Theo's play is being put on, but the auditions are awful. When a Shard in a spotlight gives the illusion of talent, L.J. leaves it there to help Theo's show.
On Blue Lynx's maiden heist, she takes a souvenir a spool of thread - unaware of a Shard in it. With the power to bind those who wear it, L.J. and Pearl wind up unlikely 'besties.'
After hours, Kai helps L.J search the school for confiscated dice, using a Skeleton Key (Shard). It opens any door but leads anywhere the keyholder thinks of.
When the Crimson Lord locks fans in a comic convention, most think it's an escape room, but LJ knows it's no game. With nowhere to go and Theo and Alisha outside, turning Jade would blow her cover.
A Shard transports LJ to an alternate universe. In this version of Ban Tang, everything seems amazing: Kai is LJ's doting boyfriend and she isn't Jade Armor because Xin Qi is.
When L.J.'s rose-tinted sunglasses turn out to be Shard-tinted, our heroine is her own problem. The effect makes her so Pollyanna, she can see no evil.