Free The Casey Chronicles by Nickelodeon Publishing Page A

Now let’s speed up the process,” Karai demanded. “You don’t want to keep the Shredder waiting.”

In a city of over eight million people, April O’Neil felt totally alone.
    She didn’t really speak to any of her classmates at school. She avoided making small talk with her teachers. And since her father’s unfortunate mutation, she had done her best to ignore her former best friends, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
    April was mad at the world, so being on her own was exactly what she wanted. She walked down the street, keeping to the shadows, enjoying the silence. She didn’t realize that high above her head, someone was leaping from rooftop to rooftop, tracking her every move.
    April entered a dark alley and heard a loud thump behind her. She tried to shrug it off, but some insistent rustling told her she had company. She turned to look and caught a glimpse of green out of the corner of her eye.
    â€œI know you’re following me!” April shouted, whipping out her trusty
tessen.
“Come out so I can see you!”
    But her mystery stalker didn’t answer. April scanned the area, choosing her moment carefully. She took a breath and, just as Master Splinter had taught her, expertly launched the fan.
    The war fan flew and—
wham!
—clocked her target square on the head, forcing him into the light.
    It was Donatello.
    April’s face clouded over with anger. “Donnie?”
    Donnie froze. He hadn’t spoken to April since the incident: a canister of mutagen had doused Kirby O’Neil in green goo, turning him into a grotesque creature of the night. That accident had ended Donnie and April’s friendship. Donnie went for his emergency plan: act as casual as possible.
    â€œHey, it’s funny how we both happen to be passing through this shady alley at the same time,” he said, striking a not-very-relaxed pose. “So … how’ve you been?”
    â€œOh, you know, the usual,” April replied. “Homework, chess club, dealing with a father who turned into a homicidal mutant bat!”
    â€œApril, it wasn’t our fault,” Donnie insisted. “I’m sorry that—”
    â€œNot as sorry as I am! I want to be left alone, Donnie! No more talking mutants in my life. I never want to see you again!”
    Donnie winced. He could tell she meant it, and that hurt.
    He watched her turn and walk away. Afraid this might be the last time he ever saw her, he tried to reason with her.
    â€œApril!” he cried. “Some things are just beyond our control.”
    But it was no use. April just kept walking.

Heartbroken, Donnie wandered back to the Turtles’ lair, hoping to have some quiet time in the lab. Unfortunately, his brothers had other plans for the evening. Leonardo, Raphael, and Michelangelo were surrounding the television, settling in for a marathon of
Super Robo Mecha Force Five
, an anime show Donnie absolutely hated.
    â€œGreat,” Donnie mumbled to himself. “And I thought my night couldn’t get any worse.”
    Too tired to complain, Donnie sat quietly and watched: Princess, one of the best space pilots, was angry with the rest of her team for forgetting her birthday. It hurt her feelings so much that she quit the Force.
    As much as he hated to relate to this show, Donnie winced. He knew exactly how it felt to see a best friend and trusted teammate slip away. He feared that things with April would never be the same.
    Mikey looked up from the screen at Donnie. “Whoa, dude, this show, like, totally
paradoxes
your life! Kinda owie in the
corazón.
” He paused, then added, “By the way,
corazón
means ‘heart.’”
    â€œYou mean
parallels
, not
paradoxes
,” Donnie corrected him. “And it has nothing to do with me. It’s just a cartoon.”
    Leo tried to defuse the situation. “Princess has quit the team like twenty-seven times!” he explained,