A/n- This one was born as I spent way too much time delving into the intricacies of a fictional world wondering

A) WHY in the WORLD would Misako drop her son off at a place that literally had "bad boys" in the name- Did she want Lloyd to become evil so he and Garmadon wouldn't end up fighting each other? She eventually states she left to see if there was a way for them to avoid a fight to the death but still.

and B) How come the evil in Garmadon didn't effect Lloyd?

The logical answer was to write it out *insert shrug*

Lloyd tucked his knees up to his chin on the couch, listening to the muffled sobs coming from the next room. Normally the 4 year old couldn't sit still, but something was very, very wrong. Mommy had been acting weird the last few days and nothing he did made it any better. If anything she would look even more sad when he offered to help set the table or sweep the floor. He didn't know what he did to make her feel so bad. It had been a long time since Daddy visited, and that always made Mommy sad, but not like this.

Frowning Lloyd wondered what was wrong. There had been an incident at the store earlier where a strange lady had come up to Mommy and started saying things in a mean tone that Lloyd didn't really understand. Something about how Daddy had done blah-blah-blah and she was holding Mommy re-responstible? Her glare had turned to Lloyd, causing him to shrink behind Mommy's legs. She then snarled something about how she couldn't believe Mommy put up with Daddy and the spawn of that... Mommy had covered Lloyd's ears at that point and practically dragged him out the door. Something like that always seemed to happen when he and Mommy went out.

No one but Mommy ever talked about Daddy with nice words. Lloyd knew Daddy was different, with his black skin and red eyes, but he knew Daddy still loved him. His hugs when he was around proved that. He just wasn't able to come home much. At least that's how Mommy explained it.

Lloyd pulled at nonexistent threads on his jeans. He was worried and board, but Mommy was already sad. He didn't want to do anything that would make her mad at him. Not when he had already made things worse.

It seemed like a long time before Mommy came out of her room. Her gaze immediately latched on Lloyd. Staring at her Lloyd could see that her eyes were red and puffy. He gave her a tentative smile.

"Hey-hey sweetie." Her voice cracked. "Have you been sitting there a while?" Lloyd nodded, not daring to say anything. Mommy ran a hand down her brown braid. "I'm sorry you had to wait for me. Is it okay if I sit next to you?" Lloyd nodded again. Mommy sat down putting her arms around Lloyd.

"Are-are you sad Mommy?"

She stroked his hair for a few moments before answering. "I guess I am."

"I'm sorry." Lloyd felt Mommy stiffen.

"Lloyd look at me." He hesitantly looked up at her. "This is not because of you. Okay?" Lloyd's gaze dropped to his knees. "Oh, baby." Lloyd didn't look up but it sound like she was crying again. She wrapped him tightly in her arms. After a few seconds Lloyd snuggled into her embrace. "I promise you did nothing wrong. Mommy's just having a hard time with some grown up stuff right now. I love you so much. I will always, always love you. I don't want you to ever ever forget that."

"I love you too."

Mommy was doing it again- getting really quiet and sad. It had been good for several weeks but now... She was quick to smile at Lloyd whenever he was in the room, but her eyes always held unshed tears when she thought he wasn't looking. He caught her looking at big buildings on the computer before quickly turning it off when Lloyd came in. The calendar had a large red circle on it coming up, but whenever Lloyd asked about it Mommy said she'd tell him later.

Lloyd lay in bed looking out his window at the stars. What was going on? Mommy had said Lloyd hadn't done anything but her actions didn't match. Creaking from his door indicated Mommy was checking in on him. He kept still, not wanting her to know he was still awake.

"Oh, Lloyd." He strained to hear her soft words. "I-I'm sorry. I can't do this to you... to him. You have to choose your own path, but I have to see if I can keep it from clashing with his. There they won't hold your father against you." Gentle feet padded over and a kiss was placed on his cheek. "I hope you understand one day." It sounded like she was crying again.

She quietly stole out of the room leaving Lloyd to wonder about her words. What was she sorry about? Who was him? Shrugging he snuggled into his covers. If he asked Mommy she would just say that it was one of her grown up things again. Why did it have to be so confusing?

The hall light flicked off shrouding his room in dark shadows. He wasn't afraid though, here in bed the darkness was his friend. Daddy taught him that. The lack of light would hide any of the noticeable differences about Daddy. He could curl up next to Daddy and simply focus on his voice as he told stories of skeletal armies, faraway lands and past elemental masters. Here they were just father and son. No abnormal skin coloring, strange arguments or unhappy neighbors. Daddy would tuck him into bed with a hug then leaving before Lloyd woke up.

Lloyd hugged his blanket tightly. It seemed like longer than usual that Daddy had been gone. The last time he was here Daddy and Mommy were talking about Lloyd after they thought he was asleep. They weren't arguing, but they both sounded sad. Daddy had said it was getting too strong, but that Lloyd still had the opportunity to choose because of Misako's blood. He didn't want his being around to influence that choice.

Like most of what Mommy and Daddy talked about, Lloyd didn't really understand what they meant. But it sounded like Daddy was saying a sort of goodbye. Sure enough he hadn't been back since. Lloyd missed him more than he let Mommy know. He didn't want to make her sadder than she already was. With his thoughts focused on Daddy it took a long time for Lloyd to fall asleep.

The next morning came too early. Mommy shook him awake, the room still shrouded in predawn darkness.

"It's time to get up Lloyd. We have a long day ahead of us."

"Wha...?" Lloyd slurred, voice heavy with sleep. But Mommy had already left.

Forcing himself out of bed Lloyd put on his favorite hoodie, black with green rib bones on it. A birthday present from Daddy. The cuffs completely enveloped his hands and the hem fell halfway to his knees, but that was okay. It was cozy. Mommy said there'd be room to grow.

As Lloyd stumbled out of his room he saw a couple suitcases by the door. "Mommy where are we going?"

"On a trip. Come on your breakfast is getting cold."

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes Lloyd did as she asked. Sleepily he ate and followed Mommy to the car. Once he was buckled she handed him his pillow and Lloyd curled up against the wall letting the swaying car lull him back to sleep.

Two hours later he awoke when the car slowed. Looking out the window he saw an unfamiliar forest. It gathered around a central hill and as Lloyd squinted he could see a brown building at the top.

"Mommy where are we going?"

"To... a new school."

"School?" They'd talked about him going next year and Lloyd was excited for it, but this building didn't look like what Mommy described.

"Yes, you'll-you'll learn a lot here."

Confused Lloyd looked back up at the buildng. It was tall with several stories, narrowing the higher it rose. Each floor had a mini roof with black tiles that curled upward. It looked like a giant monster.

"I wanna go home."

Mommy glanced at Lloyd via the rear view mirror. "We're not even there yet. Let's give it a chance first."

"But Mom-"

"No Lloyd." Her sharp tone strongly discouraged further arguing.

Grumbling Lloyd crossed his arms and slunk down in his seat. Mommy didn't comment. The building loomed closer and closer and Lloyd pulled his hood over his head. The car jerked to a stop.

"Come on Lloyd."

Moving as slowly as he could Lloyd slid out of the car. Mommy pulled the suitcase from the trunk. 'Why do I need that?' Lloyd's frown deepened.

The door opened with a groan. Even though he was mad at her Lloyd moved closer to Mommy. She patted his shoulder before nudging him forward. Lloyd gripped the pockets of his hoodie as he walked inside.

The hallway stretched long and dark with a lot of doors on both sides of the hall. People walked around, some adults, some older kids, and one who looked around Lloyd's age. Their eyes rested on Mommy for a moment before most widened in shock and locked on Lloyd, who was trying to make himself as small as possible. For once though these eyes didn't look mad, if anything people looked excited. But they still stayed far away from the pair.

One of the adults, an older man with a big tummy and gray hair, came forward. "Ah, Mrs. Garmadon, we've been expecting you. Won't you come with me?" He gestured to one of the doors.

Mommy nodded and gently tugged her son along behind her. Lloyd dragged his feet, he didn't want to be here. There was no explicit reason why, but something about this place giving him the creeps.

The man led them into some kind of office. A big desk took up half the floor. Behind it was a large upright chair. Two smaller chairs were near the door. Mommy nudged Lloyd toward one of them. It was so tall he had to lay on top of it to pull himself. The man grunted but turned his attention to Mommy.

"Mrs. Garmadon-"

"Misako, please." Mommy's voice was tight.

"Alright Misako, I'm Principle Tryble. I must admit I was a little surprised to see your email. I, along with most of the other teachers at this school, hoped we'd have the opportunity to instruct Lloyd. Though I wasn't sure if you'd actually enroll him here." His brown eyes turned hard. "And if you were to I had thought it would be a couple years out yet."

"Yes, well something has come up and I want Lloyd to start his education."

"And you're wanting to enroll Lloyd here on a boarding basis, is that correct?"

"Yes."

Lloyd looked over at Mommy confused. 'What is boarding?' She wouldn't meet his eye.

"Will you or his father be involved with his instruction?"

Mommy hesitated. "Maybe we could get Lloyd settled in and finish this conversation later?"

Mr. Tryble cocked his head and his eyes cut to Lloyd. "Of course." He gave a smile that didn't look quite right. "Lloyd, I'll have one of our other students show you where your room is."

'Room for what?' He wanted to ask but Mommy's look didn't encourage questions. Sliding down from the chair he walked to the door.

"Take your bag with you." Mommy handed him one of the duffels.

Lloyd reached for it but his arms dropped with the weight. He grunted in surprise but Mommy had already turned back to Tryble. Unsure what to do Lloyd looked back and forth from Mommy and the man. The man looked beyond Lloyd to the door.

"Aaron, there you are." Lloyd turned to see a blond haired boy, a couple years older than him. His brown eyes locked on Lloyd with something akin to suspicion in them. "Lloyd is going to join your dorm can you show him the way?"

The boy- Aaron- nodded. He jerked his head towards the door and left not waiting to see if Lloyd followed. Hurrying worth his much shorter strides Lloyd followed the older boy down the halls. More stares and whispers came from the people they passed. Lloyd's face flushed red, he still didn't know what all the attention was about. What made him more uncomfortable was these people didn't act like the ones who usually pointed and whispered when he and Mommy went out. These kids seemed... excited.

Ignoring them, an action made easy from practice on any of his trips out with Mommy, Lloyd stumbled after Aaron. The older boy stopped abruptly in the middle of the hall. Lloyd accidentally ran into him eliciting a growl from the older boy. He shrank back, but Aaron's attention had turned back to a door in the wall. Lloyd now realized it was an elevator. When the door creaked open Lloyd slipped in, standing as far away from Aaron as he could in the small space.

Aaron continued to ignore him and hit a button for the fifth floor. With a jerk the elevator slowly made its way upward. A ding indicated their arrival. Turning to the right Aaron led Lloyd three doors down and shoved it open. Lloyd hesitantly followed him inside.

Three bunk beds lined the walls. Trunks bookended each of the beds. Another interior door was cracked open giving a slivered image of a sink.

"You'll sleep here."

"Wait, what?" Lloyd whipped toward the doorway, but Aaron was gone.

'Sleep?' Lloyd frowned at the beds. His stomach twisted. Why would he be sleeping here? Unsure what to do next Lloyd set his bag on the ground. He'd only been told to see the room. Having seen it he was ready to leave, but he didn't really remember the way back to Mommy.

Poking his head into the hallway Lloyd looked for someone else. The emptiness was a stark contrast compared to the bustling halls on the first floor. Tears prickled in Lloyd's eyes but he shook them away. Mommy would just tell him to calm down and try to think about it.

Lloyd frowned in thought. Aaron had used the elevator! All he had to do was look for one. That thought chased away some of his fears. Padding down the hall Lloyd stood in front of the elevator and stretched up for the buttons. A thrill of excitement ran through him when the door slid open. He'd done it all by himself! He hit the 1 and waited for the elevator to move. Slowly the elevator descended.

Lloyd got off when it 'dinged' again. The office was a straight shot from the elevator but it was a lot further down than the room above had been. Just as Lloyd found the door Mommy came out followed by Mr. T-Tr... Lloyd didn't really remember his name.

"Mommy!"

She jumped at Lloyd's voice and swung to look at him. "Lloyd?"

"Why am I sleeping here?"

Mommy's face twitched. "This is your new school remember. You're going to stay here."

"B-but I want to be with you." Lloyd clung to Mommy's legs as she began to walk to the entrance.

She knelt to face him. "Lloyd I have work I have to do and you have to stay here."

"When will I go home?"

Mommy's face turned kinda white. "It'll be a little bit Lloyd. But know I love you. Okay?" She pulled him into a tight hug. "This is 'cause I love you." She whispered into his hair. It sounded like she was trying to convince herself.

All too soon she let him go and turned toward the main doors. Lloyd started walking after her but Mr. T held him back.

"No! No, let me go!" Lloyd struggled vainly to get free. "Mommy don't go!" She didn't look back. "Mommy. Please! Don't leave me here!"

By now a lot of kids, and even some adults, had come to see what the commotion was about. Lloyd didn't pay them attention. He just kept trying to get out of the big man's grasp. Finally he gave up. Going limp Lloyd drooped against the man's arms.

Voices filtered into his hearing, and this time they weren't whispers.

"Oh listen to the little baby Garmadon cwy for his mwammy." Snickers filled the hall.

"Garmadon? More like Garma-dork."

"He's supposed to be the Garmadon's son? Guess you can't pick your family."

Lloyd shook at the onslaught of taunts.

Nervous coughing came from above him. "Here, Lloyd let's go back in my office."

Lloyd allowed himself to be carried into the room and set on the chair. He didn't look up when the man started talking.

"This has to be a shock, but you'll get the best education here that your pedigree demands." Lloyd was too distraught to be confused by the man's words. "Here you'll become a young man your dad will be proud of."

Lloyd heard that and it made him even more sick. Mommy was mad at him and now this man was saying Daddy wasn't happy with him either? Was that why Daddy hadn't come to see them in so long?

"I don't know how much Aaron told you but most of our students board. Although," he looked down doubtfully at Lloyd's small frame, "you'll be our youngest student. Sleeping quarters are on the fifth floor. One of the other first graders can show you your classroom tomorrow. Most families don't choose to send their children here until their middle school aged so you won't have a very large class."

None of this was making sense and Mr. T seemed to finally realize Lloyd wasn't really hearing him. He left his desk and knelt in front of Lloyd. "I get this is all so new. Why don't you look around the school today and we can go over more of this tomorrow."

Nodding numbly Lloyd didn't pay much attention while Mr. T made a call. A bell rang in the hall and the sounds of lots of people moving came through the door. Almost as suddenly as the noise appeared it died down and another bell rang. Less than a minute later someone knocked on the door.

"Mr. Tryble?"

Oh yeah that was his name.

"Brad, this is Lloyd he'll be joining your class tomorrow, and he's in your dorm. Show him around so he's ready for tomorrow."

Lloyd turned to a black haired boy younger than Aaron, but a little older than himself standing at the doorway. He was giving Lloyd the same appraising/skeptical look that most of the people had been giving him.

"M'kay sir." Unlike Aaron he waited for Lloyd before leading him out the door.

They walked slowly down the now empty hall.

"I'm Brad."

"Lloyd." He muttered.

"Yeah I know." There was a note of awe in Brad's voice that made Lloyd uncomfortable.

"You do?"

"Dude your dad's famous! This is Darkly's Boarding School for Bad Boys." Brad said the words slowly and clearly, like he was reading off something. "Here we're taught the villainy needed to become tomorrow's evil overlords." He stopped when his saw Lloyd's blank face. "You know, teaching us how to be evil."

Lloyd curled his nose. "Evil?"

"Yeah, bad. Like our parents."

"My mommy's not bad!" Lloyd practically shouted.

Brad looked unimpressed. "I don't know who your mom is, but everyone here's heard about your dad." Brad leaned closer and looked excited as he whispered, "Your dad's really Lord Garmadon right!?"

"Lord? No, but his name's Garmadon. Just like mine." Lloyd pointed at himself proudly.

Brad's jaw dropped. "I know they said he was your dad but I didn't think you'd really come." He bounced on his toes. "Even in our first grade class your dad is required reading. He's the worst of the worst!"

Lloyd's face flushed red. "My Daddy is not-!"

A snicker cut him off. "Here that's a comp-lip-mant." Lloyd wasn't really sure what that was supposed to mean. "Your dad is the most famous here!"

"You're not mad at him?" This reaction was completely foreign to Lloyd.

"Dude you're gonna have so much street cred for that!"

Another phrase that meant little to Lloyd, but if he understood it right these people were actually... happy? about who Daddy was. That was a first. He didn't have time to let Brad's words really sink in before he started talking again.

"Most of our classes are on the first two floors, and the lunch room. Sleeping is on the fifth. There's a gym on the third floor. Fourth floor is the lab. We get to build all sorts of cool stuff there! Then there's a lookout on the roof and a dungeon in the basement!" A dungeon sounded cool. "Outside is a really big yard and we can play at recess." Brad frowned. "But the older boys hog all the good stuff."

Brad continued to show him the grounds. The dungeon was not cool in as much as creepy, there were weird tools scattered around, many with sharp points. And it was dark and musty. They didn't actually go in the lab, there were students working on things and Brad said people did not like to be disturbed, especially by the younger kids. It was close to noon when another bell rang.

"That one's for our lunch!" Brad started walking much faster to the stairs. "Us elementary kids eat together. The food's pretty good, they have cooks from Ninjago City! But if we don't get there early all the good food's gone."

Hungry now Lloyd eagerly followed Brad down the narrow stairwell. He was thankful Brad didn't take the elevator, it was a little small for his liking. At the doors to the cafeteria Brad waved to some other boys. Then without another word to Lloyd he ran off in their direction.

Lloyd stood awkwardly in the entrance. Should he follow Brad? Looking around Lloyd realized even if he wanted to, Brad was lost in the sea of students. He didn't want to wander around looking for him. Multiple tables filled the large room, with about 3/4ths of them full. His stomach rumbled and Lloyd watched some of the kids get in a line that ran the length of the back wall. With no other direction Lloyd joined the line. He'd only moved a few steps when a sharp shove sent him flying into the wall.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Dazed Lloyd couldn't think of a response. Through blurry eyes he saw two older boys, probably fifth graders, staring down at him.

"We're dismissed by table and there's no way the babies have been let go yet." The boy on the left, a scrawny brown haired boy, took a step closer to Lloyd.

He shrank back against the wall but didn't move from the line.

"Maybe he didn't hear you Reed." His stockier companion bent down so his face was inches from Lloyd's. "What's the matter short stuff?" He yelled. "You stupid or something?"

It seemed his yell grabbed the attention of the entire cafeteria. Silence suddenly permeated the room and Lloyd felt the familiar prickle of eyes on him. He didn't say anything, but he didn't move either.

"I think he is stupid." Reed laughed. It was much higher pitched than Lloyd would have thought possible.

"I'm not stupid." Lloyd's sharp retort seemed to take the pair by surprise. But it only lasted a moment.

"Oh he can talk." The chunky boy poked Lloyd in the chest. "But you'd better not talk back, noob."

"I'm not noob," Lloyd swatted the finger away. "I'm Lloyd. Lloyd Garmadon." He glared at them with all the ferocity his small body could muster.

If possible the silent room became even more quiet. The two boys shared a terrified glance before a calculating look came over Reed's face.

"Garmadon, huh?" He started laughing his high pitched screech. After a second the other boy started too. "Like, like we're supposed... supposed to believe you're the son of Lord Garmadon?" He managed to get out through gasps. Smirking down at Lloyd he grabbed him by the collar. "You know what I think of your dad?" Reed shoved Lloyd to the ground. "That." Cackling now he and the other boy stepped over the floundering Lloyd and continued up the line.

Lloyd stared after them in shock. More students walked past him and he looked up to see everyone quickly advert their eyes. Never in all the past mean encounters had someone actually tried to hurt him. Unwelcome tears rose for the second time in only a few hours. Rising unsteadily Lloyd pushed past several boys and ran for the double doors. Snickers followed and echoed even after he burst into the hall.

Lloyd didn't stop until he reached the main door. Smashing that open he skidded to a halt on the front steps. Sunlight flooded his body but it only made him more mad. How dare the sun shine on him while the kids made fun of him and Mommy wasn't there to make them all go away.

The long driveway stretched out before him. From the building's perch on the hill Lloyd could see forests stretch out for miles in every direction. Gulping in big gasps of air Lloyd realized he had no idea where home was. Footsteps sounded in the halls behind him brought Lloyd's attention back to his situation. He wanted nothing more to do with these big meanies... but he couldn't go home. Frantically looking around the yard Lloyd spotted a clump of bushes along the stone fence. Not taking another second to think he sped toward them.

Diving behind the greenery Lloyd tried to catch his breath. Now he was running from the place Mommy said would be his new school. He buried his face in his hands. She was going to be even more mad now. That didn't mean he was about to go back inside.

The pent up sobs that he'd been holding back couldn't be stopped anymore. Curling into a ball Lloyd cried and cried. Hiccups punctured his sobs until he could barely breathe between the combination. When his tears ran dry Lloyd hugged himself tighter, rocking back and forth and wishing for the life of him he was home.

The sun had moved far into the western sky by the time Lloyd finally had some control of his emotions. The gnawing hunger in his stomach might have had more to do with it than anything else. Sniffing Lloyd dragged his sleeve across his face. It came away kinda sticky. Lloyd frowned at it and did the same with his other arm. Dinner time had to be soon. Though his stomach rumbled mournfully, his heart clenched at the thought of facing all those eyes again. And the bullies.

'But food...' That voice quickly won out.

Lloyd took a couple deep breaths to calm himself and looked towards the building. Descending rays were hitting it at just the right angle to give the bricks a burnt red color. Like dried blood. Lloyd shook his head, he had to do this. If for nothing else than to make Mommy and Daddy proud. He didn't seem to be doing much of that lately.

The yard seemed even bigger now than when he'd first run across it. Yet step by step Lloyd dragged himself to the door. An empty hall greeted him. Lloyd sighed in relief. He slipped into the cafeteria and was surprised to see a few adults bustling about the food lines. Like the students they were all male.

Timidly Lloyd approached the nearest one, who was pouring something white and runny into a tray at a long counter. "E'scuse me? Can I - can I get something to eat?" The man's lip curled at Lloyd's intrusion, but upon seeing the small boy another one of those shocked looks came over his face. Lloyd pressed his point. "I- I didn't get lunch."

Lurching forward the man became animated again. "Yeah, sure." He looked doubtfully at Lloyd's small stature. His head didn't even come to the man's waist. "Can you reach?" Lloyd walked to the counter. His eyes barely cleared the edge. "That'll be a no then. Here."

The man grabbed a plate and plopped some noodles and the white stuff- must be sauce- on it. He handed it to Lloyd who took it gratefully.

"Thanks."

"Sure, kid." He glanced at a clock hanging from the wall. "The dinner rush starts in about 10 minutes. Just FYI." With that he returned to his task.

Lloyd cocked his head and looked at the clock too. 'Why would he...? Oh.' That meant people would be coming in and right now Lloyd did not want to be around more people. With another whispered "thanks" he sat down and shoveled the food in.

His stomach wasn't completely satisfied, having skipped a meal, but Lloyd wasn't going to stick around. Mommy usually put a couple snacks in his backpack, so if that had been taken to the room he could manage for the night. Putting his plate on a rack by the door Lloyd hurried from the cafeteria. More people were in the hallway now, but they weren't paying him attention. That was good. He hoped to keep it that way.

Excited chattering grew louder and Lloyd figured he'd soon be caught in a sea of hungry boys. Not wanting to deal with them he looked around for any means of escape. A bathroom door caught his attention. Ducking inside he slid in one of the stalls. Only moments later the thunder of many feet tromped by. Lloyd held his breath, but no one came in.

Soon the sounds became muted behind several walls. Lloyd toyed with the strings on his hoodie. He didn't want to face them, though he knew he was only delaying the inevitable. For now though that was okay. Poking his head out the door, he was relieved to see the hall empty. Quickly he stole to the stairs and climbed until he saw the large red 5 on the wall. 'The room was three from the elevator.' Said room's door was still cracked open and Lloyd saw the rest of his luggage had been brought up and placed on the bottom bunk of the bed along the far wall. 'Does that make it my bed?' Lloyd frowned. No it wasn't his bed. His bed was at home, with Mommy... who didn't want him there.

Sniffling Lloyd shoved the suitcases under the bed and climbed under the covers. The young boy would never willingly submit to bedtime this early at home but this day had been exhausting- physically and emotionally. He just wanted to sleep. Maybe he'd wake up tomorrow realizing this was all a bad dream...

Lloyd didn't realize he'd fallen asleep until muffled whispers brought him back to awareness. Keeping still Lloyd tried to make out what was being said, but whoever was talking was being too quiet. No longer caring if they knew he was awake, he pulled the comforter over his head. The boys stopped abruptly, for only a minute. They started back up with an increased fervor that made Lloyd nervous.

'Go away, go away, go away!' Lloyd wanted to scream, yet something inside him warned that wasn't a good idea. A small pop came from nearby, but Lloyd didn't think much of it. Suddenly the room went quiet again, this time as if in anticipation. Lloyd's stomach twisted. 'What are they doing?' One of the floorboards by Lloyd's bed creaked giving him only a second's warning before the cover was ripped off his head and something dumped on him.

Yelping in shock Lloyd bolted upright and looked down. 'Ants!' Dozens of the large, red insects were frantically crawling over his arms, head and sheets. They didn't appear any happier about the situation than their current host. Sharp stings came from multiple ants at once. Lloyd fell out of the bed, shrieking in pain. He could hear the other occupants of his room laughing cruelly.

Scrambling up Lloyd ran toward the bathroom flailing his arms in a desperate attempt to get rid of the ants. He slammed the door behind him and ran his hands along his head, neck and arms. Several managed to bite his hands as he did that, but Lloyd's adrenaline kept him from feeling them too badly. The ants that fell to the floor were met with a large foot, never to bite anyone again. This all happened in the span of only a couple minutes but Lloyd was breathing hard by the time all the ants were killed.

As his adrenaline wore down the needle-like pain of all the bites became more apparent. Individually they wouldn't be so bad, but with so many the pain drove Lloyd to his knees. If Lloyd had thought he was out of tears earlier he was mistaken. More came in large wet, but silent, sobs. He knelt there for a long time, clenching his fists and letting the pain of the whole day work its way out of him.

The other boys didn't try to come in, which was a small mercy. Lloyd stayed inside the bathroom until he calmed enough to breathe normally. By that time the noises from the bunkroom had completely died down. Sniffing Lloyd rubbed his palm over his eyes. He was so ready for this day to be done.

Taking a deep breath Lloyd turned off the light and cracked open the door. Five lumpy, but still, beds greeted him. Lloyd padded softly to his own. As he passed the second bed the lumpy not-so sleeper suddenly jerked upright. Lloyd gasped and stumbled backward.

"It's just me."

It took Lloyd a minute to recognize the voice. "Brad?!" His surprise quickly turned to anger. If Brad was one of his roommates he had a hand in the ants. "What do you want?"

"Look I'm not gonna say sorry. This was to show you how things run around here. As I said earlier they're training us to be tomorrow's criminal masterminds. You have to be bad. Think about how to use others for your advantage."

Lloyd shook his head. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You have to take what you can get and don't let nothin' stand in your way."

"B-but that's not what my mommy would say..."

Brad snorted. "Maybe, but that's how things work around here." He leaned forward. "There's a lot of meanies here- the big kids especially. But we can get them back." Lloyd stared speechless. Nothing today was making any sense. Brad sensed Lloyd's hesitation. "This is Revenge 101!"

Lloyd mouthed 'revenge.' That wasn't a word he was familiar with but Brad wasn't giving him a chance to ask questions.

"Tryble and the teachers don't get involved- he says it's to teach us to be 'tough.'" Brad rolled his eyes. "I just don't think they wanna be involved or make any of the parents mad." Pointing toward one of the beds he continued, "Aaron's dad owns a big time smuggling ring off the coast. Erik's above him. His mom over sees a multimillion dollar gambling circuit. Over there Ryder's on top. He comes from a long line of swindlers. Then Kaleb's parents own some ritzy retreat place that doubles as a cartel base.

"My dad's not as impressive but he is a fairly talented hacker and has a ton of people blackmailed. I heard from some of the older kids that a couple years back there was a big scandal because one of the teachers wanted to accept a girl. It didn't fly, obviously. I guess her dad runs some underground fight club or something but I mean the school does have the word boys in it after all. But none of that compares to the son of one who literally has evil flowing through his veins!"

It took Lloyd a minute to realize Brad was referring to him. "My daddy's not evil!" He whisper-shouted hotly.

Even in the dim light he could see Brad's pitying look. "You don't know your history do you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Your dad... he's the biggest bad Ninjago's ever seen. He's the elemental master of destruction! He's leveled cities in his quest for world domination." More words Lloyd didn't understand, but they sounded dangerous. "But he disappeared a couple years ago." Brad scooted closer to Lloyd. "Do you know what happened?"

"No! He- he hasn't been home in a long time."

"Hmm." Brad let the matter drop. "Well we can still get the older kids back. They've been askin' for it and you can help. I've had this great plan but it needs two people." His face grew serious. "We gotta be sne-aky because if they find out who done it they get mean." Brad rubbed a spot on the middle of his chest.

Lloyd still wasn't sure everything Brad was trying to say, but something ugly rose inside him. Anger to a level he'd never known before- or maybe it had always been there but never had the chance to come up since Mommy was quick to calm him. "What do you want to do?"

Brad's mouth stretched into a smirk. "Okay listen close..."

The next morning Brad and Lloyd were awake way before the other boys. Well Brad was awake, and after some rough shaking Lloyd joined him. After quickly getting dressed ready they stole out of the room. Downstairs the kitchen was unlocked for the crew to begin preparing breakfast.

Brad had explained that they weren't really supposed to be in the kitchen, but as this was a school for criminal masterminds people tended to look the other way unless someone was outright caught. Since he didn't have a trusted lookout he hadn't tried his own hand at sneaking into the kitchens yet. That's where Lloyd came in.

"You stay here." Brad whispered once they reached the kitchen door. "Stall anyone who tries to come in."

Lloyd nodded and Brad quickly slipped away. Through the door Lloyd caught a glimpse of large industrial fridges lining the walls. There were also a couple long counters with different utensils on them, but the door swung back before he could identify them.

A sucking sound, like a seal being broken, came from inside. Lloyd bounced on his toes as a thrill of excitement ran through him. Planning the caper had released something inside Lloyd that he hadn't known was locked away, something dark and mischievous. For once instead of ignoring the looks, the comments, he was going to fight back. That was something Mommy had never let him do- and it felt good.

Lloyd frowned, good wasn't the right word. He definitely wasn't being good by agreeing to do this, he knew enough about his actions to determine that- but lurking at the forefront of his mind was the overwhelming desire to make them sorry. If he let himself dwell on the thought it would actually be kinda scary at how intense the feeling was since it hadn't been acknowledged until just last night, but the opening of the kitchen door scattered his thoughts.

A smirking Brad emerged and showed Lloyd the package in his hands. Phase 1 complete, though Brad would have to explain to him again what a phase was.

Tip-toeing upstairs the boys exchanged smirks as they started on Phase 2. With that done, and their roommates none the wiser, they slipped back into bed.

An hour later alarm clocks started sounding on the floor. Groans and muffled banging came from Lloyd's own room. He rolled over and blearily looked around. Adrenaline shot through him when his eyes locked on the older boys. They weren't paying any attention to him, too tired to care about their newest roommate. Then he remembered his and Brad's plan.

Lloyd flicked his gaze over to Brad, but he was purposefully not making eye contact. 'Right, secret!' Watching the others Lloyd waited on his bed until the others had finished with the bathroom. Then snagging a spare set of clothes he ducked in to get ready for the day.

By the time he finished the older boys were gone. Brad fiddled with something near his own bed. He looked up as Lloyd walked over.

"I thought you were stalling or something! If we don't hurry we won't be able to see our results!" Gesturing toward the door Brad eagerly walked toward the hall.

Lloyd nodded and tossed his old clothes on his bed, but Brad saw and stopped in his tracks. "You can't leave those there. They come through at random times to check our "general cleanliness."" Brad finger quoted the last phrase. "A neat lair is the start to a neat plan regardless if you're trashing a city." He rolled his eyes. "But whatever dorm is the cleanest each month gets extra dessert for a week."

"Okay," Lloyd shoved them in a bag and hurried after Brad.

Downstairs the halls were mostly empty but muffled chatter filtered in from the cafeteria.

"Come on!" Brad practically dragged Lloyd inside and they ducked into the lunch line.

No one paid the two young schemes a glance. Lloyd caught sight of their roommates clustered together ahead of them in line. Nudging Brad he pointed toward them with a nod of his head. They'd made it in time.

The line inched forward. Trying to remain inconspicuous Lloyd and Brad kept an eye on the older boys. The four of them had just turned from the food counter when Aaron appeared to trip on air. He fell forward, his tray flying toward his three companions. In an effort to avoid the food they all backpedaled only for it to look like someone ripped a rug out from under the four of them.

Food and limbs flew in every direction and for a moment there was a stunned silence. Snickers started up from the high schoolers and soon the room shook with laughter. The four boys shared similar looks of anger and mortification. Lloyd wasn't sure who was who yet besides Aaron but one with blond hair splattered with egg tried to stand up only for his foot to slide out behind him again. Another round of laughter came from onlookers.

Mustering the shreds of their remaining dignity Aaron and the other two cautiously stood up. They were able to stay standing and by this time two kitchen helpers had come out with mops and brooms. Brad and Lloyd made sure to give the boys a wide berth as they took their trays to an emptier corner of the cafeteria.

Gradually the onlookers lost interest, returning to their own conversations. Lloyd couldn't get the image of their initial look of shock out of his mind. He laughed again and Brad looked over at him, grinning.

"I told you revenge would be fun! I'll have to thank my older brother the next time I see him." He leaned closer to Lloyd. "Never forget a little butter can go a long way."

This school was certainly unlike anything Lloyd could have imagined.

One month later

Lloyd clung tightly to the small stack of folders in his hand and looked around nervously. After several weeks at the school he knew his routine and no longer got lost on the way to his various rooms.

Principal Tryble hadn't been joking when he said the elementary level was small- there were only ten other kids in his classes, all of them two or more years older than him. Rather than divide them by technical grade the school kept them all in a room together. A teacher explained the material but depending on their age their assignments differed. Lloyd spent most of his time listening to the teacher followed by practicing reading and writing the alphabet.

The initial interest in the fact that the son of Lord Garmadon attended their same school had faded. That meant fewer stares, for which Lloyd was thankful, but some of the older boys had taken it to the other extreme. Apparently they thought the small blond preschooler was a sorry excuse for the famed Dark Lord's legacy. So their response was to taunt him about it. The word bad was in the school's name after all.

Hence his current predicament. Classes had just ended for the day and as Lloyd left his room on the first floor he'd caught sight of some of the meaner middle schoolers hanging by the stairs. Not wanting to catch their attention he ducked down a side hall to avoid being seen. 'Stupid meanies.'

Lloyd was so lost in thought he didn't realize he was no longer alone in the hallway.

"Well, well, what have we here?" Whirling around Lloyd saw Dustin, a 12- year-old student, and two of his cronies towering over him. "Seems little Garmadork's lost." The two guys with him laughed like hyenas. Lloyd took a shaky step backwards. "Looks like you need help."

Lloyd tried to run down the hall but Dustin grabbed him by the arm. Yelping Lloyd struggled to break free, his folders scattering across the hall. He wasn't a match for the three older boys.

"Come on. I've been saving this one!" Dustin cackled. He pulled a key out of his pocket and dragged Lloyd to a door.

A quick turn of the key revealed a small closet. Lloyd only got a quick glimpse before he was thrust forward and the door slammed shut behind him.

"Enjoy your trip." Their mocking laughter faded away.

Scrambling to his knees Lloyd turned toward the door. A small line of light glowed from the bottom but it wasn't enough to actually light the room. It was so dark. Dark was fine, comfortable even. But it was so small! Realization of what just happened sank in and Lloyd pounded on the door in a panic.

"Help! Help!" But no one came. Lloyd slid to the ground. "Please." He whispered.

Lots of things poked into him and he slid around finding the space he was in was only as wide as his arms stretched out. 'It's too small! Too small!' Pressure built up in his throat but Lloyd shoved it down.

He sat up and tried to bang on the door again but the thuds sounded small even to his own ears. Lloyd let his fist come to a stop on the door. 'It's no use.' Even if any of the bullies were still out there they weren't going to let him out.

'My father is Lord Garmadon.' Lloyd sucked in a deep breath and pictured an image of his father he'd seen since being at the school. The textbook made him look kinda scary but Lloyd knew that wasn't everything about him. 'He doesn't give up so neither will I.' Lloyd pulled himself to his knees. 'The door's not going to open like this. What now?'

Cautiously moving his arms around he began to further explore the contents of the closet. He felt a broom, mop and bucket, a small shelf with various squirt bottles on it. Nothing substantial to ram the door. His hands ran along the back wall. Rough brick met his fingers. He was about to try something else when he felt a divot in one of the bricks. It felt like a trigger. Momentarily forgetting his fear Lloyd pushed against it.

A dull click sounded and air whooshed by him. The wall fell away to a deeper darkness that stretched out far beyond the closet. 'A secret passageway!'

Excitement quickly replaced any remaining fear and Lloyd entered the corridor without hesitation. It was still dark, but now it wasn't so small. It was also an adventure.

The tunnel stretched on and little stars of light appeared on the walls, some high above him and some right about his eye level. Curious Lloyd approached one. Giving his eyes a second to adjust he drew close to one nearest to him. To his surprise he was looking into a classroom!

'If everyone of these lights showed a room...' This was going to be fun- if he could find a way out of the passage. Lloyd padded on, taking time to look into random peep holes. It seemed like there was one for almost every room. Halls branched off within walls and when Lloyd reached the end of his current one his foot kicked something. 'Stairs?' It seemed the passageways went all throughout the building.

Lloyd made his way up to the fifth floor but there weren't many holes cut into the walls here. After frowning in thought Lloyd realized that was probably a good thing. Thinking that someone could look into his room when he didn't know it would be creepy. There were a couple holes that showed the main hallway and one that went to the common lounge in the middle of the floor.

Most of the students were still downstairs, with classes only just recently ended. It was light enough to make out levers near each peephole. Ensuring no one was around Lloyd hit the one next to the common room. With a small moan hinges appeared and the door swung open.

Lloyd didn't know how to reopen the door from the outside but now that he knew where it was he could search for a trigger. Slipping out he made sure the door was firmly closed behind him. The bullies' rooms were a couple Lloyd had made sure to pay attention to. And now with them downstairs... A smirk grew on Lloyd's face- after Brad and his teacher's new lessons on revenge these jerks wouldn't know what hit them.

Thirty minutes later when Dustin and his crew came to their rooms they stared in shock at the doorways. Clothes and possessions lay scattered about the room. Mouth gaping Dustin attempted to make sense of the scene- just as the room monitors came up behind him. Lloyd, having snuck back to the closet and made his way back to the fifth floor, watched from the nearest peephole as Dustin waved his arms about trying to proclaim his innocence.

Snickering Lloyd felt a smug sense of accomplishment rise in him. He'd managed to outsmart those jerks and they were none the wiser. 'I think I'm gonna like it here after all.'

A/n- In the show Lloyd says he doesn't remember his mom. It's very probable if he was dropped off at Darkley's early in life he wouldn't have (m)any memories of her, but I don't see the school accepting an infant. Additionally he later says Brad took hi under his wing the first day of school and how Brad released fire ants on him. So Lloyd would have to be old enough to remember that. Therefore I made it so Lloyd was 4ish when Misako dropped him off.