Despite doing chores around the turtles' home, it wasn't so bad. The place wasn't dirty anyway, so we pretty much hung out. Leo was giving us the full tour of his home. April came a little later and she was shocked to see us in maid costumes in the turtles' home. Alex told her it was a new trend she was displaying.
"This place is incredible!" Lydia said, marveling at every detail she spots.
"Dude, if you think about it, you're living in a sewer mansion", Katie commented, "I mean you got a family room, a personal arcade, a skate park, and a laboratory for Smartsy Shell; you're just missing a few servants and you're living la vida loca."
Alex went ahead of the group. "See. What did I tell you? It was a good idea to come over and visit Leeny Beany."
"Alex, you stated you wanted us to come over to Merrill's house to have a "friendship meeting"." She air-quoted friendship meeting.
"I was gonna make up an excuse or ignore his call", Katie said, "whichever I was feeling."
Leo paused. "Friendship meeting? What for?"
I shrugged. "No clue. They –."
"She!" Alex stood beside me with a mature, feminine voice. She was very close to my personal space.
My eyebrow twitched as I shoved her face aside. "She didn't specify. Alex just wanted us all to attend, including you."
The slider turned to our fashion designer friend. "Okay… we're all here… what's the emergency?"
"I'm glad you ask, Leanie Beanie. The meeting we need to discuss is of crucial importance. It all falls to humanity!" We all held our breath. "...Halloween costumes." We all groaned. It was so Alex to be fucking dramatic. "What? It's crucial." she pulled out a sketchbook from underneath her skirt. I was surprised to see she was able to shove a spiral sketchbook up there. I was tilting my head until Lydia elbowed my side. The fashion designer was flipping through her sketchbook. "So, I made a few sketches. Lydziepop, I made you –"
"Alex, Katie, and I already have our costumes prepared."
Alex let out a dramatic gasp. "Le gasp! How could you?! Who did you see? Was it Patricia? That bitch is always taking my suggestions and claiming them as hers! Fyi, everything about her is fake. From her materials to her social media to her body. Oh yeah, her tits are fake! Those aren't twins. Her left breast is bigger than her right!"
"Don't get your panties in a twist", Katie said, stopping Alex before she continues her rant about her rival, "we planned this ahead of time. Sure, they're not as extravagant as your designs but we're not changing it. It's supposed to be fun but a runway show."
"KitKat, in my eyes the world is a runway show. You either be a strutter or a gazer and I was raised as a strutter."
"Sorry, Alex", Lydia apologized, " it's still a no."
"Hmph! Be that way! Wear your cheap costume with a lack of creativity! I bet Merry Berry would jump at my designs..."
"Nope", I answered, causing Alex to gasp again, "I already plan on being Sephiroth from Final Fantasy xv. I got the whole setup. White hair, black clothes, his long-ass katana, and his one black wing. I'm going full cosplay on this." I tucked a strand of hair over my ear.
"I feel betrayed. Humiliated. Shunned. Some other words describe my utter turmoil. Leanie Beanie! You're my only hope! Say you haven't found a costume yet!"
Leo looked away from her pleading eyes. "Um... Sorry, Alex... I was gonna be a character in Jupiter Jim..."
"Leonardo, I am mortified! I put my heart and soul into creating these designs! And what did I get in return? Neglection? You might as well finish me off by sticking a knife over my heart!"
"What a drama queen", Katie muttered. Lydia shifted uncomfortably.
I glanced at the slider who also shifted. "Did you... finish them?"
Alex sniffed. "I made yours and Merrill's as a start of the new line... I understand if you want to decline my offer. I was looking out for you. I will bury my designs in a shabby chest, locked away in a shabby attic cover in dust bunnies. I suppose I was never meant to be a world-famous fashion designer!" she started wailing again with crocodile tears.
'...Merrill...'
I flinched. No. Nope. I'm not giving in! I was planning on cosplaying Sephiroth for A WHOLE YEAR! I studied his mannerisms, his walks, his vocal patterns, fighting style – I was all in, baby! I just had my outfit delivered! I felt his hand stroking my arm.
'Yeah, but Alex was really looking forward to it... can't you hold it off for next time? Maybe for an anime convention? If not, do it for me... please.' I could feel his eyes on me. I wasn't going to give in to the deep, dark, sparkling eyes which remained on me throughout the whole silence. I could outlast his stare... I could do this... I could... I...
"Fine..." I sighed in defeat, "I could hold off Sephiroth for NEXT Halloween." Leo lunged and hugged me tightly. I hate you.
'I'll make it up to you after the Lou Jitsu movie marathon.' right... like I could forget every time you mentioned it.
"Yay!" Alex cheered, "You won't regret this, Merry Bear!"
"I'm already regretting this", I muttered.
"Hey, sluts!" April approached us.
"I'm starting to hate people", Lydia scowled.
"Welcome to my world", Katie said.
April stopped in front of us. "Okay... I can't take ya'll seriously. I can't believe you roped Leo into this."
"It's the new trend I'm starting. Maids are so in, darling", Alex posed.
"Yeah... if you're a host club..."
"Kyoya can have me any day", I said with a dreamy smile. Everyone looked at me. "What? Who hasn't watched Oura High School Host Club?"
"You watched Ouran Host Club?"
"Ouran High School Host Club. A real fan would know its full name. And yes, I have seen the anime and read the manga."
April rolled her eyes. "I forgot I was talking to an otaku. Anyway, we're all gathering in the living room unless you plan on skipping out on the big surprise."
"What surprise?" I found myself asking.
Leo dragged me ahead. "It's not much, but it's a little something for Raph that you guys have to see."
"If it involves my Raphael, then who am I to neglect." Alex pranced after us followed by the sluts with April. We were led to the living room with Rat Daddy watching a commercial. The other turtles were lounging around as soon as we arrived. "Raphie Dear!" Alex pounced on the huge turtle. "Am I a good kitty?" she purred against his arm. Raph's face turned a familiar muddy color. He bashfully smiled. "I dressed in red to match you. You like?"
"You're a good kitty cat", the snapping turtle mumbled. "Love the color on you." The compliment made Alex increase her purrs.
"Getting comfortable there, big brother", Donnie smirked at Raph's behavior. Raph glared at the soft shell.
Splinter was witnessing the ordeal. "How dedicated is the red cat?"
"Very dedicated", I informed him. Lee and I were standing on the side. The slider and his brothers wore matching grins. Obviously, we newcomers were left in the dark.
"Nice job on getting the new job, Apes", Raph changed the subject by congratulating on his friend.
Their only female friend shrugged. "It's just a small acting role. Nothing major." Leo went next to his brother and suggested getting closer to the screen. Raph went along with it without a second thought. Leo pulled me along. He and the turtles sat behind Raph.
Red stared intensely at the screen until April appeared wearing a rabbit suit. I heard Alex making a comment about how old it looked. TV April announced the show's name and presented a small light blue rabbit plush toy. That was Mrs. Cuddles.
"Let's be friends forever", the rabbit said with a wink. Raph froze seeing the rabbit on screen.
Raph screamed. "MRS. CUDDLES!" He jumped over Splinter's couch and hid. Alex ran over to him.
"Wow, man, I didn't think my acting was that bad", April said with a smirk.
"No, no. It's not you. It's –" Cuddles came on screen again causing the snapping turtle to scream and ran straight to the wall. Everyone laughed. I smirked. I don't exactly find it funny per say just sad.
Alex caressed Raph's face. "Oh, you poor thing. Let Mama Alex take care of you." she shoved his face against her chest. "Embrace my bosoms!" Out of instinct, I pulled out my phone and started recording the display. Donnie followed my lead as Leo covered Mikey's eyes.
"Alex? What bosoms? You don't have a cleavage!" Katie proclaimed.
"Ever heard a thing called contour, KitKat?"
Raph freed himself after struggling for a few minutes. He breathed in the fresh air. "Was that necessary?"
"Oh, fuck yeah", I said, "That was hilarious."
"What Raph needs is a sandwich... and space", April suggested with a glare at the red maid emphasizing her point. Raph agreed and went to the kitchen. It was three – possibly four – minutes in and Red yelled bloody murder. We scurried to the kitchen to see Raph cowering behind a table. Mrs. Cuddles was on the end of a large spring from the cabinets. April and the turtles laughed. Lydia tried pulling Alex away, so she doesn't pounce on April. "Sorry, Raph. Your bros told you of your fear of Mrs. Cuddles so I brought her along to visit."
"Yeah, yeah, real funny guys", Raph sniffed, "By the way, these are tears of laughter." he sobbed. Okay, there's gotta be a story behind this.
"How dare you make my Raphie cry!" Alex screeched, "I'll end you all!" I pulled Alex away before she could cause any damage. Hopefully, some distance and distraction could ease the tension.
Oh, how wrong I was...
Once again, Red cried wolf and we went to the kitchen... again...
"Guys, come quick! Mrs. Cuddles is alive!" We went back to the kitchen with distrust in our gaze. We saw Raph pointing his large green finger at the unmovable puppet. "Alright, demon! Reveal yourself!" The rabbit flopped on top of the table. "Guys, come on! You gotta believe me!"
"Dude, we get it. You're afraid of Mrs. Cuddles. Me and Lyds aren't judging you", Katie told the frightened turtle.
Lydia went up to the puppet and gently grabbed it. "How about I bring her along with us? Maybe give her a little bath before getting her back in her trunk."
Raph grabbed Cuddles off her grip. "No, don't touch her!" Realizing that he grabbed the puppet in reaction, he shrieked and dropped it. "EW! I touched her! I'm infected!"
Donnie shook his head. "This is getting sad." the smart turtle left.
"Come to us when you start being mature, Raphael", Mike scolded before leaving as well.
"Guys, believe me! Okay! I admit it! I'm afraid of Mrs. Cuddles", the snapping turtle preached, "But I swear I'm not making this up! She literally started moving and talking. She even grew bigger!" I looked over at the disposed of puppet. Now that he mentioned it, it did look like it was bigger than usual. "I'm not kidding!"
"...Right... Lyds and I are gonna hang with Mike a bit... Lee, try and make sense of your crae crae brotha." Katie pulled Lydia with her, and they made their exit.
"I'm not CRAE CRAE!"
"Raph, hermano, calm down", Leo slowly walked up to his brother, "I get it... we took the joke a bit too far, but come on. You could've come up with a better prank on the spot than this little lie."
Raph rubbed his face in frustration. "You're not listening! Mrs. Cuddles is alive! She moved on her own! Am I the only one speaking English here?!"
I sighed. This was getting annoying. "Cabron, either put it back in the trunk or avoid it. Letting it scare you is just pathetic. It's a stuffed animal."
"Shows what you know, Goth Boy! You're not afraid of anything!" man, he's so wrong about that. I chose not to answer that statement and walked off along with Alex and Leo.
"Will Raphael be alright?" Alex said in concern, "He seems frightened."
"Don't worry. He's getting us back on the prank", Leo answered, "Not a good plan but a plan no less."
"A plan on short notice?" I asked with a raised eyebrow, "how coordinated is he?" Before Leo could give his reply, Raph came running at us screaming. He hid behind Alex who gave the snapping turtle a soft stare. "Dios mio, what now?!"
"Mrs. Cuddles is gone!" Raph yelled. I had to cover my ears with how close he was.
"Oooo. You lost Mrs. Cuddles. April's gonna kill you", Leo teased.
"Not unless Mrs. Cuddles plans on killing us all!" Alex patted his head.
"Alright! That's it!" I said, "You're letting your fear hallucinate you. I'm gonna say this one last time. She. Isn't. Real!"
"She is real! Mrs. Cuddles is running around my home attacking us one by one! You believe me, right Alex?" Raph gave Alex big, hopeful eyes. She bit her lips and shifted her eyes.
"Um... Raphael, darling... perhaps you saw a glimpse of a shadow in the background in the shape of Mrs. Cuddles", Alex explained. It was without a doubt she was as reluctant as we were. "I don't want to sound rude, but it does sound farfetched."
"So, you don't believe me", Raph's voice turned to a growl causing Alex to shrink. I know Alex. She wasn't always a spontaneous and outgoing person. She was a wallflower. She was afraid of showing off her designs and presenting them in public. With some of my motivation and some rule-breaking, we pulled off a short fashion show presenting her designs in the cafeteria. It was a huge success. Alex became confident with her/his/their skin; whenever they had the need to present a design and flaunt it the moment they entered on a school morning. Sure, we had detention for not getting permission, but it was worth it. I didn't like seeing my ex shrink. "I thought out of everyone you would get me even support me, but I guess I was wrong. You're no friend! You're a two-faced peacock! I'll find Mrs. Cuddles and prove you all wrong!"
I went in front of the angry snapping turtle. "Dude, take a fucking chill pill! I get you're angry but don't take it out on Alex! I don't get what she sees in you if you're such a horrible judge of character! Say something Alex!" I turned to the red cat maid and my heart dropped. Alex's eyes were streaming with tears. Her mascara ran down her cheeks. "...Alex?" I looked back at Raph. He clenched his jaw and angrily walked away.
Alex cried as she covered her face. Leo rubbed her back. "I'm gonna make some tea to calm her down." I nodded and let them go. I marched after the huge turtle intending to give him a piece of my mind.
However, I heard a childlike giggle. I got shivers feeling like I was a part of a horror movie. I twisted around to see a shadow running out of the sewers. So, the dumbass that I was, I followed. I was out of the turtle's lair running toward the giggling creature. I ended up looking over a deep abyss of sewer falls. Filthy sewer water spewed through the grates. I heard no laughter. I guess I turned the wrong corner. I was about to return and retrace my steps, but I dodged a metal pipe coming my way. The attacker disappeared before I could scan their location. I walked backward only to trip and fell off the ledge. I managed to grab onto it. I was climbing back up only to see Mrs. Cuddles there with a metal pipe.
"You're a weird human", she observed. I blinked. That puppet could talk?! Raph was right! "You're not easily scared of little ol' me. What use are you if I can't make you scream?" she slammed the pipe against my forehead causing me to loosen my grip. I fell back. I couldn't help but scream as I fell. I was swallowed by darkness.
I was expecting my body to crash in the water or on hard pavement. No, I was swallowed up by the dark. That fucking rabbit tried to kill me! Red was right! She was evil! I need to tell the others. I need to get back...
I'M GONNA KILL THAT BITCH!