Hoshimi, a girl bullied all her life for her appearance, finds a way to escape her own reality and enter the world of Ninjago. But what happens when she finds out where she truly came from?
Hoshimi groaned as she shut off her alarm clock. She rolled out of bed and checked the time. "9:00?! I'M SO DEAD!" She ran out of her bedroom and into the laundry room, where her school uniform was hanging.
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Hoshimi quickly brushed her hair. It was black and came down to her shoulders, but appeared a bit more purple in the right lighting. As usual, she tried to hide her eyes with her hair. She had been born with fuschia eyes, and the kids at school bullied her for it. After a few minutes of ruthlessly combing out the knots in her hair, she looked in the mirror and frowned. She still had that pale scar on her left cheek from when Junichiro cut her with a shard of plastic in Third Grade. And that strangely shaped birthmark on the back of her hand. Hopefully, she thought, people will leave me alone today.
Hoshimi grabbed her bag and shoved a granola bar in her mouth before she left for school. "Bye, Mom!" She yelled as she left her house. She faintly heard her mother say goodbye.
As soon as Hoshimi walked into the school gates, she was immediately jumped by a gang of bullies from the upper grade.
"Hey, Pinkie! I like your eyes!" One said, dumping a bucket of water on her head. "They're dumb. Really suits you!" They all laughed.
"Leave me alone, Junichiro!" Hoshimi cried. "For once in your hopefully short life, just mind your own damn business!"
"Look at her..." Junichiro mocked, pinching her cheek hard, "She's so WEAK!" He threw her down.
Hoshimi couldn't stand up; they kept kicking her down. She started crying from the pain.
The boys didn't stop until they heard the bell ring. Then they snickered and left her, bleeding and in tears. "I hate this!" Hoshimi cried, getting up and running towards her class with a slight limp. When she got inside, the teacher, Miss Jackson, took one look at her and said, "Your uniform's condition is unacceptable. And you're late. Go to the Principal's office right now!"
Hoshimi left the classroom, but didn't go to the Principal. Instead, she climbed the cyclone fence in the playground and ran away into the forest behind the school. It was her happy place, somewhere she could go to be alone. She kept running until she reached a cherry blossom tree beside a huge, sparkling lake. Hoshimi climbed the branches and sat in the treetops, letting her tears fall like petals.
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Suddenly, Hoshimi heard a voice like a blade scraping across metal. <Hello, child...>
It wasn't necessarily the voice itself that made her fall out of the tree, it was the fact that she didn't hear it. It was coming from nowhere. It was in her mind. "Wh-Who's there?!"
The voice echoed inside her head. <I do not wish to harm you... There has been a disturbance in the balance... You were sent here through the realm crystal... you must return.>
Hoshimi was scared out of her mind. "No, I'm not coming with you! Wherever you are..."
<We do not have much time... Our mind link won't hold for long... I am losing power... Step into the lake, and you can be rid of this wretched world once and for all.>
Hoshimi was about to cuss him out, but she hesitated. Be rid of this world? Forever? She couldn't think of anything she would rather do. So, reluctantly, she stepped into the water. As soon as both her feet were in, she felt a strong current pull her underwater. She screamed, but it came out as muffled bubbles. The current continued to pull her down, and she was plunged into pitch blackness. She was going so fast, she didn't know which way was up. Then she felt like she was... floating? She saw the surface of the water in front of her, and swam towards it. She breached the surface, gasping for air and choking on the cold water.
Wait... what?
This didn't seem right... she had just been pulled downwards and she reappeared right side up and completely dry. She looked down and noticed she was on top of a fountain of some sort. Hoshimi climbed down the fountain, shivering from the cold. She was in a village that seemed to be on a mountainside. There were people wearing straw hats and kimonos, and old but beautiful Japanese-style buildings surrounded her. A coat of white snow was melting in the evening sun.
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Had she traveled back in time? She decided to ask someone. "Excuse me, what is this place?" Hoshimi asked someone, tapping their shoulder. She turned around and it was an old woman in a robe.
"This is Jamanakai village. Why do you ask?"
"Oh, I've just lost my way a bit," Hoshimi replied, shrugging.
"Oh dear, you're lost? Well, my name is Danuja, you may stay in my ryokan for the time being. Where do you come from?" The woman asked her.
"My name's Hoshimi, I'm from the city," Hoshimi answered, surprised at how kind Danuja was being to her.
"Ah, yes, so you're a city girl? I hear Ninjago City is wonderful in the summer."
Hoshimi froze. Something was wrong. Very wrong. She trailed her mind back through what Danuja had said and almost fainted.
