A green energy ball burst from behind him and shot toward his attacker, sending the cat hurtling across the rooftop. With a gasp of relief Cole whipped around to see Lloyd standing there, looking quite battered and bruised. Lloyd flashed a tired grin. “Need a little help?” Cole stumbled to his feet. “Boy, am I glad to see you!” He groaned at the throbbing of his wounds, and when he felt his chest he felt something wet and sticky beneath his fingers. He looked up to see Sensei Wu and Nya joining Liana, Jay, and Zane in the fray against the cats, though even with them, they were still dangerously outnumbered. It was at least two cats against one person, and every human on the roof looked utterly exhausted. “Get to the Bounty, everyone!” Wu ordered over the screeches and caterwauling. He then swung his bamboo staff over his head and bashed it against a light brown-pelted feline, sending it staggering. “This way!” Lloyd gestured and Cole followed, gritting his teeth as he ran. The Destiny’s Bounty hovered over the rooftop, casting an enormous shadow over the battle scene, as if the night wasn’t dark enough already. The anchor sat on the roof, the thick chain stretching up to the ship. At the foot of it Nya helped Jay fight off a swift-footed dark-striped tabby whilst trying to fend of a sand-colored cat at the same time. Nya’s gushes of water shot rapidly at the cats, making them hiss and sputter, whilst Jay wildly shot crackling volts of lightning. Lloyd shot a bright green energy ball at one of the aggressors, making the cat plummet over the side of the building with a wail. “We need to get out of here, now!” He shot another energy ball, this time at a cat battling Liana. Cole hesitated, then dashed over to Liana, punching one cat in the jaw as he pushed his way through the skirmish. He grabbed her arm and urged her to the ship, knowing that being blind, she would need some help. “This way; you’ve got to climb up this chain!”
The girl looked utterly terrified at the prospect of climbing an unsteady chain up to the ship, which she obviously had no idea how high it was, but she gritted her teeth and pulled herself up. She was surprisingly agile and quick, but that didn’t stop Cole from bouncing on his feet impatiently as she climbed. As he spun around and kicked one charging cat, Lloyd asked. “Who’s she?” “Old friend.” Cole called over the ear-splitting noise of the clash. One by one, the ninja and Wu scrambled up the chain, swiping wildly at the assaulters as they scrambled up to the flying ship. Nya clambered unsteadily up to the helm and took the wheel in her hands. “Everyone hang on!” She shouted as she pulled a lever. The rocket boosters screamed as they thrust the ship up into the dark sky, making everyone on board lose their balance. Wu and Jay toppled over from the cathead whilst Lloyd, Cole, and Liana rolled and smashed into the foot of the companionways with startled cries. Zane fell head over heels and hit the door leading inside. The Bounty soared into the air with an immense roar, shooting up over Ninjago City and past the clouds. Cole groaned and stood up, feeling the long scratches across his back, legs, and chest throbbing achingly. He felt as if he had been burned; the wounds stung so much. He glanced at Liana, who was picking herself up from the floor, looking dazed. Before he could ask if she was all right, Lloyd cried out. “The cats are on the ship!!” Cole whipped around to see Lloyd wrestling desperately on the deck with the smoky gray tom, while Wu and Jay fought against a lithe white feline and Zane shot ice at a muscular tortoiseshell. The cat dodged the nindroid’s shot and lunged for him, knocking him over to the ground.
Cole shouted and created an earth-colored Spinjitzu vortex, then ran into the side of the cat-creature. Meanwhile, the gray tom ducked one of Lloyd’s energy balls, spun around to the boy’s left, and snatched his leg in its teeth. Lloyd shouted and swung at the cat, which made him lose his balance. The cat let go of Lloyd, and the latter teetered backwards, tripped over the railing of the ship, and fell off with a panicked cry. Nobody saw Lloyd fly off the Bounty and disappear into the clouds, his shout fading off into the distance. The tom watched coolly, looking rather satisfied with itself. Its smug smirk wilted when Nya shot a gush of water at it from behind, drenching it. The cat yowled indignantly, jumped into the air, and then accidentally tripped over the railing—just as Lloyd did—and fell off. Its terrified wail echoed, then drifted off. Meanwhile Nya stood on one of the companionways, watching the falling feline with grim satisfaction. Cole helped Zane fight off the tortoiseshell, spinning wildly in his Spinjitzu vortex and flinging the cat away. It fell head over heels across the deck to where Liana stood, who then swung her nunchucks and pounded the cat in the head with deadly accuracy. The feline, completely dazed, teetered on its paws, stumbled one direction, then the other way, then finally ran into the ship’s rail and fell over it. With a frantic yowl it plummeted from sight. Now only the white-pelted cat remained, and when it glanced back to see that its companions were gone, its blue eyes widened in dismay. Wu took the cat’s distraction to whack it on the head with his staff. The cat growled and backed away, freeing Jay from under its paws. It stared at the ninja, who were simultaneously beginning to surround it, then lashed its tail. With a frustrated hiss, it bounded up to the ship’s rail, and balanced on it delicately. It flashed the grim-faced ninja a dark glare, then jumped and fell into the clouds racing by.
Cole shouted and created an earth-colored Spinjitzu vortex, then ran into the side of the cat-creature. Meanwhile, the gray tom ducked one of Lloyd’s energy balls, spun around to the boy’s left, and snatched his leg in its teeth. Lloyd shouted and swung at the cat, which made him lose his balance. The cat let go of Lloyd, and the latter teetered backwards, tripped over the railing of the ship, and fell off with a panicked cry. Nobody saw Lloyd fly off the Bounty and disappear into the clouds, his shout fading off into the distance. The tom watched coolly, looking rather satisfied with itself. Its smug smirk wilted when Nya shot a gush of water at it from behind, drenching it. The cat yowled indignantly, jumped into the air, and then accidentally tripped over the railing—just as Lloyd did—and fell off. Its terrified wail echoed, then drifted off. Meanwhile Nya stood on one of the companionways, watching the falling feline with grim satisfaction. Cole helped Zane fight off the tortoiseshell, spinning wildly in his Spinjitzu vortex and flinging the cat away. It fell head over heels across the deck to where Liana stood, who then swung her nunchucks and pounded the cat in the head with deadly accuracy. The feline, completely dazed, teetered on its paws, stumbled one direction, then the other way, then finally ran into the ship’s rail and fell over it. With a frantic yowl it plummeted from sight. Now only the white-pelted cat remained, and when it glanced back to see that its companions were gone, its blue eyes widened in dismay. Wu took the cat’s distraction to whack it on the head with his staff. The cat growled and backed away, freeing Jay from under its paws. It stared at the ninja, who were simultaneously beginning to surround it, then lashed its tail. With a frustrated hiss, it bounded up to the ship’s rail, and balanced on it delicately. It flashed the grim-faced ninja a dark glare, then jumped and fell into the clouds racing by.
Zane, Cole, and Jay ran over to the side and looked for any sign of the cats, though it was clear there would be no way to see them. Enormous dark clouds surrounded the Bounty, blocking any sight of the land below. The only light in the cool night sky came from the flying ship, its glow from the windows and headlights reflecting off the clouds. There was a long silence, broken only by the roar of the engines and the whistle of the breeze. Finally Jay spoke. “Well. The fur really flew there, didn’t it?” He gave a weak chuckle, but it died awkwardly. Cole gritted his teeth and grimaced. His legs, back, chest, and stomach stung like crazy, as if every wound was on fire. He felt that if he didn’t sit down, he might soon collapse. “Ugh. . .” He groaned and slid to the floor of the deck. Maybe if he just lay down and was very, very still, the pain would go away. “How in the world did they find us?” Zane wondered, stepping away from the rail. “You don’t suppose they were following us, do you?” Nya climbed down the companionway and joined the others, now standing together around the center of the deck. Jay said. “And besides that, what exactly do they want from us? I thought they would leave us alone after they took that stone from me!” “Did they take anything else?” Zane asked. Jay shook his head. “No. . . Not that I know of, anyway.” “So many questions, so few answers.” Wu sighed and leaned his weight on his staff. Still covered in soot and carrying several new scratches and bruises, the elderly man looked utterly exhausted, even more so than Cole. “Let us not ponder on the ones we cannot answer and instead question about the ones we can. Such as,” With his staff he gestured to Liana. “Who this young lady might be.” Liana, who had been clutching her nunchucks and standing stiffly as if expecting another attack, jumped, as if surprised someone had noticed her. She hesitated, then said. “I—I’m Liana Green. . . I was at the hotel when it was attacked.” Cole decided it was time to come clean. Groaning, he forced himself to stand up and say. “She’s an old friend of mine.”
I'm sure those wounds are infected.
Also, HOW DOES NOBODY NOTICE THAT LLOYD IS GONE?!?
Everyone turned and stared at Cole in surprise. “You know her?” Nya asked, casting a wondering glance at the silver-blond-haired girl. “Yeah.” He reached under his shirt and tentatively touched his wounds, feeling the wetness beneath. “We met years ago. . . Back when I ran away from dance school. She was the girl Kai was talking about that night at Mister Chen’s.” Nya raised her eyebrows at him and seemed to be trying to hide an amused smirk. “Don’t tell me for the past two weeks you’ve been having secret dates with her!” Jay blurted. “No, he was actually mourning her brother at a graveyard.” “Jay!” Cole flashed him a dirty look. Jay slapped his hands over his mouth and glanced guiltily at Cole. “Sorry.” He mumbled sheepishly. “What?” Nya shared a confused glance with Zane. Liana looked startled as well. “He knew?” She gestured in Jay’s direction. Cole shook his head frantically, starting to feel rather flustered. “No—I mean, yes, he did, but only because he followed me to the cemetery and saw me at Philip’s grave. There was no way I couldn’t give an explanation then! But I didn’t say anything about you.” “You were at Philip’s grave?” Liana asked at the same time Jay asked “Who is she?”, Zane asked “Who is Philip?”, and Nya asked “What are we talking about?” “Quiet!” Wu suddenly boomed. Startled, everyone fell silent and looked at him. With a sigh, he said. “One question at a time, please. Cole, I believe it would be best for you to start out by telling us your history with Miss Liana.” Cole sighed and tried to ignore the throbbing from his wounds. “When I ran away from dance school, before I met you, Sensei, I hid out in the mountains and met some other people, and we traveled together for a few weeks. Two of them were Liana and Philip; siblings. I made friends with them, but we finally split up, and eventually you found me.” He glared down at the deck, hating that even though he had tried so hard to keep it a secret for so long, he now found himself giving up that last bit of privacy to his personal life.
Don't worry Cole, it always feels better after telling someone.
“A couple weeks ago Liana suddenly appeared. She and her relatives are staying in Ninjago City for a few weeks, and she came to tell me that—” His voice faltered, but he took a breath and said simply. “—That Philip had passed away several months ago.” Zane and Nya’s eyes widened, and they stared at him in sympathy, along with Jay, who still looked rather sheepish about letting the secret slip. Wu’s eyebrows furrowed in concern, whilst Liana stood by awkwardly, looking quite ill at ease. “Earlier tonight,” Cole continued. “Jay caught me at Philip’s grave. . . At the memorial for those who were smashed during the Anacondrai-cultist rebellion. I—I didn’t tell him about Philip’s sister, and I asked him to keep the thing about me visiting the cemetery a secret.” “You’ve been mourning for your friend all this time?!” Nya exclaimed in sympathy. “Oh, Cole. . . !” “I’m sorry.” He burst out to Liana, feeling angry and wretched at the same time. “I’m sorry, Liana, I tried to keep it a secret, but—” She waved him off. “It’s OK. I get it.” She said quietly. Cole felt that the two of them silently agreed to keep the part about the two of them meeting at the gym every other night a secret; it didn’t really matter, anyway. “You could have told us, Cole. We would have understood.” Wu spoke gently. Cole stuck his hands in his pockets and stared down at the deck. “I guess.” Inside he still didn’t think they’d understand, and now he hated that they knew. He wanted this issue just to die away quietly, but now that probably wasn’t going to happen. They would think he deserved pity for losing his friend and keeping it to himself for so long. Well, he didn’t want pity, and he would resent anyone who gave it to him.
What made this especially awkward was how Liana was caught up in all this. It probably felt really weird for her to hear Cole talking about her brother to his teammates, whom she had never met. At this moment she stood by uneasily, looking confused and worried. Her silver-blond ponytail was frazzled from the fights, and one of the sleeves were ripped, presumably by a cat’s claws. She was a bit of an odd sight to behold; standing away from the crowd on the deck of the Bounty in her baby-blue night robe, her hair disheveled and holding her nunchucks in one hand. In truth, she also looked lonely standing by herself, but there was a defensive tilt to her head that invited no pity from anyone. Cole went on to explain how he, Zane, and Jay had tried to climb down the side of the building to escape the cat-creatures and how he had seen Liana in her room, which gave him the idea to get inside and skedaddle that way. “What happened to you guys?” He asked. “Well, while you, Zane, and Jay were fighting that orange cat and the brown cat, Sensei, Lloyd, and I—Wait.” Nya glanced around. “Where’s Lloyd?” “Lloyd?” Cole repeated. Everyone but Liana surveyed the deck of the Bounty and called Lloyd’s name, but there was no answer. Concern for their friend began to increase, and they started to fear what happened to him. “You don’t suppose he could have fallen off like the cats, do you?” Nya fretted. Zane walked to the starboard side and peered over. “If he did, there is little chance of finding him. We are flying at a high speed, it is much too dark to see anything, and he could be anywhere.” “Maybe the cat-things got him.” Jay said with wide eyes. There was a moment of dark silence before Wu said. “If he has fallen off the Bounty, he can probably return to us on his elemental dragon. In the meantime, I suggest we find a safe place to land. Somewhere where those creatures won’t find us.” “Do you suppose they’re still after us?” Zane asked.
“There is no way to tell.” Wu replied. “We have no idea what they want from us, and we wouldn’t know if they got it or not. Nya,” He turned to her and ordered. “Take us to your hideout. That should be a safe place for us.” “Aye-aye, Sensei.” She nodded and hopped up the companionway to the helm. Jay glanced at Liana and asked. “What about her? What should we do?” “I’m right here, you know.” Liana snapped. “I may be blind, but I’m not deaf!” “Blind?” Nya stopped and turned around to see. Liana twisted in her direction and lifted her face coolly. The faint light from the helm shone on the scars slashed over her milky eyes, making them glow eerily. Nya gasped softly and stepped back, looking uncomfortable. “Ah! Oh. I, uh—Wow. The way you were fighting those cats, I thought you were—Sorry, I didn’t notice that you were. . .” Her voice trailed off awkwardly. She stood there staring for a moment, then turned away uneasily and walked to the helm. Liana’s face was unreadable, but she seemed to be taking the reactions to her disfiguration with a cold indifference, though an emotion like hurt flashed through her eyes. While Jay kept staring at the scars in surprise, Wu and Zane merely raised their eyebrows in mild interest. Cole watched Liana silently; not with pity, but not with indifference, either. Zane spoke up to break the frosty silence. “In answer to your question, Jay, I believe we will take Liana back to the Lullaby Hotel and to her relatives; they’re probably worried sick about her.” Wu cleared his throat. “That may not be the best decision.” Everyone looked at him. “Why not?” Jay asked. “We don’t know if those creatures are still in the city or not.” Wu explained. “I don’t believe they will attack the citizens, but they seem to have it in for us and anyone connected. Did any of them see Liana with you?” He asked.
Jay answered. “Uh, ‘seeing her’ is an understatement. They chased after all of us like we were tasty mice, and she whacked a bunch of their heads with those nunchucks like nobody’s business—! Which, by the way—” At this he turned to Liana with a grin. “—I thought was very cool, and I, being a master of nunchaku myself, approve.” For the first time, Liana cracked a small smile. “Glad to know I was able to impress the nunchuck expert. I’ve been using them since I was eight years old.” “Really?” Jay looked impressed. “I only started using them when I was—” “Ah-hem.” Wu gave Jay a stern look. “As you were saying. . . ?” Jay gave him a blank look, then blinked. “Ohh, right, right. Yeah, they totally saw her, and they’d probably recognize her if they saw her again. Why?” “ ‘Why?’ Because if they remember her as an ally of their enemy, her life could be in danger. If we let her go back to her family, they could capture her and try to use her to get what they want.” He responded sharply. Liana stared in Wu’s direction in dismay. “So then. . . I can’t go back to my relatives?” “I’m afraid not.” He replied gently. “They seem to have spies everywhere, which may be how they found us so quickly, and I can’t think of a better way to keep you safe than for you to stay with us until this trouble is sorted out.” Liana opened her mouth as if to protest, then closed it. She frowned and lowered her unseeing gaze, twisting her mouth in thought. After a moment of silence, her shoulders slumped and she sighed. “Yeah. . . OK. That sounds good.” Wu gave her a look of sympathy. “Thank you. I know it’ll be hard, but this may be the best option.” She shrugged, looking as if she wanted to drop the subject.
Right?! 
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