The weekend wasn't pleasant. Let's recap. Me and Los Tortuga Locas figured out yokai has been living in New York City for way longer before we exist. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if they were scattered throughout the world. We met Big Mama (the yokai mob boss) and her son, Xander; Leo almost married into the spider fam; we caught all the oozequitoes only for them to be released by Baron Draxum; and the pièce de résistance, we got a bombshell of info: Barry was the one who mutated Leo and his brothers to what they are today. After that fiasco, we parted ways. I wanted to console Leo since he went through such an improv performance, however, I pulled back and let him be with his family. Raph told us he managed to unleash his mystic powers and beat Mama's Boy. Donnie and Mikey defeated Big Mama by tasting her own medicine (she was encased in her webs). I thought about doubling back to find Mama's Boy to pee on his body, but Leo glared stopping me from doing so.

It was Monday night. I was in my room in my tank top and boxers with my hair in a tiny high ponytail. I was studying for my Chemistry test tomorrow. It was quiet. I wanted to take a break to get myself a snack. I thought about calling Leo and checking to see how he was doing. Then, a memory flashed. I remembered Oroku Saki and his mission to get together with his true love, Misa, which I haven't told Leo. Spoiler alert, he's Misa reincarnation or something like that. After that, I thought about Oroku mentioning us being soulmates. Finally, my brain buzzed.

I admitted Leo's cute! And what Mikey said about us having a strong bond did sound plausible. However, I couldn't help but feel like I was meant to be by the slider's side.

FUCK!

I slammed my head on my desk. I'm getting too attached. I'm already in October's final week before heading to November. And my seventeenth birthday is in mid-January. I'm short on time. I'm attached to Leonardo. No, I'm attracted to Leonardo Hamato and I'm scared of losing him. I'm afraid of losing of what we have and the time we have left. I leaned my head back; my back arched on my rolling chair. Would my life be the same if I haven't met Leo? I reconnected with exes both real and fake, I went on adventures I never expected to be caught in, and powers I never thought I had. All because I saved a furry yokai. That very furball led me to Leo.

How am I going to break the news to him?

Will I be able to escape my fate?

My eyes shot open. What if I can?

I could change my identity; create a separate banking account; I'll relive a new life. I'm certain my aunt could help me out. It'll take some time, but I bet I can finish my work before the due date.

A thought made me pause.

Would Leo run away with me?

It's a giant leap. Let's plan first. I started writing a list in my notebook. I was on step three when a portal appeared beside me. I quickly looked to see Leo popping his head out. "Come quick! I need you!" before I could say a word, Leo dragged me through the portal, and I handed in a pillow mountain.

I popped myself out of the fluffy barrage. "What the fuck!" I yelled. I looked around at my surroundings. It looked like I was in the Turtles' home and April was also there. Don't know why; don't really care.

"Merrill, settle an argument", Leo ordered me.

My eyebrow twitched. "You dragged me out of my study time just to pick a fucking side?" I stood up straightening myself out.

"Yep. Besides whatever you're studying for you can ace it in your sleep." I rolled my eyes. Sure I can, as long as I memorize the key points for my Chemistry test.

"Couldn't you just let me change before agreeing to whatever I'm agreeing to?"

"I'll portal you back home after you answer."

I rolled my eyes again. "Fine."

Leo took a deep breath, but Mikey jumped in and hollered, "Do ghosts exist?!" the slider glared at his brother for the interruption.

I crossed my arms. "Yes, can I go home now?"

Leo pushed Mikey away. "See, Michael. Merrill agreed with me." there was a long pause. "What did you say again?"

"Yes, ghosts exist. Can I go home now, please?"

"Of course, he would say that", April stated.

Mikey cheered. "Aw, yeah, baby! Your boyfriend agrees with me and April, Leo! In your face! In your face! In your face!" the box turtle kept poking at his brother's face and jumping around in a gleeful circle.

The blue-bandana-wearing turtle grabbed the shorter turtle to shove his grinning head into his shell. "Not my boyfriend!"

"But you wanna!" Mikey's voice echoed from inside the shell. Leo's face flushed for a second.

"I don't know Lee… do you wanna be my boyfriend?" I asked in my famous husk voice. He shuddered for a bit before shaking his head and glaring at me.

"Okay, enough jokes. Tell them the truth", Leo said, angrily.

"I'm dead ass serious", I replied with a straightforward answer, "Ghosts exist, and I believe in them including poltergeists and spirits. Anything spiritual related."

"Uh, sorry to break the news, Goth Boy, but they don't exist. How can you stand there and disagree?"

"How can you stand there and say they aren't real? Just recently, we've met yokai, which are basically demons not to mention you and your family are walking, talking mutants. It's saying there are no stars in the sky."

"That's stupid! Obviously, there are stars at night just not enough!" I sighed, heavily. I'm not gonna argue with that statement.

"Oh, don't be sour, Leo!" Mikey chimed between us, "It's alright for your boyfriend to agree with his brother-in-law."

"Mikey! He's not my boyfriend! Stop it! And Merrill, stop filling my little brother's head with nonsense!"

"Nonsense? Am I speaking with Donatello, the smart turtle?", I joked.

Leo frowned with his hands on his hips tilting his figure to the side. "Very funny." His posture was sexy. 'Hey! Eyes up here!' he snapped his fingers removing my focus off his body to his eyes. Wow, he's sexy when he's in a hissy fit. 'I'm not having a hissy fit!'

April pulled us apart. "There's only one way to settle this debate!"

"Let me go home and study in peace?" I asked, hopefully, "Thank you! I take back everything I said about you!"

"Let Merrill stay and admire Leo in lingerie?" Mikey added making us three stared at him in shock. The mental image flashed in my mind. Nope! I pinched my nose hard to stop the upcoming nosebleed while tilting my head back. I even drank my blood. Disgusting, I know. It's better than bleeding all over my tank top.

"Why would you say that?!" I sneaked a peak at my terrapin friend. Leo had his hands over his cheeks. His face flushed.

"No", the black girl said, "I meant going to the Shop N Stock and messing with the Dark Arts!" her face went dark.

I was confused. "Can someone tell me the full story before I black out due to blood loss?" I drank the remaining blood and put dipped my head forward slowly. No nosebleed. Good.

Mikey shoved a purple tablet in my face. Judging by the color scheme, I'm guessing this belongs to Donnie. "I was watching my favorite can-stacking channel…"

"That's a thing?"

"Don't ask", April and Leo said in unison.

"Yep, it's a thing! There's this one supermarket Stockboii. He builds forts, towers, national monuments!" The box turtle showed a video below another one that read "This Video Is NOT Clickbait!" the video was titled "The Gumbus". What a dumb name. Also, Stockboii? Really? Couldn't he find to use a better name?

I played the video. It displayed a small, dark-skinned boy with rectangular-rimmed glassed. He reminded me of Dexter from the early 1990s cartoon "Dexter's Laboratory". The kid who I assumed was Stockboii was finishing a stocking monument of what looked like the Statue of Liberty. Apparently, he's recording late at night after work hours. "And now, I shall complete the most difficult stack of all. Only completed by one other stockboy. The Lady Liberty stat-" a noise was heard nearby. I narrowed my eyes. "Hello? I-Is someone there?" The camera turned to an aisle where canned food rolled by. There was some strange noise as he pulled the camera onto himself and the statue. The screen went static until something caught my eye until flashed back to Stockboii with the flashlight dropped. He crawled to his camera. Fear and panic are evident on his face. Suddenly, he was pulled back. he yelled, "It's the Gumbus!" the video ended, but the end footage appeared saying to subscribe and donate. The video was uploaded after being captured by the Gumbus? I smelled bullshit.

I thought the thing that attacked Stockboii. It was a split second that I spotted something of a turquoise color with a hint of magenta. "Interesting", I muttered.

"You hear that, Leo? Merrill said it was interesting", I could picture Mikey elbowing Leo.

Leo scoffed. "Whatever."

I played the video again only to pause it in the right position I saw whatever the fuck it was. I had to slow the video bit by bit until I found what I was looking for. I paused the video. I was staring deep into the creature's soulless eyes. I scanned the image. There was no notification on this ghost, not even a back story. I was considering calling it a yokai, but why would a yokai haunt a supermarket? Unless the ground the store was placed used to be a cemetery, I don't see any other reason.

I flipped the tablet over for the three to see the ghoul. "Was this the Gumbus you were scared of?"

Mikey screamed. "It's hideous!"

April was leaning close to admire it.

Leo just blinked. "I told them it's probably tricked wires or performing mice."

I sighed, tossing the tablet onto the pillow landfill. "Mikey, I'm saying this because you're an adorable cinnamon roll with an evil streak and I have some respect for you since you're planning my imaginary wedding to Leonardo…"

"Wait, what?" Leo blinked again.

"You've been lied to. Hoodwinked. Bamboozled. Click-baited. Cheated. Deceived. I could go on."

Mikey's eyes got wet and full of tears. "But you said you believe in ghosts!"

"I did. Whatever that was, ain't no ghost. I'm 92% certain it's not real."

"So, we go to the Shop N' Stock to catch ourselves a Gumbus!" April suggested.

I shook my head. "Nope. Leave me out of this. I came to give you an answer. I've done my part. Leo, if you don't mind, portal me home. I got notes to write down and they aren't going to write themselves."

"B-b-b-but! What if Leo gets turtlenapped and becomes the Gumbus' sacrificial turtle? Are you willing to stand by and watch my brother be sacrificed to an evil entity?" Props to Mikey for pulling a guilt trip.

"Why am I drafted as a damsel in distress?" Leo complained.

"And why are you encouraging this ship?" April asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Guys", I said, drawing their attention, "whatever that thing was, it ain't a ghost, yokai, or mutant. It looked like a rip-off version of the Marley ghost of A Christmas Carol. I'm betting it's not even that serious. Leo, portal, please."

"With pleasure", Leo said, lifting his sword.

Mikey jumped on Leo's shell stopping him from swinging his mystic weapon. "What if Xander comes back and drags Leo back to the hotel and does unquestionable things?"

"What unquestionable things are we talking about here?"

"You know… marrying you… bedding you… impregnating you…"

April pulled the box turtle. "Could you excuse us?" she dragged Mikey to a secluded area away from me and Leo.

"Please ignore my baby brother", Leo pleaded, "his head is filled with fantasy romance."

I shrugged. "Eh, it's better than having him hate me. Anyway, you'll be too busy screaming your head off."

Leo crossed his arms. "From what, exactly?"

"The Gumbus, obviously."

"Ha! You're hilarious! You said it yourself the Gumbus is fake."

"Again, whatever that was ain't a ghost. It's something else entirely. You didn't last in a horror movie."

"That's because there was a mutant pizza home invasion!" talk about a mouthful. "I bet you'll be terrified."

"Puta, I've seen movies with more gore than Mikey's video. I'm rock solid, baby."

"Let's bet on it. If I win, you'll wear the maid cosplay and serve me and my fam."

I smirked. "I'm down. But if I win, you wear the same maid uniform as before, serve your family, AND you'll wear cat ears while speaking like a cat."

"I feel like you thought this long and hard."

"That's what he said."

"Ugh, I can't stand you." my friend lifted his hand. "Deal?"

"Deal." We shook hands. The bet was set. Instead of spending my evening studying, I'm going to hunt down the Gumbus.

What could go wrong?