BEWITCHED - L. GARMADON

PLACE TO STAY

The child woke up in a house of sorts with overwhelming aromas, her clothing tattered at the ends and her face littered with small scratches as she shakily stood up from her position on a table. Her face was covered in bandages and herbs, and she furiously scrubbed at her face, hating the feeling of the mixture sticking to her skin while also trying to avoid the bandaids. She wasn't successful, and just gave up, opting to wander around the home instead.

There were different jars of plants on the shelves, wooden boxes of some sorts stacked on this counter. Plants hung from the ceiling, and she couldn't help but wrinkle her nose as the conflicting smells overwhelmed her senses, backing away from that area.

A flash of light caught her eye, and her gaze shifted to the direction it came from. A window was the cause of it, its half opened blinds letting in rays of sunlight through its openings. The girl walked towards it, looking around cautiously for any attack as she peeked through the blinds.

What she saw surprised her. Instead of a vast amount of trees, the place was littered with buildings, homes, places she only dreamed about, living people instead of the stone generals she would soon command running about the path. What had her father called the place? The mainland? Ninjago. She was actually here.

The girl suppressed a squeal, pressing her face against the pane of glass with big eyes and a curious air about them, observing every new object she came across, which was everything. She quickly turned her head back to the room she was in, taking in everything. A shiny silver object caught her eye, and she practically pounced on it. It was a small, odd looking bell, unlike the giant stone ones she's seen on the island. She tapped the object, flinching back at the loud ring it made, before eagerly pressing it a bunch more times. Who knew such small things could be so noisy!

Immersed in her curious finding, she failed to notice the two sets of footsteps enter the room once the rings started, their conversation about the young girl's whereabouts disrupted by the dinging noise.

"I see that you're awake now," A voice mused, and the child's head snapped towards the sound, eyes wide and frozen in place. "How are you feeling?"

The voice belonged to an old man with a long white beard, something so long that she couldn't believe it actually existed. Her [eye color] eyes flitted between the old man and the old woman accompanying him, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.

"Obviously she isn't fine, you foolish oaf!" The old lady chimed in with a gruff yet feminine voice. "The girl has cuts all over her!"

"Oaf..?" The girl repeated in a shaky, hoarse voice, testing the foreign word on her tongue. She looked at the man, tilting her head. "Is that your name?"

The old man blinked, and the lady cracked a smile, chuckling under her breath and breaking the stoic facade she originally had. "Wh..what?" The old man spluttered, shaking his head as he cleared his throat. "No my—my name is Wu, but please, call me Sensei Wu." Wu smiled slightly, eyes crinkling with crows feet. "Now, my dear child, what is yours? And why were you injured outside?"

She hesitated, glancing down. "[Name]." The girl muttered after a few beats, her fingers running along the side of the small bell, careful not to cause the loud ring to appear and using the limited amount of Ninjagoan she knew. "My name is [Name].. and thank you for helping me. I.. don't know why I was out there."

"Of course, child." He then gestured to the old lady. "You also have her to thank, she's the one who made sure you're treated."

[Name] looked at the woman, bowing her head slightly. "Thank you for helping me, miss." She said respectfully.