I don't panic easily. Unlike most people I know, I can keep a cool head in a tough situation. It's one of the many things that sets me apart from the other kids my age.

But being lost and alone in one of the most dangerous forests in Ninjago, with nothing but the clothes on my back and a tattered copy of "Mechanical Engineering For Dummies?" Come on, that's a fair reason to panic.

Okay, I need to stay cool. I start planning immediately. If I'm stuck here for the rest of my life, I'll have to find shelter, so I'll find a grove of trees thick enough to provide protection from the snow. I can probably keep myself warm enough by gathering a bunch of fallen leaves and making a giant pile for nighttime, and I already know which berries of this forest are poisonous and which one's aren't, and if worst comes to worst I could use a sharpened tree branch to kill a small animal, although I REALLY don't want to, but I should probably make some sort of weapon anyway in case a treehorn comes around and—

As I'm surveying the land for leaves, sticks, and treehorns, I notice something behind me and a wave of relief washes over me: my tracks in the snow are still fresh, meaning I can follow them back the way I came. I tuck my book under my jacket, mostly to prevent the temptation of reading it while I walk (which is how I got myself into this mess in the first place), and start heading back.

Walking takes a long time. A loooong time. Faced with nothing but the trek ahead, I have time to notice every little detail of the forest. Not an oddly shaped black marking on white birch, or single blue gradient of the sky, or tiny little bird trying to blend in with its scenery escapes my notice. My blue eyes pierce through every half-shaped cumulus cloud and every thin veil of snow covering the rocks. I'm only about half of the way back when I figure I must've walked at least a mile. Another quarter of the way and I decide it's probably closer to ten. I'm bored. If I could just do something to pass the time…

I sigh and reprimand myself as I continue walking. No books until I get back to town. With any luck, I'll at least have a new one to read when I arrive. The thought lifts my spirits and increases my pace greatly, and the trees around me pass by my line of sight faster. Mom sometimes buys me new books when we visit town on vacation, if we have the money. She's actually a pretty cool mom most of the time.

"SANJAY ARAN JULIEN!"

…but then again, she is still a mother. A mother who is waiting a few paces from the edge of the forest and has spotted me approaching. I wince: every child knows what it means to be called by their full name. I find that my pace has suddenly slowed down drastically.

"SANJAY, YOU GET DOWN HERE RIGHT THIS INSTANT!"

I sigh and start speeding up again, though not by my own free will. I know exactly what's coming: a long lecture about safety and responsibility and why I can't be trusted on my own, and probably something thrown in about how I spend too much time studying and need to make some friends my age (yeah, right— sometimes I don't even feel like I AM my age), and worst of all, no new books to read. I trudge along quickly with a mixture of guilt, anger, and disappointment guiding my steps. Some part of me is grateful that I wasn't attacked by a treehorn (another thing my mom will most definitely point out), but I push that part of me back until later when I feel like being reasonable again. Which at the moment, I decide stubbornly, I do not.

—

(A/N: OKAY, SLOW DOWN, DON'T KILL ME YET. I HAVE ANSWERS. Yes, there is a reason for this short and weird chapter. And yes, there is a reason why it's completely italicized (*ahem* like the earlier flashback) and in the present tense. Also, nobody claimed a headcanon for Doctor Julien's first name yet, so I did! Live with it. XD [*is actually low-key desperate for approval that it's a good name*] And just in case anybody couldn't figure it out from the title, this IS a flashback of sorts. All shall be explained, I promise!) (P.S. According to Grass Whistle [ANOTHER amazing fic by EA that you all should be reading], Dr. Julien's eyes are blue. So, they're blue. Sorry, I don't make the rules. ;P)