Chapter 4
"That's why I gasped," Cassi explained, "Because of those images." She tried to laugh, but it didn't work out. "Good thing it was just a dream, huh?"
Leo looked worried. "Cassi, I don't know how to tell you this but Mikey has had a vision in his dreams before. It came true."
Cassi stared off into space. It couldn't come true, it just couldn't. A light bulb came on in her mind. It really couldn't happen! "They can't come true Leo! I was sixteen - and dead," she added, "in one and we were about twenty-three in the other."
Leo nodded in agreement. She had a good point.
"I don't know why that is, Cassi. I do know that Mikey once dreamed of an ancient city. Sure enough, the next day we went to that very city."
Cassi started to cry. "Will I die and come back to life, only to have a child kidnapped from me? I wish I couldn't read minds!"
That remark caught Leo off guard. He and the others sometimes envied Cassi for her ability to read minds. However, in a way he did understand why she wished she couldn't read minds. He wouldn't want to see himself dead.
"Maybe it's just a warning Cassi. Maybe they won't really happen." Leo suggested gently.
Cassi nodded as if to say 'It's a possibility'. Tears of fear still flowed down her face. As she wiped them away, Leo noticed how badly her hands were shaking. These visions had her terrified.
"We better go back. The best thing for you is sleep." Cassi nodded in agreement. On their way back, she started talking again.
"The last one scared me the most."
"Why, because you were married to me?"
She groaned in response. "Leo, I'm serious!" She started sobbing again. "I never want to lose a child. I'd rather die!"
Leo grabbed her by the shoulders and stared deep into her dark brown eyes that were full of terror. Cassi noted to herself that he looked worried. Could he really care about her? He probably doesn't see me as I see him. Don't get your hopes up, Cassiopeia She told herself.
"Those visions of Mike's won't come true, Cassi. I won't let them!" Leo's tone was a combination of firmness and determination. Those words were what Cassi had wanted to hear and they provided some consolation for her troubled mind. Cassi managed a small smile as she hugged him.
"Thanks Leo. I needed that." She opened the door to her home. Her hands were still shaking, but not nearly as bad as they were. As she was about to go inside, Leo called softly,
"Wait, Cassi! You forgot something!" Cassi turned to face him. Maybe she had forgotten her sword. She turned her head to quickly check. No, it was there.
"What did I forget?"
Leo took her hand and pulled her a little closer to him. "This." He kissed her. "Goodnight Cassi."
"Goodnight." Cassi replied, her heart beating even more wildly now, but for a new reason.. She walked into her home. The door shut behind her and Cassi noticed a note flutter to the ground. Cassi picked it up and read, "Same time, same place."
---
It looked like another sleepless night. Cassi stared at her ceiling emptily. What was Mikey dreaming? Was it another vision? Desperately, she shut her eyes to try to shake those thoughts from her mind. The image of the crystal being slipped around her neck appeared. She was beginning to glow as her fingers split and…
Cassi's eyes popped open. It wasn't even safe to sleep. She got out of bed and went over to her desk. She carefully untied her mask. Looking in the mirror, she stared at her reflection. Dark circles lingered under her tired eyes. Fear was present as well.
What's happening to me? Cassi's thoughts pierced her mind as she touched the mirror. Where did the real me go? What happened to "Cassiopeia the fearless, Cassiopeia the star pupil or Cassiopeia the unbeatable"? Now I'm "Cassi the paranoid, Cassi the fifth turtle, Cassi the liar." She couldn't help but smile at the next one. "Cassi the love struck."
---
"You never told me why you were in my room a few nights ago. Why were you?" Mikey's voice lured Leo out of sleep.
"You screamed." Don, Raph and Cassi chorused. Leo jumped down to the main floor to join the others.
"What were you talking about?" Mike still sounded annoyed.
"Your dream." Leo replied, walking over to them.
"How on Earth would you know what I was dreaming about?" Cassi grinned and looked away. The other three boys looked at her, grinning as well. Mikey eyed the three of them and followed their gaze. His eyes widened. "I don't believe this! You can read thoughts and see our dreams? I suppose you do memories too?" Mike was being sarcastic, but Cassi wasn't when she replied,
"I'll admit that reading dreams are harder than reading thoughts, but whatever you're dreaming, I can see. Memories aren't much different."
"You mean…?" Don started.
Cassi nodded. "If you ever saw it, I can find it somewhere in your mind." It was hard for her not to laugh. The look on their faces was priceless. Me without my camera. Cassi didn't want to read any memories to prove that she could so she changed the subject. "Can we go to the underground city? I've never been there."
"But you said…" Leo realised what he was saying as Cassi shot him a warning look. He was going to ask her why she wanted to go there after that vision of Mikey's. "You said you've been with us on our adventures."
"That is a good point." Mike agreed turning to Cassi.
"Master Splinter thought it was a good time to train. I wasn't with you then."
"That is a good answer." Mike turned to the others.
"I think we could, but the city…" the words were barely out of Don's mouth when Cassi piped up.
"Great! Let's go!"
---
When the group reached where the city was, the boys got a shock. The city, which had been consumed and sunk beneath the lava, was standing once again. It looked as if nothing had ever happened to it. The only difference was that this time there was no life to been seen except for the five.
"But, how…?" Don asked her.
"I don't know what you mean, Don, but this is…amazing! I've never seen anything like it! It's even cooler than the patterns at home!" Cassi's eyes once again reflected her excitement as they often did. Cassi walked a small ways behind the boys as she studied the patterns on the walls.
Something made her stop in her tracks. A sound came from behind her. It was as if someone had run past her. Cassi turned her head to look over her shoulder. Without warning, she whipped around. No one.
"Uh, guys? This city is abandoned, right?" Her voice quivered slightly.
"Last time I checked." Raph replied, but he too was still in shock from seeing the city standing. Leo watched as Cassi glanced nervously over her shoulder once more.
"Is something wrong, Cassi?" He asked. Cassi didn't move. Finally, she sighed and turned back to them.
"No, I guess not."
"Hey guys, check it out!" Mike called. He was twirling around one of the strange bolos the entity used to carry with him.
"I wonder how Sydney--"Leo started. Cassi cut him off.
"Sydney?" Cassi asked. There was a bit of a chill in her voice that only Leo noticed.
"Oh, right, you don't know," Don realized as he remembered what Cassi had said earlier. "Sydney is Quarry's real name."
"Oh." Cassi nodded. She turned and pretended to look at the patterns on the wall once more. When Raph and Don were a little ways ahead and arguing with Mike, Cassi started talking to Leo.
"I almost blew it!"
"Yeah, you did." Leo replied.
"I don't know what came over me! Being jealous is not like me at all!" Cassi looked shocked that she had done that.
"It's just your nature as a girl." Leo stated. Cassi's look quickly changed from shock to anger.
"What?"
"It's true. Girls are always jealous of other girls' things. Clothing, jewellery – boyfriends." He added with grin.
"I don't see what's so funny!" Cassi snapped. "I've never been so insulted!" With that, she headed off down another path leading away from the boys. The others didn't see her run off.
"Whoops!" Mike exclaimed as he accidentally sent the bolo flying down a path. "Oh well. It can't hurt anyone." Unbeknownst to him, Cassi had just run down the same path.
---
Oh Cassiopeia, what have you gotten yourself into this time? Cassi was kicking herself inside. She was wandering around a city she didn't know and probably had made Leo mad at her. Seems like a typical day in my life! Why do I always get myself into sticky situations? For a genius, I sure am dumb.
If only Leo hadn't said that, I wouldn't have gotten mad! How could he have said that? Why did he? I can't believe this is happening! He should have held his tongue. Cassi sighed as her anger died down. A new angle hit her. I'm just as much to blame. I sure haven't made things any better by running off. I've –
Her thoughts were cut off by the sound off something coming towards her. She turned just in time to see the bolo Mike had been twirling coming strait for her! The orbs circled her, binding her. In a flash of blue light, Cassi was gone.
---
"That's when she ran off. We have to find her!" Leo was on the verge of panicking, which was odd for him.
"She got mad and ran off because you said women in general are very sensitive?" Don asked. Leo just nodded.
"Looks like she proved you right." Raph couldn't help smirking.
"This is all my fault!" Leo moaned.
"No it isn't." Don tried to comfort him.
"Yes it is." Mike's words earned him a nasty look from Raph and Don.
---
In another part of the city, Cassi reappeared. She was standing on a small, circular platform. Slowly, she eyed her surroundings. It was dark, but after squinting slightly she managed to see that she was in a large room with many other platforms.
A strange light blue substance began to creep up from the bottom the edges of the platform she was standing on. By the time Cassi saw it, it was too late. It rose up and encased her in a hollow dome. The worst was yet to come for her.
---
"We have to find her!" Leo's patience was drying up.
"He's right. We're wasting time." Don agreed.
"Do you have a plan?" Raph asked Leo.
Leo nodded. "Yes. Split up. Keep it touch via shell cell. Let me know if you find anything." The other three nodded. They all headed down separate paths, calling Cassi's name.
---
Cassi was in a state of panic. She hit the walls of the dome as hard as she could. There wasn't enough room to draw her sword. She was trapped. There was absolutely nothing she could do to get out, and sadly, Cassi knew it.
"Note to self." Cassi tried talking to herself to calm down, "When I get out, water proof boots better." She said looking down at the water. Then it hit her. "Water! I've got to get out of here!"
The dome was filling up with liquid, but it wasn't water. It was a liquid form of the strange crystals scattered throughout the city. Cassi started banging against the wall harder. The liquid was rising fast. It was already at her knees. She got an idea. The liquid was just past her waist. If she could just activate her sword, it might be able to break the dome! The liquid was at her shoulders. She reached up to grab her sword. Her finger touched it. The liquid beat her. The moment it touched the top of the dome, it hardened. The dome peeled away. Cassi was trapped in a crystal statue.
---
Panic was beginning to take over Leo. It had been almost an hour and still no sign of Cassi. Where could she be? This city isn't that big.
"Anything?" Leo asked hopefully into his cell.
"Negative, Leo." A voice replied. A female voice. "Did anyone think of calling me? Never mind, it doesn't matter. Meet me at the main gates in half an hour. Oh, and Leo? I'm sorry about earlier." There was a clicking sound of Cassi hanging up.
"Let me guess, Leo," Raph's voice came on. "To the main gates?"
"Yes." Leo replied, grinning wildly in relief.
---
"I was able to activate my sword and a bolt of energy was released. It was able to leave the crystal. I wasn't able to watch it because I was frozen in spot. It must have bounced around the room because it came back and it hit the switch to free me." Cassi explained.
"I don't know about you guys, but I'm ready to go home." Mike said. Cassi looked uneasy.
"I can't leave." She said softly, looking at the ground.
"What do you mean?" Don asked her.
She looked up. "Just what I said, I can't leave. While I was waiting for you guys I made a discovery. I have to show you what I mean."
Cassi looked over at the entrance and sighed miserably. She walked towards it. The moment she crossed through the gates, something very odd happened. All four of the boys gasped. Leo couldn't believe his eyes. The vision had come true!
"Cassi, you're--"