Song: How To Survive - Of Mice and Men

The huge viper's fangs are only three inches from my face. The only thing I can register is that I am going to die for no reason. It's all I can do to hold in a scream as the snake's teeth get closer.

   "Karai!" Leonardo suddenly gasps. He stares at the snake with an intense expression.

   I, on the other hand, get confused. Karai? No way. It can't be her. She looks... Well, different. She's even acting strangely.

   Leonardo doesn't think that, however. "Karai!" he repeats desperately. "It's me! Leo!"

   His name seems to jolt the creature out of a trance. It snaps its attention to him, backing up. "Leo..." Its reply comes out as a stalled hiss.

   "That's right," Leonardo says with a nod. "It's me."

   The viper turns on me again, glaring deviously. "You..." It hisses again, showing its teeth.

   I see its snake-face flash with a recognizable hatred. What have I done to the animal that was so wrong?

   Before I can react, the snake gets back up in my face, hissing viciously. I scream and bang my head off the wall. I wince at the pain it brings me, turning my head to avoid a bite from the vicious creature.

   "No, Karai, don't!" Leonardo inserts a katana between us. "It's Lizzy. She's a friend. Please don't hurt her."

   My heart rate increases when I think the large viper won't listen. But it reluctantly backs off, watching me closely. "Friend..." it mumbles, its feminine voice trailing off again.

   Leonardo slowly pulls his katana away. "Right. Good. Now, why are you here? Were you looking for me?" he asks curiously.

   He's so relaxed that it scares me. Since when are he and Karai, if that's who it is, on good terms? Isn't she the Shredder's daughter? I'm so mind-blown that my head is pounding.

   Karai fixes her piercing green gaze on the blue-clad turtle. "Shredder... Up to... Something..." she answers slowly. "Wanted... to... warn you..."

   "Wait, what?" Leonardo suddenly looks panicked. "Up to what? What is he doing?"

   Karai doesn't answer. Freezing rain started pouring down, frightening her. She hisses in surprise and quickly slithers away, out of sight.

   "Sewer apples!" Leonardo shouts in frustration. He attempts to block the rain from his face with one hand, grabbing my wrist with the other.

   I stumble after him, confusion clouding my mind. We race through the raindrops until we reach the safety of the sewer pipes. Down here, we lean up against a wall, trying to regain our breath.

   Once I recover, I start to voice my curiosity. "Was that really Karai?" I ask in disbelief. It still seems unlikely.

   "Yes," Leonardo answers. He sounds distracted. "The Shredder mutated her into what she is now," he explains.

   I raise my eyebrows in shock. "Her own father mutated her?!"

   Leonardo shakes his head, still looking off into the distance. "He's not her father. Her father is Master Splinter."

   I look at him with wide eyes. "Karai is Master Splinter's daughter?" I gasp softly.

   Leonardo nods.

   I lean against the wall more as I try to process what I just heard. Karai's father is Master Splinter, but she works for the Shredder. The Shredder is our nemesis.

   That's seriously messed up.

   Leonardo finally looks at me. "Karai is my sister, Lizzy." He says it as if he still doesn't believe it himself. How can he? It's worse than a blow to the face.

   Out of all the things I could think of, only one question comes to mind. "Does that mean she's on our side?"

   Leonardo bites his lip lightly. "I think so. At least, that's what she's led me to believe. Though she's made me believe a lot of stuff that turned out to be untrue," he adds, suddenly avoiding my gaze.

   Leonardo has good judgement. His brothers do as well, and I know he won't trust her without consulting them first. If he believes she's on our side, then surely his brothers think the same. I should agree with them. Should.

   But I can't. Something about her gives me a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. It could be the fact that I already have a strong dislike towards her. Or maybe I'm jealous of how easily fighting skills come to her. Either way, I still don't trust her.

   "Well, I don't think she's on our side at all," I admit after a pause. I'm not trying to start an argument, I just want my fears recognized. "She seems like the sly type. She might be playing some angle with you guys."

   Leonardo instantly looks defensive. "She's not 'playing an angle'. She's my sister, and I trust her. You weren't there to watch her turn into a beast. You haven't seen the pleading look in her eyes every time we meet." He shuts his eyes painfully tight, as if willing away a memory. "I thought she had left. She told me good-bye only just a few days ago. I hadn't expected to see her again."

   Guilt swamps me. I didn't mean to upset him.

   I rub his arm comfortingly. "Look, we don't have to worry about what side she's on right now. Let's just head back to the lair."

   I gently tug Leonardo, and we walk in silence the rest of the way home.

*~*~*

   Leonardo and I are in Donatello's laboratory. I just finished explaining the whole truth to why I came to visit them. The purple-clad listens intently until I stop talking.

   "Well, I don't know what to say about your fainting spells," Donatello confesses. "You seem perfectly fine. I can run a few blood tests, though, if you like? Maybe I can find something the doctors wouldn't know to look for," he says.

   I nod hesitantly. I hate getting my blood drawn, but if it actually gives me some answers, I'm alright with it.

   "As for the residents disappearing. and your dream, I'm lost," he sighs, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "It doesn't seem right that people would be gone without a trace. Everyone leaves clues; even the most skilled murderers."

   "You think we should go investigate ourselves?" Leonardo questions.

   Donatello shrugs. "If it came down to it, I wouldn't be opposed. But I'd like to have a little more information before we jump into something as complicated as that."

   "What about my dream?" I'm practically bouncing in my seat. I'm eager to know what he thinks about it, since he most likely has a theory.

   But I'm disappointed. "I think you shouldn't jump to conclusions," Donatello replies sympathetically. "If you have the same dream again, though, let me know," he adds, and I know he's just saying that to make me feel better.

   Leonardo stands up. "Well, I want to go find out what Bebop and Rocksteady are up to. Karai stopped me up on the surface and told me that Shredder is up to no good."

   Donatello's eyes widen. "Again? What now?" he questions immediately.

   Leonardo shrugs, his face creased with a frown. "She didn't tell me. But maybe some of his old colleagues will fill that gap."

   As the blue-clad turtle speaks, he glances at me. He knows I'm having flashbacks of my father. I'm also certain he is thinking of what I told him before I left so long ago; I don't want anyone to come after the turtles because of me. If my father even gets a whiff of me around New York City, he will most likely set out to destroy me.  If Shredder doesn't get to me first, that is.

   I'm fearful of losing my own life. I just don't want my friends fighting for me and risking their lives. It's wrong, considering it's my problem. They shouldn't have to suffer for that.

   I want to go with him. I'm just as curious as he is. But for reasons stated before, I need to stay on the down-low.

   "I'd rather sit this one out," I tell him as his blue eyes stare into mine. "I'm still kind of worn out from the trip over here," I lie. My heart pounds with adrenaline, but I have to ignore it.

   Leonardo smiles faintly. "Good. I didn't want you going without refreshing your Ninjutsu skills first," he says, with a hint of teasing. I stick my tongue out in reply.

   "Donnie?" Leonardo turns to the techy-turtle.

   Donatello scratches the back of his head. "I'm with Lizzy," he finally answers. "I want to run a few tests on her before her illness gets worse. Maybe I can do something about it."

   I cast him a grateful glance, though I'm not too excited about the needles.

   Leonardo seems to understand. "I'll go round up the others. We'll be back before midnight," he adds, before disappearing.

   I watch Donatello wash off a set of needles in the sink. As his hands work with the water, I feel the final question I have prepared for him rise into my mind.

   I put on a serious face as I look at him. "Do you think Stockman might be working with Bebop and Rocksteady?" I question. I'm still not sure who the latter beings are, but they sound intimidating.

   Donatello shrugs. "They could be. They all worked together under the Shredder in the past. It would seem natural that they would team up together again. It also seems fishy how Bebop and Rocksteady showed up the same time that Shredder activates another one of his plans," he adds as he fiddles with his supplies.

   I let his information sink in before I ask the most dreaded question of all. "Do you think my father is involved as well?" I wonder softly.

   Donatello paused and looks at me for a long moment. "I'm not sure," he admits. "But since you're back in New York, I'm sure we will find out if he is soon enough."

   His words have kind of an ominous touch to them that gives me goosebumps. I know he doesn't mean it as such, but it's almost like he's going to blame me if my father attacks them. Then again, he isn't too far off the mark there. None of this would have happened if I had just let my dad kill me with his experiments six months ago.

   With a feeling of guilt in my stomach, I sink down into my chair and wait for Donatello to begin his tests.