I was training in the Dojo with Master Splinter to perfection my body combat skills, and now that that's over, I go to the living room and find that Mikey is sitting in front of the television, with Raph, Donnie and Leonardo standing behind him. Raph looks at me and rolls his eyes pointing at Mikey.
I chuckle and approach them, when I see what they're watching. It's a crappy anime show about super mecha force or something like that.
"What the shell is this nonsense?" I ask.
"You like it?" Mikey says happily. "I found all these tapes in the dumpster!"
"Dude, this stuff is awful!" Leonardo says. "And you guys complained about Space Heroes."
"I could never watch a show this bad!" Raphael states.
Ten minutes later, all of them are drooling in front of the TV and yapping about how good the plot is. Even the characters, for example the geeky one is in love with the girl and the turtles tease Donnie.
"That is so you and April!" Mikey says.
"No, it is not!" Donnie replies.
I sigh and sit down next to them. "You guys are so childish. Honestly, I think Space Heroes was much better."
All of them turn around and look at me, particularly Leonardo who gets a cute, cozy smile on his face. "R-really? You liked my favorite show better?"
"Yeah," I reply.
He keeps his cute little smile when Donnie gets up.
"Well," Donnie says. "I'll be in my lab."
I can feel with my telepathy, which I can now use more at will but still fails once in a while, that he's still really upset about April not being our friend anymore. And, well, April is like a sister to me. I'm very upset too.
"I should go talk to him," I get up and when I do, my hand gently and accidentally brushes Leonardo's. In a split second, his eyes widen and he smiles discreetly. I decide to avoid it though, and head with Donnie to his lab.
"You think he'll be fine?" Raph asks.
"Who knows?" I say. "It's worth a try, though."
I open the door to his lab gently.
"Frozen?!" He yells at a failed experiment. "Darn it... another batch lost."
"What are you doing there?" I ask him.
He sighs and looks at me. "An antidote."
I walk over at him. "For the mutagen?" I spot his mutated friend, Timothy, who later turned himself into a mutant on purpose hoping he would be similar to the turtles. "Hey, Tim."
"Yeah," Donnie replies. "I'm gonna find the cure, and win April back."
I smile gently at him. "Don't worry, Donnie. We'll solve this and April will be back."
"Yeah, you're right," he says.
We leave the lab and find that the turtles are already getting set up.
"You ready to go training?" Leonardo asks.
"Yeah," I reply. "You comin' Donnie?"
"Sure," he replies. "I'll work on that later."
We go out freely to warm up by jumping form roof to roof. For the first time in a while, I feel free. Mikey wanders off, but when I try to get him back Raph stops me.
"Just follow Leo's lead," he says.
Oh, they got something planned for Mikey. I can't wait to find out what it is."
We hide behind a billboard where it's dark and notice Mikey approaching a box of pizza with only once slice left, and comes close to eating it. Leonardo moves around and Mikey senses it, but ignores it. Then we split up and approach Mikey from different directions. Again, Mikey feels something is weird and warily takes a bit out of the pizza, when Leonardo strikes him making him fall flat on his shell.
"What the heck was that, dude?!" Mikey asks.
Leonardo eats the slice of pizza. "That was a stealth attack, and it's what we're gonna see in today's training."
"But that's not fair, I couldn't even see you!" Mikey whines.
"That's why it's called stealth attack, genius," Raph answers.
"And why would you even eat a slice of pizza sitting alone on a rooftop?" Donnie asks.
"Roof pizza is one of my ten favorite kinds of pizza," Mikey replies.
"Anywa, guys," Leonardo says. "The two keys to stealth are misdirection and camouflage, got it? Raph, Mikey, you're up."
"What's the point-"
Mikey stops talking when he notices we're already gone. Leonardo, Donnie and I hide behind the fire escape while Raph goes another way to surprise Mikey.
"So, Sara..." Leonardo says.
"Yeah?"
"If you want, you and I could go next," he says.
"That would be a fun challenge," I say.
"SHELL WEDGIE!" We hear Raph scream. So he caught Mikey again. Leonardo and I begin to laugh and I notice Donnie climbing up on the roof again, and realize we're near a park where April usually studies. I go up and follow him.
"Donnie?" I ask him.
"April's usually studying at this time of night in the park," he says. "Would it be weird if we just showed up?"
"Well, maybe it-"
Donnie pulls me down to the ground abruptly.
"She's there, right?" I ask trying to get up, but he restraints me. I get off his grasp and pull down my mask in awe at what I'm seeing. I feel emotion at seeing April, but she's... "With a dude?!?!" I whisper-yell.
"She's on a date?!" Donnie says in the same tone and I crouch next to him. "I can't believe it!"
"Well, maybe it's nothing-" Before I finish trying to comfort him, he falls from the roof and lands inside a trash container. I crouch down so that they can't see me, and when April and her new friend walk away, Donnie and I sit up watching them go.
I go with Donnie to his lab when we reach the lair after our stealth training, where he talks to me and Timothy.
"And they were swinging together!" He says. "And-and she gave him this look! You know, the look!"
Timothy just stares blankly at Donnie.
"Donnie," I say softly. "We barely know anything about this dude. For all we know, they could be... I dunno, she could be tutoring him."
"But it makes sense," Donnie says. "What if she just wants to forget us?"
I sigh. "If that were the case I'd be very hurt too. You know, April's like a sister to me."
He stays silent.
"Remember when you built Metalhead and you were with us on the roof?" I ask him.
"Yeah," he replies. "I was going on about how beautiful she was and she heard me."
"Well, back then she didn't reply," I say. "But after all we went through, she gained confidence. She even hugged you. Maybe this is just temporary and she'll come around. But whatever happens can't be forced. Relationships are like that, that's why Raph and I broke up. There was no way I could force him to feel differently, so we left it there."
"It sounds sad," he says.
"Yeah, but it's for the better," I say. "Anyway what I'm saying is that you shouldn't stress it too much because maybe we haven't seen the end of this. Maybe things will improve and she'll come back. In the meantime, it's probably worth it to keep trying."
"Thanks, Sara," he says. "And are you gonna keep trying?"
"With Raph?" I ask. "No."
"I meant with Leo," he says.
"Khé," I say. "No! Why- why did you- NO!"
He stares blankly at me, and Leonardo's face comes into my mind. Has he been... I mean, the fact that he didn't get angry at me after King of the Mountain, his reaction when my hand brushed his, the way he attended me after my nightmare, that adorable, cozy smile whenever I mention something he likes...
No, I just broke up with Raph. Going with Leonardo just... it wouldn't be right.
"Anyway, the point is that you shouldn't be too upset about April," I say. "Things will clear up, I promise."
Donnie smiles. "You're probably right. But well, why was she even with that dude? Because he's human, that's why. You know how many people are human?" He places a newly-built voice box on Timothy.
"Dude, you're doing the exact opposite of what I just told you."
"I know, it's just- it'll take me time to digest this," he says.
"I understand that," I say. "I was similar when I overheard you guys... you know. With Raph."
"Donnie?" Timothy speaks through the voice box.
"Hey, it works!" Donnie celebrates.
"I like April, Donnie!" Timothy says.
"You and me both, man," Donnie replies.
"My son?" Splinter calls from the door of the lab. "I would like to speak with you."
"Sure, Sensei," Donnie says. "We'll talk later, Sara?"
"Of course," I reply and go sit at the living room.
****
Mikey and Raph are still watching their stupid show of Super Mecha whatever force while I sit on the couch looking at them.
"Hey, Sara," Leonardo sits next to me. "How's Donnie?"
"He's still bummed," I reply. "I mean, it's April, you know? Well he likes and I consider her a sister.
"Sorry to hear that," he says. "I don't like seeing you or my brother like this."
Aw, that's really sweet of him...
Nope. Can't fall. Not again, stay focused.
We hear a loud crashing noise coming from Donnie's lab. He and Splinter rush to the place ant the rest of us follow them. We find that there's a huge hole in the wall, and Timothy's gone.
"I think he went looking for April!" Donnie says. "We gotta go, I'll fill you in on the way!"
Donnie runs off and we follow him, making our way to the surface in hopes that Timothy won't hurt anyone.
"All my April talk must have made him want to go after her!" Donnie says.
"You told your thoughts and feelings to a bundle of guts in a jar?!" Raphael says.
"He's a good listener!"
Leonardo tries calling April on her T-Phone, but that fails too.
"Her phone is still off, there's no way I can locate her."
"She's probably at the park around this time," Donnie says. "On a date."
Everyone in front of us stops abruptly (Mikey even falls down).
"And how do you know this?" Raphael asks.
"I guess I may have... followed her?" Donnie says, a little embarrassed.
"Yeah, 'cuz that's not creepy," Mikey says.
"Look, we don't have time," Leonardo says. "Donnie, you and I will go to the park. Sara, Raph, Mikey, you guys head to April's place."
"On it," Raphael says. I jump off with him and Mikey.
"So Sara," Mikey asks as we jump. "Did you know about this?"
"Yeah," I say. "But it's not like Donnie was being creepy, we just saw her a couple of times with some random guy."
"That's a shame," Raph says.
"It really was," I say. "Poor Donnie, he was really upset."
We hear a crash and stop. I look around.
"That way!" I yell and start running with the two turtles following me. It turns out I was right, Timothy is there and to our surprise he grew arms and legs.
"Not so fast, ugly!" Mikey yells calling Timothy's attention.
"You're not going anywhere, pal!" Raphael asks.
"Must find April!" Timothy says.
"What happened, man?" Mikey asks. "You turned into some mutagen man!"
Timothy slams the ground making us jump. Mikey lands inside a trash container and Raphael ends up under one of Timothy's hands. I shoot the hand with an arrow and call Timothy's attention to me. He comes toward me and I try fighting him off with more arrows which he throws away and is about to pin me to a corner with his acid hand when someone jumps in front and slashes it. It's Leonardo.
"You okay?" He asks.
"Yeah," I reply.
He helps me up and we nearly attack Timothy when Donnie steps in front.
"Don't hurt him!" Donnie defends.
"Why?!" Raphael yells. "That thing nearly melted my face!"
"He's just trying to make April our friend again," Donnie says.
"No!" Timothy yells. "April not turtle's friend! April my friend! Must destroy turtle!"
"Now can we attack him?" Raphael asks.
Timothy grows his hand back, but then starts wobbling and eventually falls.
"What just happened?" I ask.
"He must have run out of mutagen," Donnie says. "Quick, put him in the Shellraiser!"
We do as he says and then Leonardo starts driving us back to the lair. I look over at him as he drives and think of how he saved me back there.
Not happening, Sara, I think to myself.
"Remind me why we're bringing Mr. Personality back," Raphael says.
"It wasn't his fault, it was mine," Donnie says. "All my talking must have made him long for a friend. But more importantly, his DNA might be the key to a retro-mutagen. I could cure him and April's dad-"
"Hey!" I yell when I'm surprised at Timothy drinking more mutagen, and he almost instantly powers up and crashes his way out of the Shellraiser.
"I thought he was out cold!" Raphael says.
"Alright," Leonardo orders, "we split up and find him."
"What for?" Donnie says. "We already know where he's heading."
April's apartment, no doubt. I run. "Then we have to get there now!"
Timothy is just about to turn the corner when we spot him and land in front of him.
"Going somewhere, handsome?" Raphael points his Sai at him.
"Keep him in the alley," Leonardo says. "We can't let April's boyfriend see us."
This makes Donnie angry. But even so, we get right to it and push Timothy even further into the alley even though he stubbornly tries to get back on the street over and over. Mikey and I climb on the walls and attack Timothy from above, which is a strategy that lasts for only so long. Timothy ends up going berserk and starts slamming objects at us, even a car. I take out my katana and team up with Mikey again but Timothy slams the ground like he did earlier. I am shot off from the ground, and when I look at the street I see someone there. Young, red hair, blue eyes. It's April. My eyes widen with nostalgia after making eye contact with her. She seems surprised too, but then leaves. Then the pain comes.
But since I got distracted, Timothy manages to hit me launching me to a fire escape. I stand on it and take out my bow and arrows and shoot him. Timothy grabs Raph in one hand, Mikey on the other, and with a third acidic limb he grabs Leonardo. I shoot his hands making him let go of Mikey and Raph and Donnie helps out Leonardo.
"Donnie, we have no choice!" Leonardo says. "Whatever Timothy was is gone now!"
Donnie struggles, but he thinks of something. "Distract him! Misdirection and camouflage!"
He runs back to the Shellraiser, his brothers stay here and hide at different points like we did in our stealth training. I hide higher up the fire escape with my bow ready. They each call Timothy's attention making him confused, until Donnie is back here. I shoot Timothy making him take some steps back when the arrow hits him, giving Donnie the perfect distance to make his move. He makes Timothy drink more mutagen, only this is the mix Donnie made earlier that freezes whatever it touches. Timothy is now, literally, an ice sculpture.
"Nice move, Donnie," Leonardo congratulates. "Real scientific!"
"Yeah," Donnie replies sadly. "Don't worry, Timothy. I'll cure you someday."
"It's okay, Donnie, you did what you had to do," I say. "Let's go home."
****
While I'm sitting next to Donnie in the living room, the other three turtles are celebrating at their stupid Mecha show.
"Donatello?" Splinter asks. "How are you feeling, my son?"
"Sensei," he replies. "I created a monster that could have squashed the girl I'm totally into. How do you think I feel? She'll never want to see me again."
"April's decision to stay away was her own," Splinter says. "But, never lose hope. And whatever comes, you must let it flow as it should."
The last statement Splinter just said sounds like it was meant for me. He even looked at me while he said it. I look over at Leonardo, who is celebrating at the show with Raph and Mikey.
"Yeah," Donnie says. "There's always hope, right?"
I smile still looking at Leonardo. "Yeah, there is."