When Water Turns To Ice | REWRITE AVAILABLE

e i g h t | You Suck

We carried down another hallway, because one isn't enough.

"Okay so the riddle thing said when water turns to ice." I said. I glanced at the ice walls around me. "I think we did that."

  "Next us the eternal sacrifice." I mumbled under my breathe. "Did the first Spinjitzu master sacrifice himself for us?"

"There are many sacrifices people have made in Ninjago." Wu said. "But I believe this one isn't about my father."

We neared one last hall. Wu stopped us with his staff.

He tapped his staff to a specific spot on the floor and spikes shot from the ground.

I yelped.

"This is full of traps, it will require great skill to get through them." Wu told me.

I have him a stink-eye.

Honestly Nana, why did near suicide have to be involved in this search?

Wu did a flip over the spikes, using his staff he jammed it between the narrow walls before swinging past what appeared to look like a giant meat mallet before it smashed him and landing on the other side.

"that's it. I'm dead." I let my arms drop to my sides. "Zane, tell my mother I loved her. And tell Riley that his trophies with mom's underwear."

He gave me a funny look. "I beg your pardon?"

"It will be fine Gwen." Wu assured me. "Zane will help you."

"You can't by any chance ice our way through this?" I questioned.

"It seems that Wu built it with an elemental power blockage point here." Zane told me.

"Of course." I grumbled. "I bet you don't even have a bamboo staff."

"I do have shurikens." Zane lifted the weapon. "When you jump, dig it into the cue wall."

He handed it to me. "This is a very bad idea." I said desperately.

"Just follow me." He did two quick steps before doing a huge leap up and dug his weapon into the wall. It stuck and he pressed his feet against the wall.

"Now you." He glanced at me.

I bounced on my toes. I got this. Imagine you're....tackling Riley.

Readying my shurikens I did a running start before leaping. I landed a little bit under Zane and stabbed the blade into the wall for dear life. I slid a bit and I was dangerously close to the spikes, but I was alive.

"Now the meat mallet." I sighed.

"There is a motion sensor over there." Zane pointed.

I squinted. "I don't see it."

"Trust me, it's there." Zane shifted his weight. My shoulders were straining from holding myself up.

"We jump over the last few spikes and try to make it past without triggering the sensor." Zane explained. "You go first."

"Me?" I cried.

"Go!" I yanked out the shuriken and jumped for it, I made it over the spikes but tripped clumsily and fell. And by the swinging meat tenderizer I also triggered the sensor.

"Crap." I cursed and ducked my head.

Suddenly Zane flew over the remaining spikes and slid like baseball player, he grabbed me as he past and narrowly missed getting his head bashed in before we finally fell into safety.

Fear still gripped me and I was shaking. "Thank you." I said quietly.

"You may want to get up, don't move any farther from here though, one wrong move could trigger severe cracking in the ice flooring and you will drown in the water beneath." Wu warned.

Zane helped me up and I gave him back the weapon.

Wu stepped carefully, each movement precise. "Follow my every move."

Zane and I inched along, I had relatively good balance and a good memory so I stepped carefully, moving as soon as Wu left a spot. It was hard since the floor looked like a normal floor and there were no squares marking a spot, you literally had to step exactly where he stepped.

  It was tricky and we were all silent as we played follow the leader. Finally Wu made it to the end. And then he accidentally dropped his frick'n staff. We all froze as it clattered onto the ice. One second. Two seconds. Suddenly a small crack appeared. And then another. And another.

I swore as a huge jagged line made its way through the ice toward us.

"Run!" I dashed fast, I have long kegs so my stride is good, I tried not to pay any attention to the ice floor crumbling beneath my feet.

  I made it to safety first and snagged Zane's arm yanking him across. The ice splintered and shattered into the water. Well except for the area with the spikes.

I turned slowly to where Wu stood. He bent down and picked up his staff where it had floated in the freezing water.

  "You suck."