Andrea
The slope took longer to get up than I expected. When we reached the top, I was a little thrown by the solitary sleeping bag beneath a rock overhang. The way he talked on the way up I expected a campground full of people.
He looks around. "Huh? I guess they already cleared out and carried on." He shrugs then waves it off. "They know I'll catch up."
Jimmy picks up a black hiker's pack then sits on the sleeping bag, and begins to root through it. "My phone is in here… somewhere." His face disappears in the opening then he pops his head up. "Here it is!"
My heart soars. Yes! Mom, Dad, Uncle Donnie, Mikey, Leo, Aunt Karai, Aunt April, Exodus, I don't care who, I want to go home! I drop my bo and rush toward him, holding my hands out. He hands me the phone with a big smile, and as I take it in my hands a strange tingle creeps down my spine.
My gaze shifts from the black device, without really looking at it, back to him. His blue eyes dart from my face to the phone then off toward the stone wall beside us. His mouth is parted, his breathing pattern changed. His fingers curl over his lips, and he sniffles then looks at me expectantly.
My Uncle Leo's voice during one of his lectures, one that in this very second I'm glad I was listening to, comes to mind…
"There are ways to tell if someone is lying to you." His eyes pinned on Midori and Rachel, then to me. We'd been caught in a three way lie, and he not only explained to us how it was wrong and dishonorable but went so far as to teach us how to recognize when others were deceiving us.
Jimmy clears his throat, but the sound is tight, almost like a scoff. I swallow, grip the phone, my eyes darting to it. I swipe the screen. Instantly, it lights up with a 'no service' message.
Oh no.
My eyes fly up to his face and he laughs. "Man, I forgot about that." His body shifts, shoving the bag away as he leans so close his cologne rushes in, choking the breath from me.
No.
NO.
He plucks the phone from my frozen fingers, tosses it aside then runs a hand down my shoulder.
Human.
Man.
Oh god.
I'm alone.
Lost.
His body shifts, pushing my shoulder back towards the sleeping bag. NO!
"NO!" I push back, my entire body tensing. "No," I grunt, struggling, as he smiles, his eyes lowering as he inhales my neck.
"Yes, YES… And you smell," he inhales again then licks my cheek and I flinch, struggle, feel bile rising in my throat, "as good as you taste." His body is over mine, his hand slips between us, fingers prodding, searching, reaching, and he touches me… THERE! NO! NO!
I want my mom. I want my dad. I want—him—off—me!
As he tries to force his tongue in my mouth I clench my teeth together, and want to reach for my weapons. My heart sinks. My weapons. My sai. The trees. My bo. I turn my head from side to side, trying to get my shoulder off the ground but he has me pinned. My bo. I open my eyes. See it lying in the dirt. God. I can't reach it.
"Ugh!" I grunt, trying to lift a knee as he works to push my legs apart. My blood heats, my heart pounds. I'm pinned. Pinned. PINNED. Only this isn't a sparring match. No one is going to call him off. PINNED. AND IT'S REAL.
"Stop—" he growls, lifting up, landing a fist to my face, "struggling!"
My world flashes with black, white, and gold. My eyes stinging and burning when I open them again.
What do I do? What do I do? Daddy, what do I do? Tears pour from my eyes.
I'm alone.
I want my mom.
Help me.
Please.
Somebody.
I want my dad.
Daddy…
My father's voice fills my head…
A ninja is never defenseless.
Anything can be a weapon.
Andrea, you are a weapon.
"HELP! HELP!" I hear myself screaming, but Jimmy smothers my screams with his tongue. I struggle, feel his cold, thick muscle licking my mouth. I open wider, let him in as far as he wants to go and I bite down as hard as I can.
Copper splashes through my mouth and he jerks back, screaming. The second he lifts up my hands fly forward launching over his torso in a series of pressure point combinations that will buy me enough time to get to my weapon. As his body seizes upon itself I dive for my bo, feel my nostrils flaring, as I reach for it.
With my staff in hand I wheel around right as Jimmy is starting to move again. He spits out a mouthful of blood, moves to get to his feet and I hear a roar rip from my throat, the world around me fading to a blinding shade of white.
Wood crashes against bone, the sound like a hammer to a metal door. Then I feel the impact, the bone caving, the skeletal collapse recoiling through my weapon up into my palms.
I'm moving so fast, it's all happening so quick.
Then something happens to my precious weapon. It's fractured, snaps into two, in my hands. Yet I know what to do with a set of sticks too.
This asshole should be glad I don't have my sai.
My rampage continues, until I find nothing fighting me back. My body grows heavy, the curtain gradually receding. I sway. The stone wall seems to tip and I'd give anything for it to be white again when it fades to black.
April
At the bottom of the third dip in the mountain, before our final walk to the van, we stop for a break.
"We're almost there guys. You've done great." I wipe my brow, look at Exodus and she laughs.
The kids, all sitting on the ground munching granola bars and drinking water, look up at her.
Kei's head tips to the side. "Aunt Exodus, are you delusional?"
Exodus stares at him then laughs harder.
The kids all look at me. I shake my head, hold my hands up. "Don't ask me kids."
Exodus rolls her eyes. "It's just—you've been coaching them along, the same way—"
Understanding grips me, and I feel myself smiling. "Leo does." I nod.
"Yeah, you kind of have, Mom. It's been—" Rachel clears her throat and tries to imitate Leo's authorative tone, "the ground is loose here, mind your footing. Remember, we are ninja's we're supposed to be quiet. There should be no trace, no indication that we've been here."
I scoff. "I never said we are ninjas and we should be quiet."
Although, Leo has certainly worn that phrase out.
"You told us we were being a little too loud and might draw attention," Hisao says, scratching the back of his head.
Midori rubs her arm then her side. "That's pretty much the same thing."
"Mmm," I groan, leaning against a boulder. "I guess I kinda have. I'm sorry you guys. It's just a big responsibility guiding you home, and with all that's happening—"
"Don't be sorry," Gray comes over and puts his hand on my arm. I look in the boys familiar gray eyes, find it odd to see his mother in them, but at the same time his playful uncles open heart shining through. After all, it would seem that when they found each other, both Zoe and Raph's hearts burst wide open. The little boy standing in front of me was living proof of that.
"Aunt, April?" Gray moves his head so he's looking me in the eye.
I smile at him. "Yes, Gray?"
"I said, don't be sorry, because being compared to uncle Leo is a compliment." He nods. His expression is sincere as he waits expectantly for my reply.
I look at each of them, knowing that it takes every one of us to care for them all. But at the end of the day, Leo makes sure every role is being fulfilled, that all is in order, all is well. In a way, Leo stands watch twenty-four seven. And the next time I see him I'm going to thank him for not just that, but for trusting me with this responsibility.
"You know what, Gray," I nod, "you are absolutely right."
Gray is beaming, behind him the kids nod in agreement.
Exodus' head snaps up, her eyes sweeping left and right. She tips her chin, listening. "April—"
I nod, look at the boys. "All right boys, I need—" I look around, finding only Midori, Rachel, and Exodus left on the trail. "—stealth ASAP."
The girls draw close to us as a park ranger comes into view. "Ma'am," he tips his hat at me then Exodus.
"Hello," I greet him.
"Hi," Exodus whispers.
The officer looks at the girls. "Are you girls having fun out here?"
Midori and Rachel shrug, look indifferent.
The officer chuckles, then wipes his face. He turns to me again. "You, uh, ladies, doin' alright out here? This is a red trail. It's pretty advanced for kids."
My eyes dart to the girls as both of them straighten.
"Sir, my kids are a team, a family, and together we can conquer anything. A little trail like this," I wave my hand, "this is nothing."
His eyes dart to the kids, then back to me. "Well then you should be proud."
"Oh we are," Exodus pipes up.
"I feel that I should tell you something but I'm not sure the little ones should hear." The officer motions me aside, and as I follow him just out of earshot, there's a tightness settling in my chest. "Mam, there's an escaped convict been sighted in these mountains. I'm afraid he's a pedophile. Pretty dangerous. We're recommending that parents get their children from the mountain until he can be remanded. We are offering an escort. Would you like me to accompany you down the mountain?"
My stomach is turning, heart pounding. I have to call the guys. Andrea. Oh, god.
"Mam? Are you, okay?"
The officer reaches out to touch my arm and I jump, my eyes shooting to his face. Behind him Exodus is drifting closer.
"No, no thank you. We're almost there, will be there and on our way home before dark. And, if we need help we'll call." I pull my cell phone from my pocket, show him that we have service.
He nods. "Okay, if you're sure. But if you see anything suspicious call 911 or here, take my card. It has my cell on it."
"Yes, thank you."
As the ranger disappears down the trail, my eyes shoot to Exodus face, "I've got to call Donnie."
Exodus glances toward the girls, while I speed dial Donatello. One by one the boys slowly reappear, like little crabs peeking out of their holes on the beach.
"Is everything okay, April?" Don answers after what can't be more than one ring.
"Yes and no," I reply just as quick. "The kids are all fine. I mean, I'm pretty sure by the end of this they will all have Noah's poison ivy, but we're making good time."
"That's good news, well not the poison ivy—" Donnie begins.
Mikey cuts him off. "So what's the bad?"
"We just ran into a park ranger—" I begin but he interrupts.
"Did he see the boys?" Leo blurts out.
"For crying out loud, let the woman talk!" Karai huffs.
I look at my phone. "I'm just going to assume I'm on speaker then."
"Yeah, I knew everyone would want the update." Don replies.
I take a deep breath, know that the minute I ask this, if they can hear me they'll want to know why I don't want them to hear. "Okay, but Zoe and Raph can't hear me, right?"
Donatello clears his throat. "N-n-no. This isn't the radio. But you knew that when you called me on the cell instead. What's… going on, April?"
"The park ranger did not see the boys. But he did stop to talk to me. There's a pedophile, a convict loose in the mountain. They're trying to evacuate all of the kids. I just, I thought about Drea' and I thought you guys should know… but I don't think we should tell Raph and Zoe. It won't help them find her any faster and—"
"I understand, April." Leo says before Donnie can reply. "We'll just have to step up our game. Just focus on getting the kids down the mountain safe."
"Will do, Leo."
