I rushed home using shadows. I stood in front of my front door still in my maid costume. Images of what transferred flash in my mind. The shadows were beginning to consume my body again. Shit! Not again! I burst through the doors. I saw the servants looking my way confused by my outburst.

"Get out", I ordered. They looked at me stunned. I growled. "Did I fucking stutter? I SAID EVERYBODY OUT!" I punched the wall to prove my point. One by one they left in fear. It didn't help me calm my nerves. It wouldn't surprise me if they contacted my mother and told her about my tantrum. Right... she'll be furious. More reason for her to upscale my training. I can already hear her scolding me for my childish behavior. That I should remain stoic and not let emotions cloud my judgment.

A little old woman walked up to my shaking body. Grandma Lucy. "Merrill. Are you alright, pequeño?" bless her caring soul. She may not be a blood relative, but she's the closest grandmother who cares for me. "You look pale. Did you eat?"

KILL! KILL! PAINT THE WALLS WITH HER BLOOD!

I shook my head. No! Stop it!

I put on a brave face. "Everything's fine, Lucia. I just need the house to myself." The shadows shifted. I bit my tongue focusing on the taste of blood. "I decided to let everyone off today. I'll compensate them for their trouble. Go home. Enjoy the rest of your day. Por favor."

Lucia nodded. "Call me if anything, pequeño." I shut the door gently.

PATHETIC! SHE WAS EASY TO KILL!

Shut up! Since when were you so annoying?

YOU'RE HOLDING YOURSELF BACK! YOU UNLEASHED YOUR HATRED TO THAT RABBIT! WHY IS THIS ANY DIFFERENT?

Lucia is innocent. She's not worth killing. Cuddles... Mrs. Cuddles... she deserved it...? I think... did I kill her? Holy shit! I killed a fucking puppet! Was she a puppet?

SHE WAS A CREATURE USING FEAR AS HER POWER SOURCE. YOU SAVED THE DAY. YOU SAVED EVERYONE, INCLUDING YOUR BEAUTIFUL LIGHT.

My light? Do you mean Leo?

BUT OF COURSE. HE SAID YOU DID A GOOD JOB. YOUR LIGHT WAS IMPRESSED WITH YOUR POWER.

He was impressed that I killed a talking rabbit. That didn't sound like Leo.

WHY ARE YOU HESITATING? YOU WANTED TO LIVE YOUR LIFE. YOU HAVE THE POWER TO FULFILL YOUR DESIRES.

I clutched my head as I made my way to my room. I made it to my bedroom tossing my costume and wig aside. I slid down to my floor holding my head. I need to block out the voices. Many voices echoed in my head.

WHY ARE YOU ESCAPING US? YOU CAN BE WITH YOUR LIGHT IN PIECE. NO ONE WILL COME BETWEEN YOU.

Shut up! Leave me alone!

YOU KNOW I SPEAK THE TRUTH! YOU WILL HAVE THE FREEDOM YOU DESERVE! NO ONE WILL SAY HOW YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE! NO ONE WILL STAND IN YOUR WAY! BELIEVE IN YOUR POWER! THE SHADOWS WILL OBEY THEIR MASTER!

Master?

…

I like the sound of that.

LET THE DARKNESS CONSUME YOU. EVERYTHING WILL BE PERFECT. YOU WILL RULE THE ENTIRE CITY!

Rule? I don't want to rule... I want a peaceful life.

PEACE CANNOT BE FORMED WITHOUT ORDER. AND A GRAND MONARCH WON'T BE COMPLETE WITHOUT A QUEEN.

A queen, huh? Leonardo is the perfect fit for the role. Would he agree?

THERE'S NO DOUBT, MASTER. YOUR LIGHT WILL AGREE. HE WILL BE ESTATIC AND HIS FAMILY WILL BE OUR SERVANTS. ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS BE PATIENT. NEW YORK CITY WILL BOW BEFORE THE SHADOW KING!

The Shadow King? I grinned as I let the dark and the shadows consume me and my entire home.

I like the sound of that.

~Lady Ai~

I slowly opened my eyes. I was in my room lying on my bed. I sat up. My dad was in my room. "Finally awake I see", he said, his voice sounding tired.

"What happened? Where's everybody?" I asked.

"Your brothers escorted them home", Dad answered with a stern face.

I vaguely remembered something... I gasped. "Where's Merrill?!"

Dad glared at me. I shivered at his dark eyes staring at mine. "He slinked into the shadows and retreated." I shook my head. I need to find him. Now I remember. He was scared! Terrified of what he did. "You are forbidden to look for that boy."

"What! Dad, I can't!" I protested.

"He almost killed you, your brothers, your human friends! I should've never let anyone enter here."

"You can't be serious... Merrill didn't mean any of it to happen! He didn't hurt anyone!"

"Oh really?" My rat father hopped out of bed. "He sliced his claws into that rabbit's stomach grinning all the way. You expect me to be alright? To have a monster come into my home and conduct murder in front of my children? I think not!"

"Dad, please... he needs me... I can tell he was scared. If you would just let me find him..."

"Out of the question!" my dad snapped, "Goth Boy can handle his problems. If not, the human authorities will deal with him. In the meantime, you are grounded." I blinked. Am I hearing that right? I just got out of being grounded!

I got out of bed. "You can't do that!"

"I can and will!" He walked out of my room while digging into his robes. He pulled out a purple ball. It looked like something Donnie would make. "As an extra precaution, this doo hickey will keep you here." He dropped the ball as I ran over. I slammed face-first onto the surface as I got hit by a brick wall. I touched the transparent violet wall covering my exit. "You will thank me as you get older", Dad said walking away.

I banged against the wall. "You can't keep me here! Dad! DAD!" my cries were ignored. I looked around my room finding anything to hit the blockage. Out of frustration, I threw pillows, and my medical books, hell, I tried my chair multiple times but not a scratch on the wall. I huffed. I added an extra kick knowing it won't have any effect. I went to my bed and sat down in defeat.

Merrill... if you can hear me... Tell me if you're okay. Let me know if you're alive. I closed my eyes. I opened them again to see I was in a different location. I recognized where I was. I was in Merrill's bedroom. Shadows were gulping and devouring everything in sight. Merrill's arms were getting consumed.

'Help me... Please...'

I was back in my bedroom. I knew it. Merrill's Condition is getting worse. I need to leave. The problem is how I escape. I looked around my room. Obviously, Dad wouldn't leave my sword behind. Not to mention, Dee's invention was preventing me from escaping. I brought my knees up and hugged them. I hate this, I hate that I can't do anything to save my friend while he's suffering.

I lay on my bed facing the wall. This suck. I'm like a prince locked away in a tower. I wouldn't be surprised if Dad got my phone too. I looked at my body noticing I'm still in my costume. I gently removed it with care and put them back in the brown bag. It made me wonder about the others. What happened to Alex, Lydia, and Katie? Did Dad kick them out? I finally made friends and they accepted me only for it all to crumple down. No, it's not Merrill's fault. If I can convince my brothers to help me escape, I can find Merrill and help him regain his consciousness.

Are my brothers willing to help me?

I heard a tap nearby. I looked over to see my three bros waving outside my room.

"How drawl", Donnie sarcastically stated, "Dad snatched my capture cage in beta form. This shouldn't be a problem." What? Donnie tapped on the surface and a keypad appeared. He pressed many buttons disarming the device. He inspected the little ball.

Mikey bounced into my room. "Leo, let's go! We got a dark prince to save."

I blinked once. Twice. "What?"

"Sigh. You dum dum. Merrill A.K.A. Goth Boy A.K.A. Dark Prince A.K.A. Possibly Your Future Hubby." I looked away at my twin's statement. I knew my face was heating up. "Anyway, chop-chop. We don't have it all night. April should be waiting for us topside. What's that term you use to say hurry up?"

I gaped. They wanted to help me escape? And I didn't convince them? Why? "Why are you helping me? Aren't you scared or disgusted at what Merrill did? Especially you Raph! You hated him since what? Day 1 or something? Why did you change your mind?"

Raph handed me my magic sword. "Merrill's always there to save our shells. It's time to return the favor."

"All this sadness, you and Merrill deserve some R & R", Mikey piped.

"What about Dad?" I asked, clutching the hilt.

Donnie shrugged. "I may or may not put sleeping pills in his milk and cake while he watches his shows. And we may or may not have at least three hours to find Merrill before Papa wakes up."

Raph crossed his arms. "Donnie... did you drug our dad?"

"No. Absolutely not. Why would I ever do such a thing?" His voice showed no remorse. In other words, he totally did.

"Anyway... Merrill's there for us... for you, Leo... and I know I've been a jerk so far and if it's all it took to see you almost getting married to a spider yokai then I must be a terrible brother", Raph said.

I found myself sighing. "You're not a terrible brother... you just... need to work on your judgment a bit."

"As touching as this is", Mikey jumped in, "aren't we running low on time here?"

I nodded. "Right." I swung my sword and opened a portal.

"You know where he is?" Raph asked.

"Yeah... I do. Contact April and tell her we're going to Merrill's house." I jumped through followed by my brothers. We landed outside my friend's mansion but the state we saw was unbelievable.

The entire mansion was covered in a black mass. "Ho daddy! The mystic energy radiating here is off the charts." I saw Dee viewing the place with his goggles. Then, he removed them. "I must say, April's statement is correct. Merrill is rolling in the Benjamins."

Mikey gaped at the mansion. "Guys, how big is his kitchen?"

"Now's not the time to daydream the inside", Raph said, "The problem is getting ourselves in."

"We could be of service", we turned to see Alex, April, Lydia, and Katie walking up to us. But, snugged in Alex's arms, was Mrs. Cuddles. Alive, yet slightly weakened state. "Miss us, darlings."

"What are you guys doing here?" Raph exclaimed, "This is dangerous!"

"Pipe down, Raphael." my big brother jolted. "We are all aware of the outcome of what will transpire, however, you are not the only ones who are concerned for Merry Bear."

"That's right!" Mrs. Cuddles agreed, "Master needs our full support!"

"Master? And how is she alive?" I asked.

"Turns out Merrill didn't really go full psycho mode on Cottontail here", Katie explained.

"Despite the massive injury he created, Cuddles was able to survive, and Alex patched her up", Lydia finished.

"I still say you should've left her back in her trunk and let her bleed", April said, crossing her arms.

"Darling, think rationally. If your coworkers were to see the poor creature in such dismay, they would question your integrity", Alex reasoned, "Besides, I get the feeling you already lost your job. You might as well keep her as a pet."

"I'm no one's pet! I only belong to Master!" Cuddles fumed but yelped in pain. "The way Master displayed such carnage was astounding. The amount of fear coursing through my veins! Oh, how long has it been since I felt such an emotion?"

"...okay... right..." I turned to the dark mansion. We were all here for Merrill, but I could help this unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Something about it screams trap.

But we came here, and we weren't turning back.

~Lady Ai~

I looked through the window and spotted a small group outside my home. Beyond the group was my light. Even with the sunset's hue, his presence brightened like an evening star. Yes, come to me my light. My star. You'll be safe in my home. Safe in my arms.

No one will ever come between us.

I'll make sure of that.