Greenflame--The Journey Beyond

Chapter 3

Lloyd

  Lloyd had his arm wrapped around Flame, trying to comfort her about what she'd seen in her washroom mirror. He was thinking, his eyes clouded. Could it be...? he thought. We all got rid of them a few months ago...

  "Lloyd?" He looked up; his thoughts interrupted. He looked down to see Flame stare up at him with worry in her eyes. "Are you okay? You seem... distressed?" she said. Lloyd put on a warm smile. "I'm fine, thanks. The others and I will get to the bottom of this situation, don't worry about it too much for now."

  Flame turned her head. "It's probably nothing. I don't want to drag anyone into something that probably isn't anything at all," she muttered. Lloyd stiffened. "Flame, we are a family. We help each other, no matter what. I don't want you saying things like that. Judging by your expression back in your room, whatever you saw must've scared you a lot. No one wants that happening. And if it does involve ghosts, well... I'll see what it's about."

  Flame looked slightly embarrassed, but she shot him an appreciative glance. "I... I really appreciate it, thank you. I'll help you, too, if I can." Lloyd smiled at her bravery. "Let's get you to the others for now. Do you feel like eating cake?" he said, trying to lighten the mood. At that moment, he heard Flame's stomach growl.

  Lloyd chuckled. "Seems like a yes." Flame's face went red. "U-um... argh! Urch!" she muttered, trying to cover the unnecessary noises her stomach made. Lloyd laughed softly. "Can't fool me!" he said jokingly. Flame grinned, and Lloyd was relieved when he saw her distracted. They made it to the doorway of the kitchen.

  "Jay," Lloyd called, his voice more serious than before. Jay looked up. He noticed Flame had a slightly shaken up expression on her face. "What's up?" he said, but a look of worry and concern betrayed his cheery tone. Flame walked over to Jay, burying her face in his chest. Jay embraced her comfortingly, and Lloyd felt a pang of sadness, the thought of his wise and caring father flooding his mind.

  "Hey," Jay asked his younger sister. "What happened? What made you like this?" Flame didn't respond, only leaned into the hug. After a few moments she murmured something about her reflection and a ghost. Jay's eyes widened. He looked at Lloyd, his face a look of mild anxiety. "Do you think this has something to do with... Morro?" he asked. Lloyd hung his head. He remembered when he'd been possessed by a ghost-like boy his age.

  The boy, Morro, had been told by Sensei Wu that he would be the destined Green ninja, but he later found out it wasn't meant for him. This led to anger and despair in the boy's life. He had tried proving himself worthy by traveling to the Tomb of the First Spinjitzu Master, which, misinterpreting his location, led him to the Caves of Despair, leading him to his death by an explosion. When Lloyd's father was sent to the Cursed Realm, Morro had slipped through at the same time, when the portal had been opened, and since then he'd taken control of Lloyd's body, finally being the Green ninja, like he'd wanted from long ago.

  Lloyd shivered at the thought. All those seconds of feeling as if he were trapped inside a dark chamber with no escape... being able to witness what Morro had done to countless innocent lives without having the ability to stop it... Lloyd had hated it. It sometimes gave him nightmares. Fortunately, the vivid dreams were swept away from the comfort of his friends. They'd tried their hardest to find a way to bring him back, to stop Morro from having full control of his body.

  After a few tries of getting his attention, Jay finally got Lloyd to look up at him. "You okay, Lloyd? You spaced out for a second." Lloyd shook his head in embarrassment. "Huh? Oh, yeah! I'm fine. Just got a few things to think about. Flame, you doing alright?" Flame glanced back at him, a smile on her lips. "I feel safer now, but still a bit shaken up, I guess," she said softly. He ruffled her flame-colored hair. "We'll get to the bottom of this, don't worry."