I couldn't help but notice how close Raphael and Leonardo were to me. Like intimately close. It made me feel a little claustrophobic; not that they seemed to notice. Leonardo just looked at me. "Where do you live?" "Uh, Amstel?" Was it such a good idea telling these guys where I lived? Probably not but who cares? I was more than ready to go home. "Amstel?" Leonardo gave his brothers a confused expression. "I don't know where that is? Donnie?" "On it," Donatello yanked a phone that appeared to be a mini turtle shell with a screen on it. And yet, that wasn't the weirdest thing I'd seen that night.
The purple turtle typed down something and waited for a second. Then he gazed back up at me with a sort of contorted expression. "Uh, do you mean Amstel, New York City?" "Why would I mean New York? We're in Amsterdam." The four turtle blinked at each other in sudden shock, though I had no clue why. Now that I thought about it, I hadn't heard any of them speak Dutch, but I didn't think much of it. "You live in Amsterdam?" Raphael eventually ventured to ask me. This caught me by surprise. Of course I lived in Amsterdam; we were in Amsterdam, right? We were in Amsterdam…. right?
Before I had a chance to answer, Michelangelo snapped his fingers. "That's right! Splinter said something like that!" "I didn't think he meant now!" Raphael snapped back. "What are we supposed to do about that? She lives half way across the world!" "H-half way across the world….?" I let out a gasp. "W-why do you say that? W-where are we, exactly?" "Uh…" Another awkward glance at each other. "N-New York?" Leonardo offered in an unsure tone. "New York? Like, America?" "Um… yeah?" "There's only one!" "Mikey!" They all looked on as I was suddenly and inexplicably on the verge of a panic attack. Being abducted and taken underground in my own city was one thing but being brought to a foreign country…. This was a whole other level of terrifying; this was the scariest thing I'd heard actually.
"N-no, no…. this isn't America," my mind went into repair mode, adamantly refusing to believe it. "I-I've never been to America before…. it can't be…. it isn't…." "Well… at least you're not in Antarctica," this earned a sharp glare from Raphael and Leonardo, making the tallest turtle shrug. "What?" "No…." I took a step backwards, raising my hands up a little in disbelief. "Dilara…" "No, no…." tears started to form in the corner of my eyes. "I can't… I can't be here…." Especially with the horrific realization that I didn't have my passport or any money… I didn't even have my cellphone. "No…." My head gave a little, desperate shake. "No! I wanna go home….. I wanna go home!"
"Donnie!" Both older brothers turned to the startled purple-masked turtle. "Fix this!" The eldest demanded. "W-what do you want me to do about it?" "You're the smart one. Figure it out, now!" Raphael added. "Fine," his eyes gave a slight exasperated roll. "Uh, I guess I could book her a plane ticket and get April to take her to the airport." "Oh yeah? And how is she gonna get on the plane without a passport or parent, genius?" "Hey! At least I'm making suggestions. She's your you-know-what; you could do more than just yell at me." "You're right," Leonardo said with certainty. "Mikey, take Dilara in the kitchen and get her something to eat. Uh… make her some tea or something." "We don't have any tea." "Then make hot chocolate!" Raphael retorted annoyed.
"Alright!" Yet again, without asking at all what I wanted or even felt, they decided for me. Michelangelo eagerly took my hand and practically dragged me into the kitchen, leaving the other three to talk- or argue- amongst themselves. I know they were arguing because no more than five seconds after we took our leave, yells and hollers echoed down the halls. "Don't worry about them," Michelangelo let go of my hand once we reached what I guess they considered a kitchen. It was more like a make-shift kitchen if you asked me. "They're always like that. You get used to it." He said that like he expected me come back, if I ever got home that is. I didn't respond, sitting silently on the chair he pulled out for me. My vision was still blurry from my uncontrollable tears.
"Now, what would you like?! We have pizza soup, pizza turnovers, pizza casserole, pizza biscuits with gravy." "O-oh, thank you but I don't eat pizza." "What?!" This revelation almost made the turtle fall over…. for some reason. "That's totally not possible! Everyone eats pizza!" He's… clearly never been to Europe before. "Maybe in Italy," I slightly shrugged. "Well, what do Amsterdam-ians eat?" He rested his elbows on the edge of the island. "I'm Dutch," this made me grin- a very little grin. I was still scared witless and that likely wasn't going to change anytime soon. "Ok! What do Dutch people eat?" "Well, lots of meat and potatoes; bread," my shoulder shrugged again. "A lot of cheese and butter; we like our chocolate." "You know, pizza is just cheese on very, very flat bread, with like some other stuff; all good stuff!"
I looked at him for a moment, comprehending that he wasn't going to let this go. But I still doubted his cooking skills, so I tried to turn down the offer as covertly as possible. "Hot chocolate actually sounds good." "Then hot chocolate it is! One extra-big cup coming up!" This made me smile for the first time since I came to. Despite his mutant exterior and the fact that he's basically an abductor, he's actually quite sweet. He certainly didn't have the temperament of his brothers; bubblier, softer…. I had the distinct feeling that if I was going to get anywhere with any of them, it would be with him; considering the others didn't even bother to include me in the conversation. Well, Michelangelo was guilty of that too, but my point still stands. I watched as he scrambled around the kitchen counter; if I didn't know any better, I'd say he was actually happy. Happy that I was here? Why would that be the case? None of this still made any sense to me.
I found my eyes drifting up to the ceiling, which was the top of a subway station. That's right….. it looks like a kitchen but we're still in the subway. This made my gaze roll back to the gleeful turtle. He seemed quite a home down here….. Oh, I think I was starting to get it. I'd never heard of any human-sized turtles before because they were in hiding. They lived down here not by choice but precisely because they're freaks of nature. I may have even been the first human they'd ever met, but Donatello did mention a "April" earlier. Who knows who she is; either a human or another mutant. It also dawned on me that I might not have been the only person they've ever kidnapped before. That dug under my skin, though I tried not to show it.
"There you go!" Somewhat suddenly, Michelangelo spun around to plop down a brimming cup of inauthentic hot chocolate in front of me. Call me spoiled, but I knew it was made with water; not milk. That immediately turned me right off. But the orange-masked turtle grinned wistfully at me and I knew he was waiting for me to take a sip. Taking in a deep, silent breath, I brought the cup to my lips. It didn't taste as horrible as I thought it would but still was barely edible to me. I managed to force down a gulp, setting the cup down and smiling over at Michelangelo. "Thank you. It's really good." "Really?! Yay! I can make a stellar hot chocolate. You know it's true if a Dutchy tells you that." Dutchy… that's not politically correct but considering that he just made me a drink, I chose to let it slide.
"Man, Dutch-Land," Michelangelo took a seat next to me, resting his elbow on the island and planting his cheek in it. "That must be far if you've never been to America before." "The Netherlands is far; a five-hour plane ride across the Atlantic," I took another sip. I guess I was hungry. "Whoa, five hours?! I didn't know it took that long to get anywhere!" "Really?" I slowly began to realize… "You've never left America, have you?" "Nope! Never even left New York." "Really?!" That's…. super sad. I'd seen New York in movies and on tv before; it didn't look like the best place even in America to live. "It's ok though; we love it here!" Of course you do; you've never seen anywhere else except for maybe on tv. He didn't know any better….
My eyes lowered a tad as I thought to myself. I was overcome with a strange mixture of terror for my situation and pity for this single-city bound turtle. I couldn't imagine staying in just one city my whole life; even if it was my beloved Amsterdam… I'd still go stark mad. I didn't even was to picture what it was like for them growing up and living not just in one city but underground. Was that even mentally healthy? I don't think so….. If I ever found a way to get back home, a part- a very small part- of me kinda wished I could bring him with me, just to show him something different. Something new….
None of this seemed to bother Michelangelo however. He smiled and talked like he was totally unaware of his situation. I don't know if that made me feel better or worse… "You look American," he stated matter-o-factly. "Oh, I do, do I?" In truth, I had no idea how Americans dressed so for all I knew, he could be right. "Yeah! You're wearing jeans and a hoodie; classic A-mer-i-can." "This?" I looked down at myself. "It's easy to ride a bike wearing jeans and this is a hoodie from my school." In that moment, I randomly reached inside my hoodie pocket, only for my eyes to grow when I felt something. Pulling it out, I opened my hand to see this small, button-like thing. "What's that?" Michelangelo peered over curiously. "I have no idea…" I'd never seen it before; it definitely wasn't mine. Maybe the kidnapper left in my pocket. No really sure what to expect, I pressed it.
We both flinched at this sudden beeping and I dropped it onto the table. After a few seconds, a holographic light stemmed up from the center of the thing. "Uh, you guys!" Michelangelo called as we stumbled out of our seats, backing up slightly. "You might wanna see this!" Within seconds, the other three turtles were in the room, looking as surprised as we were. "Whoa! What is that?!" "It's a hologram." "I can see that! But what is it?" The light morphed into what appeared to be a much older Donatello; like in his early thirties. His upper half made up the whole hologram. "Is… is it working?" He said to himself before noticing us. "Oh! It is! Hey, you guys!"
None of us said anything; we just stared at the hologram transfixed. "It's me, Donnie! In the future! Well, technically current time in my reality, but the future in yours." "I-it's Donnie…." Raphael's finger pointed up to him. "I-it's you… but way older!" "I know; didn't I glow up? Hey bros; man, I forgotten how cute we were! You know, before we grew up and got swoll," older Donatello said. "Wow! Future-Donnie! This is so cool!" Michelangelo announced. "Isn't this awesome, Dilara?!" All of a sudden, future Donatello looked at me, his expression immediately changing.
And just like that, the mood in the room was altered. The way he looked at me- the profoundness in his wide eyes- said more than words ever could. He looked like he was seeing a ghost, or the resurrection of a loved one. His face betrayed a million emotions at once, ranging from terror to overjoy; but most of all, he seemed to be in overwhelming awe. He stared hopeless at me for about ten seconds before finally remembering to breathe I think. "Wow… Dilara," he sounded like he was about to cry. "It's you….. you're alive….." Uh… ok? What was that supposed to mean? But I didn't have time to ask; the most intense smile bloomed across his green lips. "You're so young…. and so beautiful….. I'd forgotten how radiant you are….."
By now, not only Raphael and Leonardo but all the turtles were deeply blushing. I don't think any of them expected him to be the one saying that. "Y-you're Donnie from the future?! Like the same future Splinter just came from?" Leonardo quickly cut in when he noticed my dumbfounded expression. "Correct. I knew you meeting Dilara now would be tricky, since she still lives in Amsterdam in your time. That's why I programed this hologram." "How are we supposed to get her home?" Raphael didn't hesitate to ask. "Don't worry, bro; I got this. See those rings on your fingers?" We all glanced down, only to instantly freak out. They each had a small silver band on one finger while I had a blue, red, purple, and orange band on each of my four fingers on my right hand. How did I not notice that before?!
"What is this?! What did you do to me?!" I demanded, trying to rub out the rings; they were like tattoos, kept under my skin. "Their geo-trackers. They'll allow all of you to teleport between Amsterdam and New York; whenever the sun sets, you guys can go to where Dilara is." "I don't want that! How do I get it off?!" I kept trying to futilely remove them, licking and rubbing at my fingers. "You can't; not until you move to America in two years. It's the only way to keep you five connected until then." "I don't want to be connected!" I had finally had enough. "I don't want any of this! How could you do this to me?!" "I'm sorry, lil' sis', but it's the only way to keep you safe. As for you four, you each have a ring too, connecting you guys. Mikey and me have it on our thumbs, and Leo and Raph have it, heh, on your "ring" fingers," future Donatello smirked at the still blushing elder two.
"I get it," Donatello examined his own tiny silver band. "So this'll allow us to transport to wherever Dilara is and vice versa." "Yes, but only after sunset; once the sun rises, you return to your respective countries of origin." "Huh!" Of all things, Donatello actually seemed to be excited by this. "I didn't know I could do this! I get super smart in the future!" "And super hot," future Donatello smirked again. "Why…..?" He then turned back to find me full-on crying; I wasn't holding back anymore. This was a nightmare; an absolute nightmare. "Why are you doing this to me?"
None of the current turtles responded, though future Donatello moved in such a way that he was directly facing me. "I wish I could tell you everything, Dilara, but those two won't let me say anything," he stuck his fingers out at Leonardo and Raphael behind him. I looked at them then back at him. "But why? Why me? I don't understand…. Why did you choose me?" "Dilara," future Donatello said in the sincere voice I'd ever heard in my life. "Listen to me, because I can only say this once. I'm doing this because I love you; I love you so much. We all do. You have brought so much happiness into our lives, especially those idiots over there," he motioned to the elder two brothers again. "You are someone worth saving, remember that." "Uh, uh….. Do you mean… do you mean that I meet…. I meet you guys in the future?" "I can't say anything. Your uh, you-know-what would kill me." My you-know-what? I didn't know what! What is he talking about?! But I doubted he was going to tell me, no matter how many times I asked. So I just took in a deep breath realizing, comprehending that these guys- these four mutant turtles- were going to be a part of my life until further notice. With no consent or will of mine, there they were; bound together with these tattoo rings on all our fingers. Rings…. why did he choose rings of all things?
"I'm out of time. Listen guys, you have one job now," future Donatello's big green finger pointed at me, not that I saw. I was too busy staring off into nowhere trying not to have a breakdown. "She's your job. That trumps everything else, got that?" None of them reacted for a moment until Michelangelo playfully nudged Donatello in the shell where his ribcage would be. "Whoa, look who gets bossy in his old age?" He teased. "I'm bossy because this is important; more important than you know." I wasn't listening to him or any of them anymore, to transfixed on the different colored rings on my fingers. "Dude, chill; I only meant you're usually not this bossy," Michelangelo's hands went up in front of him defensively. I wasn't listening…. "Of course I'm being bossy," future Donatello shot him a glare. "I lost my sister." I wasn't listening, though something tells me I should have been.