True Love

The Rat King

The Rat King

~Chapter 15~

The Rat King

"Ann!" Aunt Susan yells from downstairs. "Get up! I need you to do something for me!"

Groaning, I pull up the covers to my nose, breathing in the warm fabric. Why oh why does Susan hate me like this?! It's Saturday! And I have to get up at 6:47. A.M!!!!

I sit up and yawn crazily. I wonder if Donnie has to get up this early. At least he doesn't have a self-centered aunt who tortures her fifteen-year-old niece. But he does have three brothers and an awesome sensei and father.

I feel tears come into my eyes. I wonder how my dad is, in Kraang clutches. Does he miss me and April? Is he trying to make sense of how his younger daughter came back after eleven years?

"Ann!" Susan calls again. "Get down here!" I roll my eyes and climb out of my bed. I look at myself in the mirror. Yellow sleeping shirt and flowered pants. It's a good fit for me, but I feel uncomfortable in it in front of people.

I race down the stairs, being met with Susan's piercing green eyes. "Yes?" I ask innocently.

"I need you to go shopping for me," she says, handing me a list. "Since I'm going to my office meeting at TCRI, and April's out with her friends, you deal with the shopping." She walks over to get her purse. "Wow. It's amazing to walk anywhere without picking up clumps of dog hair."

I look up, glaring. "Hachiko will be back. I know he will!" But she doesn't answer. She just grabs her purse and walks out, leaving me in the empty apartment.

Dressed in my usual green shirt, shorts and boots, I walk out of the apartment, I head to the store and start shopping.

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After a while, I come out of the store, two large grocery bags in my arms. I start to walk back to my apartment, but a squeaking noise stops me. I look down to see a tiny black rat, munching on a pretzel.

"Aww," I coo. "Hey, little fella. Where's your mama?" Suddenly, I hear squealing and turn. Thousands of rats come at me, the swarm growing bigger by the minute. "Sorry I asked!" I drop the bags and run away from the rats.

I smile as I see a telephone pole and remember the night I first saw the turtles. I'm a master at climing telephone poles. I climb up it and stay on the top of it, surrounded by the rats.

Shivering, I take out my T-Phone and press Donnie's name. I press it to my ear, waiting. "C'mon, Donnie Boy," I mutter.

He finally picks up. "Hey, Annie! I mean...hey, Annie." He tries it again in a smoother tone. "I mean-"

"Donnie! Stop talking!" I interrupt. "I need some help. I'm having a little bit of a...pest problem!"

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Soon enough, the turtles come into sight. I look down. Rats-millions of them-surround the pole I'm on. I swallow as they start chewing.

"We're coming, Annie!" Donnie shouts. "Don't go anywhere!"

I give him a 'really?!' face. "Where could I possibly go?!" I yell back.

The turtles each throw a rope with a hook on it and swing over to the telephone pole. They start to climb up, rats all over.

I see Raph starting to get ticked off. "These stupid rats are starting to get on my nerves!" he growls, smacking one away.

"Rats aren't stupid," Donnie says in the vermins' defense. "Despite their small brain size, they're remarkably-ow!" A rat suddenly falls on his head. I turn to see Raph, glaring. A rat squeals in his hand.