Okay, okay, here it is, finally. And for all of your waiting I have practically nothing to show you. Let's just say that I'm a bit busy right now, and my sister hogs the computer.
Disclaimer: TMNT does not belong to me, and if they did I would be doing something waaay cooler than them rather than writing little fanfictions.
The door closed with a soft but what seemed like a perpetually resounding thud.
Seconds ticked by in which I just stood there in a daze. The apartment was untouched: blankets strewn lazily over the edge of the couch from where Hunter had dropped them yesterday. A frantic buzzing indicated that a fly was trapped behind the blinds of a window, out of which light was beginning to stream quite profusely.
My car keys were already out of my pocket and in my hand by habit, as I always hung them up or threw them in my book bag when I entered the apartment. However at this moment I merely relinquished my grip on them and flinched when the little metal pieces clinked noisily against the tiled floor. That's all they were, right? Just scraps of metal.
I took a few steps forward, shedding my coat as I did so. It dropped soundlessly to the floor, I didn't seem to mind now that I was wrecking up my apartment. A blinking light flashed over by my answering machine. Lethargically I mashed a button in and strained my ears for hopefully, a familiar voice.
My heart sunk when it was a recording from my credit card company and I hadn't even used the Visa for anything. With a short, irritated groan I snatched up my cordless receiver and speedily phoned my boss.
"I'm calling in sick today."
He was lucky I was even calling.
"Alice? Are you alright?"
"If I was, then I would be working." I said dryly. My attitude was certainly uncharacteristic but I didn't care. Make of it what they may.
"McKellen…"
"I know, sir. I know. You can chew me out tomorrow." I stared unhappily over at the blinds where the fly was beginning to agitate me. "Sorry," I added. "Bye."
"Take care, Alice."
I hung up.
Then I went to sleep.
It would suffice to say that I slept away the day, and most of the following night for that matter. I have always had a gift for sleeping. It is commonly said in my family that you could give me a plywood board and I could use it as a pillow and fall asleep. While this may be quite untrue, the fact remains that I can fall asleep easily. I can then continue to stay asleep for long quantities of time.
Boy, do I ever dream. Trust me, dear reader, my dreams were not by any standards, normal. Well, by most peoples' standards, I assume.
Hunter called at least twice but I knew that if I answered, he would detect something in my voice and most certainly come over. I didn't want to be discovered yet. I wanted to piece this together myself. I would go to work again tomorrow and everything would be back to normal.
Or would it be? Raging curiosity would rear its head as soon as shock wore off. I could not help it, for I was a practical person, and as soon as I was truly conscious, I was thinking.
I pulled a brush through my dark curls, putting in extra product today to make them appealingly shiny and soft. Mr. Barb liked it when his waitresses came in looking especially pretty, he said it gave us a good image to have hard-working young ladies. I considered the hard-working part as I threw on my jacket.
Of course I had been thinking about the ninja turtles. I had spent just a few hours with them (minutes, if you are counting the conscious part) and I wanted to go back.
Well, not completely. Most of me would be very happy just to stay away from danger and was struggling as is on how to explain my crushed vehicle to the insurance agency (that had been something that had taken quite a few days at least). Then there was the part that I had always known somewhere inside of me, that would come up sooner or later and be like 'DUDE! Who really experiences these things? Seriously, no one does. That was sooo cool. Like crime fighting superheroes…only they're green.'
Also, a little rude, I thought of Leonardo.
The week went on. I found myself more paranoid than usual, checking ridiculously over my shoulder every once in a while. My co-workers worried about me and people shot me questions left and right as to why my car had been identified at the Starbucks incident. I was unhappy that that bit of information leaked out.
But none of the press or police had hunted me down; no authorities phoned me or tracked me down for investigation. It was a miraculous thing…if you really think about it. My car was the only one damaged so in all of this, near the area where two lives had been taken, and I had been there…but I managed to so lithely slip through the cracks.
You must understand that this sort of thing never happens to me. So I continued to be suspicious, wondering if I was being watched, locking my door and barring all my windows. I wouldn't go as far as to say 'paranoid' but it definitely wasn't normal normal.
By the time Wednesday came around, I looked myself full on in the mirror and saw those circles under my eyes. For the last few days I had not slept well due to all the restless contemplation I was doing.
I realized how silly I was being and that really…was there anything that much to worry about? Nothing weird had happened to me since and maybe I could start to relax. Besides, I was dragging myself in the dust. I was tiring myself out with worrying and wondering. And I was really beginning to worry those I cared about. That was being selfish of me. So it was time to be happy again. Or at least just focus on life one minute, hour, and day at a time and look on the bright side of things.
So that's just what I did.
Hours of the week passed by when the brothers did not see hide nor shell of Leonardo. He spent a large amount of time meditating by himself…and they did not blame him.
It was quiet down in the sewers.
The first to expire to the sudden, unexpected atmosphere change was Raphael. He lifted weights and listened to screaming metal behind his headphones, he did not touch his makeshift drum set.
Donatello was next. Burying himself in his books and inventions, he could be seen muttering, inaudible, the equation of some long math problem or the solution to why his invention was malfunctioning.
Mikey felt it as well. He played videogames for hours on end and got on his siblings nerves for not picking up after himself. Crumpled up potato chip bags or empty cardboard pizza boxes collecting dirt became a common sight.
The brothers could not explain why this sudden presence plagued them. Sometimes things would be alright and there would be absolutely nothing to complain about. There would be high spirits all around and on Thursday night Mikey ordered pizza and Raphael and Leo argued whether or not Coke was better than Pepsi.
Then the night would pass by and at least one of them would have the same recurring nightmare. It was always apparent the next day which one suffered it. Even Master Splinter. The matter was ever present, although it weighed more heavily on some rather than others.
That force, those beings, they were not welcome.
"What did you discover of the girl?"
"Master, she seems actually quite innocent," he admitted stoically. Personally he had been hoping that it would've been different so they could've perhaps resolved this problem quicker.
It was like he was spinning his wheels in the sand, they weren't getting anywhere.
"What do you think you should do, Leonardo?" Master Splinter watched him with those wise eyes.
"I will continue to keep an eye on the situation. She is the only lead we have so far."
"See to it that it is as secret as possible. No one must find out."
"Of course."
When Leo was alone, he couldn't help but dwell in mystification. His thoughts were mostly on these creatures and the dark presence that they emanated. Every inch of him had loathed them without seemingly audible cause. It just felt like the most natural reaction. Like pure instinct. He couldn't help but distrust them in every way. And hadn't they been right? They could be a huge threat—whatever they were.
But she was different. Something about her aura…was not threatening. It was a kind he had never seen before, deep and yet, soft. Sometimes in mediation he would be struck suddenly by that mysterious earthy tone. So thought provoking, very curious, yet elusive...
