NINJAGO: Shadows of the Past

The Last Hope: Part II

Lloyd was having a rough day even before he got punched.

After their hectic night in the Temple of Light, he'd barely gotten any sleep, and as if that wasn't enough, his wake-up alarm had been the not-so-musical sound of Jay screeching something about coconuts and witty quips. Later on, they'd formulated an awesome infiltration plan that would hopefully prevent the final battle, but oh, looks like Lloyd wasn't allowed to go on the mission! Of course, he was supposed to stay back and wait. Like always. Lloyd suppressed a groan. To top it all off, Mr. Master of Hair Gel had left with the worst parting words in the history of Ninjago. It could've been "see you soon!" or "wish us luck!" but noooooo, he had to go with "sha lalala kiss the girl." If they died on this mission, Lloyd's last memory of his friend would be bad advice and cackling.

Hugging his knees to his chest, Lloyd sighed. No matter how hard he tried, his annoyance wouldn't overtake his anxiety. Worry for the ninja and his mom unsettled his stomach, making him feel sick and lightheaded; as if he'd just eaten through three whole chocolate cakes all by himself (and believe him, he knew exactly what that felt like). Master Wu and Dr. Julien had gone down to the beach to discuss either battle strategy or old people stuff (maybe both), leaving Lloyd alone with his thoughts and the girl from the Temple.

He was almost glad she was asleep. Given a choice between talking to a pretty girl and fighting the forces of evil, Lloyd would normally have chosen the latter; at least he knew how to fight. Plus, he remembered his "girls have cooties" stage with unfortunate vividness. But he was way too curious about Sleeping Beauty to really be happy about it. As far as he knew, the Dark Island had been lost to mankind for centuries. He wanted to ask who she was, where she was from, how and why she was in this place at all.

Lloyd leaned over the sleeping girl to get a better look at her. Without the dirt and scratches, he could clearly see that she was even more beautiful than he'd originally thought— like a real princess. His cheeks grew warm. Knock it off, he mentally kicked himself. He shook his head and stared down at her for a while, taking in her features and wondering if she would ever wake up.

Then her eyes fluttered open.

They stared, motionless, at each other. Her eyes were no longer gold, but a surprisingly deep purple that reminded him of amethysts. Lloyd's mind went blank as he tried to speak.

Turns out, he didn't need to worry about talking, because she punched him right then and there.

"Aaaa!" she yelped, delivering a sound blow to his gut.

"Guh—!"

"Ooh, sorry! I'm so-- er, wait! W-Who are you? Where am I? What's going on?!" The girl stood quickly, stumbling and falling more than once on her way up. She winced, evidently in pain, but kept her fists up in a defensive stance.

Lloyd coughed and straightened. Man, she could really hit. A million things ran through his head. What should he say? How should he start?

"I watched you while you were sleeping," he said.