Why am I so stupid why am I so stupid—

     I walked through town with my head down, dressed in my school uniform. My maroon dress was snugly tucked beneath my grey vest, my elegant shoulder pads fitted perfectly over my navy suit-jacket, and my Mary Jane shoes were buckled just the right amount. To any passerby, I was an average resident at the boarding school who was staying for the summer. That's who I needed to be.

     The exotic boy's ship still sat next to Kunci, looming high above the nearby buildings. It was nice sized structure, that was for sure.

     I approached it, nervousness slowing me down. Word hadn't gotten out of my theft yet, so there should be nothing suspicious about a little girl going to spy on new residents. Everyone had done it at some point. I walked up the side of the ship, below a slightly open window. I couldn't hear anyone inside, but it was my best chance at innocently getting attention.

     "Excuse me?" I tried to sound as timid as possible, rapping my knuckles against the side of the ship.

     Nothing.

     If all else failed, I could resort to force. But that maneuver would probably reveal my act. They had to believe I was who I said I was so I could get inside and steal my keys back.

     "Excuse me?" I called louder (still timidly, of course), resisting the temptation to throw a rock through the window.

     "One second," a barely audible voice responded from somewhere inside. I heard a door open and soon a dark mass of hair poked its head out of the window. I looked up right into the exotic boy's eyes.

     "Hi, I'm from the boarding school and we're collaborating with the local newspaper for—"

     "Oh, it's you," the boy studied me, curiosity filling his features.

      I was momentarily stunned that he recognized me, but I couldn't drop the act. "You must have me confused with someone else. We've never met before. As I was saying—"

      "I never expected you to be a teenage girl. Then again, you are kind of small."

     My palms were sweating, so I just shoved them behind my back. "Sir, we've never met before."

     "I've never met another person with as unique eyes as yours. Were you born with one blue eye and one brown one?"

      Why am I so stupid why am I so stupid—

     Of course I happened to take my sunglasses off before he broke in. Of course he had to see my exotic eyes. Of course one little thing gave away my whole identity. There was really no point playing innocent now since he was right. No one else had eyes like I did.

     I perched a hand on my hip, "Fine, you win. I'm the thief."

     "Have you brought the box?" he asked, resting his chin on one of his hands. He had the nerve to smirk at me. Now I really wanted to throw a rock at the window.

     "Give me the keys, then we'll talk about your box."

     Give me the keys and I'll disappear so you can't have your box.

     I had thoroughly gone through its contents last night. These people apparently were the famous Ninja, which I felt really stupid for not figuring out, and they were on some sort of quest to defeat a coming darkness. When I had found that out, a strange sliver of hope had bloomed inside of me. Opportunity was knocking for my greatest scandal yet, but I just needed a bargaining chip to get it to work.

     "You didn't bring it, did you?" the boy frowned at me. He reached into one of his navy pockets and pulled out my string of keys. "Guess you can't have these back, then."

      "Give it to me," I said, a bit of pleading leaking into my voice. I mentally slapped myself for the display of weakness. However, deep down, this wasn't about my plans as a rebel, thief, or desire to run free. This was about the only piece of my parents I had left. It was about the ugly key that was rejected by the world but loved by me. In the end, I would fight with every breath I had left to get it back. It was the only thing I had left to live for.

     "Look, Miss Midnight—"

     "That's not my name."

     "What is your name then?"

     I scoffed. "Like I'd tell you. You're literally blackmailing me, Bluebell. Just give me my keys and this whole ordeal will be over."

     "It's Storm. Furthermore, Miss Midnight, we aren't going to leave this town without the box, and what you don't know is that we are on a bit of a time crunch right now. You forget I know where you are staying. I could easily let my team in on your location and we would take both the box and keys away from you forever."

     "You're bluffing," I countered, wringing my hands out of his sight. I was the one bluffing. I knew he could do exactly what he was threatening, and I would be powerless to stop it. But I had to keep feigning superiority. I couldn't let him win the mental game.

      His eyes narrowed briefly at me, "We'll gather here for dinner around six. That'll be your best bet to get your keys back. I'll see you then, Miss Midnight."

     He closed the window before I could stutter out another reply.

     I opened and closed my mouth a few times, wondering how stupid it would be for me to try and break into the ship right now. It was probably a really dumb idea, so I stalked back down the streets towards the boarding school. My impromptu plan would have to go into action tonight. It was the only way I could still have any control over what happened next.

     They thought they needed my keys to defeat the darkness.

     Fine, let them think they need it. They're not the only ones who can blackmail people into doing their bidding.

As much as I begged everyone 'superior' to me, I wasn't allowed to drive any of the vehicles. The snakes had quite a few cars designed for tough terrain. On top of that, they also owned various speedboats that they used to transport the vehicles even faster. We all survived on little sleep during the long hours ahead.

     The night we left was filled with salt water spraying against my face, while I held onto the railing of the speedboats, trying not to throw up. The snake soldiers piloting the vessel had no sense of how to drive correctly, so we went so fast and made such erratic turns that I spent half the night trying to force the wind to slow us down so the boat wouldn't crash into something.

     Sleep was impossible with the adrenaline coursing through my veins, but once I got used to the speed and pacing, the night became thrilling. My whole life I was held back form the hero I was meant to be, and now that I was experiencing it, it was liberating.

     I had never felt so alive.

     I noticed the spirit's smudgy outline sitting near the railing on the end of the speedboat, but he didn't say anything to me. He hadn't said anything to me since I came here. It was nice not to have him trying to talk to me, but it was also discomforting. He looked disappointed with my choice in life, which shouldn't have made me as guilty as I felt. I was doing this to save the world. Surely, he could understand that.

     When the first streaks of dawn broke through the sky, we were nowhere close to the sandy shores of Ninjago Island's peninsula. I could faintly see the outline of a town on the horizon, but we were too far away to make it there with a day's worth of walking. The soldiers stopped their speedboats close to the rocky shore.

     "We'll ssstop here to train for a few hoursss," Ire hissed, beckoning for his lackeys to pull the boats ashore. "Then we have to continue down the coassst until we reach the peninsssula. We can't have the Ninja reaching it before we do."

     I stretched my sore legs, finding myself moving into the familiar routine Mother and Father wanted me to do every morning. It had become mandatory at our household to start each day with stretches. Stretches, they told us, would warm the body up for any challenge the day might present, even if it was sitting in a chair all day at school. At least we would have feeling in our legs. I had never liked the stretches (I had thought they were pointless) but now I found myself actually enjoying the movement. The wind tickled my face as I reached for the sky, whispering its language into my mind. It was a soft but constant whisper that I could almost ignore if I stopped paying attention to it.

     Power.

     I dropped my arms down out of the standing tree position, ready to go find a decent spot to sit down and massage my aching feet. I was met with a long katana at my throat.

     The soldier in front of me hissed, not hesitating to lunge forward.

     Instinct kicked in before anything else. Wind shot out of the air, gaining an insane amount of momentum to blast the soldier back. He crashed against the ground, snakes flying out of his armor.

     More familiar hisses rose in the air as the sound of drawn swords clashed in the open air.

     You know the drill.

     "I don't even get time to use the bathroom?" I yelled at the Overlord, tossing my knapsack outside the ring of incoming soldiers. They lunged towards me with more force than usual, the gleam in their eyes suggesting they wanted to do so much more than draw a little blood.

     I stamped one of my feet, forcing wind to burst out around me in a small circle. Normally, this would kick up enough dust for me to take cover. But we were on a beach. There was only sand and rocks.

     Quickly, I darted to the side as three katanas swiped at my torso, knocking back two attackers and scrambling to find an advantage I could use in this situation. My body ached from long sleepless nights and days filled with nothing but training. I wasn't as agile as usual. One blade hit my arm as I tried again to blast away my attackers, drawing a thin line of blood.

     Normally, this was where the fight would end.

     Yet, the soldiers kept hissing and the blows kept coming.

     Slash.

     Another blade I failed to counteract.

     Swish.

     Another wound crossing a barely healed one from a few days ago.

     Swing.

     Desperation clogged up my throat as a cry slipped through. Why weren't they stopping? I didn't have enough energy to hold them all off. I wasn't strong enough.

     I'm not strong enough.

     The world slowed down as I processed the thought. It was true; I didn't have enough energy to hold off my attackers. I didn't have as much power as I should have. It wasn't sleep loss or wounds or long days filled with training. It was my own weakness holding me back. If I wanted to win the fight, I had to be stronger. I had to embrace the power.

     Power.

     My gut twisted as I let the wind take over. I had to be stronger. I had to let it consume me.

     Power.

     Before I knew it, strands of wind were surrounding me. They twisted and swirled, growing stronger as my rage was fueled. I had to be untouchable. I had to be stronger. The spirit's warning about wind was lost in overwhelming force it was fueling me with.

     Power.

     My feet lifted off the ground. My fingers twitched with the effort of controlling my cocoon, but I successfully lifted into the sky. The soldiers stepped back in shock, not sure how to approach me.

     Good, you are improving. Hold it for an hour and you'll never have to spar them on my will again.

     "I am in control," I said, my words coming out numb. The wind lifted me higher into the sky, far away from piercing swords and cheating soldiers. Krux and Ire watched from across the beach. Ire's face didn't change, but Krux dropped his stopwatch in shock.

     I am in control.

This might have been the dumbest idea I ever had. However, when it came to my parent's key, I was a complete and utter idiot.

     My dorm room was a mess, on the verge of looking ransacked. I had spent the whole day trying to move the bunk beds in front of the doors so that no one could get in. I used stolen needles and thread to form the bedsheets into a decent knapsack, since I would be too conspicuous carrying around a suitcase. Then, I used the rest of my time to ration out what was and wasn't essential for me to take along.

     I was going to get my keys back, but I wasn't going to return.

     I was officially done with Kunci and the restrictions on my life.

     It was time to step into the world of exotic adventures and people.

     As the sun started to set, I ripped my farewell letter to shreds. I had originally intended to leave something for my grandparents, but they didn't deserve it. They didn't care one bit about me, and if I died, they would have no excuse for not receiving my parents' supposed fortune.

     This would be my greatest rebellion yet.

     I threw the pieces of my uniform as far as I could out the window and slipped out into the open, dressed as the Midnight Menace.

     It didn't take me long to cross town. Just like the boy had said, the ship was sitting peacefully where I had left it, fragrant smells of meat drifting out into the open. I climbed up the side of the ship, not caring who saw. Kunci would never have to deal with me again after today, so why should I care if anyone knew who I was? Hopefully if and when word spread, my grandparents would choke on their food with horror.

     I could hear whispers of conversation coming in from a room next to the helm, so I carefully crept towards there.

     "No offense to this town, but their dumplings weren't that good," a male voice, the one that had complained about pot stickers, complained. "I'm so glad we brought you along, Zane."

     "My cooking skill only came with years of trying to get out of Cole's attempted masterpieces," a more robotic voice responded.

     I neared the door, staying as quiet as possible. The box's weight pressed against my thigh, a reminder of what would make this work.

     "My father isn't that bad," a tired voice countered.

     Laughter broke out inside the dining room, though it was hesitant. Maybe a bit forced. They were nervous about something and trying to lighten the mood.

     I gathered my courage and burst in.

     "Sterling Bluebell Whatever-Your-Name-Is, I brought the box so give me my keys." I didn't even notice how many people were in the room. My eyes locked onto the navy-clad exotic boy as he slowly stood up.

     "You actually came," he said, surprise leaking into his tone. The rest of the room was staring at me with enough astonishment to please a magician. "Well, welcome to our humble dinner table, Miss Midnight."

     "I'm not here for your dinner party. Give me my keys," I lashed out, making sure to leak desperation into my voice. Yes, I did want my parent's key back. But I also needed to judge how eager they were to keep it.

     The boy held out his hands, trying to communicate peace. He drew my keys out his pocket and tossed them to me. "No need to panic."

     I caught the jangling bunch, briefly going through the chain whilst still trying to keep my eyes on the people surrounding me. None of them moved, but my hysteria skyrocketed. Where was it? Why wasn't it anywhere on the chain? WHERE IS MY KEY—

     One of them slightly scooted backwards in their chair and I panicked.

     "You're a bunch of liars! Where. Is. My. Key?"

     I really needed to mentally prepare myself for these situations better.

     Two other people rose to their feet, and I flinched. This was it, wasn't it? I'd insulted a room of trained Ninja. They could easily beat me up, toss me to the side of the street, and I'd never see my key again. My glare fixed on Bluebell as I attempted to calm myself. I wanted the last thing for him to see of me was the stare that said, "You ruined my life."

     A breath passed. Then another.

     Hesitantly, I glanced around, but the two people that were standing were just... well, standing. Watching. Waiting.

     Bluebell was backing up, trying his best to hide his guilt. "I gave you your keys. We need our box back."

      "You're not getting anything until I get my key back," I took a deep breath, trying my best to appeal to logic. "The terms of our deal stated that I would get all of my keys back. You are obviously hiding the most important one from me."

      I reached into my pocket to hold the box tighter, but it was plucked out of my grasp.

      With a sharp cry I spun to grapple with my oppressor, "Give me tha—"

      I didn't know whether what I was seeing was fantasy or reality.

     The most complex and breathtaking pair of blue-green eyes stared back at me, the face they belonged to gently lifting their lips in a half-grin.

     He must have been a living angel with nearly flawless skin and the most perfectly styled hair. The way his lips twitched with amusement at my sudden embarrassment had my heart pounding in my chest faster than it had ever pumped. Common sense left my head as we locked eyes. I had a plan on how to deal with this encounter with Bluebell, but it was all gone now. The world was fading away to a fuzzy realm of butterflies and dreams that I never realized I had.

     He gently stepped back, his voice coming out with the rich warmth of brewing coffee. "We don't want to have to resort to violence... er... miss..."

     "Carmen," I blurted without thinking, "my name is Carmen."

     "We don't want to resort to violence, Miss Carmen, but we also had a deal. We gave you the keys, and whether you want them or not is your problem."

     The world snapped back into reality with the mention of my key. Had I really just become a mushy idiot because of a boy? Had I really just compromised my dignity and honor because of the way we looked at each other? A more comfortable blush spread across my cheeks. He had to be the one if our first interaction went like this.

     "Listen," I said, spinning to survey the rest of the room. It was absolutely and incredibly crucial that my plan succeed now. "I read through the contents of that box. I know you need my key."

     The worried white-haired woman opened her mouth.

     "Before you start to complain, I want to let you know I'll let you have it on three conditions."

     The blonde male next to her massaged his forehead. "There's always a catch."

     "One: I will be the keeper of my key," I said, shooting a look at Bluebell—Sterling--whatever his name was. "Two: I will accompany you all on this adventure to save the girl and defeat the darkness."

     "How do you even know about—"

     "Three: you will train me on how to be a better 'ninja.'" I interrupted the man who smelled like hair gel, pointing my critical gaze on the rest of the crew. Other than Hair Gel Dude, there was a tired looking boy, a scraggly looking white-haired kid, and an incredibly attractive girl with her bright red ends to her hair. There was also the android-robot person, who looked merely curious at the situation. None of them looked like trained ninja. But if what Sterling said was true, then they could help me improve the skills I needed to make it on my own in the big wide world.

     "You can't just join us on this adventure," the blonde adult said after a second. "All of us are putting our lives on the line to be here, and you certainly can't just up and leave your family behind. Not to mention you read private material that isn't supposed to be shared."

     "I'm not going back," I retorted, crossing my arms. "My only family had condemned me to living at the dull boarding school for another summer, so I won't be missed there. The 'life-on-the-line' thing isn't an issue since I do that daily with my thieving hobby. And you need my key. I don't care about your private documents. We are at a stalemate."

     "Why should we trust you?" the angel-boy asked me, putting up his hand to silence the adults' discomforted noises.

     "Because I'm your key to the prophecy. You have no choice," I said, trying in vain to stop my heart from beating so fast when it saw him.

     The white-haired girl whispered something in her husband's ear, who then angled them both away so they could discuss. Everyone else in the room just started at me, too still for comfort. They had complete and utter trust in what the adults were deciding. It was unnerving to see such loyalty, but maybe that was because I had never been faithful to my position in life.

     "Fine," the blonde man finally said, laying his hands on the table. "you can stay under the condition that you don't utter a word about what you read—"

     "Done. I don't get why you have to be so overprotective about it though."

     "—we will train you how to fight, and in turn, you will do as we say on this quest. You will return to Kunci by the end of summer."

     "Sounds good," I smirked as Sterling held out my parents' key. I knew he was hiding it from me.

     "Well, well, Miss Carmen Midnight," Sterling met my smirk with an equal one of his own, "welcome to the team."