With the coming of a new place to live, the time for chores has arrived and that leaves everyone hard at work. Splinter—redressed in his usual kimono—sweeps the checkered floor of the pizzeria. April rolls up a sleeping bag, placing it back on the couch and patting it down before surveying their work.
"Looking good, guys," she says. "Pretty soon this place will feel like a real temporary home!"
"We just need a few more decorations," Michelangelo calls. April glances over at the sub-par drawings he's put up. "What do you think?"
"Yeah..." she says, dragging the word out as she folds her arms behind her back. She smiles a little as he keeps awaiting her judgement. "I think it looks great."
Splinter moves by, sighing heavily as he stops sweeping. April and Michelangelo frown and scoot a little closer to him, concern making their foreheads wrinkle.
"You okay, Sensei?" Michelangelo asks.
"Hm?" He perks up, but his face falls again after a moment. "Forgive me. My thoughts are...elsewhere, Michelangelo." He moves to the boarded windows and looks outside as Kraang droids march past. "It is very dangerous out there. Casey and your brothers have been gone for a long time." He pauses. "Destiny did not return home yesterday. I do not like this feud she has going with Leonardo."
"They'll bounce back, Sensei," Michelangelo promises, although he hates the absence of the wolf girl just as much as his father. "It's not like they can stay mad at each other for long."
April rocks back on her heels. "I just hope that she hasn't thought of going after Diaval by herself." Her pupils swivel upwards as she rethinks over what she said. "Never mind, of course she's thought of it. I hope she hasn't actually done anything."
Splinter's ears pull back against his head and he adjusts his grip on the broom. "I feel the same way, April."
----------
"How's the new lab set-up?" April asks as she wanders into the back room.
"Ehh, kinda makeshift," Donatello answers, looking around his space in the pizzeria. He's already spread his few scientific belongings on a table and he holds a vial of orange liquid in his hand. "I'm brewing a batch of retro-mutagen that I started back at the farmhouse. It takes forever," he sighs, slumping back in his office chair.
"And then we can mutate my dad back?" she asks, almost desperate. "Um, hopefully for good this time?"
"Well, that's the plan," he answers, swivelling to face her with a gentle smile. "And we'll fix everyone else who got mutated, including Karai."
Standing side by side at the doorway is Master Splinter and Michelangelo. Splinter's gaze falls and he glances towards the outside world.
"Karai..." he repeats.
"Aw yeah!" a voice from the underground exit calls.
Raphael, Leonardo, and Casey climb out of the hole that they created as an exit. Each boy holds boxes crammed with belongings.
"I got one word for you," Raphael starts. The trio poses heroically as the turtle crows out, "SCORE!"
"You did it? You managed to sneak back into the lair?" April gasps, her smile getting brighter by the second.
YOU ARE READING
Forest Mutation (Book Two)
Fanfiction"In Saskatchewan, when I couldn't fall asleep, I'd watch the moon and think about how across the country and over the border, you were probably out on a rooftop beneath the same moon. You were the first person I enjoyed the moon with. Every other ti...
