The silence was so palpable the street noise from outside seemed to be drowned out by it. Donnie threw the bed covers over his head. He couldn't bare to look at their faces, to see the look of disgust at this turn of events.
It didn't take much speculation to know who the three boys were. It was just a matter of the police confirming their identity. It also didn't take many guesses as to who the shooters were. And now that they knew where he had been hiding, what was to stop them from coming to the school. Would they draw guns and fire at innocent students and teachers just to get him? Would they hunt down his companions and hurt them like they had in his fever dream? And what about their families? Certainly they must have had mothers, fathers, maybe siblings out there?
This was why he hadn't wanted to associate with them. It was to protect them, if he had no association to them they wouldn't be targeted. Why couldn't they see that they were in danger by just being anywhere near him. Maybe it would be just simpler to let himself be taken by the Shredder once again, at least then he would know his companions would be left alone.
Footsteps approached the bed and sat down. The person calmingly began running a hand up and down his back. Donnie didn't want to look, he just wished they would throw him out and be done with it. Quit giving him false hope, quit promoting this futile attachment. It was all pain and it would end in pain.
There was talk about him, but he didn't want to listen. He didn't want to hear what they were plotting, it would end in desister. Then finally the elevator doors closed as two of his companions, likely Leo and April left.
Suddenly he felt someone grab hold of him. Bundling him up, blankets and all before he was carried to the elevator doors as well. There was a burst of the cold autumn air and then he found himself lying on a flat surface before a metal door slid closed.
"It's okay, D," Mikey said reassuringly "April's got a place outside the city that we can use, you'll be safe there."
"No….don't do this?" Donnie attempted to warn them. They were disrupting their lives for him? Throwing away their futures just to make sure the Shredder didn't find him? Why would they do this? It just didn't make any sense?
"Packed and ready," Casey said as he climbed in tossing a duffel bag into the back with Mikey and Donnie. "Leo and April will handle things here."
"Why are you…?" Donnie asked his companions "I'm not worth it...I'm not worth all this."
"Relax," Casey said trying offer a well meaning smile, though his two missing front teeth were making him look more like a creep. "We are off all next week because of Thanksgiving, and Casey Jones feels like the vacation should begin a few days early."
"But you're parents…?" Donnie barked out between coughs. "You're families?"
"It's covered," Casey saId. "I don't have any folks, Raph doesn't get along with his...they aren't all that accepting of the "into guys" thing. And Mikey...Raph is pretty much his legal guardian. His mother prefers to go out partying more than being a parent."
"Leo and April will join us this weekend," Raph added as he put the van into gear. "They are just trying to keep an eye on things here."
"But why…" Donnie asked as he settled into the blankets.
"Because we want to." Mikey said. "Just rest, we should be at the place in a few hours."
"Good evening, Father," Leo saId as he served himself the reheated remains of the wonton soup.
"Good evening, Leonardo." His father said as he entered the kitchen and settled down.
"My friends and I got some soup from Murakami's," Leo invited "Care for any?"
"Certainly, my son." Yoshi responded as he sat down at the kitchen table. Leo placed a steaming bowl of the dumplings in broth before his father before sitting down at the table himself.
"You know that boy...the one I told you about," Leo hesitantly said.
"Yes, what about him." Yoshi responded as he brought one of the dumplings to his mouth.
"Well, I just found out he's homeless," Leo stated in a rush. "He's practically been living in the sewers. So I was wondering if...if he could stay with us." Yoshi put down his spoon and regarded his son for a moment. Leo winced in response, when his father regarded him this way there was often a lecture attached.
"There are services in place for such a thing, Leonardo," Yoshi responded.
"I know that," Leo countered "But these services failed him…and weren't you saying the other day that the dojo could use a helper."
"All the same Leonardo," Yoshi responded "This apartment and the Dojo is our home not a youth hostel. I am not saying the services this country has for at risk children or the homeless are not extremely flawed. But they are there for a reason."
"I should have known," Leo sighed in frustration as he stood up in disgust leaving his soup uneaten. Instead he grabbed his book bag and went to his room.
"Leonardo?" His father asked in concern as he stood up and followed. Leo didn't regard his father as he dumped his books and school supplies onto his bed. He looked about the room his eyes traveling over the Space Heroes Action figures, the Space Heroes posters hanging on the wall, the pictures of him with the Space Heroes cast at the last comic caucus. Even the bedspread and sheets were Space Heroes themed. It all felt so trivial now.
Without looking at his father he rummaged through closet and dresser, pulling out clothing that was bundled up and put in is book bag before zipping it up tight.
Grabbing his phone called up April's phone number. "Hello, April" He said into the speaker, "any luck on your end? Yeah, me neither. Sure, I'll meet you outside."
"Wait, where are you going?" Yoshi asked.
"Away from here." Leo shrugged as he picked up his bag of clothes, pocketed his wallet and phone, and then started for the door.
"What is going on?" His father demanded. Leo angerly rounded on the older man.
"What's going on?!" Leo shouted. "I've told you what's going on, and you refused to do anything! You brushed it off as something for child protective services to handle! But the fact is, the services are as much to blame for Donnie's situation as the monster he was placed with. If being an adult means being heartless and looking the other way when you encounter someone who is a victim of a failed system! Then I rather remain a child!"
"Leonardo…" Yoshi started to say.
"No…" Leo shouted. "I don't want your lectures. I don't want to hear "there are services for this". The truth is….the truth is Donnie is alone, and scared, and doesn't know who to trust or to turn to. He is on the run from a very sick minded man who only hurt him for his own pleasure and has done so to gods know how many others. He forces them to believe that they are worthless and that no one would ever believe anything about what is being done to them. The foster system failed him because this man abused it. And putting him back in the system would only put him back in that man's hands or put him in a similar situation. I had hoped that you would be willing to consider offering him a place to stay. It doesn't need to be permininant...but he needs a home. He needs to be some place he doesn't feel like he is forced to live in fear."
Yoshi sat down on Leonardo's bed as he listened to his son rant to him. When Leo ceased his tirade the older man eyed his son for a time.
"How...how do you know all this is happening to...your friend?" He asked cautiously.
"Because…" Leo said as he calmed down. "On Halloween night, two men came into Murakami's. Donnie apparently knew them and began freaking out and saying things such as "never going back to 'him' again." Then when we left he said that he didn't think we should be friends anymore and that it was better for us if we did not associate. Casey also informed us about catching him in the shower a few months back and he said that Donnie had this brand mark on his right shoulder. A circle with three slash marks.
"A circle? With slash marks?!" Yoshi looked up sharply, his eyes widened with horror as though he had seen this mark before.
"Yes," Leo answered not picking up on the change in tone. Three boys at school also know what that mark means and they were intending on using that knowledge to force Donnie to do things for them. And today on the news, three yet to be identified boys were found dead in the abandoned subway area where Donnie was hiding.
"I also know what that mark means…" Yoshi said, "My son….I think you should sit down. There is something you should know."