Hi everybody! I'm back with a new chapter. Speaking of new chapters, I have been inspired by one of Christina Grimmie's songs to write another chapter for my story "Never for Nothing." I plan to release that on Mother's Day. I got about half of it written out. The scrapbook April made in chapters 1 and 2 of this story is going to play a big part in it.
So. It is the first day of Lily's senior year in high school and Wilbur's first day at college. Things on the Hamato side... have not gone completely smoothly. Happy reading!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything related to "Meet the Robinsons" nor "TMNT." I only own Karena, Lilianna, Ryan, Venus, and Athena
August 26, 2041 - Todayland, North Montana, USA
ATHENA'S POV
Lily and I sat at our usual seats in the cafeteria on the first day of a new school year. It already felt weird. Wilbur and James, who had graduated from this school a few months ago, were at Todayland University instead. And instead of Wilbur and James being here, it was our two cousins Ryan and Venus. Ryan was enrolled as a junior while Venus would share the majority of her classes with me as a sophomore. I could tell both of them were extremely nervous about being here.
All four of us are mutants, we were all born to humanoid turtles as our dads. Mona Lisa, Venus's mother, was also technically a mutant, a humanoid salamander raised on another planet. Ryan's mother Karai was born a human but was dumped into a vat of mutagen, mutating her into a venomous serpent. Some sort of retromutagen was dumped in the mutagen by mistake, so Karai was able to transform in between her serpent and human physiologies. Donatello, Lily's father, had tried so hard to find a cure for Karai, but we were all accepting of her fate.
On the outside, I looked like a full human while the only flaws with Lily were her fingers and toes. Our backs and torsos were as hard as our fathers' shells. Ryan actually looked like a humanoid turtle, just like his father Leonardo. Venus has the physiology of a salamander along with a turtle's shell.
My thoughts were interrupted when Lily cleared her throat.
"So, thank you all for being here," she said with a smile on her face.
"Do you two have any questions for us before your first day?" I asked.
"Could you give us a tour?" Venus asked. "It would be nice to know where we're going."
"Sure!" Lily replied enthusiastically.
We made our way out of the cafeteria. Lily and I went our separate ways. Lily guided Ryan on where he needed to go while I gave Venus the tour she needed. We met back up in the gym where we spoke some more.
"One of the things that got me going was getting involved in extra curricular activities," I explained.
"Is there a martial arts club here?" Ryan asked.
Lily and I exchanged shrugs and glances.
"No," Lily answered. "But I can easily see you playing sports."
"What are sports?" Ryan asked.
"How have you never heard of sports before?" Venus asked with wide eyes. "You went to basketball games all the time to watch Wilbur and Lily perform!"
"Oh, that's sports?"
Lily facepalmed herself hard.
"Speaking of which, I've always found it interesting the way Wilbur talked about the color guard," Venus chimed in. "How do I get involved with that?"
"That's a good question," Lily replied. "Mr. Samuels retired, so we don't know who's in charge of that. Maybe ask Karena after school? Karena took his place as the new music teacher."
"Only, you may want to call her Miss Edwards instead of Karena," I pointed out. "She's an actual teacher now."
"Okay, so say I actually do go for sports," Ryan chimed in. "What do you think I should go for?"
"Ryan, you should definitely try out for football," Lily suggested. "You already have a shell to prevent backlash. Plus, with your ninjutsu skills, you could easily sense when someone's coming up behind you."
"And unlike Superman, you don't have the risk of hurting someone," Venus chimed in.
"Hey, come to think of it, I think Lily's got something there," I replied with a big smile. "Ryan, your ninja weapon is the yuri, right? Maybe you can find a position that tosses footballs around."
Lily cringed.
"Okay, I'm looking up the rules of football just for that," Lily said, taking out her T-Phone. "So, Ryan could be a quarterback because he controls the play once he's handed the ball. He could either pass it to a running back, tight end, or wide receiver, or he could run the ball down the field. The quarterback pretty much knows everything that is going on, and Ryan's always wanted to be a leader. Maybe he can do that here."
"But I'm a junior and a total newbie," Ryan replied.
"Yeah! What all did you just say?" I asked, clearly puzzled at what Lily said.
"The running back takes the ball from the quarterback and runs with it on rushing plays," Lily explained while reading.
"That sounds like Athena," Ryan replied. "She's the most agile of all of us."
"The tight end combines the strength, power, and blocking ability of an offensive lineman with the pass-catching and running abilities of a wide receiver," Lily read out loud. "So pretty much, depending on the play, the tight end can do anything."
"That sounds like you!" Ryan replied. "Now what's the wide receiver?"
"The wide receiver is mostly known for catching passes," Lily answered with simplicity.
"Ryan, I think you should try out for the quarterback position," Venus encouraged him.
"Not to brag, but we're all full of some sort of raw talent," I replied.
"Agreed," Lily replied. "I became the captain of the cheerleading squad after I became a junior. Athena has the personality to be elected vice president of her class. Maybe being the quarterback will be your thing, Ryan. And Venus, if you think the color guard is your destiny here, then you should go for it. You could be the captain of the guard next year! Maybe Wilbur can give you some pointers."
"You know, I've only hung out with Wilbur a handful of times," Venus replied with a smile. "And I've enjoyed myself all those times. I may take your suggestion."
Suddenly, the first warning bell rang.
"Shoot!" Lily exclaimed. "We need to go!"
"Yeah, Lily, you're a senior!" I replied. "Being tardy is the last thing you want to start your senior year."
"Good luck, everybody!"
WILBUR'S POV
Today was my first day at Todayland University. I saw quite a few familiar faces from high school, but there were new faces also. From what Karena had told me, Todayland University was one of the few universities where students from all over the country had enrolled.
I went into my first class in the STEM building and took a seat next to James.
"Hey, man!" James greeted me with a fist bump.
"This is a great start to the year!" I replied. "Classmates with my best friend."
"Yeah, and even more so in a class Lily's dad is teaching in."
"You're not nervous, are you?"
"I thought he was strictly a remote teacher," James replied.
"Lily didn't tell you?" I asked and he shook his head. "He got promoted. He's the head professor of this building. So he won't be doing classes online anymore."
"Wow! That's a big change. Has Karena had him before?"
"She loves him. In fact, they've bonded as close friends because of their experience in the classroom."
"Good morning!" Donatello Hamato cheerfully said as he walked into the classroom wearing a lab coat. "Let's get started!"
Donatello walked to his desk and set his stuff down.
"While I get set up, please go to this website..."
He paused, writing the website on the board.
"And pick three questions for me to answer. This will be part of an activity we will be doing today. After you do that, please answer these three questions about yourself."
Donatello wrote three questions on the board.
"What is your favorite word? What is your favorite genre of music? And out of your five senses, which sense do you think you could live without?"
"I have a feeling I'm going to enjoy knowing him as a professor," James whispered into my ear.
I answered the three questions first. My favorite word was excellent. My favorite genre of music was jazz. And if I could live without one of my five senses, it would be taste.
Then I went onto the website on my tablet. I had to find three questions to ask the professor.
"Oh!" I exclaimed quietly.
I wrote down the question: The zombie apocalypse is coming. Who are three people you want on your team? I searched for two more questions. I found another good question and wrote that one down: You have to sing karaoke. What song do you pick? The last question I found was a very interesting question: What season would you be?
"Thank you very much for being patient with me while I set things up," Donatello told us as we finished our questions. "First things first, thank you all for coming to class. It looks like everyone is in attendance. My name is Dr. Donatello Hamato and I will be your professor for this class. I've been teaching for Todayland University since 2018, so about 23 years now. I had been teaching remotely from my home in New York until now. I am the head professor for the STEM department, so if you have any questions at all in those classes, please feel free to stop by my office. My office hours and number are included in your syllabus. I have been married to my wife for 24 years and we have a daughter together. She is a senior in high school and we are looking forward to watching her graduate."
Donatello spent the next five minutes guiding us through the syllabus and how we are graded on our attendance, assignments, and tests. Finally, it was time for our icebreaker activity.
"Now, there are 25 of you today, so I am expecting 25 different questions. So here is what we'll do: I will start with this young lady in the front row and we're going to zig-zag around the classroom until everyone asks their question. So, young lady, whenever you're ready. Please state your name before you ask your question."
"My name is Bailey. Does your current car have a name?"
"Yes. When I was a teenager, I fixed up an old Volkswagen that was made in the 1960s and named it the Party Wagon. Groovy, right?"
A few students cheered.
"I'm Charlie. You have to sing karaoke. What song do you pick?"
Donatello groaned with a smile on his face.
"If I ever do karaoke, I would sing Black N Blue's Bombastic Plastic."
He paused, taking a deep breath.
"Bombastic, bombastic plastic, " Donatello sang. "No matter what you say, this really blows me away. Bombastic, bombastic plastic. No matter what you say, this sucker blows me away!"
We cheered as he belted out the last word in a high-pitched voice.
"Now we know where Lily got her vocal chords from," James whispered to me. "He's so good!"
"I'm John. And that last question reminds me of the one I'm going to ask you. Which decade do you love and why: 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, or 1990s?"
"The 1990s, and I'm not saying that because that's the decade I was born in. I love my rock music, and the music that was made back in the day had a certain tone. The tone was in a flat key signature, but to me it signified hope that things were going to be better with the world."
"My name is Lisa. What would be the most surprisingly discovery imaginable?"
"Well, that depends," Donatello answered. "Are we talking about my own discoveries, something Cornelius invented-
"Anything," Lisa replied.
"I was the most surprised when Cornelius invented buildings that only take five seconds to build, an insta-building."
"My name is Martin. Coffee or tea?"
"Coffee, hands down."
'I'm Irene, and are you a cat person or a dog person?"
"Oh goodness," Donatello replied with a chuckle. "I think based on my life experiences I'm going to go with being a cat person. My brother has an ice cream kitty at home and she is amazing company."
"My name is Bill. Are you sunrise, daylight, twilight, or nighttime?"
"That's a good question! I think I'd be twilight."
It was my best friend's turn to speak.
"I'm James. If you could live in any country, where would you live?"
"Well, if the United States was an option, I'd pick that," Donatello answered. "But if it's not, then I'd probably go live in New Zealand."
A few students cheered. Then, it was my turn.
"I'm Wilbur. So, the zombie apocalypse is coming. Who are three people you want on your team?"
"Oh gosh!"
Donatello cracked up laughing.
"That is an impossible question! I think... I think I'd want my daughter Lily for her psychic abilities,... my brother Mikey for his agility,... and my sister-in-law Mona Lisa for her experience in the battlefield."
The class kept asking the mutant turtle very interesting questions until we got to the last student.
"My name is Monica. If you could live in one fictional universe, which one would you choose?"
"Middle-Earth, in a heartbeat. And that, my students, is time. Thank you so much for attending, and l'II see you on Wednesday!"
New York City, New York, USA
LILIANNA'S POV
Immediately after I helped Venus sign up for color guard tryouts and Ryan for football tryouts, I used the portal to return to New York to meet my parents at my grandpa's apartment.
"Hello, Lily," Grandpa Kirby greeted me with a smile.
"Grandpa."
I hugged my bald grandfather, and then he hugged my parents.
"Lily, you are so grown up. How old are you now?"
"I'm seventeen, Grandpa. I'm graduating high school soon."
"It only seems like yesterday you were toddling in this very apartment. So, what brings you guys by?"
"Lily's senior pictures," Mom answered. "We're waiting on Shinigami to meet us here. You do have your outfits with you, right, Lily?"
"They're in my bag," I answered confidently. "I'm actually wearing one of them right now."
I walked around, proudly showing off my black tank top, blue skirt, and black boots. Half of my red hair was up in a ponytail holder while the rest of my hair hung down.
"May I see your other two outfits?" Grandpa asked me.
"Sure!"
I dropped my backpack on the couch and took out my white vision quest dress.
"So I guess we're going to North Hampton at some point?" Mom asked.
"Not exactly," I answered. "Todayland at sunset. And then there's this outfit."
I pulled out a purple jumpsuit with a lavender-colored belt.
"This is for when we got to the dojo in the lair."
"Did you make this?" Dad asked me in awe.
"I did. Do you like it?"
I heard Mom's phone going off.
"Shinigami's here," she announced. "We should get going."
"It was nice seeing you, Grandpa."
I gave my grandpa one more hug, and he hugged me back.
"Be a good girl, Lily," Grandpa told me. "April, Donatello, it was nice seeing you both."
"You too, Dad."
The three of us flipped to the rooftop to see both Shinigami and Casey Jones.
"Casey!" Mom yelled excitedly.
She ran over to him and hugged him.
"It's good to see you, Red," Casey told her, returning the embrace.
Mom and Casey let go. Casey then walked up to my dad and they fist bumped each other.
"How's it going, Donnie?" he asked.
"It's going great, Casey," Dad answered with a genuine smile. "I see you got your teeth fixed."
"Well, once your hockey career's over, you gotta look at yourself and grow up."
Casey then looked over at me with his jaw opened wide.
"Donnie, is this your daughter?"
"She is," Dad answered, showing his gap-toothed grin.
"You didn't tell me she would grow up to be so beautiful," Casey complimented me. "You look just like your mom."
I blushed.
"Thank you, Casey."
"On the contrary, my friend, she looks more like her father," Shinigami replied, walking over to me and playing with my long hair. "She may have her mother's eye color, but they're shaped like her father's. And look at those arms and those legs. She may be a woman, but she clearly has her father's metabolism. And lastly, look at that smile. She's clearly her father's daughter."
My cheeks turned even more red.
"It's nice to see you again, Shinigami," I finally spoke. "It's been too long."
"I needed something to do while Karai was teaching and raising her own family. I went to a photographer's exhibit once and asked to mess around with his camera. I became his assistant and that led me to buying my own camera and starting my business with Casey."
"How did you manage to pull that off?" Dad asked with surprise. "Didn't you two date at some point?"
"We mutually decided we were better off as friends," Casey explained. "Good friends, as you can see. It's not awkward at all. And it's been great. Both her photographs and my drawings are selling."
"Yes, Casey comes with me to help me set up for photo shoots and to help me out with posing," Shinigami chimed in. "And while that happens, he'll do one sketch describing his day."
"Speaking of which, it looks like Lily is ready to get a move on," Casey reminded us.
"Perfect! Because I have the perfect place for you with those colors. Follow me!"
We ran with Shinigami and Casey until we reached Brooklyn Bridge.
"Hey, I recognize this rooftop!" Dad exclaimed happily. "It's the same rooftop I proposed marriage to April."
"Really?" Shinigami asked with intrigue. "Small world, huh? Lily, why don't we have you stand on that ledge there?"
"Sounds good!" I replied with confidence. "I'm not afraid."
I did lots of poses for Shinigami while I stood on the ledge and while I sat on it. We were here getting my pictures taken for about ten minutes before we decided to go back to the dojo. When we got there, I went into the bathroom and changed into my purple outfit with the white boots. I had redone my hair, putting it all in a French braid.
"Lily, I am digging that style," Shinigami complimented me with a wink.
"Thank you!" I replied with a big grin.
"So this time, we are going to do some action shots. Your mom says you use the bo staff, no? Give me some action with it. When I say stop, just stop in mid-action and look at me."
"Done!"
I did lots of tricks with the bo staff, pausing as Shinigami instructed me. I did some poses without the bo staff also. I had leaned against the tree for a few shots.
"Did you know Lily was part of a music video in here?" Dad asked with a smile.
"No!" Shinigami replied with delight. "Who was singing?"
"Me," I answered. "I sang Liar, Liar in memoriam of Christina Grimmie. A producer in Todayland had the idea after seeing me performing her songs. The video got released on the 25th anniversary of her death."
"May I see it?"
"Sure!"
"I gotta see this too," Casey chimed in, peering over Shinigami's shoulder.
Before I knew it, I heard the now-familiar introduction to the song. Curiosity peaked in, so I also had to take a look. First I saw rain falling from the sky with the Channel 6 News building in the background. The video then transitioned into my singing and playing the piano in the Todayland High School auditorium. The video went back and forth between Todayland and New York as I continued to sing. At Todayland, I wore the blue tank top and black skirt with black boots. In New York, I wore my vision quest dress with brown boots.
The video was absolutely perfect. After I had finished singing the chorus, the video returned to New York where I was walking in the rain. After a short time, I was back in Todayland, walking in the city. At the line eye the rain as it falls in your hands, the video captured me gazing up at the rain in New York before panning back to Todayland. Just before the chorus began, the video captured the manhole cover closing above me. By the time the bridge came, I was in the dojo in the lair, preparing to practice with my bo staff. From the chorus to the end of the song, the video switched from my walking in Todayland to my practicing with my bo staff in the dojo, the drum beats synchronizing perfectly with my moves. At the very last note, I had stopped practicing, slowly dropped my bo staff, and slowly walked out of the dojo.
"Wow, this is amazing!" Shinigami complimented me. "You have many gifts, Lilianna."
"Thank you so much!" I replied. "I actually made quite a bit of money off it, but my dad put it all in my bank account."
"That's smart," Casey replied. "So where to next?"
"Todayland," I answered. "I need to change clothes again."
I went into the bathroom to change into my vision quest dress. This time, there was no need to wear my white mask. I undid the braid, which created wavy hair. When I was ready, the five of us took the portal to Todayland and set up on the hills outside the city.
"So I have an idea," Shinigami explained. "Casey, Donatello, and April, you three try to come up with poses for Lilianna as I take the shots. Lily, I'd love it if you could sing that song for me."
"Really?" I asked with a big smile.
"Just act and sing naturally."
"Let me put the song on," Mom chimed in, taking out her T-Phone. "I've had this song ever since I found out about Christina Grimmie... before she died. I think she was Lily's age. But here we go."
Liar, Liar played again, this time without the vocals so I could sing naturally. I sang each line, trying to choose which pose to use as Shinigami took each picture. We spent about five minutes in Todayland before returning to New York to spend the rest of the day with our family.
Todayland, North Montana, USA
KARENA'S POV
"So how was your first day as the music teacher of Todayland High?" Wilbur asked.
"It was absolutely wonderful," I answered with a smile, sipping on my mango lemonade. "We've got a promising year ahead of us. We've got the marching band performances at the football games, the band competitions, we've got a few concerts--"
"Karr, I know," Wilbur interrupted me with a smirk on his face. "I used to be in the band."
"You're not going to be in the band at the university?" I asked with surprise in my voice.
"Nah, I did my time. Besides, my job is full-time now. I'm a shift manager."
"Good for you! I'm proud. Just don't do what I did and just quit on the spot."
"Wilbur Robinson never quits!"
I cracked up laughing. Wilbur may have grown up since I met him, but his confidence remained the same.
"So, what are you looking forward to in college?" I asked.
"Eh, nothing much. I'm so glad James is my classmate in some of my classes. Oh! Speaking of which, did you know I have Donatello as my teacher? In person?"
"Donnie mentioned he got promoted," I explained.
"He's the head professor now for the STEM department," Wilbur replied. "Which means his office is on campus."
"Speaking of which, I was meaning to ask Donnie about the save-the-dates."
"I think Lily did the work for us."
"So we don't need to mention our parents or anything?" I asked.
"I'm positive. We just need to ship them out as soon as possible. We are already less than nine months away from the wedding."
Wilbur paused, looking at me with concern in his chocolate eyes.
"Karr, are you sure you don't want to go find your dad? I'm sure he'd love to come to the wedding."
"Wilbur, my dad's going to be in his 70s. At this point, he'd be like my grandpa. Besides, I'm closer to Donnie than I am my dad."
"Alright. I trust you, Karr."
"Here you go!" Claire happily arrived with our dinner.
"Thank you, Claire," Wilbur said with a smile on his face.
"How's the wedding planning coming?" Claire asked us.
"It's done already," I answered. "We've got two amazing families willing to do all the work for us."
"We just gotta worry about who all's invited," Wilbur chimed in. "And you'll definitely be one of them."
"Yay!" Claire exclaimed happily. "Thank you so much! You know, you've both been there for me after Kyle died from the virus. I think this is the best way I can repay you."
"You don't owe us anything," Wilbur humbly replied.
"Just your RSVP that'll you'll be there," I chimed in.
"I plan on it!" Claire replied. "When's the big day?"
"May eleventh."
"Well, right now, on August twenty-sixth, I want you both to enjoy your meals."
"Thank you, Claire," Wilbur replied. "We'll certainly do that."
Claire walked away. Wilbur and I giggled and laughed at her enthusiasm as we started to eat our Logan's Roadhouse dinners.
September 4, 2041
ATHENA'S POV
The four of us sat together at our spot in the cafeteria eating our breakfast as a family. I cherished these moments. Lily had lived in North Hampton almost her entire life. The only meal the four of us had shared together until now was dinner after Uncle Leo's ninjutsu lessons.
The first week of school went smoothly for Lily and me, mostly because we were two of the most popular kids in school and we knew what we were doing. Ryan and Venus, on the other hand, had harder times adapting. Ryan had been bullied for his being a humanoid turtle all week long during classes and during his football tryouts. Venus was made fun of at first. Once she tried out for the color guard, the rest of the student body started respecting her. From what I had heard from my classmates, she had displayed raw talent with the flag, even comparing her to Wilbur Robinson.
As we ate, a student walked into the cafeteria with a few pieces of paper. Once he was done taping them to the wall, he left. Lily walked up to the pieces of paper and then returned to us.
"Ryan, Venus, why don't you two go take a look?" Lily suggested with a smile. "You might like what you find."
The middle cousins walked up to the pieces of paper. After a few minutes, they returned with surprised looks on their faces.
"Well?" I asked excitedly.
"I'm on the varsity squad," Venus answered with a shocked voice.
"And I'm the quarterback of the varsity team," Ryan answered with just as much shock. "Our first practices are today."
"I think I'll talk to Karena about my placement after school," Venus replied.
"You're not happy?" I asked with surprise.
"I think I understand what's going on," Lily explained. "Venus doesn't feel that she deserved a spot on the varsity squad because she's completely new. She's thinking she got placed because Karena knows her."
"It's not just Karena," Venus replied, affirming Lily's guess. "Wilbur was there too. Actually, Wilbur was the one who held tryouts. So it's probably him I need to talk to."
"Wilbur was at tryouts?" Lily asked with surprise.
"If you'd read my mind, it wouldn't have been much of a surprise. Karena had asked the principal to hire Wilbur as an assistant coach for the color guard part-time. Wilbur's going to be doing all the choreographing while Karena teaches us the moves."
"Wilbur was amazing when he was in the color guard," Ryan replied. "He's going to be an amazing mentor."
"So will you!" Lily said excitedly. "You got the quarterback position. Now you're a leader of your own team."
"Yeah, but all I did at tryouts was throw the ball and run paces. I know diddly squat about football."
"So Athena and I will tutor you. Tonight."
"And besides, aren't we doing flag football in gym class?" I chimed in. "You'd think you'd learn from that."
"That's not a bad idea," Lily replied.
"Yeah, but the first game is Friday," Ryan said with a panicked voice. "How am I going to learn all of this in just three days?"
"Practice and study."
WILBUR'S POV
I returned home from my college classes and changed into my work uniform. Suddenly I heard knocking on my door, which confused me.
"Karr, is that you?" I asked.
"No, it's Venus."
My eyes widened. Venus was the last person I was expecting to see today. I put on my belt and then took the levitation platform down to the bottom floor. I was very surprised to see Venus wearing a pink dress with her pink bandana around her neck.
"Hey, Venus," I greeted her with a smile. "I must say I wasn't expecting to see you."
"I just had some questions about the color guard," Venus explained. "Karena told me to talk to you."
I glanced at my phone and put it back in my pocket.
"I've got time. What's up?"
"The tryout results got posted this morning," Venus said. "And I found I made the varsity squad. I'm a sophomore. Shouldn't I be in the junior varsity squad?"
"I had choreographed that sequence to see who had the potential to be part of the color guard," I explained. "It wasn't meant to be easy. I had worked hard to become the captain of the guard, and I earned it after all that time. But then I watched you, Venus. You didn't just perform my choreography precisely. You added your own flair to it, like you were meant to be there."
I paused and smiled at her, putting my hand on her shoulder.
"You have raw talent, Venus. You had impressed me so much that I told Karena to put you in the varsity squad. All of those years studying to be a kunoichi very much applied here."
"But I've never practiced ninjutsu with a bo staff," Venus replied. "I've used my father's sais this entire time."
"Exactly. By any chance, what weapon did you take with you on your vision quest? It wasn't your sais, right?"
"No, it was..."
Venus trailed off, realizing she had trained with the bo staff. She turned towards me with a smirk.
"You knew?" she asked me.
"Yes," I answered with a chuckle. "I'm part of your clan now. Leo tells me pretty much everything that happens. He explained that fighting with the bo staff came naturally to you despite you never using it before. Your father Raphael then told me he had used Donatello's bo staff before and was quite good at using it... before he broke it. Then of course, there's your mother--"
"Who carried raw talent on the battlefield," Venus finished for me.
"You see, your entire family carries raw talent of some sort," I explained. "April became a kunoichi after only three years. Lily became a very powerful psychic after only two years. Athena's got the golden touch for cooking. Ryan became the quarterback with absolutely no experience in football. Donatello is a gifted biologist. It only took Michelangelo seconds to figure out how beings of another planet communicate with each other."
"I think I understand what you're saying," Venus replied. "Take every opportunity to your advantage and explore it. Raw talent may show up out of the blue."
"Exactly!" I replied with a grin. "I think you are going to amazing things just like I did. And if you ever want one-on-one training with me, just shoot me a text."
"There's one other thing," Venus said. "I'm worried about Ryan. We were both bullied during our first week of school, but the bullying against me was shut down after I tried out for color guard. Ryan, on the other hand, was still experiencing that after his tryouts."
I put my hands on my hips.
"Well, that's not cool of them," I replied. "Could you let him know to talk to me if he needs to?"
"I will. Ryan was so concerned that people wouldn't accept him became of his looks, and here he is being bullied because of said looks."
"Oh, we've all been bullied because of our quirks. I was even bullied at some point, but only because back then, I was the clumsy son of Cornelius Robinson."
"You? Clumsy?"
Venus and I laughed.
"Yes and yes," I answered. "I cried at first. But then my mom told me never to let that stray me away from the goals at hand. So I decided to just brush them off and continue on my way."
"Thank you for talking with me, Wilbur," Venus said with a genuine smile. "And thank you for offering to guide me. I might take you up on that."
"Anytime."
September 5, 2041
LILIANNA'S POV
"Hey, crowd!" we all shouted with smiles on our faces. "Get excited! Cheer for the white and gold! Todayland defense on the move, get that ball! Get in the groove! Hey, fans! Let's shout! Scream white and gold! Get in the groove!"
"That was amazing!" I encouraged my teammates. "Let's just keep practicing a few more cheers like that."
"Let's do Show Your Spirit," Athena suggested. "Ready?"
"Come on, Stars. Show your spirit! Todayland crowd, let's hear it! Come on, Stars, we're in it to win it. Todayland crowd, show your spirit!"
"Why should we listen to you, turtle?" I heard a male voice.
I turned around to see two players with Ryan next to the bench.
"I may be new," Ryan explained. "But we'll win if we work together."
"You're so green!" the other player taunted him. "You're too sick to lead this team."
"Stop it!" Ryan defended himself.
As I continued to listen to these players bully him, I felt sorry for my cousin.
"Athena, could you continue to lead practice?" I asked my youngest cousin. "I need to go talk to Ryan."
I walked over to the bench and put my hands on my hips.
"Okay boys, that's enough," I scolded them.
"Oh, we were just telling him to toughen up," the blond football player replied.
"Unless he's too sick and scared to lead our team," the brown-haired player chimed in with a laugh.
"Okay, you need to leave him alone and get back to your practice," I sternly told them. "Ryan's your quarterback now."
"Who doesn't know how to play football," the blond football player jeered in response.
"Hey!" Ryan shouted. "I'm learning! I may not be perfect, but I'm more than qualified to lead a team to victory."
"Slow and steady wins the race, right?" the brown-haired player asked.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Ryan asked, putting his hands on his hips. "I'm more than a mutant turtle, you know. Come on, you two know better than that. This is Todayland."
"Well, maybe you don't belong here, freak!" the blond player jeered again.
I couldn't stand it anymore. Using my telekinesis, I lifted the blonde player up in the air. The brown-hair player looked freaked out, as did Ryan.
"Put me down, please?" the blond player pleaded with me.
I let him go, watching him fall hard to the ground.
"I promise you I can do more harm if you ever bully my cousin again," I told him sternly.
I turned away as the player grimaced in pain.
DONATELLO'S POV
I was grading exams in my office when my phone rang. I picked it up.
"Donatello."
"Dr. Donatello Hamato?"
"This is he."
"This is Principal Jameson at Todayland High School. I'm calling regarding your daughter."
I instantly started to worry.
"Is Lily okay?" I asked.
"She's fine. Be we'll need you to come to my office right away."
"Certainly. I'll be right over."
I hung up the phone and drove to the high school to meet the principal and my daughter. I knocked on the door.
"Hello?"
"Ah, Dr. Hamato," Prinicpal Jameson greeted me. "Please, close the door and take a seat."
"What is this about?" I asked with a concerned voice.
"Lily, why don't you tell your father what happened at practice?"
Lily let out a sigh.
"There were a couple of football players bullying Ryan and I overheard it. So I tried to stop them. But they continued... so I... used my telekinesis on one of them."
"You what?" I replied with a glare and then turned back to the principal. "I'm so sorry about all this."
"It's not your fault, Dr. Hamato. Lily, I would suggest next time to tell a teacher about any incident caused by bullying. Don't try to stop them yourself."
"The teachers aren't going to do anything about my cousin, Prinicpal Jameson," Lily snapped. "I'm sorry, but I had to do something."
"And that kind of attitude will land you in lunch detention, which you'll serve from tomorrow until the end of next week. Travis and his family are in the hospital because of a broken rib."
I felt angry.
"If you'll excuse us, Principal Jameson, I'd like to talk to my daughter alone."
"Very well. I was done anyway. Thank you for coming, Dr. Hamato."
Lily and I walked out of the school and took the portal back home into the barn.
North Hampton, New York, USA
"Okay, would you like to explain to me what the shell happened?" I angrily asked my daughter, putting my hands on my hips. "You injured another student?"
"Okay, I didn't think that Travis would actually break his ribs," Lily sternly replied. "He and his friend wouldn't stop bullying Ryan, so I had to do something."
"And that something was using your powers, right? Using your powers in front of other people?!"
"Only the four of us knew what I have done. And it needed to be done."
"No, what you should have done was walked away and let Ryan fight his own battles. He's the quarterback, for goodness sakes!"
"Ryan is a mutant turtle, and he actually looks like one. He's been bullied all week for his looks. Why should I just sit back and do nothing?"
"I am not repeating myself to you," I sternly replied. "That was not your battle to fight. And now because you intervened, Travis has a broken rib and you're serving detention. I expected better from you, Lily Mae."
"Whoa, okay!" Lily snapped, pointing a finger at me. "You are blaming me for all of this, and that's not fair. I did what I thought was right. I did not mean to injure Travis."
"Lily, I'm going to figure out where Travis is and we're both going to go back to Todayland so you can apologize to him."
"I'll only apologize for injuring him. Nothing more."
"Lily, tell me the truth: did you injure him on purpose?"
"No, Dad, I didn't," my daughter angrily replied. "Yes, I meant to use my powers."
"You used your powers at the wrong place at the wrong time, Lilianna. You never should have butted in in the first place. I'm going to try to find Travis' family."
I turned around to leave the barn.
"Are you seriously so heartless that you would rather I leave things be and let Ryan be bullied?" Lily asked furiously. "You taught me better than that!"
I froze, turned around, and exploded, pointing a finger at her.
"Lilianna Mae Hamato, don't you DARE question who I am nor the way I raised you! Don't you remember the first rule of being a ninja? The first rule of being a ninja is do no harm. You broke that rule by using your powers to harm Travis, no matter if it was intentional or not. You are responsible for your powers, which means you decide when is the right time to use them. If you use them at the wrong time, like you did today, there are consequences on yourself and others. I will not sit here and watch you turn into some heartless monster because you feel the need to play God!"
"I'm sorry, I'M playing God?" Lily yelled back. "I saved Ryan's shell from being kicked around!"
"You are NOT the authority here! And the way you are speaking to me is despicable."
We continued to glare at each other.
"Lilianna Mae, go to your room and calm down. We'll continue this discussion later. But please know that I am very disappointed with the way you've handled things today."
"I'm not--"
"Don't even think about using your age as an excuse to get out of it. You are not an adult. If you want to be treated like an adult, then act like one."
I pointed my finger to the house.
"Now, go!"
APRIL'S POV
I arrived home just in time to see Lily storming out of Donnie's lab. I quickly got off my shell-cycle and ran inside to meet Lily in the hall.
"Lily, what's wrong?" I asked with a worried voice.
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Lily screamed.
"Hey! What is going on?"
"Mom, I-- I can't do this. I'm sorry."
Lily broke into tears as she ran up the stairs and into her bedroom. She slammed her bedroom door shut.
"Oh dear," I muttered to myself, shaking my head. "I should go see if Donnie's okay."
Just as I was about to walk outside to the barn, Donnie walked into the kitchen with a glare on his face.
"Donnie! What happened?"
My husband leaned against the door and crossed his arms.
"Lily used her powers against a student and accidentally injured him."
"What?! Are you absolutely sure? That doesn't sound like the Lily I know."
"Tell me about it. I was going to try to find that student's family and apologize to them."
"Donnie, you didn't do anything wrong."
"I don't know, April," my husband replied, shaking his head. "Lily and I had a heated argument. She says Ryan was being bullied by this kid and she was trying to prove a point by using her powers."
"I agree with you, D," I said, reading his thoughts. "I don't believe Lily did the right thing here. Sure, she tried to defend Ryan, which is a noble thing, but she didn't go about it the right way."
"And that's why I want to find this student and his family, see if I can help in any way. I feel that this is my responsibility."
"Donatello, it isn't your responsibility," I snapped. "It's Lily's."
"Lily needs to blow off some steam in her bedroom."
"So I heard. She slammed the door before you came inside. I'm going to go see if I can get the full story from her."
"Thank you, April. I'm not sure I can speak with her right now."
I frowned. I placed my hand on his cheek, and he melted into the touch.
"Did Lily say something to you that caused you to be upset?" I asked.
"She was doubting me and the way I was raising her," Donnie replied, his voice cracking.
"Come here, D."
We embraced as Donnie openly cried, his tears soaking his purple mask and eventually falling onto my shoulder.
"She actually hurt my feelings, April," Donnie cried. "That's not my daughter up there."
I let out a sigh.
"No, it isn't. Donnie, put on a clean mask and go to Todayland. I'll see if I can find some common ground between the two of you."
My husband gazed at me with teary amber eyes. Then he closed the distance between us with a kiss. I kissed him back.
"I love you, Donnie."
"I love you too, honey."
