Hello fellow readers!
Thanks again for reviewing my stories and viewing my stories.
You might be a smidge annoyed that I haven't updated my other stories yet, but I wanted to get this one off of my chest before I completely forget, because I am the sort of person who would forget what she/he was doing right after she/he stood up to do it from her/his desk.
XD
There is more to the story than you might think, and you might have noticed the slight hint of who told the news to the family of (now) four.
Many characters have yet to come into the story and I might have made Mikey seem like a killer, but there is a logical explanation to why Mikey did what he did!
Once again, sorry for Grammar, is sort of wanted to get this one done quickly but I PROMISE that the next chapter will be done with the ut-most care!
Thanks again! Please R&R! MarshMellowMania Out! XD
Chapter One – Prologue (or so I think)
I looked out of the window of my father's house.
The weather was quite depressing, pouring with rain and attacking with thunder which streaked across the sky.
A large shadow loomed over the city, leaving it in what seems like eternal darkness.
Pathetic Fallacy, it is mirroring my mood!
Father walked towards me, I didn't see him but I felt his presence and I heard his kimono gracefully skid across the floor.
He could be as silent as an owl soaring through the night if he wanted to, but he knew this wasn't the time.
"How are you coping, my son?" He asked. He was concerned, I knew that. He was concerned about us fou… us three, we were not acting the same.
"I … I would be lying if I said I was fine, Sensei." I admitted; I couldn't lie to him, not now … not after the lie Mikey made.
He sighed and placed a hand on my shoulder before squeezing it, comfortingly.
"How are … how are Leo and Raph?" I stuttered, though I already knew the answer. Whenever they were pushed into despair, Leo would blame himself for apparently failing as an older brother and Raph would let rage take over when someone slightly annoyed him.
"Hmmm, your older brother punched a hole in the wall of the guest room." Sensei murmured, with no specific tone in his voice. I chuckled weakly.
I felt Sensei's concerned gaze singe the hairs on my neck, the only sound that was heard beside the rain was the rattling of Leo's snores.
Sensei had ordered him to sleep, as he had stayed up every night due to nightmares since … since the day that … that something happened to Mikey.
He had been so consumed in guilt, he couldn't stand the fact that he had tried so hard to keep our family together/ to make sure that is younger brothers were safe but … something bad had still happened. He believed he has failed us, which is the exact opposite of what he did!
I looked my father directly in the eyes.
"Did you know that … that any of us could keep such a … such a secret?" I stuttered, feeling my eyes barrel up with unwanted tears.
He looked at me sympathetically.
"No Donatello, I did not. I knew that something would test the brotherly bond between you four since the day I took you in … but I would never have thought it would go so far." He admitted, closing his eyes as if he was in deep thought.
The moment I felt the first few tears crawl down my cheek, I briskly shot my head away from Sensei … maybe a little too fast, because it wasn't long after that that my head started to spin.
Father noticed my reaction, and continued to speak.
"But I am most certainly sure that Michaelangelo had a fair reason for keeping it a secret, you brother would not do it out of anger like you think." He told me reassuringly… and I had to agree with him.
Mikey would never keep his life a secret; he would never keep it from US … not without a good reason!
A week before we were told, a bottomless pit had formed in my stomach … and now I know why.
"I should have done something … I should have …"
"Do not say that Donatello. You know you couldn't have prevented it, not even if you tried!" He told my sternly, grabbing both of my shoulders so that I would look him in the eye.
"What Michaelangelo did was certainly by his own will, you know how he would disobey you if he believes he is doing something right, you couldn't have stopped him my son." His tone became softer when I had finally made eye-contact, probably due to the fact that my eyes had changed from leaking to pouring.
I tried to hold back it back … but I couldn't I just … I just couldn't!
I choked back on a sob and allowed my tears to run freely, before falling into Sensei's arms. He rubbed my back and tried to calm me down … but the tears just kept coming.
When my sobs had slowly died down, my father then looked at me sympathetically and said "I will get you some Tea, maybe that will help with your fever my son." I nodded, and watched him exit the living room to go to the kitchen.
When I raised my head, I was shocked to see the Leo was sitting up in bed. His normally ocean blue eyes had now turned grey and were bloodshot, black bags hung under his eyes and his face was as pale as a sheet!
He avoided eye-contact, as if he was embarrassed to be seen in that state.
"How are you feeling Donnie?" He murmured, still staring at the crack in the floor board.
I stared at him in disbelief!
"How can you be asking me that when YOU are obviously faring worse Leonardo! You are in the same condition as me and you wouldn't be if it wasn't for-" I was interrupted by the harsh coughing that came from the other guest room. I winced, it sounded like someone was polystyrene near my ears and … I desperately tried to shut it out.
It was my fault they were sick … it was my fault that Raph had gotten hypothermia and that Leo had received a concussion for slipping on the ice! On top of that, we all had serious fevers!
When the coughing slowly ceased into nothing, and when I came back from checking on my hot-headed brother, I continued.
"… if it wasn't for me going out to receive some equipment for my latest project and for me getting stuck out in that serious snow storm and for allowing you two to get me out of that mess then …"
"Donnie, calm down!" Leo shouted, which instantly snapped me out of my train of guilt. I glanced at Leo's face; it was smudged with concern and fear.
Leo knew I hardly slept when it was a work night, but … but what had happened had a dramatic effect on all of us; this made our habits worse which meant that I would have had even less sleep than Leo and even Timothy knew that wouldn't be good!
"I should have known I … I-I SHOULD have seen the signs … I-I …!" I muttered as I ran my hand through my short, scruffy, brown hair.
"Didn't you hear a thing Master Splinter told ya, we couldn't have stopped him even if we knew!" A new voice joined in on the conversation; a new, gruff, crumbling voice that belonged to my naturally-orban haired older brother, Raphael.
I looked at him in utter shock. He was leaning against the wall exiting the corridor that led down to the rooms; he too looked as bad as Leo. With blood-shot, pale green eyes a ghostly white face, it would be easy for strangers to see the resemblance between the eldest brothers!
"What are you doing up?! You should be …"
"Don't you dare change the conversation Don!" Leo warned, standing up abruptly.
"Why are you all ganging up on me? What did I do?!" I yelled.
"Don't start that Donnie. None of us are in the mood for an argument, not now …" Raph trailed off, instantly putting an end to the argument.
"Why … why did he keep his job a secret … why …?" I choked through my sobs, but this time I was doing a better job to keep it back.
"… I don't know Donnie … I don't know …" Leo muttered as he staggered over to hug me. I thankfully took the opportunity to hide my tears and to drown out my cries, whilst Leo rubbed my back.
I felt cold drops plop down onto my head from Leos eyes, I heard the ragged breathing of Raph from the other side of the room and the sad sigh of our father exiting the kitchen.
Mikey hadn't told us anything about his new job, but it had left quite a few cracks in our family. His work meant that he was hardly home, only for Easter, Halloween and Christmas. He used to call at six in the morning (despite our constant complaints about the times) on weekdays and six in the evening at weekends and he had never missed a call.
But he had hardly called this month, he had hardly notified us to tell him he was ok … and that's because he wasn't.
We received a call from the police. They told us that our Mikey, our baby/innocent brother who would never hurt a single person unless necessary, was part of a gang that was notorious for murder.
They had invaded secret bases all around the world, they had shot and killed innocent people who worked there and … and Mikey was a part of this!
There last heist was in the Brazil… and were cornered by a waterfall and … they jumped.
They all did.
Four people, including our little brother.
He was gone.
He had jumped and now his life was over.
He had chosen the wrong path because WE didn't guide him well enough!
What sort of brothers are we?!
I cried …
And I cried …
And I cried …
Utterly consumed by guilt, feeling the way Leo does every time something bad happens …
…
But I just cannot help but feel that there is more to the story, that there is more than the police has told us.
Something was off with the story … there was no way Mikey was a cold blood killer and even if Leo and Raph try to stop me, I was going to find out what happened to my brother!
