[Exposed]

"Hey guys!"

"Hey Seliel!" Cole shouted back as the gang met up with her in front of their lockers.

"Where's Sky?" Kai asked Seliel, thinking she'd know.

But she just shrugged. "I don't know, I thought she would come with you." Just then, Skylor rushed into the corridor, her backpack hanging down on one of her shoulders. She looked stressed out.

"Hey, you okay?" Nya asked her.

Skylor walked up to her locker and opened it, throwing her backpack inside and pulling out a can of Coca Cola. She sighed, taking a sip before looking at her friends. "Jimmy made our toaster explode which I had to help clean up."

Jimmy was a 20-year-old young adult Skylor had hired so that she could go to school.

"Oof, hope it wasn't that expensive." Lloyd commented.

Skylor put the now empty can back into her locker. "Nah, we already had a new one back in the storage. Anyways, Kai, Cole, I heard you wanted to join the football team?" Skylor asked while readjusting her smooth hair.

"You do?" Seliel asked, looking at Cole.

Kai nodded happily. "Yeah, they said it was after the lunch break." His eyes glistened with happiness.

"How come you're so excited?" Skylor asked the ecstatic Fire Ninja.

He shrugged innocently. "I don't know, I've always wanted to participate in those kinds of sports but never could because I never had the chance to." He admitted.

"Let me warn you," Seliel said while opening her locker, taking out a book covered in blue. "The football team here is a little... How do I put this?... Ruthless, brutal, egoistic, harsh, and narcissistic." She then looked Cole and Kai into their souls, her expression blank. "Believe me, you really don't want to turn out like them."

Cole looked at her. "Why do you think they're like that?"

She sighed. "I'm sure you'll find out on your own." Then she changed the subject. "Come on, let's go to class."

~ Geography class ~

Jay was flipping his pen between his fingers, staring at the clock, hoping he could move the tall pointer faster with his thoughts. He just didn't want to accept that he still had to sit in his Geography class for another nine minutes now. It seemed as if time had started to move slower with every second passing, and he hated that feeling.

His teacher, Mrs Olsen, was talking about some Geography nonsense which Jay didn't really have the intention to listen to, if he were being honest to himself. And she wasn't really... similar to the teachers he had met the previous day. She was more of a 'sit down, don't talk, listen up' type of teacher. Even the introduction was cold. But Jay already expected to meet these kinds of teachers, so he didn't mind.

Yes, this was their third lesson of the day, but History and English weren't anything new at that point, so the friends had just casually talked in the back of the class about absolute nonsense, just the way they liked it.

He looked at the clock once again.

12:56 pm.

He sighed. Only four more minutes to go. The fact that he wasn't even allowed to sit next to one of his friends was surely annoying. But what was even more annoying to him was the fact that Nya wasn't in his Geography class. Her, Lloyd, Seliel and Skylor had Chemistry. Lucky.

He turned around to see Kai and Cole silently exchanging looks and apparently having a conversation going on. Oh, how much Jay would give to get rid of his boredom. Jay's attention span wasn't really wide, either. Zoning out and concentrating on pure nothingness was a common thing when it came to him, his friends knew that.

Then he looked in front of him, seeing that the two nindroids, Zane and Pixal, were focusing on whatever the teacher was blabbing about and also taking notes.

Taking notes?

Jay didn't know they were supposed to take notes! He took another look at the clock. A little smile grew on his face as he saw that there was less than a minute left until he would hear the bell ringing.

He started to count the remaining seconds in his head. Forty-three, forty-two, forty-one, forty, thirty-nine...

His mind was so fixated on the clock that he wasn't able to realize the voice calling out for him.

"Mr Walker? I'm talking to you."

Jay then snapped out of his little counting bubble and focused on the middle aged woman at the front who wasn't really wearing a welcoming facial expression.

He shook his head a bit. "Yes?"

The teacher narrowed her eyes. "Have you listened to what I've just told everyone?"

Jay contemplated that question. He skimmed through his thoughts, only to realize he was listening to anything but her teaching. He gulped. Then he slowly nodded.

A sly smile appeared on Mrs Olsen's face. She chuckled almost sarcastically. "Good, then you wouldn't mind preparing a five-to-ten minute long presentation on our topic until next lesson." She beamed.

Jay internally cursed. "Sure." He smiled, thinking about how he was going to annoy the living mechanics out of his smartest friend.

The Master of Lightning could hear the quiet bickering of two certain other elementals who were sitting behind him. They were not going to let him live that down for sure.

But then, finally, the loud bell announced the awaited lunch break.

"That was it for today, class. I won't give you any homework because your dear classmate will provide you with a very interesting presentation, I'll be looking forward to it." The teacher wore a sly smile.

Jay groaned quietly, hating the unnecessary attention the teacher was giving him. 'She really wants me to suffer, huh?' He thought.

Cole came up from behind him, nudging his shoulder. "Second day, already in trouble, hm?" He smiled.

Jay glared at him. Just then, Kai came up from his other side. "Come on, the others are waiting for us."

"Indeed, our friends must be waiting for us." Zane turned around, smiling at Jay for a very good reason.

But then, Jay smirked at his robotic friend. He slung one arm around his shoulders, leading him out of the room with the others following behind. "You know, Zane, you are my bestest friend ever." He started.

Zane frowned. "Firstly, 'bestest' isn't a word, Jay. And second, I thought Cole was your best friend?" He raised an eyebrow.

Jay laughed, checking behind him, seeing Cole raising an eyebrow at their conversation, having a playful smile on his face. Jay turned back to Zane. "Nah, Cole and I aren't that close." He waved his hand in front of him.

Cole smirked at that, adding a 'let the games begin' in his head. "Uh huh, yeah." Cole stepped forward to the two and slapped Jay's arm away from around Zane's shoulders, replacing it with his own. "Zane, buddy, why would you wanna be besties with someone like Jay, when you can have a caring, charming friend like me?" He asked, flashing him a bright smile.

Zane, on the other hand, didn't really know how to react. "I appreciate your offer, Cole, but I can't see the point in having one best friend when I can have two equally close friends? I mean, we have been like that, haven't we?"

Jay then slapped Cole's hand away, making him turn towards himself. "So that's how you wanna play?" He asked, his voice in a playful manner.

Cole smirked. "Why of course. Just like the old times, but this time, I won't lose Zane to you." He announced.

"Oh please, as if he'll choose you!" Jay retorted.

Cole snorted. "Everyone chooses me."

"Tell that to my girlfriend." Jay smirked, crossing his arms.

"That was just luck, and the fact that she's always been in love with you. But Zane here," Cole pulled Zane to his side. "likes me more than you. Tell him, Zane!"

"I do not-"

"See? He already chose me, because I'm the best." Cole smiled at Jay.

"Dream on, Rocky Boi!" Jay then grabbed Zane's wrist, moving his metal body towards his own. "Zane's mine!" He spat back.

Zane sighed, looking to his side to see Kai recording everything and Pixal laughing silently. He could hear Kai saying something about how he'd send the video to every one of his contacts.

And so it continued, with Jay and Cole trying to roast each other and passing Zane between them. And the Ice Ninja certainly did not enjoy it one bit. Yet he was used to the immature, rarely mature when together, boys fake arguing like that, and experience had shown to better not interfere.

Suddenly, a phone began to ring. Everyone looked at the owner of the phone and their eyes landed on the one and only Red Ninja. He groaned. "Great, now the recording automatically stopped."

"Who is it?" Pixal asked.

Kai took another glimpse at his phone, his eyes widening in fear. He gulped. "It's Nya." He then pressed on 'accept' and held the red phone  up to his ear. "Hello, my favorite sister, what brings you to call your... most fantastic, awesome brother..?"

The others cringed at his tone and words, and so did he. Even Nya on the other side seemed to cringe at that. The others couldn't hear her voice though the phone, but reading Kai's facial expressions and hearing his high pitched voice, they knew she wasn't in one of her best moods.

"Mhm... yeah, I know you're my only sister."
He rolled his eyes. "Yes, we're in front of the class... Oh, Cole and Jay are fighting over Zane." He bickered. "Hell yeah, I recorded it! I'll send it to you in a bit, don't worry... Okay, we'll be there." Then he hung up.

Jay and Cole both glared at him. "You will not send her the video!" Jay said.

Kai tapped something on his phone and then looked up innocently. He tapped one last time while looking at the two friends. "Oops."

The video was sent.

The two boys groaned. "Where is she?" Jay asked.

"She's with Lloyd and Skylor, waiting at our lockers."

"What about Seliel?" Cole asked Kai.

But the Red Ninja shook his head. "Didn't ask her about that, actually." He answered honestly.

Jay smirked at his best friend. "So you and Seliel, huh?"

Cole turned towards him, obviously wearing a poker face because all of his facial muscles were inactive, leaving him unamused. "We literally just met, dude."

"Yeah, but I know that look of yours." His blue friend wiggled with his brows.

Cole rolled his eyes. "Whatever, let's go now." He started to walk away in the direction of their lockers.

Once they arrived, they saw something... rather interesting. Lloyd was sitting on the floor, his arms crossed with a frown on his face, pouting a little while Nya was stood right behind him, braiding short locks of his golden hair.

Skylor was leaning against their lockers, scrolling through Ninstagram. When she heard some heavy footsteps approaching, she looked towards the beginning of the hall and saw the five friends walking up to them.

She sighed, relieved. "Finally, guys! Took you long enough."

Nya then looked up from Lloyd's hair and smiled as she saw the confused and terrified looks.

Once Lloyd looked up, he felt as if a weight was being taken off of his shoulders. He jolted up, running towards the others, and hid behind Kai.

"What's wrong?" Kai asked.

Lloyd slowly turned towards his friend, slightly shivering. "She's crazy!"

Kai looked back at his sister who wore an innocent smile, shrugging. Then he turned back towards the shivering Green Ninja. "Tell me about it." He playfully rolled his eyes.

"So, do we go to the cafeteria?" Jay asked.

"Sure." Skylor answered while stuffing her phone back into her pocket.

"Umm, guys?" Cole spoke up. "Where's Seliel?

Skylor and Nya exchanged glances. "No idea." Skylor answered.

Nya frowned. "She said she had something to take care of and took off."

"Just like yesterday..." Cole muttered to himself. "Did she tell you where she went?"

Lloyd then turned towards Cole. "No, but on our way here, I saw her going into the basement."

"That is strange." Zane said.

Jay took a look at Cole to see him deep in thought, probably thinking about what he was thinking about. "You're thinking about following her, aren't you?" He assumed.

"Why of course." Cole said while walking up to his locker, unlocking it, throwing his bag inside, and then locking it again.

Kai smirked. "Looks like someone has a crush." He said in a sing-song voice.

Cole looked at him, unamused. "God, we just met yesterday, what is wrong with y'all?" He exclaimed before he started to walk down the corridor.

Lloyd leaned back into the crowd, his gaze not deviating from Cole. "He's totally in love, isn't he?" He whispered.

"Totally." - "Mhm." - "Yeah." - "Yes."

Skylor then stepped forward, waving her hand to the others to follow. "Let's go after our Romeo, I'm curious now."

They all then caught up to Cole who was just walking down the stairs. After they were standing in front of the basement's door once again, they didn't hesitate to enter this time. Cole opened the door and saw his surroundings were just as dark as they were supposed to be.

They all walked inside, checking for anyone who was possibly spying on them, before Kai closed the door again. With Nya turning the light switch on, they all saw the many corridors and steel doors looking just like how they had done yesterday.

"You know, I really wanna know what's behind those doors now." Kai said suspiciously while raising an eyebrow.

Lloyd turned around to be met with the many pairs of eyes staring back at him. "Then let's find out." He said with confidence evident in his tone.

Zane frowned. "But I do not think we are allowed to."

"I have skimmed through the rules that are listed online, and it clearly states what we are about to do is definitely forbidden to any students." Pixal confirmed.

They all then fell silent until Skylor spoke up. "Isn't Seliel disobeying the rules right now, too?" She asked the nindroids.

"Probably." Pixal answered.

"Then I'd say if she gets caught, we should stick together and pay for the consequences together." Cole announced.

"So you're saying," Nya pointed at Cole, raising an eyebrow. "we should do something forbidden because someone else has done it, only to pay for consequences we could've easily avoided by being obedient students?"

"Exactly." Cole answered, his expressions blank.

Nya stared at him for a few seconds. "I'm in!" She then exclaimed happily. Cole smiled as Nya walked over to him and stopped next to him on the opposite side of the rest of the gang. They both smiled confidently.

"Are you serious?" Lloyd asked Nya.

She nodded. "I'm a teenager, I need some adrenaline outside of my ninja career." She stretched her arms while talking.

Jay was the next one to switch sides, stopping right next to Nya who smiled at him. "I mean, if she's in, I'm in." He smiled back.

"Same goes for me." Kai raised his hand and switched sides.

Lloyd and Skylor exchanged looks before heading to the other side together. Now it was only Pixal and Zane to be convinced to join.

"What do you say?" Cole asked hopefully.

Zane sighed, already accepting his fate. "We don't have a choice, do we?"

Cole chuckled. "Not really."

"Master Wu is not going to be happy if we end up getting expelled, just saying." Pixal said while she and Zane walked over to the others.

Nya waved it off. "He'll never know. I mean, we did practice stealth for years now." She reasoned.

Then they all walked after each other through the narrow corridor they had walked through the previous day, two in a row each. Lloyd and Cole walked up in the front, followed by Zane and Pixal, then Nya and Jay, and Skylor and Kai were in the last row. Everyone's eyes looked basically everywhere. They saw many closed doors, some faint spider webs and a lot of dust while they walked past. Lloyd even sneezed once into his elbow, the others replying with 'bless you'.

When they came to a halt in the end of the corridor, Lloyd frowned. "There was nothing here, maybe if we take another pa-" He stopped when he heard some noises. "Can you hear that?" He whispered, completely concentrating on finding out more about what he just heard.

Before Jay could respond with probably a 'hear what?', Nya put her hand on his mouth, silencing him. He didn't mind, though.

There it was again. It sounded like people talking, but then again, not. It definitely wasn't real people talking in real time, their voices sounded oddly distorted. Maybe a recording?

By that time, they all heard the noises. "It comes from over there." Skylor pointed at one of the doors at the very on of the corridor they were in. It was, in fact, the one door Cole was coincidentally standing right next to. That was why the noises sounded oddly close.

Cole placed his hand on the silver doorknob and took in a deep breath, making his friends become more anxious. Then he slowly opened the door, which surprisingly wasn't locked, and took a little peek inside.

He gasped. "What the fuck?!"