Darkness from Within #3: Bound for Evil (A Ninjago Fanfiction)

Chapter 18

Now that Lloyd had had time to settle in and was officially a part of the Baddies, he had to move into the apartments with the other Baddies. He didn't really know why it was necessary, but he was excited to be like the other Baddies, instead of "the Overlord's favorite who gets his own room." He just wondered who his roommates would be...

"You'll be sharing with three others," Ariana had told him. "Since we have to leave your old room for newer Baddies."

Lloyd was following her down the hall now with nothing but a few new pairs of clothes and That Sword. He halted as she did in front of a door. Stepping back, she nodded toward it. "Meet your new roommates," she told him.

Lloyd stared at the door. Then, taking a deep breath, he opened it and stepped inside his new room. The first person he saw was near the first bed, and as he turned to him, immediately dread rushed through the green ninja. "Oh, great," he muttered in irritation.

"Seriously?" Joseph snarled. "He's staying here?"

"Hey, don't get mad at me," Ariana snapped, folding her arms. "Overlord's orders."

Scowling, Joseph trudged over to Lloyd, squaring up in front of him. "So you're in with the big kids now, huh?" he hissed. "Just get one thing straight: I'm in charge of this room, alright? What I say—goes. Is that clear?"

Lloyd returned his stare steadily, furrowing his eyebrows. "Crystal," he growled.

Joseph glared at him a moment longer before spitting and storming out of the room. Lloyd gazed back at Ariana, whose eyes glittered with amusement. She shook her head in exasperation, mirroring what Lloyd was feeling, before turning and heading after Joseph.

"Lloyd!"

Lloyd spun around to see Phil on the other side of the room. A swamp of relief washed over the green ninja and he walked over to the Mechanic, happy to bunk with his friend.

Phil was sitting on the edge of the bed across from Joseph's, his eyes shining with excitement. "You can take that one."

Lloyd turned to see the bed he was pointing at, which was on the same wall as Joseph's. At least they were separated by a night table. "Right," he said, moving over to it. He plopped onto the mattress, relieved that this bed had a mattress, even if it wasn't exactly comfortable. "Sucks we have to room with Mr. 'I'm in charge' over there," he grunted, cocking his head toward Joseph's bed.

Phil snorted, joining him on his bed. "Honestly, he's just really annoying. You know, with his 'you're with the big kids. Well, what I say goes'," he mimicked.

Lloyd laughed. "'Is that clear?'" he added, making his voice rougher.

"And then you came in like, 'crystal'," a new voice sniggered.

Lloyd jumped backward in alarm, eyes widening as he noticed someone was sitting on his other side. He'd never seen the Baddie with curly black hair and beady eyes before, and he felt utterly confused about how he got there without Lloyd noticing. "Wh-what—how did you get here?"

Phil gave a frustrated sigh. "Jimmy, you really need to stop sneaking up on people."

The new Baddie steadied his tiny glasses, sniggering again before pulling his hood over his head and disappearing as quietly as he appeared.

Heart still racing from the scare, Lloyd gazed at Phil for explanation.

"That's Jimmy," the Mechanic told him. "Our fourth roommate. He's a Technician, like my sister. But he's barely in here anyway. He likes to sleep outside."