Hi, guys! Got another chapter for you. This is a fun chapter for the most part. Enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything related to "TMNT" nor "Meet the Robinsons." I also do not own Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger," Foreigner's "Jukebox Hero," nor Three Doors Down's "Kryptonite." I own Karena, Lilianna, Ryan, Venus, and Athena.
September 29, 2040 – Todayland, North Montana, USA
KARENA'S POV
"It has been one month since I started student teaching at Todayland High School," I wrote in the journal Franny gave me for my birthday earlier this year. "I absolutely love it! And I am not just saying that because my boyfriend Wilbur is a student in a couple of my classes. Every single one of these students has been very enthusiastic in their work and are full of spirit. I have many friends here at Todayland High.
"Wilbur is a true leader, helping his bandmates perfect their marching routine for their Lord of the Rings medley they will be performing at the homecoming game next week as well as all the competitions they will partake in all of October. This is a big year for Wilbur because he is a senior and due to graduate in May. The homecoming games had happened today, and it was revealed that Wilbur is a homecoming attendant, which means he also has a chance of being voted the homecoming king. I am very excited to see what else he will partake in this year.
"Lilianna, Donnie's daughter, has lots of spirit in her small, muscular body. Lily discovered during tryouts that the other cheerleaders elected her as the new captain, and she was also voted as a homecoming attendant today. She has grown so much ever since we met two years ago. When I first met her, she was a scared little swan who was taken away from her family and just learning about her newfound psychic powers. Now, after successfully completing her vision quest and overcoming her fears, Lily is bold like the sun and calm like the dove. She has an inner strength like no other. Donatello and April have raised her extremely well and are the parents only Wilbur and I could dream of.
"Compared to Lily's dove, her cousin Athena, the daughter of Michelangelo and Renet, is a peacock. To the surprise of all of us, Renet enrolled her daughter here so the latter could be around Lily more often. I very much understand Athena, as I had been away from my own family for three years now. I had moved to the future, leaving my only family, my father, behind. I do not know what has become of him. But ever since Athena first stepped into the school, she has brought another kind of spirit: an energetic one. She has won the hearts of the freshman class, electing her as their student council representative, and she, too, was elected as a homecoming attendant. Lily was her inspiration to try out for cheerleading, and from what I have seen, this was one of the best decisions Athena has made for herself. I know for a fact she will thrive here in Todayland, should her parents allow her to continue attending. Her cousin Lily graduates high school in 2042, and her other two cousins Ryan and Venus are homeschooled with Donnie as their teacher."
I paused, looking at the promise ring Wilbur gave me on our anniversary this past May on the night of prom. I smiled, proud of the man Wilbur has become in a few short years. I remembered our first meeting. I was trying to help Donnie, Raph, and Leo find Mikey while Wilbur was trying to find his dad's teenage self in the future. We ran into other and offered to help each other. Ever since then, I somehow knew Wilbur was in my life to stay because of his wisdom at such a young age. He was thirteen when we met. As of today, he was a seventeen-year-old man, and I say man because he acts like a man more than as a boy.
My mind came back to reality when I heard knocking on the door. I went over to the door and looked through the peephole. I found Renet and Athena waiting patiently, and then I opened the door with a smile on my face.
"Hey! What's up?"
"My mom planned for us to have a shopping spree in Todayland," Athena explained. "We were wondering if you wanted to tag along with us."
"If it's not too much trouble," Renet chimed in with a cheesy smile.
"Sure! Just let me grab my bag."
I went into the bedroom and put on my beige jacket over my red dress. I put on my red pumps and grabbed my red purse, and I left my apartment with Renet and Athena.
New York City, New York, USA
LILIANNA'S POV
"Alright, Mom, what's the game plan?" I asked.
I was in the lair gathered with the females of the family in the living room. I stood around with my cousin Venus, my aunts Karai and Mona Lisa, and my mom. Athena and Auntie Renet were in Todayland shopping with Karena.
"Venus, how much do you know about cooking?" Mom asked.
"In case you haven't noticed, Aunt April, Athena's the cook," Venus answered with a raised eyebrow. "But I can take care of the flowers."
"Did someone mention cooking?" we all heard Uncle Mikey asking as he emerged from the kitchen.
"Mikey, this is a girls-only discussion," Mom replied sweetly.
"No, wait, this may work," I chimed in excitedly. "The… birthday present won't be given out until later tonight."
My mom let out an inaudible sound, telling me that she understood what I was trying to say.
"Shall I make the food and the cake?" Uncle Mikey asked with a big smile. "Today is Mutation Day after all!"
"And Athena's birthday is tomorrow," Mona Lisa reminded him. "We will have lots to celebrate tonight."
"While Uncle Mikey is taking care of the food," Mom chimed back in. "Venus will take care of the flowers. I will go back to the farmhouse to get all the sleeping bags."
"Why don't I do that?" I heard Dad asking from his lab, showing his gap-toothed grin. "I hear today is a big day."
"Yes!" I replied enthusiastically. "That is an amazing idea!"
"Or… I'm staying here," Mom said with hesitance. "Thanks, D! So I guess the rest of us will decorate the lair then. Lily and I will decorate the living room. Mona will decorate the kitchen, and then Karai will decorate the dojo."
"I'll help with that," Uncle Leo chimed in from the dojo with a smile on his face. "I hear it's going to be quite a party."
"Raph, where are you?" Mom yelled. "I know you want in on it!"
"Fine, I'll help you and Lily in the living room!" Uncle Raph yelled from his bedroom. "What's the occasion anyway?"
We all cracked up laughing.
"Athena's birthday," Mom answered.
"Are we SURE it's not for Mutation Day?" Uncle Raph yelled again.
"Positive, Raph!" Mom yelled.
"It's a good thing this party is for Athena. If we heard it was for Venus, we would not be hearing the end of it!"
I couldn't stifle my laughter, and it rang through the room. I could not lie. Hearing Uncle Raphael yell from a different room was hilarious.
"And don't get me started on all the parties Mikey has thrown for Mutation Day!" Uncle Raph continued.
"Don't worry, Raph!" Mom yelled. "We got something even more exciting planned for Mutation Day!"
"What did you plan for us, April?" Uncle Mikey asked from the kitchen.
"We'll explain later!" Mom yelled toward the kitchen.
This time, Venus laughed with me.
"What is this, a yelling contest?" Venus asked with laughter.
"This is one of the reasons why I love our family," I replied, still laughing my heart out.
"Leo, did you want to yell something to us?" Karai teasingly yelled toward the dojo.
"No!" was Uncle Leo's answer.
All of us laughed.
"Well, then I will go up to the surface to grab some teal, blue, and green decorations," Mom proposed. "Karai, would you like to come with?"
"Of course, I will, O'Neil," Auntie Karai replied with a smile.
"Come on, Karai, we're both Hamatos now," Mom said with a smile on her face.
"Maybe so, but neither of us changed our names legally. We could now. After all, the news is out there that the Turtles have children."
"I have learned as a reporter to keep your personal life separate from your work life. That's why I'm known as April O'Neil to the world, but as April Hamato only to our family. What about you?"
"I've never changed my name from Oruku Karai to Hamato Miwa. I was raised as Karai. I thought changing my name to Miwa would have been silly at that point. And besides, Leo's only called me Karai ever since Splinter brought the brain worm out of me."
"Does Ryan know of your history?" Mom asked.
"Yes. He's my son. I trust him enough to know of my history but to keep it discreet. Knowing my history made both of us better people."
"That's fair."
"Well, let's go, April."
I watched my mom and Auntie Karai leaving the lair. Venus eventually retreated to the lab and Auntie Mona went into the kitchen to join Uncle Mikey and our pet Ice Cream Kitty. I was alone in the living room, and I took advantage of my ninjutsu, cheerleading, and Irish dance skills to clean it.
Todayland, North Montana, USA
RENET'S POV
Our day in Todayland started with Karena giving us a tour in her white flying car. The city was so flipping cold! It was nothing like living in New York City. We saw monorails, moving sidewalks, people flying in bubbles, buildings being built in five seconds. It was all a marvel! Cornelius Robinson was just as cool a scientist as my brother-in-law Donatello. I only wished the two scientists would agree about their views on time travel.
Our first stop was a store called Tallie's.
"Oh, this is where Lily gets most of her clothes!" Athena said in awe.
"Mine too," Karena replied with a smile. "Franny gave me my very first dress of the future. The rest came from our cousin Tallulah."
We walked into the store.
"Tallie, it's me, Karena!" Karena yelled.
"I'll be right there!"
We stood around for a few moments before a woman with a city hat covering her short red hair skated over to us.
"Karrie, hi!" Tallulah greeted us. "Now, let's see if I remember your names… Athena, I recognize you."
"It's good to see you, Tallie," Athena replied with a big grin.
"And… Renee, right?"
"Renet," I corrected her. "But you were close!"
"That is a very unique name," Tallulah complimented me. "What does it mean?"
"You know, it was never really clear on what my name means," I explained with a shrug. "In one country, my name means angel. It means dancer in another. According to my former boss Lord Simultaneous, my name means old soul that possesses great wisdom and insight."
"Former boss? What happened?"
"I married Michelangelo and became pregnant with Athena. I had to stay in the year 2025, the year she was born throughout my pregnancy. I could not go back to the year I had come from: 2038. By the time Athena was born, I had learned that I was fired. I received a job at the Temporal, Investigation, Management, and Exploration Agency, TIME for short, and I've been a teacher there since, training new employees the safeties and dangers of time travel. I have not told everybody about this."
"Because you wanted to keep it secret from Donnie and April," Karena replied. "It's been a couple years since you and Donnie had that argument. Maybe he'll be more understanding."
"I've known Donatello for much longer than that. For being open-minded, this is one thing where his mind is made up."
"What about Aunt April?" Athena asked me. "She's really good at keeping secrets."
I hung my head down.
"I suppose I could trust April with this secret," I replied, not feeling very confident.
"And even though I've only known Donnie for a couple of years, I think he would be understanding," Karena encouraged me. "And besides, by keeping this from him, you are assuming he doesn't trust you, which is certainly not the case… I hope."
"Well, Donnie is in New York today, so maybe I can talk to them both afterwards."
"Would it help if I was right here with you?" Karena asked.
"I'm a big girl, Karena," I answered with my cheesy smile. "I'll be fine. But right now, we're here to shop!"
"My birthday's tomorrow," Athena said with a smile on her face.
"Well, happy early birthday, Athena!" Tallulah replied. "I think I have a dress that will look just right on you. Excuse me."
Tallulah disappeared from our sights.
"Does she do this all the time?" I asked Karena.
"Oh yeah," she answered. "She always has dresses for special occasions. She designed Lily's prom dress."
"That was her? Wow!"
"I know, right?" Athena replied excitedly. "She's so talented."
"Thank you!" Tallulah chimed in, carrying a green party dress.
All three of us looked at the dress in awe.
"Oh my gosh, it's beautiful," Athena breathed. "I've got to try this on!"
We followed Athena to the dressing room in the back and she immediately got into one of the stalls. I spent the time wandering about the dressing room, which was big enough to hold at least ten brides, maybe twenty at the most. There was a huge platform in the middle facing three mirrors. After about five minutes, my daughter emerged from her stall and ran up to the platform. Athena admired herself in the mirror, and it looked very clear that she loved the dress.
"Athena, sweetie, may I see?" I asked.
Athena turned around to face us. The green dress had a sweetheart neckline with sleeves that went below the elbow. The front of the skirt was above her knees while the back of the skirt reached her ankles. There was a silver belt that came with the dress.
"That is a beautiful dress," I said sweetly. "How do you feel, Athena?"
"Like this dress was made for me!" Athena answered happily.
"Wow, that dress fits you more than I ever imagined," Tallulah chimed in with a proud smile on her face.
"Maybe you can wear that to the party tonight," Karena said.
I let out a loud gasp and quickly covered Karena's mouth.
"What party?" Athena asked, her smile fading away.
"The Mutation Day party we're holding for your dad and uncles," I quickly answered.
Athena shrugged.
"I could do that. Or even better, I can wear this tomorrow for my birthday."
"You could do that," I replied. "But there's nothing wrong with wearing a dress two days in a row."
"Really?" Athena asked, putting the smile back on her face.
"Really," I answered, so happy that I was able to hold off the surprise.
"Tallulah, may I keep the dress on?" Athena asked the seamstress.
"Sorry, Athena, I have to check it out," Tallulah answered.
"But after we pay for the dress, we can head back to my apartment so you can change into it," Karena proposed.
"That sounds like a good idea," Athena replied.
"So is green your favorite color?"
"It's teal, actually. But green is a good color on me."
"I'm actually following you girls to the lair tonight for Mutation Day," Karena said.
I felt relieved Karena didn't try to give away the surprise again. Athena walked back into the stall to change back into her orange jumpsuit, and then we went up to the counter to pay for the dress. To our surprise, we found a silver pair of shoes with it.
"Karena, did we look at shoes?" I asked our friend.
"No, we didn't."
"The shoes are on me," Tallulah said, and we both let out a gasp. "When I took Athena's measurements last spring, I kept note of them, and since she's the birthday girl, I thought these shoes would be perfect for her. You just have to pay for the dress."
"You totally did not have to do this," I replied with a smile.
"We're not just the richest family in the world," Tallulah explained, returning the smile. "We're also one of the kindest. Please enjoy your birthday, Athena."
"I sure will," Athena replied with a big smile. "Thank you so much!"
The three of us walked out of the shop, and Athena squealed with joy.
"This may be the best birthday ever! But today is Mutation Day. I should be home with Dad and my uncles."
"Well, right now, let's get you changed into that dress," I told her. "I have a feeling Karena isn't ready to go to the lair yet. There's still plenty of daytime left."
New York City, New York, USA
DONATELLO'S POV
I drove up to the farmhouse to collect the various sleeping bags April and I had collected over the years since our first stay in 2014. It was a very pleasant day to drive with the trees turning colors. The temperature was also high enough to where I rolled down the window to feel the air on my face. I kept the window down for the drive home after the half hour I spent collecting the sleeping bags.
I chuckled to myself as I drove. I knew the girls were planning a party. Today was Mutation Day. My brothers and I were once ordinary turtles on this day in 1997 when our owner, Hamato Yoshi, got into a fight with a man who would eventually be revealed to be an alien robot belonging to the Kraang. Our jar cracked into a pile of mutagen, transforming the four of us to become humanoid turtles. Hamato Yoshi raised us ever since his mutation into a humanoid rat. Every year since then was a day of celebration. My wife April had celebrated with us for the first time in 2013. The following year, we made a new friend, Casey Jones, and he joined in on the celebration. April and Casey celebrated with us, and then in 2017, we celebrated Mutation Day for the first time without our sensei and father. Afterwards, it was not a big deal until Lily was born and Karai was pregnant with Ryan in 2024. We decided to fully celebrate Mutation Day again because the next generation was born, and our existence was why our children were in our lives.
But perhaps the Mutation Day to remember was in 2025. Venus had joined us in August that year, and Renet was very pregnant with Athena. Renet had ended up in labor during the party. Her labor had gotten so intense that Mikey and I were the only ones in the lair with Renet. Everyone else had taken the children with them on a late night patrol. Renet had attempted to deliver her daughter naturally, but when the baby had started to crown, I noticed the head was turning blue. I ended up performing an emergency Caesarean surgery to save both Renet's and the baby's lives. Mikey was the first to gaze at his daughter before Renet woke up and immediately named her Athena.
I smiled when I returned to the lair, very excited to be able to celebrate another Mutation Day as well as Athena's birthday. I parked the Party Wagon in the garage and entered the lair through my lab. I decided to check up on Venus to see how she was doing with the flowers.
"Hey, Venus!" I greeted her with my gap-toothed grin.
"Hey, Uncle Donnie," Venus replied while finishing her bouquet of daisies.
"The flower arrangements are coming along nicely," I complimented her.
"Thanks. This is the last of it."
I put a smirk on my face. I thought of an idea.
"Listen, Venus. Do you have any idea what this is for?"
"The girls are having a slumber party while the guys go to a concert."
My smirk disappeared. I was confused.
"Guys? Ryan's the only kid. Does he have a date?"
Venus's head shot up.
"Ew, no!" she answered in disgust. "Ryan's going with you guys."
"We are taking Ryan to a concert?" I asked. "Who knows about this?"
"Aunt April and Lily. The slumber party is a surprise for Athena. And I really need to stop talking now."
My smirk returned. I needed to have a talk with my wife.
"Thank you very much for this information, Venus."
I kissed her on the cheek.
"Please don't do that again," Venus told me, finishing another bouquet to put in a vase.
I let out a chuckle, and then I made my way to the living room.
"Hey, April!" I said sweetly.
April and Lily turned around with awkward looks on their faces.
"Lily, I think it's time for us to vamoose," April whispered to our daughter.
I did a series of flips to land in front of them and in front of the dojo.
"Surprise party, huh?" I asked with a smirk.
"Ah, sewer apples!" April exclaimed quietly.
"Mom, you might as well tell him," Lily said.
"I guess so, Lily."
April let out a sigh.
"Ever since you told us you wanted to see Three Doors Down, Lily and I can up with the idea of getting tickets for you and the guys to go to your first concert for Mutation Day. We decided Ryan and Wilbur would like to go with you guys."
"Meanwhile, while you guys are gone, we would throw a surprise slumber party for Athena to celebrate her birthday," Lily explained. "Hence the sleeping bags."
I let out a few gentle laughs.
"Why didn't you tell me this from the beginning? I would have been able to help you more."
"We wanted it to be a surprise, Dad," Lily answered with a smile.
"I know Athena's going to be really excited about the slumber party," I replied, kissing her forehead. "But the concert is not something to be kept a secret. I can speak for all my brothers when I say that is going to be the most exciting thing to ever happen to us... I mean asides from having our children."
"Oh, D..."
"Donnie? April? May I speak to you alone?"
We broke the hug and turned towards Renet.
"Auntie Renet?" Lily asked with surprise in her voice. "Where's Athena?"
"She's still with Karena."
"I'll set up the sleeping bags," Lily told us. "Thanks for getting them, Dad."
After Lily gave us both a kiss on the cheek, she went into my lab to retrieve the sleeping bags. April and I followed Renet into my bedroom.
"What's up, Renet?" April asked with a compassionate smile.
"You look nervous," I noted, putting my right hand on my chin. "Is everything alright?"
"I've been hiding things from you both because I was scared of how you would react, Donnie."
"Renet, whatever you have to say stays in this room, alright?" I tried assuring her with a kind smile.
"I was scared to tell you because of your feelings on time travel," Renet explained. "When I became pregnant with Athena, Lord Simultaneous found out. By the time I was ready to return to work, he had fired me. Since then, I have been a teacher at the TIME agency, just down the street from Channel 6 News."
April and I glanced at each other, then we smiled at each other. We shared our smiles with Renet.
"We're not mad at you, Renet," April assured her.
"We wouldn't have been mad," I assured our sister-in-law. "I would have been angry for a moment, but let's look at the bigger picture. You were fired for starting a family in the past. And that wasn't fair. I'm actually very thrilled that TIME hired you for your wisdom and knowledge of time travel."
Renet looked at both of us with surprise on her face.
"I would have expected you to lecture me on time travel, Donnie. You're really okay with this?"
"It's not up to me, Renet," I answered, giving her a confident smile. "You did what you needed to do because you had just become a mother."
"I would have done the same thing," April chimed in.
"And April, I was scared of telling you because I know you," Renet explained with her head hung down. "You would have told Donnie right away because he's your husband."
"Oh, Renet, is that what you think of me as a news reporter?" April asked with a frown. "Did you really think I would gossip?"
"You wouldn't have?" Renet asked.
"No," April answered, now with a smile. "Well, sure, I would have told Donnie, but that's because he's my husband and I trust him."
"And Renet, I know my wife," I chimed in. "April would never gossip about her friends and family. She only reports the truth, which sets her apart from other reporters. And that's why she's the best."
Renet blew a sigh of relief.
"Renet, despite my feelings of time travel, I am really happy you have found a career with TIME," I continued. "And you're family. We're not here to judge you."
Renet hugged me and April, and we hugged her back.
"Karena was right to have faith in you, Donnie," she said with a smile. "Thank you for not freaking out."
"Thank you for telling us the truth," April replied.
"Speaking of the truth, I should tell the guys what's really going on," I said.
KARENA'S POV
Athena and I used the Kraang portal to return to New York City... only to find ourselves hearing an argument.
"I'm just saying, Father, I wish one of you guys would ASK me if I wanted to go to a rockin' concert or a stinkin' slumber party!"
"That's Venus," Athena said out loud. "Wow, you don't hear an argument between those two often."
"That slumber party is for your cousin!" Raph yelled.
"Yeah, well, the concert is for you and the guys in the family! I'm tired of all the stereotyping in this family!"
"That stereotyping you are describing is you making excuses!"
"Father, I'm not a girly-girl! I'm a tomboy! And I want to go to the concert!"
"Okay, I am NOT going to be the one stuck at a party with all girls!" we heard Ryan shouting.
"Oh boy," Athena said out loud, shaking her head.
"How much do you wanna bet Leo is in this conversation too?" I asked. "I'm gonna text Donnie."
"And I don't think Wilbur wants that either," Leo said.
"Yep," Athena and I said at the same time.
"Donnie, Athena and I are back, but we didn't want to interrupt anything," I texted him. "Your older brothers are fighting with their children."
In that moment, Donnie and April emerged from their bedroom and went next door.
"HEY!" I heard Donnie shout. "Let's knock it off RIGHT NOW."
"ATHENA is here!" April shouted.
"Uh-oh," Leo said with guilt in his voice.
"Good job, guys," April reprimanded them. "Because of your fighting, we ruined the surprise for Athena."
"Okay, let's all just STOP FIGHTING," Donnie snapped. "We're all here. Let's just go and surprise Athena with however much surprise we have left. Afterwards, we'll leave for the concert. Venus, we promise to take pictures for you guys, okay?"
"It's not really a surprise anymore," Athena said in a depressing tone. "Excuse me."
"Athena!" I yelled out.
I heard Athena sniffle as she ran out of the lair.
"SURPRISE!" the entire Hamato family yelled out with happy voices.
"Wait, where's Athena?" Renet asked. "Karena, where did she go?"
"She just ran off," I answered gloomily. "We both heard the fight."
"Oh no," Donnie replied, hanging his head down. "I think I said too much."
"She can't have gone far in her silver shoes," Renet said. "We need to go after her. Lily?"
Lily put one hand on her head and the other was stretched out.
"I've got her scent! Follow me!"
All of us followed Lily out of the lair. We heard Athena crying up ahead.
"Athena, wait!" Lily called out. "Dad, you're good at comforting people. Come on!"
I watched as Donnie and Lily ran ahead of us.
LILIANNA'S POV
Dad and I continued following Athena to the old subway tunnels. I heard her weeping to Aerosmith's "Dream On" on an old subway car.
"Athena?" I called out. "It's me, Lily. And my dad's with me."
"Everything is going to be alright, Athena," Dad tried to soothe her.
We entered the subway car, and then Athena turned to face us.
"I was having such a good day," Athena explained with some sniffles. "And then hearing that there was a surprise birthday party for me, and from an argument no less,... it hurts."
Dad and I hugged my cousin together.
"Athena, I am so sorry," Dad said with a sad face. "Aunt April and Lily were trying to make the party go off without a hitch, and I just had to put my nose in it."
"No, Dad, this was my fault," I replied. "Mom and I should have trusted you with everything. We wanted to surprise you with the concert."
"And now Venus is angry because she would rather go to the concert than a slumber party," Athena wailed. "It's Mutation Day, for crying out loud. Why can't everyone get along?"
Dad and I shared a glance.
"I didn't think about Venus," I confessed. "And her birthday was last month. I think we took her for granted."
"Lily, this isn't your fault," Dad soothed me, putting his hands on my shoulders. "Venus is not one for big parties. That's probably why she didn't want to go to the slumber party. That's like..."
Dad paused, doing some counting with his fingers and his mind.
"Eight girls there."
"That doesn't even sound like too big a crowd," I replied. "If it's not the size of the party, then I wonder what her problem is."
"Venus said that she is a tomboy and not a girly-girl," Athena explained. "I don't care about the theme. I just want to celebrate with all of you! And today is a celebration for you, Uncle Donnie. It should be your party, not mine."
"I have an idea," I chimed in. "There's a game called Heads-Up. I think it might be a game Venus would enjoy. It's kind of like charades. But you're trying to throw clues to the person holding the phone instead of acting it out. Though you could act if you wanted to."
"That's a good idea," Dad replied with a smile. "But Athena, I think it would also help if you talked to Venus and let her know how much you want her there at the party."
"Dad's right," I said with confidence. "If you are able to convince all of your classmates to vote for you to be their student council representative, then you can convince Venus to join your party."
Athena gave me a small smile.
"You make it sound easy, Lily."
"That's because it is! You are overthinking this, Athena. Just be yourself."
"What do you say, Athena?" Dad asked, showing his gap-toothed smile. "Shall we go back to the lair and talk to Venus?"
"Yeah, let's do it," Athena answered.
ATHENA'S POV
I knocked on the door to Uncle Raph's room and let myself in.
"Hey, Venus," I greeted her with a smile.
"Hey, Athena," Venus replied, sitting up on the bed with a guilty look on her face. "Look, I'm really sorry for ruining your party. I was only thinking about myself."
"No, no, it's not your fault, Venus," I assured her. "I don't think this was planned very well. The intentions were good, but..."
I let out a sigh.
"I overheard the argument when Karena and I came to the lair. And I agree with you. I think Aunt April and Lily should have asked you if you'd rather come to the slumber party or to go to the concert with our dads."
"Dad told me the concert was Aunt April's surprise present for the boys," Venus replied. "But I had no idea the slumber party was for you until Aunt April revealed you were here. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Uncle Donnie and Lily found me and helped me. Look, I know you don't want to be at the slumber party because it's more girly, but hey, we're ninjas. We're above stereotypes, and we don't let stereotypes define us. I want to have fun at my own party, and I want you there with me. You're my cousin and I love you."
Venus smiled.
"I love you too, little cousin. And after doing some thinking, maybe a slumber party isn't a bad idea. I just need to work on thinking about others. I'm thankful my dad got that through to my thick head."
"I promise we're going to have a blast. My dad made all the food. And I get to show off in this dress I got in Todayland!"
"May I see it?" Venus asked.
I stood up and twirled around, revealing my green hi-low dress and silver heels.
"Whoa!" Venus exclaimed in awe. "That is beautiful! I don't like wearing dresses, but I'd totally wear something like that. You look like a princess warrior in that."
I giggled.
"Thanks! Tallulah made this dress. She is the most amazing seamstress."
I paused, realizing that Lily also made some of her own dresses.
"I mean, she is the second-most amazing seamstress after Lily."
"It just dawned on me that Ryan completed his vision quest over the summer," Venus replied. "We're going to have to do ours too. We're both fifteen now."
"That's right," I said in realization. "Hopefully Uncle Leo won't send us in the winter like he did with Lily."
"I don't think he will. He sent Ryan in May. Maybe we'll be sent in March or something like that."
We paused to smile at each other.
"So you'll come to the party for sure?" I asked.
"Yeah, and besides, Uncle Donnie promised me they'd take pictures at the concert."
"Let's go greet the others then."
I held out my hand, and Venus took it. We walked out of Uncle Raph's room when suddenly...
"SURPRISE!"
I let out a loud gasp, and I laughed. I did not think I would be surprised after everything that happened. But my amazing family still found a way to make it work.
"Happy Mutation Day, Leo, Mikey, Raph, and Donnie!" Karena yelled out excitedly.
"And happy birthday to my dearest Athena!" Dad yelled happily.
"Thanks, Dad," I said with a teary smile.
"We only have time for cake," Aunt April announced. "And then the guys need to head to Todayland for the concert!"
I felt a tap on my shoulder, and I turned around to see Wilbur.
"Wilbur!" I yelled excitedly. "You made it!"
I hugged him, and he hugged me back.
"It looks absolutely amazing in here," Wilbur said with a big smile on his face. "Happy birthday, Athena."
Wilbur handed me a small gift. I could not wait to open it, and so I did. Inside the wrapping paper was a jewelry box, and I opened the box to see a necklace with an emerald "A" pendant.
"Wilbur, this is beautiful! May I put it on?"
"Sure. Do you need help?"
"I think I got it."
I was successfully able to put the necklace on. Then, Wilbur and I joined the family for cake. My dad had made the most delicious orange cake with vanilla frosting, and it was well liked by the family.
"Mikey, I don't know whose cake I like better," Wilbur said "Yours or my grandma's."
"Thanks! I've been practicing ever since I made cake with algae and worms twenty-eight years ago."
"Algae... and worms?" Wilbur asked with disgust.
"I had to go to the bakery to grab the cake every year for a while," Aunt April explained. "Then Mikey made our wedding cake, and it was a better cake than any bakery could make."
Shortly after everyone ate their slice of cake, my dad and my uncles left for Todayland with Ryan and Wilbur. Karena remained in the lair to have fun with us during the slumber party.
"April, have you ever had a slumber party here before?" Karena asked.
"Actually, no," Aunt April answered. "I lived in the sewers for some time because both the Kraang and Shredder were after me. Some time later, the Kraang had actually invaded Earth and we were forced to relocate to the farmhouse where Donnie and I live now with Lily. And then the six of us: me, the Turtles, and Casey, had quite the adventure in space. But all of this was no slumber party. This is the first slumber party we've ever had, though at times, it does feel like one when all twelve of us are in the lair."
"So, Athena, what should we do first?" Lily asked eagerly.
"Well, you suggested we play Heads-Up," I answered with a big smile. "So let's do it!"
"How does this game work?" Venus asked.
"So one of us has to hold the phone up against our heads," Aunt April explained. "And the rest of us have to give that person clues. The person holding the phone has to guess the answer. If the answer is correct, we'll let that person know, and the person flips the phone down for the next clue. If he or she doesn't know, then that person will flip the phone up for the next clue."
"Can we have a demonstration, please?" Auntie Mona asked.
"Sure! Athena, you're the birthday girl. Would you like to go first?"
"Sure!"
"Okay."
"I think it may be best to use my phone," Karena suggested. "I've played this game with my friends and the Robinsons quite a few times. It's a fantastic game at parties."
"That makes sense," Aunt April replied.
"Athena, just find the deck that you think you'd do the best in," Karena told me.
I looked through her phone and found a "Big Bang Theory" deck, and tapped it. The screen then turned blue with the words Place on Forehead on it.
"Is this a clue?" I asked, showing the phone to Karena, who laughed.
"Place the phone on your forehead," she replied.
"Oh! Gotcha, so I gotta guess what you all are trying to say?"
"Exactly," Mom answered.
"Okay, let's try this."
I put the phone on my forehead with the screen facing my family.
"Sheldon's mom," Aunt April told me.
"Mary," I answered.
"No, who is the actress?" Lily asked me.
"Laurie Metcalf."
"Yep!"
I flipped the phone down.
"The science that Sheldon absolutely hates," Karena said.
"Geology?" I guessed.
"Yep!"
I flipped the phone down. Then my family looked at me in confusion.
"You can't describe it?" I asked.
"We need Donnie for this!" Aunt April said with laughter.
I flipped the phone up, and my family was still confused.
"Flip up," Venus told me.
I flipped the phone up again.
"Uncle Donnie's a doctor in this," Venus told me.
"Biology."
"Yep!"
"Lily wants to be this someday," Karena said.
"Psychologist?"
"The other one," Aunt April told me.
"Psychiatrist?"
"Yep."
"My dad has this degree," Lily said.
"Ph.D?"
"Yep!"
Just as I flipped the phone down, the timer buzzed. We all laughed.
"How did we get from Big Bang Theory to Donatello the Ninja Turtle?" Aunt April asked.
"Now I wonder if there's a deck that talks about us," Lily replied.
I scrolled down the deck to see if there was one.
"It doesn't look like it," I replied. "But there's a Lord of the Rings deck in here."
"Ooh!" Lily exclaimed. "I wanna try that!"
"I guess that means Lily's the next volunteer?" Karena asked as I handed the phone to her.
"Okay, do your worst!" Lily told us.
"Lily, do not use your psychic powers," Aunt April sternly warned her.
"Don't worry, Mom, I won't."
We waited until Lily was ready, and then the game began.
"Gandalf's horse," Karena yelled out.
"Shadowfax," Lily answered.
"Yep."
Lily flipped the phone down.
"Gimli's actor."
"John Rhys-Davies."
"Saruman's sidekick, the one who turns Theoden-"
"Grima Wormtongue."
"Arwen uses this body of water to attack the Nazgul."
"Huh?" Lily asked with a confused look on her face.
"Pass," Karena said, and Lily flipped the phone up. "Gandalf yells this to the Balrog."
"You shall not pass!" Lily shouted and flipped the phone down.
"Elrond's home."
"Rivendell," Lily answered just as the timer went off.
"The Arwen one was a river," Karena explained.
"Oh my gosh!" Lily exclaimed.
"That was really good!" I complimented Lily and Karena. "You two work extremely well together."
"Thanks!" they both replied.
We started taking turns using Karena's phone to play the game.
Todayland, North Montana, USA
WILBUR'S POV
"April picked really good seats for us," Donatello said once the six of us were settled. "We should hear the acoustics pretty well."
"Wilbur, have you ever been to a concert before?" Leo asked me.
"Nah," I answered. "They weren't really my thing back in the day."
"What?!" Ryan asked with shock in his voice. "Really?"
"Really. I just wanted to take the time machine to the past to relive the experience."
Suddenly, there was a fireworks display, and then the music started to play.
"Oh, I recognize this tune!" I yelled excitedly.
"I do, too!" Don replied loudly.
The six of us tapped our feet and clapped our hands to the beat of this band's cover of Eye of the Tiger. Ryan took out his phone and started taking videos to share with his cousin.
"Rising up back on the street," the singer sung into the microphone as the crowd around us cheered. "Did my time, took my chances. Went the distance, now I'm back on my feet. Just a man and his will to survive. So many times it happens too fast. You trade your passion for glory. Don't lose your grip on the dreams of the past. You must fight just to keep them alive."
All six of us cheered and pumped our fists as the chorus began.
"It's the eye of the tiger. It's the thrill of the fight. Rising up to the challenge of our rival. And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night. And he's watching us all with the eye... of the tiger."
"I'm feeling the beat!" Don yelled happily.
"Are we encouraged to dance?" I asked loudly.
"What do you think this is?" Leo asked.
The blue-clad mutant ninja turtle started to dance to the beat.
"I wanna dance, too!" Mikey said.
Leo danced with some air guitar moves while Mikey performed some freestyle moves.
"Face to face out in the heat. Hanging tough, staying hungry. They stack the odds till we take to the street for the kill with the skill to survive. It's the eye of the tiger. It's the thrill of the fight. Rising up to the challenge of our rival. And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night. And he's watching us all with the eye... of the tiger."
Raph and Don had joined their brothers and started to dance. Don had fantastic robo-dance skills while Raph had freestyle moves of his own.
"Best Mutation Day EVER!" Mikey yelled.
"Ryan, look!" I yelled.
Ryan and I both noticed that the people surrounding us were now facing the Turtles and clapped as they danced.
"Rising up straight to the top. Have the guts, got the glory. Went the distance, now I'm not gonna stop. Just a man and his will to survive. It's the eye of the tiger. It's the thrill of the fight. Rising up to the challenge of our rival. And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night. And he's watching us all with the eye... of the tiger."
Ryan and I finally joined his family in the dancing spirit as the cover band performed quite a few guitar riffs to finish the song out.
New York City, New York, USA
KARENA'S POV
"Are you ready, April?"
"Let's do this!" April replied with enthusiasm. "We're doing the USA Road Trip."
"Aww!" most of the family exclaimed.
"You're really putting us at a disadvantage, Aunt April," Venus said with a smirk. "The only ones who have really travelled the country are you, Uncle Donnie, and Lily. We've only gotten a glimpse of life outside of New York."
"I might also have an advantage," I replied. "I've traveled the entire Pacific Coast before."
"Are we ready?" April asked.
"Yeah!" we all answered.
"Lincoln's famous address," Lily spoke.
"Gettysburg," April said.
"Yep."
April flipped her phone down.
"South of Washington and north of California," Athena said.
"Oregon."
"Tallest mountain in the country?" Venus asked.
"Uh..." April hesitated. "I'll pass."
She flipped my phone up.
"Pass," we all spoke. "Pass."
April flipped the phone up twice.
"It's a monument in San Francisco," I said.
"Golden Gate Bridge."
April flipped the phone up.
"South of Oklahoma," Lily said.
"Texas," April answered just as the timer went off. "What did we miss?"
"The tallest mountain was Mount Rainier," Venus revealed.
"Really?" Lily asked. "That doesn't sound right. Hold on."
"Meanwhile, we knew nothing about Denali nor Montezuma Castle," I explained. "So we couldn't give you any clues."
"Four's not bad," April replied with a smile. "But not as good as Lily's game."
"Funny you guys mentioned Denali," Lily chimed in, holding her T-Phone. "Because the tallest mountain in the United States is Denali."
"Oh!" we all exclaimed in awe.
"Okay, my turn," Venus said. "Ooh, Star Wars time."
"Oh, this should be good," Lily said with a grin. "I think we've all seen this thanks to Uncle Leo."
"I've seen it too," I replied. "This may be easy."
Venus put my phone against her forehead, and the game began.
"The Jedi gather here," Lily told her.
"The Jedi Temple," Venus answered and flipped the phone down.
"Darth Vader flies this," Renet said.
"TIE fighter."
"The best Jedi make up the..." I started the sentence.
"Jedi Council."
"Pass," we all said, and Venus flipped the phone up.
"The evil lord in the entire galaxy!" April yelled out.
"Palpatine."
Suddenly, Lily made weird noises from her throat.
"Chewbacca!" Venus yelled, flipping the phone down.
"Female Jedi in the sequels," Lily said excitedly.
"Rey."
"Icy planet," Karai spoke.
"Hoth."
"Sith Lords make up..." Athena started to say.
"The Dark Side," Venus answered as the timer went off.
We all clapped at Lily's perfect impersonation of Chewbacca.
"Well done, Lily," Venus complimented her.
"How did you do that?" Athena asked with surprise in her voice.
"I am a woman of many talents," Lily boasted with pride in her voice.
"So, what all did we miss?" Venus asked.
"The only one we missed was that Salamander dude," Athena said.
Venus glanced at the phone.
"Salacious B. Crumb?"
"Yep, that's it."
Venus typed the name in on the phone, and she put on a look of surprise.
"That's the name of that lizard-hyena species that's always next to Jabba the Hutt," she explained.
"It has a name?" Lily and I asked at the same time.
"So wait, how many did you get, Venus?" Renet asked.
"Eight!"
We all clapped.
"That's the new record for tonight," Lily announced.
"We all did amazing!" I said excitedly.
"Alright, who's next?" Venus asked.
Todayland, North Montana, USA
DONATELLO'S POV
We heard the bass and drums playing the beat.
"This is my favorite song!" Ryan yelled excitedly as he bopped his head.
"Standing in the rain with his head hung low," the singer sang. "Couldn't get a ticket. It was a sold out show."
"Good choice!" I yelled in response, recognizing Foreigner's Jukebox Hero.
Upon recognizing the song, all six of us bopped our heads to the beat.
"Heard the roar of the crowd. He could picture the scene. Put his ear to the wall, then like a distant scream, he heard one guitar. Just blew him away. Saw stars in his eyes. And the very next day, bought a beat-up six-string in a secondhand store. Didn't know how to play it. But he knew for sure that one guitar felt good in his hands. Didn't take long to understand. Just one guitar slung way down low was a one way ticket. Only one way to go. So he started rocking. Ain't never gonna stop. Gotta keep on rocking. Someday, gonna make it to the top."
"And be a jukebox hero!" all six of us sang along. "Got stars in his eyes. He's a jukebox hero."
"He took one guitar!" I sang my heart out.
"Jukebox hero," the rest of us sang. "Got stars in his eyes."
"Jukebox hero," I sang. "He'll come alive tonight."
"Go, Donnie!" Raph encouraged me.
"In a town without a name," the singer continued. "In a heavy downpour, thought he passed his own shadow by the backstage door. Like a trip through the past to that day in the rain. And that one guitar made his whole life change. Now he needs to keep a-rocking. He just can't stop. Gotta keep on rocking! That boy has got to stay on top."
"And be a jukebox hero!" we all sang again. "Got stars in his eyes. He's a jukebox hero. Got stars in his eyes."
"Yeah, jukebox hero!" I sang again.
"Got stars in his eyes," the rest of us sang.
"With that one guitar," I sang. "He'll come alive, come alive tonight!"
Then came a guitar solo.
"Donnie, April has probably given us the best gift possible," Raph yelled over the guitar.
"We don't often act like teenagers anymore," Leo explained. "But tonight gave us a chance to relive our teenage lives."
"Yeah, at a concert, no less!" Mikey yelled. "Tell her she's the best for us, D!"
I laughed. They were right. While I sang along, I felt like my teenage self again with my young voice. I never believed that I could sing like that ever since I was a teenager. My voice had cracked when we had started going topside, and by the time we had returned to New York from the farmhouse, my voice had gotten slightly deeper. Leo had the most dramatic change in his voice due to the damage he sustained from the Shredder. Raph's voice never changed, although he did gain a Brooklyn accent from his job. Mikey's voice had also gone slightly deeper, but not as deep as my voice did. Whenever he wanted to, he could sound like his teenage self.
"Yeah, he's gotta keep a-rocking," the singer continued after the guitar solo ended. "He just can't stop. Gotta keep on rocking! That boy has got to stay on top."
"And be a jukebox hero!" we all sang once more with Ryan videotaping the entire thing. "Got stars in his eyes. He's a jukebox hero. Got stars in his eyes."
"And just one guitar," I sang as my brothers, Ryan, and Wilbur continued singing. "Put stars in his eyes."
"Now he's just a jukebox hero," we all sang.
I pointed a finger to Mikey with a big gap-toothed grin.
"You can do it, Mikey!"
"Jukebox hero!" Mikey sang in a higher octave. "He's a jukebox hero!"
"Whoo!" we all exclaimed happily.
"He's got stars in his eyes!" Mikey sang proudly.
"Stars in his eyes!" we all sang.
And just like that the song ended, and we all burst into applause.
New York City, New York, USA
APRIL'S POV
Renet carried possession of the phone this time.
"We're going to do the Just Kidding deck," Renet announced.
"I think Uncle Mikey would love you," Lily replied.
"We'll see how easy this is," Karena said. "We all did really well with Star Wars."
"Alright, here we go!" Renet announced, and this game began.
"This has many colors," Lily explained. "Often appears in the sky when both the sun and rain are present."
"Rainbow," Renet answered, flipping the phone down.
"April's hair color!" Karena shouted.
"Red."
"Donnie's profession!" I said excitedly.
"Teacher."
Lily, Venus, and Athena all made vacuum-like noises.
"Vacuum," Renet said, flipping the phone down.
"The Turtles' skin color," Karena said excitedly.
"Green."
"Your favorite thing to cuddle with when you're in bed," Athena said.
"Blanket."
"The search engine on the internet we all know and love," Lily explained.
"Google."
"You wear these on your feet before you put on shoes," Karena explained.
"Socks."
Lily made the perfect impersonation of a cat.
"Cat."
"What is Venus and Mona wearing?" I asked.
"Scarf."
"You go to the beach and you make..." Karai started to say.
"Sand castle!" Renet said just as the timer went off.
Renet glanced at the phone.
"New high score!" she said excitedly. "Eleven."
"Okay, that was way too easy," Lily replied. "That deck was named really well."
"I'd like a turn," Karai said with a smile.
Renet handed Karai the phone.
"Oh, I'm excited for this one," Karai said mischievously.
"Which deck are we doing?" I asked.
"Express Yourself," Karai read. "Put your acting skills to the test. You've got to express the feeling on the card, like hungry, confused, dizzy or mischievous to make your teammate correctly guess! For an extra challenge: give clues without talking, only your silent dramatic interpretation!"
"Oh, this should be interesting," Karena replied. "Lily might help Karai ace this one."
"Most of us are kunoichi," I explained. "We'll find out. Go, Karai!"
Karai put the phone on her head, and the rest of us prepared to act. The first word was pain. All of us groaned, clutching a different part of the body.
"Pain," Karai said.
"Yep!" we all replied.
Karai flipped the phone down. The next word was irritated. We made up an argument about who has the better ninja weapons.
"Angry?" Karai asked.
"No!" we all yelled.
"I'm passing!" Karai yelled in return and flipped the phone up.
The next word was eager.
"I want to prove to the entire freshman class that I am the best candidate to be on the student council!" Athena said excitedly
"Eager?" Karai guessed.
"YES!" Athena replied.
Karai flipped the phone down. Next was wide-eyed. We all widened our eyes and pointed to them.
"Wide-eyed?" Karai asked.
We all nodded and she flipped the phone down. Jealous was next.
"Okay, do you remember the time Ryan always made fun of me because I kept beating him?" Lily asked.
"He was jealous of you," Karai replied.
"Yep!" Lily said, pointing a finger at her.
Karai flipped the phone down. Betrayed came on the screeen.
"Hamato Yoshi and Shredder!" I yelled. "They were brothers and then they-"
"Betrayed each other," Karai finished the sentence for me.
I nodded with a smile, and she flipped the phone down. Next was graceful. We all did katas in our position, flowing like a river over stone.
"Graceful," Karai answered.
"Yep!" we all replied.
Karai flipped the phone down. The next word was obnoxious.
"Uncle Raph and his temper," Lily said.
"Angry?" Karai asked.
"Another word for angry," Athena attempted.
"Furious?"
"Pass!" we all said.
Karai flipped the phone up.
"Okay, so we're still on the topic of Raph," Karena tried explaining. "But how would you describe his attitude?"
The girls all flexed their muscles to prove a point.
"Tough?" Karai asked just as the timer went off. "What did we miss?"
Karai looked through the phone.
"Okay, that first argument was not a good example of irritation," Karai explained to us with a raised eyebrow. "Obnoxious was the other one. That is a good word to describe Raph's temper. Although a better example would have been Mikey messing up Donnie's lab all the time."
"My dad would have come up with that one easily," Lily replied. "So, who's next?"
Todayland, North Montana, USA
LEONARDO'S POV
After an hour of amazing rock music, it was time for the encore. The guitar player started to play a series of notes.
"Kryptonite!" Donnie yelled excitedly. "I love this song!"
"I hope this is a dream come true for you," I said with a smile.
"Just hearing this song in concert is enough for a dream come true, Leo," Donnie replied.
"Well, I took a walk around the world to ease my troubled mind," the singer sang. "I left my body lying somewhere in the sands of time. But I watched the world float to the dark side of the moon. I feel there's nothing I can do, yeah."
I watched Donnie jamming out to the song. Raph and Mikey were bopping their heads while Wilbur and Ryan started to dance.
"I watched the world float to the dark side of the moon. After all, I knew it had to be something to do with you. I really don't mind what happens now and then, as long as you'll be my friend at the end."
"If I go crazy, then will you still call me Superman?" Donnie sang along. "If I'm alive and well, will you be there holding my hand? I'll keep you by my side with my superhuman might. Kryptonite."
"I knew Mikey could sing," Raph said loudly. "But Donnie?"
"Now I know where Lily got her voice from," I replied. "Donnie is quite the singer."
"You called me strong, you called me weak," Donnie continued singing. "But still your secrets I will keep. You took for granted, all the times I never let you down. You stumbled in and bumped your head. If not for me, then you'd be dead. I picked you up and put you back on solid ground. If I go crazy, then will you still call me Superman? If I'm alive and well, will you be there holding my hand? I'll keep you by my side with my superhuman might. Kryptonite."
We all started dancing when the guitar solo started, and once the singer started singing the chorus again, we all sang along the best we could. It was the best ending to Mutation Day any of us could ask for.
New York City, New York, USA
LILIANNA'S POV
"Just Auntie Mona and Karena left," Mom announced. "Which one of you would like to go next?"
"I'll go," Auntie Mona answered, taking the phone from Karai. "Let's do Bucket List."
"Very good choice," Karena replied.
Auntie Mona put the phone on her forehead, and we started to throw out clues.
"Venus does this in Dad's lab," I said.
"Has a garden."
"Yep!"
Auntie Mona flipped her phone down.
"Every actor's dream," Athena said.
Mona flipped the phone up to pass.
"Okay, we can possibly see these from here," I started.
"They are green lights in a northern sky," Venus finished.
Mona flipped the phone up again.
"You're on the Ferris wheel--"
Karena clasped her hands over her mouth. She had almost revealed the Kiss on the Ferris Wheel card.
"Pass it, Mother," Venus told her.
"Okay, remember the trip to that icy moon when our ships crashed?" Mom asked. "We were trying to find irillium to repair them."
"We climbed a mountain," Auntie Mona answered.
"Yep!"
Auntie Mona flipped the phone down.
"Okay, Raph, Leo, Mikey, and Donnie were trying to fight the Shredder," Mom explained again. "And they were chased by henchmen. They were heading towards a cliff--"
"MOM!" I yelled. "Pass that one."
All of us pretended to play an instrument.
"Playing a musical instrument?" Auntie Mona asked.
We all pointed at her in affirmation, and she flipped the phone down.
"Okay, I make sweets with Uncle Mikey," Athena explained. "And I want to sell these sweets to people someday."
"Open a bakery?" Auntie Mona asked.
"Yep!"
Auntie Mona flipped the phone just as the timer went off.
"Yikes," Venus said, biting her lip. "Alright, Mother. Every actor's dream is to win an Oscar. The next one, which I'm totally surprised I didn't give away, was to see the Northern Lights. Karena almost revealed a kiss on top of the Ferris Wheel. Aunt April almost revealed diving off a cliff."
"I believe it's Karena's turn," Auntie Mona said, giving her the phone.
"Karena, what do you wanna do?" I asked with a smile.
"I want to see if I can beat you with the Lord of the Rings category," she answered with a wink, putting her own phone on her forehead.
"The first movie in the trilogy," I said.
"The Fellowship of the Ring," Karena answered correctly.
"The place where Frodo is stabbed by the Nazgûl."
"Weathertop."
"Elves, dwarves, men, and hobbits make up this."
"Free Peoples of Middle-Earth."
"Sam uses this to drive Shelob away."
"The Phial of Galadriel."
"Sam and Frodo use Elven rope to go spelunking down a what?"
"Cliff."
"Galadriel's husband."
"Celeborn."
"Moria has these things that contain mithril."
"Mines."
"Moria is inhabited by which race?"
"Dwarves."
"The ringbearer of this trilogy."
"Frodo Baggins."
The timer went off. We all cheered at our teamwork.
"Very impressive, Karena!" Mom commended her. "How many was that?"
"Nine!" Karena exclaimed excitedly, giving me a high-five.
"Auntie Renet's still winning with that kid's deck," Venus said.
"We're back!" we heard Uncle Mikey announce.
"Hi, guys!" I yelled excitedly. "How was the concert?"
"It was absolutely wonderful!" Dad said happily.
"We had an amazing time," Uncle Leo said with a smile. "Thank you for doing this, April."
"It was my pleasure!" Mom replied with a big smile. "But now we need you, Donnie."
"Oh?" Dad replied with intrigue. "What for?"
"You are going to play a Big Bang Theory version of Heads-Up?"
"What did I just walk into?" Dad asked with a chuckle. "Alright, I'll bite. What do I need to do?"
"Just put the phone on your forehead and we'll give you clues," Karena explained. "You have to guess what it is. If it's correct, you flip the phone down. If you don't know or we don't know how to describe it, it's a pass, and you flip the phone up."
"Fair enough."
Karena selected the deck and gave the phone to my dad, who then put it on his forehead.
"I'm ready whenever you are," Dad said with a gap-toothed grin.
"Pass!" we all yelled.
"Well, that didn't last long," Dad replied, flipping the phone up.
"Okay, this is an instrument used to measure results," I explained.
"It's a graph."
"Yep!"
Dad flipped the phone down.
"Your favorite movie," Mom chimed in.
"The Lord of the Rings."
"The actor who plays Leonard," Karena said.
"Johnny Galecki."
"Ooh!" Uncle Mikey exclaimed excitedly. "Subatomic what?"
"Particles."
"Uh..." we all said with uncertainty.
"Sounds like a pass," Dad said, flipping the phone up.
"My favorite school subject," Uncle Leo chimed in.
"History."
"Penny's second job," Karena said.
"Pharmaceutical Representative."
"SOH-CAH-TOA," I said.
"Trigonometry."
"Sheldon's girlfriend," Mom said.
"Amy Farrah Fowler."
Just as my dad flipped the phone down, the timer went off.
"How did I do?" Dad asked.
"Pretty good, D," Mom answered.
"Huh, you couldn't describe Brian Greene or Zork. But I got eight answers. Pretty good."
"That's definitely better than when Athena tried that same category," I replied.
"Yeah, we kept using you as an example the first time," Mom explained.
"Okay, that's funny," Dad replied with a chuckle. "Which answers?"
"Biology and Ph.D. We used Lily for Psychiatrist."
"Well, this was fun," Dad told us. "But this is your party. I'm gonna turn in. Have a good time!"
"Good night, everyone!" Uncle Mikey yelled.
"Happy birthday, Athena!" Uncle Raph told my cousin.
"Happy Mutation Day, Uncle Raph," Athena replied with a smile.
"Oyasumi, kodomo-tachi," Uncle Leo told us.
My cousins and I stood up and bowed.
"Good night, sensei," we all replied.
We watched the Turtles retreat to their rooms while us girls stayed awake.
"What next, Athena?" Karena asked.
"How about Never Have I Ever?" Athena asked.
We all nodded in agreement.
"Athena, as the birthday girl, you go first," Mom suggested.
"Never have I ever climbed out a window," Athena said with a smile.
I groaned, putting one finger down. My mom, Karena, Auntie Karai, and Auntie Renet also put their fingers down.
"Lily, your turn," Athena encouraged me.
"Have I got one for you," I said with a smirk. "Never have I ever edited my selfies."
"UGH!"
Everyone except for Auntie Mona put a finger down. We continued playing games throughout the night, and I felt happy tonight was such a success.