The Glasses of Life
Chapter 2 Book 2
Melancoly Hills sipped her tea and tried to shake off the shivers her dream had left behind. She really was working too hard on her story. Leonardo had looked so scared, so stuck, so scarred. Asyndetic alliteration. Mel sighed and gulped the last of her tea. Damn it, Mr. J.
Mel's Writer's Craft teacher had hammered rhetorical devices into her brain every class, now she could recite them all by heart, and often found herself pointing it out when she or others spoke. She'd met Mr. J in grade nine, when she'd brought a story in and asked her regular English teacher to read it. Her teacher had recommended it to the head of the English department. Soon enough she was in Guidance, and Mr. J had greeted her with her opening line. They'd talked all lunch. He'd recommended Writer's Craft to her as soon as possible. In grade 11, Mel had the class first period, so, she'd gone in with a grade ten education to a grade 12 class, hence why she hadn't known half of the rhetorical devices listed for the test. She still had her first story hidden away with other important things.
I wanna fuck the world,
I'm gonna make it hurt,
I stand here all alone,
I'm gonna watch it burn…
Mel took out one ear bud, stood, and headed outside with the nagging feeling to act on something persistent in her mind. She'd spent the night at her Sensei's house again and he waited on his porch as the sun crept into sight.
"Morning, Melancoly."
"Ohayō, Sensei." Wayne laughed.
"And you said you couldn't speak Japanese."
"Somewhere in Japan; an elder just cringed." Wayne laughed again and Mel began to walk away.
"Mel!" Mel looked up and saw Quinn waving from her window. Mel waved back. "Where are you going?" Mel shrugged. "Can I come?"
"It's seven am." Quinn let her lids droop and she lifted a brow; a quirk she picked up from Mel. "Do you have any homework, chores or illnesses?"
"No, no, and no."
"Then come on down!" Mel waited on the porch, and Quinn appeared in a parka. Mel almost lost it. "Jeez, you're gonna melt in that, take it off and go get a sweater."
"I can't." Parents. Of course.
"Oh boy. Fine."
Mel jogged out of the gate to her co-op with Quinn panting behind her. The wind was pricking her skin but she knew it wouldn't last, once she got going she'd feel like it was summer. Quinn kept horrible pace behind her. Mel waited for her to catch up and made her take the coat off. Quinn kept up fine after. As she passed the park, Mel had the sudden urge to wade through the cattail pit like she used to before she discovered her allergies, and swing upside down like she used to before she became prone to headaches. As she got closer, the urge was crushing her, and she was panting. Quinn ran circles around her, cheerfully taunting her friend. Mel glanced at the cattail pit, then at Quinn. "Wanna go exploring?" Quinn's face lit up and she grinned, showing the gap where one front tooth was missing. The girls moved toward the pit, unaware of another pair of eyes watching them.
(***)
Karai had thought she was hallucinating at first, but as the figures came closer, the music cleared, and Karai could hear it as if she were wearing earbuds:
I spoke to God today,
And she said that she's ashamed;
What have I done? What have I become?
"Hello?" no response, of course, but it had been days since she got here, days. "Hello?" Karai realised she was speaking Japanese, and quickly repeated herself in English. "Help, please!"
Mel and Quinn were still. The voice had made Mel's ear perk at first, then Quinn had jumped when it shouted in English. Of course Mel knew both thanks to Wayne, but she hadn't thought anyone else did.
"Hello? Help!" Mel looked at Quinn and swallowed her fear.
"Doumo!" No better time to practice her Japanese. Mel heard a gasp and a jumble of words. She picked out a few:
"Tasukete! Wakarimasu ka? Tasukete!" 'help, do you understand? Help!' Mel cupped her hands around her mouth.
"Yukkuri hanashite kudasai. Mel desu… uh, 'wait there' wa nihongo de nanto īmasu ka?" 'Please speak more slowly. My name is Mel… uh, how do you say 'wait there' in Japanese?' Quinn tugged on Mel's sleeve.
"What are you saying?"
"Speak slower and my name, I think."
"… I speak English too, Mel."
"Oh, okay perfect! Uh… are you on the end of the field or in it?" Mel began to walk around the field as she spoke. She gripped her switchblade.
"I got out, but… oh my god, you can hear me!"
"Barely." The voice, Mel thought it sounded female, was quiet like she was in church. Mel saw bodies huddled by the edge of the field. "Yo!" The girl look at her, and Mel froze.
"Oh my god, you can see me!" Whatever the girl was going to say next was drowned out by her sobbing. Quinn rounded the corner and spotted the girl. Her eyes widened.
"Whoa! It's Karai!" she tugged Mel down to the girl, who stopped crying and looked from Mel to Quinn.
"H… how do you know my name?" her voice was troubled and horse. Mel blinked. No way this was the real Karai… she was a TV show for Pete's sake. But her voice, ragged as it was, was spot on, along with the hair, which was very obviously attached to her, even the makeup was right, even though it was messed up beyond hope. Still, she could be a really devoted cosplayer…
"Whoa, and Donnie too!" Mel looked behind 'Karai'. Sure enough, there lay something that could easily pass for Donatello, out cold and scratched like a cat post. Mel moved next to him and felt his forehead, gasping when the cold, bumpy scales grazed her hand.
"Quinn, put your coat on him and go get Sensei." Quinn nodded vigorously and dropped her tiny coat on Donnie's plastron then dashed away. Once she was gone, Mel turned and stared hard at Karai. Her eyes were wide with fear. "Okay, Karai, answer the following: Who's your father, Who's your mother, name all of your brothers, and your best subject." Karai was shaking and breathing hard. She definitely looked right… and, Mel noted, she was practically blue. Mel unzipped her hoodie and wrapped it around Karai, who muttered a thanks under her breath and tugged it around herself. Mel set her pity aside.
"How did you get here?"
"I-th-the Foot… invaded the lair… the Kraang needed the one of pure knowledge, innocence and insight…" Karai looked at Mel with wide eyes. "The only one that can see us in this dimension!"
"This dimension?"
"But, if that's… how did your friend see…?" Mel sighed; for someone who was so good at lying, Mel was shit at telling if someone else was truthful. She brought her attention back to Donnie, and remembered the switch blade hooked to her jeans. She took it out, opened it and grabbed Donnie's limp arm, which made him wince. Oh good, He's alive. If he bleeds, I'll know he's real… Karai gasped.
"I'm not gonna kill him," Mel said abruptly, "I just wanna test something."
"Test what?" Mel sighed and flipped Donnie's arm to expose his wrist.
"If he bleeds." Mel realised too late what that sounded like, and Karai jumped on her. "Jesus Christ, not heavily!"
"Leave him alone!" Karai felt like a really long kitten.
"When was the last time you ate, dude?" Mel threw her off and sliced the first few layers of Donnie's skin. Blood surfaced; no makeup, no gauze, no torn rubber suit. "Oh my god…" she dropped Donnie's arm. "He's real…" something hit the back of her head. Mel turned and caught Karai's next punch and held both of her wrists. "Dude. Just stop."
"Mel!" Mel turned and saw Quinn running back with Wayne. Karai tried to pry her wrists out of Mel's grasp. Wayne looked in between Mel, Karai and Donnie.
"Um…"
"He's real, Sensei," Mel said, "and they need help."
(***)
Sam had been in Dimension X for two months. His birthday had passed, but Sam had long since forgotten when it was. He was 12 and had a scar across his left eye, like his brother, except not at all like his brother. Miles hadn't followed him through the portal like he'd wanted. Sam had wondered, when the portal closed, how the others were doing. Had he distracted Miles enough for them to escape? He hoped to whatever God there may be in Dimension X Miles hadn't gotten Leo. If Miles did catch Leo and did things to him, I'll kill him.
Sam leapt into a crystal tree to view the sky. It was purple-y. Almost night. Almost time for Laura. Laura was a tiny fairy that came to visit Sam sometimes. She was a spirit, Sam knew, when she appeared, he saw her body and her aura; a mighty blue with grey and purple and yellow and crimson. She belonged to somebody, but Sam didn't know who. She had red and black stripes along her body and she was usually naked. Sam didn't care, he'd seen too much else to care. Laura liked to do a thing called "flirt", which didn't really bother Sam, but he never did it back.
Sam leaned against the tree and closed his eyes. He reviewed the Kraang script: F was A, P was H, I was I and J depending on the length, M was E… some of the letters weren't even letters, but Sam knew them anyway. A lightning bolt was S, a slanted H was W…
"Lost in thought again, Curly?" Sam opened his eyes. Laura was perched on his knee. He sighed. She liked to poke fun at his hair.
"I'm studying."
"Uh-huh. Figured out a way to get home yet?"
"You asked me that yesterday, and the answer is the same."
"I didn't know 'the same' was an answer." Sam sighed. Laura snickered. "Kraang isn't happy about you, you know." Sam said nothing. "They want you dead."
"They wouldn't be the first."
"Oh yes they would, look at your adorable face!"
"How in the hell am I supposed to do that?" Laura laughed.
"All I'm saying is you better watch yourself, sweet-pea, I don't want to come back and find you missing an arm."
"I miss my Sensei." The words were out before he realised it. Laura nodded like it wasn't weird.
"I would too, if he ever died." Sam snapped his head towards her.
"You have a Sensei?" Laura tilted her head and stared at him. Then, she disappeared.
(***)
She appeared quicker than he could see. Mikey knew he was dreaming when he jumped when she appeared and fell on his butt and didn't feel it. She turned herself and smiled at him.
"Mikey! Long time no see!" he got up and smiled.
"Hey there, Tiny." He didn't move his mouth but he dreamt he waved. She put her hands on her naked hips and Mikey blushed.
"My name's Laura," she said with a hint or irritation, "Tiny is my slave name." Mikey assumed she was joking so he laughed. Her voice was like a chipmunk, and Mikey found himself looking forward to hearing it when he dreampt. Laura sighed and tossed a lock of hair behind her shoulder, only to have it fall forward again. "Well, two down. Six to go." Mikey arched a brow.
"What?" Laura glanced at him.
"Keep moving forward."
"Huh?" She disappeared and Mikey screamed and woke himself up. He realised he'd been sweating and lay down again, panting. Dreams had never failed to confuse him.
"Mikey?" Raph's voice made him relax. Raph's hand found his shoulder.
"Dreams are weird," he muttered. Raph's hand tightened in response. Mikey pictured Tiny above him. He realised too late that she'd looked different… her stripes, that's what it was. They were different looking… Mikey closed his eyes and tried to zoom in on Laura's marks… still red and black, but… he gasped, opened his eyes, and sat up. They'd been arrows! That was it, they weren't just stripes, they'd been arrows, and they… they were pointing to his left.