Chapter Seven.
It's been five days and all I can see is red. Blood red.
How had I put off the thought of him for so long? How had he managed to linger in the back of my mind for two years, only doing more damage by the minute. He was arrogant, snarky, and an all around asshole, before it had just been a personality flaw. His anger was only generated towards picking on his brothers, and making snide remarks, but April told me she sensed it was more than just that now. She felt as if he had taken a turn for the worse. He was no longer the loveable hot head we all knew, no longer...family.
Unlike Leo, April told me he still had his sanity, he was still "all there" but when she tried to get through to his mind, or see into his dreams, she turned back she couldn't do it because his aura was too dark. That's why in my dream he was the only one who didn't want me back in his life, he was the one willing to get rid of me for good. Had it caused his that much pain when he watched me "die" the night of the invasion? Had he let his mind venture into hatred towards me? At this point I was more afraid of finding Raphael, than I was Leonardo.
It had been five days since I found myself at the farmhouse with Casey, five days of finding out what my past was made up of, and what had happened to my family. I now knew Leonardo, the one who helped me through all my rough patches and pain, had lost himself in the madness of the city, he was no longer the controlled, kind, caring Leo I knew before. April had told me Raphael had left the family the first chance he got when they came back to the city after the invasion, he was isolating himself, becoming more aggressive, one day they woke up and he was gone. Mike told me that he'd see him on occasion, Raph was roaming the city, and Mikey was the only one left who would run nightly patrols, on occasion he'd try to convince him to come back but Raphael was turning into a monster, he said he would never come back...
The only one who could talk some sense into either of them was Master Splinter, but he was gone. Overtaken by pneumonia and weak lungs. April said he had told her once that he knew I was alive, he told her to find me after he had passed and tell me everything, he said I was the only other one to open their eyes. How could I live up to that? How could he know I would be able to find them and fix them? It was going to prove to be a long and tiresome journey and the heat of early June was not helping the case.
I sat in the one window bedroom and looked up at the pale ceiling. What was this going to come to? How was I ever going to find these two...and what's preventing it from becoming a bloodbath once they figure out I'm alive. Would Leo hurt me? Would Raph really be so unforgiving to make my death permanent?
April told me all her memories of me from the moment she met me to the times in the lair. She told me how when I first became accustomed to life below the city, I had hated Raphael. She said she thought I would go for Leo because he was always around, hovering over me, making sure I was alright. She said Leonardo had loved me, but I only remembered him as a friend and nothing more, maybe because I never returned those feelings. When Raph started to come around, things changed. We no longer fought, we no longer glared each other down from across the dinner table. Passing glances turned to flushed cheeks and eventually feelings were exposed.
April said when they came to the farmhouse during the invasion, Raphael was destroyed. He would isolate himself, and hardly talk to anyone. It was hard to try and imagine a broken Raph, he was so full of fire, fire so unobtainable and burning hot. What had happened to him in the time frame of two years. Did the fire go out? Or instead of passion, was it now fueled by hatred...
I wanted to search for him, maybe he was still in the city, at least that's where April felt him. He would prove to be the hardest to have his mind changed about the family, about me even. Bringing Leo back was starting to look like a piece of cake.
It was half past ten at night and my mind was beginning to wander. I was glad to see my old family again, but part of me was starting to wonder if I even fit in with them anymore. I was so accustomed to the clan life, and I had made a new family there, could I just up and leave them to come back to this life? I had been with the foot for two years, a lot longer than I was with the turtles and April. Could things ever go back to normal now with my two separate lives beginning to clash...
In the back of my mind I also began to think more and more about my parents death, I needed to find out more about project 87 and what it's sole purpose was, I needed to know why I was created, and why I was hunted. One problem though, all my answers were in Italy. Where I was born. My eyes began to fall shut as the night drew on, asking more and more questions as the darkness overtook my room.
I was transported to a lonely hillside that overlooked a large barren felid. It was a sunny day out but the clouds were casting shadows out across the field as they tugged along the sky, moving slowly. I breathed in the fresh air and tried to listen for the soft chirps of bird, maybe even the gentle winds on the tall grass, but there was nothing. Only silence.
"Alex." A voice came from behind me.
I turned to face the blue clad turtle, his scars were gone and his complexion looked new, as if he had never seen harm or pain a day in his life.
"Leo?"
He just nodded and leaned against a tall oak tree that sheltered him from the sun. "We need to talk."
His voice came off as casual, but his look was serious. "About what?" I asked standing alone in the sunshine, I didn't trust this Leo, he looked ominous, yet not as hostile as he had seemed in the cage in his past visit.
"They're keeping secrets Alex."
"Who?"
He looked at me out of the corner of his eye and smirked. "Who do you think?"
"What are you talking about?"
April and Donnie.
His lips didn't move but I heard his voice loud and clear. I stumbled back a few steps and dared to look at him, he had another smirk on his face. "H-how'd you do that?" I said keeping my distance.
He just laughed. "It's all in here Alex." He said pointing to his head.
You have other gifts Alex, Donnie knows.
"What?" I said trying to comprehend why he was choosing to talk to me both through my mind and face to face. "How would Don know that?"
He gave me a stern look. "Take a walk with me." his voice echoed again in my head...
Be careful what you say out loud, April can see into your mind remember? I can't feel her presence right now but I don't need her hearing anything she shouldn't. Try speaking through your mind.
As we walked through the barren field I willed my inner voice to connect through to Leo, and it felt like it was working.
How does Donnie know I have other gifts?
He's had samples of your blood for a while. He's been running more and more tests on them trying to figure you out. He was trying to see how your powers developed and how they became part of your DNA, he tried with April's but hers wouldn't regenerate.
What does April's blood have to do with mine.
Aprils blood can't pass on her gifts she possesses only her telekinesis and eventually Wren can develop telepathy if she wills it, but your blood carried everything about you in it.
But Wren showed me a different gift?
A gift which did not come from April's blood.
What are you saying?
Why do you think April keeps you away form Oliver. He said giving me a side glance as we walked through the never ending field. The grass had become higher here and I ran my hands along the tall weeds.
Maybe he's shy!
Or maybe it's because he has your gifts, exposing him would mean exposing secrets and April doesn't want that. April was willing to show you Wren's gifts because she knew you didn't know you had other powers. Wren's gift with memories is actually yours.
But then why would April bring me to the farmhouse?
Part of her still is family to you, but there are far too many things you still do not know about what happened. Be careful around her.
Where can I find you?
Here , he said pointing a green finger at my forehead.
I mean physically...
I advise you find my brother first. Then I'll tell you how to find me. This is just my soul speaking to you, my body in it's state right now does not know you are alive. Even before you find Raphael, I suggest getting to know the people around you a little better first, starting with the little ones, they hold many secrets.
Why Wren and Oliver? I asked turning my head to look at him, my mind was running with thousands of questions, the mot prominent one was what exactly was April hiding.
Well Alex, their veins are running with your blood.
My eyes filled with darkness as I floated back into my dreams.
Once again I was awoken by a bright ray of light on my face and a tiny tot crawled up on top on me. I opened my eyes to find Wren, auburn eyes glowing, her smile illuminating my morning. "Morning Wren." I said rubbing my eyes.
"Morning Aunt Alex, Uncle Mikey made us pancakes!"
"I can smell them." I said trying my best to sit up with the tiny turtle trying her best to snuggle up to me. I don't know why but she had taken a liking to me since I got here and I couldn't seem to shake her off. I could tell April was starting to notice too.
Suddenly Leo's words came back to me. My blood ran in her veins? She had my gifts, which meant what she had showed me with her memories, I could do too. Only one way to find out if Leo had really visited me in my dreams last night.
"Wren? Can I try something really quick?"
"Sure!" She squealed straddling my lap. "I'm gonna try to show you my memories, but you can't tell your mommy...okay?
"Okay!" She squealed again clapping her hands.
I pressed my hands gently to her cheeks and I watched her eyelids slide shut. Without doing so, mine shut also exposing me to darkness.
He walked out from the darkness. "Fancy meeting you here." He grinned. "Shouldn't you be down in the dance with April and Casey?" he asked, noticing I came alone.
"They ditched me as soon as the slow songs started playing." I said. "I don't dance anyway, just not my thing, ya know?" I said leaning against a heater.
"Yeah, I'm not a big fan of high school dances either." he said jokingly, I laughed getting his attention. I could feel him looking at me but I just looked at the moon. It was so much bigger out here than when I saw it inside, and it was even more stunning.
"Do you ever feel like you're heart is telling you one thing but your mind is telling you another?" I asked him out of pure curiosity, still starting at the moon.
"All the time." he answered quietly. I looked over at him. He was looking down at his sias, fiddling around with them.
"It's like I'm constantly fighting a battle with myself, My heart wants one thing, almost longs for it...but my head says no, don't do this, don't do that."
"Splinter always taught me when I was younger to follow your heart, because it's almost always what you really want deep down."
"Yeah but do you ever let your heart take the lead? I mean, I just don't trust myself enough I guess."
We were both looking out over the city now. It was lit up with street lamps and headlights, and the music from the dance drowned out the noise from the city.
"Maybe you just need to take a leap of faith." Raph said.
When I opened my eyes back up Wren's were still closed. I had deffinetly just seen a memory, one I hadn't remembered until now, but the question was, did Wren see it?
When the toddlers eyes opened they were wide, and I knew she had seen it too.
"Alex?'' She looked at me with sad eyes.
"Yeah?"
"Did you love Uncle Raph?"
I was shocked at her question but I knew it was one I had been asking myself these past few days. "Yeah, I guess I did." I said sadly stroking her soft tiny cheek. "Promise you wont tell your mommy or daddy or anyone what you just saw?"
"Cross my heart." She said giggling. "Can we have pancakes now!?"
"Yeah, yeah, let's go." I said scooping her up in my arms, but all I could think about was Raphael. We were kids then, was it really love?
Downstairs running around was Oliver, playing with what looked like a toy jet. Behind him was Donnie threatening to catch him. Oliver seemed to be a little trouble maker, but I wouldn't know, maybe it was true what Leo had said. Maybe April was keeping him away from me. I needed to get closer to him, but how? Wren loved to be around me, so why was this child keeping his distance.
"Grub's in here!" Mikey yelled from the kitchen. When I walked in I sat Wren down in her chair and grabbed a few pancakes for us.
Time to do some digging. "Hey Mike, you know how Wren can do all these cool things?"
"Yeah, she's one awesome little dudette!" He said flipping a pancake perfectly in the air.
I gave a little smile to Wren. She just laughed as she stuffed the fluffy pancakes in her mouth.
"What can Oliver do?" I asked casually.
"Dunno! I saw him move around some water with his hands this one time tho, it was preeeeeety cool Al."
That was all the clarification I needed, Leo was telling the truth. It didn't even seem to phase Mikey that he just spilled a secret, although April had probably never thought to tell him, or she kept Oliver away from him too.
When I finished my pancakes I searched the halls and living room for Oliver, I wanted to see if I could get him to use his gifts. When I looked out the window I saw a quick flash of green and purple. Oliver had continued the chase outside.
I was going to have to do this in front of Don. As guarded as Donatello was, I knew he wouldn't really be able to react in the situation I was going to put him in, I was just hoping April wouldn't show up. Mike said she was out training in the woods with Casey.
I stepped outside to warm June air, as I stopped on the porch I sensed someone had been behind me. Of course, my little shadow. "Wren?"
"Yeah?" She said looking at me curiously.
"What makes Oliver so special like you? What can he do?"
She gave me a wary look. "Mommy says I shouldn't tell people."
"What if I ask him myself?" I said bending down to her level, she just shrugged her shoulders. I just nodded, this could work.
"Oliver!" I yelled from the porch walking down into the grass. He stopped running as Don slowed to a halt behind him. He looked at me with curious eyes tilting his head. Was he scared of me?
"What's up Alex?" Don said trying to take my attention away from his son.
"I just wanted to ask Ol a question." I looked at Don, he looked wary but nodded and let me approach him.
As I bent down to be eye level with the small boy, I couldn't help but notice his eyes her hazel like mine. As our eyes locked I could see he was curious about me, and a little scared at the same time.
"Hey." I said in an almost whisper.
"Hi" He said looking back to his dad for safety. Don placed his hands on the tot's shoulders.
I looked up at Don one more time, thinking in my head how much he had changed. We used to be good friends. I'd help him on his projects, and he'd set aside special time to help me train. He even saved my life a few times. Now he was using my blood to create super mutants. Betraying me by doing the one thing the people that killed my family did when I was created.
Leo's voice echoed in the back of my mind, I could feel his presence. Show him
"Wanna see something cool?" I asked the two year old. Ten out of ten times they always wanted to see something cool.
His face lit up and I took that as a yes. "Alex, what are you doing?" Don said tightening his grip on his son as I stepped away into the taller section of grass.
"Watch and see." I said smirking as wind started to twirl around me. Don was confused at first but when he realized what I was up to he tried to hurry Oliver into the house. I twisted my fingers towards him and roots shot up form the ground trapping his legs where he stood. He could only hope his son could continue into the house.
But Oliver didn't move. He watched me as Don yelled at him to get inside. I started to twirl around making the wind spin with me, it flattened out the grass around me and a small cyclone formed, dancing and spinning around in the grass. I dispersed it with a flick of my wrist and turned back to Oliver. It was a small portion of what I could do but I hoped it connected in his mind.
His hazel eyes were bright and he stood there in awe. Don was trying to escape the grasp of the roots as he realized his son was walking over to me. "Alex! Get me out!" His temper was starting to flare and I just played it off as a joke by giggling, but in the back of my mind I was watching his struggle and enjoying it. I had been around Karai too long to show mercy now.
When Oliver walked all the way over to me I bent down to meet his eye level once more. He held out his palm to me and I watched as a tiny ball of water formed there. I smiled at him as it rotated in his hands. I assumed from the look on his face this was all he could muster up for now. I giggled and scooped up the ball of water in my palms as it kept rotating. "Watch this." said with a smirk.
I threw the ball up into the air, we both watched as the ball of water floated in mid air for a moment before it turned to snow an slowly started falling down around us. The toddlers eyes grew even larger than before as he reached out to grab a snowflake. I forgot Wren was there until I hear her signature giggled again and she was under the snowfall with us jumping around.
"H-how did you know..." Don said in almost a whisper.
I glared at him. "Why did you do this to them Don."
"What d-do you mean?" He said finally prying himself of the root with a dull dagger he had on him.
"We need to talk." I said walking past him to the barn, I knew he would follow.
When we reached the barn I shut the door and quickly pinned him up against the side wall making the various tools cling together. I got real close to him and gritted my teeth as I spoke softly.
"Why does my blood run through your children's veins..."
He was silent, and he managed to wrap his leg around mine and push me back. A searing pain ran up along the side of my leg and I let out a grunt. As I tried to get up the blunt end of a bo-staff came down hard on my chest.
"I don't mean to hurt you Alex, you're like family to me."
I glared up at him, his eyes were sad and he looked like the past two years had not been the easiest on him.
"Why Don, why do they have my gifts? Why did you do this to them.? Why have you been keeping secrets..." I said still on the ground ignoring the pain in my leg.
He just sighed and sat down on a near-by crate, he knew I wouldn't attack again, he hurt my leg on purpose. "These past few years have been long, and we hardly survived out here, let alone in the city."
"Get to the point." I said sitting up, leaning against a bale of hay.
"When April told me she was pregnant, I knew the children wouldn't survive if they were normal, no training, no form of protection if they got lost." He rubbed his eyes with his green finger. "One day I went back to the old lair to cleanout what I could of my old research, in the mess I found old test tubes full of your blood...I did some testing with the and found out your blood carried all your genes in your DNA, even your gifts. I thought to myself that your blood could protect my kids, if they'd have powers like you."
I sat silent waiting for the full story.
Another sigh as he placed his chin in the palm of his hand. "Before they could be born I injected some of your blood into April's bloodstream. The two sets of DNA fused and yours and April's genes were passed on to the children in the womb. That's the reason why they age so quickly, they were both born only a week into the second trimester. You're blood somehow sped up the maturing process."
"You're making it sound like your intentions were good, so why did you forget to remember my blood is being tracked? Do you remember where I got this scar from? Anzo, and he's still out there, if he finds them he'll kill them. Project 87 was no joke Don, but you just put your entire family in danger."
"I know okay! I did it so they would be able to protect themselves when the time came, April and I, we wont be around forever, we're lucky enough no one has found us out here."
I looked at Don, his hands were callused and stained with grease, he was still the inventor I once knew, but long nights caring for two toddlers looked like it had already taken a toll on him. He was down, and gloomy. I was so used to him spitting out facts about science and watching his face light up as electrical fuses moved a robotic arm, or as steam rolled off of a test tube. Now he was just dull, at age eighteen he was no longer a free range teenager, he had kids, lives to protect and mouths to feed. He had lost himself in the beautiful mess of life...
I guess the trials we faced forced us to grow up much to fast. I longed for summers on the beach with friends from school or a boyfriend to take me out on silly dates to the movies, but I was far from a life of ease. I can't make stupid decisions, I can't run wild. I'm walking a tightrope right now, one false move and that's it. Everything's over.
"Oh Donnie." I said with a sigh, "What the hell happened to us."
He managed to stifle out a laugh...then grumbled shaking his head. "I've been asking myself that for the past two years..."
Just then an idea came to mind. "Don, can I show you something?"
"I guess so." He said plopping down in front of me ungracefully.
"Does Wren ever show you her memories?"
"Almost everyday..." He said pushing a smile.
"I can do that too."
"I-I know." He sighed. "I wanted to tell you as soon as I found out but we all thought you were dead, and April told me it was a secret and she said I couldn't tell anyone, and I'm really sorry but when you got here it went right over my head, I've been up all night working on inventions that ca-"
I shut him up as I placed the palms of my hands on his face. As his eyelids slid shut I was transported back in time with him.
"Donnie! She's here!"
As soon as April spoke the turtle looked up and stood to his full height. Has much taller than the last two I had met and instead of blue eyes he had a deep reddish brown tint to his. When he looked at me he smiled showing that there was a gap in his teeth. Maybe from some sort of accident? I thought.
"Hello April, and Alex." he said showing his smile again.
"I've heard a lot about you, April told me over the phone. You can call me Donnie."
"Oh...Hi Donnie." I said showing a little red in my cheeks.
"If you don't mind can I see what you did with the snow the other night? April said she's never seen anything like it before"
I nodded and reluctantly repeated the scene the other night at the hockey rink. Different shaped snowflakes began to fall around us.
"Amazing!" Don said staring at the snowflakes in awe tapping a pencil against his chin.
"Alex you're truly gifted. If you don't mind I'd like to study your abilities a bit more. Maybe next time you come over?"
"Haha, Sure Donnie" I said gingerly.
As I turned to leave he stopped me. "Where'd you get that?" he said pointing to my staff. When Mikey gave me back my staff from earlier I must not have turned it back invisible.
"Oh this?" I took it out and stood it at it's full height. "My uncle gave it to me when I was younger, he trained me with this and my nodachi."
He looked confused when I mentioned my sword. I reached back revealing it at my touch and his eyes went wide.
"Alex I have a staff too" he walked over to his desk and lifted a wooden stick from where it rested on the wall. It felt nice to find someone to relate to.
"Oh my gosh Donnie, that's so cool!" I said as we stood our bow staffs side by side. His even had the retractable blade at the top.
We talked for another ten minutes about our training techniques before he told me he had to get back to work.
As I opened the door to leave he spoke up one last time.
"Hey Alex?"
"Yeah Don?" I said turning around
"Maybe sometime, we can train together. It'd be great to train with someone who has the same weapon as me" he said trying not to sound to excited.
"Sure, sounds like fun" I said as I smiled.
When I came back to reality Don's eyes were bright and for the first time he had a genuine smile on his face. "Alex..." He said in a whisper.
"That's the very first memory I have of you Don, this helps me remember too it kind of forces my past out." I said with a small smirk.
Within seconds I was in the arms of the big green turtle. "Thank you for that. I've been so bogged down with the farmhouse life I haven't taken the time to reminisce."
"I know how you feel...I've had amnesia the past two years, these memories feel like someone else's but I know they're mine...they just don't feel like it yet, I guess it's not clicking in my head... " I said with a chuckle.
We talked for another few minutes on where we had gone so wrong. The night of the invasion we should've just left an came to the farmhouse first. A bunch of teenagers versus an alien robot army...can you guess the ending?...not good. But then again I would've never ended up with the foot clan, I would've never met some of my best friends. I couldn't help but think of Talon. He nursed me back to health, even if he did have to replace the majority of my bones with metal, and deep down I felt like he was deeply connected to me.
He would probably cross a few oceans for me, and I would d the same for him. In two years he had become the Leo of my life. They were similar in every way. The only thing is, no one can replace Leonardo. He's out there and I have to find him.
There's only one thing stopping me.
Raphael.
Hey guys, I know this chapter was a little longer but I actually tried to put a lot of stuff in here. If anyone get's confused with anything, you can PM me or leave your questions in the reviews, I'll get back to you. One other thing, it's kind of gets me down that the three same people have been reviewing my story this whole time minus a few. To my faithful reviewers, I love you guys! thank you so much for keeping up with the story, and keeping me going. I'd just love to see a few new faces, just leave anything. Suggestions, comments, questions... I take everything. A big thanks to all my followers, I hope this story has been turning out better than my last, I've gone back through and realized how dull Runaway was so I'm trying to put more into what I write. Please, please, please read and review. Thanks! Hope you enjoyed. (;
