April O'Neil Salamander, Mona Lisa Human Being,

A tale of two unique girls and how they came to be.

Mona Lisa, a statuesque, brown eyed, sixteen-year-old Salamander, was at the Smithsonian with her best friend, April O' Neil, a stunning seventeen –year-old redhead with piercing blue eyes. Although they were radically different, the two had become firm friends, having bonded when April had been mugged a few months before and Mona Lisa, who was trained in Ninjitsu, had happened to be walking past, stepped in and rescued her, as well as beating up the three thugs. It was almost midnight, but ever since they'd learned that a mysterious space crystal would be on exhibit, they'd been dying to see it. And given Mona Lisa's appearance, there would be no way she could come and view it during the day. "What do you think this thing does, Mona?" April asked, staring at the crystal."

"I don't know, but it would make an awesome engagement ring. It's so beautiful." Mona Lisa sighed wistfully.

"You should ask Raphael out. It's obvious you two like one another."

Mona Lisa laughed scornfully. "Raphael's not my type. He's sarcastic, rude, fiery, antagonistic. Did I mention rude? No way. I'm not dating that brute. No, my heart's kind of set on Don. Now there's a charmer. Only thing is he has eyes for you."

April smiled sadly. "I know and I like Casey, but he's about as interested in me as I am about football. Like not at all."

"What about Leo?"

"He's great, but I love him like a brother, Mona. Same with Don."

"What about Mikey?"

"He's sweet, but just not my type."

"And Raphael?"

"He's not sweet and he just isn't my type. I want a human boy, Mona."

"Sounds like we're doomed to be alone."

April nodded. "I guess so. Hey, let's touch that crystal."

"We really shouldn't."

"Why not? No one will come, because you dismantled the alarms. Or are you chicken?"

"No, I'm not. You first."

April took out a hairpin from her bag and unpicked the display cabinet's lock. Then she took out the crystal, eyes wide, as she studied the object. "It's gorgeous. Feel it, Mona."

Mona Lisa did as told and the girls oohed and ahhed about it. Then suddenly the crystal started giving off a kind of weird ray. "What is that?" Mona Lisa asked fearfully.

"I don't know, but I'm starting to feel kind of strange."

"Me, too, and so, so tired. I got to lie down."

"So do I."

Drained of their energy, the girls collapsed on the ground in a heap.

Mona Lisa was the first to wake up a couple of hours later. Raising a hand to her face, she shrieked, as she saw her now human hand. "Oh, no! Look at me!" Gazing down she saw that the rest of her was also very human. She reached up and patted her head only to find something soft. "I have hair. It's true. I'm a human. That's what this space crystal does. It changes people into different forms. I was last with a human, so I've become one. Which means…."

Before Mona Lisa could finish her sentence, April stood up, letting out a large groan. "What happened, Mona?" she asked. April ran her hands over her face, and then seeing a now green hand, she freaked out. "What the heck? I have green hands. How?" She looked over at Mona Lisa and said in amazement, "And you're human."

"Uh huh. I was last with you so I have become a human and you were last with me, so you have become what I used to be."

"I'm so ugly!" April said, starting to cry. "Is there a cure?"

"We'll have to ask Don to help us. Am I ugly?"

"No, you're a gorgeous brunette, about 5'10, with piercing blue eyes. It's me that's the hideous ones."

"So you're saying I was ugly?"

"No, no. I'm not saying that. It's just...Never mind. We better go see Don now and see if he can help. I can't stay this way forever. I mean what about school? How will Casey like me now?"

The two girls hastily left the museum and headed down into the sewers, determined to find a cure, because neither wanted to remain that way forever.