IT'S HERE
IT'S HERE
IT'S HERE
ROTTMNT Moths Fly In Packs - Chapter Nine
HOLY MOTHERFUCKING SHIT I'M ALIVE AND I AM SO SORRY! It's been way too long and I'm genuinely sorry this chapter took several fucking months to make but IT'S FINALLY DONE! It ended up way longer than I intended man, I THOUGHT THIS WAS GONNA BE SHORT. It's my longest chapter yet fun fact. I don't even regret it really, it benefited so much from the extra effort. Hopefully the next few chapters won't take this long but I will refrain from jinxing myself again sođ§ââïžAnyway enough blabbering, hope y'all enjoy this one ;w;
CREDIT To the MFIP Team: Thank you to @yosajaeofficial, @urlocalmj, misfortun3_ismyname (on TikTok), @chaoticspeedrun, @ramblehour and @goldanrabbit for being my lovely editors! MAN did they give this chapter a lot of polish-
Previous Chapter | Next Chapter | Chapter One
Disclaimer: Chapter involves verbal abuse/manipulation, harassment, gaslighting, depressive thoughts, violence, blood, mentions of a wounded limb, brief mentions of nausea, displayed anxiety, and curse words. If you're sensitive to that, scroll past and stay safe!
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I rushed around my room throwing shit on as fast as I could. Not fast enough apparently, since my phoneâs vibrating like itâs gonna explode.
Itâs late as hell right now, but Zane insisted on meeting up. Pretty randomly at, like, 11pm on a school night. I was initially planning to reject the idea or ghost with the excuse of sleeping, but itâs been a good while since I actually did hang out with him. I know insomniaâs gonna keep me up for a bit anyway, so why the hell not? We might even have fun! Just wish heâd stop flooding my notifs like I didn't already say I was actively getting ready.
I looked in the mirror, checking to see if I was presentable enough for the outside realm. My reflectionâs the same as always; for better or worse. Still the same pink dress, same green skirt, same boots. Canât forget the gold earrings; the only emergency asset I held onto. I donât know what I expected. I donât have much to work with. Guess the gloves from Donnie are new, at least. But Iâm still getting⊠bored? A change in appearanceâeven a small oneâmight be able to fill that hole for a while. Keep me distracted.
Maybe I could do something with my hair tonight? I still have Miâs ribbon lying here somewhere.
I ignored Zaneâs digital pestering and spent a few extra minutes shuffling through drawers and boxes, eventually finding her long, white ribbonâhandmade from moth silk. She wore it all the time. I barely remember her hair being fully down unless she was sleeping or about to shower. Except for that one night, of course. The night she left and was never found again. She almost did take the ribbon with her. Had her hair done up in a bun and everything, even a little fancier than usual. But she took it off once she saw me behind her, barely reflected in the mirror. She crouched down, placed it in my tiny palms, and gave me her wonderfully warm smile. Itâs the last thing she left me with. The last gift she could ever give me.Â
After that, the ribbonâs survived years of storage and then more years of⊠unconventional bullshit use. I know moth silk ainât the weakest thing on Earth but Iâve deadass used this ribbon as a make-shift pulley system to sneak stuff into my room through the window before, some of which weighed more than me! Its got the endurance of a Nokia at this point.Â
Iâve barely used the ribbon for its intended purpose, though. I mean, how could I? Iâm not my mom no matter how similar we look. Maybe this is a me-thing, but I always felt wearing the ribbon would be like replacing her with myself.Â
Although, Iâm sure Mi wouldâve loved it if I wore it.Â
Using the ribbon, I tied my hair into a ponytail and styled it as a loose bow, just to see how it would look. The white tails gently draped over my back down to my hips. I never quite realized how long the ribbon was before now. I donât look as fancy or pretty as mom did, but itâs the best Iâve got. It⊠it doesnât look bad, though, I think. It actually looks kinda nice! Maybe Iâll use it a bit more often.Â
My phoneâs repeated buzzing snapped me out from my trance. âAlright, alright, shut up already.â I groaned. Zaneâs growing impatient.
You: hey sorry I jsut finished getting ready
You: heading out the door now! :3Â
Fuck doors. Sneaking out became a whole lot easier ever since I did it from my window, but he doesnât have to know that. I can already imagine him scolding me about the dangers of dropping down from high places, even with the fire escape there. He wouldnât be wrong, per se, but at this point Iâve handled worse. Would probably send him into cardiac arrest if he knew what Iâd actually been up to these few months.
I sprinted to the spot we agreed to meet up at. Zane was already there, leaning against the wall with his hands stuffed in his pockets like always.Â
âSalena! Hey!â He lit up like a star when he saw me, beckoning me over.
God, for a sour person, he has such a sweet smile. Heâs usually so good at being intimidating and frightening. Yet the second he brings out his smile, all that built-up fear washes away like it was never there to begin with.Â
âI almost thought you wouldnât come.â
âWell, I figured I could use some fresh air.â I tilted my head to the side, eyeing his fit. âYou left your sweater at home?â
âHm?â He followed my gaze to his pitch black tank top in place of the usual outfit. âOh, right! Yeah, the weatherâs too hot for a sweater tonight. Forgot I changed it, really.â
Now that Iâm looking closer, his chokerâs missing too. It probably didnât match with the top. Seems like it got swapped with a black watch on his left wrist that complimented the look way more. Doesnât matter what he pretends to be though, I know Zane pays very close attention to his appearance. Heâs gotta maintain the rep of our gradeâs âPretty Boyâ after all. When it comes to him, every little detail matters.
Wait a secâŠ
âWhat happened to your arm?â
I couldnât see âtill he turned towards me but his left arm had a deep bluish-purple bruise spread across it. It looked like it was from something long like a pipe or a bat. Either way, it was gnarly enough to worry me.Â
âOh that. Itâs nothing too bad.â He shrugged.
âYou kiddinâ me? It looks awful! What happened?â I carefully grabbed his arm and took a closer look at the mark. I wish Leo was here, but thankfully Iâve picked up a little medic knowledge from him so I can at least tell if a bone is broken or not.
âHey, donât get your feathers all fluffed! I got a little hurt rough-housing with the guys, thatâs all. You know how they are.â
âRough-housing? Or a secret murder attempt?â I was only being half sarcastic. It wouldnât be out of character for them.
âDonât worry! Itâs really sweet of you to care, but theyâd never dare hurt me on purpose! Now, on another noteâŠâ He paused for a moment, taking a proper look at me. For a little bit, I couldnât tell why he smirked. âLooks like someone wanted to look cute tonight, ey? You wore your hair up.â
âHuh?â I touched my hair, forgetting I changed it earlier. âOh, um, yeah! I-I did! I thought Iâd give it a try. Does it⊠um, you know, look too bad or weird or?âŠâ
âNo! No, it⊠it looks really pretty.â Oh god, thatâs a relief to hear! I was so paranoid it wouldnât suitâ âI gotta ask, though.â
I caught him inching closer. I tried creating space, but quickly realized I was up against the wall again. Shouldâve been more careful about that. His hand reached out, bringing back all sorts of cringe-inducing memories. He didnât technically pin me like last time, but he tucked my bangs back behind my ear. Feeling his fingers come into contact with my skin almost feels just as nauseating, though.Â
âHowâd you know I had a thing for girls in ponytails?â
And fuck, he made it weird again.
âZ-Zane?â
âYeah?âŠâ WHY ISNâT HE GETTING THE HINT!? âYou know, you always look so soft when you dress up. You just bloom.â
ââŠSo! What are we doing tonight?âÂ
His smile slightly dropped, likely upset I ruined whatever moment he was trying to have. Honestly, didnât matter to me, as shitty as that sounds. I just wanted to change the topic so heâd step back a bit. We go through this every time; this stupid ass, awkward aura. I wish it would stop happening.Â
On the bright side, he did step back and redirect his focus to answering my question. On the not so bright side, his answer was a pathetic shrug.
âI donât know.â
âY-you⊠What do you mean you donât know? I snuck out here in the middle of the night, you told me itâd be something special! Youâve gotta have something planned.â
âHonest, I donât! I thought it was beautiful outside and it reminded me of you. Wanted to see where such a lovely night could take us. I think thatâs special enough, donât you?â
âW-Well, I meanââ
He chuckled âWhatâs wrong? Youâre not backing out now, are you?âÂ
I may have praised his smile earlier, but right now itâs making my eye twitch. Iâm a little peeved knowing he brought me out here for shits and giggles when I couldâve at least been resting in bed, replenishing some of my energy. I know I donât have the best sleeping habits, but that doesnât mean I canât get tired from the constant action going on! I donât even know how long heâs gonna keep me hostage for! But⊠heâs also right that itâd be kinda shitty to bail now. Besides, Iâm already out here soâŠ
I guess all thatâs left to do is suck it up and try to make the best of it.Â
âWell, do you wanna⊠go for a walk or something?â
âSounds perfect to me! Come on, hold my hand, Dove.â
For someone who supposedly didnât have a plan, he sure took an awful lot of charge during that walk. He suggested we go to Central Park and practically dragged me there despite my common sense screaming to never go to that hellspawn at night. Although, I canât complain too much. The parkâs definitely the best place to see the stars, and tonight had clear skies! He made sure to keep a tight grip on me in case we ran into any classic New York weirdos anyway, so I should probably be less tense. I guess I got used to the guaranteed safety of having literal ninjas around me, I forgot what it was like hanging out with a regular person.Â
On top of that, Zane seemed really happy! Happier than Iâve seen him in a while, actually. He was giddily pointing out any interesting greenery we saw and rambling random facts he knew about them.Â
Even later, when we went and dined inside a relatively fancy restaurant, all he could focus on was the different plants they chose as decor. Heâs such a huge nature geek, but heâd never let anyone know. Zaneâs the type of guy to get 100% on a biology test and shamefully shove it in his backpack to avoid being labeled as a nerd. Being a nerd myself, I think itâs pretty cool, so I never understood it. But either way, Iâm glad he feels safe around me. Iâm glad he doesnât hide around me.
I forgot about this side of him, I really did. The side that is my friend.
We were walking back to my place, taking in the bliss of the quiet night. Even if a part of me prefers the busier, noisy parts of the city, itâs really soothing to experience the calmer sides of it too. Everything about tonight feels nearly perfect. Iâm surprised nothing ruined it. Iâm debating if I could ruin itâŠ
I really want to talk to him. I wanna bring up those photos, get some answers, put my strange emotions to rest once and for all. I wanna hear it from him that neither of them meant to hurt me. That this was just my mind screwing me over again. I need to know. I really need to know.Â
You know, friends are supposed to lend a shoulder when you need it.
I donât want to ruin the night. But friendship takes risks sometimes. Thatâs what shows its strength, right?
I take a deep breath and go for the leap of faith.
âSo, I was wonderingââ âSalena, I wanted to askââÂ
I really gotta work on my timing for these things.
âS-Sorry! You go first.â
He shook his head with a delicate smile. âNah, itâs okay. You can go.â
âAre you sure? I-I mean itâs kinda complicatedâŠâ
âYeah, Iâm sure! I always love hearing you talk, anyway.âÂ
âO-okay then, wellâŠâ My hands balled up into determined fists and I looked him right in the eyes. I have to put an end to this or Iâll never be able to move on. âIâll be real, it might be a weird question.But youâre my friend and I really trust you a lot. I⊠I have to know this, so please donât get mad.â
âYeahâŠ?â Why did he have to lean in closerâŠ
I came this far, Iâm not letting my tongue shut me up again.Â
âWhatâs going on with you and Jaiden?â
Immediately his demeanor changed. His posture slouched, the disappointment clear as day on his face. âJaiden? Youâreâyouâre really thinking about⊠about them, now?âÂ
âYes, b-but I want to stop! Thatâs why I need to ask you this, so please bear with me, Zane.â
He leaned back with a hand on his hip, the other covering his face as he exhaled. âAnd here I was getting my hopes up for nothing.â
He would never think that I heard him; Zaneâs a good whisperer. Unfortunately, my hearing rivals it.
He looked at me again; his eyes didnât feel the same. âOkay, fine. What is it?â
I felt my stomach twist into itself. My chest began to ache. If I didnât know any better, Iâd think I was about to hurl.
Itâs okay. Friends get a little upset at each other all the time. Doesnât mean theyâll break apart. Donât be a coward, Salena.Â
I told him about everything. The canceled plans, Jaidenâs distant behavior, the increase in their pics together on his Instagram. I vented about how frustrated I felt with seeing them spend so much time together and then completely ignore me. And then vented some more about how frustrated I felt from that frustration, how I knew it was wrong yet couldnât help it seeping into my everyday life! I let out a lot of steam tonight, even things I didnât plan on telling him. The only things I left out, honestly, were anything related to the turtles to hide their identity. And to avoid any irrelevant questions.
He seemed strangely chipper hearing all of this, a curiously amused smirk plastered on his face. Not the reaction I expected, but I guess itâs better than him flipping out like I thought he would.Â
âSo, if Iâm getting this right, you see me and Jaiden hanging out more often and it actually bothers you?â
âI donât want it to but yeah, it bothers me a whole fucking lot. Itâs taken over my life and I hate it! I hate being jealous! Itâs soââÂ
âYouâre jealous!? Youâre jealous! Oh man, I canât believe I am living in the same timeline where the Salena Moni is experiencing jealousy like every. Average. Lowlife. Person!âÂ
âYeah, yeah, go ahead and rub it in, why dontcha? That helps me so much.â I pouted.
He laughed, enjoying my misery. âI know, Iâm sorry. Just, damn! Somewhere, pigs are flying arenât they?â If Meat Sweats could fly, Iâd be his murderous Cupid.
âHar har. I get it though. I mean, you know me! Iâve felt envious before, but jealous? How does anyone even deal with thisâŠ?â I held myself a little tighter.
âHey, hey, itâs okay, Dove. It happens! Everyone gets a little jealous. Itâs a normal thing to go through, Salena.â
âYeah, I sure did want a normal life, so I guess I got what I wished for.â I canât help feeling salty over all this.Â
He only laughed and patted my hair, fluffing up the ponytail a little.Â
âHey, Zane? For the sake of my psyche, you sure Iâm not a bad person for this?â
A tender sigh rang through my ears. âIâm sure. You could never be a bad person, Salena.âÂ
âŠI never realized a husky voice like his could feel so honeyed.
But heâs right. Iâm not a bad person, Iâm just human. If both him and Raph said the same thing, itâs more likely to be true.
âAnd for the record, Jaiden and I are just friends right now. Thereâs nothing going on between us, so you donât have to worry.â
âUh⊠Cool? I⊠might be a little lost here. Why are you telling me that?â
âReassurance, obviously.â
I blinked, not really getting it or knowing how to respond. He thought for a moment, then had a face of realization while he giggled.
âOh my god, donât tell me youâre actually that innocent! Youâre so cute, I swear!â He booped my nose and leaned in again with a huge smile. He lowered his voice almost to a whisper. âYouâre jealous because you have a crush.âÂ
A crush?
âBut why would I have a crush on Jaiden?âÂ
âIâm just sayingâWait, rewind. A crush on Jaiden?â He physically paused for a bit before awkwardly laughing. âNo, sweetie, you donât get jealous of your crush, you get jealous of the people theyâre with!â
âThatâs why Iâm asking. Why would I have a crush on Jaiden?â
âŠWhy does the air feel colder all of a sudden?Â
The night was warm just a minute ago, but now itâs dead like the core of winter. His smile is long gone. His eyes, theyâre slicing me in half. Is my breathing a little faster? Heâs coming closer. Iâm suddenly aware of just how alone we really are here in this silent little street.Â
âTo be clear. Who are you jealous of.â
My throat clogged up. I blinked and lowered my eyes so he wouldnât see the tears being fought back. I forgot this side of him, too. The side that made my heart close in on itself.
âSalena, donât make me ask twice.â
âOf you.â I managed to let out. âJ-jealous of you.â
He wouldnât speak for a while. Only felt him staring me down like a predator stalking its prey, making me swallow to keep my throat from drying up. My hands felt so clammy, begging me to wipe them on my skirt. But I didnât dare move. I couldnât even look at him right now.
âOf fucking course you are.â
I knew it was coming, but I still flinched when he cursed with no shame, tugging his hair and punching the wall next to me. Itâs stupid, isnât it? I can handle giant mutants and a literal cult of evil, but Zaneâs temper was not something to be messed with, and my unlucky ass did exactly that.
âWhy did I ever expect anything different! Of course itâs me youâre jealous of! Why the fuck would you phrase it like that if you meant something else, god dammit!â
Youâre gonna bleed if you keep doing thatâŠ
âZ-Zane, Iâm sorry. I-I didnât think itâd come off as me being jealous of Jaidenââ
âOBVIOUSLY, IT FUCKING WOULD!!!â He grabbed my shoulders, bringing me closer to him. I donât know if itâd be an exaggeration to say I nearly got a panic attack from the action alone.Â
âWhen you say things like how youâre jealous of how much time Jaiden and I spend together, of course I think youâre jealous of them, not me! Why would I ever assume it was me! That never happens with anyone else! God, youâre such a fucking moron sometimes, I swear!âÂ
âI'm sorry⊠P-please stopâŠâ
âAfter everything weâve fucking been through, everything I did for you! All you can ever do is somehow relate me back to Jaiden! Thereâs always someone else! I mean nothing to you, Salena! Donât I!? I! Mean! Nothing!â
âI-I didnât mean to, I promiseââ
âTHAT DOESNâT MATTER, IDIOT!â
He let go and pushed me back. Sometimes I overlook how much bigger Zane is compared to me. This is not one of those times.Â
âYou know what? You know whatâs funny, Salena? That night youâre so fucking fixated on, the one thatâs consumed your ability to even think like a normal person? Yeah, Iâve got some news about that night.âÂ
I just want to disappearâŠ
âI asked Jaiden to go with me to that shitty party on purpose!â
âŠ
What?
âI asked them on purpose, I posted those pictures on purpose! I did everything âcause I knew youâd see it! I thought maybe then, for once, youâd finally, finally feel a single ounce of longing for me! That was all I wanted!â
What.
ââŠYou better be lying, Zane.â
âIâm not. And you deserve this.â
I glared at him the entire time while he was too focused on his own bullshit words to even notice. My arms burned with the sensation of my nails digging deeper and deeper. I hope they'll draw blood.
âYou donât understand, Salena! You keep saying all these⊠all these stupid fucking things that no one else says to me! Do you know what it does to me? If I had my way, Iâd hold you forever and never let you go. No oneâs shown me kindness like you.â I was so numb I couldnât even react to him caressing my cheek. Only kept glaring.Â
âBut then you barely ever give me the time of day! Youâre barely ever with me! Fuck, honestly, youâre never with me anymore! I donât know whatâs going on, but itâs not like you to say one thing and do another! Youâre not that type of two-faced asshole! So why are you fucking acting like one!? Ever since that day you went to âhang outâ with that stupid drugged-out bitch you called a friend, youâve never been the fucking same! With the way you act, I wouldnât be fucking surprised if you got addicted and stay on the high 24/7!â
Heâs⊠Is he talking about Mikey? Thatâs what this is about? Is he fucking serious right now.
âWho are you!? Where is my Salena?âÂ
âDid you know Jaiden and I had plans that day?â
âNo, I didnât. Iâm not stupid, I wasnât gonna go that far. I wanted you to get a taste of what it felt to not be chosen, thatâs it! Obviously, it was dumb to think it would work!â The dumb bitch sighed, exasperated. As if he had any right to be. âSeems you donât have room for me in that big heart of yours after all, huh? Maybe Iâm a dick for saying this, but itâs honestly karma that I happened to choose the one day you two were gonna hang out. Thatâs gotta be a sign, Salena.â
You never get the fucking hint, do you Zane Evans?
âI need to go.â
I couldnât even get two steps in before he gripped my wrist to stop me.
âWait, what do you mean go? Go where?â
âI meant exactly what I said! Iâve had enough. Now let go of me.â
I yanked my arm back and stormed off, Zane following close behind. At least, judging from the sound he was. I didnât bother looking back.Â
âHey! Your place is in the opposite direction!â
âStop following me, I can go wherever I want!â
âSalena, seriously!? Itâs already late, youâre gonna get lost! Come on, are you really that pissed offââ
âYES!!!â
I turned my heel and faced him.
âHow are you even unsure of that!? You got upset I hung out with someone else for one dayâa person I made plans with in advance, might I addâand you decided to take revenge on me!? Do you have any clue how fucked up that is!?â
âI got a little mad! So what? Youâve known me for two years! Stop overreacting about a harmless dig!â
âHarmless!? You have no idea what Iâve gone through this past month because of your little âharmlessâ stunt! Iâve suffered so much because of you! I canât even sleep because of you! God, sometimes youâre soâUgh!â
I began counting down from ten to one, just like Raph taught. I shouldnât say something Iâll regret later. Honestly, I shouldnât have said anything at all.
He looked like a sad puppy. Itâs clear he wasnât expecting this. But somehow, my sympathy wonât halt my anger tonight.
âSalena, I⊠Look, I didnât know youâd be so sensitive over thisââ
âZane, I really need to leave. Iâm sorry I exploded like that, but itâs gonna happen again if I stay here any longer. So please, just stop following me. Hurting you would add more shit to my plate and I really donât need that right now, okay?âÂ
âN-no! Stay! I can make it up to you!â
âAnother day, any day, but not now! Not now.â
I walked away and this time he didnât follow.Â
ââŠFine.â
I heard his footsteps stomp in the other direction, slowly fading away.
My own legs went faster till the wind consumed me.Â
The anger returned almost instantly after I knew he left. Iâm happy I kept my cool during the end back there but holy fucking shit! What was he thinking!? I wanted answers tonight but I didnât expect this! I thought I was overthinking again! I thought my brain made up the possibility that they ditched me intentionally! But no, turns out it wasnât just Jaiden but Zane, too! What the fuck did I do to them? What did he mean I âdeserved itâ!?Â
I donât get it, what is he expecting me to do? I know he⊠feels a certain way about me. But even then! I canât just shit romantic feelings for him out my ass!Â
Ugh, so fucking stupid. Iâm gonna lose my head if I keep thinking about this.
I wandered around the city some more and got back to the main road where a good handful of cars were passing again. Itâs past 1am now and Iâve gotta get ready for school in less than five hours. But I know damn well I wonât sleep, not after this. I donât wanna go home. Take me anywhere but home. I donât feel like facing any of this right now, IâŠ
I want somewhere I can feel safe for a while, just so the day wonât end on such a horrible note.
I pulled out my phone and opened the contacts. I wish I was one of those folks who didnât have to think of someone before they dialed but alas, here I am.Â
I canât talk to Jaiden.Â
I obviously canât talk to Zane.
I donât know if I can tell Casey any of this yet.
Iâd love to talk to April but sheâs probably asleep by now. But⊠but the guys might not be! Theyâre usually up at these sort of freakish hours of the night. I could try giving the group chat a call and hope for the best. I feel bad for bothering them so often but who else do I have right now?
It took three rings before the line went through.
âYou are conversing with DonatellâWhy is your screen so dark?âÂ
Oh fucking lovely.
âH-hey, Donnie. Sorry, I didnât realize it was a video call.â
As my luck would have it, Donnie was the one to pick up. No offense to him; he never did anything wrong. Iâm just not entirely sure how he feels about me yet. So, having him answer when Iâm already high on nerves isnât what I pictured hoping for the best would result in. But heâs much, much better than being alone right now.
âUh, what⊠Whatcha up to?â
âOh, simply being my usual genius self to aid with our nightly hero duties! Sure, no regular teenager could detect a break-in on sensitive confidential info before the actual government could, but I, Othello Von Ryan, have proven to be no regular teen!âÂ
âYep, definitely the usual for you.âÂ
Donnieâs def no less than Leo when it comes to being allergic to humility. Though, they both earned their egos. Donnieâs not wrong; not just any person could be nearly as smart as him.
âSo, did you need anything fixed? Youâre calling at a rather unusual hour for a school night.âÂ
âOh, no, not really. I mean, I was kinda out with a friend, but things⊠ended abruptly. I donât really feel like sleeping right now. I wanted some company?âÂ
He opened his mouth to respond but got interrupted by a familiar accent asking who was on the phone. The instant my name left his voice, three others repeated it with joy. My screen suddenly overflowed with four green goofballs all trying to fit in the cameraâs scope at once.
âSALENA! How are you? How come youâre not asleep? Donât you have school tomorrow?â
âMikey, itâs Salena, itâs way too early for them to sleep.â
âWow, Leo, anyone ever tell you how funny you are?â My words didnât match my tone. I wonder why.
âLeo, let âer breathe!â The camera shook as a red bandana came into frame. âHey, but for real. Why you up so late, Salena? Somethinâ up?â
âNah, just couldnât sleep! I thought Iâd call you guys for a bit, but from the sounds of it, yâall seem kinda busy.âÂ
The camera moved again as the device got transferred to the next turtle. âGive me myâUgh, there we go. And yes, youâre correct. We are actually busy with a mission tonight.âÂ
I tried keeping my smile intact as I understandingly nodded my head. Is he mad at me for assuming they were free the exact moment I needed them to be? I mean, Iâd be mad at me, so itâd make sense.
âHey, but you know what?â Leo leaned next to Donnie, trying to see the screen. âYou should totally join us! Tag along, have some fun, weâd all love that!â
You would?
âWhat? Nardo, what are youââ
âOMIGOSH, YEAH!â Mikey jumped in, knocking Donnie out of frame entirely. âIf youâre not gonna sleep, we should totally hang out! I really miss you, Salena!âÂ
âUh, am I really the only one thinking it would be a bad idea to let the person who barely leaves their house join us on a mission to a highly-secured and regulated government facility?â
âChillax, Don, sheâll be fine! Youâll be fine, right Salena?â
âI mean, uhââÂ
âSee? Whatâd I tell ya, totally fine!âÂ
âRaph agrees! Salena can handle herself.âÂ
âOh sure, Iâm absolutely positive nothing could go wrong! He said without a trace of doubt.â
âŠI canât tell if heâs trying to protect me or just doesnât want me there. Neither option feels good right now, to be honest.
âCâmon, Dee, weâve all seen her fight before! Including you, remember? When they helped us stop Meat Sweats?â
 Mikeyâs got a point. That was before I had any real battle experience, too! I donât know why Donnie seems so hesitant about this. Or why itâs making me so pissy, actually.
Another car passed by and I lowered the volume a bit, remembering the time. Now that Iâm actually near some apartments, I donât wanna accidentally wake someone up. I really gotta save up for some new earbuds; my last ones broke like, a month ago and I can only make do for so long.
âThree to one, hermano. Youâre outnumbered.â
âButâSigh, forget it! Salena, Iââ
ââNOUGH SMALL TALK!â At this point, theyâre just playing hot potato with Donnieâs phone. âSalena, hurry up! Weâre boutta start the mission so donât want ya missinâ out!â
âHa! Almost made a pun!â
âShut up, Leo. Anyways, weâre at uh⊠Uh⊠Hey, Donnie, where we at?âÂ
I could hear him struggling for his phone in the distance. âYou could just send our coordinates!â
âI could send her our coordinates! âŠHow does Raph do that, again?â
The audio muffled as the phone shuffled back to its rightful owner. âGod, Iâm so gonna install security on this thing. Anyway, Iâm sending our location to you right now. And as I was GOING TO SAY BEFORE! Salena, I look forward to seeing you again.â
He flashed a smile and part of my worries vanished. Iâm still not sure how to read him but if heâs being nice, it canât be all bad, right?
âOH, AND IF YA CAN, COULD YOU BRING ME A SNACKââ Donnie hung up before the teddy bear could finish.
Luckily for him, his face beamed when I finally arrived around twenty minutes later and did, in fact, bring him a snack.Â
âHey guys! Hope I didnât takeââ
I couldnât even finish speaking before finding myself laughing on the floor with four giant turtles hounding me in hugs.Â
âIt has been way too long since weâve hugged!â Poor Mikey, I havenât been able to see him in a hot minute. âNice ponytail, by the way. Really makes your eyes pop.â
âAww, thanks! I missed you guys too. Ugh, I really wish scheduling was easier! Iâd hang out more often.âÂ
âDude, why waste time on schedules when you could just come over?â
ââXactly! Ainât like youâre not welcome!â
âOh. I-I mean, sure! If you guys really donât have a problem with itâŠâ I wonder if this is what itâs like to feel wanted.
âI just wanted you to get a taste of what it felt to not be chosen!â
âŠT-then again, theyâre probably just being polite.
Click!
âAnd fits perfectly, just as the estimations foretold!â The fuck?Â
I looked down and saw a shiny black belt matching the arm wraps now resting above my hips. Itâs actually fairly loose around my waist but Iâm guessing that was the intention. Thereâs a giant pink button on the left with the same M-shaped logo as all of theirs. It looked super cool, honestly! Even seemed to match with my outfit!
âWoaaah, what is this thing?â
âDonnie. Really?â Leo didnât sound impressed and neither did the others but, like, who cares! The beltâs dope as hell!
He ignored them and continued addressing me. âIt basically functions both as your very own panic button and is a carrier for your sickles thanks to a highly specific magnetic attraction! Plus, it obviously helps tie in your outfit better âcause Great Galileo did you need some accessories.â
âDamn, I didnât know my sickles were magnetic!â
âOh, they werenât before, I installed magnets in them last night.â With that, he pulled my fucking weapons seemingly out of his ass. Judging by everyone elseâs groans though, Iâm the only one whoâs surprised and confused.
âDonald! What did we say about breaking into strangersâ homes!âÂ
âHey, I didnât break in!⊠to a strangerâs home! I broke into Salenaâs, Salena is not a strangerâOW, HEY!â Raph slapped the back of his head. One quick yet dramatic recovery later, we all began our route of sneaking into the building.Â
Security wasnât monitoring the higher floors, so we only had to ninja our way up âtill there and the rest was easy peasy. I tried focusing on the quick briefing I was receiving on the way up but my mind was admittedly elsewhere. Back to the weird situation I thought I dreamt up last night.
I donât remember much. I was too tired to really register anything, and Donnie being a ninja probably enhanced that. But I do remember still hearing faint footsteps in my room; drawers being opened, the closet getting browsed. I was so out of it I figured I probably hallucinated everything. Either way, I was way too paralyzed to do anything; I couldnât even put my phone back earlier. Kept passing in and out of consciousness. But it seemed like someone put it back for me. They helped my sloppy body into a position that wouldnât leave me aching the next morning and pulled the covers up to tuck me in. What really sealed the whole dream theory to me was the metallic-textured âhandâ that patted my head before they left and let the world return to tranquility.
I seriously did figure it was all a weird fever dream or some shit. Personally, I still feel like thatâs more believable than it being Donnie all along. But staring down at my sickles, I guess I canât really argue against the proof right in front of me.Â
âGentlemen, here we are! The Techno Cosmic Research Institute! Otherwise known asââthe door opened as I returned back to present timeââThe TCRI.â
The moon illuminated the flat, revealing that we were in a main lobby of some sorts. Huge and spacious, decorated with different plants Iâm sure Zane wouldâve gone crazy over.Â
âŠI shouldnât think about him right now.
It was a huge and spacious lobby full of plants. The windows that were tinted from the outside now presented a full view of the city skyline. Doors were carved into the walls, transitioning to the other rooms. Some, like the several meeting rooms, were made with glass so I could vaguely make out the interior from here. Others were blocked by heavy, solid, metal doors, holding whatever secrets the government had behind them.
I felt strange setting foot in this place, like I wasnât supposed to be here. Well, I guess we are breaking and entering, but itâs not that. Itâs something else, something I canât quite explain. Unrelated to the guys but personal to me. I feel Iâm not wanted for a reason Iâm not yet aware of. Itâs freaking me out a little.Â
âSo, what do the Purple Dragons want with this place again?â
âHonestly, your guess is as good as mine. I only caught a break-in to the system in general and tracked it back to Kendra, I donât have info on what theyâre trying to gain access to. Whatever it is, though, it has an impressively tight security system thatâs nearly impossible to break! At least, not through their simple B-tier remote hacking.â
âIf the Purple Dragons want it, then itâs gotta be something major.â Iâve known about them for a while thanks to April.Â
It kinda shocked me at first, not because a group of teens created a tech-smart gang but because April OâNeil was a loser to someone. Call me a little biasedâand youâd be rightâbut I still think Kendraâs got rocks for brains if she ignores someone like April.Â
But thatâs a mental essay for another day. Right now, Leoâs smirking. And if Leoâs smirking, things will either go amazingly well or horrifically wrong.Â
âSo⊠If weâre already here, why donât we just figure out what they want ourselves?â
Mikey propped his chin up on Leoâs shoulder. âYou mean like, go and explore? Sounds rad to me!â
âYeah! Sneak around, let Donnie do his nerdy smart people stuff and see whatâs so great about this place, yeah?âÂ
âInvade the privacy of our nationâs government and scavenge for confidential data!? Nardo, I love you!â
âRaph? Your call, buddy.â
He was shockingly quick to shrug. âSure! Raph donât see a problem with it. Sounds hella fun to me!â
âUh, guys?â I raised my hand. âIsnât this, like, highly illegal?âÂ
âAnd?â They all said in unison. To be fair, legal doesnât sound like them anyway.Â
âWhat are they gonna do? Arrest us?â His hand circled in front of his blue bandana.
âAnd donât worry, you wonât get in trouble for anything that happens! Donnie can get rid of the evidence and no one will know you were here, right Dee?â Mikey shot a wink at Donnie.
âAffirmative!âÂ
Dang, Mikeyâs made a lot of good points tonight.Â
âEh, youâre right. To hell with laws!â Passing up an opportunity to explore a space institution would be laughably unlike me, anyway!Â
We decided to split up and meet back at the main lobby in fifteen, assuming the Purple Dragons hadn't arrived by then. Itâs kind of scary wandering on my own in this place. It still feels off to me, but at the same time, Iâve always wanted so desperately to walk through a facility like this. Fascinating space research, meeting after meeting to discuss whatever new breakthrough was made, access to a shit ton of databases and technologies Iâll never have the chance to use at home!? Everything about this place is perfect! Itâs all I dreamed it to be.Â
So why wonât that damn feeling go away?
Whatever, itâs probably just tonight in general. I really, really, need to get over it and move on already or else Iâm guaranteed to fuck up the whole mission.
I sighed and glanced down at my arm wraps, raising them to get a better look. Despite my flip-floppy mood, I couldnât help but smile. Itâs dorky but they do comfort me every now and then. They felt nice to wear and even looking at them made me all fuzzy and nostalgic. They feel like an older me even though I got them recently.Â
âI take it you liked them, then.âÂ
His voice startled me, I thought everyone went their own ways but I guess Donnie was nearby.Â
âYeah, I do! The belt, too, theyâre really cool gifts! Thank you.â He lit up when he heard those magic words. Man, I canât believe I forgot to thank him sooner. Poor guy was probably aching for some feedback.
âI-I actually always wondered how you made them. They feel really sturdy but like, itâs not heavy to wear, either, if that makes sense.â
âOh yeah, totally!â He typed on the screen on his arm, booting up the scanning feature to make sure we didnât miss anything. âItâs an intentional design choice. They are supposed to act as armor, so.â
âWoah, cool! Do they count as tactical gear? As in military grade and all that jazz?â
âWhat? No, thatâs not even good quality, thatâs just a buzzword. Military grade simply means they met the minimum stated requirements at the lowest unit price.â
ââŠâ
ââŠLow budget, few money, lead to mid product, good enough for gullible minds and general public consumption.âÂ
Ohhhh. âSo they lied.â
âAs per usual. Itâs shit engineering in actuality.â
I pushed open one of the meeting roomsâ glass doors as Donnieâs shell held up a bright torch. We began scouting the area for anything interesting while continuing our talk. All this investigative workâs reminding me of April and the way sheâd gush about doing the same. Completely understanding the appeal now; it feels so thrilling snooping around somewhere youâre not supposed to be! Especially when the lawâs involved.
The room wasnât anything unordinary. It looked like any other corporate meeting room. The long table leading to the small TV on the wall, decorative paintings and plants, the usual. Man, we probably shouldâve gone into a more interestingââOW!â
ââŠWatch your step.â He said after I already fell to my knees.
âThanks for the very useful warning. What even was that?â
He shined the light closer to a⊠metal? No, definitely not entirely metal. A robot arm sloppily plopped on the floor. We couldnât see what the arm was attached to, if it was attached to anything at all. Itâs too long to trace back with the torch light from where we are. One thingâs for sure, though: Itâs giant. The claw I tripped over is practically the same size as my head.Â
âHmmâŠâ He crouched closer to the arm, slowly inspecting it. âWeird. It looks like itâs made of some cheap plastic. Perhaps a prototype of some sorts.â
âI donât think theyâd make it this big if it was a prototype.â Maybe we could do a test to see what type of plastic it is. âYou got any fire?â
âWhile I see your angle and would love to carry through that experiment, itâs probably not wise to burn something we donât know the purpose of. Or, you know, alert the security of our presence from the alarms.â
âYeah, fairâŠâ Man, wouldâve been hella fun, though.Â
We both stayed on the floor, a little stumped on what the hell this thing was. My eyes got bored after a while and wandered around the room again. The only interesting thing in here was this weird ass plastic arm, itâs pretty much useless looking around the room but it did keep me entertained. There were five plants in this room which explains the fresh smell, all of them were basic enough for me to recognize. Two zebra plants, a ponytail palm, andâŠ
I ignored the plant on the table when I spotted something thin underneath it, hidden by the shadows. I think itâs a slip of paper?
Donnieâs sigh brought my attention back. âYou know what, Iâm gonna go to their computer lab to see if one of their databases has anything about this thing.â
âAight, Iâll stay back and keep exploring. Good luck!â
Right as he left, I sped over to the mysterious paper, unable to contain my curiosity any longer. The table was tall enough for me to comfortably sit under, leaning over the paper on the floor to read it. Itâs, coincidentally enough, about that puzzling arm. The incomplete text made it clear it was probably part of a stack of paper or a file and fell out. Sadly, it didnât reveal much but what I could get out of it was that itâs an automated arm controlled by an AI system, mostly covered with polypropylene plastic. Heh, PP plastic. Oh, it was created for the purpose of security. Well thatâs just fantastic. I should go warn the boys about it.
I quickly snapped a pic of the loose sheet, almost getting out from under the table.
âŠBut Iâm glad as hell I didnât.
I heard it. A soft, mechanical hum as something slithered off the ground. I grabbed my sickles from their belt, trying to minimize my shaking. It took a few blinks and tries but I managed to turn invisible, watching the machine move through the darkness. How was it suddenly on?
Its movements were smooth and natural. Too natural for something meant to be robotic. Itâs so eerily graceful, slithering through the air. The arm swiveled its claw around like an animal head checking its surroundings. It⊠Itâs looking where I am. Itâs looking at me. It shouldnât be able to see me, Iâm not supposed to be visible! But it wonât stop staring.
âFUCK!â I shrieked when it lunged at me, quickly slicing it before it could grab me. Thank god itâs just plastic⊠Why the fuck is it hollow?Â
That doesnât make any sense! Shouldnât there be wiring or something? Even if not to connect the AI, how the hell can it move like that without anything to mimic muscle!?Â
I gasped, turning my head to the side. I can hear something else. Itâs gooey and mushy andâŠÂ
Itâs looping around the room.
Itâs getting louder.
âW-what the hell?â
âŠI think I can see it now. Something solid but stretchy, resembling thick vines climbing up the plastic arm. I backed up, watching as it crawled over to the newly severed claw. It pulled the claw back to its other half and tightened around them. It glowed? A sickeningly blinding green color. Before I realized what was going on, the claw suddenly reattached as the vines slinked back into the darkness.Â
It saw me again and the chase resumed.Â
Itâs so damn fast, I can barely outrun it! Dodging is saving my ass but it keeps knocking over any furniture I used against it!Â
I jumped when I heard Donnie from the comms. Wait, he installed comms on my arm wraps?Â
âWhatâs making all that racket? Everything okay over there?â
âYou can hear that!?â
âYeah, Iâm literally right next door?â
âWellâSHIT!â Too fucking close, too fucking close! It almost fucking grabbed me! Fuck, my knees hurt from that! âSON OF AâDonât worry, I can handle it! Iâll explain soon!â
I tried getting off the floor as quickly as possible but the claw pulled me back down. The four sharp grippers opened up like a mouth and a fucking chainsaw came out. It went straight for my head, life flashing before my eyes as my sickles blocked it by pure reflex, holding it back. It wonât back off! I canât keep pushing forever! How the hell do I get out of this!?
âFIBONACCI!âÂ
A spinning titanium blur whacked the arm back, grabbing its attention to the maniacally smiling turtle now dashing through the room. His arm reached out, grabbing his staff from mid-air, and chopped off the robot arm with a giant drill. I curled in on myself right before a bright, violet shield spread over me and kept the armâs falling metal parts from landing on me.
âYou know, that did not seem like âhandling itâ.âÂ
My vision cleared to his hand offering to help me up. Iâm suddenly getting deja vu from the other countless times my helpless damsel-wannabe ass needed a rescue. Panicked and guilt-ridden, I waved it off and got up on my own.Â
âWe gotta get outta here right now!â
âWhat? Why? I alreadyââ
The vines returned and began repeating their process of fixing the arm. Though this time, it seems to be going faster.
âOh my banana pancakes! What is that!?â
âI donât know but thatâs why weâre leaving! Come on!â
I grabbed his hand and we ran out the room, running into the others in the main lobby.
âLeo! Thereâsââ
âCrazy killer robot arms, we know. Was just in the middle of talking about that, actually.â He gave a glance of disapproval to the pouting red giant next to Mikey. Who also looks hella annoyed. It would appear weâve walked in on a teensy squabble.Â
I heard Donnie sigh beside me âRaph, please tell me you didnât.â He left my clueless ass standing there to join in on their talk.
WaitâOh god, not again!
Turning around, I grabbed my sickles. I heard it again. Managed to dodge just in time for its jab to my right. It seems the guys are too busy to notice and I really donât wanna burden them again. Iâll solo this one!
âWhen I said we should go explore, I didnât mean go âround pushing things! Weâre in a government building, why would you touch anything!?â
I heard another hit coming and blocked it with the blade.Â
Yeah, I-I can totally take this! I should let them finish their conversationâHoly fuck, thereâs more than one, fucking end my suffering already.Â
âI didnât mean to! You guys know I got a weak spot, what was I supposed to do? If they didnât want Raph to push the big, red button, maybe they shouldnât make it big ân red!âÂ
âBuddy, thatâs not how that works and you know that.â
Thereâs three of them now and theyâre so unreasonably fast! Itâs so hard to keep up! Ugh, it almost feels like I am being punished after all.Â
My accidental yelp luckily got drowned by Mikeyâs groan. âMan, just let it go! We can smell your âI know I fucked up but donât wanna admit it âcause Iâm the big brotherâ stench!â
âTHATâS A DIFFERENT STENCH!â
âAHH!âÂ
I really didnât mean to blurt that out but the claw dug into my leg and yanked me off the ground! Guilt aside, itâs probably a good thing I caught their attention, especially since I dropped my sickles like a fucking moron!
âSALENA!â His sword slashed through the air but got promptly blocked and thrown back by another metal claw. A scary amount of them are showing up now! The guys are completely surrounded and Iâm stuck useless, dangling in the air!
One of the arms came closer and opened its grippers, a scanner popping out this time, its red beam blinding my eyes. My breathing grew shallow, the commotion from below fading away. Iâm getting lightheaded from being suspended upside down. I need to get out of this situation. But thereâs nothing I can do. Just squint past the light and anxiously wait for its next move.Â
My ears burned from the clawâs monstrous shriek. It sounds like a fucking animalistic version of nails on a chalkboard! Why did it react to me like this? Why me? Arenât we all intruders? Why is it just me!?
âYou deserve this.â
Was he right?
I didnât process getting swung in the air until I was let go with enough momentum to cause a crash through the decor. My arms shook as I tried lifting my body up. Everything hurts, everything fucking hurts! My ears, my arms, my legs! My head! I just wanted a little distraction tonight! Why is this happening?
Is this really my karma?
âŠWait a sec.
When I managed to lift my head, I came face to face with a crack in the wall where the robot arms were emerging from. The vines I saw earlier turned out to be permanently merged with the arms at the roots and lead to⊠something behind the wall. The crack was too small to properly make much out but it looked like it was breathing?
Whatever, I donât have time to be surprised. âGuys! The arms! Theyâre coming from over here!âÂ
The crackâs small but just big enough for something slim! Likeâ
The claw dug into my leg once again and began dragging me away. âLeo! Donnie! One of your weapons can fit through!âÂ
âGot it!â
âIâll cover!â
Flashes of blue scattered around the lobby. Each portal and throw of his sword brought Leo closer and closer to the wall. I couldnât watch for too long, though, as I found myself back in the air again. It froze my skin getting thrown across the room faster than before. This time, towards the glass windows.Â
Chains grabbed at my ankle and yanked me back to the ground away from my disastrous fate. I looked up to see the tangerine flashing a confident yet relieved smile at me. âHey!â
ââŠHey!âÂ
Mystic metal clinked as Mikey pulled back some of the robot arms chasing after Leo to buy him more time. Raph and Donnie quickly shifted gears and guarded me to make sure the plastic freaks couldnât grab me again. Mikey continued to aid Leo, bouncing all over the room, keeping the arms distracted with his flow and somehow, still bringing them back to where he originally stood: Away from Leo.Â
Finally, a sword was heard stabbing through the air and splashing through a soft, squishy substance. The arms dropped to the floor as the thing in the wall hissed in pain, slowly leading to the dreadfully awaited silence at last.
Mikey reached his hand out for me and pulled me up. âYou good?â
âNot dead, yeah.âÂ
âGuess thatâs a start.â
I glanced to the side at Donnie staring blankly at me, confused until he walked over and held one of my arms to examine my wrap.Â
âHmm, I wonder if thereâs some modification I can do to your gloves that prevents your sickles from getting so easily lost.â I guess thatâs why he was staring a minute ago.Â
âHonestly, thatâd be great. I keep losing them, soâŠâ
âYeah, I was thinkingââÂ
âNerd-talk later! Do a med scan!â Leo shoved him out the way and accidentally knocked Mikey back. Didnât seem like he noticed since he immediately started checking me for injuries. I donât even know when he got here?
Donnie sighed but went through with it anyway, tapping on his wrist as he checked my vitals. âNo broken bones, no internal bleeding, nothing too concerning to report thankfully. Salena, do you feel alright?âÂ
âMhm! Just some scratches here and there but Iâll live.âÂ
âJust some scratches, hm? You forgettinâ something?â Leo pointed down to my horrifically bruised and bloody leg. Whoops.
ââŠI-Iâll still live.â
While Leo took care of bandaging my leg, the rest of us spent the next few minutes catching our breaths. Mikey laid on the floor, limbs starfished out, while Donnie was texting April and catching her up to speed. I can only imagine how devastated sheâd be in the morning, finding out she missed all this action. Itâd have been nice having her here, honestly.Â
Raph wasnât near us, though. He stood by the wall where the once-breathing specimen was at. He kept peeking through the crack, rubbing his arm and looking hesitant about something.
âRaph?â My voice prompted the others to turn their attention to him.
ââŠNobody else wonderinâ what the hell this thing could be? I know weâre only here to stop the Purple Dinosââ
âThatâs Purple Dragons, Raphala.â
ââWhatever! But really, guys! After all that, we just gonna head home and forget about it?âÂ
Heâs not wrong.
Come to think of it, this place is government funded. There should be no reason why some foreign entity exists in a place like the TCRI. Theyâre supposed to do space research and nothing else. Thatâs what theyâre paid for.
âYou know what?â Donnie turned his phone off. âI could work on hacking through their system myself. I donât know if itâll prove successful, but I can try.â
I felt Mikeyâs head drop on my shoulder. He sure loves doing that. âWhat do we do about the vine thingies?âÂ
âWell, we canât justââ Leo paused, making eye contact with Raph. They shared a smirk and nodded.
âYou thinkinâ what thinkinâ big bro?â
He chuckled, punching his fists together. âYou bet!â
A bright red aura surrounded his figure as his arm reeled back and locked the sais in his hands.
âPOWER PUNCH JUTSU!!!â
My body staggered as the ground shook upon impact, the dust clearing to reveal the tiny gap in the wall is suddenly a giant ass hole now.
âMan, yâall really donât give a shit about government property, do ya?âÂ
âNope. But hey! It was def the right choice!â Raphâs snaggletooth gleamed through his mischievous smile.
The five of us stared through the hole, trying to comprehend the oversized specimen in front of us. It was a pulsing, yellow-green thing in the shape of a tall tube, wider on the top than the bottom. There were reddish lines on it zigzagging up and down almost like veins. It was punctured at its middle, caused by the blade of the katana that shot right through it a few moments ago.Â
âYa know, it kind of resembles a plant. Which would explain the mystery vines, actually.â
âWhat plant, then? Ainât no plant Raph knows of that throbs.â
He shook his head with a light shrug. âSadly, I am not sure. It looks a little like a pitcher plant but also not really? They shouldnât be luminescent or have vines emerging out like that. And also the throbbing, of course.âÂ
Pitcher plant, ay? Iâve heard of that. Theyâre my favorite out of all the carnivorous jungle plants Zane rambled about once. Plants were actually one of the first things we had a genuine bond over, even if Iâm pretty clueless about them. The way his eyes lit up when talking about them with so much love and adoration just melted me.
His eyesâŠ
His godforsaken eyesâŠ
âSalena?â
âHuh?â How long have I been spaced out?
âYou sure youâre good? You seemed kinda out of it just now.â I forgot how close Mikey was to me, I should be more careful.
âYeah, itâs nothing.â
âReally? âCause lowkey, youâve been off all night. I didnât wanna say anything butâŠâ
âOh, no, no, Iâmââ
âActually, you did mention something happened between you and your friend earlier, remember? Before you called me.â This violet ass motherfucker did not just erm actually me at the worst time ever.
âThat what this about, big man? Had another fight with your friend?â Why is everyone suddenly focused on me!?
âN-Not the same one! This is someone different, I promise! T-thatâs not to say I have a problem with everyone! I just⊠UmâŠâ Great going, Salena! Now theyâll think youâre just insufferable and incapable of friendship! âI-I donât think we should beâWell, we kinda have worse issues to worry about, donât we?â
âKendra and her yes-men ainât here yet. What I wanna know is why youâre so spacey tonight! Dr. Feelings canât help if he canât know!â
âItâs nothing! N-nothing too bad, at least. He justâA-actually, it was really mostly me so um⊠Itâs hard to explain exactlyâŠâ
Geez, my palms are annoyingly sweaty. I really donât wanna give them the wrong idea, it was just one fight! Itâs not a representation of our entire relationship! But I know from experience any time I try talking about Zane to someone, they end up hating him and I donât want that! Fuck, I shouldâve been more careful. My stupid tongue-tied gibberish ainât helping the situation, either!
My shoulders flinched when I saw Leo stand in front of me, hand on his hip as he faced towards his brothers. âOkay, hermanos, give her some space! Stop smothering! I know weâre all worried, Iâm worried too, but if Salena doesnât wanna talk, they shouldnât be forced to.â
The others finally piped down. None of them looked happy about itâunderstandably soâbut it seemed Leo was able to convince them to drop it, anyway. I really owe him one.Â
He peeked over his shoulder to glance back at me. âIf you do wanna talk about something, though, weâre here for you.âÂ
âŠItâs not that I donât want to. I just donât see how itâd help anythingâÂ
CRASH!!!
HOLY FUCKING SHIT, HAVE WE NOT HAD ENOUGH SURPRISES FOR ONE NIGHT!?
âGood going, Jase. Real quiet of you.â
All of us, equally tense and gripping our weapons to stand guard, took a solid minute to process that the loud crash wasnât another dumbass robot-plant-arm thing, but instead was Kendra and the other two stumbling through the main door they hacked open. Speak of the dragons and they arrive, I suppose.
She looked over at us and her sharp eyes drooped lower. âOf course.âÂ
I only ever knew Kendra before tonight, none of the other members. Hate her guts since sheâs forever engraved as Aprilâs bully in my mind and doesnât seem to have changed. Her movements and mannerisms still match the coy, conniving person I remember her to be, walking over in such a smug, superior way that screams âgreater than thouâ. Once, back when they were still in high school, April had a mini breakdown due to college applications kicking her ass. She was struggling and stressing over not getting accepted into a good amount of her options and believed sheâd have to rely solely on her safeties at that point. Kendra really rubbed it in. Wouldnât shut up about it, demeaning her for being a failure.Â
April knows damn well to never take Kendra seriously. However, itâs not a surprise those words still stung considering how stupidly frightening the whole college process is. Jokeâs on Kendra, though. One of Aprilâs main choices that had her wait-listed ended up accepting her in! As for Kendra? All hypocritical bark, no bite it seems.Â
âHello, Von Ryan. Howâs life?â
âGood, good. How about you, enjoying yourâwhatâd you call it? âIntellectual freedomâ?âÂ
âLow blow even for you. You guys couldnât fuck around here with your little toys another night?â She scoffed and rolled her eyes, her arms crossed over her chest. Her gaze drifted towards me as her brows furrowed more.Â
âWhoâs thatâHold up. You⊠Yeah, I remember you!â Sheâs doing that annoying fake-nice tone she uses sometimes, the one that makes me wanna punch her in the face. âYouâre that idiot kid April wouldnât shut up about tutoring last year! Whatâs a teacherâs pet like you doing here?â
Mikey gasped and covered my ears like a parent to a toddler witnessing sailor-speak. âHey! Donât you dare talk about our friend like that!âÂ
I honestly couldnât care less what Kendra says about me. Personally, Iâm more focused on the other two, right now. Itâs my first time ever seeing them, I think Donnie said their names were Jason and Jeremy? Theyâve been pretty quiet so far, standing at her side and smirking like Saturday-morning cartoon lackeys. One of them had a large, blocky figure, dark skin, and dyed green hair. His gold visor looked pretty cool, Iâll admit. The otherâI could guess from his hunched demeanor aloneâwas definitely their token punching bag. Heâs got these awkward gloves that are way too big for his hands. Dark eyes, short, black hair, and round⊠glassesâŠ
NO FUCKING WAY!
âYOUâHIM! OH MY GOD! NOOOO, NO-NO-NO-NO! NO! NO!â Ainât no motherfucking way this bitch is who I think he is, this has to be a prank! It has to! For the sake of my sanity! Oh, but it isn't! Itâs fucking real!
â...Salena? You doinâ okay?â The others looked concerned at my sudden and dramatic outlash. Fucking of course, Donnie and Mikey wouldnât know! Jason still had the bag over his head when he was around them! Fuck, why didnât I just take it off right there!?
âJason! That asshole was who we saved from Meatsweats a few months ago!â
Raph and Leo looked just as lost as before. Mikey and Donnie, on the other hand, went pale with shock.
âThat was you!?â Donnieâs staff pointed directly at the fucker. âWhy didnât you say anything!? I know you recognized my voice!âÂ
âI canât believe Salena and I interrupted a perfectly nice day to save you of all folks! You ruined our lovely little ice cream date, dawg!â
âI was being kidnapped by a pig monster? Why would I reveal Iâm a rival when you were the only help I had?â
âAnd yet, here you are, the very reason weâre stuck in this creepy facility, preventing you three from illegally accessing information and doing who knows what with it even though you now owe us one, YOU UNGRATEFUL MENACE!â
Before I could fix my brain enough to join in on justifiably shaming the idiot, I noticed Leo and Raph exchanging confused glances at each other.
â...What the hell is going on?â
âRaph donât know.â They both looked at me for answers because the universe hates me.
I tearfully and shamefully explained the bullshit scenario we are now stuck in due to my impulsivity. âDonnie, Mikey, and I saved a guy from Meatsweats I think back in April? H-he had a bag over his head so they didnât know what he looked like and I-I was the only one who saw him without it b-but I didnât know he was part of the fucking Purple Dragons andâFuck my life! My first ever save and it was a villain!?â The one time I actually did something usefulâŠ
God, thereâs so much noise everywhere! Everyoneâs arguing with each other or trying to get it to stop or whatever else is going on! My head hurts. Why did I even come here? I shouldâve just went home. I shouldâve stayed with Zane. I keep getting in the way, I keep making mistakes, I keep ruining things!
I have to keep my composure, though. I donât wanna cry in a situation like this, not when Iâve already done enough harm.
âWait a sec, whereâs Jeremy?âÂ
We all paused, the realization clearing up as we heard a cheer from another room. âYes! I got in! I got past the system!â
âHoly shit, heâs in the computer lab! Quick, weââÂ
A bat hit Donnie straight on his stomach and knocked him back, Raph catching him so he wouldnât fall to the floor.Â
Kendra clicked her tongue as she laughed. âI gotta hand it to ya, you morons somehow turned off these stupid security systems. Definitely the most annoying part Iâd have had to figure out; I guess thatâs why I wanted âem, anyway. I donât know how you did it but congrats! Youâre not completely useless.â It looked more like she was addressing Donnie over any of us.
âBut now?â She and Jason blocked the door. Her bat stood by her side. âStay out of my fucking way.â
Obviously, thatâs not happening, so chaos erupted instead. One would think a Two VS. Five would be pretty easy to handle⊠until they saw how well Kendra used her bat, that is. Sheâs faster than I expected, able to zip around before anyone could properly react. Definitely has a strong arm, too. Then, of course, thereâs the traitor. Jason pushed his glasses up his nose bridge and took out his own set of weapons. Or should I say, whipped them out. âCause theyâre actually fucking whips.Â
They were almost impossible to get by. Glowing in the dark room, buzzing from the static friction they made against each other.Â
He targeted them towards Leo who barely managed to dodge just in time. Mikey, not being as lucky, got smacked right in the face.
âOW! Hey! Since when did he even have those!?âÂ
âOh! Since last week, actually. I made them usingââ
Either the bitch has good hearing or I was too loud when my sickle swung at his head. âAre ya dense!? How are you still tryna maintain small-talk after literally betraying us!? You know what I looked like, you wouldnât have even said anything if I didnât call you out! You lied to me! I saved you and you lied!â
âAH! The hell, man!? Youâre gonna kill me for that!?â
âNo!â The sickles werenât sharp, only a little solid. I know I gotta resist. Unfortunately. âJust knock you out for a bit, you scheming piece of shit!âÂ
I wish I could say I was making up for my several blunders tonight by at least being able to handle the living embodiment of a toothpick. My legâs not super mangled up but, surprise-surprise, itâs hard to move at my fastest and dodge with it still being injured. Heâs a little impressively good with those whips, too. Itâs hard keeping track of where they both are at all times, the difficulty only increased by how quick heâs able to use them considering heâs only trained for a week. Iâm trying my damn best with what I can.
âOh my god, give it up with the guilt-tripping! Iâm not gonna turn on my sister just âcause you saved me once!â
âHell no! I risked turning into mutant-munchies for youâHolâ up a sec.â The pure blasphemy that came out of his mouth shocked me so bad, I actually had to pause. âKendraâs your sister? Ew, whatâs that like?â
Yet another mistake on my part. One of the whips wrapped around my sickle to fling it and Iâdetermined to not lose them againâgot shot through the air along with it.Â
At this rate, Iâll be free-bird flying and crashing to the floor every five minutes. I donât even feel like getting up anymore. Fuck, I donât usually feel pain so easily.
Hm?
The battle groundâs a little chaotic so itâs hard to follow when in the middle of it. But, now that Iâm seeing it from a distance, everyoneâs intentions are suddenly ten times clearer. Kendraâs hovering towards a specific direction, dancing around the door to where Jeremy is. Jasonâs distracting everyone and keeping them from paying attention to her. I have a feeling thatâs very much so on purpose.
Sheâs starting to go in. I guess it doesnât matter whether or not I want to, I gotta get up now. I closed my eyes and with whatever strength I had, used my sickles to turn invisible and go after her.Â
I snuck by Kendra and entered the lab. Jeremy was glued to the computer, staring at a loading screen. On the side of the PC was a USB stuck to the port. Of course, accidentally saving the villain wasnât enough! They had to use the same shitty USB we went back for, too.
âJeremy, status report!â
âItâs almost done downloading the files! Just a few more seconds and⊠We got it!â
âNice work! Quick! Toss âem over!â
Oh boy, if Kendraâs able to gain the instructions for those freaky arms, who knows what sheâll make with it! I canât let them get access to anything here!
 Thus, following my usual rule of acting-without-thinking, I threw a sickle at the USB. I donât know if it was my panic or my rage that caused it to be so sharp but it cut the USB in half mid-air and smashed straight into one of the PCs. My punishment for resorting to such destructively impulsive solutions was being greeted by the lovely melody of security sirens going off for breaking their important tech.
âNo! My USB! There was so much stuff in that! Fuck!â She is so seriously distraught over the wrong thing.Â
Upon retrieving my sickle, I hadnât realized I was flickering in and out of visibility till Kendraâs bat nearly made contact with my head. âYou little skeeze! Do you have any idea how much of my progress you destroyed!âÂ
âBut thatâs mine and Jasonâs progressââ
âSHUT UP!â She snapped her head back to bark at him and I took my moment of escape, knocking her down out of my way. Still, she kept up by yanking at my leg and pulling me down with her, severely getting on my nerves by now.
So, I kicked her in the face.
She stayed there, groaning in pain, while her sidekick buddy checked on her. Sure, I couldâve kicked a little softer but I think a bloody nose is merciful enough for her.Â
I returned to the lobby, greeted by chaos more hectic than before. The alarms and sirens were still blaring, red lights flashing on and off the entire facility. Our oh so beloved security arm friends returned in even greater numbers now! If I believed in superstition, Iâd believe this night was cursed.
Jasonâs looking a little overwhelmed now having to solo both the Teenage Mutant Mad Dogz and the newly emerged robot claws, yet heâs still not giving in and letting the guys go in peace. Speaking of them, theyâre scattered all over the place, trying to keep themselves and each other from getting yoinked and flung like I was earlier.Â
Donnie was the only one who managed to maneuver over to me.
âSalena!?âÂ
âDonnie! Whatâs going on!? Whereâd the stupid arms come from!?â
âWell, I suppose itâd be impractical if they only had one source of their weird mystic high-tech robots, so thereâs that.â He spun his tech-bĆ and whacked away the claw that was following him. âWhat happened in there? You disappeared and then we heard a loud crash from that room and suddenly everything got dialed up to eleven!â
âUh, yeah, my fault, I uhâEek!â Thank god for reflexes, the only thing that let me slice at a robot arm before it sliced me. âGood news is, I destroyed the USB they were using so Kendra canât access the governmentâs whatever-the-fuck anymore! Bad news, I also accidentally destroyed one of their computers in the process, set off the security alarms, and now weâre here. Sorry, hahaâŠâÂ
âYou what!?â
âIt was an accident, I swear! I really didnât meanââ
âYou annoying little twinkle-toes!â Kendra charged at us from behind and her bat swung directly at me. Thankfully, Donnie blocked it from knocking me dead and sent Kendra back a few steps.Â
âYou know what? If you got Kendra this mad, then youâre forgiven for everything on my terms! Letâs go!â He grabbed my wrist and dragged us away from the bat-wielding maniac.
Though, Iâm not sure whether a metal bat or metal claws are worse. A bunch of them charged towards me now that I got back within their sight.Â
âMove!â He shoved me out of the way of the monster claws.
I slid on the ground, actually keeping my balance this time, and swung at another claw coming from my right. Without having a moment to breathe, I ducked and slashed at one right above me. I wouldâve missed the one coming from behind me, had Raph not been there and created a mystic shield. Thereâs so many all around the flat and it seems Iâm still their favorite toy.Â
âSalena, try hidinâ somewhere!â He punched one of the claws straight on, the impact causing a loud clunk. âThey keep coming after you!âÂ
âI canât! They saw me even when I turned invisible, they probably have a different type of vision or something!âÂ
âInfrared vision, genius!â Kendraâs bat got caught by my sickle. She aimed for my torso this time, Iâm surprised it wasnât back at my head. âThey were built with thermal sensors! Which I wouldâve been able to shut off if somebody didnât break the computers!â
âGod, were you built to get on peopleâs nerves!?âÂ
Iâve just about had it with her bullshit, reflected in my blades turning sharp enough to slice her bat in half. I elbowed her in the stomach and took the chance to roll over to a new spot. The closest I can get to hiding is continuously moving, staying in one place meant getting hoarded.
Mikey grumbled nearby, his nunchucks spinning in his hands. âMan, theyâre too much! We gotta go! Leo?â
âA bit busy!â Busy was right, heâs cutting down a good number of the plastic pains with his katanas. Thereâs no good opportunity to use them as an escape portal, let alone any safe ones.
Beep! Beep!
Donnie raised his gauntlet up and flashed what I assume to be the buildingâs security cameras he hacked into. âOh, no, no, no, guys! Theyâre sending actual human officers up now! What do we do!?â
Everyoneâs panicked, shitâs fucked to the brim, and the constant beeps and shrieks are only making it harder to think! Kendraâs yelling about her bat, Mikeyâs chosen to deal with the Purple Disasters while theyâre bickering away, Raphâs boxing the claws and shielding Donnie, whoâs frantically typing at his wristwatch to hack the security, and Leoâs⊠Screaming and getting flung. Sweet, weâve matched now.
I ran over to Leo, guarding him from the arms trying to take advantage of the situation. âSo, howâd you like your first flight?â
âIâd prefer it more if I was actually expecting it.â He got up almost as fast as he crashed down, not wasting a single second to getting back in the fight. âUgh, I gotta get us out of here, but I need an opening!â
âWant me to try clearing something out?â
âYou got any plans on howâShit, get back!â His arm pushed me back behind him to avoid getting hit.Â
The white tails of my ribbon flew forward, slightly blocking my vision. I looked straight ahead, past the death machines and battle-ground chaos, and saw the glass windows showcasing the brightly-lit city night.
The ribbonâŠ
âŠBingo.
âI actually might.â I tugged at the silk tails and felt my hair flow down as it got undone. âJust trust me and get everyone out at the first opportunity you get!â
âWait, what are youââ
I dashed past him before he could ask any questions, no real time for them now. My multitasking skills were given the ultimate test as I focused on darting across the room, intentionally getting the arms to gather and chase after me, while tying the ribbon to the handles of my sickles and connecting them together.Â
In the corner of my eye, I saw Mikey had managed to take out Kendra and her sidekicks. Donât even gotta worry about them now, itâs going better than I thought! There was pounding at the door. Seems Donnie locked the officers out for now, but I doubt itâll be long till they find a way to break in by force. Gotta move fast. This plan could fail horrifically, but itâs the best shot weâve got!
With all the security arms focused on me now, the boys had a clear opening to leave. I sprinted to the windows, wound back my sickles, and broke the glass with a single throw.Â
Now or never!
âHOT SOUP!!!âÂ
And out the window I went.
The air felt amazing, rushing by my skin as I let gravity take over the fall. I turned myself over, now looking up at the sky. The arms were shooting out the windows, unable to reach down any further to get me. A flash of blue from the inside indicated everyone was out safely. Thatâs my cue to prevent myself from dying now!
I held onto one of my sickles and swung the other one up. My spine tingled as a pink aura washed over my hand and over the sickle that I grabbed, trailing its way up the white silk ribbonâŠ
Transforming it to chains!?
The pure white mystic chain clanked as it stretched out. The sickle I threw up now broke through the glass side of the building and continued shattering through it straight down. A few broken shards chipped at me as I snapped back to reality and remembered the original plan. I closed my eyes and refocused on the sickles. No thoughts, no distractions, no room for any of them. I have to breathe. I have to focus.Â
The blades morphed them into a stiff rubber. Too soft to break the glass, too strong to break itself in half, effectively yanking me to a stop.Â
I did it.
I actually fucking did it!
âHoly truffle mac and cheese, that was awesome!â
âI know!â I excitedly greeted Donnie who had flown over using his jet pack. âI canât believe it went so well! You saw it all?â
âAnd recorded!â He turned his back towards me and pointed at his shell. âNeed a ride?âÂ
âDefinitely.âÂ
We cruised across the sky onto the roof of a nearby building where the rest of the guys were. The instant I hopped off Donnieâs shell, Leo jumped me with a hug, followed by several frantic checks to make sure all limbs were intact.
âAre you okay? Are you hurt? Are you dizzy? Whatâs wrong with you? Youâre crazy! Youâre crazy, you know that!?â
âNow whoâs smothering them?â Mikey snickered at Leo, who looked relieved and on the verge of tears at the same time.Â
âEveryone shut up and look at this video first! Youâll probably forget whatever meaningless chitchat you were having, anyway!â Donnie hissed from glee, using his extra mechanical limbs to huddle us all around his phone that was playing the video of me from a few moments ago.Â
Looking at the footage now, it seemed the pink aura actually came from my whole body. It spread throughout my arms and circled past my hands, flowing to the white ribbon and replacing them with shimmering, white chains.Â
Mikey screamed from excitement, holding onto my hands. âMYSTIC CHAINS! Omigosh, we match now! Weâre like twins!âÂ
âI know! Isnât it great!? We can be chain buddiesâEh, nevermind, that doesnât sound right.âÂ
We sat around for a while so Leo could help with all the cuts and microscopic bits of glass stuck to me. In the meantime, they were all curious how the chains even came to be, which I sadly didnât have a clear answer for. I went ahead and reassured them my plan wouldâve still worked with the ribbon itself, though. Speaking of, I canât really get my ribbon back now. Sorry, Mi. However, I did figure out how to make the chains vanish and re-materialize, so at least I donât have to learn a different fighting style!Â
Donnie was paying attention, I think. Just multitasking with a few holographic monitors up. He sighed and put âem away after a while.
âYeah, no, sorry guys. Maybe my brainâs too fuzzy but I canât hack into the actual database tonight.â
âNo big deal, Don. Ya done enough.â Raph gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder. âHey, you guys wanna go grab some pizza? Raph could use a break.â
âYeah, I think we all could.â Hopeful, green eyes faced towards me. âSalena? Itâs late but⊠You wanna join us for a bit?â
Itâs around 3am now. If I went home now, Iâd only get three hours of sleep and thatâs assuming Iâll conk out immediately. Itâs not impossible, though, I can feel the energy crash creeping up from all the adrenaline. But, I donât know. I donât wanna go yet.Â
âIâm already out, arenât I? Might as well!âÂ
Turns out, for once tonight, I made the right choice. It was fun getting to be with them in a more casual manner. Just chilling at a park, enjoying some pizza, and re-energizing myself as I watched them goof around. I checked through my phone while I enjoyed the delicious cheesy glory.
Everything seemed normal.
Except for one tiny issue.
I was putting it off but Zane sent a voice note to me a few hours ago. I donât have earbuds but everyoneâs pretty distracted right now, anyway. I could listen to it. Maybe itâs⊠Maybe itâs better than I think it is.Â
I lowered the volume just to have it barely audible and clicked play.
âHey. Um⊠I hope youâre home and safe now. IâŠâ He sighed and went silent for a while.Â
âThis wasnât how I intended tonight to be. It was such a gorgeous night. The weather was perfect. Everything was perfect. It was all going so well. What happened? Why do we always end up like this?â
I wish I knew. Or that he knew. Maybe we couldâve helped each other if just one of us knew what was the problem.
âEverything in my life always goes so wrong. Iâm so tired of it, Salena. Youâre the only thing I havenât messed up. I donât want to mess this up. I justââ I could hear a creek from the door opening as someone came in the room. âYeah, itâs on the floor, clean it up. I donât know how, just go clean it!â
Sounds of glass being swept up filled the background atmosphere. Zane sighed again. âSorry. One of my vases broke tonight. The cherry on top, right? Anyway, uh⊠Iâll just end it here. I hope youâre okay. I hope youâre dreaming of something nice. And Iâm⊠Iâm sorry.â
The voice note ended. It wasnât that bad, I guess. I feel a little bad about earlier but Iâm glad he apologized. I guess things are fine now. I should probably leave a text, itâd be wrong to hold a grudge if the situationâs already resolved.Â
You: hey iâm safe yea. I just wanna say iâm sorry too for lashing out like that earlier. I hope youâre sleeping well, sweet dreams and see ya tomorrow <3
There we go. Nothing to worry about now. Nothing to stress over.
A hand tapped at my shoulder. I raised my head to meet Mikey smiling down at me. âMind if I sit? Theyâre beinâ a little loco even for my taste right now.â
I looked straight and saw Leo and Donnie arguing over whether pineapple belongs on pizza and Raph taking the opportunity to sneakily eat their slices. Pretty tame behavior from them, but Mikeyâs tone was too lighthearted to be serious, anyway.Â
I shifted over on the bench and patted the empty space next to me. He sat down and brought his knees to his chest, his back leaning against my side. He shuffled with his phone for a bit before offering me one of his earbuds. âWanna listen to Fall Out Boy with me?â
âSure!âÂ
I could use some music after tonight.
â
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