{Location: Crystal Pass' old mine}(Marci's POV)

I have never heard such a bone-chilling scream. And I don't even have bones. I look at AJ, who has a broken leg thanks to Jordan's amazing pipe swinging abilities. I help her up as best I can and follow the noise. "Seliel," I don't see her. Just Jordan and Victor watching something fall. Please let them be idiots and have dropped the Jade blades. Please. My mind heads to the darker places as AJ hobbles along.

She looks over them as I realize what actually happened. "What. Did. You. DO?"

Jordan looks far too smug for what just happened, "Got rid of a problem Officer hottie."

Victor has a bizarre mix of fulfillment and emptiness. I spot a Jade Blade in his hands, and one in Jordan's.

They didn't. Oh geez, please don't let that be the case.

AJ turns red and goes in for a hit, "You little-"

Jordan lightly taps her leg with his shoe and she winces, "I'd get that looked at." Then he sees who's helping her and looks like he's seen a ghost. "You're the-"

I glare as I hold AJ higher, "Girl your father killed. Yeah." I turn around to take AJ someplace to get help. "I won't get revenge for my death. But my friend's." I mutter slightly more dark promises under my breath as AJ moans.

Seliel, please be ok.

{Location: The bottom of Red gorage}(Seliel's POV)

What's the saying? It's not the drop that kills you, it's the sudden stop. I feel my eyes water as I expect something hard to hit my back at any second. The longer that takes, the more I think about what I could have done.

I should have kept going.

I should never have quit being the Phantom Ninja.

I should have talked about my grief with my Dad.

So many little should have. It can't end this way.

I watch the stars as I wait for something. As my eyes lock on the brightest one I can see, I hit the ground. "AHHHHH!" I scream as my eyes water harder. The pain burns stronger than fire. I instantly feel something wet slothing around in my armor. I scream until my voice is raw and only pause to cry the pain out.

But death doesn't come.

Maybe an hour or so after screaming, I stop to look at the damage. I see something white and red poking out of my left chest. I try moving my left hand only for red-hot pain to shoot up my arm. "Ok, not that one." I move my right hand and slowly pull off my armor. I can barely see anything as I manage. I barely see the dark red blood leaving around my left shoulder. My arm has a weird tingly feeling to it, I pop my shoulder. Oh dear, I popped my shoulder of its socket. I try moving but my right leg sends up the same red-hot flare. "How'd I get myself into this?" I question the moon as it hides behind clouds. "I didn't do this to me. Victor. He dropped me. And for what? Power? Because of that stupid blade!?" I slam my fist into the cliff wall.

Something metal rattles around in a small hole. I reach in and pull out, "I don't believe it." I found another Jade blade. There's a note, 'Dear whoever may find this,

I hope this is more useful to you than me.

-Dawn. Q.'

I sigh. I can fix this. I can do this. "Thanks, Mom. But worst injury first." I shuffle around and lean on my good leg. I put the note in my mouth along with one of my gloves. I push my bad arm up so my elbow and forearm are against the wall. This is gonna hurt. "On three," I tell myself thought my muffler.

One.

I start leaning.

Two.

I put the tiniest amount of pressure on.

Three.

SNAP! The ball of my shoulder pops in, "AHH!" I scream bloody murder through the muffler. Once I'm done throwing my tantrum, I inspect where the bone coming out of me was. It's back in place but I'll scar there. I take the muffler out and swing my leg around, "Next time."

I look around for things to help make a tourniquet. I've got everything in my belt, my kama, my armor and enough tears to fill an ocean. I pat around my belt and find small throwing knives that come back. The trick is that they have a string attached to the very end. I cut off my jumpsuit and place a lot of padding around the break, cut off as much string as I can muster, place my kama around my leg and start tieing it around my leg. "Second problem gone." I slowly try standing up when something else shoots pain up.

I take off my breastplate as the moon comes out to give me some light. I have one more problem. I have a small but very bloody hole in my stomach. I must have gotten stabbed by a rock when Victor let me get closer to the ground. "This isn't good. What do I have left?" My belt, with too large weapons, a Jade Blade and one last thin piece of string. I investigate the Jade Blade, the handle feels loose. I play with it and the bottom of the handle shows off a thin bone like needle. I tie the string into a knot and get ready to sew myself together. Now, this is gonna hurt.

{Location: The Mayor's home} (AJ's POV)

I really should have called for backup. I try and keep my eyes from watering but they disobey me. Leaving the ghost to guide me to safety.

Marci tries knocking on a door only for her hand to pass through, "Hello? My friend needs help!"

We're friends? I tried to shoot her. It's amazing that she dragged my this far.

The door opens and someone takes me from Marci. Oh gosh, this hurts. I hope there's just a single break. I am placed down on something, I hear the Mayor shouting to grab some things, something sharp pokes my neck and I black out.

Which leads to my forever recurring dream.

I'm back in that forest. I hate this place, the dream is lucid enough for me to know what happens next.

"Hey," Dad messes with my 9-year-old hair, "Kiddo. You should get in bed."

Mom, her light grey eyes shimmer from the firelight, "After a full day of riding horses, hiking, fishing-"

"And making smores." I shovel another treat in my mouth.

"No more sugar." Mom pulls away from the tray. She smiles at Dad, "Go ahead and sleep. Angle Jones and I can clean this up."

I wipe my mouth then start to close up the fold up chair, "Mom, it's just AJ. Angle Jones makes me sound grown up."

Dad unzips the tent door, "You don't want to grow up or something?"

I hum as I keep closing chairs, "Not today."

I would be fine if the dream stopped here. A little girl goes to sleep with her parents. They leave for home the next day. But if the years have taught me anything, I only finish at the end.

Mom and I keep cleaning up until all that's left is putting out the fire. Mom lifted the bucket when the air chills rapidly and fog draws in.

I whimper as Mom holds the bucket steady, "Is someone there?"

I don't get an answer. Quite.

The kind of quite like a hunter stalking its prey.

Mom places the bucket down slowly, "AJ, get in the tent."

I began to see my breath despite it being a summer night, "We go together. The worst things happen when people in horror movies split up."

"AJ," Mom hardened her voice as something cold and metal grabs my feet. I'm being dragged down the path here, dirt and pebbles hit my face as I am swung in circles. "AJ!" Mom chases me as I'm dragged up a tree.

I don't recognize the man holding me upside down. He's has some thick black mask on and a strange knife on a chain on his hip. His mask shows a devilish smirk, "Cash or I cut the kid's throat."

Mom holds her hands out, "We don't have any money." She mouth for me to wiggle out. I do what I can but the man places the knife tip on my neck.

"Lady, I'll even take the debit cards. Just give me something before someone loses their life." The Man places the tinest bit more of pressure on and I feel blood trickle onto my face.

Dad comes out with his wallet in the air, "I've got 4 dollars."

The man scoffs, "Your kid's life is worth 4 bucks. Where's the cash stash?"

I whimper as my eyes water, "Let me go. Please."

Dad holds the wallet higher and throws it the man's way, "Just take it. Let my daughter go."

The man lets me fall on my head but I scramble up and hide behind my Dad's legs.

Mom now has a new ferocity in her eyes, "David, get AJ in the tent." Mom cracks her knuckles and mutters some strange words under her breath.

Dad's eyes widen as he picks me up and dives head first into the tent. I struggle but Dad holds me still, "What about Mom? The bad guy will hurt her."

"No," Dad pulls me back as a lot of green light flashes outside, "Mommy's...well connected with magic. She'll be fine. The bad guy will get what's-"

Srick.

Dad moves first, gets out but zips me in. I open it to see the bad guy on the ground but a green image of him is pulled into a black and green swirl. Dad cradles Mom as the bad guy's body slumps in a funny fashion. I step out to hear Dad crying.

I step around him to see Mom's eye slowly glass over. I can't quite tell where she got hurt but there's blood. Lots. Mom gasps for air as she takes my hand and pulls me down to her, "Don't do magic. Find something you love."

Then Mom just stays still for a long while. Dad cries harder as bits and pieces of what just happened hit me. Dad sets Mom down then forces me to look him in the eye, "AJ, that bad guy was a ghost. Ghost go to a place called the Cursed realm. If they ever come to Ninjago, it's only to hurt us. Understand?" He grips my neck, "Never trust a ghost."

Oh. Mom's dead. She died for me. The bad guy...ghost, he didn't have to kill anyone. But he did. But he got what he deserved. "Ok, Dad."

I bury my face in Dad's smokey smelling shirt.

I feel real tears on my face as I wake up. I swallow hard, sniffle and sit up. My leg is in a make-shift cast of bubble wrap and rubber bands. I look around, I think I'm in the Mayor's living room. I wasn't here for the robot attack but I know what happened here. I look right to see Marci fast asleep.

What do I do?

My Mom was killed by a ghost but Marci doesn't seem like she wants to hurt anyone innocent. Mabey it's a time thing, only a matter of hours, minutes or seconds until she loses it.

She stirs awake as I watch her, "You're up." She rubs her eyes with a small yawn, "How are you feeling?"

I look down. I want to hate her. Someone of her kind damaged me. Whoa. I'm hating a person based on the actions of another. That's what drove me away from Dad, why he spent his life looking for anything to heal his grief. Becoming a loner. I don't want that. I tap my leg, "A little better. What'd ya give me?"

"Morfin." Marci gets up and sits close to me, "I became an expert after the attack."

I rub my hands. So much in one night. "Oh."

"There's something else on your mind, isn't there?" Marci folds her arms and leans back.

I sigh. This is my story, I can tell it, "Yeah. The reason I almost shot you." Marci shuts up as I become a weeping mess.

I should have talked about this sooner. I can't imagine anyone holding in a horror like this forever. I eventually finish as Marci covers her mouth with her hands. "So that's my sap story. Feel free to judge."

Marci does the unexpected and tries hugging me, "AJ, I'm so sorry that you had that happen."

"You're not mad that I tried to re-kill you?" Dad would be mad at me. He'd say I gave myself a bigger problem.

"Not with a reason like that." Marci feels tangible now, almost warm not freezing cold, "I'm glad that I was around to hear it." She doesn't let go as I sniff, "It's ok. I don't know where I was, but I didn't see your Mom there."

So where is she? I'd ask but my head hurts a lot from the morfin.

Then the Mayor come in with a seriously concerned face, "You've got to see this." He leads us to the front windows by the door.

I gasp a little, "Where's Seliel when you need her?" I feel my eyes widen as the Yellow Tiger Gang pours ash onto the ground everywhere. Someone lights it with fire, showing the message of, 'Dead Hero.' I step out as Victor plants a long black pole in the ground then place a very familiar helmet on.

He, Jordan and other members of the gang scurry off and raid the town. I stop at the pole. Seliel's helmet is there. She's dead. Not a lot of people can survive that fall.

Victor cups his hands around his mouth, "Hey Copper, feel free to call your boys in blue. The sooner they get here, the sooner we can rule this town." He fist bumps the air with the hand holding the Jade blade, he points to me with it, "What's your coffin size, sweetheart? Because you and ghost girl are next after the raid." Then he goes to cause havoc.

Crystal Pass needs a hero now more than ever.