Chapter Nine: The Fire in her Mind

Back in the lair now, Raphael had sat his brothers down and told them what he told Evelyn. Leonardo was still upset over his insistence on keeping secrets, especially since he asked him not to mention the black substance Leonardo found in his room. Donatello was already thinking of ways that they could run tests without hurting Evelyn. He suggested taking a sample of her blood out into the sun to see how it reacted, or taking her up there with the four of them just in case something happened. They could be on alert now that they knew what to look for.

Michelangelo seemed the most uncomfortable with all this. Evelyn's transformation in the sunlight still haunted him and he was uneasy about seeing her like that again. As his brothers all discussed a safe way to do this, he stared at the floor with a troubled expression. Eve sat beside him now and leaned her head against his shoulder to rest against him.

"Eve?" Mikey started.

Evelyn simply shook her head and smiled, closing her eyes as she relaxed with him.
"...Don't worry..." she whispered softly,

Michelangelo nodded and wrapped his arms around her shoulders to hug her close. As the other brothers talked, Raphael glanced over at them. He wasn't exactly pleased when anyone was close to Eve, but with Mikey, it didn't bother him as much. He was sure that he only saw Evelyn as a big sister or something. This was Mikey after all.

"So it's decided." Leonardo finished, turning to Donatello, "You'll take Evelyn up to the surface after we have April work with her and see what she can do. Is that okay with you?" Leo asked as he turned to face Eve now.

Mikey didn't seem pleased with any of this, but Evelyn left his arms and stood up to face Leonardo. "...That's alright with me..." she agreed.

"Good. Now, Sensei is waiting for us." Leo said as he turned to head for the dojo to train. The others followed him, but Evelyn didn't move. She stood in the middle of the room, staring down at the floor. What would they find at the end of this? A part of her was afraid to find out. What was worse...the voice that she heard in the tunnels...it terrified her to the core. What could it have been?

"Eve?" Leonardo asked, walking up to her when he noticed she was not following, "You okay?"

She looked up quickly, shaken from her thoughts now, "Oh...uh...I'm not sure actually." she replied honestly.

"...We aren't going to let anything happen to you. April will be able to help, I'm sure."

"It's not that..." she began quietly, "...what if...we find out who I am...and I don't like it? ...in a way...it feels like the me now...will die. Do you know what I mean? ...I like being Evelyn. I like being here with all of you..."

Leonardo stepped forward and placed his hand against her shoulder. Evelyn blushed a little and looked up at him.

"Don't worry. No matter what happens, you will always be Evelyn to us." Leonardo reassured her. He wasn't actually sure what they were going to find either, but he didn't want her to get anxious over it. After all this time together, he cared for her just like the rest of his brothers.

Evelyn stared at him for a moment or two before her expression changed. She seemed conflicted about all this and it was visible on her face. She leaned in and wrapped her arms around his shell, hiding her expression against his chest. Leo was a little surprised by this and in truth he wasn't sure what to do. He placed his hands against her shoulders in an attempt to comfort her some. Though he did feel a little nervous in having her so close. It's not as if any of the turtles were very used to human female contact. Raph had come from the dojo in order to see what was taking them so long and when he rounded the corner to see them in an embrace, he felt a strange wrenching in his chest. Leonardo was his brother, but he was still leading Eve around like a puppy. At least, it's what he saw whenever they were together. He huffed and turned back to the Dojo just as Evelyn pulled from Leo and wiped her eyes a little.

"Sorry. ...This is just...a little much to take in I guess." she said quietly.

"Don't worry about it. You're like a sister to us now. That's not going to change." Leonardo replied with a smile as he gestured toward the Dojo and turned to leave.

She was silent for a moment as she watched his back, "...a sister..." she muttered sadly before she began to follow behind him.

Splinter had his sons kneel before one another as he ordered for them to begin. Evelyn knelt at Splinters side as she watched them. She wasn't usually present for the workouts, but Splinter thought it would help in her own training to observe. This would be the first session that she sat in on.

Donatello was a lot faster than she thought and Michelangelo seemed to be showing off for her benefit by making a spectacle of himself. Which of course earned a laugh from Evelyn and a scolding from Splinter. She covered her mouth when Mikey was berated and Splinter glanced at her in disapproval. She was sure that Mikey only wanted to cheer her up. He was always acting the clown to earn a laugh from her. Once Donnie and Mikey were beaten, they sat on each side of Eve and watched as Raph and Leonardo prepared to fight. Evelyn found herself leaning forward and her gaze drifted to Leonardo as he pulled his swords. She was excited to see these two fight, more so, because she had never seen Leonardo use his swords. He was always practicing on the dummy in the main room, but never pulled his katana.

Raphael could see where Eve's attention was focused and it caused his blood to boil for a moment. What was so good about Leo? He glared at his brother just before Splinter allowed them to begin. Each brother didn't miss a beat as they launched at one another. For a moment or two, the fight seemed fairly even and Raphael did his best to focus. He wanted to beat Leonardo and show Evelyn that he wasn't worth all the hero worship, but when he glanced over at her, he could see her eyes on Leonardo. Since he had looked away, it allowed Leonardo to sweep his feet out from beneath him and hold him at the edge of his sword when Raphael landed on his shell.

Everyone looked a little surprised when Raphael went down, even Evelyn. Leonardo sighed as he sheathed his swords.

"You're not paying attention," he said evenly, "why don't you stop looking at your girlfriend and focus." Leonardo teased now.

Raphael and Evelyn seemed to blush simultaneously, "We're not a couple!" they shouted in unison, earning a laugh from the others before Master Splinter held up his hand.

"Sorry, Master Splinter." Leonardo said quietly with a bow of his head. Donnie and Mikey did the same, but Evelyn and Raphael just seemed uncomfortable now. Bitter over his loss and embarrassed that he was now being made fun of, he got to his foot and stomped out of the room.

"Raphael?" Evelyn started as she made to go after him, but Splinter placed his hand on her shoulder and shook his head. She took a small breath and sat herself back down.

"Maybe we should apologize?" Mikey suggested.

"What? You guys never apologize to me when you tease me about April." Donnie replied in annoyance.

"Yeah, but you're not gonna pound me if we make fun of your girlfriend." Mikey joked. Evelyn turned her head and glared at Michelangelo and he laughed nervously.
"Sorry Eve..." he said quietly.

"I'll go and talk to him." Leonardo said as he walked from the room. Evelyn got to her feet quickly and followed Leo, wanting to try and speak with him alone for a moment. She didn't like his joke. Not because she hated Raph or anything, but because she didn't want Leonardo to think that...

"Um-Leo?" she started as she caught up to him and pat his shoulder lightly. The turtle turned to look at her curiously.

"What is it?" he asked, stopping so the two of them were just short of the main room.

Evelyn blushed a little now and found that looking him in the eye was a little difficult.
"Ah...well...you know that Raph and I...aren't a couple, right...?" she asked quietly, feeling a little awkward now. What exactly was her plan here? She started to feel a little stupid as she spoke, but it was a little late to back out now.

"Huh? Oh, sorry. I was just messing with you guys." Leonardo said with a smile, reaching over and patting her on the head.

Eve frowned and reached up to take his hand from her hair, but held on as she looked at the floor. "...I wouldn't want you to think that..." she started, gripping his hand a little as she felt her chest tighten. This was harder than she thought it would be. After Leonardo had seen Raphael kiss her, she just wanted to clear things up.
"Because...because I..." she stammered softly, trying hard to come by the words.

Leonardo was a little worried about where this was going now. Evelyn looked serious now and it wasn't like he was complexly dense. Ever since Raphael had confronted him about Eve, he started to see what he was talking about. She did act differently with him than she did with the others. She was completely at ease with them, but around him she seemed nervous.

"Leonardo...I...I just-" she started, doing her very best to summon a little courage, but her resolve died when she heard Donatello and Mikey coming this way. She panicked and released Leo's hand at once.
"N-Nevermind!" She insisted as she dashed from him and towards Mikey's room. She ran inside and slammed the door without a second thought.

"...Did...Eve just take my room?" Mikey asked in confusion as he arrived just in time to see the girl lock herself in his bedroom.

Leonardo sighed and rubbed the back of his head with a troubled expression. "...This just got a little more complicated..." he said to no one in particular before he started towards Raph's room again. Donatello just seemed annoyed and muttered something about Leonardo's luck as he wandered off, leaving Mikey alone and confused.

"Okay, seriously?!" Mikey shouted, "No one's gonna tell me what's going on?!"

Master Splinter sighed and shook his head as he watched the teenagers from the Dojo's entrance. "Youth..." he said quietly before he left to meditate.

Once he made it to Raph's room, Leonardo knocked on the door and waited, but there was no answer. He sighed and knocked again, "C'mon Raph, open up!" he insisted, "Don't be a baby!" Leonardo tried again and knocked, but the door swung open as he moved forward and took him off balance. He regained his footing and cleared his throat. "Got a minute?"

Raphael just leered at his brother for a moment before he nodded curtly and opened the door a little wider. Once Leonardo stepped inside and the door was closed, Evelyn peeked out of Mikey's room and sighed in relief.

"...That was dumb..." she muttered to herself. Annoyed that she had gone up to Leonardo without a plan on what to say and almost spilled everything at the worst possible time. It was clear that Leonardo only saw her as a sister or friend, yet she couldn't help but wish for a little something more. Perhaps it was strange to feel this way about a mutated turtle, but this was the world that she knew. It was all she knew. The only other humans she had met were April and Casey. She wasn't attracted to April and very much not attracted to Casey. She found him rude and abrasive. When he and Raphael would get together, it was a little hard to be around the scarlet masked turtle. Still, she loved it here and she loved everyone here very much. Even if Leonardo was just a little more so to her, she didn't want to lose any of them.

"You don't have to lose them." A woman's voice rang out clearly to Evelyn, but when she looked around, she didn't see anyone there.

"...Wh-"

"I know who you are," the woman's voice came again before Eve could speak.

"Where are you?" Evelyn asked aloud, looking up at the ceiling as she searched for the source of the voice. She could hear the voice so clearly that the woman had to be in the room with her.

"Where's who?" April asked as she walked into the main room, having just come from home.

Evelyn turned to April and stared for a moment. Did she not hear that voice? It was so clear. "Ah...no one. I was...I was looking for you actually." Evelyn lied quickly, feeling a bit uneasy discussing voices that she was beginning to hear.

"Me? What for?" April asked with a smile as she held up a paper bag, "Oh, I brought you something. I thought you might be yearning for a change of clothes by now."

"Thanks, April. I was just-" as Evelyn spoke with April, the redheads face changed. Her eyes became empty and blood seemed to drip from them. Eve froze where she stood and her expression shifted to that of horror.

"Evelyn? You okay?" April asked in concern as she reached for the girl.

Unfortunately, Eve could not hear April's voice. To her, the now grim looking April was speaking in tongues, words that she couldn't understand. The sight terrified her and she pushed April away, running towards Raphael's room for safety, but the scenery around her began to change. Everything was suddenly engulfed in flames and she saw black figures burning around her. They seemed to be men, but she could judge that based on their shape and their screams.

"Stay away!" Evelyn screamed in a panic as the men seemed to be reaching for her. One had a crazed grin on his face as he grabbed her leg and another wrapped his arms around her from behind to hold her there. "ST-STOP! PLEASE!" she screamed again, struggling to break free as the fire began to singe her skin.

"come with us..." a black figure spoke as his face was being broiled by the fire.

Evelyn watched this in terror. The mans voice was familiar and struck a cord inside the girl. Not a good one. It only served to intensify the feeling of dread that was building up. Another man appeared from the fire and limped towards her, holding a knife in his hand. The other men were holding her so tight that all her struggling was pointless as the other man came closer to her. She wanted to scream, but all she could manage were mute gasps while the smoke from the fire filled her lungs. To Evelyn she was about to be murdered for all she knew. She didn't understand who these men were or where the others were, but she needed to get away. She had to get out of here.

However, as Evelyn struggled to get free from the men engulfed in flames, the Turtles struggled to keep her calm. They had heard her screams and all rushed to help her, but she couldn't seem to hear or see them. Raphael was pinning her arms to her side by holding her from behind. Leonardo was trying to get her attention by placing his hands on her shoulders and forcing her to look at him. Donatello was trying to keep her from kicking them by holding her legs and Mikey was simply watching in stunned silence as his brothers tried to subdue Evelyn. The raven haired beauty was proving to be a difficult task for the turtles. She was stronger than any of them had anticipated and her crying and screaming wasn't making it easier. Donatello saw Evelyn's skin begin to scar with marks that looked like they would come from burns. These burns seemed to be originating where they were holding her.

"Guys! Something's burning her!" Donnie shouted in a panic. Raph and Leo exchanged desperate looks and tried to hold Eve a little tighter.

"Evelyn! Wake up! It's us!" Leonardo tried desperately as he attempted to meet her eyes as his brothers tried to hold her steady.

"LET ME GO! RAPHAEL, HELP! PLEASE!" She screamed in pure terror, unaware that the turtles were the ones trying to hold her down. She couldn't see them, she couldn't hear them. All she could feel was the pain and burn of the fire around her. All she could see were the charred and disfigured men that were trying to keep her inside the flames. In her panic and terror, she called for Raphael. Despite her feelings for Leonardo, Raphael was always saving her and always keep her safe.

Raphael heard her scream for his help and all at once, his chest seemed to tighten. She was terrified and in pain and she was calling for him. She was pleading for his help. He wanted to answer her. He wanted to save her, but he had no idea what was going on or what he was saving her from. Herself? She was clearly seeing and feeling something that wasn't there. What could he do about that?

"April! C'mere!" Raphael shouted, gesturing with a tilt of his head for the redhead to rush over. April scrambled over towards the struggle and frantically looked at the mess.
"Can you get me into her head?" Raph asked as he tightened his grip on Eve.

"I-I don't know!" April answered in a panic, "I-I've never-"

"TRY!" Raphael shouted.

April flinched and quickly placed her hand on Raphael's head and Eve's trying to concentrate and connect their minds. She had no idea what she was doing. Her mental training was slow going at best and though she had entered the Turtles minds once, they weren't in a panicked state like this and she wasn't trying to bring someone with her. All she could do was try her best to focus and concentrate with all her might on the thought of connecting them.

Evelyn was still desperately trying to escape until her body seized for a moment before going completely limp. It wasn't just her either, Raphael's body also ceased all movement. He fell backward onto the floor, while Leonardo was able to grab hold of Eve. April situation was much the same, although Donatello managed to slide over in time to catch his princess.

"APRIL!" Donnie shouted in concern as he held her close.

"...I think she did it." Leonardo said quietly as he laid Eve down on the floor gently beside Raphael, "I think she connected to their minds..."

"But are they okay?!" Mikey asked in a panic as he looked down at his brother and his friends on the floor.

Donatello held April and embraced her gently before he looked at his brother and Evelyn. He didn't want any of them to be hurt. "...Bring them to the lab. ...I can monitor their vitals while we think of something..." he said as he stood up and carried April with him.

Leonardo grabbed Raphael and lifted him into his back, piggybacking his brother as best he could towards the lab. Mikey was hesitant as he reached down to scoop up Eve. He just stared at her face for a moment, feeling his eyes begin to burn. It was as if she were falling apart before his eyes and he was helpless to put her back together. She had burns on her body and the face that he always made sure was smiling, was now emotionless and still in her unconscious state.

"Mikey! Hurry up!" Leonardo insisted as he neared the lab, trying to get Raph there quickly so they could make sure everyone was okay.

Michelangelo flinched a little and swallowed hard before he finally Evelyn in his arms. The freckled turtle's face became pained as he fought back a few tears, gently hugging the girl close to him. "You're gonna be okay, Eve. ...please be okay..." he whispered before leaning in and kissing her cheek softly before he began to rush her towards the lab.
This was just all too much for him. It wasn't too long ago that he had dragged her to the surface and witnessed her transform to something that could never be Evelyn. He could still see her smile and hear her laugh. All he ever wanted was to make her laugh and smile. Now...she was unconscious after screaming and trying to get away from them. He just wanted to hear her laugh again, but those screams sounded so horrified and sad, he worried he would never hear her laugh again.

A/N: I am so sorry that this update was so late. My sister is getting married soon and I am a bridesmaid. So I've been a little busy with her demands and dealing with the family drama that follows. I was an entire city away and now I am back in the thick of the family trouble. This wedding needs to happen before I lose my mind.
Anyway! Thank you for your patience and I will work on getting the next chapter in much sooner than the last few.