AN: The nice people on this site have spoiled me. Somebody reading some of my original work recently offered me sensible constructive criticism, and I felt so offended (even though the thing I wrote was spur-of-the-moment and entirely unstructured).

Review Replies
2240713356: Yeah, that time frame isn't completely realistic, lol. That's just how it felt to Abby. As for Morro... let's just say this is one of my favorite chapters. ;)

phetiamwantip: :D

SylasPantz: "I'm going to give Morro hugs, and you can't stop me!"-Abby, probably, as she threatens the boys with a fork. XD
Shouting? In a conversation between Abby and Morro? Nah, never gonna happen...

Tomura-chan: Maybe. Abby's too soft for Morro, she can't help it.
They are! Thanks for asking! :D


After a month of living on the Bounty, it wasn't difficult for me to find the brig. With my hands full, I kicked the door by way of a knock. I heard some scuffling sounds before the door swung open, and Cole poked his head out. His eyes riveted instantly on the plates in my hands, and he gasped quietly.

"You brought me food," he said, his voice hushed with reverence. I snorted in amusement.

"Yep," I said, shoving one of the plates into his eager hands, "Zane's cooking. Still hot, too."

The boy gave a happy sigh, "Bless you, Abby, you're an angel!"

I giggled, "You weirdo. Don't be dramatic. How would you even know what an angel is?" I added as he retreated into the room, and I followed, "Is that even in your lore?"

"Noodle angel!" he declared through a mouthful of pasta, brandishing his fork through the air as he plopped into the chair against the wall. I rolled my eyes, a grin teasing my face, until I turned my attention to Morro. I was already tense coming in, despite my joking around with Cole, but when I caught sight of the semi-transparent figure in the cell, my anxiety spiked. The ghost sat with his back against the far wall, facing the bars. He had one knee propped up, the other stretched loosely in front of him. He sat completely still, his green eyes fixed on me.

For a second, I froze under the ghost boy's expressionless gaze, but I pushed the discomfort aside. I refused to be intimidated. Pasting on a sunny smile, I approached the cell.

"I brought you something too, Morro," I said, keeping my voice light and friendly. Morro's eyebrows lifted, and behind me, Cole choked on his noodles. Somehow, I managed to keep a straight face as I set the plate on the floor and slid it underneath the cell door. The ghost glanced at the food briefly before his eyes flicked back to my face.

"What's the catch?" he asked, surprising me. I hadn't expected him to talk to me yet. I gave a small shrug.

"No catch," I responded as casually as I could, "We found out from Sensei Garmadon that ghosts don't starve, but they still get hungry. He also said there's no food in the Cursed Realm, so… I just figured you might like something."

I was acutely aware of Cole's silence in the background, but I ignored him. Morro's eyes narrowed, and he stared at me for a minute.

"Is it poisoned?" he demanded bluntly. Without meaning to, I snorted.

"Would poison even affect you?" I asked, trying my best not to laugh. Another pause.

"No," he replied, his tone hesitant and careful. I shrugged again.

"Then what are you worried for?"

The captive wind master snorted, rolling his eyes as he dropped his propped leg.

"So it is poison," he deadpanned. He didn't phrase it as a question, but as a statement of fact. His tone was so accusatory, and my nerves were so wound-up, that I couldn't stop a giggle from slipping past my lips.

"Sorry," I apologized quickly as the ghost gave me a bewildered look, "I haven't eaten yet today, and I'm a little on edge right now. Here—"

Bending down, I removed the plate from inside the cell before I turned and snatched Cole's plate from his hands. The boy froze with his fork in his mouth, staring at his empty hands for a moment before he gave me wounded puppy eyes. Grinning, I handed him the food Morro hadn't touched before I turned and slid Cole's partly-eaten plate into the cell.

"See?" I said as Morro eyed the food with suspicion, "I wouldn't have swapped if one was poisoned. You believe me now?"

The ghost didn't answer at first. He stared first at the pasta, then at me. His eyes were piercing, shrewd, and acid green. I was struck by how gaunt the teen looked. I supposed his quest for the FSM's tomb had taken its toll on him before he died. His face was thin, and he didn't have quite the muscles on him that Cole or Kai had, but he still looked strong. His clothes, of course, were in tatters, and his hair seemed matted and unkempt.

There was a long pause as Morro studied me, and I stared back calmly. The look on his face scared me, but I wanted to show him I wasn't going to back down. Finally, the ghost shifted. Since his hands were chained, he had to use the wall as a support to push himself to his feet. I stiffened, and I heard Cole move behind me as Morro strode across the cell. He stopped just in front of me, the bars being the only thing that separated us as he scowled down at me.

"Who are you?" he hissed, his voice deadly, "I've been in Ninjago for months and never seen or heard anything about some… girl living with the Ninja!"

"My name is Abby," I declared, crossing my arms over my chest as I returned the ghost's glare with as much courage as I could muster, "I only met the Ninja recently; about a month ago. I'm from another realm. I have no idea how I got to Ninjago, but considering I didn't have anywhere else to go, the Ninja were kind enough to take me in."

Morro sneered, "Of course they were. And it didn't have anything to do with your powers?"

"I don't have powers."

"Oh, yeah?" the ghost said condescendingly, "Then what the heck did you do last night?!"

I gave a short, tuneless hum, "We're still trying to figure that out ourselves."

Another pause. Morro's eyes bore into me, searching for any sign of deceit. I held his gaze steadily, keeping my expression neutral. Even if he chose not to believe me, I didn't want to give him a valid reason.

My stomach abruptly grumbled, and I remembered that I still hadn't eaten anything that day. I hadn't asked the others to save me any noodles, so I needed to hurry back if I wanted to get any. I let out a soft sigh as I dropped my arms, finally tearing my gaze away from Morro's.

"I'm going to go get something to eat," I told Cole, who nodded in reply. To Morro, I added, "I can't force you to eat, but it'd be nice if you would. I can guarantee you won't be getting anything this good tomorrow."

The ghost bristled, "Is that a threat?"

I smirked, shaking my head, "No, it's a warning. It's Cole's turn to do meals tomorrow, and he can't cook to save his life."

The Earth Ninja narrowed his eyes and pointed his fork at me in offense, "You are a treacherous noodle angel."

"Guilty as charged," I joked, positioning my hands above my head to form a halo. I gave Morro a small wave and was about to leave, but I stopped when the wind master spoke again.

"How did you all know I was going to be at the museum?" he demanded. I bit my lip, not turning around for fear that Morro might see the guilt in my face. Honestly, I planned to tell him the truth… Once I was able to convince him to give up his dark quest. But my primary goal was to earn his trust, which meant I didn't want to lie to him. I could easily refuse to give him any information, but how long would that last before he started to suspect I had something to do with his capture?

At Morro's question, Cole let out a soft groan.

"Not this again," he gave me a weary look, "He's been bugging us about it all night."

"I think I have a right to know!" Morro snapped. He paused before going on in a sly tone, "I spent months preparing for this attack. The only thing I didn't account for was you, Abby."

Another pause.

"It was you, wasn't it?"

I sucked in a sharp breath at the note of smug triumph in Morro's voice. I didn't expect him to figure it out so quickly. What was I supposed to say? I glanced at Cole, and he stared back at me, his expression troubled. He didn't offer any advice, so I assumed he was waiting to see what I would do.

My lack of immediate response seemed to make Morro impatient. I flinched at the loud clang that came from behind me, and Cole shot to his feet.

"Hey," he said warningly, holding his free hand out in Morro's direction, "Chill, dude."

"Answer me!" Morro snarled, ignoring Cole's admonishment. I took another deep breath, letting it out slowly. Finally, I turned around.

"Yeah," I said quietly as Morro glared daggers in my direction, his whole body tense, "It was me. I tipped the Ninja off to your coming and helped them plan their counterattack."

"How did you know?" he hissed, his fists clenched. From the corner of my eye, I saw Cole slowly put his lunch down, leaving his hands free. While I didn't think Morro was able to break out, it was comforting to know Cole was on defense. Returning my attention to the ghost, I gave him a grim, apologetic smile.

"I can't tell you yet."

His eyes narrowed, "Yet?"

I sighed, "Yet. I'll tell you when…"

I trailed off, studying Morro's expression. He watched me closely, waiting for an answer. I bit my lip. I was tempted to tell him, but I knew it wasn't the right time. I couldn't risk him using the information against me, and he already knew too much. With a dismissive wave of my hand, I finished, "Later. Just not yet."

As I turned and started for the exit again, Morro called after me, "That's right, Abby, later! After I get out of here… Then you're going to tell me everything."

A chill ran up my spine at his dark tone, and I faltered at the door. I didn't turn around as Cole spoke sharply, "All right, that's enough, Morro. You can threaten us Ninja all you want, but—"

"It's fine, Cole," I cut him off, waving my hand at the Earth Ninja, "No need to start a fight. That's just what he wants."

Before either of the boys could speak again, I slipped out the door, shutting it silently behind me. The second I was out of the room, I felt some of the tension in my body release, and I slumped against the door with a long sigh. I felt sick to my stomach, a combination of hunger and anxiety. The ugly expression of hate on Morro's face danced in my mind's eye, refusing to leave no matter how much I tried to blink the vision away. I swallowed the lump in my throat as I listened to Cole and Morro's muffled voices grow steadily louder in the room behind me. I whispered, "This might be harder than I thought."


AN: In case anyone's curious, the chapter title is a small, extremely vague Alice in Wonderland reference.
"For if one drinks much from a bottle marked 'poison,' it's almost certain to disagree with one sooner or later."—Alice

To SylasPantz: I lied. There was shouting. XD

Update: 2240713356 pointed out a typo that I can't believe I missed. :( I had to delete and re-upload the chapter, but it is corrected now. Thank you so much, 22!