Casey somehow manages to locate the Party Wagon. We use it to escape the grasp of New York City without being detected. I'm not totally sure how a multi-colored van goes unnoticed down the streets. Then again, it's probably best not to question it.

   The moment we arrive back to the farmhouse, I get a sick feeling in my stomach. I don't want to go back to the place where so many bad memories lie. That disgusting plant thing, The Finger, April's 'mom', those crazy frog mutants, Dream Beavers, Speed Demon, and Turducken. I really don't want to face any of them again.

   As we make our way to the front door, I can't help being reminded of the inner struggles we faced as well. Leonardo was fighting to heal his leg. Donatello and Casey were trying to overcome their rivalry. And the rest of us, well... We were just pained to see how much the others were going through.

   I don't want to have to sit vigil beside the bathtub again, but I will if that's what it comes down to. I am there for Donatello until the end, even if I don't understand what he is saying half the time.

   Casey, however, sees it fit to lay Donatello on the couch. Just as the turtle's shell touches the cushions, Donatello flickers his eyes open.

   "Donnie!" April and I exclaim simultaneously.

   Donatello looks around, his eyes full of confusion. "When did we get here?" he asks. He sounds exhausted.

   Ignoring his idiotic question, I sit down beside him and punch his arm affectionately. "I thought you were gonna be out for months, just like Leo," I admit. I try to push away the weird feeling it brings me to say the blue-clad brother's name- I am still mad at him.

   Donatello smiles weakly and rubs his arm where I had punched him.

   "Do you need anything?" April asks anxiously. "Water? A blanket?"

   "Actually, I'm a bit hungry," Donatello confesses, a light pink blush on his cheeks. He's obviously enjoying the attention from the red-head.

   April thinks for a moment. "The food here has probably gone bad by now. We'll have to stop by the drugstore to restock the fridge."

   "I'll go down there," Casey volunteers. "I just hope that shopkeeper isn't still a wacko."

   I smirk a bit at Casey's words, amused. "I'm going with you," I say. I'm not worried about being spotted around here. Besides, I can't stand being in the farmhouse any longer than I have to, even if Donatello is alright. Too many awful memories.

   Casey nods and glances at April. "Wanna go with us, Red?" he asks.

   April shakes her head. "No, that's alright. I'll stay with Donnie," she answers, but Leonardo retracts her words almost immediately.

   "I'll stay with Don," the blue-clad turtle says simply. He takes a seat in an armchair and relaxes into it.

   I'm not sure if Leonardo is trying to help, or if he just doesn't want to do anything. Either way, I'm not going to trust him with Michelangelo.  I decide to take the little turtle along with me and leave Ice Cream Kitty in the freezer.

   "I'll keep an eye on Leo," Elizabetta
promises, though she's not in any better shape.  Still, that's better than nothing.

   As I return from putting up Ice Cream Kitty, I hear Casey asking Charlotte if she wants to tag along. Ugh.

   "Sure," Charlotte says with a shrug. I understand that Casey is just trying to keep an eye on her, but can't I have five minutes without her? I can't seem to catch a break when she's around. It's wearing me out.

   The black-haired girl turns to face Lucy.  "Do you want to go, Luce?" she asks the short blonde.

   Lucy shakes her head, and relief floods me.  At least I've escaped one person I can't stand.   "I'm going to clean this place up a little and find a good sleeping spot for Lilac," she says with an affectionate glance at her dog.

   We drive down to the drugstore in almost complete silence. I am relieved to get out of the car, as I hate being in close quarters with Charlotte.

   We walk into the tiny shop. Almost instantly, I recognize a dark-headed, older man standing at the cash register. It might be my imagination, but he looks almost relieved to see us again.

   "You're back!" he says in astonishment. He approaches us in a steady manner, much different from the last time I had encountered him. "It's nice to see you guys again."

   "Wish we could say the same for you, Crazy," Casey mutters.

   April elbows him hard in the arm. "It's nice to see you too, Bernie," she says with a friendly tone.

   "And you've brought another friend, I see," Bernie states, and I realize he is looking at Charlotte.

   "'Friend' is a strong word," I grumble and cross my arms. I refuse to have anyone, even acquaintances, think I want anything to do with her. She is a pest, and that is it.

   Charlotte curls her lip at me. "Shut up, you ugly freak," she snaps.

   I open my mouth to fire back, but I close it again at Casey's warning glance.

   "She's my twin sis," Casey explains to Bernie.

   Bernie nods and gives her a hesitant smile. He seems a bit wary of her overdramatic personality. I don't blame him.

   Bernie suddenly looks a bit worried about us, however. "I've heard about what happened in New York City. Apparently you're all criminals on the run?"

   April reluctantly nods. "Shredder is after us," she explains. "We had to get out of the city, since it's the most dangerous place for us to be right now." Her tone changes as she realizes something. "You don't happen to believe that my turtle friends started that alien invasion, do you?" she asks, gesturing to me.

   Bernie shakes his head. "After you got rid of the Dream Beavers, I would never expect anything like that from any of you. Personally, I think it's wrong how others believed Saki so quickly." His eyes darken and he seems to see something that the rest of us can't. "This world is spiraling towards madness."

   "Ooook," Casey says after a long, awkward pause. "Well, we just came here to get some grub, so I'm gonna go grab some." He starts to walk away, but Bernie stops him.

   "Wait," the shopkeeper says. "Not to startle you all or anything, but I have something that you might want to see. It's this way." He turns and starts to head towards the back door. "Follow me."

   I exchange glances with April. I'm not sure if I trust Bernie. He does live out in the middle of nowhere and only has blades of grass for friends. The way he is speaking makes me feel a bit suspicious as well.

   Still, we have no reason to think he is lying. I lead the way after Bernie and keep a ready hand on my sai, just in case.

   Being outside the back of the drugstore is strange. I feel like I'm somewhere that I don't belong, like I'm intruding on someone else's space. I have to remind myself that Bernie has requested our presence out here.

   And I finally understand why. A small puddle of a sickly-green liquid settled in the gravel beside the building foundation. I notice that it has some kind of animal track directly in the middle of it.

   At first I think he might be showing us some kind of vomit, but then I realize what it actually is. Mutagen. Or, at least, that's the first thing I assume it to be.

   "Whoa," Casey mutters. "How did this get here?" he asks Bernie curiously.

   Bernie shrugs. "Your guess is as good as mine," he responds. "All I know is that I walked out here three days ago, and there it was."

   April seems more interested in the animal print than the actual substance, however. "This look familiar to anybody?" she questions the rest of us as if we're her students.

   After a quick examination, I figure out what it is. "It's a beaver track. And it looks pretty recent," I add after another glance at the footprint.

   Casey's eyes widen in horror. "You don't think..." he trails off and exchanges horrified glances with April and I.

   Charlotte, whom was moodily standing off to the side, instantly becomes curious. "What?" she asks. "What are you freaking out about?"

   I refuse to answer. The fact that she asked irritates me. But then again, pretty much anything she does irritates me to no end. It's like being dragged around in a circle over and over again.

   Casey, of course, seems to think otherwise. "Let's just say that we had a bad run-in with some colorful beavers in the past," he says simply.

   "'Colorful beavers'?" Charlotte echoes in confusion.

   "Yeah, but not natural colors," Casey explains. "More like colors of the rainbow."

   "So they were Skittles?" Charlotte's brown eyes are clouded with confusion.

   I decide to interrupt before Charlotte can ask any more stupid questions. "I don't think this is mutagen, guys," I inform them. I am on my knees beside the puddle with my nose only a few inches away from it. "It doesn't glow like mutagen does."

   "Maybe it's stale," Casey suggests with a shrug.

   April rolls her eyes. "Chemical compounds don't go stale, Casey," she snorts. "They decompose. And I don't think it's decomposing at all. It still looks fresh."

   I'm not a scientist, but I feel like April is right. The liquid looks as fresh as it can possibly be, which leads me to another assumption.

"This looks exactly like the stuff that got dumped on Mikey," I point out.

April's blue eyes widen in horror. "You're right," she gasps softly.

"We should get Donnie to look at this," I say immediately. "He'd be able to figure out what it is."

"No way," April disagrees, dropping my hopes to the ground. "He's still getting over his injury. We can't stress him out over this. He'll never heal if we do."

I frown, but I don't argue. She has a point. Donatello would be pressured to figure out what the substance did to Michelangelo, and he won't sleep until he has an answer. And if he doesn't sleep, how is he supposed to heal up?

"We should figure this out ourselves," April insists. When no one protests, she turns to Bernie. "Can we have a container to put this stuff in?"

Bernie nods and disappears. He returns a few moments later with a glass jar. "Hopefully this'll do."

"Thanks," April says. She scoops the puddle of ooze up as best as she can. Then she seals a lid tightly onto the jar and straightens up.

"Gimme that," I order. She hands me the jar of green liquid without question and I put it in a pocket on my sash. "Let's get our food and get outta here. Donnie's probably starving."

~*~*~*~

When we get back, I don't even make it through the front door. I stay outside on the porch while everyone vanishes inside to eat. I'm not very hungry at the moment, so I tell them I'll be in later.

In reality my stomach is misbehaving, but not with hunger. It's churning with anxiety. If I can figure out what the strange mutagen substance is, then maybe I can fix Michelangelo. It's a long shot, since I'm not very scientific. No, scratch that; I'm not scientific at all. But it's still worth a try.

I sit down and stare at the green-filled jar. Michelangelo snoozes in my lap as the gears in my brain turn. It looks exactly like mutagen, despite its lack of glowing.

And that's the only assessment I am smart enough to make.

I study the goop for what feels like hours. Finally, I give up and stare off at the forest instead.

The sight is mostly the same as it has always been: oversized thorn bushes, dark trees, and flowers that never seem to wilt. It's normally a peaceful landscape to admire.

However, there is something strange about it this time. The dark leaves seemed shady, and the space between the trees gives off an eerie feeling. A light fog lurks around the tree roots, sending a chill up my spine.

A creak from the farmhouse door startles me out of my thoughts. Charlotte steps out into the fresh air, eyeing the jar of green liquid. She leans against the porch railing coolly.

I try to pointedly ignore her, but she doesn't give me the chance. "So, is anyone gonna tell me about how you got mixed up with rainbow beavers?" She asks her question with so little curiosity that I feel she is just trying to annoy me.

"Go ask Casey," I grumble as I pat Michelangelo's head gently. He has woken up and is looking around, taking in the natural view.

"Yeah, I already tried that," Charlotte replies with a shrug. "He's too busy flirting with April. He really doesn't like her taking care of Donnie."

I sigh grumpily. She obviously isn't going to leave me alone until I tell her what happened. And I am up for doing anything to get her to go away.

I reluctantly begin the story of how my brothers and I were trapped in nightmares with Dream Beavers. I don't bother going into detail of what my dream was, since it's rather embarrassing. But I do explain how Casey and April got us help from Bernie. I tell her how all they had to do was break some stupid device and bring the beavers into the real world. I explain how they were powerless on earth. Since then, they haven't given us any problems.

Charlotte seems to think I'm feeding her a fairytail. "And how, exactly, did you get involved with these... 'Dream Beavers'?" she asks with narrowed eyes.

"Hey, lady, I don't have all the details," I growl. "I just know what happened first-hand."

We both fall into an awkward silence. I fiddle with my thumbs and try to look everywhere except at Charlotte. For some reason, her presence makes me very, very uncomfortable. How am I supposed to figure out what the goop in the jar is while she's standing there judging me? Talk about pressure.

Charlotte's feet catch my attention. She is no longer barefoot; she's wearing a pair of very dirty sneakers. April must have given them to her when we first arrived.

Suddenly, I realize why they caught my attention. Something black, almost like some kind of writing, is peeking out of one shoe. It almost looks like a serial code.

Charlotte sees what I'm looking at and quickly pulls her foot away.

"What was that?" I question, not bothering to disguise my suspicion.

Charlotte instantly gets defensive. No shock there. "None of your business!" she snaps.

Swiftly, I lean forward and swipe her shoe away, revealing a tattoo on her ankle. It says, 'FEAR' and below that is a bunch of meaningless numbers.

"Give that back!" Charlotte snarls angrily. Her face is flustered as she reaches for her stolen footwear.

I sit on the shoe so she can't get to it and cross my arms. "Now, I'm not into tats, but I know for a fact that you're too young to get one. I also know that normal humans don't want a lab's name printed on their ankles. So, start spilling, or you're not getting your shoe back," I say simply.

She could easily go to April to get a new pair of footwear, but she stays. She seems to want to get the confession off of her chest anyway, though I'm surprised she chooses to tell me.

"FEAR laboratory found my dad and I once the city got abducted by the Kraang," Charlotte explains cautiously. "They offered us protection. In exchange, they wanted us to work for them. My dad didn't trust them, but I was terrified and lost without my brother. I just wanted to go somewhere that felt safe. I convinced my dad to accept their offer."

She pauses for a moment, as if reliving a nightmare, and then continues on. "They imprinted us as a safety precaution to keep their security from being breached. We soon found out that working for them meant being their guinea pigs. FEAR stands for Foreign Elements And Research, so you can imagine what type of experiments we were put through." She shudders.

I frown. Though I can't stand her, I can't help feeling a bit sorry for her either. "Did your dad die from one of the experiments?" I asks.

"Not exactly. He got sick of how they treated us and he wanted out. He said he'd rather take his chances with the aliens." Charlotte bites her lip. "A Foot member, Tiger Claw, killed him on the spot. I was too scared to argue with them, so I continued to let them put me through harsh treatments. One day, they came to me with that exact same substance," she says, pointing to the jar full of green. "They had mixed it with some lioness DNA. They injected it into me and I turned into a beast. I was so angry at them for changing me that I managed to escape. I went into hiding for a long time, living in silence and hunting dirty rats for meals.  That's when I met Lucy and Lilac. They were starving, and I felt bad for them. I brought them back to health by sharing my food with them, and Lucy repays me by being the most loyal friend I've ever had. And that's why you guys found me." Though she ends her explanation with a shrug, I know the story renewed her pain.

"That's why you wanted to get out FEAR so badly!" I observe.

I must sound accusative, because she immediately sharpens her tone. "I couldn't help it! That place creeped me out!"

Annoyed by her sensitivity, I fire back. "Well, we wouldn't have made you go if you bothered to tell us your story first!"

The conversation takes an abrupt turn for the worst. "Why should I tell you freaks anything about my life?!" Charlotte hisses.

"You've got to stop with the insults!" I snap. "And you've got to learn to start trusting us!"

"Why should I trust you?" Charlotte asks, a dangerous look in her deep brown eyes.

"We're on the same side, you idiot!" I snarls impatiently.

"Now who's throwing the insults?!" Charlotte shoots back viciously.

"At least I'm not keeping huge secrets from everyone!"

"It's none of their business!"

"Yes, it is!"

"Ugh!" Charlotte throws her hands up in frustration. "You are the most irritating, obnoxious, disgusting creature I've met!"

I cross my arms and glare at her. "That makes two of us."

Charlotte shoots me one last dirty look. She whips around and stomps inside without another word.