"April...April?" A soft voice calls her out of the fogginess of a sulking slumber. "April, please wake up."
Her eyes peal open. "Kala? What's wrong?" April mumbles. She sits up slowly, rubbing her eyes.
"Everything is peaceful. Everyone is asleep." Kala says, now sitting on the bed beside the redheaded teen.
"Ok, so what do you want?" April says in an automatic way, still not alert enough to measure the situation.
"I would like to speak with you about a crush I have."
April's awake now. "What! You have a crush?"
"Yes, I think so. Am I not using the word right? I know the primary meaning of the word 'crush' is not a pleasant thing; to crush your hand with a rock, to have your dreams crushed... In the context of my crush, however it is more of an emotion, a giddy, romantic feeling toward a hopeful significant other."
April looks at her as if she'd turn into an, well no... she's already an alien. "So you have a crush, why are you telling me?"
"I have been reading Earthino stories and watching Earthino movies geared toward adolescent females and the terrible troubles they have... I haven't had the luxury of growing up in a normal Neutrino society where such problems would be a joy compared to the war I was born into... And I have never had a female friend... I was hoping you and I could participate in 'girl talk'."
April is at a total loss. She had always been a tomboy, at her father's heels, never had any sisters or close girlfriends growing up. She was always the odd one out, too mature for her age, had to be more independent with the type of demanding job her father had. She was just starting to make friends at school. April does not feel like she is the right one to fulfill the role of Ambassador of Earth BFF!
Another reason why she doesn't want to do this is because she DOES NOT WANT to talk about who Kala happens to be crushing on. She sits up fully and turns on a lamp. She looks at the demur features of Kala. She looks not at all tired, and her hair is unfairly perfect. April absently combs her fingers through her messy bed-head of crimson tresses. "Ok, Kala. Let's chat. What's on your mind?"
Kala folds her hands in her lap and starts to turn orange. "I am sure you can probably guess of the... turtle I have become fond of."
April stares at her emotionlessly and nods.
"Since the first time I saw him I knew he was special. Now that we have been spending time together, he has become very special." Kala says.
"The first time I saw him... he scared the living daylights out of me. And yes, I know he is special." April admits.
Kala tilts her head. "Really, well I suppose I understand. Earthinos are not privy to beings from other worlds. The Turtles are very unique. It is why they live below, fighting within the shadows, benevolent warriors." She looks off into the distance, as if quoting an epic poem.
"I guess you can say that."
"This is all the more reason why I feel I can only talk to you. You understand. You wouldn't think I was strange to have a crush on a mutant turtle."
April lifts a brow. "I wouldn't? I... maybe not."
"Other species, other worlds, what is the difference, right? Where I come from we know of many different peoples from many different worlds. It's not common but there are a few Neutrinos who have found eternal love with the great people of Fon Durellis Five or the sky people of Senwint." She giggles. "He reminds me of the little shelled animals called Otots from my planet. They have strong shells shaped like mountains and their scaly skin is red like the tall grass of the fields that once surrounded our magnificent cities... Maybe that's why I like him. He reminds me of home, of how great our world used to be... how great it will one day be." Kala smiles sadly.
April's entire chest cavity is sore. Hearing her speak of Donatello that way... it's not fair that Kala can speak from her heart so easily.
"He makes me laugh. He makes me feel like hope will never die. He makes me understand the word 'happy'."
April looks away from her. She can't believe the words of adoration pouring freely from her lips about him. April had no idea how captive to her own feelings she had been. But there had been no time to deal with matters of the heart. Her father is mutated and missing, and she is in hiding from the Foot, the Purple Dragons, and the Kraang. It's like every weekend around the same time, something catastrophic happens and she and her friends are running for their lives! Somewhere in the back of her mind she had convinced herself that 'later' would come. Later, once the Kraang are gone and the Foot defeated, later she would be able to feel something about the way Donatello has always looked at her.
"You understand, don't you April? You have the same crush, am I right?"
April almost topples to the ground trying to stand up from the bed. She's never said or done anything to evoke that insinuation had she? Maybe Kala has some kind of 6th or 7th or 12th alien sense about these things. Maybe April gives off some aura of feelings that are so slight, she herself has no idea they were there. But even if Kala is wrong, that means that Kala still likes Donatello, as is bold enough to share it with April. If she thinks we both like him, does this mean she's challenging me?
Kala giggles. "I take your silence as confirmation. Girl talk is riveting, yes? I told you, now you tell me, why you like Donatello? It is clear that he likes you but doesn't show it much, not when he's alone with me."
April's mouth hangs open. This is so strange. Why would Kala care why she liked him? And how does Donatello act when he's alone with Kala?! April doesn't want to confess feelings she's never allowed herself to ponder, but she also doesn't want to deny anything to Kala, or else Donatello might seem like fair game. Fair Game?! April doesn't want to compete for his affections. As mean as it may seem, she never thought she'd ever had to. He's a mutant ninja turtle! What would be the chances of another girl coming into the Turtle's lives and, all of a sudden, they have options? Then enters Kala, a smart, beautiful, soldier. A leader. April understands why any of her green teen buddies would find Kala amazing. Now April feels like she can't compete. Ever since she met the Turtles she had been a burden, always being captured and saved. It wasn't until lately that her ninja skills have benefitted the team. Kala arrived combat-ready.
There's nothing left to lose, she might as well be honest. April lifts her blue eyes and looks into Kala's silver. "I like him because he's brilliant, but also humble, and gentle. I like him because he can be awkward at times, so I guess that's funny too. I like that he's always there in the nick of time... and that he never gives up... Kala, Donnie is my best friend, I wouldn't know what to do if he wasn't anymore. I wouldn't know what to do if he suddenly went away."
Kala nods and begins to look very serious. "You are quite a perceptive being, coming from such a less-advanced society than my own... you've figured out my plan... oh don't look so naive now, April. You know as well as I do that MY dimension would be so much better for the turtles to live in than YOURS."
"W-what do mean better?" April says, completely confused.
"The Turtles are just the type of warriors I need to win this war and free my people. Once we defeat the Kraang ship here we can go back to my home world and run those evil Kraang out forever!"
"But, they are still needed here, on their own planet. They wouldn't abandon us."
"Why wouldn't they? They never had the option."
The option! April shakes her head in disbelief. Not only does Kala want Donatello's attention, but also for him AND his brothers to leave with her to Dimension X.
Kala looks up at the flustered human girl with pause. She'd though April would find Kala's offer logical. "I have read enough of your books and watched enough of your television to see how terrible many of you Earthinos are. You quarrel over trivial things and take everyone's worth at face value. You and I know the Turtles are much more, and deserve much more, than the majority here would be willing to allow. Look at where they live. I thought everyone on your planet lived like this. Then I learned that all of you Earthinos live on the surface, in the light, able to go outside and mill about, tranquilly unaware of their 'Saviors in the Shadows'. If Earthinos found out that the ones helping them were mutant turtles, they would hunt them down, because they are different… I am in a war where those who are different want to enslave us. Your people fight wars because your skin comes in different shades or you pray to different gods. It would not matter if Donatello, Leonardo, Raphael, or Mikey save this world, it would be a thankless effort. Your people cannot get past what they see."
"That's not true! I agree, some of us are bad, and some wouldn't understand the Turtles. But I do."
"You are being selfish. You are only thinking about what you want and not your crush, Donatello. Well I AM thinking. He and his brothers would be happier in a world where they can walk in the light of day and be appreciated. They deserve recognition and to live without fear of rejection and persecution."
"For all they've done for the city and for me, I know they deserve a lot, but that's not why fight. They don't do what they do to be rewarded. It's enough for them to know they've done the right thing."
"Will it always be enough? Will you and Casey Jones always be enough? I do not think so. What if someday they look around this hidden sanctuary of a sewer, and look at their windowless walls… and look at you as you come and go at will and suddenly want more out of life? When that day comes, and our war is won, I will be more than happy to welcome them to Neutron where they will be treated like the Brave Warriors they are."
It's starting to make so much sense. Perhaps Kala is right. But maybe she's dead wrong. April sticks out her chest and bores her eyes into the condemning Kala. "You are wrong about them. They are not just warriors. They are ninja. Ninja have honor and are loyal... they would never leave..."
Me. They'd never leave me…
Kala shakes her head and walks across the room. "When you have feelings for someone, all you want to do is keep them close to you. But when you truly understand them, respect them, love them, you let them go so they can be safe and happy and free to choose. That is what I'm planning to do." Kala walks to the other side of the small room, placing a hand on the hammock. "Thank you for the girl talk." She cocoons herself into the swinging hammock and turns over to rest.
April slumps back on the worn mattress of her bed and stares a hole in the wall. Did all of that just happen? April pulls at her ponytail and sighs silently. What if Kala is right? If April had a choice between a penthouse and an outhouse, she'd be gone in a heartbeat. Would friendship be enough to make them stay? They would make the right choice … and stay, right? She had made the decision to stay and live and fight beside them and she doesn't want that to change anytime soon. With her father gone, Splinter and the turtles are the only family she has.
April turns off the lamp and lays down in the damp darkness. In her bedroom back at the apartment, the city was alive with random sounds, all night long, speeding cars, bickering neighbors, wailing cats. Down here is a thick silence. Most times it is comforting; now it is not. She imagines it would be dead silent like this all the time… if they left. She shakes away the thought. Kala is making April think crazy. She knows her friends. She knows Donatello. She knows… she can't sleep anymore.
…
April rolls out of bed and walks out the door. She wants to talk to someone, anyone, no matter how late it is. She makes a beeline towards Donnie's lab when the slow flicker of blue light catches her eye. She heads over to the sunken living area. The TV is still on, volume low. She goes around the couch and sees Michelangelo slobbering on a pillow.
"Yeesh." April whispers. She snatches away the remote from the slumbering turtle's hand and plops down on the cushion beside him. She switches the channel from an infomercial to an after hours horror movie. She watches the horrible actors in horrible, bloody costumes on the screen with mild amusement, anything to take her mind away from what she and Kala had been talking about moments ago. She shifts in her seat; causing Mikey to stir as well.
"Mmm, Kala, my gal, you came back…" He mumbles blissfully. He reaches over and wraps his arms around April's waist, snuggling his cheek to her side. "You're so much cozier than my teddy bear. If you stay I promise I won't try to hold your hand."
April physically cringes. Not because he's hugging her, but because he thinks she's… that other girl! Instead of socking him in the nose, she opts to firmly pat him on the head with one hand and peal his fingers off of her with the other. "Sorry, Mikey. I'm not your dream girl."
"April?" He slurs. "April!" He jumps back to the other side of the couch, wide-awake.
"Hey, Mikey." April waves at him casually.
"Uh, sorry, April. I thought you were…"
"I know who you thought I was."
"Oh." Mikey sits down beside her, wiping a hand over his face. He looks at the horrible movie on the television. "It must be really late for this junk to be on. So, what's up April? Can't sleep?"
April pouts. "No. It was getting kind of stuffy in my room."
"Is was? Is Kala ok in there? Maybe we can get Donnie to put a fan in there so you ladies feel more at home."
Home, April thinks. She glances at Mikey who has found a half-eaten bag of chips and goes to munching. He hands the bag to April… and, what the shell, she takes a handful. "Mikey, do you like living in the Lair?"
He licks the salty crumbs from his fingers and stuffs his hand back in the back. April will NOT be asking for anymore chips. "Yeah, it's cool." Mikey says. "There's tons of room, miles of pipes to skate through, no nebby neighbors."
April hesitates. "Do you ever want something different, something more?"
He looks at her curiously, then shrugs. "I dunno, I guess sometimes. It'd be nice to feel the sunshine, or go to the skate park and show off my skills, or go to the hotdog stand or go to the beach and just… chill whenever I wanted. But you can't have it all. It's not like we'd ever had a choice."
"If you did have a choice, would you take it?" She looks her friend in the eyes, quelling her trembling. "If you could have all those things and leave the Lair and never come back… would you?"
With slight concern, Mikey answers. "Absolutely, and I'd make sure to take you, Splinter, my bros, even Casey, with me… but why would we never come back home?"
His response makes her smile. In a very small way, his words give her hope. She decides to drop the subject and give Kala's words no more power. "I don't know. Forget I asked." She grins. "I think I'm going to camp out here on the couch for the rest of the night. Do you mind?"
"Naw, go ahead. I'll take the recliner." Mikey tosses her a blanket and he lounges in the creaky, old chair.
The softy chatter of the TV wafts through the space and April feels sleep puling her in.
"You think after we run the Kraang off of Earth, Kala will take us to Neutron?" Mikey wonders aloud.
April's eyes pop open.
Mikey continues. "I bet once her planet is cleaned up and restored it would be an awesome place."
The redhead's resentment flares. "Yeah, well, I'm SO sure SHE would LOVE to take you all to her FANTASTIC planet. I bet she'd build you a mansion and throw you a huge parade and you'd all have so much fun, you'd never want to come back… especially Donnie." April's little rant was not lost on her orange-masked friend.
"April, what are you talking about? And what do you mean by 'especially Donnie'?"
April sighs and sits up. She needs to tell someone, and who better than Mikey? He will surly cheer her up and assure her that she has nothing to worry about. She should tell him, better now than after he and Leo and Raph start falling for Kala, like Donnie obviously has. "Well, Donnie told me not to worry about it and I believed him but… Kala said she would ask you all to leave Earth and go to Neutron. I think she's lost her mind and her little crush on Donatello isn't helping."
"What?" Mikey barely gives the word sound.
"I know. Crazy isn't it? Don't get me wrong, I don't really care I just… think those two have gotten a little carried away with how much time they've spend together and I don't want him to think he can get out of helping me study for my upcoming exams that easily." She says quickly. "I'm just surprised she was bold enough to tell me."
"She said that she liked Donnie? I don't understand." Michelangelo says as calmly as possible.
"It's just a crush, Mikey. Once she's able to get home, none of this will matter. She'll be in her own dimension and things will finally go back… to normal. What's wrong Mikey?"
"I… are you sure that's what she said?"
"Yes, and for some reason she thought I should know. Then she started to talk about how you guys are warriors and deserve better and… I left the room. She was done talking and I was done listening."
Michelangelo hears what April is saying but can only focus certain words. "I don't get it. I thought we…"
"You what?" April asks.
"Nothing." He says quickly. Maybe he didn't understand but he thought Kala and he were on the same page. He had thought she really liked him. He had thought the kiss, his first kiss, and all those kisses he can still feel on his skin, were special. He had thought that all the time Kala had spent in the lab with Donnie was just boring science stuff. He never thought it could have been anything more. He's so confused. Suddenly, a deep, foreign pain in his chest grows. It hurts. He does not like this feeling at all.
"Alright well, let's try to get some sleep. I'm joining you guys for training in the morning."
"Yeah. G'night." Mikey whispers. He sees April turn over and fall silent. He closes his eyes but he can't stop feeling the hollow pit in his chest. He was hurt and confused and… is this anger he feels? He's not used to the angry feeling. But why is he angry? Is he angry at April for telling him? No, she obviously had no idea Mikey was falling hard for Kala. Well, was he mad at Kala? He doesn't know. Maybe she didn't know how much of a milestone kisses were, especially to a mutant turtle like him. Maybe she thinks kisses are the way people of earth say 'dude, your'e awesome.' What if Kala had given her awesome kisses to others? What if she kissed Donatello already?
At that thought Michelangelo knows exactly with whom he is angry. And THAT brother is going to pay!
…
A/N: Yikers! What is Mikey planning? Things are getting a bit tangled. What do you think?