Poisoned Love-- a Ninjago Next Gen Story

Chapter One-- "Beginnings"

"At the bottom of the hill, in a parking lot, stood a young man and woman. The had just gotten out of their car, and were arguing.

" "Lloyd, what if we can't find one here? We've looked at all the other orphanages!" The lady planted her hands on slender hips and tilted her head, causing her golden brown hair to swing. Tears were forming in her brilliant blue eyes.

" "Shhh, it'll be alright." Lloyd reaches out and gently brushed away the tears. "We'll find a child here Katty. I promise." Katty looked down, then allowed him to take her hand.

" "Alright, Lloyd.... let's go in."

And so the young couple came to Madam Joanne's Orphanage for Outcasts. As they walked through the cold, empty halls, they got mere glimpses of the children. That is, until they came to the main area. Here, a large woman (who appeared to be Madam Joanne), was beating a little girl.

" "Stop!!" Katty cried, and threw herself in between the child and the woman, taking the lash of the belt across her face. "You can't treat a child like this!"

" "I reckon I cin do what I wants with 'em, thems being in ma care an' all." Madam Joanne sneered. Now, all this took place in less than a minute, and by this Lloyd had reached his wife's side.

" "Madam, I highly suggest that you back away from my wife and the girl."

" "Please, don't hurt me!" The girl squeaked, but no one heard her. She watched with wide eyes as the couple signed papers that "Madam" drew up. What were they doing? What was happening? Were those HER papers? This process she had seen many times before, but it NEVER went THIS smoothly.

" And so it was that Lloyd and Katty adopted the little girl and changed her life.

" Now, that was several years ago. About three, to be exact. I remember that day as clear as crystal. The girl? Me. Why did I take the time to write this down, when I'm SUPPOSED to be helping May clean up from dinner? Dunno. It just felt... right to remember the day I came into this family."

May set down the letter she had just read aloud. Her mind spun with this new information. Her "little sister " had gone through all that before she came to the family? Why hadn't she told her? Why- then she realized that her "little sister," Ellen, was afraid. Afraid of what their dad would do if he knew. Ellen was afraid because she knew that he blamed her for their mother's death. May's quiet musing was interrupted quite rudely as Ellen and their younger brother, Montgomery, came crashing through the room.

"Give that back you little sneak!!!! Or I'll tell May!!!" Ellen lunged and tackled Monty, taking her phone back.

"Oh yeah? Well I'll-"

"Alright, alright enough!!!!" May stood and yelled at them. "Have you both forgotten what today is?? " The other two quickly silenced and hung their heads in shame. On their mother's birthday every year, their father spent the day at her grave, mourning. The children were expected to behave and remember her in their own ways while he was out, and today was that day. Ellen glances up, muttered an apology under her breath, then the fifteen year old swept out of the room, snatching the letter from May as she went. "Come here, Monty." May told her brother.

"Yeah May? Is it time?" Monty, age thirteen, asked his older sister. He cocked his head, and May was struck once again at how much he resembled their mom. With deep ocean blue eyes, fair skin, brown hair and glasses, he was quite different from May, who had golden blonde hair, red eyes, and a crooked smile. As the two siblings went, hand in hand, into the garden, they were unaware that they had forgotten Ellen once again.

Ellen didn't mind this, however, and simply watched them from her window. She honored Katty in her own way every year. While her "siblings" worked in the garden, her "father" mourned, she wrote. She would sit down and compose a long letter to her "mother" telling her of the events of the last year.

"Dear Mom,

Dad misses you terribly. We all do. He doesn't talk to us anymore. He just goes about his day, ignoring us. I don't mind much, but..... May's started pulling away just like he did. I'm worried. Monty seems ok, but not May. Sometimes, Monty says things that makes Dad yell at him. Sometimes he will say something like "Mom wouldn't like that," or "Mom would have done ..." It makes Dad so mad. Can he see you like I can? And why have you only been showing up in the garden anymore? My studies have been going well. I'm learning more and more spells. Monty discovered his true potential the other day. Do I have a true potential? Or am I just a sorceress? I miss you terribly. Though.... sometimes I wish I knew who my REAL mom was. "

Ellen laid down the pen and stared at the letter as it burst into flames. No evidence. No way for her sister to find it and read it. It was done. When the fire finally faded, she swept the ash into a container already halfway filled with ashes of other such letters.

"Tonight, I'm going to-"

"Do what?" Lloyd asked from her open doorway. "Can I come in?"

"Y-Yeah, I guess so." Ellen swiveled her chair around to face him. Such visits from her adopted father were rare. "You need something, Dad?"

Lloyd sighed and nodded. "Yes. I need you to find something out for me."

"Wouldn't Hope be better at that?" (Hope, Ellen's cousin, was a tech and web genius.)

"No. I need someone who knows her way around the lower levels of the city at night. "

"Oh?" Now he had her interest. It was a well known fact that Ellen was out after dark most nights, and Lloyd had his own theory why. But Ellen was always quick to agree to a mission. Especially if it required her special talents. "What do you need me to do?"

"I need you to track Silent Lotus. She has been showing up and... she's a gangster. A gangster that uses magic. Be careful. Her gang, Deck of Dark Ones, is extremely dangerous." At this Lloyd looked at her with a gleam in his eye. "And it's time The Voice and her gang took them out."

Ellen was shocked. Lloyd knew she was The Voice? But if what he said was true, then it was time to round up The Ace of Angels. "Got it. I'll round up the gang and we'll deal with them."

Not thirty minutes later, Ellen, Tyler, J.J., Skya and the rest of their gang were racing through Ninjago City on their bikes, hair up and wearing leather jackets with Angel wing emblems on them. They raced down alleys and cut through streets until they reached the entrance of the Underground. Cutting the engine of her bike, Ellen swung silently down and motioned for the rest to do the same. It would be bad if the Deck of Dark Ones caught them sneaking into their territory.

"Spread out and stay quiet." Ellen admonishes them as they follow her deeper into the shadows. Through alleys between huts and hovels of cardboard, between small houses and sheds, past gardens and yards they crept until they heard the murmur of voices. Then, they freeze in their tracks to listen to the conversation.

"Boss, what're we gonna do? Them Angels ain't gonna play nice for'eva, " said a deep, heavily accented voice.

"We'll deal with my sister and her pathetic little gang if and when we need to. That's-" the delicate voice stopped as something snapped. "Someone's here. Spread out and find them!"

"Yes ma'am!" The others began searching, the Angels held still. Ellen's mind raced. If Lotus knew they were there, they would not be able to leave.

That was her last thought as someone slammed a brick into her head and she lost consciousness, praying her people were alright.

(Ok hey peeps!! here's my newest/oldest story, I wrote it years ago so i apologize now for errors or cringyness. I love you all and i hope you'll love this story. Until next time, Love ya!!!!)