Ninja's Creed: Awakening

Chapter Five: Apple of My Eye

  Lloyd had no clue how they were supposed to accomplish some basic training if they had to catch a flight to the opposite side of the planet, nor did he give two...God, he couldn't even think of an analogy. He was within five feet of four teens who had no problem with ending lives, and an uncle he'd never even known about who had taught them how to do so.

And in a few hours, he'd start training to become one of them.

God, what a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle thing.

  He checked the digital clock next to the decently-soft cot he'd been given, its bright-red numbers seemingly taunting him with a minute-by-minute countdown to the moment he'd partake in the mission to retrieve the Apple of Eden. The clock read 4:26 A.M. Only half an hour to "training", the blond teen thought restlessly. Whatever the hell that meant. Might as well do something if I'm going to be engaged in hand-to-hand combat with teenage Agent 47.

  Deciding that there was no use in staying in bed any longer, Lloyd tossed off the blanket that covered his slightly-tanned legs and stood up. Still stretching, he walked out of the dark sleeping quarters and into the kitchen. It was a nice space, with Chinese décor and updated appliances, while empty pizza boxes and a few other messes here and there made it obvious that teenagers lived in the vicinity. Shrugging off the sight, Lloyd walked over to and opened the fridge to see what kind of food there was. Inside, there were half-empty liters of Barq's Root Beer, Sprite, Coke, Barq's French Vanilla Crème Soda, a heavily-frosted cake with COLE written in blue icing...

...and ten more boxes of pizza.

  Hmm. I wonder what 90's Nickelodeon show I could be living in?! the blond wondered, grabbing the top box and setting it on the wooden counter. All we need is green body paint, colored eye masks, some redhead in a sexually-unappealing yellow bodysuit, and her Voorhees-mask boyfriend, and we've got...

  "What the hell?!" Lloyd exclaimed quietly, jumping away from the box he'd opened. In it was a pizza covered with chocolate sauce, rainbow sprinkles, and jelly beans. And not the cheap ones, but actual assorted Jelly Belly beans. Birthday Cake, Buttered Popcorn, Toasted Marshmallow...every flavor that had nothing to do with fruit was spread out on top of the normally-savory pie. And there goes my appetite, Lloyd mentally cried, replaced by the burning need to receive an apology letter from the food reproduction company.

  "You're up early", Cole's voice stated from behind him. The green-eyed boy turned around, and sure enough, the shaggy-haired Assassin was holding a casual pose in the kitchen doorway. Lloyd looked at him and shut the pizza box. "Congratulations, Sherlock", he replied, giving a fake smile. "You've cracked the case of the Pissed Prisoner. If you want a reward, Prince Harry and his bride want to have tea with you, along with Princess Kate, Prince William, and Prince...the dead one, whose purple-clad skeleton is rolling in its grave at hearing his name called so many times. Questions?"

  Cole exhaled. "You're not a prisoner, Lloyd", he assured the other boy. "Grand Master Wu has great plans for you..." "The last person I heard say that was Joel Osteen, and my life has been a living hell so far", Lloyd retorted. "Look, thanks for saving my life yesterday, but I just met you! How do you expect me to readily join a team of assassins who just barely qualify to get their drivers' licenses—" "We're seventeen like you, Cabbage Patch", the older boy replied evenly. "And we expect you to because you need us. Without our protection, you'll die a quicker death than you would've if you'd taken our offer, and you know it."

  "So you blade-toting ballsacks think you can just scare me into your little Power-Ranger-Assassin's-Creed ripoff squad because you think my bastard of a dad is gonna kill me and my mom without you?!" Lloyd snapped, glaring at the other boy. "Death would be a welcome fate with the hell I've been given since I was eight!"