his video game and the two begin walking together.

"You weren't at the Bounty yesterday." She says.

"I was busy." He mumbles, not looking up. She's silent for a moment.

"You had a video game tournament didn't you?"

He shakes his head. "No. I was working on my robot…and then I had a video game tournament."

She tries to sound interested, "Did you win?"

Cliff looks at his cousin from the corner of his eye and raises an eyebrow. "What do you think?"

They stopped walking. "Yes?" Amber is unsure of how to answer.

Cliff nods and they continue walking. They enter the school building.

"Well you really missed out." Amber adds. "We played UNO, and had pizza and Roxy played guitar and we watched Fritz Donegan and-"

"Wait, wait wait." Cliff interrupted. "You watched Fritz Donegan?"

"Yeah."

"You watched Fritz Donegan...WITHOUT ME?

"Yeah… But why does it matter? You've got an original copy of every single movie!"

Cliff shrugged. "You still could've called me."

"We did!" Amber is starting to get frustrated.

Cliff laughs. "I'm joking! I'm joking!" He looks up from his game. "Oh look there's Roxy!" He stuffs his game in his back pocket and runs down the hall towards a girl around their age. She's standing at her locker. She smiles as they approach her. She has medium length black hair with bright pink highlights, wearing a black sweatshirt, and gray ripped up jeans. "Hey guys!"

"Hey Roxy." Cliff blushes and Amber rolls her eyes. "What's up?"

"Nothin much" Roxy answered, one earbud in her ear and one out, as usual. "I missed you last night."

Cliff laughs nervously and scratched the back of his head. "Hehe...you-you missed me?"

"Yeah!" Roxy answered. "It was SO much fun, we watched-"

"Yeah yeah, I get it you guys watched Fritz Donegan without me!" Cliff begins to walk towards a classroom.

"Samurai in space!" Roxy called out.

"Ah, seriously!" Cliff grumbled.

Amber and Roxy giggled as they followed him into class and sat at their desks. They look over at their friend. Cliff is talking with his best friend Brandon.

Misako enters the room. She taught history class at the academy as well as running the natural history museum after Dr. Saunders, also known as Crux, was lost in time . "Good morning class! I hope you all had a fun weekend!"

The kids shrug their shoulders, a few mumble under their breath.

Misako smiles. "Well I sure did! Before we start the lesson I have a few announcements…"

Cliff zoned out at this point, daydreaming about his new video game Delivery Trucks vs. Zombies 2. Misako continues.

"And finally one last announcement. This semester, from now on, you ninth graders will be combining with the eighth graders for History during 4th period."

Cliff was suddenly paying attention. He saw Roxy look up from her doodle of a person eating a sandwich. Cliff smirked. That was just like Roxy, always thinking about food.

Many of the kids groaned. Although Wu's academy taught students of all ages, anyone below high school seemed too "young" and "immature" for the "big kids"

"Each of you will be partnered with an 8th grader to work on a history project you will present at the end of the year."

The kids burst out in yells of protest.

"Why can't we work with the 10th graders?" Brandon asked.

"Because they are working with the juniors." Misako answered. "And the seniors each have to do a project individually.

The class sighed. Misako smiled. "I will be passing out your partner's name and your assignment. You are expected to get started this week.I hope you have fun!"

Cliff and Brandon exchanged an annoyed look and sighed. This was not their idea of fun.

A few hours later, Cliff walked out of the lunch line in the cafeteria with a tray of food. He sat down at a table across from Amber and Roxy. Brandon sat down next to him. "Do you guys know who Amelia Compton is?" he asks.

Roxy takes a big bite of pizza. "She's some rich 8th grade girl. Her parents are like fashion designers or something."

"She's pretty much SPOILED to death." Amber adds. "But I've talked to her a couple of times and she's actually really nice."

"And REALLY pretty." Roxy says.

"Aw man," Cliff sighed. "Why couldn't I get the pretty rich girl?"

Brandon chuckled. "Some of us are just more fortunate than others, Cliff." Then he added. "Who'd you get?"

"What's the one thing worse than having to work on a history project with an eighth grader?"

"A seventh grader?"

"Well yeah, there's that, but try having to work on a history project with an eighth grader who's also your SISTER."

"Oh." Brandon said. "Well she's pretty and rich."

Cliff slapped his hands on the table. "For the last time, I am NOT rich!"

His friends stare at him.

"...I just live in a mansion and have a lot of money."

"You know technically it's a villa, not a mansion." The kids turn around to face a young girl, around 13 years old, with shoulder length straight auburn hair, wearing a maroon colored t-shirt and jeans. She sits next to Cliff. "Mr. richboy here likes to make people think he's cool."

Cliff sighed. "Hey Laynie."

"Aw, you don't look too happy to see me." She laughed and punched him lightly. "You didn't miss your little sister?" Cliff shook his head, but jokingly.

"I'm happy to see you Laynie." Brandon said eagerly. Laynie looked him over. "Get a haircut and then maybe I'll allow it." Brandon put his hands over his head of thick red-brown hair. "No way man, this hair's not going anywhere."

Laynie giggled and turned to her cousin. "Max is looking for you." Amber nodded and picked up her phone. "I'll text him and let him know I'm over here" Her thumbs flew rapidly as she typed. Amber was the fastest texter Cliff had ever seen (or "textpert" as Brandon called her.) She could type out an entire paragraph in about ten seconds and had the most Instabook followers out of anyone in the school (most of her posts were glamour shots she had forced Cliff to take of her.) She didn't go a day without sending out a chirp, and was on chatsnap about 24/7.

"Are you and Max still together?" Roxy asked. "You know you're dad's gonna flip when he finds out you have a boyfriend."

Amber smiled mischievously. "Which is why NONE of you are going to tell him? Right?"

The four kids looked at each other with a knowing look. If word got out about Max and Amber's "relationship," they wouldn't only suffer the wrath of her father, but of Amber as well. And NONE of them wanted that. "Right." They agreed in unison.

"You talkin' bout me again?" A 16 year old boy with short blonde hair, wearing a plaid shirt, old jeans, and cowboy boots, walked up to them. Amber smiled at him. "Maybe just a little bit."

He sat down next to her. "Mornin' darlin'" he said with a thick southern accent. He kissed her on the cheek. Amber blushed, and Cliff and Roxy fake gagged at each other.

"And how're ya'll doin?" Max asked turning to them.

"Good." Laynie answered. The six of them continued conversation until the bell rang, indicating the end of lunch.

"Well we better get goin" Max said as he stood up. Amber stood up as well. They hugged, and then Max left with the other tenth graders.

"C'mon guys." Roxy motioned to Laynie and the boys as she began to clear her tray. They reluctantly stood up, threw their trash away, and headed for class.