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

Truth

"It's almost midnight. Are we doing it or not?"

"She's not awake."

"So no? We're gonna wait another night? What happens in that time?"

"Kai, I know you're anxious to get going, but—"

"Hey, I think she's waking up!"

Y/n cracked open her eyes to a splitting headache. She groaned and draped her arm over her eyes, face scrunching with pain as the pricking sensation overcame her again.

"Cole, back off," Garmadon's voice commanded. The tingling faded slightly, but it was bearable now, so Y/n slowly sat up.

The Ninja stood around her but maintained a respectful distance. Garmadon handed Y/n a glass of water, of which she eagerly drank.

"Lilac," Garmadon said slowly. "How do you feel?"

Y/n let out a long breath. "Terrible. I still feel the pain from being close to you guys."

At her words, the Ninja stepped back, and the pain lessened even more. Y/n gave them a grateful look, then turned back to Garmadon. He was too close for comfort.

"It's almost midnight. Are you able to show us around?" Kai asked impatiently.

Y/n flexed her fingers, then ran them down her blonde hair. "Maybe. I can show you where to go, but can't guarantee I can follow."

Satisfied, the Ninja waited for Y/n to stand. She slowly paced around the room, which was Kai's fire suite, looking for any signs of a trap door.

"What are you doing?" Lloyd asked after a moment.

"Something you should know about this island," Y/n replied quietly, "it's filled with trapdoors. There's probably one in this room. Help me look, please."

The Ninja obediently spread out, looking under pillows or behind pictures to find anything out of the ordinary.

After a while, no one had seen a sign of anything. "This was a waste of time," Kai snapped. "I knew we couldn't trust you!" All of a sudden, he leaped at Y/n, hands ablaze.

Y/n staggered back, still drowsy, and stumbled on the carpet. Kai thrust his hand forward, sending a blast of fire at Y/n. But with her headache and delayed reaction time, she couldn't dodge, and the fire struck her left shoulder.

"Kai!" Garmadon cried, grabbing the enraged fire Ninja's arm and yanking him back. Y/n cried out and staggered into the wall, then slid down, a shaking right hand pressed to the burn. Somehow it had missed her clothes, but that only resulted in direct contact with her skin.

Y/n bent over in agony, the pricking sensation numb compared to the burn. Someone shook her shoulders, but for some reason, it did't hurt. When Y/n looked up, she saw a blurry green blob next to her.

"Lilac!" The word echoed in Y/n's ears, barely audible through an intense ringing. "Lilac, look at me!"

Y/n managed to force her eyes to somewhat focus. She locked her eyes onto Lloyd's face, silently pleading for help.

Someone handed Lloyd a med kit. Where did that come from? He gently rested Y/n on the wall and rummaged through the kit, looking for burn cream.

Y/n's head lolled. She couldn't believe this — she tried to help the Ninja find their lost friend, who only she knew about, and Kai burned her? What was his problem?

A cooling numbness instantly reduced Y/n's pain. She groaned and glanced at her shoulder, which Lloyd was carefully covering with cream, then gauze and bandages.