A/N: I am loving this story so much. Writing it is so much fun! I have so many more chapters finished, which I'll have updated by the end of the week. I hope you are enjoying it as much as I am; let me know by maybe clicking that favorite button or throwing me a quick review? I'd love to know if you think its good, just alright, or terrible and i'll do my best to work on making it better! Thank you so much guys!
I own nothing ;_;
"You shouldn't be out this late, little bitch!" Faces swim around me. Blue, purple, orange, red. Streaking around me in flashes. Everything hurts. There is nothing but noise. Nothing but dark and voices and faces.
"Time for a little fun…"
"…bounced out of the back…" I whirl. There are rats everywhere, eyes red as blood. I scream.
"…They followed me everywhere…" The rats run towards me, clawing up my legs, my arms, my neck. My neck hurts. I can't breathe. There is no air.
"Sorry baby. You're all ours tonight." Snakes in all colors wrap around my neck, constricting, tighter and tighter. I can't breathe. There is no air to breathe. I can't scream. Snakes, rats, baseball bats, chains; they surround me in the dark. There is nothing but death. Nothing but fear.
"Charlotte. My sweet baby girl." A soft, sweet voice splits through the darkness, like a beacon of light. I catch a glimpse of long black hair and a pale face.
"My little warrior." Strong and powerful. Kind eyes, a loving embrace. The snakes around my neck begin to let go as I claw at them.
"…F-FATHER!" My voice is a croak. "MOTHER!" I sob. I scream. I cry.
One rat comes forward; this one has kind, brown eyes. He sits on my shoulder and licks my ear.
The two figures are walking towards me from the darkness. Cutting through the images of death and fear. But just as they are about to step out of the shadows, a clawed fist bursts through both chests. Blood splatters everywhere, streaming down my face.
"FOOLS!" This voice, harsh, evil. Menacing. It covers the screams coming from my voice as the rats and snakes old me back from running towards the slumped figures.
Laughter fills the air.
"Charlotte!"
Hands everywhere. Earth quakes, rain, fire, weight, breathing. Can't breathe.
"Charlotte! Wake up!"
"CHARLOTE!"
"CHARLOTTE!" I flew up out of bed, screaming. Tears streamed down my face in an abundance of salt, and the sheets were twisted and thrown around in array. My hands were shaking and my skin was covered in a cold sweat. I could feel new wounds on my neck from where I had scratched at it in my sleep. Around me stood the four turtles, April and Splinter, all with mixed expressions of worriment and wariness.
April sat herself down on the bed beside me, pulling me into her arms as I shook. "It was just a dream, Charlotte. You're awake now. You're safe. No one here is trying to hurt you."
I allowed her to pull my head into her chest, but all I wanted was to be at home in Gabriel's arms. I had had dreams of the two people before – as had he – many times. Our parents. Or the only parents we had every known.
I was too shell shocked to sob, as I always was after these kinds of dreams. My hand cradled my sore neck. Feeling the pain of breathing was enough to remind me I was still alive.
"Donatello, tea. Leonardo, go to my chambers and find some calming incense. Raphael and Michelangelo, find some crackers for Miss. Charlotte to eat." Splinter's voice was soft and calming, and the boys left without batting an eye while he started to re arrange the bed sheets. Once they were folded at the bottom of the bed, he came and sat down beside April and I. A tea was placed in my hands moments later by Donatello, along with a plate of crackers beside me. Not long after, the room was filled with a calming, herbal scent.
The turtles placed themselves around the room, their weapons drawn. Leonardo stood facing the door, a katana in each hand. Michelangelo stood by a door that could have been an elevator, twirling a pair of nun chucks absently in his. Donotello was behind the couch, his bo staff at the ready. Raphael was crouched on the second level of the cavern, a sai in each hand that he twirled while resting his elbows on his knees. Something about seeing them that way calmed me down, and I was finally able to take a sip of my tea and breathe normally again.
No one spoke as I sat there and drank, but I knew what they all wanted to know. "I apologize; I am not usually like this. The events tonight were a bit of a trigger for some of the things that happened in my past." I tried to speak with as much dignity as possible, but my voice cracked. I looked down into my tea and swirled it around a little, sitting up on my own and crossing my legs.
Splinter put a hand on my knee, and I surprised myself by not shying away. "Fear is nothing to be ashamed of, but we should not let it cripple us and become our weakness. Being brave is a challenge, one we must rise up to meet. Even in the darkest of times."
I sniffed slightly. "You remind me of someone I used to know, a very long time ago."
Splinter smiled at that. "I think I shall take that as a complement, child."
If only he knew.
I looked up at a clock on the wall, it was 6 o'clock am. Gabriel would be waking up soon to bike the 30 minute route down to university, and he would begin to worry about where I was. "I know my phone doesn't have service, but do you have anything that I could call my brother on? If I went home now he'd take me to the police and I'd have to try to explain what happened and how I survived."
Donnie made his way over to his desk, sheathing his bow as he did so. "I think I know exactly what you need. I've actually been updating our Cell Shells and hooking them up to my own cell tower network so we can use them anywhere, even cross dimensionally. Or at least, that's what I'm hoping for" I didn't even bother to ask what he meant by that. At this point, anything was possible. He picked up a small, green phone that looked like it flipped open. It was square and flat.
He walked it back over to me, flipping it open to show me a screen, a keyboard and a little blue disk with a switch beside it. "When the switch is up, it works holographically with other Cell Shells. Meaning the ones we have." Everyone in the room lifted theirs to show me. "If one of us calls you, like Mikey for instance, a hologram will appear." The phone started to buzz and he clicked the answer button, causing Michelangelo's face to appear in a 3D form projecting from the little blue disk. I looked over at him to see a big goofy smile on his face.
"When you have the switch down, it works normally, as in speaker to ear. Each of our numbers are programmed into the phone by speed dial. One is Leo, two Raph, three myself, four Mikey, five Master Splinter and six April. Seven and eight are Casey and LH; you haven't met them yet so don't worry about them." Great. Donatello handed me the phone which I turned around in my hands.
"Since is hooked up to my system, it wont cost you a thing." He smiled at me, to which I returned. It was a slick little phone, something new and exciting.
"Thank you. Thank you all. You've been so kind to me even though I have been anything but accepting." I stood, keeping my winces to myself and dialled my brothers number. I listened to the dial tone and leaned on the arm of the couch. Seeing me more relaxed, the turtles relaxed as well, sheathing their weapons.
"Hello?!" Hearing Gabriel's voice was somewhat panicked.
"Hey Gabe, its me, Char."
"Char! Thank god. I woke up this morning and you weren't in your room. Why didn't you come home last night?" I could see him now, in his room, running his hand through his cropped brown hair, fixing his glasses and scratching his neck.
I froze for a second, working up the courage to lie to my brother. I was a seasoned liar, but never to my brother. I just never needed to before. "The shop stayed open longer then usual last night; there were a lot of tourists with jet leg trying to buy some stuff to bring back." I figured the best way to lie was with a bit of truth. "I started on my way home, but my cell phone slipped out of my pocket and smashed in an ally way. I had to go to a new phone company and buy a new phone. By that time it was late and I didn't think it was safe to walk home, so I crashed at my boss' house." Well, I crashed WITH my boss at least.
Gabriel seemed relived and to believe me. Why wouldn't he? I never lied to him. "I'm just glad you're alright. Are you going to be home tonight?"
I caught a glimpse of myself in the reflection of one of the computer monitors and winced. "No actually. Miss. O'Neil offered to take me with her on one of her picking expeditions to…Brooklyn this week!" Hopefully he was too busy getting ready for school to notice. "We'll be gone for about a week."
"What are you going to do about your school work?" Goddamnit. I forgot about school.
"I'll call in sick and get my teachers to email me the work. I have all my textbooks at home; I'll grab them before I leave." I'm such a bad person.
"Just don't fall behind, okay? You're doing really well in school."
I sighed. "Yes, Gabe, I know. I wont. Get to school, you're going to be late! Add my new number, okay?"
"Sure thing. Stay safe, Char."
"You too Gabe." With that, we hung up. I snapped the phone shut and slipped it into my borrowed pants. I looked up the others all looking at me expectantly. I started to fix the couch as I talked. Leonardo gave me a hand. "I can't go home until the bruises go away, and I certainly can't go to school. I'm going to have to stay in a motel for the week; I have enough money in my bank account to do okay."
"Oh no, you can't do that!" April's voice sounded worried.
I smiled at her. "Don't worry, Miss. O'Neil, I'll get a motel by your shop and I'll still work my hours. But I'll work in the back so no one notices me."
April laughed and took the pillows out of my hands, placing them down on the couch. "Charlotte, I could care less about your hours this week. I mean you wont be living in a motel for a week." Her eyebrows furrowed. "Unfortunately, all I have is a regular couch for you to sleep on, if that's okay?"
Splinter came forward and put a hand on my shoulder. "You are also quite welcome to stay here, child. We can make up a guest room for you to sleep in for the week, if that would be more to your liking."
I looked around to the six people who had done nothing but help me in the past six hours and thought back to how horribly I had acted before I understood what they were. Or at least, kind of understood. Yes, they looked differently, but they were kind and caring creatures. I was safer with them then I was with anyone else in this city. "I wouldn't want to be a burden. I have been nothing but cruel to you all." I crossed my arms, feeling uncomfortable and ashamed.
"Dudette, don't even stress. We look funny to everyone! Raffy boy is the worst of us all though, what with his ugly fa –" Mikey didn't even get to finish before Raphael had jumped down from the second floor, ramming his body into Michelangelo's and sending them both flying towards the ground in a wrestle. The rest of us laughed at the sight.
"Please, do us the honour of keeping you safe here until you are ready to go home. It's the least we can do for the scare we have given you." Leonardo gave me a small bow with his words. I felt guilty for kicking him before.
"You're more then welcome!" Donatello's voice chipped in.
"You just have to split for the pizza!" Mikey's voice came through with a laugh, even though his brother was struggling to pin him down.
"And the duct tape for Mikey's big fat mouth!" Raphael's voice was smug from his win over his brother.
I looked around at them all and allowed myself a smile. Maybe it was true what my father used to say. Out of every bit of darkness, you can find a hint of light. And the turtles were a light that was quickly growing.
