"Elaine!" Madam Mistaké scowls.

"Good morning to you too, Madam," I say, a pretty smile drawn across my face. I already know what's about to happen.

She, once again, hits me on the head with this morning's newspaper.

"I thought after our conversation yesterday you wouldn't return to the docks! Yet you did, and told the rest of them!" She scolds.

"I'm sorry. I mean, they would find out eventually," I say sheepishly, attempting to lighten the situation.

She glares at me. "I want you sleeping here and waking up here. No leaving for a week, yes?"

"You're grounding me?" I exclaim. "I'm an adult!"

"Yes. That way, we have more time for training," she says, turning her back towards me.

"But-"

"No buts. Butts are for sitting."

And that was that.

"Come," She says. She takes me into the side room. A cabinet was up against the back wall, and she walks up to it. Mistaké opens the cabinet and takes out a wooden box.

She opens it and hands it to me. I take it gingerly and gasp, looking in awe at its contents.

"Are these mine?" I ask.

"Yes," She responds, taking them out of the box and holding them in the air.

The weapons gleam in the sunlight, light bouncing off them.

"These two throwing daggers are replicas of the ones the last master of air used. It is up to you if you want them or not."

"I do," I say. She hands me the daggers and I hold them carefully.

"Throw one," She says.

I look at the line in between the doors of the cabinet, and aim.

I throw the dagger, curling it around my finger as it leaves my hand. It hits the line perfectly, going right in between the boundary.

"How'd I do that?" I mutter.

Mistaké smiles. "It's in your blood."

The rest of the day I practiced fighting with my daggers. When night fell, I couldn't go back to my hotel room or the docks, so I decided to call Lloyd instead.

"Hello?" He answers.

"Hey. Don't go to the docks tonight. I'm practically on house arrest here," I say, chuckling.

"You too? Wu and the guys have me on lockdown."

I laugh. "How's Cole treating you? He seemed kinda pissed the other night," I ask.

"Better. He questioned me at first, but it's all good now. I've been teased endlessly though."

I laugh. "Seems like them."

"How much closer are you to training with us?" He asks.

"Well, Mistaké gave me a replica of the first master of air's weapons today. Two throwing daggers."

"Ooh, classy. You know how to use them?"

"Yeah, sorta surprised I know how," I say.

Lloyd laughs. "It's part of you. I guess."

"Funny, Mistaké said sort of the same thing. Like it was in my blood," I say, thinking.

"Huh. Shit- I hear someone coming," he says. I hear him tuck his phone underneath something, but I could still hear the conversation.

"Whatcha doing, Lloyd?" Jay asks.

"Probably talking to his girlfriend," Kai says.

"El? I wanna talk!" Nya exclaims.

"She's not my girlfriend!" Lloyd mutters.

"Yeah, sure," Jay says in a sarcastic tone.

"We're not- Nya, give it back!"

"No! I want to talk!"

"No!"

I hear a bunch more shuffling and Lloyd picks up the phone.

"Did you hear all of that?" Lloyd asks awkwardly. I laugh.

"Yeah. Lemme talk to Nya real quick."

I hear Lloyd sigh and he gives Nya the phone.

"Hey! I'm so excited you're coming! It'll be great having another girl around," she says. I could practically hear her glaring at the boys.

I stifle my laughter. "Totally. I haven't had a girlfriend in ages."

"Me too! Anyway, we'll figure it out. Lloyd's dying to talk to you again-"

"Am not!"

"-so we'll continue this conversation later. Bye!" I hear the phone being passed around then Lloyd shoving everyone out the door.

I chuckle. "They're so funny," I say.

"Oh, wait till you're the one being teased," Lloyd grumbles.

"Aw, poor Lloyd," I say in a baby voice.

"I'm rolling my eyes."

"I can hear them."

"Hah."

"Tease them back. You gotta fend for yourself, Lloyd!"

"I'm rolling my eyes again."

"Maybe if you roll them back far enough you'll find a brain. Come on Lloyd, man up!"

"How do you do that? You're so sarcastic," he says.

I laugh. "It's just who I am. How do you defend yourself?"

"Green ninja power?"

"Now I'm rolling my eyes. I mean verbally!"

He groans. "I don't know!"

I laugh. "Well let me know when you figure it out," I say.

"Trust me, you'll be the first."

"Elaine, quieter, please!" Madam Mistaké says. I sigh.

"Yes, Madam!"

"I gotta go, Lloyd. Talk to you later?"

"Goodnight," he says. I smile and hang up the phone.

I sit on the bench by the harbor, Tobi sitting next to me. We're sixteen now, life seemed simpler and happier than it had in the past.

"We should go on a ship one day," Tobi suggests.

"Why?" I ask.

"So we can start over. We can get actual jobs, meet people, have friends, relationships. We could live together in an apartment," he says, looking out into the distance.

"But dad is getting weaker now, he won't be able to handle a ship soon. We can't leave him, especially with mom gone," I say.

"Dream a little," Tobi says, nudging me with a smile.

"We can move to a big city," Tobi says.

"Like Ninjago," I say, beginning to envision mine and Tobi's future.

"Now you're talking."

We walk back up the pier, side by side.

"Look!" I say. "The suns going down."

Percy looks at the pink and orange sky in awe.

"Come on," He says.

I follow him to the boathouse. He climbs up the ladder on the side of the small building and waits for me to come. I hesitate at first, but I soon join him and sit next to him. Our legs dangle off the roof as we watch the sky change colors.

"It's so pretty," I say.

"It's mom's gift to us," he says.

I smile at him. "Happy birthday, Tobi."

"Happy birthday, Ellie."

-

"Up!" Mistaké says, flipping on the light switch. I groan and sit up groggily.

"What time is it?" I mutter.

"Five thirty A.M. Perfect time to start training!" She says.

I lift the covers off me and pull my gi on. I walk into the side room and sit on the ground across from Mistaké.

She hands me a cup of tea and I take a sip.

"Wu and I talked this morning," Madam Mistaké starts.

"This morning? How long have you been up?" I exclaim.

"The early bird catches the worm," she says plainly.

"For sure. Why'd you talk to Wu?" I ask.

"To discuss if you are ready to train with the others. He is coming to watch you work today, so don't mess up," Mistaké says.

"Mess up? When do I ever mess up?" I say, smirking. Mistaké glares at me.

"Don't answer that. I'm going to go practice," I say, getting up and walking outside.

It was dark outside, the sun not yet up. I put my mask on and do some stretches.

Half way in, I feel a small tingle on my back.

I close my eyes and take in the air of my surroundings.

There was a man right behind me.

I jump to the side, dodging the man at the last minute. I turn to face him.

"Elaine, master of the air. Very nice to meet you," Sensei Wu says, bowing.

I bow politely back. "Sensei Wu. I've heard a lot about you," I say.

"I'm sure you have. Those ninja won't ever shut up," he says. I chuckle.

"Shall we begin?" He says. I nod and he jumps towards me.

I jump to the side and kick at his feet, but he jumps over them and hits his staff on my back. I grab it from over my shoulder and hold my hand out in front of me, and hold the staff away in the other hand.

I look towards him but he was gone. He jumps behind me and grabs his weapon back. I roll to the side, dodging his staff.

"Good," He says. He throws me my daggers and I grab them.

We fight hand-to-hand. I block his staff with my daggers and he jumps to the side.

He spins, and a golden tornado envelops him. I do the same, and my grey one surrounds me.

I fight him as we both perform Spinjitzu. Suddenly, he jumps over me and kicks me in the back. My Spinjitzu stops and I fall to the ground.

"She hasn't learned that yet, Wu," Mistaké says, scowling.

"I just wanted to see how she'd react," Wu says. I turn around, disappointed and mad at myself.

"Elaine, would you like to try again?" Wu asks.

"Yes please." I say, looking at him, feeling more determined.

He nods and spins again. I do as well, and he jumps.

Before he reaches for me, I jump, letting the air carry me above him. I kick his staff, and it falls to the ground.

He takes a throwing star from his coat and throws it at me. I throw my dagger at it, and the dagger hits it, pinning the shuriken to the wall.

"Good! Very good," Wu says, his long, white beard moving up with his smile.

He walks towards me and bows. I bow back, ending the fight.

Mistaké smiles at me, and I smile back.

-

"Welcome aboard the bounty," Wu says. I hear footsteps, and six people emerge from the stairs.

"El!" Nya says. She runs up to me and wraps her arms around me. I grin and hug her back. She lets go of me and I turn and meet the guys.

"Look who finally joined the party," Kai says, grinning.

"Welcome, El," Zane says.

"Good to see you too, Kai," I say, laughing. "Zane," I add with a nod and a slight smile.

"El, I'm glad you're here," Lloyd says, smiling. I smile back.

"I'm sure you are!" Jay says.

Lloyd groans. "Can't I just say welcome like the rest of you?" He asks.

I laugh. "Thanks, Lloyd."

"If you guys could show her around, that'd be great. Welcome, El," Wu says.

"Thank you," I say. He nods and disappears.

"So this is the training deck," Kai says. He nods to Jay who flips a switch.

Several training dummies and punching bags pop up from the floor, surprising me.

"This is a weird boat," I mutter.

Cole laughs. "And it's the most normal thing in our lives. Come on," he says.

"This is where we all sleep, except for Nya," Zane says. "You'll either share with her or us."

I follow them into the hall with several doors.

Lloyd says. "Nya's room is right here."

"This door leads to a bonus room with a TV and the other leads to a weight room," Jay says.

"It's where I got my sweet guns," Cole says, kissing his biceps.

"You means those noodles?" I joke, causing everyone to laugh.

"Hey!" He says, crossing his arms, examining them closely.

"And that's about it." Lloyd says.

"Thanks, guys," I say. They nod, and Nya walks out of her room.

"Did they give you the tour?" She asks. I nod.

"Perfect. I got the rest from here, boys," she says.

Kai shrugs and leaves.

I follow Nya into her room.

"Woah, what's this?" I say, picking up a blade.

"Oh, you know that big samurai that follows the ninja sometimes? That's me," she says, laughing nervously.

"Look at you! A total badass," I say, handing her the blade. She laughs. "Ha, I guess."

"Oh, the kitchen is across the hall from here. We eat there too. We take turns cooking but because you're new you might not for a while."

"What? No, I don't want any advantages or whatever," I say.

Nya shrugs. "Suit yourself. But you're cooking for eight people. Sensei Wu doesn't cook, and Cole sucks."

I laugh. "Alright. Where are the guys anyway?"

She shrugs. "Probably hanging in the bonus room, in the bridge, or on the deck. I'm usually in the bridge if you ever wanna chat."

"Okay, thanks, Nya!" I say. She nods and I exit her room.

I walk into the bonus room. Sure enough, the five boys were laughing and chatting on the ground, the TV playing in the background.

"Hey, El. What'd Nya talk to you about?" Kai asks.

"Oh she told me about the cooking arrangements and how Cole sucks," I say, grinning and sitting down.

"Hey! I'm not that bad!" Cole defends.

"His chili is the worst," Jay says. Cole glares at him.

"He's gotten better-"

"Thank you, Zane."

"-but it still tastes like toilet water," Zane finishes. Everyone laughs and Cole frowns.

"Anyway," Cole starts, "El, what can you do?"

"What'd you mean?"

"What can you do with your powers?" Cole clarifies.

"Well, the golden weapons don't exist anymore so not much at the moment. I can do small gusts of wind though," I respond.

"Wait, so you became the master of air and you're not able to see what you can do with your powers? That sucks." Jay says.

"Thanks, Jay," I say sarcastically.

"No problem."

"El, have you seen these?" Wu asks, handing me a piece of paper. Two silver daggers with designs on the hilts were depicted, and they looked strangely familiar.

"I-I think so. Why? What are they?" I say.

"They're the original Daggers of Wind," Wu says.

"What can they do?" Kai asks, taking the paper from me.

"I'm not sure. They might just be regular daggers, but we need an advantage."

"Where are they?" Lloyd says, looking at the drawing.

"My mother showed them to me once," I mutter. Wu nods.

"We set sail for Windy Hollow today."

"You knew," I say to Wu. He nods again.

"You're mother was a master before you. I only assumed she'd show you, and I was right."

"My mother was a ninja? But when?" I mumble. "She was sick most of my childhood."

"She was bitten by a snake. Your father did not understand, or maybe chose to ignore the circumstances, but he did everything he could to help."

"Oh," I say. The guys surround me, as a way to comfort me.

"We will arrive at your childhood home tomorrow night," Wu says and exits the room.

"Great," I mutter.

"Tomorrow night? That's a long way," Cole says.

Jay snorts. "Windy Hollow. Get it? Because you're the air ninja," he says, giggling. I glare at him.

"Oh, ok," Jay says.

I groan. "I do not want to go back there."

"Why not? It's your birthplace," Cole says. I just shrug.

"I didn't know your mom was sick," Lloyd says softly.

I nod. "She passed when I was fourteen."

"What about your dad?" Lloyd says, changing the subject. I look up at him thankfully and he nods.

"He mostly worked, trying to get money for my mom since the surgeries and round clock nursing was expensive," I say. "But he passed away shortly after my mother." No one says anything.

"My father is Lord Garmadon," Lloyd says, breaking the silence.

"I knew you guys were related! Wow, that had to have been tough," I say.

Lloyd chuckles. "Yeah. No one really liked me. I mean, I made it worse for myself anyway."

"How?"

"I wanted to be evil like my father. Obviously, that didn't go very well," Lloyd says, smiling.

"Yeah, thanks to us," Jay says.

"Dude was a total ass before we met him," Kai says.

"I wasn't that bad," Lloyd says.

"You only released three different serpentine tribes from their tombs and committed many petty crimes," Zane says. I giggle.

"Zane!" Lloyd says, glaring at him.

"What?" I say, hiding my laughter.

"Oh, was I not supposed to tell her?" Zane asks. Lloyd groans.

"I was born and raised in a junkyard. And to this day my parents still live there," Jay mumbles.

"What? You mean a dump?" I say, disbelief in my voice.

"Hey, let's not rub it in," Jay jokes.

"Nya and I's parents passed when we were kids too. They were blacksmiths and we both worked at their shop, mending and cleaning weapons and armor," Kai says.

"And my dad was a performer. A Royal Blacksmith. He always tried to get me to sing and dance but I couldn't do it. So I dropped out of college and became a ninja," Cole says.

"You weren't that bad of a dancer," Jay says, giggling.

"Oh shut it," Cole says.

"I grew up with no remembrance of a family. I was an orphan my whole life. But a little while back we found my father's workshop and I discovered my memory switch was turned off," Zane says.

"Um, memory switch?" I ask, looking at the rest of the boys for answers. They all look at each other, smirking, then look to Zane.

"My father built me because he was lonely. But when he died he turned it off," Zane explains.

"I've never heard someone explain their, uh, creation like that. But okay," I say. Kai snorts.

"What do you mean? I'm a robot," Zane says. He moves his hand to his chest and to my horror, a panel opens up.

"What the hell!" I exclaim, jumping back and running into Lloyd. Everyone laughs.

"It takes some getting used to, but it's actually pretty cool," Lloyd says, putting a hand on my shoulder to steady me.

"And for the record, he's a nindroid. Not a robot," Jay says.

"Whatever he is, he's still Zane," I say, smiling towards him. He smiles back at me.

Sensei Wu walks in, breaking our conversation.

"El, we'll be cleaning up a spare room for you to sleep in."

"No fair!" Jay says. "She gets her own room."

Cole rolls his eyes. "Grow up, Jay."

Sensei Wu sighs. "It'll be easier for Nya if she and El were separated, as El will have sunrise stretches once a week."

"Sunrise stretches?" I ask.

"We have to wake up at five in the morning and stretch," Kai mumbles. I could tell that Wu and Mistaké share tips, and in this case, punishments.

The group of his break apart and I head to the bathroom to take a shower, grabbing some fresh clothes on the way. Apparently, my wardrobe is completely grey now, though I don't mind.

After my shower, I head to the room I was to be sleeping in. There was a prepared mattress on the ground, however the room was cluttered with junk.

I take it upon myself to clean it, I didn't want to sleep in a room full of dust and spiders—especially if I'm going to sleep on the floor.

I hear a short knock on my door. "Come in," I say.

"I came here to help, if you'd like," Lloyd says.

I smile. "Thank you."

"How has your first day here been?"

I shrug. "Good. I'm pretty excited to be with you guys, it sucked training alone. I just can't believe this much as happened since I've moved here."

"Oh yeah!" Lloyd says. "I almost forgot you moved here, a month or two ago?"

I nod. "It's a pretty big change. But I don't regret any of it."

Lloyd smiles. "I'm glad."

"How do you like it?" I ask.

"Like what?"

"You know, being the green ninja?"

Lloyd frowns. "No ones ever asked me that before." He pauses to think. "It's great, to be honest. But sometimes, a part of me wishes I wasn't green. I don't like seeing everyone risk their life to protect me."

"I understand," I say quietly.