2: Mikey

Candyland?

Lollipops that can talk! Candy cane trees! S'more Mountains! I'm in candy heaven!

I eat and eat and eat. It's so delicious. Candyland is ginormous! The marshmallow plain is covered in smarties flowers. The chocolate path goes forever. I run down it, hoping to see a giant ice cream river. I wish Ice Cream Kittie were here. Then we could enjoy this together. Cookie leaves fall into my hands as I run. They are so good!

I find disappointment at the end of the path. The chocolate road turns to dirt and rocks that aren't Zots. I hear a howl in the distance. The sun is coming up over bluish green hills. There is a fork in the path. One path that has blackish red dirt leads to a place that looks like it's on fire. The black clock stands, stabbing the sky. It says it is seven on the dot. Down the other is a freaky swampy forest. It looks like it's from the Wizard of Oz. Both places look scary so I think I'll just go back into Candyland.

There's a hollow Thwam! as something slams into me from behind. I fall onto the fading chocolate road, hard.

Whoa! It's milk chocolate!

"MIKEY!" I hear as I'm jerked to my feet. I get turned around by rough hands. Behind me are Raph and Casey. Their footsteps lead up a fudge hill. They have wide eyes like they saw a ghost. They must have been running really hard.

"You guys are in Candyland, too. You are in my dream, too." I smile. Raph gets a confused look. Before he can say anything, Donnie and April fall out of the sky, landing on top of each other in front of Casey, screaming.

"WHOA!" I yell, "This is the coolest dream ever! I hardly ever see you guys in my dreams!"

Donnie groans and peels his face off of the ground. April slowly gets off him, gasping.

"Not… a dream…" Donnie gasps as April helps him to his feet.

"Excuse me," I say.

"I agree, Donnie," Raph says letting me go, "I think we're sharing some…dream or something."

I am so confused, "What?"

"Ugh, Mikey, look at us! Do we look like dreams?" Casey says.

"Um… yes."

Raph smack his forehead. Donnie ignores us and starts talking. "Guys, I think we're in some dream realm. Our minds must have converged somehow. That's why I woke next to April around a bunch of…well…flying Buffalo."

"Buffalo." Casey laughs. "Raph and I were in the same position only with hounds!"

"You guys sound like your restarting a conversation you started yesterday but didn't." I say.

"We know, Mikey," Raph growls," Maybe if Leo was here with you, you'd get it like we got it when we got here."

I'm still confused.

"Speaking of Leo, where is he?" April says. "He's the only one not here."

"Maybe he's elsewhere," I suggest. Raph scoffs.

"Or he's not part of this thing we're in. It's about time he's not part of something we're doing."

Aprils eyes harden,"Raph-"

CRASH!

We all whip around to the side of the road where the swamp forest begins and Candyland ends. Leo crashes through the water/milk, gasping for breath. He slaps his arms and palms down onto the bank, and clutches it like a lifeline.

"Speak of the devil," Casey whispers," And he shall appear."

"Figures," Raph growls.

"Leo!" April calls out to him. Leo looks over to us. He starts to climb out when suddenly pools of water turn black and rise like octopus tentacles. They shoot out and wrap around Leo's torso, upper arms, wrists, neck and mouth. With one jerk, Leo loses his grip on the bank and is taken under water.

He doesn't resurface.

"Leo," I whimper.

"SHELL!" Donnie and Raph scream. We sprint to the water's edge, ready to jump in.

We get stopped by two figures that fall from the sky, and dive into the water.

"What were those?" Casey howls.

Don pants, "I don't know, but let's hope their friendly and save Leo."

"We can't just stand here!" Raph growls.

Donnie pushes Raph away from the bank, "Wait! Just wait!"

We do wait. We wait for what seems like forever. Raph is antsy. Casey, Donnie and April all glance at each other. I stare at the water, waiting for either the tentacles to snatch us up or Leo to resurface.
With a splash water sprays us. The two figures fly at us, dropping Leo at our feet.

He's …different. Wings are attached to his back, sprouting from underneath his shell. One wing is pure black with white spots. The other is pure white with blood red spots.

"What the shell?" Casey mumbles as Leo starts to cough.

Donnie ignores the wings and kneels by Leo, "Leo, Leo can you hear me? Are you okay? Talk to me, bro."

"M-my shoulders. Th-they hurt." He gasps.

"They will for a while," A young voice says from behind us. We all turn to him. Donnie lets Leo lean on him as they stand.

"Thank y-you," Leo groans. A boy with brown eyes and hair nods. He wears a black and white jacket and Khakis. He is pale. His eyes seem sunk into his head.

A girl stands next to him. She has black hair and lips. Her eyes are dark and have shadows circling them. Her skin is milky white. She wears a black yoga outfit. They are both our ages. The boy is Donnie's height while the girl is Raph's. Oh, one more thing. They have wings.

The girl's wings are snowy white with black spots. The boys are black with white spots.

I look at Leo is see his reaction. I gap. Leo looks like the kids. Pale, shadows under his eyes, wings, and his eyes are a gray-blue now.

"I am Felix." The boy says smiling, "and this is my friend, Kate." She smiles and nods at us.

"Thank you for saving Leo," April says.

"Our pleasure," Kate says, her voice smooth," We have to watch out for our own."

"Your own?" Raph questions.

"We will explain later," Felix says looking at the sun," You must follow us. Your brother has a place to be soon. And the swamp don't like people so we must run. Follow us."

Before Felix can take off, I call out, "Are you an angel?"

Felix smiles softly and looks back at me, "You will find out soon enough."