Ninjago: An Elemental Curse

Chapter 5: Everyday Like the One Before

This chapter features the song How Far I'll Go from the movie Moana with some changed lyrics to fit the story

*One Month Earlier*

Everyday seemed exactly the same to Ry, a normal fifteen year old girl living in the Blackwood Forest, located near the southwestern part of the Ninjago island. She lived with her parents, younger sister, and younger brother in a village named Sakganka. It was a forest village, surrounded by endless trees on all sides.

At times, the trees felt like a dome to Ry, trapping her inside the village. However, even with the trapped feeling she felt, Ry had so much freedom there.

She could do almost anything she wanted... except the one thing she did want: to leave her boring life behind and explore the world. This had been her dream, her one desire, specifically for the past three years, but her parents never let her leave for her protection.

Today was no different from any other day. The sun shined its midday light through the two square windows in Ry's bedroom. It looked like any typical village bedroom would.

All of her furniture was made up of a dark brown wood from the forest's trees. Her bed, covered with pale teal sheets and pink blankets, was against the dull blue wall just a few inches from one of the windows. Beside it was a wooden nightstand. On the opposite side of the room in the corner across from her bed was her tall wooden closet. In the other corner was her long wooden desk.

At the moment, Ry was lying on her stomach on top of her bed sheets. With her earbuds in, she intently watched the news playing on her phone, which leaned against her fluffy white pillow.

Her parents never really wanted her to watch the news, but to Ry, she felt it was her only way to see what Ninjago was like outside her village. Whenever she would watch the news, Ry always made sure her parents and siblings couldn't see or hear it.

"Gayle Gossip reporting live from Ninjago City which as you all know, has continued to be quiet of crime ever since the ninja's return from the kingdom of Shintaro just a over few months ago," Gale reported.

Suddenly, Ry's curious mind drifted off elsewhere.

"Shintaro...," she slowly repeated the name out loud, instantly becoming curious about the kingdom.

Just as she was getting lost in her thoughts and predictions about Shintaro, a familiar voice shouted, "Hiya sis!"

Immediately, all in one motion, Ry slammed her phone screen flat on her bed, pulled out her earbuds, and whipped her gaze around towards her room door.

She instantly met the light brown eyes of her ten year old sister Kat.

"Me and Cody are going out in the village to play a game of tag. Wanna join us?" Kat excitedly asked, her very light brown braided hair bouncing up and down as she bounced on her feet.

"Umm... I-I'm just gonna stay here. Thanks for the offer though," Ry told her sister, forcing a small smile on her face.

"Suit yourself," Kat shrugged while playfully rolling her eyes. Then she left the room, closing the wooden door behind her.

For a few seconds, Ry closely listened to the sound of her sister's loud footsteps, which quickly faded away.

As soon as she knew Kat was gone, Ry let out a long sigh, plopping down on her bed. She buried her face into her fluffy white pillow.

Once again she had avoided hanging out with her siblings, the same way she'd avoided hanging out with her friends for the past three years.

She didn't necessarily mean to and she had her reasons. However, that didn't stop her from feeling guilty for avoiding and pushing them away.