Koko had to force a pleasant smile onto her face as she walked around the school cafeteria, making sure there was no risk of a food fight breaking out. She noticed a few students pushing the food around on their plates and not eating, but she didn't blame them. No one liked school lunches, especially recently. As the teacher made her rounds, Koko frowned when she saw the pack sitting at their table. They were making a tower out of their beans and sandwiches and other bits from their lunches.

The only ones not sitting at the table were Harumi, Lloyd, and Zane.

Harumi was sat with the other cheerleaders and Koko wasn't sure where Zane was. Everyone knew that Lloyd's mother and uncle had taken Lloyd out of school for the week. They were taking him to look at a college not too far from the city. It was no secret that the blond teen was struggling to decide what to do once he finished high school. He should be back in school tomorrow. Koko hoped that the trip would help Lloyd make up his mind soon.

The sound of the group gasping as the tower nearly fell brought Koko back to reality.

Even though they looked like they were having fun, Koko couldn't allow this and approached the table.

"What are you kids doing?" She asked kindly but with stern eyes.

"Making a tower, what's it look like?" Cole replied as he poured a few more beans on top of the tower.

"OK, why?"

"You don't expect us to eat this stuff, do you?" Jay asked in disbelief. He lived in a junkyard and he had seen more edible-looking food in the piles of trash.

"They keep giving us these horrible cheap foods and they're all past their sell-by date." Kai pointed out as he held up the wrappers for their sandwiches which were indeed out of date.

"Only by a few days and we've got to save money." Koko tried to reason, but that went out the window what Zane stormed in with a face like thunder.

"They have canceled my piano lessons!" He snapped in distress and Koko sighed. All of the students knew about or more accurately been victims too, the new budget cuts the school had recently had to make thanks to the council. They have had to cancel after-school clubs like Foreign Languages, Photography, Mathletes, Robotics, Chess, and Book Club. Even a few sports clubs such as swimming and tennis had been canceled as well.

"Look me in the eyes Koko, and tell me this is fair." Morro scowled at the teacher, but Koko could say nothing to ease their anxiety and walked away. Nya gave Morro a light glare for snapping at Koko and followed the teacher into the hallway.

"Miss. Koko, wait! What's going on with all these budget cuts?" She asked and after a few moments of deliberating, Koko sighed heavily and turned to face the teen werewolf.

"The council have stopped paying for the school's after-school music lessons three months ago." She admitted, regret and sympathy clear in her eyes.

"So who's been paying for the instructors?" Nya asked, but the teacher's silence was answer enough. "You?!"

"Yes, but I can't afford to do it anymore." She replied sadly, feeling that she had let her students down.

"You shouldn't have to pay in the first place!" Nya cried in Koko's defense. "Tell the council you've cut everything you can and you're done, it's not like they can throw everyone out in the street." She laughed, but it faded to horror at the uneasy look Koko gave her.

"They're planning on moving some of the students in your grade somewhere cheaper." She said with a bit of venom in her tone at the people who made that decision.

"Where?" Nya asked, almost scared to do so.

"Granite Hills High."...

As soon as the principal learned that Koko had told a student about their situation he knew it was a matter of time before the whole knew. To get ahead of the problem, the principal called an emergency assembly and made sure that the majority of the student body attended. The moment the principal told the students about what was going to happen, everything went into chaos. Everyone had all heard what a horror house Granite Hills High was.

A few students had even attended that school, including Morro.

Granite Hills High was a boarding school on the other side of the city that was a lot cheaper than Ninjago High. It was run by very strict teachers, who treated every child like a prisoner and ran the school as if it were a prison. According to Kai the teachers would padlock any cupboards and doors only allow the grounds to be used during lunch for half an hour. There were signs around the halls showing various rules such as no dancing, no posters, no shouting, and no singing.

Most of the students at Granite Hills High were bullies and were probably in gangs.

"Granite Hills High?! They can not do that!" Pixal exclaimed to her friends after the assembly was finished.

"That's why we need to make these cuts work." Zane insisted. After his initial panic and anger about one of his favorite clubs being canceled, Zane thought more about it and realized that it wasn't the teachers' fault for these budget cuts.

"No, don't get sucked in, if they want to shut us down, they will; doesn't matter how much money we save," Morro growled, already all too familiar with the council and the system. "I've done a stretch in Granite Hills High and I'm not going back!"

"Then help us make it cheaper here, and you won't need to, neither will anyone else." Cole pleaded and the pack moved to an empty classroom to make a plan to help keep the school running and save them money. Soon Nya went out to get them some drinks and returned with the cheerleaders, jocks, and other students too. They had all heard about the pack's plan to save the school and they wanted to help. They were all doing the share of the work, except Chad.

He was sitting in the corner, giving what he said was moral support.

After roughly half an hour of brainstorming, Koko was passing the classroom and noticed the students huddling inside.

"What are you all doing?" She asked as she looked around the classroom at all her students.

"We present the results of our 'Saving Ninjago High campaign!" Harumi smiled as she held up the large, brightly painted banner she and the rest of the cheerleaders had been painting.

"What are you doing with the carpets and the curtains?" Koko asked when she saw a few kids from the chest team measuring the carpets and the curtains.

"Well, we all wear shoes, so we won't miss the carpets and you guys could get some good money for them," Jay suggested.

"We've worked out the savings for electricity and heating and based on our calculations and adjusting the savings to this chart means we will cost $29.87 a week less," Pixal explained as she showed the teacher the chart she and Zane had been working on. Koko looked over the chart and her eyes widened. She realized that if the school did follow this they would just have a building and a few tables and chairs for the cafeteria.

"That matches the Granite Hills High prices, right?" Kai asked, sounding very optimistic.

"Yes." She said slowly, suddenly reminded of the game 'Don't Break the Ice'. She didn't know how she could use her hammer of words to explain this situation. To chip away the hope the teens had been holding onto without hurting their feelings. "But... umm.. look, I can see how hard you all worked but there isn't a council in the country that would let us run a school like this; I'm sorry." She told them before handing the chart back and left the classroom.

An uncomfortable silence filled the room until Chad finally broke it.

"See, I told you it was a waste of time." He snarled before he stormed out with the rest of the jocks following him.

"Let me remind everyone how much you helped when they cart us off to Granite Hills High!" Morro shouted after him, but he didn't care if Chad heard him or not...

Lloyd and his family didn't get home until late the following night and the teen wasn't in the mood to call any of his friends. Kai had been trying to call him since school finished for the day but Lloyd sent him a text and turned his phone off. He didn't have a good reason for ghosting his friends, well, except maybe Jay for what happened with his cousin. He just wanted to be alone with his thoughts. When they had gotten to the college Misako was so excited to show Lloyd around.

He soon learned that that was where she had gotten her degree, and she wanted Lloyd to apply there.

The teen didn't have the heart to tell her that he felt more out of place at that college than a rainbow in a black and white horror movie. During the tour of the compass, Lloyd kept mostly quiet and nodded along to everything his mother or their guide said. He barely said anything on the car ride home or when they got inside. He just wished Misako and Master Wu good night and ran up to his room, throwing the college application onto the desk.

After pacing around his room for a few minutes, Lloyd turned on his computer and did some research.

He soon learned that he wasn't the only person who felt this way about college. Each year, many students across the country decide not to seek higher education after high school. A number of these students had to overcome many obstacles before deciding to attend college. Because of that, there were a few reasons why students decide not to go to college. No one in their family has gone to college, but Lloyd couldn't use that as an excuse.

Both Garmadon and Misako went to college and so did his Uncle Wu before they started traveling.

It could be that they didn't do well in high school, so they think college will be too hard. But Lloyd knew that even though he wasn't the brightest kid in school, he didn't struggle too much. Another reason was that they probably didn't know how to choose a college. But with all the help he had gotten over the last few weeks Lloyd probably knew more about how to apply to college than any of the pack. Some people might think that they won't fit in, which was a fear Lloyd did have.

If he did pick a college out of the city he could end up at one where there were no other werewolves.

Then he would be alone for the next few years of his life. Yes, he was sure his family and friends would visit, but it wasn't the same. He saw what being a lone wolf did to Morro for all those years, he didn't want to go through that as well. Another thing that Lloyd was worried about was that he couldn't afford college. He knew that with his grades he wasn't getting a scholarship like Jay, Nya, Pixal, and Zane, and he or his family weren't rich enough to pay for colleges like Cole, Harumi, and Kai.

The only one he felt might get his situation was Morro.

But because the lone wolf was in the foster care system for most of his life they might take pity on him and let him into college. That or Harumi might get her parents to bankroll him. Lloyd's attention was pulled from his research, however, when he heard knocking on his bedroom door. He closed the laptop just as Master Wu walked into the room.

"Lloyd, I'm sorry if you feel that we're pushing you into something, your mother just wants you to have a good chance at a future." The old werewolf said, but even though Lloyd nodded in understanding, the teen didn't look convinced. "This is for you; we were going to give it to you before you left for college, but you can have it now." He said and gave Lloyd a hand-crafted sign. It had Lloyd's full name with green paint and some of his favorite things all carved into the wood.

"Your mother made it to go on your door when you move into your dorm." Master Wu explained. Lloyd felt his heart sink when he heard this. He knew his mother wanted him to college and had made this for him, but Lloyd wasn't sure if he wanted to go to college or not.

"Thanks, I like it." He said instead and gave his uncle a weak smile, but Master Wu wasn't a stupid old man.

"You do want to go to college, don't you?" He asked and Lloyd started to panic.

"Yeah, course I do!"

"We probably should have waited until all this trouble with your school had died down but Misoka and I had already spoken to your guidance counselor." He explained and Lloyd swallowed nervously at this. "We thought you would be pleased."

"I am, I promise." Lloyd insisted and Master Wu sighed but wished his nephew a good night and left. Lloyd couldn't get any sleep, however. He just lay on his bed, wondering how everything started moving so fast...

Kai frowned as he failed yet again to call Lloyd. Either the blond's phone was turned off or out of battery and the brunette hoped that it was the latter. He wanted to hear what Lloyd thought about that college Misako took him to. He also wanted to get his opinion about the school's plan to send some of them to that rat hole called Granite Hills High. Nya gave him a look after he threw his phone on her bed and he shook his head. They were sat in her room and were setting up her laptop for a video call with the others.

Ray and Maya were working late that night.

But they promised their children that if one of them were chosen to go to Granite Hills High they would fight it tooth and nail. Once Nya learned that Lloyd would be a no-show she sighed in frustration and started up her laptop. A few minutes later the faces of all their friends, minus Lloyd, were on Nya's screen. They had made this video call to discuss and plan something to stop the move to Granite Hills High. Harumi was only there because Morro insisted that they include her in this meeting.

While some of them, mainly Nya, Pixal, and Lloyd, still hated her they knew it was better to have strength in numbers.

Plus with her wealth, she was more useful as a friend than a foe. The others, except Morro, didn't trust her completely but they were slowly warming up to her. Morro was the only one who trusted her completely and he promised the lead cheerleader that they would forgive her eventually.

"What are we going to do?" Cole asked after a while but no one had an answer.

"Maybe plan B?" Harumi suggested nervously. She knew that if the school did go through with their plans she could lose some of her new, real friends. It was almost guaranteed that Morro was going to be sent to Granite Hills High boarding school. Harumi had heard nothing but horror stories about that school and she couldn't stand the thought of her boyfriend or his friends going to that hell hole.

"I haven't got a plan B." Jay shrugged, ready to accept defeat.

"Neither have I, yet, but I'm not giving up till we get to at least plan F." Nya insisted, full of determination. To her, it felt like the school board was cheery picking through the students and throwing out anyone who caused them trouble. Morro, Kai, and possibly Cole and Pixal were on that list.

"Isn't Granite Hills High the place where you went to before?" Pixal asked the lone wolf in their pack.

"Yeah, and my locker was broken into at least four times! I was only there two weeks!" He snarled but the others knew him well enough to see the fear in his green eyes. Morro might not want to admit it, but he honestly felt safer with the wild pack instead of that boarding school. At least in the wild, he could use his powers to protect himself.

"Typical; uproot young people who are settled and happy just because it's cheaper somewhere else." Kai snarled at the council, the school board, and anyone else he could think to blame for their current problem.

"This is shit! I just wish we could do something about it." Cole agreed with his boyfriend.

"It's hard to make a difference on our own." Zane sighed in defeat, but some of his friends were not ready to give up just yet.

"What if we weren't on our own though? If enough people kick up a fuss, it might force the council to stop." Harumi suggested and just like that the fire of inspiration was re-lit within the young werewolf pack.

"Persuade is probably better than force," Jay said, worried about getting in trouble.

"Persuade it is, then!" Kai exclaimed with glee and was soon joined by the others. If the council thought that they could ship some of them off to Granite Hills High without a fight then they had another thing coming...

The next day, the students all gathered in a classroom to plan their protest. Their teachers had heard what they were planning and allowed them the use a classroom and hid it from the principal. When people thought of protesting, they often picture a large march, but there were lots of different ways to get your point across. Sit-ins involved peacefully occupying a public space by sitting for a designated period and were popular in schools and colleges.

Sit-ins for student rights had usually taken place outside the offices of college presidents and in high school courtyards.

A sit-in demanding academic freedom could entail students sitting in on a class they were not allowed to take. Another option was either sitting outside a principal's office or occupying a school board meeting. Silent protests could also be done as part of refusing to participate in a required activity. They could organize a protest on a specific day and include symbols of solidarity such as wearing a specific color. Walkouts were often used in schools and colleges where a group simply left at a designated time to express disapproval.

They could often lead into a rally or march.

They also could occur spontaneously or in response to some kind of event. Walkouts had a long history in the fight for student rights. Protest rallies involved people making speeches about an issue. They could invite someone to act as an emcee to lead protest chants and songs and other community members who support the issue. Rallies were often used at the beginning or end of protest marches but could be used by themselves. Rallies should be creative to bring attention to the cause.

Picketing and protest marches were similar except a picket stays in one place, like in front of a business, while marches go from one location to another.

In most places, they would have to remain on the sidewalk or any other public areas unless they had obtained a permit from the local government. Boycotts were simply a refusal to buy or use a product or participate in an activity. Boycotts could happen alongside a protest and were good to use as a last resort. Just the threat of a boycott may be enough to make the opposition back down. After much discussion, the students agreed that the best option for their protest was picketing.

Cole, Maggie, Chad, and Jay were charged with making some brightly-colored flyers, banners, and posters about the protest and putting them up around the school and nearby house.

Kai and Morro were told to go out and hand out pamphlets. Pixal and Zane were working on publicizing the protest in the school newspaper and on social media. As they were preparing for their protest, Harumi suddenly suggested something that split the group's opinion.

"It's a bad idea," Cole said first.

"It's a great idea!" Jay smiled optimistically.

"It's the only idea we've got." Nya shrugged in agreement as Kai and Morro finally returned from handing out the pamphlets.

"What idea?" The lone wolf asked.

"I'm writing an article for the school." Harumi smiled excitedly. "My parents own this newspaper and the editor said they'd print it."

"That sounds like a geek plan to me." Maggie sneered, casting a glare at the pack.

"What exactly is a geek plan?" Nya challenged the cheerleader.

"Do something crazy to get attention and make people listen; that is a geek plan." Chad laughed cruelly with Maggie.

"I say we give this plan a chance," Pixal said before a fight could break out. Everyone reluctantly calmed down and got back to work. After an hour, Cole's stomach started growling and Kai offered to go with him to get some food. The others barely glanced at the couple as they left the classroom and started looking for something to eat. The school cafeteria was likely locked at this time so they settled to grab the secret stash of cupcakes Cole kept in his locker.

As they began to make their way to Cole's locker, the pair suddenly paused.

Their enhanced sense of smell had picked up a familiar scent. They shared a look and began following the scent until they got to the ground floor. There they saw Lloyd leaving the school's guidance counselor's office.

"Lloyd! Lloyd! You'll never guess what!" Cole exclaimed as the couple rushed to the blond werewolf, startling him. "They want to send some of us away and we have to move schools!" He cried loudly and Lloyd froze at this news.

"Wait, wait... what?" He stammered and Kai gave Cole a look for freaking his best friend out.

"The council wants to close us down and send us to Granite Hills High." He explained and Lloyd went as pale as a ghost. Part of him wanted to know more, but the rest of him could only stand there in shock at this recent development. This wasn't the home he wanted to return to normal after his trip. Everything should be back to normal. Why wasn't everything back to normal like he wanted? Before Lloyd could ask any more questions, however, Jay suddenly came running up to the trio out of nowhere.

He had been looking for more paint for the banner he and Nya were working on when he saw Lloyd.

Without warning, he pulled Lloyd into a tight hug that stole his breath and probably crushed his ribs. While Lloyd was thankful that Jay didn't hate him anymore, he wished that the ginger-haired teen would release him so he could breathe. Thankfully, after a minute of squeezing the life out of his friend, Jay let him go again.

"Lloyd! Did you have a good time looking at colleges?" He asked excitedly, wanting to hear all about it.

"Y-Yeah... my Mom's found one that seems right for me; she's cleared it with the guidance counselor and everything." Lloyd stuttered as he caught his breath, but his look of worry and disappointment didn't go missing by the three other werewolves.

"Well, that's good news isn't it?" Cole asked, confused by Lloyd's downtrodden look.

"It does seem nice and I'd rather be at there than Granite Hills High." He admitted and they all shuddered at that school's name. "But I don't know; I just feel like... I don't know." He admitted, not sure how to put how he was feeling into words. He jumped slightly when Kai slung his arm over his shoulder and gave Lloyd his signature, cocky smirk.

"You've been worrying and working hard to find the right path to take after school, so you're bound to feel scared, but you know what? Sometimes it's best to just jump in." The brunette told him and Lloyd forced a smile at his unofficial brother. He knew Kai was trying to cheer him up. But Lloyd's head was still racing with fears about college, growing apart from his friends, and now this situation with Granite Hills High. Thinking that his pep talk had worked, Kai led Lloyd to the classroom the group was using as a base.

When they saw him, all of his friends greeted Lloyd and wanted to know how his week-long college tour had gone.

Lloyd just shrugged it off and said that it went fine but he wanted to know what was going on here. After the others had filled him in on everything, Lloyd offered to help in any way he could. Unfortunately, most of the stuff had been done so Lloyd quietly excused himself and left the classroom, not that anyone noticed.

"Granite Hills High can't be that bad, can it?" Harumi asked as she finished her article.

"You'd all hate it there." Morro scowled at his memories of that rat hole known as a boarding school. Everyone else shuddered and nodded in agreement. Even though none of them, except Morro, had gone to that school they had all heard what it was like. They heard that the students and some teachers sat on your backs if you got into fights. They heard that the teachers locked you in your dorm room all night. There was no way the teens were going down without a fight.

The students at Ninjago High were ready to go to war.

Did the council think they would get away with dragging the teens out? They were going to tell the world about it and the council wouldn't know what hit them. Soon Harumi had finished her article and sent it to the newspaper to post. It said that there was a reason that children and teenagers go to school. They try to provide young people with a proper, loving, and stable place to learn. Somewhere they feel safe and valued. Where the staff cared about them and they can form real emotional ties, and just have fun.

Young people in school need to feel wanted, just like anybody else.

They want to know their opinions matter. They liked a challenge. Would you throw your children out on the street because you didn't think they were worth the money? That was what the council are threatening and the students of Ninjago High were not going to take it. They were fighting back...

Koko sighed as she once again checked her watch for the third time that day. She had been waiting on hold for almost half an hour. When organizing their protest, Pixal said something about getting as much media attention as possible. When she heard this, Koko wanted to make a press release and send it to local newspapers and stations, to websites and blogs, and to other organizations that may support their message. She was trying to call the local newspapers and radio stations.

She wanted to ask them to promote the protest if she could get in contact with anyone.

The teacher knew that she needed to be prepared to talk about their issue in case she was asked for an interview. Even if people didn't come, they might be curious and research it.

"Hello? Hi, yeah! I just want to tip you off about an anti-council protest." She smiled, only to hold in an irritated sigh as the person asked her to wait and put her on hold again. Koko was getting ready to throw in the towel when she suddenly saw Lloyd walking past the staff room. "Oh, Lloyd, I've asked your mother to come in so we can sort out your college application." She told him, missing how he flinched at this. Lloyd wanted to shrug it off but Koko's sudden announcement alerted the principal, who was also walking past.

"You've finally decided to go to college?" He asked in shock and Lloyd could only nod. "That's great news!" He cheered in relief, confusing the few teachers around and Lloyd. Before anyone could comment on this or congratulate Lloyd, the high school secretary suddenly burst into the teacher's lounge with a look of worry.

"Um... sir, the protest has just started."

"What protest?!" He exploded and stormed off to the front of the school. Lloyd and the teachers followed him and were shocked to see the entire student body, other teachers, and a few parents were crowded in front of the school. They all held banners and picket signs as they chanted against the council's plans. The teachers all faded into the crowd but Lloyd stayed where he was standing. Everything felt heavy and he felt like he couldn't breathe.

He felt like he was suffocating as he was surrounded by all these people shouting, yet he couldn't hear what they were saying.

He just wanted to run as far away as possible, but he didn't know where he would go. As Lloyd started taking small, quick breaths he almost screamed and jumped out of his skin as someone grabbed his shoulder. He whipped around and saw Dareth standing behind him, oblivious to the boy's anxiety.

"Hey, Lloyd, that's fantastic news! I just heard you finally choose a college! You must be so glad." Dareth grinned as he patted the teen on the back. Before Lloyd could reply, he was suddenly surrounded by his friends, who all wanted to know more about this college. All their voices seemed to rattle in his brain and Lloyd felt like crying as his head started pounding like a drum in a marching band. His inner wolf could feel his terror. It tried to take over so Lloyd could escape and get somewhere safe, but the teen managed to force it down.

The last thing he wanted was a repeat of what happened with Unagami and for him to attack one of his friends and expose their secret.

"I HAVEN'T EVEN DECIDED IF I WANT TO GO TO COLLEGE YET!" He suddenly shouted, shutting everyone up. But only for a moment. As soon as they registered what he said, they all erupted into shouts of shock, confusion, and anger. "Stop it! I don't want to go!" He screeched as he buried his face in his hands and looked like he was about to curl into a ball and start crying. Seeing this, Koko narrowed her eyes and got in between the group and Lloyd.

"Hey, hey, easy, guys! It's not up to you." She glared at her students, trying to push them back to give Lloyd some breathing space.

"Uh, guys, why is Nya up on the roof?" Pixal suddenly asked and everyone looked up to see Nya standing on the edge of the school's roof with a megaphone. As soon as he noticed her, the principal saw red and ran back into the school to get to the roof.

"Help us save Ninjago High! Don't let the council shut us down!" She shouted into the megaphone for everyone to hear. "Don't let the council close us down! Save our school! Stop the council from closing us down!"

"Nya! Come down from there!" The principal shouted as he tried to open the door to the roof, only to find that she had barricaded it with some chairs she had taken from a classroom. Nya ignored him and continued shouting out to the city.

"Save Ninjago High! Don't let the council close us down! Our young people add up to more than the bottom line on a budget sheet!"

"What is she doing?!" Cole exclaimed as they all watched her from the ground.

"Milking it, and it's working," Morro smirked as he saw news vans start to pull into the school's parking lot and whole news crews started pouring out. The cameramen all turned on their cameras and started filming Nya's rants. Some started taking pictures with their flash on and the sudden bright lights were doing nothing to help Lloyd's anxiety.

"Don't let the council sell our young people out! I am not moving until they cancel the budget cuts! Don't let the council freeze us out!"

"Nya! Of all the stupid, irresponsible things you and your friends have done this tops the list!" The principal grunted as he started ramming his shoulder into the door to get it to open, but it did nothing. It opened the door a little bit, but the principle was far too big to fit through that small gap. "I mean, what kind of example do you think you're setting?!"

"If we don't do something, we won't have anyone to set an example for!" She snapped at him.

"You being on the roof is not going to help!"

"It will." She promised and looked down at the crowd. She could see some of the teachers trying to get the press to leave the school while Koko was busy talking to a reporter. She could see her brother and a few of their friends also talking with the press, but she couldn't see Lloyd anywhere. Upon hearing the growing chaos on the ground, the principal sent Nya one last withering look through to a small opening and ran back downstairs.

"This latest round of cuts means that Ninjago High will have to kick out several of their students who have been here for years," Koko told a reporter called Gayle Gossip, but before the teacher felt a tap on her shoulder and she turned to see Lloyd's mother standing there. That was when she remember that Misako was coming in to meet with Lloyd and the school about his college application. Koko felt like hitting herself for forgetting something so important like that.

"Hi, Mrs. Garmadon, sorry, it's a bit crazy around here today."

"I can see that." Misako frowned as she looked at all the chaos. "I can't bear the thought of Lloyd being in the middle of this, why don't I just take him home and I'll bring him back when things have calmed down?" She suggested, concern evident in her face and tone. Even deep within the crowd and through all the noise Lloyd heard her. His heart suddenly began racing and his throat went dry. Without warning and without Misako seeing him, he turned and bolted into the school for cover.

He was passed by the enraged principal, who barely gave him a second glance.

Lloyd looked at the stairs he had come down and his inner wolf invaded his mind with only one thing; escape. With that in his mind, Lloyd ran up the stairs. Back outside, Misako and Koko were looking for Lloyd but they couldn't find him. Misako tried to sniff him out, but with all these people crowding the area she couldn't pick up his scent.

"Miss. Koko! This ends now!" A man suddenly shouted and Koko looked over to see a man in a tight, very official-looking suit. The teacher smiled when she recognized the badge he wore.

"At last, there's someone from the council! Come with me!" She smiled at Gayle Gossip and her crew and they all walked over to the man from the council. "I've got some people who would love to ask you a few questions about the funding for Ninjago High." She told him, but the man kept saying no comment and tried to talk to Koko and the principal. Back on the roof, Nya had a triumphant smile on her face as she watched the man from the council get swarmed by the press.

She hoped that this pushed the council to cut the budget cuts.

The noirette was so busy imagining their victory that she failed to notice a panic-stricken Lloyd almost running into the door. Thanks to his small size he was able to squeeze through the gap and as soon as he was on the roof, he ran to the edge. He was standing thirty feet from Nya's left and she was surprised to see him there. She wasn't the only one. On the ground, everyone noticed that Nya wasn't alone and Misako almost screamed when she saw her son standing on the edge.

"Lloyd! What's wrong?" She asked, only to pale when she saw his scared, yellow eyes. Thankfully they were high enough that no one from the ground would see his eyes. "What are you doing? Go back inside!"

"My Mom's here, she's come to take me away." He gasped desperately as he precariously balanced on the edge of the roof. Nya wanted to grab him and pull him away from the edge, but she was scared that any sudden movements would make him fall and she was too far away to lunge to catch him. Nya knew that she had no choice but to try and talk to him and convince him to move away from the edge and calm down.

"Look, let's just go back inside and we can talk about it? Please! It's not safe up here!" She exclaimed in desperate fear. Her sudden shout caused Lloyd to jump slightly in fright and he almost fell off the roof.

"Lloyd! Please, get back in off the roof!" Koko shouted to him.

"No one will listen to me." He muttered, staring at Nya but nothing all the same.

"I'm listening, talk to me." She reassured him, cautiously looking at his feet, so scared that he would fall.

"I keep getting things wrong, I don't belong there, I don't belong anywhere anymore." He ranted as anger tears started falling from his eyes.

"Lloyd, please! Get off the roof now!" Misako screeched in panic, but this made Lloyd even more distressed.

"I'm scared that I'll ruin things for everyone! I already ruined Jay's family reunion!" The blond-haired teen sobbed loudly.

"We all know that you didn't mean for that to happen! It's just moving too fast for you, Lloyd, that's all; but we can help that! We can slow things down for you." Nya replied, desperately praying for him to get away from the edge. "Lloyd, look at me." She said and after a moment, he did. "Everyone is on your side, we're here to help; now, let's go back inside, OK?" She asked softly and he reluctantly nodded. Lloyd turned to step away from the edge, but at that moment he lost his balance and fell off the roof.

Nya and everyone else could only watch in mute horror as Lloyd fell off a three-story building.

It wasn't a smooth fall either. First, he hit an open window, breaking the glass. Then he fell into an oak tree growing next to the building and he hit a few branches. Finally, he hit one of the news vans and bounced off it to hit the ground with a loud, heavy thump. Everything was silent for a few seconds before everyone started screaming. People were gathering around him, horrified and concerned, but seemingly not brave enough to approach fully.

The news crew lifted their cameras over everyone's heads and started snapping pictures of the injured boy.

The only ones who did approach crouch next to him were Misako, Kai, and Koko. Misako looked ready to cry, Kai was frighteningly pale, and Koko was checking the blond teen over. Lloyd was unconscious and his body wasn't moving. He was covered in tiny cuts from broken glass and falling through the tree. There was not a lot of blood. Only a little bit from a small cut on his forehead. There were no big injuries as far as anyone could see, but his arm was bent at an unnatural shape.

Koko immediately started looking for a pulse or any signs of life.

At first, she didn't find one, which scared everyone, but then she found it. It was a bit erratic, but it was there and he was breathing. It was shallow, but it was better than nothing. This meant that he was not dead yet. Koko then sat up and started to scan the crowd. Her eyes landed on Cole, who had pulled out his phone and was talking to someone. She quickly realized that he had been calling for an ambulance. She also saw Nya trying to push her way through the crowd to Lloyd, but everyone was too shocked to move for her.

Koko could see the fear and guilt in the noirette's face.

But at that very moment, she couldn't bring herself to care about Nya's feelings or how she managed the get down from the roof so quickly. All around them, people were talking about what had happened. Some were saying Lloyd had jumped and that it had been a suicide attempt. Others were saying that it was an accident and that he had slipped while others were saying that Nya might have pushed him. Koko wasn't sure what to believe at the moment, more concerned about Lloyd's wellbeing than the rumors.

The fact Lloyd was still alive was nothing short of a miracle.

It wasn't a quick fall after all. However, even though Lloyd was still breathing and still had a pulse, a fall like that could have devastating effects. But there would be no telling what would happen until they could get him to a hospital and a doctor. Soon, the ambulance arrived and the staff immediately got to work. Students started clearing the way and heading back into the school. Undoubtedly, the news of what had just happened would soon spread throughout the campus.

When the ambulance prepared to leave, Misako got up to go with her son.

Nya suddenly burst through the crowd and ran to the mother and son before anyone could stop her.

"Should I go with him?" She asked, scared for her friend, but she was unprepared for Misako's enraged look.

"I think you've done enough already." She snarled and behind her glasses, Nya could see her eyes flash a dangerous yellow, and just barely hidden under her scarf were the veins in her neck starting to darken. Without another word, Misako climbed into the ambulance and the paramedics slammed the doors shut. Nya watched as the ambulance started to drive away until she felt a hand on her shoulder and saw Kai giving her a sympathetic look.

He said nothing and pulled his sister into a hug and let her sob into his shoulder...

The entire school was devastated. Lloyd had fallen off the roof and was rushed off to the hospital with who knows what kind of injuries. After Lloyd was taken to hospital, the school was crawling with police, searching for answers as to what. After they had spoken with her, all Nya could do was sit on a rock and silently cry. Nya knew that it was her fault that Lloyd was on the roof and she knew the image of his broken body would be burned in her mind forever.

The principal ordered all the students and teachers to return to their classes, but no one felt like learning.

They were all too worried about Lloyd. Zane assured his friends that his father was treating Lloyd and that their friend was in the best hands. The news crews were still hanging around, but this time they were far from welcome. Reporters kept demanding to speak to either the students or a teacher and photographers were looking into the windows. Whenever they saw a classroom with people in it they started snapping as many pictures as they could.

Cole growled that they were vultures as he and Morro returned from chasing another photographer away.

No one had any idea why the police hadn't told the news crews to leave yet. After almost half an hour of waiting in silence, the principal's voice suddenly came over the loudspeaker. He told everyone to come to the gym for an announcement. All the students did and they arrived to see the principal waiting for them with an official-looking lady beside him. She had cold blue eyes and brown hair tied in a bun so tight that it looked like her scalp was barely hanging on.

She wore a black, tight, long-sleeved shirt, a light blue, tall skirt, and red-framed glasses.

She also wore a pair of high-heeled boots. The principal waited until everyone was seated before he addressed the teens.

"Listen up, please!" He called and everyone fell silent. "This is-"

"I'll take it from here, thanks." She interrupted him and turned to the crowd of students. "I'm Nancy Kirby and I've been sent by the council; we're launching a full investigation into how this accident happened and whilst that's in progress, the relocation plan will proceed, and some of you will all be placed elsewhere." She explained and was immediately met with angry and confused shouts, but raised her hand to stop them. "The decision has been taken, and it's final."

"So when do we have to go?" Cole growled.

"Your parents are on their way to meet with the principal."

"Miss. Koko, do something, please." Jay pleaded with the teacher who always stood by them. But she only gave him a defeated look.

"I'm sorry, Jay."

"Miss. Koko no longer works here pending the outcome of our investigation." Nancy scowled at the ginger-haired teen, shocking everybody.

"Look, it was my idea to do the protest!" Nya cried out in shame and anger. "I organized everything and I got the TV people!"

"You must be very proud." Nancy sneered angrily at her, but Nya knew that lashing out would only lead to more trouble.

"Look, if anyone's going to get in trouble, it should be me."

"Frankly, you're probably right, but unfortunately for Miss. Koko, it doesn't work that way." Nancy replied, casting one last glare at everyone before leaving.

"But it wasn't her fault!" Nya shouted as she tried to chase after her, only to be restrained by her brother and her boyfriend. "What happened was my responsibility, all right?!"

"Let's just let the process take its course," Koko reassured her, but she didn't look as hopeful as she sound. All the students were dismissed and within the hour, everyone's parents and guardians had arrived to collect their children. There was one problem, however. With the exception of Nya, Harumi, and Pixal, the pack's parents couldn't find them anywhere. As they all panicked and tried to find their sons, the boys were hiding in the basement of the school.

Cole and Morro had barricaded the door and they were refusing to give up.

"You think that's going to work?" Jay asked nervously, scared of getting into even more trouble.

"You got any better ideas?" Kai asked the group, but no one answered. "No? Then shut up! We're going to stay down here until they agree to keep this place open or they break the door down and drag us all out."

"Come on, guys, open up." Morro's foster father pleaded as he banged his fist on the door. Instead of responding, the boys pushed a sheet of paper under the door. Ed picked it up and it was essentially a ransom note. They were refusing to come out until the budget cuts were stopped and no one would be sent to Granite Hills High.

"They'll come out when they're hungry," Maya reassured her friends as her husband rubbed her back to help calm her down.

"You may have time on your hands, but some of us have got work to do." Nancy huffed impatiently.

"Don't you dare talk to my wife like that!" Ray snapped, causing the woman to jump back. Nevertheless, she still threaten that if the boys didn't come out within ten minutes she would call the police to drag them out. Upon hearing this, Harumi rushed off to try and find the only person she could think of that could talk some sense into them. She searched until she eventually found Nya hiding in a nearby woman's restroom.

"They won't listen! Can you please help talk some sense into your brother?" She pleaded, but Nya barely gave her a glance. "Nya, this is going to end badly." She added and that caught Nya's attention. She had already gotten Lloyd hurt and she might have gotten Koko fired, the last thing she wanted was for her pack to get in trouble as well. After splashing some water on her face, Nya followed Harumi to the basement door. Their families were still there, trying to convince Nancy not to call the police.

Harumi quickly snatched her phone away and Nya knocked on the door.

"Boys! Open the door, it's me."

"No tricks?" Zane asked awkwardly, not used to this type of situation. After promising them that it was just her, the boys opened the door, let Nya in, and slammed the door shut before anyone else could barge in.

"She's going to call the police, we can't win this one." She told them, but she could see that they were determined to see this through. "Look, they're going to shut us down, and there's nothing we can do to stop it; so you can either be dragged out of here, kicking and screaming or we control how it happens, so we can go out of here with a bit of dignity, with our heads held high because I don't know about you, but I want to show them that they don't own me, even though they think they do."

Back upstairs, Nancy had finally managed to get her phone back from Harumi.

She was about to call the police when the door to the basement was suddenly opened. Everyone watched as the pack left the basement. They knew how to pick their fights, and this was not one they could win. They allowed their parents to take them home without a fight...

Misako wanted to stay by Lloyd's bedside but Dr. Julien told her that she needed to stay in the waiting room. As soon as Zane told him what had happened, he drove to the hospital and forbid any other doctor to work on the werewolf for obvious reasons. Misako growled irritably as she paced around the hospital waiting room. It was mostly empty except for two other people, but they didn't bother her. She had called Master Wu to let him know the situation.

When he suggested going to the hospital she dismissed this and said she would call him if there was any news.

The old man reluctantly accepted this and wished Lloyd the best before hanging up. She also received texts from Lloyd's friends and their parents, asking how Lloyd was doing, but she couldn't bring herself to answer any of them. Eventually, a nurse gave her some more information about Lloyd's condition, how long he would need to stay, and what tests needed to be done. She informed her his memory might be affected a little bit from the fall, but that hopefully it would all come back over time.

She also let Misako know some directions for what they needed to think about regarding Lloyd's recovery once he was discharged.

A while later, Dr. Julien approached her and she was finally permitted to go see her son. Without saying anything, Misako bolted from the room and ran to the ward where her son was supposed to be, only to freeze in the doorway. Lloyd was lying in a hospital bed with a tube up his nose and casts on his right arm and left leg. She was relieved that Lloyd seemed to be recovering, but every time she closed her eyes, she was back at the school, her little boy's lifeless body laying on the ground.

Misako shuddered at the memory and tried to banish it from her mind.

She sat beside his hospital bed, absentmindedly squeezing his hand as she texted Master Wu everything the nurse had told her. She was about to go get something to drink when a soft groan shattered the swallowing silence as if it was spun glass. It immediately held every ounce of her attention as she scrambled to her feet and closer to Lloyd's side, daring to feel hope as it blossomed in her chest. Lloyd's face was scrunched, and then he blinked open his eyes.

He looked around the room in a sleepy daze for a moment before his eyes finally found his mother.

It took a moment before there was a flash of recognition in his emerald orbs and he remembered everything that had happened at the school. He looked back at his mothers with tears quickly welling up in his eyes.

"Oh, Lloyd." Misako sniffed as her tears fell from her eyes and she kissed his hand.

"I'm sorry, Mom." He croaked out as he stared at her with half-closed eyes.

"You're OK, that's all that matters."

"I didn't know what else to do." He admitted weakly as he closed his eyes, too tired and sore to keep them open. "I hope nobody got in trouble." He muttered before falling back asleep. His mother could only bite her lip and look to the floor not sure what she was going to tell him when he woke up...

NEXT CHAPTER: Skylor must try to stop further rebellion within the pack...