Jay stepped into Lloyd's room, looking around as he did so. This room was just as dark as the rest, but Jay's eyes had accustomed enough to give him a fairly good view of his surroundings.
The place wasn't exactly tidy, but a tornado it was not. Some of the drawers were open, a few articles of clothing were scattered around on the floor and on the bed, a figure was huddled underneath the blanket, quivering like mad.
"Lloyd?" Cole breathed.
Lloyd's face appeared from under the blanket. His face was as white as Cole's had been, his lower lip trembling and his eyes enormous with terror. There were tear tracks all down his face. He took one look at the two ninja and jerked the blanket back over his head.
"Hey, Lloyd," Jay said softly, sitting down beside his friend and lifting the blanket slightly. "What's the matter?"
"The storm," Lloyd whispered. A fork of lightning threw the room into stark light, and another tear slid down Lloyd's cheek as he shivered in misery. "I know it's stupid, but I was terrified of them when I was a kid and I never outgrew it and I really, really, really hate thunderstorms. It- it- always sounds like some kind of monster-"
He shuddered into silence. Jay slung an arm around his friend's shoulders. "Don't worry, buddy. I got you. Just try and breathe, okay? No monster will dare come in on my watch."
Lloyd gave a sniffly laugh, and Jay pulled him to his feet. "C'mon, Lloyd. I want to show you something."
Cole followed as Jay led Lloyd out the door. He beckoned to Cole. "You too, big guy. We're going on a little trip."
Cole fell into step behind them. "Where're we going, Jay? It's actually pretty late."
"Oh, I know," Jay said contentedly. "Perfect weather."
"I don't like the look on your face," Lloyd said uncomfortably. "I really do not like the look on your face."
"Poor baby," Jay cracked. He reached the door and flung it open.
Cole stopped dead in his tracks. So did Lloyd.
Jay had thrown open to door leading outside into storm.