And here is the conclusion to this version of "Epidemic!" The next chapter will probably be made in the same manner as before: a filler and the first chapter of the "For Good" reimagination. New characters will be introduced, and that will just be the start of things to come. Meanwhile, enjoy this chapter!
DISCLAIMER: I own the following characters: Karena, Bob, Jenny, Jasmine, James, Andrew, Rich, Kate, Claire, Lilianna, Venus, Ryan, & Athena. I do not own anything else in this chapter from the "Meet the Robinsons" & "TMNT" universes.
May 12, 2040 – Todayland, North Montana, USA
WILBUR'S POV
James and I met up at Tallulah's dress shop in downtown Todayland this afternoon. We were accompanied by James's family: his parents Bob and Jenny, and he also had a sister named Jasmine. My dad, my grandpa, my cousin Laszlo, and my uncles Art and Gaston were also present with us. We sat down after eating lunch downtown at Futureburgers and waited for Tallulah to finish the alterations. It did not take us too much longer for Tallulah to emerge from her sewing area. She had carried James's grey tuxedo in her arms.
"James, I'm ready for you to try this on," she announced with a big smile. "Wilbur, I'm getting yours right now."
My best friend walked into one of the stalls. Tallulah then came out with my teal tuxedo, and I walked into the stall next to him.
"Wilbur, you have a surprise visitor," she told me.
"Who is it?" I asked as I put my pants on.
"You'll have to find out!"
I rolled my eyes, annoyed at her singsong voice. I quickly put the shirt on without the coat and walked out of the stall. I quickly put on a smile when I discovered who was visiting.
"Sensei! Kon'nichiwa!" I said excitedly in Japanese. "And hello to you too, Ryan."
"It's great to see you, Wilbur," Leonardo greeted me.
We hugged each other.
"What brings you two by?" I asked.
"Actually, it's us four," Ryan corrected me.
"Raph and Mikey are waiting outside," Leo explained. "Donnie went ahead to your house with the women to watch the girls get ready. My nieces were eager to see what Lily looked like, so we tagged along."
"Auntie Renet was the most excited about today," Ryan said.
"Wait, not Don and April?" I asked with surprise in my voice.
"Uncle Donnie still has a grudge on Lily's date. While Aunt April is excited, Auntie Renet has the highest spirit when it comes to prom."
"Wait, Lily's dad still has a grudge on me?" James asked in the stall.
We both winced.
"That's Lily's date?" Ryan whispered in my ear.
"Yes, that's him," I whispered back.
"Oops."
"Wilbur, could you come here, please?"
"Excuse me," I told the two turtles.
I went into James's stall and closed the door.
"Wilbur, I'm really nervous now," James whispered to me. "Who is that out there?"
"Relax, James, they're Lily's family: her uncle Leonardo and her cousin Ryan. They're both cool. Her other two uncles are waiting outside the shop."
"What do they all do?"
"So, Leo is my ninjutsu teacher, my sensei as well as hers. Raphael is a detective with the New York City Police. Michelangelo is a pizza chef just like my uncle Art."
"Michelangelo sounds like a cool dude," James replied. "Do they both have names for short?"
"Raph and Mikey. And trust me about Raph. Despite his hard shell, he has a soft heart."
"Is there anything you can tell me about Donatello to see if I can try to… mend things?"
"Science. If you start talking about science, he will probably give you a presentation on a certain field of it."
"That's helpful," James replied sarcastically. "What if he turns that into a rant about how I hurt his daughter?"
"Then I'd just tell him the truth… about yourself. But I do know from experience that Donatello likes to be comfortable, and he encourages everyone else to be comfortable."
"Boys, are we just going to stand around or not?" Tallulah asked impatiently. "We don't have all day!"
"We're not girls, Tallulah!" I yelled.
"Hey, I gotta make last minute adjustments and do your hair. Now let's move!"
"I hope the girls are having a blast," Ryan told his dad, who nodded in agreement.
KARENA'S POV
After I took Lily out to lunch at the Cheesecake Factory, we returned to the Robinson House to get ready for prom.
"SURPRISE!"
Lily and I both jumped at the crowd. The majority of Lily's family had emerged from the living room furniture just like they did at Wilbur's homecoming. Her parents, Donnie and April, emerged from one couch. Her aunts Renet, Mona Lisa, and Karai, revealed themselves from another couch. Lastly, her cousins Athena and Venus appeared from the TV room.
"What are you all doing here?" Lily asked with excitement.
"We're here to help you prepare for prom," Renet answered excitedly. "This is going to be the best night of your life."
I watched Donnie nodding at her, probably to express thanks about something.
"And we're here because we wanna watch," Athena explained, giving Venus a side hug.
"We won't say no to that," Franny chimed in, appearing from the travel tube with Billie right behind her.
"Looks like a party in here!" Billie said excitedly with her Swedish accent.
"Well, we may never be able to go to a prom, unlike our cousin here," Athena explained again. "So here we are."
"And we're her supporting aunts," Renet spoke for the women.
"Do you have family coming, Karena?" Billie asked me with a grin.
"Actually—"
"We'll be her family today," Donnie chimed in.
I turned towards Lily's parents with shock in my eyes.
"Donnie, you don't have to do this," I told him with a sheepish chuckle.
"Yes, we do," April corrected me. "Donnie and the Turtles promised to be my family when my dad was kidnapped."
"And now we're paying it forward," Donnie added. "And should the time come for you and Wilbur to get married, I'd be more than happy to give you away on behalf of your father."
I put my hands over my heart and my cheeks were blushing. I walked up to Donnie and gave him a hug, and he did not hesitate to hug me back.
"Why are you doing this, Donnie?"
"Well, you've been giving me such great advice about Lily lately that I realize I need to practice letting her go," he explained. "And besides, Lily sees you as the sister she never had."
I smiled at the thought.
"I never imagined that when I moved to Todayland three years ago, I would meet you again. I never imagined that you would be more present in my life than before."
I let out a sigh, my smile disappearing.
"The truth is, when my mother died, my dad was all I had left. And my dad was always at work, so I was often home alone. We quarreled often when I was a teenager, and it ended up having me move out of the house after I turned eighteen. But after getting to know Lily more and seeing you in your habitat as a father, you've become a second father to me. And I honestly did not expect to say that."
Donatello laughed. April and Lily smiled with him.
"Thank you, Donnie, for being there when I needed you, and thank you for being there when Wilbur needed you. And when the time comes for me and Wilbur to marry, I would be honored to have you give me away on my wedding day. I love you, Donnie, and thank you for being a true friend and being the best father figure I could ask for."
"Oh, Karena…"
Donnie hugged me again, and I hugged him back.
"It's amazing how time travel works," he replied. "When we first met, we were the same age."
"And then I moved to the future," I finished the story for him. "And time went on for you like normal, exactly like you said all those years ago."
A thought entered my mind.
"Hey, Donnie, just out of curiosity, if I had stayed in the present back then, would you have-"
"Don't," he interrupted me gently.
He gave me the kindest smile I had ever seen from him, and I immediately understood him. He had fallen in love with April from the moment he laid eyes on her, and his love for her never changed, and he was never tempted to fall for anyone else. I gave him more respect for that.
"But I can tell you this," Donnie finally spoke after a few moments. "I love you, too. If you ever want me to call you my daughter, then I will."
I laughed.
"Maybe when we're surrounded by family," I replied. "Calling you Dad would be a little weird for me. Besides, I'd much rather call you Donnie."
"Fair enough," he replied with his gap-toothed grin.
"Well, as touching as this is, we need to get you two ready, girls," Franny announced. "Let's go to Tallulah's room. She has your dresses in there."
We all went up the stairs to the spacious room that is Tallulah's room.
"Let's do your makeup first," Franny suggested.
"Could I do Karena's please?" Lily asked. "I'm good with makeup."
"Let's see what you can do!" Billie encouraged the young kunoichi.
I sat down on the chair and closed my eyes.
"Lily, would it be alright if I did your hair?" Franny asked.
"Mom, get your camera out," Lily said with a laugh. "If this actually works, this moment is going to go down in history!"
We all laughed at that. We heard cameras going off all over the room. To my surprise, Lily did not ask me any questions about what colors I was wearing or what colors I preferred on my face. However, all the questions Lily had were directed at her parents.
"Hey, Mom, was your wedding like this?"
"Coincidentally, yes," April answered. "I had done my own hair at first while Auntie Karai did my makeup. Then, Shinigami came and redid my hair as gifts were given to me."
"Have you heard from Shinigami since then?" I asked.
"She was dating Casey for some time."
"Shini is one of my assistants at the dojo and for the Foot Clan," Karai chimed in. "She stopped dating Casey a long time ago. She says he was never serious enough in the relationship."
"You see, that's what threw me off when I first met him," April replied. "He told me he either wanted to be a hockey player or a bounty hunter after high school graduation. He ended up being held back a couple of times because he was focused on saving the city instead of his homework. He kept flirting with me. At first, it felt nice, but-"
"He wasn't serious enough," Lily finished for her.
"Exactly."
"Will I ever get to see Shinigami?"
There was a moment of silence in the room.
"One of these days, I will introduce you to her, Lilianna," Karai answered. "Shini bounces back and forth from New York to Tokyo training the Foot Clan there."
There was a pause.
"Athena, Venus, could you go down and grab us all glasses of water, please?" Karai asked.
"I'll go with you," Billie offered.
I opened my eyes to watch the two youngest girls leave the room with Billie.
"I'm all done, Karena," Lily told me. "What do you think?"
I got up to look in the mirror. Lily did a beautiful blend of the teal, turquoise, and white colors for eyeshadow, and my blush and foundation were the perfect colors to compliment my skin.
"It's absolutely perfect, Lily," I told her. "Did you want to do my hair also?"
"Nah, I think it's best to let Franny do that. Besides, I have to get my own makeup done, too."
"Let me finish your hair, Lily," Franny said. "You have a lot of hair."
"Isn't it beautiful?" April asked with a big smile.
I went to my phone to find my most recent picture of Lily. I was amazed at how different she looked after knowing her for almost two years. When I met her, her hair was just past her shoulders and she had straight bangs just above her eyebrows. Now, her hair went all the way down to her hips, and her bangs were swept to her left side.
"Yes! This is the most beautiful red hair I have ever seen. It's so long and perfect for a sixteen-year-old."
"I'm not sixteen yet, Franny," Lily replied. "But thank you!"
"No, but it's coming up," Donnie chimed in. "I cannot believe that your mom's taking you to the DMV on your birthday."
"And I'll be driving home with a new license," Lily boasted.
"I can't believe it's been a year since Wilbur got his license," Franny replied with a smile. "This year, it's prom. And next year, it's high school graduation."
"Wilbur's not going to prom next year?" Donnie asked with a surprised expression.
"I'll be too old to accompany him," I explained.
"Ah."
"Lily, there was a reason why I sent Athena and Venus downstairs," Karai explained. "The reason why you haven't met Shinigami yet is because she uses magic."
"Are you talking about black magic?" she asked.
"Yes. She's a mystic witch. I didn't want Athena and Venus to be scared of her if she were to use her magic in front of you."
"That is thoughtful, Auntie Karai, but you know Athena and Venus," Lily explained. "Venus is like both her parents. They're all a fearless family. Venus might think Shinigami would be the coolest person she would ever know. And you forget, Uncle Mikey had taken a liking to Shinigami at one point. Athena probably knows about her already from her dad talking about his past."
Karai pondered what her niece said.
"I will think about it. Now's not the time. Now is the time for you, Lilianna. Let me help you get your makeup done."
"I can do Karena's hair in the meantime," Renet offered.
"Thanks, Renet!" I replied happily.
As Renet put my brown hair up in hair ties and curled it, I watched Lily do her own makeup. I was surprised that it took her no effort at all. She had put on a little blush, mixed gold and white eyeshadow together, and put mascara on her eyelashes. Franny was still working on her long, luscious red hair by the time she was done.
"Lily, do you prefer short or long hair?" I asked her.
She shrugged.
"I liked it short at first. But ever since I overcame my fears and defeated the Magician, I realized there was room for potential and growth. So I allowed myself to grow, and I allowed my hair to grow too. It's a symbol. Of course, I have trimmed it."
"Lily, you have so much hair I do not know what to do with it," Franny said with a frown. "I'm actually stumped."
"Tallie would know what to do," I pondered, and then an idea came to my head. "Lily, why don't you put on your dress?"
"That's a good idea," Franny replied.
Just as Lily took her yellow dress into the bathroom, Athena, Venus, and Billie returned with water for everyone.
"Mom, could you help me, please?" Lily asked.
"I'm coming!" April yelled, walking into the bathroom.
"What do you think, girls?" Renet asked, gesturing her hand to my hair.
"It's cute!" Athena complimented me.
"Let me look."
I stood up and walked to the mirror. Renet, after curling my hair, gave me a 1920s hair make-over with a braided crown. My bangs, like Lily's, were swept to my left side.
"Renet, this looks amazing!" I said excitedly. "Have you ever visited the 1920s before?"
"I have! I was so inspired by the women in that time period that I practiced on my own hair. Granted, it's short, but that's how it was back then too."
"You have short hair?" I asked.
I watched Renet undo her braided crown and let her blonde hair flow. Just as we were all about to compliment her on it, Lily emerged in her yellow dress. Her dress had a V-neck with two butterfly clips holding her straps together. Her gown was a ballroom gown with yellow transparent layers, and there were butterfly decorations on the dress.
"Wow!" Franny exclaimed in awe.
"I second that," Billie said breathlessly.
I watched Donatello's expression, and he had a proud smile on his face, but he also looked like he was about to cry.
"I think I've got it," Franny said. "Karena, could you help me?"
"What did you have in mind?" I asked.
"Let's turn Lily into an elven princess, you know, like in Lord of the Rings?"
"I love it!" I yelled at her whispering.
Franny and I worked together to brush all of Lily's hair again, and then we separated her hair. Franny put the bottom part of her hair in a ponytail to mess with later. I put the top part of Lily's red hair into a fishtail braid. We both stepped back to admire her hair from behind.
"Karena, you're going to be an amazing mother someday," Franny complimented me. "You did it perfectly! I could never do that."
"Does this make you thankful that you have a son?"
"Actually yes," Franny answered with laughter. "But I think something is missing."
"Could I see?" Lily asked.
"Sure!" We said at the same time.
Lily walked up to the mirror while Franny held a second mirror so she could see the back of her hair. Lily twirled around with a big smile on her face, admiring how well her hair was done.
"What do you think?" April asked her daughter.
"I love it! I look like a princess!"
"Do you think something is missing?" I asked.
"We were trying for the elven princess look-"
"Elven princesses wore tiaras," Donnie interrupted Franny, who then clapped her hands.
"A tiara. That's it! I'll call Tallulah."
I watched Franny calling Tallulah.
"I don't need a tiara, Karena," Lily told me. "It's not like I'll be crowned prom queen."
"Shh, Lily, consider it a birthday gift from us," I replied with a smile on my face. "How often do you get to see yourself as an elven princess?"
"How often do you get to see my dad as a wizard?" Lily replied with a smirk. "Thank you so much!"
"Wait, Donnie, you dressed up as a wizard?"
"My brothers and I LARPed one day when we were teens," Donnie explained with a smile. "Leo had set up a live-action role-playing game of Mazes and Mutants in the sewers, so we all dressed up. I dressed as a wizard. Raph was a dwarf barbarian. Mikey was an elven thief. And Leo was a knight. It was kind of fun until a mutant sparrow named Sir Malachi warped our minds to believing the entire thing was real."
"You really liked Gandalf, didn't you?" I asked with a smirk.
"Guilty as charged," Donnie replied with a wink. "I still can't believe I met Gandalf in person back when we went back in time to Third Age Minas Tirith. And he knew my name."
"You ended up saving my life from the ringwraiths," I said, remembering everything that had happened. "Did I ever properly thank you for that?"
"I don't remember. It was so long ago. But you're welcome. I'm glad you're here with us."
There was a short pause.
"What are you waiting for?" Athena asked me excitedly. "Put your dress on!"
I smiled excitedly and went into the bathroom. I put on my teal dress, not knowing what it actually looked like. I had no problems zipping up my dress. All I knew was that it felt amazing. I walked out of the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. My dress was an off-the-shoulder A-line gown with long sleeves. There were silver swirly decorations on the skirt and sparkles on the torso.
"You look absolutely beautiful, Karena," April complimented me. "Wilbur is one lucky guy."
"Even I'm jealous of that dress," Athena chimed in. "And I don't like to wear dresses."
"That makes two of us," Venus said.
"So you're both tomboys?" Billie asked.
The girls nodded.
"So, Lily, how come you're not a tomboy?" Billie asked her.
"Because I've always seen dresses as powerful weapons," Lily explained. "They are great for camouflaging."
Lily winked at me.
"And you're welcome. I helped Tallulah make yours. I know that color brings your eyes out, and the color looks fantastic on Wilbur."
"It looks like the elven princess has done her queen a service," I replied, bowing to her.
We giggled.
"You really do look like a queen!" Renet exclaimed.
"Yeah, you did her hair really well, Renet," Franny complimented her with a big grin. "Well done!"
"Girls, the boys are back at the house," Carl announced over the intercom.
"Perfect timing, Carl," Franny replied. "Thank you!"
"Wait!"
We froze, hearing Tallulah's voice coming up outside the bedroom. She walked in, and her worried expression turned into happy tears.
"You girls look so beautiful," she said, her voice cracking. "Lily, we have something for you."
Tallulah reached into her bag and took out a tiara with small white flowers on it. It was the kind of tiara a woman would wear to her wedding, and Tallullah gracefully put it over Lily's red hair.
"Tallulah, it's beautiful," Lily said with a big smile. "Thank you."
"Well, girls, let's go downstairs to greet your dates," Franny announced.
"Wait, let's let us women go down first," Renet suggested. "We want to see the girls making a grand entrance."
"Good idea," Mona Lisa finally spoke.
Lily and I remained in the room while the rest took the travel tube down to the living room.
"We're missing the shoes," Lily whispered to me.
"I can grab them."
I went back in the bathroom to grab Lily's yellow ballet flats and my teal heels. I had to sit down to put my heels on while Lily easily slipped hers on while standing.
"You know, we really could be sisters," I told her with a smile.
"I think we'd be more like cousins," Lily replied. "You have green eyes, and the only other members of my family with green eyes are Uncle Raph and Venus. On the other hand, I could see my dad having brown hair if he was human. But no matter what, I will call you the sister I never had, because I've always wanted a sister and you've always been there for me from the moment we met."
"Aww, Lily."
We hugged each other. When we decided to pull away, we smiled at each other.
"You are just about as tall as your dad," I told her. "I just realized it."
"Yeah, I did grow a couple of inches this past year, but I'm sure I'm done growing now."
"Are you ready?" I asked.
"Let's make our grand entrance!"
DONATELLO'S POV
We made our way downstairs to greet James and Wilbur. My brothers and Ryan also came with them, and me and my family reunited with them with smiles on our faces. I also saw James and his family in the room. Amidst all the greetings, I pulled away to meet James's family.
"Holy cow!" his dad exclaimed. "You're one of the Turtles!"
"I am," I replied with a small smile on my face. "I'm Donatello. I'm Lily's father."
I shook his hand.
"I'm Bob, James's dad. This is my wife Jenny and my daughter Jasmine."
"It's nice to meet you, Dona... May I call you Donnie?" Jasmine asked with uncertainty.
"Of course, you may call me Donnie," I answered with a gap-toothed grin, understanding of her younger age. "Everyone calls me Donnie."
Jasmine gave me a huge grin in return. James, on the other hand, looked extremely nervous.
"James, may I speak with you please?" I asked.
"Yes, please," James answered, blowing a sigh of relief.
"Excuse us."
James and I walked away from the crowd into the music room. We both took a seat at one of the tables.
"Just say it, Donnie," James told me. "I don't deserve to date your daughter because I hurt her."
"James, listen to me," I sternly replied. "I'm not psychic, and I know you're not either. Yes, I am very disappointed that you hurt her, broke her heart even. My wife broke my heart before, so when I heard of Lily's heart being broken, I wanted nothing more than to hurt you. But I had almost killed someone in cold blood before, and therefore I knew that hurting the boy who hurt my little girl was not the answer for any of us. I am giving you another chance to prove that you are the boy Lily needs to calm her down and show her things that I cannot. But I promise you that if you ever break her heart again, you will hear it from me."
"Yes, sir," James hastily replied. "I promise to be the best... uh, date, I can be for her."
"James, the first step in any relationship is to be a friend, and right now, that is all I am asking from you: to be her friend. It is up to Lily to decide if she wants to take her relationship with you further. But you should never be hasty. My wife and I were friends for five years before we decided to get married. Please, treat her well tonight and get to know her as a friend. Don't focus too much on the future or you will end up hurting each other more than helping each other. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir. I really am sorry I hurt Lily. I was really stupid."
"Yes, you were. A relationship is not a game and not something you should lie about."
"I have also learned that a relationship is about trust, and I promise not to blab about Lily's powers."
I was shocked.
"Lily told you about her powers?"
"Actually, Wilbur did," James answered, biting his lip. "He was trying to knock some sense into me and helped me realize that Lily is someone worth waiting for. She's a really cool girl, Dr. Hamato."
"Donnie, please," I corrected him. "I will give you another chance because the one I worship promotes mercy."
"Thank you, Donnie," James replied with a smile. "I promise I won't let you down."
"Don't let Lily down, and I won't look down on you," I said, returning the smile. "You treat my daughter right, and you will gain my respect."
We got up and we shook hands. We suddenly heard Pachelbel's Canon in D playing over the intercom.
"We should go," I told him. "We don't want to miss the girls."
We hastily walked out of the music room and back into the living room. We had made it just in time to watch Karena and Lily make their grand entrance in their prom dresses.
"Whoa!" Wilbur exclaimed breathlessly.
Karena and Lily smirked at each other before making their way down the stairs. Lily, dressed in her yellow butterfly gown, and Karena, wearing a long-sleeved teal dress, gracefully walked down each step with big smiles on their faces. I turned toward the two boys, and they both had their jaws dropped this entire time. Wilbur's expression had turned into a proud smile once Karena got down to the floor. Lily had walked up to James and closed his jaw for him.
"You look... so beautiful, Lily," James said in awe.
Lily bowed in response.
"Okay, whose idea was it to turn Lily into an elven princess?" Leo asked with a smirk. "Because I feel transported to Lord of the Rings."
"Mine!" Franny and Karena answered at the same time.
"Have you seen Lily's hair?" Karena asked. "She's easily a second Tauriel!"
"Tauriel."
Lily pondered for a moment, and then she smiled big.
"I love that name!"
"And you are just as skilled as Tauriel," Mikey chimed in.
"If you all think Lily is the prettiest, I have to disagree," Wilbur replied. "My girlfriend is a queen."
"I didn't think the 1920s hairstyle would work with that dress," Renet happily explained. "But I'm so glad it did!"
"It's absolutely perfect with this dress. Thank you, Renet."
"Shall we get some pictures?" Cornelius asked.
"Yes!" we all yelled.
We gathered in the backyard where I saw a cherry tree in bloom.
"I've never noticed this tree before," I said to my wife.
"Wilbur planted it for Karena in honor of her mother," April explained. "The cherry tree was Evelyn's favorite."
"It's just like the one we planted over Master Splinter's grave by the barn," I replied solemnly. "He would have loved being here seeing his granddaughter off to prom."
"I think he is, D. He's never really gone. He will always be with all of us."
April rested her head on my shoulder, and I laid my head on hers. We embraced each other while we admired the tree in the middle of the garden.
"Donatello, April, don't you want pictures with your daughter?" Cornelius excitedly yelled to us.
"We should go," April encouraged me.
We shared a short but sweet kiss before we made our way to stand by our daughter. We each took a picture with our daughter before taking one of her together. Then, Lily took pictures with each of her cousins and then all of the cousins together. Eventually, we took a family picture in front of the cherry tree.
"Alright, kids, the train is ready to take you to prom at Todayland Coliseum!" Billie announced.
Lily turned around to hug both me and her mother.
"I love you both so much."
"We love you too, sweetie," April replied.
I kissed her on the head.
"Now go have a wonderful time," I told her with a big smile.
LILIANNA'S POV
The four of us were immediately greeted by the photographer, just like at winter ball last year. James and I had our picture taken first before being followed by Wilbur and Karena. We followed the red carpet until we reached the coliseum, which was three stories high! The bottom floor was the place to grab dinner and dessert, so we automatically assumed our seats would be in the upper two floors. Words could not describe how wrong we were. All of the seating was on the second floor, and the dance floor was on the third floor. The first thing we did was grab dinner, dessert, and drinks.
"We may need to do some teamwork here," James suggested.
"What teamwork?" I asked skeptically.
I looked around and noticed we had to grab new plates. An idea came in my head.
"Karena, you're a waitress, right?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Why don't you carry all four of our drinks?" I suggested. "Wilbur will carry your plate along with his, and then I can use my free hand to lift my dress going up the stairs."
"Yeah, I don't think so," Karena shot back. "One of those drinks would easily spill on my dress."
"I have a better idea," Wilbur chimed in. "Why don't both you girls carry two drinks on a plate, and then James and I will carry your dinner plates?"
"But what about dessert?" I asked.
"We can grab dessert later," Karena answered. "It's best for our body to get the nutrients out of dinner first. And besides, we can always go back down any time tonight."
"That's true. Alright, let's move."
Our plan worked perfectly. We were able to make it to our seats on the second floor with no worries. It was spacious enough for over half of the students of Todayland High School to sit without it feeling cramped. The chargeball coliseum was set up beauitfully with purple and blue tulle all across the ceiling and The Little Mermaid decorations surrounding us.
"Well, Karena, you and Wilbur picked the correct colors for this," I told her. "You two definitely belong under the sea. James and I belong in a fairy-tale land."
"Lily!"
Karena laughed.
"Not everyone is going to dress like the theme. You look absolutely amazing."
"I agree with that!"
We turned around to see a blonde-haired female student with a blonde-haired boy.
"Claire!" Wilbur exclaimed happily. "Hi!"
"Hi, Wilbur! It's so good to see you and Karena."
I examined the girl named Claire. She was wearing a red evening dress with a slit on her left leg.
"Claire, this is Lily Hamato and her date James Anderson," Wilbur introduced us to them. "Lily, this is Claire Goodwin and her date Rich Hardy."
"I've heard of you, Lily," Claire told me while we shook hands. "You're one of the head cheerleaders, aren't you?"
"You saw correctly," I replied with a smile.
"You are so amazing! I wish I had as much skill as you."
"Thank you!" I said with laughter.
"What up, man?" Rich asked Wilbur, clapping each other and hugging each other. "Who's the girl?"
"I haven't told you about her?" Wilbur replied sheepishly. "Let's fix that. This is my girlfriend Karena Edwards."
"It's very nice to meet you, Karena," Rich said, shaking Karena's hand.
"It's nice to meet you too," Karena replied. "Shall we eat?"
"Yes, let's!" Claire agreed.
"Wait for us!"
We turned to see Kate Hensley with her date approaching the table.
"Hey, James!" Kate greeted him with a smile.
"Hey, Kate, it's great to see you," James replied. "I'm sure you remember Lily?"
"Very fondly," Kate replied, still with a smile. "How are you doing Lily?"
"I'm happy to be here," I answered, returning the smile, which then disappeared. "May we talk?"
"Sure."
I followed the blonde-haired student wearing a light blue sequin dress away from our table.
"I wanted to say I'm sorry for the way I acted when we first met," I told Kate.
"Don't be," Kate assured me. "Things were not what they seemed. I'm so glad you and James worked things out."
"Me too. I hope we can be friends."
"I hope so, too."
Kate and I hugged.
"By the way, is your father really Donatello Hamato?" Kate asked me.
I laughed.
"Yes, that is the truth. And yes, I get that a lot. My situation is very unique."
"I can imagine that, with a girl attending school in Todayland all the way from New York City. But let's get back to our table. I don't want to keep my date waiting."
We smiled at each other and then returned to our table.
"Kate, these are my very good friends, Wilbur Robinson and Karena Edwards," I introduced them.
"I've heard of you," Wilbur replied, shaking her hand. "It's nice to finally meet you."
"And I, you," Kate told him. "And Karena, it's very nice to meet you."
"It's nice to meet you too," Karena replied. "Who is your date?"
"This is Andrew Hardy. He's Rich's brother."
We continued to exchange greetings for the next five minutes.
"Attention, students. Welcome to our annual prom night at Todayland High School!"
We all cheered.
"We hope you will enjoy yourselves at Todayland Coliseum. The most important rules to follow are no playing chargeball, and to have fun!"
We laughed.
"And now, it is time for the grand march. Table 1, please march up the stairs to the third floor and have your picture taken. When we are ready for Table 2, we will flash it on the screen."
We were sitting at Table 14, which meant we had quite a while to go. While we waited, we ate our dinner and watched the grand march on the television screens surrounding us. By the time we had finished eating after half an hour, our table was called, and the eight of us made our way up the stairs to the third floor. Kate and Andrew opted to go first.
"Now presenting our couples from Table 14. Senior Andrew Hardy and junior Katherine Hensley. Juniors Richard Hardy and Claire Goodwin. Junior Wilbur Robinson and Todayland University student Karena Edwards."
I took a deep breath in and let it out as Wilbur and Karena made the march on the red carpet, posed for their photo, and then followed the red carpet back down the stairs.
"Junior James Anderson and sophomore Lilianna Hamato."
We heard lots of cheering when we were announced. James and I, with all smiles, marched onto the red carpet. We did a dramatic pose for the camera, posing as ninjas, and then we did a serious pose before following the carpet down the stairs.
"Wilbur, James, we were just discussing getting dessert for the girls," Rich told us when we returned. "What do you think?"
"Sounds great to me," Wilbur answered with a smile.
"Me too," James replied.
When the boys left, the girls and I had delighted each other in our conversations.
"So, Karena, what's next for you?" I asked. "You're going to be a senior next year, right?"
"Yes, and I will be student teaching at Todayland High School."
"That's exciting!" Kate replied happily. "What class will you be teaching?"
"Band, chorus, and photography," Karena answered with a smile. "But don't tell Wilbur yet. Wilbur's involved in the band, and I won't be surprised if he joins photography. He is really good."
Karena turned towards me.
"Speaking of which, Lily, you should join chorus."
I laughed in response.
"No, I'm good! But thank you for thinking of me."
"What? Come on, Lily, you won the talent show with raw talent! Now, I don't know what the chorus sounds like here, but I think you could make a difference."
"I'm in the chorus right now," Claire replied. "It's not very exciting. Lily, you could be a fresh voice for all of us if you joined. You could give us all advice on how to actually sing good and make it something to look forward to."
"Wait, no one is looking forward to chorus classes?" I asked with surprise in my voice. "Why?"
"Let's say the choices our teacher makes are not interesting."
"Well, I'm not one to ask about the songs up to date."
"Maybe not, but most of the songs we do are from the past, anyway. You seem to have taste."
"Could you at least think about it, Lily?" Karena asked me.
"Karena, we've already decided on classes for next semester," I reminded her. "Chorus wasn't one of them."
"So what classes are you taking, Lily?" Claire asked.
"I'm taking calculus, a Shakespeare class, chemistry, advanced U.S. history, third-year French, P.E., and cognitive psychology."
"Those all sound like amazing classes," Karena replied with a frown. "Well, if there was a musical, could I try to convince you to try out for that at least?"
"Possibly. When I was little, I had always imagined myself being a princess."
Karena's frown turned upside down.
"I'll let you know."
The boys returned with our desserts, and we enjoyed eating them with delight. Some of us had received an orange dreamsicle cheesecake while others got a slice of chocolate cake. The grand march was over by the time we finished eating our desserts.
"Attention, students. The dance floor is now open! Please head on up to the third floor and dance the night away! Meanwhile, the dessert and drink bar is still open on the first floor if you are interested in any more refreshments."
Everyone at my table went up the stairs with excitement in their voices. However, I remained seated. I was extremely nervous. James returned to my table after he noticed I was not among them.
"Lily, are you alright?" James asked as the music started to blare upstairs.
"No. I'm nervous! I'm not one to dance!"
"You are the daughter of one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and you're afraid to dance? Did your dad ever dance?"
"Of course, he did!" I answered, yelling over the music. "They all did! But I'd just look silly."
"If four giant turtles can dance, so can you," James assured me. "I don't think anyone is going to care about how you look. And besides, you're beautiful!"
I blushed.
"All right, you win! Let's go!"
James took my hand and we went up the stairs together. By the time we had gone up the stairs, The Cupid Shuffle had started playing. I had never heard the song before, so James had to guide me on how to dance to it. To my surprise, I learned the moves very quickly, and I performed well for the next three minutes. Most of the night was spent socializing with my friends and learning new moves to songs like Cotton-Eyed Joe and the Cha Cha Slide. There were some slow songs as well, and those were intimately spent with James. At nine o'clock, the coronation had taken place with Wilbur and James as two of the junior attendants. We watched the slow dance that had happened after the crowning of the prom king and queen, and then James had never left my side after that. We eventually danced to our song, and tonight went down as another night to remember.