Digital Mutation (Book Five)

Chapter 10: Finally Meeting

Annalise isn't going to lie to herself; she's completely freaked out. It's not every day you find out that there are mutants living beneath your city, much less that one of them is one of your biggest fans. It makes her even more flustered when she remembers that she dedicated many daydreams to said fan.

Despite that, she feels glad to have met them, and especially to have met Michelangelo. He's just as sweet in person as he is in the comment section, and if she's being honest, that makes it easier for her to get used to this whole scenario.

Her mom crosses her mind and her stomach twists with nerves. Annalise told her that she was going for a sleepover at a friend's house, an excuse that her mother was surprisingly susceptible to. She gets incredibly excited whenever Annalise mentions spending time with friends, as she hates the amount of time Annalise spends in front of a screen, and hates even more her lack of a social life outside the Internet. Annalise figured that, if things went badly, she could call her mom and say that she wasn't feeling well and had left early.

What would her mother think of her now, clinging to the neck of a mutant turtle while he parkours across the Manhattan rooftops, carrying her in an effortless piggyback? Does he feel her weight at all, or is he way stronger than he looks?

He leaps across a gap between the roofs and Annalise feels herself go weightless, body tensing until they've landed again. She exhales out of her mouth and tries to focus on anything other than the idea of falling, her attention falling on the other mutants.

Michelangelo's brothers run with their heads down and their arms held out behind them, streamlined and incredibly swift for a bunch of turtles, while Destiny soars above them, the shadow of her giant wings occasionally blocking out the moon. Sarina acts as the perfect intermediate, using her rocket boots to propel herself over wide gaps while running at a steady sprint in between.

It looks fun when they do it, and yet Annalise knows that she'd probably die if she tried. After all, she couldn't even manage the half-pipe today, although Michelangelo saved her from breaking her wrist...again. There's a reason her mother bought her wrist guards after that specific incident.

Michelangelo crosses another especially large gap, and Annalise squeaks as she tightens her grip on him, squeezing with her knees. She hears him let out a tiny, nervous giggle and feels the way his throat bobs against her forearms. She wants to ease up, but the idea of loosening any part of her grip scares the bejeezus out of her.

Another jump. Her stomach flips, and her throat tenses up, a sudden head rush making her squeeze her eyes shut.

"Mikey?" she calls.

"Yeah?"

"Can you stop? I'm feeling lightheaded and...uh, my arms kinda ache..."

He slows to a stop, calling after his family that he's going to meet them back at home. In return, he gets a few calls urging him not to stay out too long and to stay safe. He sets Annalise down, steadying her when she wobbles, and she holds onto his arms, blinking a few times. His arms are...very muscular, and she feels her face heat even as she squeezes his biceps just a bit more.

"You okay?" he asks.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just don't piggyback on turtles very often," she says with a weak laugh. She looks up at him, eyes glistening with curiosity. "Hey, uh...could I ask you something?"

"Anything," he says immediately. His expression is intensely genuine, baby blue eyes wide and eager, like he'd hand over his soul if she demanded it.

"Did you guys get mutated after that alien invasion, like, two years ago?" she asks, fidgeting in place as she smooths down her windblown hair.