Today, it started snowing really badly, and all the school's got out early! I still have friends stuck at school (yikes!), but I got out a few hours ago. So, new chapter time! This chapter is pretty dialogue-y; you'll find out quite a bit about Mona. So enjoy!

Disclaimer - I don't own TMNT. I just spend to much of my life writing about it!

Chapter 6

"Mona!" Raph hissed, giving her a sharp nudge in the side. "This way!" Mona dragged her gaze away from the sea anemones and ran, following the boy she'd just met with her life.

Seriously... Cliché, movie moment, anybody? He seemed nice enough, and that he honestly wanted to help her out. Or maybe that's just what she wanted to think; you can never tell these days.

"Where are we going?" The lizard panted, trying her hardest to keep up with Raph. Sheesh, aren't turtles supposed to be slow? She thought, doing her best to block out the terrified shouts coming from the teens behind her.

"I don't know!" Raph said, shrugging his shoulders. Mona gave him her best "Are you serious?" glare, and he shot back a dark look.

"There!" Mona grabbed Raph's hand and jerked him into the direction of several large, orange lifeboats. Using her tail, she bounced up and into the first boat, using one of the rough covers to shield herself. "Hurry up, Raph!" He tried to jump up next to her, but being the sad, short little turtle he is, wasn't quite able to get it. "Raph!"

"I can't reach it!" He screamed, bouncing and huffing between every word. Mona pointed over his shoulder, and he gulped. Two of Filch's pink guards' tentacles could be heard slithering and sticking to the hardwood floors.

Mona pursed her lips. This wasn't going to be fun. "Grab my tail."

"What?!"

"I said grab my tail!" She turned around, allowing the tip of it to dangle down the side of the boat. She looked over her shoulder to watch for the guards; their tentacles flapping louder with each passing second. "Hurry!"

Raph jumped and grabbed for it, successfully taking hold. He heard Mona cry out and tense up. "Good GOD you're heavy!" She muttered, straining to pull him over. "And don't you DARE tell me it's all muscle!"

Raph reached up with his other hand, putting it a little higher. He struggled to pull himself up, and using the edge of the boat, flipped himself over the side. Both mutants collapsed onto the floor of the boat, and Raph slapped a hand over Mona's mouth as the anemones slithered on by. They exchanged wide-eyed looks of nervousness.

When the sound of sticking suction cups had ceased, Mona sunk back into the seat, rubbing the base of her tail gingerly and wincing. "I swear, if you EVER touch my tail again..."

Raph took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Point taken." He met eye contact with her, and after a brief moment of silence, the two collapsed into giggles. "Thanks, for you know... That." He motioned with his hand wildly. He lowered his gaze in embarrassment.

Mona didn't respond, but she nodded in understanding. Both sat in uncomfortable silence, the air filled with panting and heavy breathing. Raph took that moment to look at her, to REALLY look at her, for the first time without interruptions.

She had green-gray skin, more grayish, but earthy colored enough to pass as a faded green. Her chest and belly were the same golden color as his plastron. She pulled the ponytail out of her hair and shook it out. The curly brown hair reached mid back when it wasn't pulled up into the high ponytail, and it matched her eyes. The only clothing she wore was an old, faded brown belt that sat loosely on her hips. He noticed, with a jolt, that she was technically naked, and his cheeks flushed up lightly.

The girl, having noticed his scrutinizing, struck a pose. "Like what you see?"

Raph felt his cheeks turn as red as his bandana. "No... I mean, yes. Wait, I mean..." He trailed off, and Mona gave him a jovial grin.

If this is how Donnie feels around April... Count me out! He thought bitterly.

"So, um, I was wondering," he began, trying to change the topic. "How exactly do you know Filch?" Her grin faded away, leaving a solemn and weary look that Raph instantly hated on her pretty face.

Wait, pretty?

"I didn't always look like this." Mona said, holding up and looking at a webbed hand in disgust. "Sure, it's got it's perks, but I'm not wearing a costume."

Raph's jaw dropped. "You're... a mutant?" He couldn't believe it! Another mutant, and this one a girl!

Mona looked at Raph and winced. "I used to be human. You know the school the party was at? That's where I went. I was popular; this isn't the first time I've been on one of Mac's yacht parties. I had friends. I had good grades." She smiled absently. "Chemistry was my favorite subject," she said dreamily, staring past him.

"What happened?" He asked, and she snapped back at attention.

"I was out on a fishing trip with three of my friends. We were only supposed to be gone for three days; funny, I've been gone little more than three MONTHS!" She let out a hollow laugh. "We were goofing off, just messing around and laughing, when this huge, grey submarine came up beside us. My friends all managed to swim away, but something grabbed me, and I was brought to the ship. Filch was the captain, and he..." She gulped. "Well, on a different note, he somehow found out I was good at chemistry. He forced me to work in his lab; if I didn't, he swore he'd kill the rest of my family. I was there..." She screwed up her mouth in thought. "2 and 1/2 months? Well, one day, I got sick of it all; not that I wasn't sick of it before, but you get my drift. I tried to blow up the lab, which in turn could blow up the ship, but I guess something went wrong. The last thing I remember is the explosion, and then I woke up. I wouldn't have thought anything was wrong, except I was underwater. Somehow, and don't ask me how, I was this. Half-Salamander, I think. I thought I'd destroyed the sub, but I was hiding in one of the sewer tunnels that opened up into the lake, and I saw it. I've been trying to destroy it completely for the last few weeks. I'm sorry I used you to get on, but it was my only way! And now I can finally have my revenge on turning me into this ugly mutant FREAK!" Two tears snaked their way down her cheeks.

"I- I don't think you ugly." Raph said, green eyes wide. "I think you're the prettiest mutant I've ever seen." He reached out his hand awkwardly and patted her shoulder, slapping himself mentally.

Mona snorted, wiping her hands on her cheeks. "I'm probably the only mutant you've ever seen."

Raph looked at her in disbelief. "You really don't know, do you? You're not the only mutant.
In fact, I know at least of five others."

"Really?!" Mona's eyes lit up. "There're five more? In New York!?"

"Yeah, really! Their names are Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Splinter." Mona's jaw dropped and she mouthed their names.

"But wait... That's only four..." Mona tilted her head to the side. "Who's the fifth?"

Raphael bowed to the best of his abilities. "At your service, Mona Lisa."

"You... You're a mutant?" Mona's jaw dropped, and her brown eyes widened.

Raph gave her a crooked smile. "As far as I know!"

"I thought you were wearing a costume!"

Raph grasped the end of the zipper and peeled it off, wincing slightly. "Sorry to disappoint you."

She pointed to his plastron. "Did that hurt?"

"Yup."

"But you're a MUTANT!" She repeated, looking just as amazed. "I'm so glad I'm not the only one!" She screamed out suddenly, wrapping her arms around his neck, squeezing him. Raph choked.

"Mona... Can't... Breath!" He gasped, signaling for her to let go.

"Oh! Sorry!" She watched guiltlessly as he struggled to take in oxygen. "Wait... You're a mutant, too, but I never saw you on Filch's ship." He looked at her as if he were saying, "So?" and she continued. "So how did you become like this then?"

"Well-"

"Hey! Let me go!" Raph's face paled, and he bolted to the edge of the boat. "Put me down!" He lifted up the edge of the cloth cover and peeked through; Mona looked out beside him.

"What is it?" She whispered.

"That's April!" He whispered back. Mona looked down again to see a green, thin girl with fiery red hair being dragged down the path by two of Filch's guards.

"Who?"

"April is the first human we ever met. She's the one who dragged me to the dance in the first place." He didn't notice the scowl grow on Mona's face. "We've gotta save her, and stop Filch while we're at it!"

"We?" Mona's tone had an edge of bitterness in it, and he looked at her incredulously.

"Yeah, we! Who else would do it?"

"You can go rescue your girlfriend by yourself!" Mona flounced back to her chair and plopped down, pouting. "I can take Filch down by myself."

"Who?" Raph frowned slightly. "I don't have a-" his eyes lit up in understanding. "Oh, GROSS! April isn't my girlfriend!"

Mona looked up again. "She isn't?"

"No way! My little bro Donnie likes her! He'd have my shell if anything happened to her!"

"Really?!" Mona's eyes lit up again. "Then let's go! Stop Filch and save April! Together!"

Hope y'all liked it! Leave a review, even if you did think it was kinda sappy. Have agod day! Stay warm!