Morro and Lloyd chuckled and talked as they headed to Morro's foster parents' home. Ever since Lloyd had his breakdown during the school protest, his friends had been working hard to help him relax. They made sure that Lloyd knew that they would always be there for him and help him when he needed it. The only plan they had right now was to just keep doing what they had been doing. If he didn't have lunch, they had all pitch in. If he needed help with schoolwork, Zane and Jay were on it.
They had also invited him to over a dozen sleepovers, mainly when Misako was being a little too pushy again.
They had arranged for Lloyd to stay over at Morro's next week and they were coming to confirm it with the Dobsons. While the blond teen wasn't looking forward to a vegetarian dinner there were no other options. Cole's father didn't like Cole having friends stay over, saying that the apartment was too small. There was little to no space at the junkyard with Jay. Kai and Nya's parents also said no because they would be out of town again and they weren't comfortable with people in the home due to recent events.
Zane was also out of town with his father to a university to give some medical school students a talk.
That left only Morro but Lloyd was fine with that, even if that meant a night of nothing but veggies. Nya also said that she would call over later since there was an upcoming geography test coming up and the trio were planning on studying together. As the boys approached the house, however, it became clear to the two werewolves that something was wrong. They could hear shouting and screaming coming from inside. They could make out the voices of the Dobsons, Nelson, and a stranger.
Fearing the worst, the pair ran into the house and were shocked by the scene they entered too.
Nelson was sitting at the bottom of the stairs laughing as the Dobsons desperately chased a young girl around the age of fourteen in the living room. Neither Lloyd nor Morro had ever seen this girl before, but they were relieved that no one seemed to be in danger. The girl wore black lipstick and had short, dark red hair that was swept to one side on the front. Her hair had a few black streaks. She wore a black shirt with a white lightning bolt symbol, a tan jacket with a red X on the right side on it, short blue shorts with black stockings underneath, and maroon boots with black shoelaces.
The girl was covered in filth and she smelled horrible.
It was like someone had set fire to a pile of garbage in the two werewolves' noses.
"Who's this?" The lone wolf frowned in confusion, trying not to gag.
"She's our new roommate." Nelson chuckled as Morro's face dropped in shock at this new development. By now the Dobsons had given trying to grab the girl so they let Nelson lead her upstairs to show her their bedrooms and they tried to clean up the mess. Lloyd just followed Morro around as he demanded answers from the tired couple, not sure what to say or whether he should get involved. Morro hadn't been told by his social worker or his foster parents about this new addition.
But he shouldn't be too surprised since the Dobsons were known for taking in emergency foster children, mostly before he came along.
On approval, the fostering service would decide how many children the adults were approved for, what age, sex, and category of approval. There were times when the fostering service may ask them to take a child or young person outside of their approval range if it is felt this would meet the child's needs. When this happens the fostering service can vary approval for a short time. This was either to allow for longer-term plans to be made or for a review of approval as a foster carer to be done so that approval status could be changed to accommodate the child for a longer period.
There were some exemptions to this, however.
The usual fostering limit was three, so nobody may foster more than three children. That is unless the foster children were all siblings. The local authority within whose area of the foster carer lives exempts the carer from the usual fostering limit to specific placements. In considering whether to exempt a person from the usual fostering limit, the local authority must consider several things first. This could be the number of children whom the person proposes to foster.
The arrangements which the person proposes for the care and accommodation of the fostered children.
The intended and likely relationship between the person and the fostered children. The period for which they propose to foster the children. Whether the welfare of the fostered children and any other children who are or will be living in the accommodation will be safeguarded and protected. But what shocked Morro was that they didn't speak to him or Nelson about this. Both their social workers were supposed to talk to the boys about this new change.
Then they had to assess whether the new child would work out with two other foster children.
They had failed to do that with Clancee and it was lucky no one was seriously injured. Now, Morro and Nelson weren't that bothered by a new foster sibling, but it would have been nice to be informed. The lone wolf made his displeasure known to the two vegetarians.
"I go out with my friends, come back, suddenly, we've got this new roommate you didn't even ask about!" He snarled as the couple rushed around frantically.
"Sorry, Morro, there wasn't time to talk to you and Nelson, and it should only be temporary." His foster father promised as he locked up the files, but this didn't sit right with Morro.
"Yeah, well, where's Lloyd going to sleep next week?"
"Hopefully, where he always does." His foster mother smiled as she took their newest foster child's bags upstairs, but he wasn't convinced.
"Not if the new girl's here!"
"Her name's Antonia, and she might be gone soon." Mr. Dobson replied and he started making some veggie sandwiches for their foster children and Lloyd.
"And what if she's not?"
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, but right now Antonia has to be in the spare room, Morro." Mr. Dobson said, but when he saw that Morro was still upset, he sighed and stopped what he was doing, and turned to the teen. "Listen, Antonia has had a rough time, so she needs to spend time with someone kind and as we all know, Morro, you're the best man for this job." He said with the biggest smile on his face.
"Do you think I'd fall that?" He scoffed.
"Hope so, because it's all I've got." Mr. Dobson sighed and turned to finish the sandwiches, signally the conversation was over...
When Nya arrived at the Dodson family's house that afternoon, she was surprised to find Lloyd and Morro standing on the front sidewalk, both of them looking ready to throw up. She was about to ask what was wrong when she was suddenly hit by a wave of the most disgusting smell she had ever picked up. It was like the combination of baby poo, sewers on a hot day, bad breath, wet dog, farts, human sweat, rotten food, smoking, smelly feet, and the juice at the bottom of a bin.
It was by far the worst thing she had ever smelt.
Not even Skylor hat smelled this badly when they first met her and she had spent her entire life in the forest without so much as a toothbrush. Betweens her loud gags, she demanded to know what was going on. Morro explained that his foster parents had taken in another kid who didn't seem to understand hygiene. After Lloyd pointed out that they couldn't stay out here all day and that it might rain soon, Morro growled and they headed back inside.
They would go to Morro's room and open his window as far as they could.
Holding their breaths, they passed by Mr. Dobson and Nelson who were both spraying the living room with air fresheners. They didn't know where Mrs. Dobson or Antonia was but they quickly got their answer when they reached Morro's bedroom door and they realized that was where the smell was strongest. They peaked in and Morro scowled when he saw Antonia was in there, looking through all his belongings as Mrs. Dobson gently tried to get her out.
"I've never seen so much stuff! It's like a store in here!" Antonia grinned as she rummaged through all of Morro's things.
"Put them back, Antonia." Mrs. Dobson gently chastised as she took Morro's belongings from the filth girl. "You can't borrow Morro's things without asking first." She added as she put them away, but Antonia looked irritated by this.
"She can't borrow them at all." Morro suddenly growled as he burst into the room. Nya and Lloyd followed him in. Lloyd had to hold his nose to stop from throwing up but Nya seemed unfazed by the smell. She lived with Kai, who could only be described as one of the laziest slobs she knew. She pitied anyone who caught sight or smell of his bedroom. When Morro said that to her, Antonia turned and scowled at him.
"Why not?" She frowned, but then she noticed the way Lloyd was holding his nose and this angered her. "Hey! There's nothing wrong with the way I smell!" She shouted as she took an angry step towards the three werewolves. As she got closer, her smell go stronger and they had to take a step back. Even Nya's face grew noticeably greener, but she still said nothing.
"Yeah, nothing that a bath wouldn't put right," Lloyd grunted lowly but this just angered the girl even more. Antonia looked like she was about the lunge at the pair before Mrs. Dobson suddenly grabbed her and lead the girl down to the bathroom. She knew Morro and Lloyd were right, but she wouldn't have put it so bluntly. It took a few minutes, but she managed to get Antonia into the bathroom and lock the door. Seeing that his room was now contaminated, Morro suggested they did their studying down in the kitchen.
The boys left and Nya said she would join them in a minute, staring at the bathroom door.
As soon as Mrs. Dobson let her go, Antonia suddenly squeezed herself into the small space between the toilet and the wall. Mrs. Dobson said nothing as she began to run the bath. She added as much bubble bath and some sweet-smelling bath soaks as she could. She wanted to get all the muck and smell off of the red-haired girl, but she also wanted Antonia to feel relaxed. After a few minutes, the bath was half full, and after Mrs. Dobson tested the water to make sure it was the right temperature she gave the girl a kind smile.
"See? It's nice and warm."
"I don't care if it's melted chocolate, I'm not going in!" Antonia snarled as she stayed in the corner.
"But, sweetie, you need to wash, I'll even wash you with a flannel by the sink." She offered and even grabbed the soap and flannel to show that she was serious.
"I'm not a baby! Don't try and make me get in!" She shouted and put her hands up as if she was about to enter a boxing match.
"No one's going to make you do anything, but, sweetie, you've got to wash." She tried to explain, but it fell on deaf ears.
"Leave me alone! I wanna go home!" Antonia screeched as she dove for the door, but Mrs. Dobson blocked the way. From outside, Nya had her ear to the door, listening in on what was happening in that bathroom. As she listened to the pair go and back and forth, she decided that she had had enough and ran downstairs with an idea in mind. As she passed the living room, she saw the men of the house and Lloyd trying to come up with their solutions.
"Why don't you take her outside and turn the hose on her?" Nelson suggested, but none of them agreed to that plan. Nya rolled her eyes and ran into the kitchen. She made a beeline for the pantry and sighed when she saw nothing but vegan food, fruits, and vegetables in the pantry. This might be her inner wolf talking, but Nya just couldn't understand how anyone, human or not, could live their entire lives not eating meat. She knew it was probably healthier, but Nya couldn't live on sweet corn.
After rummaging through all the plant-based foods, Nya eventually found what she was looking for.
She grabbed the box and ran back upstairs to the bathroom. As she reached the top of the stairs, there was a sudden splash and cry of shock.
"See? You don't like it, so don't try and make me!" Antonia screamed and the door opened and Mrs. Dobson came stumbling out into the hallway. She was completely soaked and was stunned by the shock.
"I, er, I think I lost the first round." She coughed when she saw Nya staring.
"I'm on it." The noirette smiled and she ran into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her. She saw Antonia was still curled up in the corner, holding up the toilet brush as a weapon to defend herself. Half of the water was now out of the bath and flooding the bathroom fall. Be careful not to slip, Nya walked over to the bath and began to pour the contents of the box into the remaining water.
"I'm not getting in." Antonia snarled at her back.
"I'm not asking you to," Nya replied casually, not looking up from her task. After a few seconds, Antonia's curiosity won out and she cautiously walked over to look in the bath. Whatever that powder was, it had mixed into the remaining bath water and had become a thick, pale purple, glittery, lavender smelling slush.
"What is it?" She asked as she examined the slush.
"Bath jelly." She replied with a smile. When they were growing up, Kai was and still is, terrified of water. He hated bath times and would practically turn into a ninja with all the hiding and sneaking around he did when he heard Maya gathering the dreaded bath times. Eventually, Ray had had enough and after talking it over with Maya, they bought some bath jelly for Kai to use. When Kai tried to refuse, they reassured him that it wasn't water and he was safe.
It took three years of using the bath jelly before Kai finally calmed down enough to start using water and taking showers.
"What's it for?" Antonia asked as Nya finished emptying the box.
"Squidging about in."
"Prove it," Antonia smirked, thinking that the teen was trying to trick her. Nya looked from the girl to the bath and sighed. She took off her jacket, shoes, and socks, and slowly climbed into the bathtub. She fidgeted around the tub until she was hip-deep in bath jelly. Antonia laughed at the awkward smile on Nya's face and the werewolf smiled at this.
"You going to give it a try?" She asked as she held up a handful of jelly. Antonia's laughter ground to a halt and she backed away in fear. "Jelly's not the same as water," Nya reassured her and after thinking it over, Antonia slowly climbed into the bathtub and sank into the bath jelly. She ran her hands through the jelly and giggled at the feeling against her skin. All of a sudden, a mischievous smirk spread against the young girl's face as she scooped up a handful and threw it at Nya.
It splattered against her chest and up her neck.
She gasped in shock but was quickly laughing and retaliated by splatting Antonia in the shoulder. The bathroom was filled with waves of laughter and splatting noises. From the hallway, the Dobsons were listening in and smiled at the laughter.
"Sounds like Nya's worked some of her magic." He whispered to his wife and they left to give the girls some privacy. Back in the bathroom, things had finally calmed down. Most of the bath jelly now caked the walls and floors and Nya made a mental note to clean it up later. Nya was standing in front of the sink and Antonia was still in the bath. Like the walls and floors, both of the girls were also covered in bath jelly and were cleaning themselves up.
Antonia was still dressed and she still had some muck on her face and in her hair, but at least her scent was tolerable now.
"Can I take this home with me?" The red-haired girl asked as she held up the washcloth she had been wiping herself with.
"Of course, you can." Nya smiled as she tried to wipe the jelly out of her hair and clothes.
"It won't hurt so much as a scrubbing brush." She commented and Nya froze.
"Your Mom uses a scrubbing brush on you?"
"Only when the social worker's coming round." Antonia shrugged, not noticing Nya's worry.
"Is that why you don't like baths?" She asked the younger girl.
"No, it's the water, I can't breathe when they hold me under." She replied casually, and Nya felt she was going to throw up, her insides freezing, and the need to punch something all at once.
"Who holds you under?" She asked after a moment, hoping Antonia didn't catch the concern in her tone. Thankfully, it appeared that she hadn't.
"Whoever's angry with me." She replied with a bored shrug and went back to wiping the jelly off herself. Nya stared at her for a minute, but she didn't want Antonia to feel uncomfortable so she returned her gaze to her reflection. Unfortunately, the werewolf couldn't take the silence so she excused herself and left to find the Dobsons. She found them in Antonia's new room, unpacking the girl's stuff for her. They couldn't help but laugh at the clumps of bath jelly in her hair.
"Slimed by bath jelly." She admitted to the couple.
"Ah, so that's how you got her in the bath." Mrs. Dobson chuckled.
"Yeah, now I can't get her out." Nya sighed as she picked at a small clump of jelly. "Do you mind if I shower in your bathroom?"
"Go and shower away my official bath-time genius." Mrs. Dobson smiled as she left to go and get Antonia out of the bathroom. Nya was about to leave, but she stopped at the door and turned to Mr. Dobson.
"Um, hey, why was Antonia brought here?" She asked, fearing that she wouldn't like the answer.
"Her mother and brothers assaulted a neighbor and the trial is tomorrow, and her social worker thought it would be safer to get her out of there; why?" He asked after he noticed how uncomfortable the teen was.
"I... I thought it might be because she was being abused." She admitted and in a second his demeanor went from curious concern to full attention.
"What did she say?"
"I'll write it all out for you when I'm clean." She promised. "We were just chatting, but she gave away more than she realized."
"Poor kid, Morro and Nelson will settle her in."
"I don't know, Morro's still pretty angry," Nya replied, knowing first hand how stubborn Morro could be.
"It won't last, he's a big softy." He reassured her and Nya left to get cleaned up, hoping that he was right...
The next day at school, Morro was almost falling asleep in his lunch. The smell Antonia had left in his room got even worse when he had to sleep in there. Because there was no room, Lloyd had to go back home and reassured the Dobsons that it was fine. What wasn't fine, however, was the fact that Morro couldn't get any sleep that night with gagging. He tried plugging up his nose and breathing through his mouth, but the smell was so strong he could practically smell it.
He even threw up once during the night because of the smell.
After a long battle, Morro eventually surrendered to the stench and went to sleep on the couch downstairs. It was for nothing though, as it was five in the morning by then and he would have to get up and get ready in a couple of hours anyway. Things only got worse at breakfast. As they all ate their breakfast, Antonia came stumbling down the stairs and snatched some toast off of Morro's plate in front of everyone. She then took out a bottle of orange juice and drank it from the bottle as she marched back up to her room.
Morro looked to the Dobsons, but they refused to punish her.
They said that she had had a bad time and she just needed to settle in. Morro growled but didn't argue and left to get ready for school. He thought he could escape in school, but this was quickly proven wrong. Since she was fourteen Antonia was a freshman and her social worker moved her to Ninjago High. When his friends show how tired he was they asked what was wrong and Morro explained it. He got mixed reactions. Cole and Jay couldn't help but laugh at the situation.
Kai was sympathetic, saying that living with a teenage girl is never easy, and this got a kick under the table from Nya.
Zane told Morro to try and see things from Antonia's perspective. Harumi disagreed with Zane. She said that Antonia clearly didn't understand boundaries and if the Dobsons weren't going to do it, Morro would have to step up and put Antonia in her place. Nya argued with her, telling them that Antonia had had a rough time and she needed care, not anger. Pixal, however, reminded them all that despite their upbringing every child needed to know the difference between right and wrong.
As they continued to talk about the situation, Antonia suddenly approached their lunch table, tried to strike up a conversation with the pack.
"What you doing?"
"Is that my jacket?" Morro scowled when he saw what she was wearing. It was his favorite Winter jacket, and he wouldn't have been that concerned if he didn't know that he had put that specific jacket in his locker. That meant that Antonia must have broken into his locker to take it and who knows what else she stole from him.
"I was cold, and I saw you put this jacket in your locker." She shrugged, basically admitting that she broke into his locker to steal the jacket, and then she suddenly snatched a notepad Zane was using for his class notes while he was busy writing on it and started flicking through it. Morro saw red and took the notepad, handed it back to Zane, and gripped the sleeve of his jacket.
"Take it off! Now!" He ordered, but Antonia scoffed and pulled her arm out of his grip.
"Why? You're not wearing it." She hissed and the others noticed his veins on his darkening. Morro sensed this too so he buried his hands into his pockets and took a deep breath to try and calm down.
"You can't just take people's clothes!" He shouted and tried to pull the jacket off her. Antonia jumped back and they started chasing each other around the cafeteria, knocking into other students and tables.
"HEY! WATCH WHERE YOU GOING FREAKS!" Chad shouted as they knocked into him and sent the floor spilling all over the floor. They continued running around until Antonia ran out of breath and Morro had her corner.
"Take it off, or I'll make you!" He warned with a threatening growl.
"So make me." She mocked and before anyone could think, a fight had broken out between the pair. Morro launched a flying punch at Antonia. The red-haired girl dodged, and Morro ended up punching the wall instead. He cursed loudly and clutched his injured hand to his chest. Antonia took this opportunity to launch a flurry of punches at Morro, but the lone wolf blocked them with his free fist. They continue their clash, involving punches, kicks, and body slams.
The pack looked on in worry.
If Morro got too angry, he could lose control of himself and he could wolf out and seriously hurt Antonia. But they didn't know how to stop the fighting and get Morro to calm down with Antonia egging him on and the entire cafeteria watching the battle. They had no choice but to watch the fighting become more violent. Morro was lunging towards Antonia repeatedly, but the red-haired girl dodged each time. All of a sudden, someone grabbed Antonia's shoulder and she looked up to see Chad grinning at her.
He was getting sick of Morro and Antonia interrupting his lunch and then ruining his food so he decided to put a stop to it.
"Antonia, have you seen our game's room?" He asked in a sickly sweet tone that made anyone who knew him shudder in disgust and concern.
"Didn't know you had one." She hummed curiously and Chad's grin grew slightly.
"Of course we do! Do you want to go see it?" He offered and when she nodded, he led her out of the cafeteria. No one tried to stop them, but Morro followed them, still wanting his Winter jacket back and to make sure Chad didn't hurt her. They walked to a closet, to which Chad had swiped the key for, and when he unlocked the closet door it revealed a room with dozens of shelves full of many different games and electronic devices the teachers had confiscated.
"And I can play with anything I want?" Antonia gasped as she practically jumped into the room and started scouring the room for something she might like.
"Mm-hm, and you can take as much downstairs as you can carry, and then come back up for more," Chad smirked as Morro watched from the hallway. While Antonia was distracted, Chad slowly closed the door and carefully locked her inside. With a snicker, he pocketed the key and headed back to the cafeteria. Morro watched him leave and turned back to the door. While a part of him wanted to help her, another, more petty, part of him wanted to get back at her and felt that she needed to learn a lesson.
With one last glance at the door, Morro turned around and headed back to the cafeteria.
Inside the room, Antonia failed to notice the door was closed or that it was locked. Just then, the bell rang and after pocketing some phones and small game consoles, she made to leave but found that the door wouldn't budge. Thinking that it was just stuck, she banged on the door to signal to Chad and Morro that she needed help.
"Uh, hello? Are you still there?" She asked, but when she received no reply, she realized that there was no one there and she had been locked in. "Help! Someone help me! I'm stuck! Help!" She cried desperately as she banged on the door, but there was no one around to help her. Just then the light flicked and the bulb went out, plunging the room into darkness. Antonia started to panic, feeling as if there was something in the room with her in the darkness.
She started body slamming into the door.
Thankfully it was a wooden door and after a few slams, the wood broke from the handle and the door flew open. As soon as she saw the light, Antonia dove out of the room and into the school hallway. It took a few minutes for her to calm down and get her breathing and heartbeat under control. When she did, however, nothing but fury filled her body. A revenge plan formed in her mind and she went outside, got what she needed, and went hunting for Morro.
It took the whole period for her to find him.
He was in the locker room after their gym class with Jay, Kai, and Cole. Chad and his gang were there as well. As soon as all the guys saw this fourteen-year-old girl in the boys' locker room they all freaked out and tried to cover up. Before Morro could say anything, Antonia suddenly threw something at him. It was his jacket, but it was covered in mud that she had rubbed on it.
"You didn't have to lock me up for it!" She spat at her foster brother.
"Chad did it, not me!" He shouted and she suddenly grabbed a hand full of muddy dirt off the jacket and threw it at Chad. It hit the jock square in the face and all the guys in the locker room burst out laughing at their misfortune as Antonia stormed off. As he rubbed the mud out of his eyes, Chad gave Morro a glare for snitching on him, but Morro just shrugged and headed to the showers to get cleaned up...
As the school day continued, gossip about what happened in the boys' locker room and what Antonia did to Chad and Morro spread like wildfire. But when they were both asked what they did to upset Antonia like that but Morro just shrugged and said it was nothing to worry about. When they asked Chad told people to mind their own business. During the brief time between their classes, Nya was looking for Antonia. When she had heard about what had happened she grew worried for the younger girl.
But no matter how much she searched through the school, she couldn't find Antonia so she asked her pack for help.
Cole, Jay, and Lloyd said that they hadn't seen her and offered to help her look, which Nya was thankful for. Harumi said that she couldn't care where that brat was after what she did to Morro in the cafeteria and the locker room. She advised Nya to leave Antonia to her own devices. Kai was in detention again, so she couldn't ask him, but she doubted he would know anyway. When she asked Morro he said he didn't and was now going out of his way to avoid her.
Pixal and Zane also hadn't seen Antonia and they couldn't help because they were more concerned about their classes.
Eventually, she met back up with Cole, Jay, and Lloyd and they regretfully told her that they had come up empty-handed. Yet Lloyd did mention he overheard one of the janitors talking to Koko about a broken door and how there might have been some things taken from the room. When she heard this, Nya's concern turned to fear for Antonia. There was only one other place Antonia might be so Nya decided to check there before she raised the alarm.
Grabbing her stuff and using all her skills and powers, Nya sneaked out of the school and ran to the Dobsons house.
When she got there she couldn't find the red-haired girl but she did find the Dobsons at home. They demanded to know why she wasn't in school and were about to call the principal when Nya blurted out what had happened at school. They both stiffened up and sat her down with Mr. Dobson asking for every detail.
"So, Morro's acting weird, a mud-spattered Chad, one smashed door, and no Antonia?" He repeated, making sure he had all the information and Nya nodded.
"It can't be a coincidence; I think she's run away." She said with worry.
"Shall I call the police?" Mrs. Dobson asked in concern, her hand already pulling out her phone.
"Not yet, maybe she's gone home," Nya suggested, but neither of them looked convinced.
"After what she's been through?" Mr. Dobson replied, looking like he was trying not to scoff.
"Well, it's the only thing she knows." She replied and that caught his attention. Now that he thought about it more, Nya might be right. "What's the address?" The noirette asked when she saw he was considering her idea and she made it clear that she was coming too. Even if he didn't let her come, Nya would just follow his car with speed. Seeing this, he sighed and grabbed his car keys.
"Come on, let's go." He said and they made to leave, but his wife stopped them.
"Wait! You know what that family's like; it'd be safer if the police were with you." She insisted, scared for her husband's and Nya's safety. He looked like he was considering this, but Nya shut it down.
"Look, she's got to learn how to trust you guys, and that's not going to happen if the police are there." She said and after a few minutes of mentally debating going there on their own versus getting the police involved and what would be best for Antonia.
"We'll go and if she's not there, I'll call the police myself." He finally told his wife and he and Nya left...
Koko was starting to wish she had listened to her parents and become a daycare attendant instead of a high school teacher. Yes, toddlers could be messy, loud, and a handful, but she doubted they could cause as much drama as these teenagers. As soon as they were informed about Antonia and Nya being missing, the fight between Morro and Antonia, and thinking that it might be contacted to the broken door the principal ordered her to get to the bottom of things.
With a tired sigh, Koko gathered up every student she believed might be involved.
After they were all gathered, her eyes scanned the crowd to see if she could spot anyone acting suspiciously. There were a few different reactions to the sudden meeting. Chad was trying to play it off with a cool and calm demeanor but it was clear to Koko that he was hiding something. Cole looked bored and was playing games on his phone. Dareth and Jay were growing more and more worried as the minutes crawled by, scared that they had done something wrong.
When Harumi learned that this was about Antonia, she wasn't too concerned, believing that the red-haired girl could take care of herself.
As soon as Kai learned that his sister was wishing, he immediately tried to call her but she didn't answer and sent him a text telling him not to worry. Lloyd and Maggie were hoping that this took a while so they could miss Social Studies. Morro was trying to look as small and unnoticeable as possible. Pixal and Zane hoped that this didn't take too long. With another tired sigh, Koko cleared her throat and got to the point.
"So, a door is smashed, Antonia and Nya are missing, and nobody knows anything?" She frowned, but still, no one said anything.
"I know something." Zane suddenly said, surprising everyone.
"I can't wait to hear it, Zane." Koko sighed and the pale teen pulled out a notepad with some notes on it.
"Antonia's cold so she's wearing Morro's jacket, Morro's angry because Antonia won't give the jacket back." He read out loud and Morro instinctively stiffened as a few of the students turned to stare at him. "Morro's chasing Antonia to get the jacket, Chad's angry because he can't eat his lunch, he's taken Antonia to go see the game room, Morro is following Chad and Antonia out; I've finished." He said as he put the notepad away. By now everyone was staring at Chad and Morro as Koko scowled at them.
Chad was starting to grow uncomfortable and Morro wished for the ground to swallow him up.
They had seriously messed up...
Despite it being the middle of the afternoon, Nya felt a cold, almost frigid, air around them as they drove to Antonia's childhood home. The sun was hidden behind the clouds and almost nobody was out on the streets. The sound of the car driving was the only thing cutting through the awkward silence like a knife. They soon arrived at an old, almost abandoned-looking neighborhood. It was built long before Nya was born. It had been rather popular back in the day, with a gorgeous view of the ocean and its proximity to the beach.
However, as the economy in the city grew, everyone who could afford to do so moved closer inland, leaving the buildings behind to fall to ruin.
This area also around the time this area saw an increase in criminal activity. The only reason the abandoned buildings hadn't been torn down was that no construction companies would finish the job before being chased off in the growing number of gang attacks. People finally stopped trying when they realized that at least with the buildings standing there were another set of walls for the homeless and gangs to hang out in. Nya and Mr. Dobson couldn't help but shudder at the sight.
It was almost like the broken buildings were glaring at them, mocking them.
Whispering how lucky they were that they didn't have to live in this place that was in such a state. It was some definition of the word creepy. It was after several more minutes of driving that they finally reached the Armstrong home.
"Here we are." Mr. Dobson sighed as they pulled up outside. Nya was about to say something, but the words died in her throat as she looked at the house. She had figured that it wouldn't be the nicest of places, but she wasn't quite expecting this. The house was in complete shambles. It had broken windows, cracking paint and walls, damaged furniture in the yard, and a broken fence. This place was a textbook run-down location and Antonia had been living here for her entire life.
To say Nya felt more than a little guilty was an understatement.
Mr. Dobson then got out of the car and Nya followed as they approached the house.
"I'll go first." He said, pushing Nya back slightly as he approached the metal front door. He knocked on the metal, with the banging echoing through the street, but after a few minutes, no one came to answer. They could have just left right there and then, but neither of them wanted to do that. They still needed to fulfill their primary goal of finding Antonia and making sure she was safe. If no one was going to answer, then they would just go in.
Getting into the house was more than a simple task.
The rusted, iron door was unlocked and the hinges screamed as they gently pushed it open. As soon as the door opened they were both suddenly slammed with a powerful stench. It became clear why Antonia was so smelly when she arrived at the Dobson household. It took them a minute to adjust to the smell before either of them could step inside.
"Um... hello? Mrs. Armstrong? Antonia? Is anybody home?" He called fearfully into the house, but nobody responded. Nya couldn't hear anyone moving so she guessed that no one was there. She tried to sniff them out, but that was impossible. The only thing they were both grateful for was that Antonia's mother and brothers weren't here. Sadly it didn't get much better from there. The inside of the house somehow looked worse than the outside.
Without the sun or even distant lights from the city to illuminate the inside it was almost impossible to see so Nya was forced to use her phone for light.
Unfortunately, the minuscule light didn't do the house any favors. The wood floors were broken and dusty, sending ominous creaks with every step. The musty wallpaper was peeling and revealed enormous cracks behind them. Glass and trash littered the floor, as well as dark stains that Nya didn't even want to try and identify. In the living room, there was a smashed TV and an overturned couch that looked like something had tried to rip it up.
Nya glanced into the kitchen and gagged.
She saw mountains of dirty dishes, old take-out boxes, and rotting food. Rats and cockroaches were scurrying around the filthy kitchen tiles. She could hear Mr. Dobson gagging from behind her as well.
"Shall we try the upstairs?" He weakly suggested and she nodded. Luckily most of the stairs were easily accessible, and they weren't too broken. The two split up and Nya found herself drawn to the room at the far end of the halfway. Opening the door was a shockingly difficult task for the werewolf. The door only opened a crack, but through it, Nya could make out a bedroom. The only light in the room was from a half-broken window that had iron bars.
The baby blue walls were faded from age and poor maintenance with cracks and holes scattered in them.
There was a dirty mattress with a somewhat neat pile of worn and torn blankets in the corner which seemed to serve as a bed. But other than that the room was empty. Being as small and lean as she was, Nya was easily able to squeeze through the door and into the room. As soon as she did, she saw something in the corner of her eye and turned to see Antonia curled up in the corner of the room, quietly sobbing.
"Antonia!" She gasped in relief as she rushed over and examined the girl. Aside from the tear tracks, Antonia seemed fine.
"They're gone, my Mom and my brothers." She sobbed loudly. When she got home, she had expected to find someone here but there was no one. They must have gone on the run due to the upcoming trial and the possible child abuse charges. Nya sat beside her and comforted her the best she could. After almost an hour, Antonia had calmed down enough to stand up. They squeezed through the door and met up with Mr. Dobson and they all headed downstairs.
"I'll make a few calls when I get back, see if I can track them down." Mr. Dobson said as they walked out of the house.
"I'll stay here, in case my Mom comes back." Antonia smiled as she stood in the doorway. Her smile dropped, however, when she saw the looks Nya and Mr. Dobson shared.
"I'm sorry, Antonia, I can't let you." He replied after a moment. "Your Mom will find you and, in the meantime, we'll look after you."
"No! You're not my family!" She snarled, taking a step back into the house.
"But they can still look after you, just like they look after Morro and Nelson," Nya promised, but Antonia still shook her head.
"I don't want to go." She whimpered weakly.
"I'm sorry, Antonia, but you have to; come on, we can't leave you." He said as he gave Antonia a gentle smile that was probably supposed to be reassuring, but all it did was send a flight or fight response in Antonia. She tried to run back into the house, but Mr. Dobson suddenly wrapped his arms around her middle and he dragged her outside. "Antonia, you're all right, it's OK; don't worry, you'll be OK." He kept repeating the entire way back to the car.
Antonia screamed, cursed, and kicked the entire way.
Even when he somehow managed to lock her into the backseat of the car, she was still screaming, smacking her hands against the windows, and kicking the back of the seat. After Nya promised that she would walk home, Mr. Dobson climbed into the driver's seat and drove off. Casting a scathing glare at the ruined home, Nya put her earphones in and began the long, yet easy jog back home...
After Zane had finished explaining everything he had seen between Chad, Antonia, and Morro to Koko and everyone else, the teacher was getting ready to explode at the two teens who committed the crime. Now, when we say she wanted to explode, we don't mean a fireworks explosion. We don't mean a car crashing explosion. We don't mean a Micheal Bay Transformers movie sequel explosion. We were talking about a Hiroshima, nuclear, holocaust explosion.
Unfortunately, she couldn't strike a student, no matter how much they might deserve it.
She knew Morro was a good kid, but Chad was starting to get on her last nerves. She was thankful that this was Chad's last year at Ninjago High and she hoped that he didn't have to repeat the grade. She didn't think she could survive having Chad as a student for another year. After Zane had finished explaining, Koko brought Morro and Chad to the office. She ordered them to stay put as she called the Dobsons to let them know what happened.
Mr. Dobson answered and he quickly reassured her that he had Antonia and he had seen Nya.
After spending ten minutes explaining things, Koko sighed as she finished the phone call and turned to glare at the pair. Morro looked very guilty and shameful, yet Chad just looked like he was going through the motions and didn't look too bothered.
"They've found Antonia, her Mom's gone away and left her." She explained coldly. Morro's gaze fell to his shoes when heard this, growing more and more guilty about what happened. Chad, however, had no such feelings. He could only scoff and roll his eyes.
"So? My Mom does that to me all the time." He shrugged as if mothers abandoning their children was a common occurrence. Morro frown slightly at this statement, but he didn't have time to dwell on it as Koko's glare seemed to become harsher if that was even possible.
"What on earth did you two do to that poor girl?" She hissed at the two teens with a hint of disgust.
"It wasn't me! Chad locked her in!" Morro confessed, not wanting to get in any more trouble.
"You snitched on me? Again?!" He shouted but Morro rolled his eyes and ignored him. Koko sighed irritably as she started dishing out their punishments...
The drive back to the Dobsons household was a mostly quiet one since Antonia was found. It only took a few minutes for Antonia to stop screaming bloody murder and kicking the back of his seat and she had been dead silent for the rest of the journey. He would look at her through the mirror and he could see her desperately trying to stop herself from crying again. He gave her a sympathetic look, not that she saw it, but he didn't know what to say.
What could he say after all this?
He could only hope that this thing with her family and the trial got sorted out sooner rather than later. It wasn't long until they arrived at the house and Mr. Dobson got out of the car. When Antonia didn't move, he sighed and opened the back door for her.
"Are you coming in?" He softly asked the red-haired girl.
"She was lying." She sniffled weakly. "All those times she said I was her best girl, she was lying." She whimpered and he sighed as he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, but Antonia flinched away. With a sigh, she slowly unclipped her seatbelt and began following a few feet behind her foster father. As soon as they entered the house, he could hear his wife chopping vegetables in the kitchen for dinner and he saw Morro sitting on the couch.
When he heard them enter Morro looked up but quickly averted his gaze.
Unfortunately, his foster father wasn't about to let him off that easily.
"So, how did you get on?" He asked the teen with a cold stare.
"I got a detention and I'm grounded for fifty years," Morro replied, unable to meet the man's eyes.
"So you should be!" Mr. Dobson snapped, causing Morro to flinch. The teen finally looked up but it was to watch Antonia as she snuck past the pair and bolted upstairs. When Mr. Dobson saw this, he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Look, whatever happened, just leave it, OK?" He warned and before Morro could reply, he brushed past the werewolf and headed for the kitchen to see what his wife was making for dinner...
The next week was a very long and very stressful one for the Ninjago pack and the people in the Dobson household. They were all sorry about what happened. They didn't realize she had been locked in. While they didn't like how Antonia spoke to people, Morro and Chad did lock her in a closet and she just lost her family. That didn't make it ok but still helped them all understand her situation a little bit better. Morro didn't see why she had it in for him.
Especially since it was Chad who locked her in.
Yet the more the lone wolf thought about it, the more he thought that maybe Antonia thought he would have stopped Chad. Even now, despite everything that happened, Morro couldn't help but feel bad for her. Her family was on the run, she was in a strange place, and her foster brother didn't like her. Morro did feel horrible, but he didn't know how to apologize to her. Yet he soon got the opportunity. Their foster father had finally gotten news about Antonia's family.
The police had caught up with them and they had been arrested.
At first, Antonia thought that meant she could finally go back home. But he regretfully told her that with the assault charges added with the new child abuse charges and failing to attend the original court date it would take longer to set up the trial and they might get a lengthy sentence, especially her mother. When she heard that, Antonia's mood had noticeably soured and the Dobsons warned their foster sons to be extra nice to her. Morro felt that this might be the opportunity he needed.
He found Antonia sitting alone in the living room, playing a board game.
As soon as Morro stepped into the room and she realized who it was, her eyes widened and she jumped back against the wall, almost as if Morro was a wild beast about to attack her.
"Look, it's all right, I'm sorry." He quickly said and held up his hands as if to show that he wasn't a threat. Antonia stared at him a minute before she shot him a glare and returned to her seat to continue her game.
"You don't have to pretend to be nice to me, I know you hate me." She spat venomously at him.
"Look, Antonia, I don't hate you." He sighed as he sat next to her. He waited for a moment and when she didn't say anything or move, he continued. "But, no offense, you stank when you got here, you were rude to my friends, you were all over my stuff, and then you took my best friend's bed."
"What do you mean, I took his bed?"
"Lloyd's been having a stressful time so sometimes he comes and stays here, or he used to." He sighed sadly as a flash of worry for his friend passed in his eyes.
"The social worker grabbed me; I never asked to come here." She muttered and Morro gave her an empathetic look. He knew what it was like being moved around to live with strangers and some of his foster homes weren't the best places. Remembering that made him feel even worse, but he didn't know how to make it right.
"Is this game multiplayer?" He asked with a faint smile. Antonia was silent for a moment before she reached into the box and handed him a piece to start using. It wasn't much, but at least it was a start...
NEXT CHAPTER: Kai and Nya's grandmother Luana comes for a visit with her new boyfriend...