Legends of Ninjago Book 2: Rise of the Serpentine

Chapter 2: Feeling Confused

Ann breathed in deeply. There was so much going on at once. The boys' training, the Skulkin army, trying to find Kai and Nya's parents, tracking Wu's nephew, not to mention her own training. What she needed was a vacation, but life wasn't fair like that. She knew this better than anyone.

Walking through the empty courtyards, soaking up the last rays of sun and breathing in the smell of decaying leaves always seemed put her at ease at times like this. It reminded her a little of when she was younger.

'It seems like it'll be a cold winter this year,' she thought. 'That'll be good for the boys. They need more winter survival training. But on the other hand, not so good for the troops... hopefully all the snow will be contained to the mountains.' 

"Oh, hey, Ann," Cole said sheepishly as he approached her. Ann looked up and saw him tightening his jacket just before a cold blast of wind hit them. "Sure is, uh, chilly tonight, huh?"

"It is," she replied. She wondered why on earth he'd be out here talking about the weather when he should have gone to bed already. "I would suggest warm clothes for tonight's lesson."

"Are... you and Keaton gonna be joining us?" Cole asked, shuffling a bit.

Ann walked closer to the door leading inside and said, "No. We have other matters to attend to this evening and a day of training tomorrow." 

'Now go to sleep,' she added in her head.

"Oh... okay," said Cole. 

He seemed so nervous, but why? Was she intimidating him? No, that couldn't be it. If he was intimidated then he wouldn't be talking to her... right? Unless of course he was willing to confront her because... he needed something? He had asked about the navigation training, so maybe he wanted her there to help him during the test? Was that it? He wanted to coast off of her knowledge?

"If you're nervous about the lesson, then I would suggest getting a good night's sleep so you'll be able to focus. I'll see you in the morning. Goodnight," Ann said curtly. She turned and walked inside, pretending not to notice when he called after her, wishing her a good night's sleep as well. What was up with him?

Either way, it didn't matter. She needed to focus on other things. Wu had said that he needed to speak with her and Keaton after dinner, but she got a little caught up with something else. She had told Keaton to wait in the dining room, but now she couldn't find her. Maybe she'd gone back to their room? It wouldn't be the first time. Keaton had been acting a little differently lately too, perhaps because there were so many new faces around; especially Nya. Another girl at the monastery... but there was no reason to worry about her. Keaton was a responsible girl, and Nya wasn't a bad influence or anything, and maybe having her around would be good for moral.

Ann climbed the stairs that led to the west wing, but when she reached her room, she could tell that something wasn't right. There was laughing and music coming from inside, and she knew that Keaton didn't own a radio or music player. She opened the sliding door at once and inside she found Nya and Keaton sitting on the floor painting each other's nails. There were bottles of nail polish on the floor, a small MP3 player connected to a speaker, and a pack of other girly products like makeup and nail files and face masks.

"Ann!" Keaton cried in a panic, jumped to her feet. "I thought you were downstairs."

"I was," Ann corrected. She looked from her sister to Nya and back again. Did she just invite herself in? To her room? She knew that Keaton didn't have time for such stupid, girly junk. "What is going on here?" 

When Keaton seemed too scared to speak, Nya got up and answered, "I was just showing Keaton how to paint her nails."

'Oh, so that's how it is, intruder?' Ann thought. "Keaton doesn't need to know how to paint her nails," she said sternly. "Pack up your things and get out of our room."