Misako’s face paled, and she took a step back. Something like recognition flashed in her eyes, and she wasn’t the only one.
   Jay gasped from the other end of the room. “Hey! It’s that cat from Cliff Gordon’s—!” Skylor punched him in the jaw, making him cry out. She then hissed, baring cat-like teeth, and dropped on all fours and transformed the same way the first creature did. The orange gi tore under her muscles, and her rose-red hair paled to a tawny color and grew longer. Instead of green, her eyes were a fiery amber. Two tails grew from her rump, and she unsheathed her claws with a yowl.
   Cole recoiled from her hateful gaze. “What are you?! What have you done with our friends?!”
   The creature that had impersonated as Kai hissed. “We’re only here to take what belongs to us.” His voice was deep and guttural, and he licked his whiskers.
   Nya brandished a couple of sai and took a threatening step toward the first cat-creature. “What have you done with my brother?? And Skylor??” She demanded furiously.
   The black and white creature chuckled cruelly. “Their skeletons will lie under our claws forevermore.”
   Nya paled, but swung at him with a raged shout. The beast dodged the weapons and called to the Skylor-creature. “Get the moonstone! I’ll hold them off!”
   Skylor’s impersonator whipped around and fled down the hall, both tails waving in the air. Cole tried to go after her, but was pulled to the floor. He whipped around the see the cat-creature digging his claws into his shins and dragging him back, baring his teeth. Jay leapt onto his back and grabbed him by the neck, forcing him to release Cole and swipe furiously at the ninja clinging to his furry shoulders.
   Jay shouted gleefully. “Yee-haw, ride ‘em cowboy! Hey, buddy, ya got something on your back!” Sparks of lightning shot from his fingertips, causing the beast the yowl in pain. Unfortunately, in the madness of the creature’s movement, Jay lost balance for a split second, causing his sparkling hand to wave wildly. The electricity caught Misako, and she cried out at the burning strikes.
   With a snarl, the great cat rolled onto his back, fairly crushing Jay beneath his weight, and whipped toward Misako. He snatched her leg by his teeth and began dragging her out of the burning building and into the dark, flickering shadows beyond. She shrieked in pain and struggled to escape, but the lion-like cat held fast.
   “Mom!!” Lloyd stumbled to his feet and toward the doorway, Cole and Nya close behind, gripping their weapons. Jay rasped and attempted to get up. “Pheugh, pah-tooey! Ew, cat hair in my mouth! Ugh!”
   “I cannot put out the flames myself!” Zane exclaimed frantically. “The fire is growing fast and catching to the roof!”
   “Nya!” Wu called out. “We need you!”
   If Nya heard him, she showed no sign. She raced ahead of Lloyd and Cole and toward the creature dragging away Misako with an enraged battle cry.
   The cat looked up at the sound, gave a cruel smile, and waved a paw dismissively. To Cole’s shock, Nya cried out and stumbled to the cobblestone. Knees to the ground, her face pale, she dropped her weapon and clutched her head, shutting her eyes tight.
   “Nya!?” Cole called, but there was no response. The girl rocked her head as if in pain.
   Lloyd, on the other hand, barely gave Nya a second glance and leapt at the creature kidnapping his mother. He too suddenly dropped to the ground, but this reaction was more violent. He wailed out loud and hugged himself tightly into a ball, shuddering as if extremely cold.
   Cole raced past the two, desperate to stop the creature. Summoning a spinning ball of dirt from his hands, he charged with a loud shout.
   Then his eyes locked with the cat’s.
   “. . . How can I be proud of a son who thinks it’s OK to steal?!” His father’s furious face glared at him, as vivid as if it was happening right now. Cole gasped, and realized that he was backstage at a theater. He whipped around and saw Zane, Jay, and Kai looking at him with concerned expressions, wearing striped suits for the upcoming show.
   What. . .?! No. . .This already happened. . .Why’s it happening again?!
   Now he looked down at himself, standing in broad daylight outside the Temple of Airjitsu. “I’m. . . I’m a ghost.” He rasped. He looked up to see Jay, Zane, and Kai staring at him with horror-stricken expressions.
   No. . .! Cole stumbled to his knees. Stop it! Stop the memories!
   Now he was standing on the roof of the same temple, wind whipping his hair wildly. Sensei Yang’s ghost stood before him, chanting mockingly. “You’re all alone, Cole. You’ve been forgotten, like me.”
   Stop it!! Cole clutched his head and crouched down into a ball. Stop it right now!
   “Cole!” Jay shook him vigorously by the shoulders. “What’s the matter with you?! Snap out of it!”
   Cole gasped and opened his eyes. He was back in the courtyard of Steep Wisdom. The teashop roared in flames, the fire lighting up the night sky. Jay was gripping him by the shoulders and staring frantically into his friend’s eyes.
   “I’m OK!” He gasped mostly out of relief. He realized he had curled up into a ball, which was rather embarrassing. He stood up and realized he was trembling, feeling weak in the knees. “What happened??” He rasped.
   “You tell me.” Jay looked quite freaked out, his eyes wide. “One second, all three of you are charging toward that ultimate Grumpy Cat, the next, you’re all down like you’re sick!” His gaze shifted beyond Cole. “Nya!” He raced over to her side.
   Cole stumbled over to Lloyd, who was crouching into a shivering ball, and shook him. “Snap out of it, Lloyd! Come back! You’re all right!”
   Lloyd’s eyes flew open with a gasp, and he stared wildly up at him. “Cole?”
   “Can you walk?”
   “Ah-CHIEE!”
   Cole wrapped Lloyd’s arm around his shoulder and heaved him to his feet whilst the latter sniffed. Meanwhile Jay was crouching over Nya and trying to wake her. “Nya, please! We have to get out of here! Wu said this place is going down!”
   Sensei Wu and Zane burst out the door of the teashop, covered head to toe in black soot. “It’s too late to save the shop!” Wu cried. “Get to the Bounty! Zane, help Cole with Lloyd! Jay, help Nya! I’ll start the ship!”
   Jay needed no urging to help the strangely drowsy Nya to her feet. “Are you OK?? Are you hurt?? Do you need me to—?”
   “I’m fine, geh-off. . .” She groaned softly and blinked blearily. Jay ignored her feeble protests and rushed her to the Bounty. The large ship was already beginning to rise above the flames, rocket boosters roaring. Once he and Nya were on, Zane and Cole helped Lloyd on board. They tumbled onto deck, Zane and Jay physically exhausted, and Cole, Lloyd, and Nya emotionally exhausted. Nobody noticed Whiskers slipping on board, gazing at the activity with cool interest.
   “Zane! Help me!” Wu called urgently from from the steering wheel, and the nindroid nodded and ran up to help his sensei. The ship swooped dangerously for a second, caught by the wind, then took to the night sky. The flames roared furiously down below, the heat fading away as the ship sailed away.
   “Wha—what about Misako?” Cole rasped. He leaned over the railing and stared at the burning building down below, as if he’d be able to see her figure outlined against the fire.
   “By the time I got to you guys, they were gone.” Jay replied as he crouched by Nya. She was trembling, but she waved him off and forced herself to a standing position.
   “Gone?!” Cole stared at him. “What about the other one?? She ran inside the shop! Is she still there?”
   Jay shrugged, looking worried. “I have no idea.”