Spirit's Awakening (Book 1 of Spirit's Calling)

Prisoner

Y/n's punishment for her skulking the night before was a day full of painful fight training, angry shouts, and physical labor.

Her father mentioned his tournament to her, revealing that it was only days away. Upon telling this to his daughter, he forced her to start heavy cleaning the palace. Y/n's father made her clean the exterior walls, but refused to give her any tools.

Standing in front of a pillar, Y/n gazed up at the dirty beige walls. She crossed her arms, frowning with thought. She'd need a pressure washer to clean all the muck off, but her father wouldn't let het use any tools.

An idea sparked in her mind. Idiot, she silently scolded, shaking out her hands and holding them in front of her. Focus.

Her powers flowed to her hands, feeling almost like water was running off her arms. The palace wall shimmered from beige to a gray-purple, almost lilac, color.

Concentrating on what she wanted done, Y/n scrunched her face as the power drained her energy. But then with a shimmering ripple, the dirt vanished from the wall, and Y/n's power along with it.

Panting, the elemental leaned back to admire her work.

"The power to manipulate reality, and you've barely done anything with it."

Y/n's sister was right. Y/n had so much potential. She'd just cleaned the entire palace wall by willing it so.

"Where does this power come from?" She wondered aloud, looking tiredly at her hands. The feat, however impressive, had drained Y/n of energy. "Why me?"

"You shouldn't ask questions."

Y/n flinched, slowly turning to see her father's second behind her. "Sir."

He studied her work, then scanned her weary expression. "Knowing the truth will only make you more of a target."

Y/n crossed her arms, trying to appear less tired than she was and more intimidating. "Wow, you sound like you actually care."

The man scoffed. "Hardly. If you are a bigger target, you bring more attention to the island."

Y/n frowned. "Are you trying to stay hidden or something?" She asked. When the man didn't reply, Y/n let her arms fall to her sides, eyes widening. "You are?"

"Don't ask questions," the man repeated coldly, turning heel and leaving.

Y/n stared after him, shocked. She knew they lived on a tiny island in the middle of nowhere, but no one told her it was a secret island. Did that mean no one knew about the miniature army building, or the fact that her father forced his daughters to fight as a form of torture? Was there hope of an escape after all?

A new feeling spread throughout Y/n. Her heart beat rapidly as hope blossomed. Maybe with her father's tournament, she could finally be free.

Y/n ran back inside, desperate to demand answers from her father.

As she rounded the corner, Y/n froze. Her father was talking with his second, and as Y/n approached, his second walked out the main entrance with a glare to Y/n.

"Father," she said after the other man had left, "is it true? Does no one know about this place?"

Her father laughed. "Yes, yes! It is my secret criminal headquarters! No one can stop me if they can't see me!"

All of a sudden, Y/n felt like her world was imploding. Her breath caught in her throat and her body went rigid.

"Criminal?" She asked quietly.

"Oh, Y/n, you are so dramatic," her father dismissed. "It is nothing huge. Just scamming some noodle shops to build an army to take over Ninjago!"

Y/n took a step backwards. All this time, the trust she'd put into her father, she'd never realized he was a criminal. He was a villain. A bad guy. Not her father.