Ninjas & Princesses (TMNT Book 1)

Fired, Ha'shi and Meeting

April's POV

The next day

While Sapphire and her friends were at school today, I headed to work and got everything ready for my boss, Thompson, in her office. Sapphire told me repeatedly to not tell Thompson about the turtles. I know that she and her friends care for them deeply in each of their own way, but this is a story of a life time, and I need to think of my career. Sapphire was upset with me. She told me that if I continue this story, that we could be in trouble, and she feels like something bad would happen. But I just brushed that thought aside and soon enough Thompson came into my office to see me. 

"O'Neil. What was so important that I had to get here?" Thompson asks me. "Okay, so you know that I saw the vigilante?" "Yeah?" "But I had no photos or evidence, and I just sounded crazy!" "Yes!" "Well I saw him again. Well I saw them because there's 4...there's not just one there's four. And I was standing close to them as you are to me right now." I said. 

"What did they look like?" She asks. "I'll show you." I said as I pointed to a turtle picture that's hanging on the board. "Like this." I said. "Like turtles?" Thompson asks being confused. "Well they don't look like turtles, because they are turtles. They're over 6ft tall and they speak fluent English. And it wasn't just me that saw them, my sister and her three friends saw them too." 

"Are you serious?" She asks me in disbelief. I nodded my head and she just kept repeat 'oh my God' over and over. She wasn't believing me, but I had more proof. "Look, listen I was up all night Googling every Foot Clan crime scene, and this symbol appears at every one of them. It's an ancient Japanese symbol that means 'family.'" I said. 

She was still looking at me like I was crazy. I tried showing her a video that showed the turtles were created in my dad's old lab. But she was still looking at me like I was crazy. 

"I just want to be clear that you are telling me, that there are four six foot talking turtles walking around New York City, and no one has seen them but you, your sister, and her three friends." Thompson asks me. I nodded and said, "Yes." 

"I don't mean to laugh, but is there anything else that we should know about them?" Thompson asks. "Their ninjas." I said. "What?" "And they do karate." I added. "Okay get out."

Sapphire's POV

April got fired! I told her not to tell Thompson this story, but did she listen to me? No. She called me and told me that she was heading over to Sacks' mansion to talk to him about 'Project Renaissance,' but I told her not to. I tried to tell her to let it go, but she was being so stubborn. 

I just know that something bad is going to happen. There's just something about Sacks that I don't trust. All day at school, I was thinking about Leonardo. And I'm certain that the girls were each thinking about their turtle. I wonder if we'll ever hear from them or see them again. I wonder what they're doing right now?

With the turtles in the Ha'shi

The turtles have been the Ha'shi for over 11 hours. Leonardo was doing the splits on giant cinder blocks, while balancing eggs on chopsticks and his head. Raphael was standing on one leg on a tricycle, while knitting at the same time. Donatello was balancing on a plank of wood, placed on a ball, while playing ping pong. And Michelangelo was stood upside down, while holding onto a swivel chair. They have been silent about meeting the girls that they met, but during their punishment, they each couldn't help but think about that one girl, that was special to them.

"Oh, eleven hours in the Ha'shi. Are you sure none of you want to tell me where you were last night?" Splinter asks hoping one of his sons would crack. But the brothers were staying strong. 

"How ya holding up fellas?" Leo asks. Splinter took a swipe at Raph's tricycle with his tail. Raphael struggled, but kept his balance. "I ain't breaking if Donnie ain't breaking." Raph says. "Experiencing intense nausea but not breaking." Donnie says while struggling to keep balance on an unsteady board. 

"Guys, I'm in the zone. There's literally nothing that can break me right now." Mikey starts to say when Splinter pulls out his greatest weakness ever: pizza. "Starting to break." Mikey says as his arms start to wobble. 

"Of course, you've all tasted the five-cheese pizza. But this, cheese mongers have speculated its existence for centuries. Da Vinci's original masterpiece. I submit to you-" Splinter opened the pizza box and spoke a phrase in Italian. "The 99-cheese pizza." Splinter says trying to get to Mikey to break. 

Mikey stared at the pizza in awe. "Wow. It's not possible." Mikey says. "Mikey! It's a trap. A pizza with that variety of cheese is a culinary impossibility." Donnie warns his little brother. "Shall I list the ingredients. Cheddar. Provolone. Asiago. Taleggio." "I don't even know what that is." Mikey whispers. "Mozzarella, of course." Splinter continues. 

...

...

Mikey snapped

"All right, all right, all right. We left the lair because the Foot were taking hostages and we kicked some serious butt, and there were these five girls who took our picture. Their names are April and Sapphire O'Neil, Ember Garcia, Daisy Norris and Addie Swan," – Mikey stops for a second to take a breath. "But we took care of it." Mikey finishes. 

"Idiot." Raph mutters. "Oh no, my worst fears have been realized." Splinter sighs. "Don't worry about it. Donnie erased the picture. We're not in danger." Leo says. "No, it's April and Sapphire O'Neil who are in danger. And now Sapphire's friends could be in danger as well." Splinter says as Mikey swiped the pizza from his hands. "Find the girls and bring them here." Splinter orders. 

"But sensei, you said not to go..." Donnie starts but is interrupted by his sensei. "Find the girls!" Splinter yells. "Find the girl." Mikey says dreamily while thinking of Addie.

Daisy's POV

It was Saturday night and Ember, Addie and I were at a sleepover/study group at Sapphire's place. I was on the floor in Sapphire's room on my laptop, sitting Indian style. Then suddenly my laptop started to glitch. "What in the world is going on?" I said aloud. 

"What's up D?" Ember asks. "My laptop's acting weird. I don't know what's"- I started to say but then I was cut off by a voice coming from my laptop. And I knew that voice very well. "Bam! You've been hacked by Donatello. Remember me? Well of course, you do, cause your like smart and beautiful and... oh geez." I felt my cheeks becoming warm. I was blushing. 

The girls were all giggling and crowding around my laptop. "Anyways, we told you we would find you. The five of you come to this address. No one else, or else you shall be punished and stuff." He finishes and it shows an address. "Alright let's tell April and head over there." Sapphire says as we all slip on our shoes and head out to tell April about the turtles' message and to see them again. I wonder what they want to talk to us about?

Sapphire's POV

After we told April that the turtles wanted to meet us, we headed out to the spot where they were waiting for us. Once we got there, we noticed that no one was around. Where were they? 

"Hello?" Addie called out. "You told us to meet you here. And look it's just us 5, no one else." As she continues, we see a figure jump out of nowhere, and lands behind her. She screams, but soon calms down when we see it's Michelangelo." 

"Alright, are you girls the O'Neil sisters? And are you three Ember Garcia, Daisy Norris, and Addie Swan?" He asks. "Scanning faces, scanning. It's them guys!" The one turtle called Donatello said. I backed away from him, then I felt an arm wrap around me. I looked to see who it was, it was Leonardo. "Of course, it's them, Donnie. Hey, glad you all could make it. Hey. There's someone important we want to introduce you to, but first." Once Leonardo finishes talking, I felt a bag go over my head. Now I was blind. Then I felt someone pick me up and carrying me bridal style. 

What's going on?