Monday

Lloyd grabbed his father's black backpack from off the ground near the door. He turned around, looking at his mother. She looked worried.

"I'll be fine, mom," Lloyd assured her, giving her a smile. However, it was more strained than he had intended.

"Don't go making friends," Garmadon warned him, gaze serious. "Best to keep your distance. Humans can be dangerous."

Garmadon glanced at Wu, both of them sharing a look.

Lloyd only remembered some of what had happened that fateful day when his uncle and his father were chased out of the city. He remembered Wu getting hurt, and that they had lived in a cave for a few days before being attacked by a gang of other half breeds, but other than that… he didn't really remember much. He only sort of remembered Ninjago City.

Lloyd nodded. "Don't worry, I won't."

"Good," Garmadon said.

"And remember Lloyd, don't ever tell anyone that you're a half breed!" Misako warned.

"Yeah, yeah," Lloyd replied, waving her off and rolling his eyes. They had all been repeating the same thing to him for the past two weeks, when they had first decided to send him to school. And really, no one had to tell him not to tell anyone what he was. It was just common sense.

"And if you're discovered, flee as fast as you can out of the city, or hide until things calm down," Wu told him.

Lloyd nodded again. He knew how serious this situation was, but Ninjago City wasn't any safer than where he currently lived, in the Outcast. They both had their risks, and you could get murdered in either of them.

Misako bit her lip, still looking worried. "Well, I suppose we better get going…"

Lloyd smiled excitedly, nodding. He was eager to see Ninjago City again and see the giant skyscrapers that his father had told him about. Lloyd personally didn't remember the giant buildings, but he had heard lots of stories about them.

Misako sighed, then walked out the door. Lloyd, Garmadon, and Wu followed her out.

Wu and Garmadon would walk with them up until the Outcast border. From there, just Lloyd and Misako would actually go to Ninjago City.

Lloyd and Misako, as it turned out, had never been discovered by the people of the city. It had just been Wu and Garmadon. Which, was kind of suspicious… Garmadon had a hunch that an old enemy had sold them out, wanting to get revenge, but had not known about Lloyd or Misako.

A couple hours later they reached the tree line, and ahead of them lay a meadow of long yellow and green grass. Lloyd could see the city up ahead, and noticed the tall concrete wall that surrounded it.

"What's the wall for?" Lloyd asked.

"It's to keep people likeusout," Garmadon replied. "There will probably be lots of security around it. Be careful."

"We will," Misako said, turning to Garmadon and giving him a goodbye hug before turning her eyes to the city.

Lloyd hugged his uncle and father, too, before he also turned towards the city.

"Well… let's go…" Misako said, already walking off.

Lloyd gave his uncle and father a wave, smiling to them reassuringly, and then quickly followed after his mother.

Garmadon and Wu watched them walk across the meadow, frowning in worry.

"Do you think they'll be alright?" Garmadon asked quietly.

Wu nodded. "Yes. Remember, even if they do get into trouble, we still taught Lloyd how to properly defend himself."

Garmadon sighed. "That didn't seem to stop the mob the last time…"

Wu frowned, having no argument against that.

As Lloyd and Misako approached the city wall, they both tried to remain low and unseen. However, that was very hard to do when you're walking through a meadow without an ounce of cover.

When they reached the wall, his mother pulled out a grappling hook from Lloyd's backpack and slung it over the wall, tugging on it once to make sure it'd caught. Then, her and Lloyd quickly climbed up it and swung themselves over the wall, landing softly on the ground.

Lloyd felt his heart beat a little quicker, realizing that he was now in human territory.

They were standing in a seemingly abandoned alleyway. Lloyd looked around, noting the two-story buildings on either side of them. Further ahead, Lloyd could see more alleyways.

"Come on, and stay quiet," Misako quietly ordered, starting down the alleyway.

Lloyd swallowed, anxiety starting to claw at him, and obeyed her.

As they neared a main road, Misako instructed him, "Act casual, like you've lived here all your life." His mother than picked up a more confident demeanor.

Lloyd tried to do the same, but he still felt anxious and he was positive that he looked like it, too.

As they stepped out of the alleyway and onto a side walk, Lloyd was shocked by the giant… things moving along the road.

Misako, sensing his fear and confusion, said, "Those are cars, honey. They won't hurt you."

Lloyd nodded, studying the moving thi—no, cars. He decided he really didn't like cars. They were very loud, and compared to where he lived, it was very, very loud in comparison.

He looked around in awe, staring at the very tall buildings. "Are those skyscrapers?"

"No, those are just office buildings. The skyscrapers are in the middle of the city," she replied.

"Oh…" Lloyd glanced around, finally noticing that he hadn't seen any people yet. "Where is everyone?"

"I don't know. They're probably further into the city. We're on the outskirts right now."

"Why do some of the buildings look… broken?" Lloyd asked. Most of the buildings had holes in the windows, and literal holes in the walls. Some of them looked as if they had been burned.

Misako frowned, suddenly looking worried as she glanced around. "I'm not sure…"

Lloyd's confusion grew.

Suddenly, he spotted someone. His eyes widened in fear, his heart almost skipping a beat. His instincts told him to run, but after glancing at his mom, he tried to keep up his 'confident' facade. Misako looked perfectly relaxed, seemingly ignoring the danger.

"Relax, Lloyd," Misako whispered to him. "They don't know who you are. You're safe."

Lloyd didn't miss the implied 'for now'.

The human that Lloyd had seen had just walked out of a gray, paint chipped building up ahead. It was a girl, probably about in her twenties, and she had long light brown hair. She wore a blue shirt and dark blue jeans.

As Lloyd and Misako passed her, she said a friendly hello to them. Misako casually said "hello" back.

Lloyd was terrified, and so hadn't even thought to say hi.

He suddenly realized that his hands were shaking, and so he quickly stuffed them into his green sweater pockets.

The girl then continued walking down the sidewalk, putting earbuds into her ears.

Lloyd watched her curiously, wondering what the heck the things were.

That was also probably the first time that he'd seen someone other than his father, mother, or Wu who hadn't tried to murder him.

Misako stopped at the end of the sidewalk, waiting for the light to turn red so that they could cross.

Lloyd, not knowing what a stoplight even was, didn't realize his mother had stopped and tried to keep walking.

She hurriedly grabbed the back of his hoodie, halting him abruptly.

Lloyd almost yelped in surprise, watching as a red car raced by—right where he'd been about to walk.

Misako pointed to the stoplight ahead of them. "That's called a stoplight. When it shows the walk sign, then we can cross. And always look both ways before crossing any road. A car could run you over if you're not watching where you're going."

Lloyd gulped, nodding.

The stoplight then showed the walk sign, and Misako continued on, crossing the road.

Lloyd hesitantly followed her, making sure to look both ways.

"How far is the school?" he asked.

"About ten minutes in," Misako replied.

Lloyd suddenly felt even more nervous than he already was. He was a little terrified going to a school full of humans that could potentially kill him. He tried to slow his breathing, forcing himself to calm down. You'll be fine, he told himself. He took a deep breath, his hands fidgeting inside his pockets.

Misako turned left, Lloyd quickly following her.

Up ahead, he saw a ton of people, all going to their own destinations. Lloyd swallowed anxiously—one person had been scary enough.

As they neared the crowd of people, Lloyd started to feel overwhelmed by the noise and the humans, his eyes darting around and his breathing picking up again.

Misako grabbed his hand, leading him along.

Lloyd squeezed her hand for reassurance, swallowing.

As they entered the crowd, Lloyd flinched away, feeling dozens of people rushing past him. He felt a little dizzy by all of the hustle and bustle, and especially the noise. He'd never been around this many people before. Even the mobs that occasionally attacked them in the Outcast were smaller.

About ten minutes later a tan colored building became visible.

"There's the school, Lloyd," Misako told him, pointing to it.

Lloyd's eyes widened at the size of it. It was much bigger compared to the cabin. Dozens of school students were wandering around the premises, all talking to each other and walking into the school. Most of them were on some small, rectangular, glowing devices. Lloyd's eyebrows scrunched in confusion, wondering what they were.

They soon reached the school, and Lloyd started to again feel overwhelmed by the noise and people.

His mother, still holding his hand, squeezed his reassuringly.

They walked through the door, and Lloyd was surprised when the air that greeted them was a perfect temperature. Outside it was a little chilly.

Misako led him past students and classrooms, appearing to have a destination in mind. Lloyd followed her like a lost puppy.

She finally stopped at a door that was located at the end of a long hall. She knocked on the wooden door that had a blurred squared window on it, letting go of Lloyd's hand. It read "Principle". Lloyd gulped nervously, knowing that the principle was the head of the school.

A faint "come in" was heard, and Misako twisted the golden doorknob and stepped inside, Lloyd hesitantly following her.
A balding man sat in a black office chair, hands folded onto an oak colored desk.

"Good morning, Mrs. Green," the Principle welcomed. "I am Principle Wright. It is good to meet you."

They'd had to change their last name, as people might recognize the name Garmadon.

Misako smiled. "It is nice to meet you, too, Mr. Wright."

Principle Wright extended his hand, and Misako shook it. He did the same for Lloyd, and Lloyd cautiously shook hands with him, fearing that the principle would notice his sweaty hands and know that he was nervous. However, the principle seemed not to notice, as he then smiled at Misako again. He handed her a piece of paper, and Misako took it.

"Just sign your name down there, please," Mr. Wright instructed her, handing her a pen.

Lloyd watched curiously as Misako accepted the pen, then proceeded to sign her name at the bottom of the form. She then handed the pen and paper back to Mr. Wright. He took it, glanced at the signature, and then set the paper and pen in his desk drawer. Then he took out another piece of paper, holding it out to Lloyd. Lloyd cautiously took it.

"That is your schedule for today," the principle stated. "Don't lose it." He folded his hands on the desk again, looking back at Misako. "You are free to go. I will get one of the school students to show Lloyd around the school," Mr. Wright said, smiling.

Misako nodded, turning to Lloyd and giving him a quick hug that Lloyd reciprocated eagerly. She pulled back, looking at him fondly. "Be good, okay? And remember what I told you."

Lloyd nodded, giving her a nervous smile.

"Well, I'll be going then," Misako said, walking out the door. She glanced back at Lloyd one last time, hesitating. She looked like she didn't want to leave him, but then walked down the hall and out of sight.

Lloyd felt his anxiety spike, his instinct urging him to run after his mother. He stayed put, though, reminding himself that nobody knew his secret and so therefore he was safe—for now.

"Now, then," the Principle said, clapping his hands together.

The sound startled Lloyd, who jumped, looking at him in surprise.

The principle turned to someone else that Lloyd hadn't noticed earlier. The person was a boy, and he had short black hair and a jean jacket on with black jeans. "Eric, get one of the students to show Lloyd around."

"Yes, sir," the guy said, hurrying off.

Lloyd watched him go, wondering who he was.

Shortly after the guy returned with a girl, who was wearing a pink shirt and a short purple skirt and had blue eyes and blond hair curled into ringlets. She seemed to be chewing something.

The girl looked Lloyd over, looking bored, then turned to the principle. "What am I doing with him?"

"You are going to show Lloyd, here, around the school," Mr. Wright answered.

The girl rolled her eyes. "Fine," she grumbled. To Lloyd, "Follow me."

Lloyd nervously did, following her through the school halls. She showed him different classrooms, the restrooms, and the cafeteria.

"Alright, the tour's over, I gotta go, bye!" And with that, the girl hurried off.

Lloyd watched her go, standing in the cafeteria by himself. He looked down at his school sheet, reading it over. First up was Social Studies. "Room 304," Lloyd read aloud. "Okay…" He turned, heading out of the cafeteria and into the hallway. He anxiously walked, keeping his head down as to not draw attention to himself, but made sure to look out for room 304. He found it just as the bell rang. He hurriedly opened the door, knowing that the ringing meant that school was starting, and walked into the medium sized classroom. Most of the seats were already taken. Lloyd started to walk to a free seat in the back of the room, but was stopped by the teacher.

"Class, we have a new student today," she said. She was an older lady, probably in her fifty's or sixty's, and she wore glasses. She wore tan jeans and a dark green button up shirt. "Come here to the front of the class, honey," she told him. Lloyd reluctantly obeyed her. "Introduce yourself," she told him.

Lloyd gulped nervously. "Hello. My name is, um, Lloyd."

The teacher smiled. "It's good to meet you, Lloyd. I'm Mrs. Evens."

Lloyd smiled anxiously.

"You may go to your seat, now," Mrs. Evens told him. Lloyd eagerly obeyed, relieved to not be the center of attention anymore. He sat down at the back of the classroom.

"Now, class," Mrs. Evens said. "Today, we will be learning about half breeds and their destructive influence on our society, including the history of half breeds and humans."

Lloyd paled, nervously avoiding eye contact. Seriously, the first subject had to be that… His mom had warned him that they would teach about half breeds here, but Lloyd had hoped that it wouldn't be so… soon.

"Now, I assume that everyone knows what a half breed is, correct?" Mrs. Evens asked.

A few nods.

Mrs. Evens smiled. "Good. But, just to refresh your memory, half breeds are oni and human hybrids, or dragon and human hybrids, or both. They can also be dragon and oni hybrids.

"The reason that they are banned from society is very obvious. They are destructive creatures, always causing havoc. A couple hybrids about ten years ago were banned from this very city. Thankfully, someone managed to wound one of them severely, which means that there's probably one less half breed in the world."

A few cheers.

Lloyd's stomach seemed to be doing somersaults, and his hands were sweaty and shaking. He really didn't like the teacher mentioning his father and uncle like that, especially when giving them a bad name.

As the teacher continued on with her lesson, oblivious to Lloyd's discomfort, Lloyd tried to tune her out, not liking one bit about what was she was saying about his kind. He knew that not all half breeds were vicious beasts, like him and his father and uncle.

The teacher finally finished her lesson, saying, "Anyone have any questions?"

A hand raised.

"Yes?" Mrs. Evens said.

"Why doesn't the Ninjago City Army just go and kill all of the half breeds? Why let them roam around, letting them come back to hurt us?"

"That is a very good question," Mrs. Evens said.

Lloyd felt a chill go through him.

"The army, unfortunately, doesn't have enough soldiers to take on all of the half breeds. But, theyareworking on it. Eventually, they plan on raiding the Outcast, and killing all of the half breeds for good. Until then, the army will continue to protect us against half breeds and the oni."

Lloyd felt sick. His first class was not going well…

"Anymore questions?" Mrs. Evens asked, looking around the room. No hands raised, and so she nodded, going to her desk and taking out a pile of papers. "These are your homework assignments. Since it's the first day of school, I made it shorter then usual."

A few cheers from some of the students.

She gave the stack to someone in the front row. "Take one and pass it down," she instructed. The students started passing the sheets of paper around.

When Lloyd received his, he was dismayed. He was supposed to write an essay on half breeds. He quickly put the paper into his backpack—well, his father's backpack.

All of the students then started getting up, all chatting and heading for the door.

Lloyd nervously followed them out. Once in the hall, he grabbed his schedule sheet and glanced at it. Math was next—room 500. Lloyd started walking down the hall.

Finally, it was lunch time! Lloyd was starving. As he arrived at the cafeteria, he saw the other students lining up next to the long counter that was sitting outside of the kitchen. He found a seat in the corner of the cafeteria and sat down. Thankfully, it was devoid of people.

He took out his lunch that he had brought with him. It was an apple and some wild strawberries that his uncle and father had managed to find.

As he was eating, a loud blaring sound suddenly started ringing through the school. He heard some sort of alarm going off outside, too. The other students suddenly stood up, all of them seeming to be in a panic.

Lloyd stood up as well, confused.

"All students, report to evacuation point B," someone said over the radio.

The students in the cafeteria hurriedly rushed out into the hallway, all going in one direction. Lloyd followed them, taking his lunch with him. He saw another guy with black hair and bushy eyebrows do the same.

The students reached evacuation point B, and they all filed into a gymnasium.

Lloyd looked around in interest, noting the exit sign above a door in a far corner. He also saw some other adults already there. He noticed that the principle was one of them.

"Calm down, students!" the principle tried saying, but the students didn't hear him, all talking over one another in a panic. The principle tried a few more times to grab their attention, but finally gave up, realizing that it was hopeless.

Lloyd turned to a student next to him, who had spiky brown hair and wore a red hoodie with black jeans. "What's going on?"

The guy looked at him as if he were crazy. "What do you think?"

"Um…"

"Kai, be nice," a girl scolded him. She had short black hair that was pulled up into a ponytail, and she wore a blue shirt with a picture of a wave on it, and blue jeans. The girl turned to Lloyd. "It's an oni invasion."

"What?" Lloyd asked, face scrunching up in confusion.

"Dude, where have you been?" Kai asked, rolling his eyes. "Living under a rock?"

"No," Lloyd replied. "Why would I be living under a rock?"

Kai stared at him. "That was sarcasm."

"Oh…" Lloyd mumbled, shifting awkwardly.

The girl sighed, then smiled at Lloyd. "I'm Nya!" She held out her hand, and Lloyd cautiously shook it.

"I'm Lloyd."

"This is my brother, Kai," Nya said, pointing to said brother.

"Sup?" Kai asked.

Lloyd looked at him in confusion. "What does 'sup' mean?"

Kai and Nya stared at him again.

"It means 'what's up'," Kai explained. Then mumbled under his breath, "Sheesh, another Zane…"

Nya elbowed him, and Kai yelped in indignation.

"Hey! What gives?!" Kai asked.

Nya glared at him. "Don't be rude."

Kai rolled his eyes. "Okay, okay, sheesh…"

Lloyd glanced between the both of them, feeling lost.

"You may all return to your classes now," the principle informed them.

All of the students started filing out of the gym, talking to each other once again and acting like everything was fine now.

Lloyd, still confused, followed them out.

Finally, it was the end of school. Lloyd was exhausted. He exited the building, looking around for his mom. When he spotted her, she waved to him, and Lloyd hurried over to her.

"How was it?" Misako asked, trying to hide her worry.

Lloyd shrugged. "I guess it was fine…"

Misako frowned. "Did anyone try to hurt you? Were you discovered?"

"No, no," Lloyd said, shaking his head. "It was just… weird, I guess. During lunch, apparently there was an oni invasion."

"An oni invasion?" Misako asked, now looking concerned. "Were you hurt?"

"No, the oni didn't attack the school. They were somewhere else in the city. But remember the buildings we saw earlier, the ones that had all of those holes in them? I think… I think the oni did it."

Misako hummed in thought. "I didn't realize that the oni invasions had started up again. The oni used to attack the city yearsand years ago, and Wu and your father would usually fight them off. Without them here, I guess the oni got braver."

"Uncle Wu and Dad fought the oni?" Lloyd asked in surprise.

"Yup," Misako said, her mood lifting a bit. "If you ask them, they'll probably tell you stories about it."

Lloyd's mood was also lifting, and he was eager to ask his uncle and father about the battles they had fought.

Misako turned away from him, and Lloyd followed her.

When they neared the city wall, Misako and Lloyd easily climbed over it and then crossed the meadow. On the other side, at the tree line, Wu and Garmadon were waiting for them.

"How'd it go?" Garmadon asked.

Lloyd smiled. "Good."

"You weren't discovered?" Wu asked.

Lloyd shook his head.

"But, we may have a bigger problem," Misako said, sounding serious.

"What is it?" Garmadon asked.

"Apparently, the oni invasions started up again," Misako replied.

"The oni are attacking Ninjago City again?" Wu asked in alarm.

"Yes."

Wu and Garmadon exchanged a look.

Garmadon sighed, turning back to Misako. "Well, Wu and I can't go gallivanting off into the city to defend it again."

"I know," Misako agreed.

"I could defend it," Lloyd offered. He knew how to fight, as Garmadon and Wu had been training him since he was very little.

"No," Garmadon immediately replied, while Wu at the same time said, "Possibly."

Garmadon glared in disbelief at Wu. "Excuse me?!"

"The city needs someone to defend it," Wu explained.

"Yeah! I'll be fine!" Lloyd added.

Garmadon glanced at him, then back at Wu. "I'm not sending my son out there to go and slaughter some oni."

"He's well trained, brother," Wu argued.

"Um, I agree with Garmadon on this," Misako intervened. "I don't want my son fighting oni. He could be hurt, or worse."

"I'll be fine!" Lloyd argued, but he went unheard.

"Misako, someone needs to defend the city. Garmadon and I can't, for obvious reasons. Lloyd is the best choice," Wu said.

"Absolutely not!" Garmadon growled.

Misako frowned, knowing that Wu was right. She sighed. "How about we discuss this later?"

Garmadon and Wu exchanged another look.

"Fine," Garmadon grumbled.

Wu nodded, agreeing.

"Good," Misako said, walking away. "Then let's get home and have dinner."

Everyone brightened up at that.

Kai, Nya, Jay, Cole, and Zane met up at the back of the school.

"Hi," Jay greeted, waving. "What's up?"

"Hello, everyone!" Zane greeted jovially.

"Sup?" Kai asked.

"Hey," Cole said.

"Hi," Nya said, also waving,

"So… Nya and I met someone today," Kai started. "I think he's new here."

"Oh, the new kid?" Jay asked. "The blonde guy?"

"Yeah, yeah, him!" Kai confirmed. "Nya and I spoke to him during the oni invasion."

"Yeah, he seemed kind of… strange," Nya added.

"Strange?" Cole asked, sounding curious. "Strange how?"

"Like Zane strange," Kai replied.

"Oh," Jay said. "Like, doesn't get sarcasm or jokes, is very literal, like that?"

"Yeah!"

Zane perked up in interest.

"He didn't know what was going on, either," Nya stated. "I don't think he knew about the oni invasions."

"You think he wasn't from around here?" Cole asked.

"Maybe he's from Jamanakai?" Zane supplied.

"Or Ignacia?" Jay suggested.

Kai and Nya shook their heads.

"Definitely not from Ignacia," Nya said. "We know everyone there."

"Yeah," Kai agreed.

There was silence for a few minutes.

"Well, he's either from Jamanakai or some other village," Jay finally concluded.

"Yeah," Cole agreed, nodding.

"Let's keep an eye on him," Kai suggested.

Everyone nodded except for Jay, who gasped, saying, "Maybe he's a half breed!"

They all rolled their eyes.

"Yeah, right, Jay!" Cole scoffed, slapping him in the back of the head.

"Ow!" Jay complained. "Sheesh…"

Later that night, Lloyd lay in his bed upstairs. Well, it was more of a loft… He could hear his parents and Uncle Wu arguing down below, trying to decide if they should allow him to protect the city. He had already tried to tell them that he was fully capable of being a ninja, but none of them had even looked at him, which was frustrating. So now, he was laying up here, waiting to hear their decision.

Lloyd sighed. He wanted to defend the city. He wanted to show the people that they didn't need to be afraid of half breeds, that some of his kind were good.

Would his kind ever be accepted? Or would they remain outcasts forever, destined to live away from society and fight for their lives in the Outcast?

He also wondered if he would ever have friends. He had never had friends before. He was an only child, and the only other kid Lloyd had ever played with before had left when Wu and his father were kicked out of the city. He didn't remember the kid much, only that he had black hair and a green streak through it. He was pretty sure that the kid was close to his age. He wondered where he was now…

Lloyd sat up, realizing that he should probably get his homework done. He looked down below, off the side of the loft, and saw his parents and Wu still arguing. He wondered how he was supposed to get any work done…

Lloyd took out the sheet of paper the teacher at Social Studies had given him, reading over the instructions for the essay. He frowned, feeling depressed. How was he supposed to write an essay about half breeds? The instructions told him to write about their destructive behavior on Ninjago City. How was he supposed to do that? He knew that a lot of half breeds were destructive, but some weren't. He wondered if he could somehow write this in a way that suggested that not all half breeds were bad…