"See anything you like?"
I lift my head to Nya, who's looking at me expectantly. It's been a few days since I was taken in by the ninja, and after seeing me in basically the same outfit every day Nya insisted on bringing me shopping in Ninjago City. The boys are a ways down the street looking at different video games, and a good part of me wants to go with them.
"I don't know," I answer, staring at the mannequin in front of me. "I've never actually worn… a dress or anything really… colorful."
"Then why don't you try some things on?" she starts to push me further toward the racks. "I promise it won't hurt."
I grimace. "If you say so."
A pile of assorted clothes, all picked by Nya, and convincing words later, I'm standing in front of the mirror in the dressing room, staring at my reflection. The dress' dark red fabric brings out my crimson eyes and makes my hair look even darker. But the thin-sleeved, short dress shows a lot more skin than I'm used to. My exposed legs look a lot longer than they usually do, and it takes all my willpower not to leap back into my own clothes.
"Almost ready?" Nya asks from the outside.
"Yes?" I answer, wondering what series of bad decisions led me to this point.
"Then let me see! Don't be shy."
I take a deep calming breath, close my eyes, and force myself out of the dressing room. I open my eyes slowly and look at Nya, who's smiling warmly.
"And here you are telling me that you've never worn a dress before," she laughs, walking closer to me.
"I haven't, I mean, how are you supposed to fight in a dress?" I ask as she circles me.
"You're starting to sound like my brother," she smiles. "Not everything's about fighting, I mean, what are you going to do if some guy asks you out on a date?"
"That's another thing I haven't done," I mutter to myself, but she catches it.
"You've never been on a date?" she sounds shocked.
"I've lived in the woods for the past few years, not many respectable guys wander in," I answer.
"Let me be the first to tell you, Ash, that if you wear stuff like this a little more often, you'll have guys lining up to take you on dates," Nya gives me a wink and another smile.
"I'm not exactly that type of person," I shake my head.
"Nya, Ash, there's someone-"
We turn around to see Kai standing in the doorway, stunned. I can tell he's staring at me, and I'm forced to turn away to hide the sudden hotness in my face.
"Told you so," Nya laughs too quietly for Kai to hear, making my face even redder. "What do you need, Kai?"
Kai looks away from us and runs a hand through his hair. "Oh, well, there's, um, someone who says they, um, might know you, Ash. I think they could maybe help us find your dad," he says, eyes flicking everywhere around the room except where I'm standing.
"Who?" I ask. Trying to think of someone, anyone in Ninjago City who might know who I am. "Did they say their name?"
"He says his name's Hale," Kai explains. "He's with the others right now, but he says he grew up in the same town as you."
My heart stops. "He what?" I ask in a barely decipherable whisper.
"If he really knows you, he might know where your dad went," Nya says excitedly next to me.
"Well what are we waiting around here for?" Nya starts pushing me back toward the dressing room. "Change back and we'll go out and meet him! This is great, isn't it?"
"Yeah," I force a smile. "It is." The name does sound vaguely familiar, though I can't place it. But if this guy really grew up in the forest with me, then he knows what happened. He knows what I am. He knows what I did.
It takes me forever to drag myself from the dressing room.