Leonardo, You Gave Me Wisdom (Book 4)

Tour Guide

When I took Naomi's hand, I stood up and Cindy and Julie crowded around me. I could only smile a little to try and look comfortable around them. I knew they weren't my real friends because they were human last I checked. But they did act the same from what I can tell. Cindy was light-hearted and Naomi was acting like the leader again. Julie was trying to calm Cindy down and I was tagging along through their home.

The kitchen looked the messiest but there was another Turtle in it behind the island and in front of the stove. I could see an orange mask with the ends cut short. When he turned around he smiled at us with blue eyes. I looked away and Cindy waved. Julie grabbed Cindy's pink mask ends and dragged her out, making me and Naomi follow.

"I'll see you later, Mikey!" Cindy yelped as she was dragged out.

The next room was a large and spacious room with gadgets and tables a few computers. Behind one desk was another Turtle with a purple mask. He was looking through a microscope with a welding helmet on the top of his head. When he looked up, he had brown-red eyes. From beside me, Julie smiled and set her hands on her stomach. Naomi then led out.

"Don't explode anything, Donnie!" Julie called out to the Turtle as she turned and followed us out.

Next was the dojo, at least, I assumed, because there was the rat from earlier sitting in front of a giant tree, maybe oak, and meditating while the blue masked Turtle from earlier, Leo I believe they called him, was training with double Katanas in the middle. He turned to us and I was expecting Naomi to do something this time, but her expression and actions showed nothing. But she did touch my shoulder gently to turn me around and head out. I could still feel Leo's gaze on me...

Nobody said anything to him.

The last place we were headed was the hallway to the rooms. When we were halfway down the hallway, a door opened behind us and two children, one looking like Naomi and the other that looked like the other turtles ran past, nearly causing me to trip. I watched them go and then stop and enter a different room. A growl came from the first door that opened and a red masked Turtle stepped out, even though most of his mask was hidden behind glue and feathers.

Cindy laughed, "The kids getting the best of you again, Raph?"

He glared at Cindy with bright green eyes, completely contrasting his mask, "I swear they learn too much from you and Mikey..."

"Hey," Cindy said, raising her hands, "I'm the one that babysits them. Mikey's the one that annoys them."

"Which backfires on us," Naomi sighed, her tail flicking again. "You know having twins is troublesome..."

"Whoa, whoa," I stopped them. "Twins? Yours?" I turned to Naomi. She nodded. "No. My Naomi wouldn't have kids. Ever."

"Well, I do," Naomi answered. "Being a mutant has its perks."

"And its disadvantages," Raph growled.

Julie chuckled, "But they won't be the only kids around here soon. I'm expecting."

"Not you too!" I whined. "Well..." I paused. "You're older. I can see that."

Raph rolled his eyes and went to a nearby room. When he opened the door, I saw it was a bathroom. He was trying to rub the glue and feathers off as he entered.

"Looks like his mask'll be in the washer for a while..." Naomi muttered. "He looks different without it."

"They all do," Julie said after her. "It's just weird without the color..."

They all nodded and stood in silence for a while. Julie's and Naomi's tails swished slowly before turning to the room before the kids walked in. Cindy hopped ahead and opened the door. Naomi put her hand on my shoulder again and tried to lead me in. I froze on spot and dug my heels in the ground, unsure where they were wanting to take me.

"It's fine, Sophie," Julie said beside me. "It's where you'll be staying."

"Staying?" I repeated. "I'm staying here?! How long!"

They were all quiet, as if they weren't sure what to say. They each looked at one another and I was suddenly scared of their answer, so I hurried into the room. It was dark, but because the door was still open, there was some light available, but not enough to see detail in the room.

I automatically reached over to the side of the door and flicked on the light switch. The light flared on for a second before short circuiting and going out. I frowned because I didn't get the chance to see the room before the light went out.

"Did the light burn out?" Cindy asked as she popped her head in. "Aww. Donnie said that he was gonna check the light before you moved in, but I guess he never got to it."

"That's not my fault," Julie said, looking at Cindy who was looking at her. "My beauty cannot compare to a light bulb."

"Sure it can!" Naomi smirked as I walked out of the dark room. "The light bulb shines. You burn."

Julie glared at her, "That's Shol's job."

"Where are they, by the way?" Cindy asked. "Topaz promised me a fly around the city tonight."

Not wanting to ask who the two new people were, I sneaked by the three mutants and went back to the main room. Everything was quiet and nobody was in sight.

Until I heard clacking sounds down the entrance. I never realized where we were until now. I was in the sewers! Ew!! But I listened to the clacking still and a shadow soon bulged on the wall past the main entrance. A soft growl sounded and then a sound of leather hiring something hard.

A large white head loomed into view and then the body. It looked like a scaled and white version of Naomi. It looked at me and wings extended a little, making me shrink back, realizing what this was: A dragon.... It stared at me with blue eyes that seemed endless. I could only stare back, something I couldn't do with Leo.

Then a smaller black Dragon appeared behind the first and looked at me with blue-green eyes. It's head was flatter and the body was slimmer. I blinked because I was both amazed and scared. They had dragons. I had always wanted one, but these were beasts. Wasn't there a smaller type of Dragon breed?

"You look different, Sophia," the white Dragon spoke.

"It may be the clothes. Or the pale skin," the black one replied. I stayed quiet. "But at least she is back in person rather than thought."

"They each had to grow to remember... She will too in time."

"Shol! Topaz!" I heard a voice behind me. Naomi was suddenly there, rushing forward and nearly tackling the black dragon, but it held its position, letting out coos and purrs, nuzzling the lizard.

Julie came up and touched the white dragon's snout. She turned to me and said, "Sophie, this is Shol. The other one is Topaz."

"You will know us in time, little one," Shol said softly, nodding his head in a slight bow.

I could only smile softly, unsure really what to say. Cindy came up and touched Topaz's snout as well, "You promised me a flight! Why not take Sophie?"

"Hmm," Shol muttered. "That sounds like a good idea."

"For once," Naomi added with a smirk.

"Hey!" Cindy wailed. "I have good ideas! I saved Mikey's butt by following Rahzar!"

"Uh huh."

Cindy frowned at her then hopped on Topaz. "Let's just go!"

I took a step back, holding my hands up in surrender near my chest, "There is no way I am riding an ancient dinosaur."

"Dinosaur?" Shol repeated and growled lowly, looking at me. "I may be ancient but even I do not remember the time those crazed creatures roamed this earth. I will show you what a dragon is!"

Before I could step back and run for it, he darted his head forward and caught the hem of my shirt and pulled me up and around him, plopping me on his back. I yelped at the suddenness and clung to a neck spike in front of me without thinking. His chuckle vibrated under me as he turned and headed back out with Topaz close behind him.

Then the roof above us opened in an entrance and two pairs of wings snapped open and I was stolen in the still air of the tunnels.