July 5th, 2023

I have another brother. The reason why I never put him in my journal or said that he's around is because he disappeared a long time ago. Even though we were a good ten years apart, we were still close. At least, from what I could remember about him. All I could remember was a game of tag, a bright green eye under blondish brown hair, and then Mom sobbing her heart out while Uncle Wu comforted her at her side. Uncle Wu was always there for Mom. Always.

His name is Floyd Oscar Garmadon and he's been missing for 11 years from today.

My phone buzzed in my pocket and I rubbed a tear away. I missed Floyd from the bottom of my heart. The last time I saw him, I was two. Freaking two. Floyd was twelve years old. Who would kidnap a twelve-year-old? My phone continued to buzz and I quickly picked up. It was Mom. She always checked in with Lloyd and I on the anniversary of Floyd's disappearance. She knew that we loved Floyd as much as we loved her, even though we didn't have much memories with him.

"Hi, my baby girl." Mom's voice crackled just a little bit as she moved outside, "How are you doing? How's your brother and your uncle? Are they doing okay?" 

"I'm good. Everyone's doing good, Mom. How are you? How's the Library of Domu?" I asked, lying down on my bed and holding my phone at a bird's eye view above my face. Mom brushed her gray braid off her shoulder as she swung the phone's screen towards a scroll shelf.

"Everything is beautiful here, Livvy. Look at this scroll!" Mom gently picked up a scroll and lifted it to my face, "Isn't it beautiful?" I squinted at the plain scroll and muffled a laugh.

"Uh, Mom." I smirked, "I think that if you show me what's inside the scroll, I'd get a better understanding of what you're talking about." I smiled when my mother opened the scroll and she showed me the writing. It was written in golden ink and I admit, I was pretty impressed.

"It's about your grandfather." Mom's face appeared on the screen again after she finally managed to flip the camera, "It's amazing literature. I just love how your grandfather is depicted. And your father and uncle, whoo! They are finally written like the true heroes they are." 

My face fell, "Dad isn't a hero…"

Lloyd then sat down next to me, as if he was summoned on cue, "Heyyyy, Mom! How's Domu?" He took my phone from me after mouthing "sorry". I shrugged my shoulders and he smiled at my mother's face.

"It's all good. Now, Lloyd, have you been nice to your sister? Livana, have you been nice to your brother?" Mom asked and Lloyd grinned at me cheekily.

"Of course I have, Mother dearest." He socked me gently on the shoulder and I rolled my eyes at him with a smirk. "Livana and I are getting along very well. Right, sis?" He crushed me against him and I looked at Mom with my best "help me" gaze. Mom laughed.

"Alright, son. You're gonna suffocate your little sister." Lloyd let go of me and I resisted the urge to tackle him, "Now. We all know why I called on this particular day."

"Yeah, Mom." I nodded with a soft sigh, "Lloyd had this big memorial planned with Uncle Wu. We're hosting it. Tonight."

"That's good." Mom whispered, "I wish I could be there, but Domu's not going to get me home in time. Maybe put me on a Zoom call?" 

"Of course, Mom. We know how much Floyd was… is to you." I looked over at Lloyd, who winced when he made eye contact with me. We avoided using past tense when talking about my oldest brother because we still hope that he's alive. And we really, really, really hope that we're right.

"Is the event public?" Mom asked and I shook my head.

"Nope. Just the Ninja, us, and Uncle Wu. Plus a few friends like Darreth, Skylar, Faith, etc." I whispered and Mom looked over at me.

"Have you tried inviting your father?" My fists clenched. I knew Mom was going to ask that, yet I prayed that she would somehow forget it. But I know my mother all too well. I sighed and looked over at my wall, where a picture of Dad and I stood. I hated my dad so much because I loved him. I was mad at destiny, but destiny has no ruler. Therefore, all my anger is directed at my father.

"No." I muttered stiffly, "I'm not in charge of the invites."

"I sent out an invite, Mom." Lloyd shook his head, "I've got nothing."

Mom's eyes dimmed with sorrow, "I see. Well, it's not the biggest deal in the world. You tried your best and that's all that matters." Mom looked over at me, "Liv, look at me, darling."

I looked over at my mom, "I'm sorry, Mom. It's just hard."

"I get it, Liv. I really do." My mother's face softened, "Oh, I wish I could be with you both right now and hug you both. You both look so… sad."

"We're not, we promise." Lloyd filled in and then looked up when Zane tapped the frame of my door, "We gotta go, Mom. I think Zane has something to tell us. We'll Zoom call you, okay?" Lloyd said, waving. I stuck my head in the frame and blew a kiss at my mom.

My mother pretended to catch the kiss and waved right back, "Bye!"

As soon as I hung up, Lloyd patted my head, "You feeling alright, small fry?"

"Ughhh, what's with the nicknames lately?" I groaned and Lloyd smiled faintly. "No, not really. I didn't want Mom to mention Dad on a day when we're supposed to be honoring Floyd but," I shrugged, "I guess I saw it coming."

"I am sorry to interrupt." Zane said, stepping forward, "But Master Wu has some urgent news to share with us. He appears quite… distressed."

"Distressed? About…?" Lloyd urged but Zane shook his head.

"I am afraid that Master Wu has not disclosed this information with me just yet. He only wishes to speak to Liv in private, actually, but he wants you to wait for your sister outside." I frowned. Uncle Wu wants to talk to me? In private? Wasn't that ominous.

"Are you sure that you didn't find out anything, Zane?" I asked, spreading out my hands, "Anything at all?"

"I am sorry, Livana." Was Zane's response.

I sighed, "Okay then. Take me to Uncle Wu and let's see what could've possibly scared the fearless, old man."

-:-:-:-:-

"Enter." Uncle Wu's voice said before I even knocked. I felt even more unsettled as I opened the door and leaned against the frame.

"You wanted to see me, uncle?" I whispered and Uncle Wu looked up at me from behind his bamboo hat. I held back a cringe when I saw that his eyes were grim. 

"Yes, Livana. I'm afraid that the Smokes of Vision," Uncle Wu gestured at the smoke around the room, "has shown me something that involves you. Something… that I believe that both you and I would like to discuss in private."

Oh my Ninjago, just drop the suspense and tell me what's going on already! I wanted to shout, but my response was, "How thoughtful of you. Can you tell me why you summoned me here, please?"

Uncle Wu took a deep breath and when he lifted his eyes, the grimness had become sharp, making his eyes glint, "You, Livana Maici Garmadon, have inherited your father's powers."

My brain screamed. I'm pretty sure that a whimper slipped past my lips. Inside, my soul begged to hear those words and to refute it at the same time. I wanted to make sure that I hadn't heard wrong, but I also didn't want to know if I heard right. But deep down, my stomach was already curling in, which meant one thing.

I heard right.

"W-what?" I stammered, which is the automatic response whenever someone tells you bad news. "H-how… why… w-what?" That's all I managed to say. My tongue was in knots. I couldn't speak, couldn't breathe, couldn't move. All I could do was just sit there, goggling at Uncle Wu like an idiot.

"Livana, I am sure that this is a lot to take in." Uncle Wu put his hand on mine, "But if you want to talk about it-"

"No!" I wrenched my arm away, "There has to be some kind of mistake! Tell me that there's been some kind of mistake!" I put my other hand on top of my uncle's hand, "Uncle Wu, please! Tell me that you're wrong!"

Uncle Wu's face was grim, "The Smokes of Vision never lie, niece."

I bit back a sharp screech, "I'm going to have my father's powers?" I exhaled shakily.

"Yes, Liv. But you can learn to control yourself. You can have the opportunities that your father never had. We are all here for you. We couldn't be there for Garmadon, so it's only right if we're here for you. We would be here for you either way." Uncle Wu assured me.

I inhaled and then exhaled again, still shaking, "Could you please promise me one thing?" I asked, trying to calm myself down. 

"Anything." Uncle Wu nodded his head.

"Please don't tell anyone about this. Not even Lloyd or my mother." I begged, "If you tell them, especially today, it will ruin them. Today is Floyd's day." I looked over at the window, "We can't ruin that."

"Of course, Liv. It is your news. You can decide whether or not you want to share it soon." Uncle Wu got up and headed to the closed screen doors, "But Livana," I turned around just as I headed out the door and Uncle Wu tipped his hat at me, "tell them soon."

"Hai." I whispered softly, "I will."

"Be well, Liv." Uncle Wu's soft words hung back with me in the air before I walked over to Lloyd, who pushed himself off the wall and un-crossed his arms.

"What was up with that?" Lloyd asked and I glanced at his arms.

"He just wanted to check in with us about Floyd." I lied, "Nothing special."

"Okay." Lloyd nodded, "You good?"

"Yeah." I nodded my head, forcing every muscle in my face to smile, "I'm great."

-:-:-:-:-

"We are here in gathering to honor Floyd Oscar Garmadon, son of Misako and Garmadon, brother to Livana and Lloyd Garmadon, and nephew of Master Wu." Cole was put in charge of the speech last minute due to Kai feeling a bit under the weather. He looked pale and Nya was supporting him by letting him put his elbow on her shoulder. The siblings all looked a little weird wearing all black. In fact, everyone looked so… gloomy. But from what Mom told me, Floyd enjoyed peace, quiet, and just… nothing. If this is what Floyd loved, I thought softly to myself, then it's what Floyd is going to get on his memorial. 

"Your brother would love this." Mom whispered into her headphones, which were connected to an earphone in my ear. I smiled slightly and thought about my powers. I didn't even know what they would look like. Everyone else's powers are really specifically outlined. For example, Kai, who is the master of fire, does not need to explain his powers. Same goes for everyone else. Well, maybe Lloyd, but everyone will be able to tell eventually. Darkness can come in so many forms. Manipulation, shadows, fear, guilt, evil. I shuddered and Lloyd put his arm around my shoulders.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, looking down at me.

"A little shaky." I admitted, not necessarily a lie. "I'm glad that we found Cole to take over the speech though. I'm just scared to give my own that I wrote." My hands shook as I showed him the paper clenched in my hands. 

"You'll be fine. I'll be here every step of the way." Lloyd encouraged, "It's almost your turn. Not trying to freak you out but…" He trailed off when he noticed my expression, "Never mind. I'll shut up now."

"Thanks." I said with a teasing grin.

Cole then gestured to me, "Now I will invite Livana Garmadon to the stage as she presents a poem in honor of Floyd." When I got up to the stage, Cole patted my head, "You've got this, short stack."

I sighed and then looked ahead. I could almost make out Floyd's face. I really wanted him to be here. But I'm glad that so many people showed up in his honor and the people who said no offered letters of condolence. My hands started shaking as tears gathered in my eyes and Nya looked at me with concern. I swallowed, coughed, and then smiled. 

"My poem is called… "A brother"." I cleared my throat again, "A brother is like the breeze in the morning, waking you up so that you can get a fresh start. A brother is going to hold your hand and walk you through life. A brother is here for you. Forever. A brother is someone you can trust. A brother is someone that I love. A brother… is my family. A brother… is my best friend." I folded the paper and then waited. 

"Bravo!" Mom cried from the computer, "Bravo, Livana!" Everyone started to clap and whistle immediately. I beamed and then tapped the microphone, sending a squeal of feedback that silenced everyone. 

"Um, I'm sorry to suddenly insert this in, but I've got something to say." I inhaled shakily, "As I was writing this poem, all that ran through my mind was words of love, kindness, and just so much love. I am very lucky and I don't deserve this, but I have two brothers that love me." I sniffed sharply, "I… I love you, Lloyd. I probably don't say this enough, but you are here for me when you can… I love you for that." I smiled when my brother smiled too.

"Thank you for that, Liv." Cole appeared by my side and smiled at me, "Will all of you please grab a lantern, put what you want to say around the lantern, and then send it off to sea?" I glanced at the table of lanterns and then grabbed a dark purple sharpie. I nudged Lloyd's shoulder with it once I approached him.

"Hey. Wanna write ours together?" I asked and Lloyd nodded his head. He reached forward and ruffled my hair. 

"So. You love me, huh?" He prodded and I flushed. 

"Of course I do." I muttered under my breath, "Did I not make that clear enough?"

"No. I'm proud of ya, kiddo. You put yourself out there. You know that he would be proud." Lloyd smiled at me and I scribbled a note onto the lantern. 

"Dear Floyd, we love you and miss you a lot. Please, please, please come back home. Love, your little sister, Livana"

Lloyd glanced over at the lantern before he scribbled on in green marker,

"Hey man. We honestly miss you. No, really, this isn't a prank. Come home already. Mom misses you, I miss you, Liv misses you. Please just come home"

Lloyd and I both took the lantern in one hand and then walked to the edge of the Destiny's Bounty. We carefully slid the lantern into the water and Kai came over, his arm wrapped around his stomach. He leaned on Lloyd as he flicked out a small flicker of flame onto his fingertip and then he lit the lantern. As the lantern went away, it burned bright against the night and I sighed. 

"Come home." I whispered into the wind. "Come home."