Right Realm, Wrong World (Book 4 of the Enchanted DVD Player tetralogy)

The Streets of Ninjago City

Lloyd's POV

"You don't have to say it; I already know I screwed up," I say, avoiding eye contact with y/n. I can feel her anger radiating towards me.

"Hey..." she says, looking around at the ground. "Where's Nadakhan?"

Suddenly, something comes falling out of the sky and then hits me on the top of my head. "Ouch!"

Y/n laughs evilly. "You deserved that."

"Yeah," I agree, rubbing my forehead. "I guess so."

Y/n picks the object up, which just so happens to be the lamp we were talking about. She shakes it, as if checking if Nadakhan's inside.

"What are you doing?" I ask.

"Punishing that stupid genie."

I shake my head in amusement, then let my gaze wander off. Something catches my eye; a group of teens interacting outside of a school.

"Huh," I mutter. "Those guys look like us."

Y/n stops shaking the lamp to see our look-alikes. We both stare at them for a while, and stay completely silent so we can hear what they're saying.

"Stop it, motormouth!" The one in a black tank top says to the one in blue. "You're making him feel worse."

"That does not make sense," a guy dressed in white replies robotically. "Our friend is in a deep state of tragedy, there isn't much that can make him feel worse."

"Yeah, boulderhead! Even Popsicle over here agrees with me!"

"Guys, break it up!" the girl interrupts. "Fighting won't solve the problem!"

"I dunno, sis," the one in red says. "Violence seems to go a long way in Ninjago City."

"Oh my gosh, it is us," y/n mumbles, her eyes as wide as saucers.

"I don't understand," I say. "This isn't Ninjago City..."

Y/n gasps and drops the lamp. "We're in the movie!"

"Wait, what?"

"Get down!" She shushes me, and pulls me down behind a hill. "They looked this way!"

"Have you been here before?"

"Not really, but I know where we are. And we can't let the alternate-universe ninja see us."

Lying on my belly, I lift my head up to see over the top of the hill. The guy who looks like me is staring in our direction, but then he glances away. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice a familiar person walking along the sidewalk.

"Hey, look!" I say to y/n. "It's you!"

"What?" She says. "No... that's not possible..."

"Why not? If we're all here, then why wouldn't you be?"

"Because me ending up in Ninjago was a fluke! I was born on Earth, so there shouldn't be a version of me here."

"Okay," I say, finally understanding what she's getting at. "Then why is there another y/n here?"

—————-???'s POV—————-

I'm walking across town from the library. I love to read, so it's become a regular activity to check a book out every afternoon. Today, I've got a graphic novel called Bone.

A/n: has anyone else read the Bone series? No? Just me? Dammit. I love those books.

I take my time strolling though the city; I don't have anywhere to be. The rest of the teenagers should be in school, but I'm the rare exception.

I reach the park soon enough, and I take a seat at one of the benches. I pull the library book out of my worn-out backpack, and flip to the first page. I spend the rest of the afternoon reading.

Once the sun starts to set, I close the book and head back home. I pass the bakery on the way there, and try not to inhale the wonderful smell of food. I don't want to be tempted, since I don't have the money to pay for anything. Besides, I already ate this morning.

I turn down an alleyway and walk towards the dead end. I slip behind the dumpster that I use as privacy, and climb into the hammock I set up years ago. I use my backpack, which contains all of my belongings, as a pillow. The rushing cars out on the street are my lullaby, and soon, I'm fast asleep.

•••

Thud.

I awake to the sound of something falling hard into the dumpster.

"Oww..." the something groans.

"Are you alright?" I ask, getting out of my hammock. I peer over the edge of the bin to see who fell in. It's some guy wearing a green set of PJs and a matching mask. Although his getup is suspicious, I offer him my hand.

He reluctantly takes it, and I help pull him out. He wobbles a bit once he's on his feet, and he clutches the side of his head.

"You okay?" I ask.

"Yeah..." he laughs, embarrassed. "I'm good."

"What are you doing out this late?" I wonder. "And how'd you end up in the dumpster?"

"I fell from up there," he says, pointing to the top of the building. Lucky for him, it's not that high.

"Uhh..." I mutter. What the heck was he doing up there?

"Sorry I bothered you," the boy says, then starts to walk away. "You should probably get home; it's kind of late."

"I am home," I reply without thinking.

"Alright, then go inside."

"No, I mean, this—" I gesture to the small area around me, "—is my home."

The hooded boy looks behind me at my hammock, likely confused.

"You... you live out here? Alone?"

"Um, yeah," I say shyly, tracing my foot on the ground.

The boy stares at me, then out at the street, then back at me.

"Come with me," he says, holding out his hand.

"I don't even know you," I retort.

He cocks his head to the side. "You've never seen a ninja before?"

"Ninja?"

"Yeah, the six of us that protect the city."

"Umm... no."

The boy looks surprised, but not as if he finds me ignorant. He just seems curious about me, that's all.

"Well," he says. "I know a place you can stay if you want. You can crash there as long as you need."

"Really?" I ask skeptically. Living on the streets has taught me to be wary of new people.

"Sure. Just follow me."

I don't know what came over me, but I felt like I could trust this stranger boy. I grabbed my backpack off the ground, swung it over my shoulder, and faced the boy.

"I guess I can stay just one night..."