Okay...remember how I said I would space things out? yeah no, I'm too impatient for that. I just finished writing chapter 5 and I'm on a roll, so I can probably knock 6 out of the way today too :) again, feedback motivates me and I LOVE hearing from you guys

Chapter Three

My throat felt tight as soon as I left Skylor's room. Sweat broke out all over my body, and I felt cold, clammy, and sick to my stomach. I did not want to leave this island. I had no intention of ever going back to Ninjago, especially not all the way back to Ninjago City. Somehow, I made it back to my own room, safe in the embrace of the green, and gold, and quiet of everything. It was enough to silence the thoughts in my head. It wasn't enough though, I needed this shakiness to leave. I needed to know I didn't have to go back there, that my sister wasn't about to get her way and force me back there.

Throwing the bag down on my bed, I left the room quickly, the door slamming loudly behind me as it closed forcefully. I needed to find someone, my father, Clouse, anyone. I needed someone to give me a task that would be able to keep me here, and away from that trip with Skylor.

stomach rumbling, shaking, shivering, rain, dyingdyingdying!

Running down the hall, I leapt onto the banister to slide down the stairs. Clouse had to be around here somewhere. He always was lurking somewhere, in some shady corner of this sprawling complex. My hands ran through my hair, brushing it back.

You're okay now. No one will hurt you. No one. No one.

I couldn't breathe. I kept running, sucking down air, but I wasn't breathing. Then I stopped running, and I felt numb, a sore feeling spreading through me.

Of course. Running into someone would do that to you. I shook my head, trying to actually breathe this time, to shake away those feelings, that fear, everything.

"...Are you alright, master Lloyd?" It was just who I had been looking for. Clouse. I looked up at him, and shook my head.

"I need to see my father. Now." I didn't let it show, but I was wincing at how my voice sounded. It was shaky, and terrified. Weak. Everything I hated hearing. Clouse raised an eyebrow, but he didn't question it, leading me to see my father. He looked up from whatever he was doing when I walked in, the doors closing behind me loudly. "F-father…"

He looked me over, smiling. "Shouldn't you be preparing for your trip with Skylor?" Ice filled the room at the thought, and his smile quickly faded. "You don't seem excited."

"I-I," I stuttered, trying to compose myself. It was not something I had to do often, and it didn't come easy. "Father, I don't want to go."

"I'm making him go, Dad." Skylor said, walking in. "He needs to go and see what's out there before taking on the brand-"

"You make it sound like a bad thing, Skylor." I mumbled, glaring at her. This was what I had worked towards for years, to be accepted fully like this. She had hers, I didn't see what the big deal was with her refusing for me to be one of them. "I want to do this."

"Dad, he's too young! He doesn't know what he's getting into!" Skylor nearly shrieked, gripping my wrist tightly, pushing me out of the room. She slammed the door in my face, and I pressed my ear against it, hearing the lock click. Her voice may have been muffled, but her anger was not. "He's still a kid, dad. You can't let him join in on this…this cult!"

"He's insistent that this is what he wants, Skylor... " His voice was getting softer, and I could hear them walking away from the door, deeper into the library. My frown only deepened. Trying the lock just once more, I sighed, kicking the wood gently. They were gone, now.

Sluggishly, I made it back to my room. Last night's training was catching up to me now, and I felt that sleep was demanding my attention. All of my muscles began aching, and each step felt like a mile. To anyone else, the way I was walking was probably akin to a zombie's shuffle, just without my arms drooping out in front of me.

I don't remember getting to my room, or even walking to my bed, but I do remember flopping down, the lush comforter curling around my body, enfolding me in comfort.

The smell of something sour was what woke me up, someone tugging on my arm. I opened my eyes slowly, sleep crusting around the edges. It was the middle of the day, and that was when it hit.

Skylor had gotten her way, and here she was, trying to drag me out of bed, so she could drag me far far away from home, to the one place I don't enjoy going. Sitting up, I was greeted with her thick ponytail hitting my face as she spun on the ball of her foot, huffing in irritation. "I gave you plenty of time to pack, and here you are, in your jammies, with an empty bag. Unbelievable." She was making a storm out of herself, whirling around my room, tossing this, and that into the bag, whatever she thought might be necessary for a week in hell. "It's time for you to grow up, Lloyd. You need to face your fears."

Laying back down, I wrapped myself up under the thick comforter, encased in a warm cocoon."I don't want to. I'm fine with staying here."

She rolled her eyes, and drug the covers back, wrenching them out of my grip. "Dad said you had to. One of his former students is coming here, and he'd rather not have him see you."

That was interesting. Our father have never had a former student come back. As far as we knew, the only students he had ever had were the ones here now. "How long is his "former student" staying here?"

Skylor shrugged as she drug me out of bed, shoving some of the casual clothes that she kept around for me into my arms. "He didn't say. Now get dressed so we can go, the ship is leaving in fifteen minutes!" Zipping up the bag, she started to walk towards my door. "And if you don't come down, Clouse is going to have the buffoons come up here and drag you down to the ship." As she stepped out of the room, I looked down at the bundle of very, very dark fabric in my arms, and sighed.

It looked like going to Ninjago City was inevitable.

From here out, things are gonna be getting interesting, I promise. :)