Chapter 25 - Troublemakers

"You," the headmaster pointed at Lloyd with his bony, slightly crooked finger. Lloyd's green eyes went wide and his cheeks flushed bright red as everyone in the room focused their gazes on him. He wished he could be back in the cupboard and hide away forever, or at least until the principal forgot about his existence. "You did this, did you not? What did you put in my coffee? Speak up now!"

"I-I. . ." Lloyd's voice was shaking violently now. None of the sounds that slipped away from his lips made any sense.

"Stand up when you talk to me, boy!" The principal's voice boomed throughout the room. He was in his element again. His actions seconds before had been completely wiped away from everyone's mind. He was a symbol of terror once more.

With shaky legs, Lloyd stood. He kept his eyes low, not daring to meet the principal's eyes. He did not want to look like a coward, but his body was frozen in place. "I. . . I put. . . chili powder in your cup. We thought it would be a. . . fun. . . prank."

At the word 'we' the principal finally looked at Brad, who had decided to shrink into himself to gain invisibility. When he felt the principal's eyes on him, the small black haired boy crawled back. "So you had an accomplice, huh? Both of you follow me. There will be consequences for this.

. ."

The principal turned, walking out of the teacher's lounge with long strides. Lloyd turned around to help Brad up to his feet, then followed the principal as well. His heart was still beating violently against his ribcage, but he had finally regained control of his body. He was still afraid of the principal, but he realized the worst thing the man could do was give them a harsh scolding. That would be nothing at all. Lloyd remembered traveling with his uncle, walking up to a fire-breathing dragon with no fear, no hesitation.

The principal might have been terrifying, but he was nothing compared to what Lloyd had been through.

A small smile tried to sneak up on his lips, but Brad elbowed his side stopping its progress. "What are you smiling for?" The boy hissed. "He's going to kill us. You can't smile about that."

"He's not going to kill us. He can't kill us. We're kids. The most he can do is fuss around," Lloyd snapped back, his confidence growing larger and larger by the second. He really was untouchable. He wasn't only a kid. He was Garmadon's kid. There was no way anyone would ever try to do anything to him. His father would never allow it.

"Who's going to stop him?"

"Would your dad let him do anything to you?"

Brad raised an eyebrow, looking at Lloyd in a whole new light. "My dad? You're too naïve, Lloyd."

"What do you mean?"

Brad shook his head. "There's a reason why we're here you know."

"What's that?"

Lloyd didn't get to hear the answer, as they had finally reached the end of their small journey. The principal shoved both boys into his office roughly, slamming the door shut behind him. He then walked to the opposite side of his desk, sitting down in a large chair that faced the two small boys.

"Sit," the principal's voice wasn't pulsing with anger anymore. It was calm. Calm and calculating. Lloyd decided he would rather be yelled at. The eerie silence echoing through the room was putting his nerves on edge. Both kids sat on the uncushioned chairs hesitantly, the sudden change in attitude from the principal unnerving them both.

"Do you know what we do here at Darkley's?"

The question didn't seem right. Whatever answer the principal received wouldn't exactly help his case. Darkley's was a school for bad boys, wasn't it? They taught you how to misbehave. The things they'd done should have been rewarded, not punished. Both of the boys had the same thought process. So they both remained quiet, not wanting to give the wrong answer.

"Speak up," the principal persisted. "We don't have all day here. I have other responsibilities to attend to. Now, I repeat, do you know what we do here at Darkley's?"

Lloyd looked at Brad. The black haired boy was holding onto the sides of his chair far too tightly, and his knuckles had grown white. There was no way he was speaking. And if neither of them spoke, something bad was bound to happen. So Lloyd cleared his throat.

"I. . . you teach us how to be. . . evil?"

"Indeed. We teach you how to misbehave. We teach you how to bend the rules so that they are always in your favor. We teach you to get inside people's minds, teach you to destroy them from the inside out. Find their weakness and exploit it. But you know what else we teach here?"

Silence.

"Respect," the principal leaned forward on his desk. "Respect for those above you. Respect for those who hold your lives in their hands. Respect for those with power."

"If you do not respect me do you know what that makes you two?"

"We're really sorry!" Brad snapped, jumping to his feet. "We thought it would be a fun prank. We. .

. we didn't mean to challenge your authority. . ."

"Ah," The principal smiled. "So you know the answer to my question then? If you put yourself up against me, what does that make you two, little boy?"

"Heroes. . .?" Brad half whispered, as if the word itself burned at his lips.

"Exactly," the principal nodded. " And I don't appreciate heroics around here. Which is why you two will be spending tomorrow evening locked in The Room. Maybe that will teach you a thing or two about messing with those who pull the strings."

Brad's look of horror sent goosebumps throughout Lloyd's skin. He'd heard the man mention The Room before, and he'd decided he didn't want to have any part of it. Whatever it was, it sounded terrifying and dangerous. Not something you'd want to force a four-year old into.

"You can't!" Lloyd shouted, standing up as well. "You can't hurt me. My dad is Garmadon, did you know that? If-if you hurt me, he'll tear this school down!"

The principal laughed. A loud powerful laugh that reverberated in Lloyd's ears long after the silence returned. With a sly smile he leaned forward, his face inches from Lloyd's. "I don't think your parents are going to do anything for you. Don't you get it, boy? They left you here. There's only one reason for that."

Lloyd didn't want to know the answer.

"They don't care about you."