As it turned out, Lloyd had been working for Master Chen's cult, without even knowing. Obviously, they were defunct now, so Lloyd had been reassigned to other criminals.

Several weeks after the memorial service, Lloyd found himself running with a gang of crooks that he actually liked. These guys appreciated the way Lloyd approached things, no matter how unconventional that approach was. Loss minimization made sense to them and Lloyd was frequently praised for his actions and strategies. They even called him their kid and liked to spoil him with treats. He wasn't just some brat they had to keep around; he was a part of the group. A highly valued member. And that was without them knowing who his father was.

For the first time in his life, Lloyd felt fully accepted and comfortable. Everything had been going great, awesome even. Within just a few weeks, they had become like family to him. And it wasn't just him that felt that way, the feelings were mutual. They had one day suggested that maybe Lloyd should quit school and come work for them, becoming their "full-time brat". Lloyd had seriously considered the offer and after much contemplation, decided that he would accept.

Unfortunately, the night he decided to tell them was also the night that a vengeful ghost had come looking for him.

There had been so many screams, so much shouting, that the usually unstirred neighbors actually called the police on them. But by the time the police had arrived, it was far too late. Everyone in Lloyd's gang was dead. And Lloyd?

Well, the police were told that the ghost had given Lloyd a message to pass on to Sensei Wu and Sensei Wu only. He wouldn't talk to anyone until he saw Sensei Wu. Of course, the truth was, Lloyd was being possessed by Morro. For whatever reason, the request to see a dead man did not set off alarms in the police's collective brains. Not knowing how to fulfil Lloyd's wish, they ended up calling for the Ninja and poor Kai was the only one to respond.

Kai entered the interrogation room, where Lloyd had been locked up. The master of fire had a soft expression; probably already informed of how the police had found Lloyd: withdrawn, quiet and covered in blood.

Get out of here, Lloyd thought loudly. Turn around! Leave! Run away! He desperately hoped that maybe, somehow, Kai could hear his warnings. But of course, Kai couldn't hear him. Nothing about Lloyd – other than being visibly traumatized – appeared off.

Morro, however, was very confused by Kai. He knew nothing about the man that had just entered. As Morro wasn't interested in Lloyd and viewed him only as a tool, Morro had not even bothered glimpsing into Lloyd's mind. So, Morro only knew that Lloyd was Sensei Wu's nephew and Lord Garmadon's son. The Ninja, Wu's death, Lloyd's run-in with Kai, the ghost didn't know any of that.

As a result, Morro looked at Kai with suspicion, briefly worried that maybe Sensei Wu already knew what was going on. He simply couldn't figure out how his request to see Sensei Wu had ended with some rando in red walking in. Which kind of sucked, because sure, the ghost didn't know any of the Ninja, but Lloyd Garmadon? Oh, yeah, sure, he knew all about him. Lloyd had to wonder how that had even happened. Most people weren't aware that Lord Garmadon existed, let alone that he had a son, but any idiot in Ninjago could list all four ninjas by name.

Kai offered an awkward smile, the kind used when approaching a scared animal. So, not quite appropriate, but still more so than whatever had happened at Uncle Wu's memorial. "Lloyd?" he hesitantly asked. "I heard what happened. You… You ok, buddy?"

Lloyd wasn't really sure why Kai was being friendly, but boy, was this coming at the worst possible time. Where was open hostility when it was actually needed? Lloyd really needed Kai to leave, to somehow realize that something was very wrong with the kid sitting at the interrogation table. But Lloyd had no way of indicating that something was wrong. Even his eyes weren't his own anymore. And, of course, Kai chose now to be all nice and warm and friendly, instead of showing Lloyd the door as he would have a month ago.

"Lloyd?" Kai repeated, when Morro took too long to respond.

Morro hesitantly shook Lloyd's head and made himself look oh, so very small and vulnerable. Morro played the victim so well, looking down at his hands, eyes big and glassy, staring into nothing. He could give Jenny (the class's most talented femme fatale) a run for her money.

Kai seemed a little off put by Lloyd's silence, but seemed to write it off as a result of recent trauma. He pressed on. "The police… said something about a ghost? You seeing things?" he inappropriately half-joked.

Morro let out a shuddery sigh, and still stayed silent. Kai came closer, carefully and slowly, like he was afraid of spooking Lloyd. Finally, Morro chose to speak.

"It was there," Morro oh so feebly insisted. "I saw him. He was so… powerful. Everyone I was with is… dead. He killed everyone and I…" Tears pricked Lloyd's eyes, you know, to really sell it.

Kai was now standing directly next to Lloyd.

What are you doing? Don't stand there! Get out of here! It's not safe! Kai!

"I didn't say there wasn't a ghost, bud… Just… Tell me what happened. I-if you can? I know it must be hard…" Kai asked, gently. He knelt down next to Lloyd, so that they were eye-level. Morro shook Lloyd's head again.

"The ghost said… The ghost said only… to only tell Uncle Wu. A message," Morro explained, sounding terrified and helpless. Kai frowned.

"But… Lloyd… you know he's dead," he pointed out, just a hint of suspicion in his tone.

"He's… what?" Morro asked, a blend of surprise and anger. Lloyd's voice notably dropped a few pitches. And Kai, Kai was suddenly standing a good distance away, his hand reaching for his golden katana.

"Who are you?" Kai demanded. The room seemed to darken as the tension rose drastically. The door to the interrogation room locked shut with a click. The camera stopped working, letting out a miserable buzzing sound as it switched off. Morro lifted Lloyd's head, glaring at Kai.

Run idiot! You can't fight him! Kai! Why won't you just leave?!

"So, Sensei Wu finally kicked the bucket, huh?" Morro asked in his own voice, as his possession started manifesting more strongly. Lloyd's hair turned black, his skin a sickly green hue. Kai stood there frozen, having never seen anything like that before. He momentarily fell out of his fighting stance. "Well, I guess this changes things a little," Morro continued. "I was going to possess the old man and get the staff, but I'll have to rethink my strategy. Good news, I won't need this scrawny runt anymore."

Morro exited Lloyd's body and Lloyd fell to the floor with a loud thud. Kai was openly gaping now, completely overwhelmed by the situation. He was torn between moving towards Lloyd and attacking Morro.

"Kai… run…" Lloyd tried to warn him, because honestly, both those options were terrible. Kai's eyes darted to him and then back at Morro. His fists tightened with resolve.

No.

Kai wasn't seriously going to try and… protect Lloyd, was he? Against a freaking ghost?!

Lloyd didn't get to witness much more, as he passed out from exhaustion.

By the time he had come to again, Kai (possessed by Morro) was long gone. Since Lloyd had no one to bail him out – not his father, not his mother and most certainly not his deceased uncle – Lloyd had been forced to break out of the police station by himself.

It had taken a few tries, but by attempt five, he had succeeded. It didn't feel like a victory though. He had just lost everything in one swoop. All his new friends, his new family. Dead. He didn't even realize how much he had been craving that affection and love until they had come along. Now they were gone, and he was alone again, this time knowing what he was missing out on.

He ended up going to their hideout. The place was sectioned off by the police, making it look even more abandoned than before. Lloyd ducked beneath the police tape and walked in through the gaping hole that used to be a front door.

The bodies were gone, but there was still blood on the floor, the walls… the ceiling. A lot of their things had been confiscated. Almost everything was gone. Their faces flashed through his mind. There had been six of them in total, Lloyd, Anders, Basher, Sandy, Slick and Clover. And now it was just Lloyd. The lone survivor.

Lloyd sat down in the chair by their meeting table, where they had held discussions, strategized in preparation for heists and played card games together. He sat there silently, his mind replaying the memories over and over. Their laughter. Their smiling faces. Their screams. Their faces twisted in pain.

He remembered the light leaving their eyes.

Morro had come looking for Lloyd and only Lloyd. If they hadn't interfered, they'd still be alive. If they had just let Morro take him, then there would have still been a home to return to. But no. None of that had happened. They had wanted to protect their kid. They had put up a fight.

They had been killed as collateral damage, a consequence of trying to protect him. If Lloyd hadn't been there, they wouldn't have ever… It would have never come to… It was his fault. They were dead and it was his fault. There was no use denying it. It was his fault. He shouldn't have been there. Which… was maddening.

Ever since his uncle had died, Lloyd had begun to believe that if he could just be there, that it would make a difference. That it would be enough. That it would take the guilt away. But it didn't. He had been wrong. Being there and being helpless had been worse. Was still worse.

If his absence wasn't right, but his presence was wrong too… What was Lloyd doing wrong? What could he do to prevent…? To fix… How could he just stop this from happening? He wanted answers, but he had none.

He didn't know when he started crying. Just that at some point, he realized his face was wet from tears; tears that were just as angry and violent as they had been at his uncle's memorial.

Would there even be a funeral for his lost family? Probably not. Just unmarked graves somewhere. That's how thieves were usually buried. Somewhere unimportant, to be lost and forgotten. Somehow, that was worse than a memorial.

With no one around to watch, Lloyd sat in the empty, blood-stained hideout until he had cried his eyes out. He didn't want to cry. It wasn't enough, there was a bitter rage that needed to get out. He wanted to shout his lungs out, he wanted to kick and punch until everything was broken, he wanted to scream until his throat was raw… But he had no energy. The possession had left him exhausted. So he suffered under the pain that would not be quelled by tears alone.

He didn't know how long he sat there crying, but eventually Lloyd wiped his face and forced the emotions down. Crying wouldn't bring them back (nothing would bring them back) and he had more important things to do than feel sorry for himself or miss them. Now feeling oddly numb, he walked to the room that had been given to him just over a week ago. Like everything else, it had been picked to the bone by the police. But, somehow, a precious photo still lay hidden underneath Lloyd's pillow.

It was a photo of all six of them, together, laughing, playing a card game. It was one of the very few photos ever taken of the whole group together. It was Lloyd's favorite photo. He mechanically stuffed it into his coat pocket, deciding it was the only thing in the entire hideout worth keeping. He told himself there was no need to look around anymore, since there was nothing else worth his time… but the truth was, he just couldn't stand to be in the hideout anymore. Not with it empty. Blood-smeared. A terrible reminder of what had happened. He left and didn't look back once. He wouldn't go back there again. He couldn't go back there again.

To make sure that all chapters are more or less the same length, I had to split Possession into two chapters. :)