Legends of Ninjago Book 2: Rise of the Serpentine

Chapter 8: Disciplinary Action

    "This is, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the single most catastrophic blunder I have ever seen in all of Ninjago's history," said Sensei Wu as he marched back and forth in front of the boys. They were in the medical room where Kai was still bed-ridden and they were finally paying for their actions. "This monastery and my reputation are both teetering on a knife's blade because of you, not to mention the countless other casualties you inflicted. You were reckless, irresponsible, and foolish, to say the least. However, you did manage to stop my nephew from inflicting far worse damage, and you also took out quite a large number of his forces in doing so. As it would turn out, there is some good work to commend you for, but you also let Lloyd slip away and we currently do not know his whereabouts. So while we search for him, you four will be cleaning the entire monastery, top to bottom, giving our staff a well-deserved rest. After that, your training will resume, with twice the work load."
    Keaton wished she could say something, but she technically wasn't even supposed to be here behind the med room doors eavesdropping. She could just picture the boys' faces, though, as Wu told them what their punishment was going to be. Even she was shocked when she heard it.
    "The three of you will begin tomorrow morning, and young Kai will join you as soon as he is able. You are also confined to the monastery, and if I catch you stepping one toe out of line, you will be sentenced to solitary confinement for one week. That is all. Dismissed."
    That was Keaton's queue to vamoose. She used her wind powers to boost herself down the hallway and out of sight as fast as she could, hoping that when Wu opened the med room doors, he didn't see her pony tails flying around the corner at the end of the hall. She leaned against the wall and tried to keep her breathing to a minimum as she listened for the sound of her Sensei's footsteps.
    "Who are we hiding from?"
    Keaton whipped around and nearly punched Nya who had snuck up on her.
    "Oh, it's just you," Keaton sighed with relief, glad she had not actually harmed Nya.
    "Expecting someone else?" asked Nya with a raised eyebrow.
    "Uh... no, no, just out here taking a stroll," said Keaton with a smile.
    Just then, Sensei Wu walked by and said, "Good morning, girls."
    "Good Morning Sensei Wu," the girls replied together. They watched him glide away and out of sight before continuing with their conversation.
    "So," Nya started, "I've got my nail polish and MP3 player all set up. In my room this time."
    Keaton looked down at the floor and felt her lips grow tight. "Thanks, Nya, but... not today."
    "Aw, come on!" said Nya as she folded her arms. "You're gonna let what Ann said that one time stop you from having fun?"
    "She's my sister," Keaton said firmly, setting her expression as serious as she could. She looked up at Nya who seemed to be caught off guard by her sudden change in tone. "And... she was right. I am a ninja in training. I shouldn't let myself get distracted."
    "You may be a ninja, but you're also a kid," Nya pressed. "You didn't even know what sweet sixteens were until I told you, for crying out loud! What kinda childhood is that?"
    "Can we stop talking about this?" asked Keaton, looking away. Her voice had become very small all of a sudden, and she could feel how tight her throat was.
    Nya didn't say anything after that. The two of them were silent for a little while, listening to the sound of the wind howling outside. Keaton didn't feel particularly nice for blowing Nya off like that, but she had inadvertently struck a nerve, and a particularly prickly nerve at that. As the mood continued to plummet, Keaton started to worry that maybe Nya would get the wrong idea about her and Ann, so perhaps now would be a good time to clear up a few things?
    Keaton coughed a few times and said, "I'm sorry, Nya. But... you gotta understand... having a 'normal' childhood was never an option for... Ann and me." Nya had turned to face Keaton and seemed to be listening intently. "You see... Sensei Wu found us when we were little. We've been raised here ever since. I don't even remember what our parents looked like."
    "I'm so sorry, Keaton," Nya said in a softer tone. "If you don't mind me asking... what happened to them?"
    Keaton took a deep breath. "I don't know. Nobody knows. And Ann doesn't like talking about them. I think something happened between them."
    That certainly did not help to ease the tension in the room. Now, a new kind of awkward silence hung in the air, and Keaton was desperately searching for something to fill it with.
    "But that's why we always have each other's backs. So, I'm gonna listen to her." Keaton felt confident that this was the right course of action, but the silence returned again. "So... where were you off to?"
    "Oh, I was just gonna go check on Kai," said Nya, inching a little closer to the med room. Keaton nodded. "If you ever change your mind, though, I'm always here."
    "Thanks." Keaton smiled and watched Nya walk down the hall and out of sight behind the med room doors.
    Once again, she found herself alone in the monastery walking to another lesson. However, Nya had no idea how much those words had stung... Keaton's whole life had been abnormal, but a part of her was proud of that fact. She genuinely wasn't like most other girls--neither was Ann, for that matter--and she generally thought of that as a strength, but now... living with someone around her own age... suddenly it didn't seem very special. Suddenly she felt like there was something wrong with her. But was that true, or just in her head?