I'm not Nya Smith.

I've never been her. Not really. Not truly.

I'm a Waterlily. I'm a Waterlily not by blood, but by heart.

We already know each other better than our mothers do. Our minds have been shaped by the same kinds of experiences. Our fists have hit the same kinds of people. When we're together, we become transparent. We don't hide our anger, our frustration, our evil. My other life didn't provide me that luxury.

It's 2 years since I've left the ninja. And the whole realm is still hunting for the people who "killed me". 

Truth is, I'm the one who did it. I killed the girl that had gained so much fame when she became the first female ninja. The girl who fought bravely against those who cast shadows on the world. The girl that was part of the 'family of protectors'. 

As far as I'm concerned, the ninja are just bunch of dirty traitors pretending to be heroes. I have no family there. 

Like I said, I'm not Nya Smith. 

I'm not the sister of Kai Smith. Not the Yang of Jay Walker. Not the friend of Lloyd Garmadon, Zane Julien, or Cole Brookstone. 

But as much as I'd like to set fire to my past, there's a part of it that I carry with me to this day. It's my previous identity. The one that I'm connected to by blood.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out why the girls call me The Watersnake.

I like to think it's because I have a strong bite. A bite that's strong but not always deadly. I'm the only one in the group that believes that killing is rarely the solution to our problems. Sure, it's fun to eliminate the unworthy, but this life isn't for people who want fun.

It's for the people who want get the real truth.

I've trained my girls to be truth-tellers. Lying is absolutely unacceptable around here. (Sarcasm hasn't been prohibited, mostly because I've noticed that we're all pretty sarcastic people.)

I examined everyone's profile before they joined, just to make sure they hadn't changed drastically since the last time I'd seen them. I was pleased to see that none of them had blacked out the "Relationships" section. We've all had our share of ninja boyfriends, though it really isn't something to be ashamed of. We just need to look back on it and know that it wasn't to be. 

I remember the day I recruited them. I remember the way they handed me their papers, the way they their presence made me feel while I leafed through pages and pages of evil. 

Skylor Chen was first. I wasn't surprised that she had come to my side. Kai had no doubt treated her like trash. I had seen that he had an unnerving ability to take someone's soul and squeeze all the happiness out of it.

"Sky," I said, looking her in the eye. "Long time no see."

She gave me a curt nod but didn't say anything.

"Profile?"

"You really shouldn't have requested paper versions," she said sharply. "These are easy to steal."

"They're also easy to burn," I replied. "Just like your noodle shop."

"Do it," Skylor said without hesitation. "Do it for all I care. But look at my papers first. I'm hungry and I haven't eaten in days."

"Well then. Here you go." I pushed the folder off my desk and stared at her coldly. "Go eat. If you think you're stomach is so much more important than this, feel free to leave."

"TAKE IT!" Sky slammed her fists on my desk, fire in her eyes. I didn't flinch, but I was startled. I hadn't expected Skylor to change this much. I wondered what Kai had done to her. 

"No," I replied. "Next."

Skylor screamed in rage as another girl shoved her to the side. 

"Pick your damn profile up," the girl said quietly. 

Skylor muttered a string of curses under her breath, but reluctantly nudged the folder to the side with her foot and stormed back to her stool.

"Harumi. What a pleasant surprise." I looked her up and down, doing my best not to smile. She was still the evil Harumi Jade I had hated a year before. 

But she had ditched green and went for a darker style. 

Today, she wore a dark purple blouse and black dress pants. Her high heels were uncomfortably tall, given that she'd ran across Ninjago to get here. She'd dyed most of her hair black, though the few blonde strands on either side of her face gave her a Jennie Kim look. 

"You know it isn't a surprise," Harumi said, chuckling. "You've been waiting for this."

"I wouldn't say that," I murmured. "I seem to remember that it was you who asked me to bring you back."

"Don't deny it. You wanted me here. I'm the first person you thought of."

"The first person I thought of was myself," I said sharply. "And that's that. Give me your folder."

"Here you go, princess."

I stiffened at the nickname but relaxed when I heard her giggle. 

"Shut up," I said, even though she hadn't said anything. Harumi shrugged and looked around as I focused on reading her profile. 

Name: Harumi Jade

Age: 18

Height: 167cm

Weight: 49kg

# of Crimes Committed: 100+

Previous Career: Princess

Ideal Team Member: Dangerous

Informal/Formal Relationship(s): Lloyd Garmadon

Preferred Weapon: Dagger

Preferred Attack Plan: Sneak Attack

Area of Expertise: Acting

Best Achievement: Almost destroyed Ninjago

Reason for Recruitment: To give us what we deserve

I reread the last line. "To give us what we deserve". I guess that had always been Harumi's mission. I'd just been too blind to see that that was what I'd always wanted.

"You're in," I told her. She smiled smugly and me and sauntered away. 

"Do what you want with the papers," she called, her black heels clacking against the smooth concrete floor.

"Next." 

A girl in a white suit marched over, her dark curls much longer than they'd been the last time I'd seen her.

"Akita," I said, examining her suit for any sign of her wolf symbol.

"I'm not a Formling anymore," she explained, annoyance evident in her voice. 

"Ah. Well, you look nice in the suit."

"Let's get it on with it," Akita growled. "My suit isn't important right now."

I sighed. The ninja had turned these girls into monsters. It would be difficult to convert them into the Waterlilies they needed to be. But I would try. I would do it for the sake of our futures.

"Profile?"

"Take it." Akita slid her folder across the desk and I grabbed it.

Name: Akita Kirlana 

Age: 17

Height: 164cm

Weight: 46kg

# of Crimes Committed: 3

Previous Career: Formling

Ideal Team Member: Aggressive

Informal/Formal Relationship(s): Lloyd Garmadon

Preferred Weapon: Dagger

Preferred Attack Plan: Sneak Attack

Area of Expertise: Hunting

Best Achievement: Almost destroyed the Ice Emperor 

Reason for Recruitment: To find where we truly belong

"You're in," I announced, smiling at her response to the last prompt. "Get ready to move in with me."

"Fine." Akita stormed off, shaking her head and muttering to herself.

"Next."

The second-to-last person walked up to me, though it took me a hot minute to recognize her. 

Instead of her usual loose white and blue gown, she was wearing a tight black dress that stopped above her knees. She'd dyed her hair black with brown streaks and had removed her face paint. Her high ponytail gave her Ultra Violet vibes, which further confirmed that she was no longer the smiling princess I had met in Shintaro only a few months before. 

"Vania. You've changed." 

"So have you," she said indifferently. Unlike the other girls, Vania hadn't become angrier. Instead, she had become more serious and less smiley. I preferred her current personality to her previous one, which made her my favourite out of the four. 

"Good point," I conceded. "Profile?"

"Here you go."

Name: Vania Beaumont 

Age: 17

Height: 164cm

Weight: 44kg

# of Crimes Committed: 1

Previous Career: Queen

Ideal Team Member: Cold

Informal/Formal Relationship(s): Cole Brookstone

Preferred Weapon: Naginata

Preferred Attack Plan: Brute force

Area of Expertise: Survival

Best Achievement: Successfully became queen of Shintaro at age 17

Reason for Recruitment: To find the shadows that people see as light

Her 'Reason for Recruitment' was undeniably pure. It wasn't the dream of an evil queen; instead, it was the goal of a truth-seeker.

"In," I said. "Welcome to the team."

"Thanks," she said before turning around and walking away.

"Next."

I closed my eyes and leaned back in my chair. I needed to act unfazed. I would not tolerate tantrums. Not from girls that were in their late teens.

"Here." Skylor picked up her folder and tossed it onto my desk. I opened my eyes and she glared at me angrily. 

Name: Skylor Chen

Age: 18

Height: 168cm

Weight: 50kg

# of Crimes Committed: 41

Previous Career: Noodle shop owner

Ideal Team Member: Ruthless

Informal/Formal Relationship(s): Kai Smith

Preferred Weapon: Crossbow

Preferred Attack Plan: Brute force

Area of Expertise: Strength

Best Achievement: Took over noodle shop from father

Reason for Recruitment: To get revenge on those who have lied

"You're in. But I'll kick you out you act like this again," I said, shooing her away. "Go. I'll see you in a week."

"See ya," Sky muttered, walking away. 

And that's how we became The Waterlilies. 

*A/N Don't forget to vote and comment if you enjoyed this chapter!*