{Location: Chen's island/Skylor's room}(Skylor's POV)

My stomach growls. I'm hungry. But I don't wanna go anywhere. I manage to sit up, leaning against my bed. I need to get this guilt off my chest. I want to talk to someone, from my past. Not my Dad or Clouse. I want Clover. Or Sam. Or Mom.

And I can't.

Sam and Clover are hiding and Mom..Mom...

My knees come up to my chest. I didn't save her. Even at my strongest, I couldn't-

"Ahem," Clouse opens my door, folding his arms and looking depressed himself, "Your father wishes to see you for the morning meal."

"He wants to beat me for breakfast." My voice is filled with dry venom. I want it to sting but I don't care enough to make it hurt, "Fun."

"Do not think so lowly of your father," Clouse doesn't smile like his emo-goth self. Probably upset that his 'prized' student Sam is missing. He steps out, holding up his fingers for some kind of magic, "He just goes through a lot of moods."

"Fine," I roll onto my feet. I guess I'm a little hungry. I follow Clouse, I just kinda mope. I really don't want to be anywhere near my father but what's the point? Yeah I have my true potential unlocked but he has all the power.

In the dining room, Father is chewing on a massive chicken leg, "NIN!" He swallows, "Skylor, my favorite daughter. How have you been?"

I sit as far away as I can. Kneeling at the table while folding my napkin onto my lap, "You seem chipper."

His crazed smile twitches, "I just received good news." He closes his eyes, "But I don't want to talk about me," that's a first, "I want to know how you are." He gives a rather unconvincing smile.

What's his game? I feel like I hate you, I'm scared of you but I'm too tired to express either of those, "Fine."

"Aw," he gets out of his chair, comes to me and wraps his arms around me. I feel my hands shake beyond my control. Waiting for his arms to slide up and choke me. Only he just holds me. "I know it's hard losing things like your friends, your mother and how sudden this all feels."

He's not like this? Is he sick? He never hugs me. Only when...oh. Why didn't I figure that out sooner? I endure his hold, "What do you want, father?"

"Well," he lets go, spinning on his heel until he slams his back end into the table, he sits high on it, smiling kindly, "Rember how I said there was good news?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, it is about Garmadon." Father starts playing with the wax fruit, rolling a grape between his fingers, "Recently, one of his brother's students's DIED!"

"How..aaa" Awful? Awesome? What does he want me to say?

"PErfect," he crushes the grape between his fingers, "It was the white one, Zebra. Zap. Zuop. Clouse helps me out here."

Clouse nods as he stands in front of the door, "Zane."

Father snaps his fingers, "That's the one. Anyway, Zero died while fighting the Overlord. But," Father half sings his words as he starts beaming with a smile, "He's a robot. My sources tell me he's being reassembled in New Ninjago City."

"This is good how?"

"He's almost done reconstructing himself," Father's lips twitch with joy, "The plan is simple. Kidnap him and use his as leverage against Garmadon and his 'family.' Gah!"

"One question," I get onto my feet in trying to not get smacked as he half spins around in excitement, "How do we get him here? It's not like you or Clouse can leave. And I don't think your other students are cut out to kidnap someone of this importance."

Father puts one hand on his hip with the other out, "I'm getting to that." He folds is arms but leans forward and back on his feet, "I'd like to make a deal with you."

"A deal?"

"Yes," Father pushes his index fingers together and can't seem to look me in the eye. "And believe me, this is mostly in your favor."

I fold my arms, nodding my head slowly, "So what is it?"

"I'll allow you go return to Ninjago but on a mission. Kidnap the robot-"

"Ninjdrod." I practically whisper under my breath.

"Whatever," Father pushes his lips together, "Act like nothing is bad between us from now on. And I swear to stop beating you."

I have never heard my father mumble in his life, "What was that last part?"

Father tightly folds his arms, still not looking me in the eye, "I'll stop harming you."

"Still didn't catch that." I lean further away from his mumbling grumbling words, "A little louder please?"

Father's angry face flares up but quickly dies down. He takes a deep breath in then out while half rolling his head around, "I'll...stop...casuing you...harm."

Anger flickers in me. That's it? He'll stop cold turkey? I don't believe him. He has lied before and he lies now. Why is this any different? And would him stopping now be a big whoop? I'm not angry about all the times before. Like when he stole my mother from me or trying to kill her a few mear days ago. And I'm not even going to try and remember all our 'obedience' time together. I purse my lips together tightly, "No."

His face drops into shock, "Excuse me?"

I fold my arms, taking another step back to the door, "I refuse this deal."

Father starts petting his beard, "I thought you might choose that option," he claps his hands twice and out of the shadows, kabuki appear, taking away the food, table, and chairs. Father walks to his throne, sitting in it then pushes a button, the middle of the floor opens, pushing up some very sorry looking clown person? Father snickers, "Here's a small change, by hurting him, you'll accept part of the deal. But," he licks his lips like he wants me to do more than just hurt this stranger, "Anymore and you will accept all of it."

I wonder in front of the sad clown. He's chained down but the chains are weak like he bearly made an effort to escape. Even for a clown, his outfit isn't very manly or scary. Just sparkly with both sequences and glitter, striped pants, polka-dot shirt and has dozens of red buttons in places that don't make sense. He even has the classic oversized shoes and suspenders.

He makes heavy whimpering and snot filled crying sounds but doesn't say anything.

I glance at my father, this has got to be a test to prove my loyalty or something. Granted, it's a very dum test but my Father...he's a lot smarter then I've been giving him credit for, "Why would I hurt someone I don't know?"

Father bearly contains his snickers, "Oh by you do know him, my daughter." He makes small soundless claps with his hands, "And you do want to hurt him. Very much."

The clown looks up, his brown eyes are familiar but almost unrecognizable with the bright red paint surrounding them, "Haven't seen you in a while," He rubs his bright red hair, pulling off a wig to duller red-brown hair.

I know that voice.

I know that pathetic whimpering.

And how in Ninjago did I not recognize those fearful sounding tears?

I don't respond.

Das the clown swallows hard, "Yeah. We did not leave off on a good note."

No frecking duh.

Father crackers himself up, "Skylor, meet one-cent wise, a college graduate that wasted the fortune I gave him on gambling."

I raise my eyebrow.

Das shrugs, "I w-was feeling risky that night." He gets to his feet, the chains bearly raddling above a whisper, "Skylor, I'm sorry, I know what I did was wrong. But you shouldn't have been to mean to me." He sniffles as a couple of tears slide down his face, "You really hurt my feelings."

I know it's what Clover, Sam, My mother and everyone I have ever met in my life wouldn't want me to do.

I know it's what my father wants me to do.

But I can't help it.

I give him one swift kick between his legs.

He crumples to his knees, "HOLY CATS!" He shakes as something explodes inside of me, "Ok, I deserved that-"

"You're not wrong." I kick him again, this time in the stomach, forcing him on his back, "Drugging me," SMACK! I pin him down as I hit his stupid clown face, "Making a deal with my Dad," SMACK! "And being a very sucky boyfriend," SMACK! "Taking that scroll!" SMACK! I grip his suspenders tightly as something white-hot pumps in my veins, "Do you have any idea how much you screwed me over?"

"Ow, ok," He tries surrendering but keeps his hands cowering over his face, "I'm sorry. But you have to admit, you were very rude with how you broke up with me three times."

I pick him up, breaking the weak chain links apart, slam his sorry butt against the wall, "Really? How does that compare to drugging a girl, kidnapping her, all on what? A broken heart?" I ready my fist for another punch.

Das completely breaks down into a messy wet pial of tears and inaudible screeches and wimpers.

I want to make him pay.

I start to pull my punches.

I sound like him. I glance quickly at my father. For years he's wanted the Garmadon family, the elemental masters and Ninjago to pay for his mistakes. Heck, he took out that rage and hate on me and my Mom.

And here I am. Doing the same thing without a second thought.

I drop Das. I'm not going down that slope. Not a baby step. I'd rather keep all of this inside of me then let his way of dealing with problems become mine. I won't let him see what I feel. I won't let anyone see how deeply broken and unfixable I am. I step away from Das, who's waiting for my next strike. I head to the wall opposite of my Father, "I'm finished."

Father blinks a few times, "That's it?"

"That is it." I am not mad. I am not angry. I am just a servant of my father. That's a lie. There's a part of me that still wants to throw a fit like a child, screaming and pouting. But no, I'm not going to let anyone see how broken I am. I am ok. I'm fine.

"Well. That was anticlimactic," Father pushes another button, Das drops through the trap door, screaming on the way down to who knows where. Father interlaces his fingers together as I sit crisscrossed, "You'll leave in a few weeks. Train hard but, I can not trust you fully now."

Oh let me guess, I didn't 100% turn Das into street meat.

Father jumps out of his throne, his arms grabbing his new staff, "Because you fail to show full commitment against your last boyfriend." He turns around, slamming the end of the staff on the floor, "Clouse can astro-protect himself and go with you."

Clouse looks as confused as I feel, "I can?" Father shoots him a mean look. Clouse nods and keeps standing upright, "I misspoke. I meant I will."

Father nods, "And I'll be employing the Rouge fellow to keep an eye on you." He comes closer.

With each step, a new wave of fear shakes me.

He's broken deals and promises before.

He could hit me now and- remember Skylor. Don't let him see. Don't let anyone see.

Father curls my hair between his fingers, "But the job is up to you." He holds the staff crystal under my chin, "Don't you dare fail me." He pulls the staff back.

I bow my head, "As you wish, Father."

"Hmm," Father brushes his fingers against the staff gem, "I like the sound of that. Say it again."

I get onto my feet, bow my body this time, "As you wish, Father."

"Clouse, from now on, everyone on the island has to say that to me when I make a request. But don't say, father, Master is fine." Father start pushing random buttons on his console.

Clouse bows as the door is open for me, "As you wish, Master."

Father giggles and snickers as I leave.

My stomach growls.

"Are you ready?" Clouse half holds open the door, letting my father's mad laugh echo out, "This is a very important job for an inexperienced little girl."

I've really never done anything to this extream for my father. Sure, the occasional fight or fetching food. Instead of saying nothing, which would be the smarter option for me to do right now, I open my trap, "Pfft, kidnap an ill-prepared ninja. Easy." My voice shifts to pure sarcasm and salt, "Just make sure you're ready with little, itty, bitty tiny part." I tilt my head as I walk back to the cafeteria, "Unless you can't handle something as simple as, what was it, Astro-poofing?"

He makes a face like he swallowed a lemon, "Astro-projection."

I roll my eyes heavily, "Well good luck." I pause before heading in to eat, "For once, you'll need to keep up with me in order to survive."

He wants to growl as I gently ticked him off. But father calls him back. Clouse makes sure to give me the evil eye before answering my Father's call like a dog.

I have a lot to do and prepare for. And despite how bad of an act I'm about to do is, I will honor my word. Because that's what my Mom taught me to do.

Man, I miss her. My eyes start shaking and I feel like- NO. Skylor, you can't let anyone see your weakness. I can't let them see.

I can't let anyone see.