Picking Up the Pieces
Disclaimer: I wish they were mine. Sniffle.
Pretender Fanatic getting your wisdom teeth removed sucks hopefully this chapter will help make you feel better.
And darke wulf it should be up now, sorry about that.
Chapter Eleven: Behind Door Number Four
When I had first cried on that rooftop… I'd say about two days ago, it had been awful. I had been tired and scared. My frustration was mounting because nothing was making any sense to me. My body was complaining because of the drugs and all the physical strain I had put on my muscles so far that night wasn't helping at all. After being drugged out of my mind for about eight days it's a wonder I was even able to move as well as I was. There is one big difference about this tear fest and the last one.
Last time I didn't have company.
I stopped crying awhile ago but I'm keeping my face buried in his shoulder that way I don't have to actually look at him and therefore acknowledge the fact I have just lost thirty percent of my bodily fluids on his shoulder. He did the same to me so I guess this is alright. Doesn't mean it makes me feel any better.
He has been a great support though. He held me close, saying what I can only assume were things to get me to calm down. He felt when I was beginning to tremble to the point where I could hardly stand and sat us both down on the mats so I wouldn't fall. Then he proceeded to coddle me like I was a baby as I cried into his shoulder. Shell, that was so embarrassing. I'm never going to live that one down. Even though I'm obviously done crying he's still holding me close and his hand has taken up to stroking up and down the back of my shell. Will this humility ever end?
I know how to make it stop. All I have to do is pull away from him and he'd let me go. I think. No, he would let me go. Orange and the other mutants have done nothing to harm me. They been so kind to me and I feel like I know them… like they are somehow familiar. They're not the enemy but why are those two Foot ninjas here? Were they captured and the mutants are forcing them to make me better? It would make sense. Okay… I'll let them help me but if they so much as twitch funny I'll take them down. Or hide behind Red. Depending on what they are trying to do to me.
Wait, it's quiet in here. I lift my head and look around. Yeah, Orange and I are the only two left in the rumpus room. I wonder where everyone else went. Did they leave to give us some privacy? That was nice of them. I don't feel like so much of a wimp anymore. Well, okay, that was definitely a lie. Orange stopped rubbing myself when I lifted my head and has been watching me as I look around the room fro anyone else. He gives me a smile when I look at him and I force myself to give one back. "Sorry about the mess," I mummer as I go to wipe his shoulder off. Shell, that feels so gross.
He bats my hands away gently. "Hw'x nbbe," he tells me. "H dpml rbvy xibvemly pee xebaar, cbt tl'yl lulc." He pauses and lets out a sigh. What's got to him now? Is he upset over his shoulder? As if reading my train of thought he shakes his head no and points to his mouth with his hand coming outward like he was talking. He then points to me, his ears, and finally shakes his head no again. Oh, yeah, I hate not being able to understand you either, Orange. This 'language' works great but it is rather tedious and annoying. I nod my head in agreement, there's got to be an easier way for us to talk.
Orange is moving his hands again. He places his hand palm facing down and his other hand curled up on top of it. Then moving his fingers like they are a pair of legs his hands 'stands' up on his other hand. He points to me and looks confused. Yeah, I guess it's time to get up. I'm going to have to face everyone else eventually, might as well get it over with now. Oh wow, my spine. I'm never going to curl up in a ball on this floor again. It feels like my bones have rusted stiff or something.
Orange stands next to me waiting for me to finish stretching out the kinks in my spine and shoulders. Crud, I know it's helpful a lot of times but my shell is getting in the way of- uhn… much better. I roll my shoulder a few times to help it loosen up a little more. I'm never doing this again. No more crying and laying on these mats. They aren't a very comfortable place to be despite the give they have. Orange is snickering at me. Why do I have the sudden urge to smack him in the back of the head? I don't want to do it hard enough to actually hurt him but enough to let him know he's being a pain.
Orange snaps his fingers to catch my attention and then gestures me to follow him as he heads towards the door. Okay, that's it. I'm sick and tired of being snap at all the time. I snap my fingers several times causing Orange to look over his shoulder at me and stop when he sees I'm still in the same place that I had been before. He looks confused. Oh, I'll tell him what's wrong. I snap my fingers again and shake my head no before crossing my arms. I'm not doing this anymore Orange. Get my point?
Hey… why does he seem leery now? His stance has shifted ever so slightly like he's ready to start running or… defending? Does he think I'm going to attack him again? His eyes dart away from mine for a brief second. Oh shell, he's reading me body language. All he knows is that I'm angry, probably because he snapped at me, and that I'm in a very stand offish pose. Yeah, if our positions were reversed I would be wary too.
I dropped my arms quickly and shake my head no. Wow, this has been one huge misunderstanding… I'll try –okay, I so don't need to try looking stunned right now. He looks at me funny. Yeah, I'm sending him some serious mixed signals here. Umm… I point to my fingers and snap them once. I shake my head no. Come on, get the hint. I don't want to be snapped at anymore. Still looking confused about what exactly was going on, Orange lifts his hand and snaps his fingers again. I shake my head no again and stubbornly remain where I am pointedly looking away from him before looking back to see his reaction. He looks at me, then his fingers, back to me, then- Oh for crying out loud! I don't want to be snapped at anymore. It's no that difficult Orange. Shell, you can be so stupid sometimes, Miche-
"Tipw pyl rbv wyrhcj wb jlw pw ilyl, Mbc?" he asks as he looks back at his hand. "H fcbt hw ipx xbdlwihcj wb mb thwi wil xcpaahcj ovw tipw?" He looks back at me and snaps his fingers again looking very confused. Crud, now what? I don't want to be snapped at anymore but there has to be some way for the Orange to catch my attention. I shake my head no again and this time point to him and say, "Orange." If I can get him to know what his uh… title is then I won't have to snap at him to get his attention. I point to myself and look at him expectantly. If I can get him to call me something then I should be able to recognize it too. End of all the snapping. Maybe if he calls me by my name I'll remember who I am. That would be nice but possible very painful. If remembering one memory is enough to make me collapse then remembering everything about me at once might give me a seizure or something.
"Mbc?" I give him my full attention. I wonder what he just said. It doesn't sound familiar and it's not bringing any kind of memories back. I point to myself, got to make sure this is what he wants to call me, and look at him expectantly. "Mbc!" his eyes light up and I swear he half bounds toward me. Ooff- my ribs! "Orange, don't squeeze so tight!" I gasp and wiggle about in his arms trying to pull away. He let's go and steps back a bit looking confused and sad. "Mbc?" he says in a small voice. Shell, I feel like I just kicked a puppy.
"Orange," I say with a sigh. "I'm sorry, I'm trying to remember but it's not that easy." He just gives me a half smile and punches me in the arm lightly. He gives me the okay sign and then points at himself. "Orange," is he beginning to get-
"Mbc," he says pointing at me. I smile and nod my head yes. I knew he wasn't that stupid. He gives me a full smile and with a wave of his hand asks me to follow. I may not remember who I am yet, Orange, but I promise when I do I'll tell you… somehow.
Everyone out in the main room as if they had been waiting for us to come out of the rumpus room. The only way I know that is because they all seem to be watching us as we enter. I'm blushing. I know I'm blushing. I… think I'll go over here and umm… hide in the kitchen or something. Yeah, that sounds like and excellent idea. Orange heads towards the big table where Lady is practically bouncing. Wonder what he's so excited about now.
Blue's in the kitchen doing the dishes. Wow, I can't help but chuckle slightly. Seeing a giant turtle who I've seen kick some serious Foot ninja butt drying a dish is just such a complete turn about that it's funny. Great, now he's looking at me like I'm insane. That's all I need now. I'm, actually, surprised that they haven't thought I'm insane.
I stick my head looking for some more bottled wate- hey, soda! Not as good as coffee but it still gives off enough caffeine and sugar that it has the same effects. There are several different kinds, I wonder which is which. Where Red? He knew I liked coffee and that I preferred real syrup maybe he knows what kind of soda I usually drink. Hmmm… maybe Blue knows? He's been watching me poke about in the fridge so I just point to the bottom shelf which is nothing but soda and shrug. He just gives me a smile and reaches past me before handing me a silver green and blue stripped can. Okay, that works. I give him a thumbs up as I head back out into the living room.
Orange is babbling on excitedly to Lady about something. Wonder what Red is watching on the tele- "Mbc," huh? I stop where I am with the can of soda halfway to my mouth. Orange seems proud of something and everyone else who is standing around the big table seems to be shocked. "H mbc'w wihcf il npc vcmlyxwpcm pcrwihcj lexl tl xpr. H wihcf hw'x dbyl olnpvxl il ylnbjchqlx tipw ihx cpdl xbvcmx ehfl cbt," Orange is telling them. Okay, I wonder what that's all about. He beckons me to come over.
I'm not eager to get near Man or Lady again. What if they try something again? Well, Orange is right there and so is Rat. I don't think either of them will let the Foot try anything on me. I know Blue would come flying out the kitchen in a heartbeat and his swords are on his shell. Red might be watching the TV now but he is right here too. No, I don't think those two Foot ninjas would try anything unless they were suicidal. I walk toward the table trying to act as nonchalant as possible. I don't want them to think I'm scared of them, the Foot might be able to use that to there advantage.
It would be best to keep Orange between me and those two as much as possible without making it blaringly obvious. I head around and come to stand on his left. There, let's see them get to me now. I take a sip of my soda as Orange yaps about something. Mmmm… it has a light almost nonexistence taste that is just barely hinted with lemon and it seems really bubbly. I wonder if it's some kind of seltzer water. Either way it's good but I wonder if i-
WHOA!
I jump backwards soda completely forgotten as I escape. I so wasn't ready for that. Lady had just reached past Orange who was listening to Rat say something and touched my wrist. I'm not sure but I think she was trying to grab me. My sudden flight from standing next to Orange ad the sound of a full can of soda falling to the floor caught everyone's attention. Red jumped up from where he was slouched on the couch and Blue comes half running out of the kitchen. Lady stepped away from me and Man jumped out of his chair reaching out as if to catch her. Rat looks immediately to me and Orange turns toward me approaching slowly with his hands moving up and down at about waist level.
I stand from where I was crouched on the floor as he gets closer to me. I have no intention of calming down or relaxing around these two again, Orange. Shell, they get within ten feet of me again and I'll give them a first hand experience of what I put their friends through in the junkyard. Orange drapes his arm over my shoulder. He looks confused, vaguely points to my defensive stance and then points to the two Foot ninjas behind him. Well, geez, I don't know maybe because their buddies decided to screw with my head. Why do you think I'm defensive around them, Orange! I nod toward the two humans, punch my fist and then point towards me.
"Uhhh… Bfpr, Mbc ipx hw hc ihx ilpm wipw rbv wtb pwwpnflm ihd," he says. Guess he's just trying to translate what I just said. I wonder if I can get him to tell them where they can shove it.
"Wipw tbvem dpfl xlcxl," Why does Lady look sad now? Sad she didn't get me like she had hoped? She takes a shuddering breath and I watch as Man rests his hand on her side. "Xhcnl il mblxc'w yldldoly pcrbcl hw'x ulyr ehfler wipw il olehlulx wipw tl pyl ilyl wb ivyw ihd. Bvy ulyr aylxlcnl ilyl dpr pnwvpeer ol ihcmlyhcj ihx ylnbulyr."
"Hk rbv'yl pobvw wb xvjjlxw wipw cbw olhcj ilyl tbvem ol hc ihx olxw hcwlylxw wilc mbc'w lulc wihcf bk hw, Payhe," Blue looks a lot more calm now that I'm away from them. Nice to know he cares so much about me. "Clsw wb Mbcchl rbv pyl wil bcer bcl tib npc khjvyl bvw tipw'x jbhcj bc."
She sighs and sits back down in the chair, "H fcbt, Elb. Ovw dlmhnpe aypnwhnlx tlyl cluly dr xwybcj xvhw. Wilyl'x gvxw xb dpcr wihcjx wb wpfl hcwb nbcxhmlypwhbc wipw H'd ipuhcj p ipym whdl wb khjvyl bvw tilyl wn oljhc." Her hand sweeps over the large table still covered in books, "Lulc thwi pee wil dlmhnpe mbnvdlcwpwhbc Mbc'x nbeelnwlm pobvw wil bcer wihcj wipw H npc xpr kby nlywphc hx wipw wil Kbbw vxlm myvjx wb jhul ihd pdclxhp. Pcm px ebcj px il mblxc'w jhul dl p oebbm xpdael H tbc'w fcbt kby xvyl ibt wb ilea ihd by hk H'd lulc poel wb ilea ihd."
"Mbc," I look at Orange. He points to the two of us then our eyes before pointing towards the large television behind Red. I guess I could go for some television viewing. Just as long as I don't have to worry about Man or Lady pouncing on me half way through a program anyways. Red doesn't even react as we walk over and flop down on the couch. At least I have both Orange and Red between me and the humans. Orange picks up the remote and starts flipping through the channel at a dizzying speed obviously looking for something to watch but I'm not really paying attention to that.
Red is watching me watch him. His eyes seem tense and guarded. That same strange helplessness is back. His body is tense like he was expecting a big battle coming up. He keeps clenching and unclenching his fists like he doesn't know exactly what to do with them. He kind of looks lost, like he wants to do something, anything, but he just doesn't know what. He finally breaks our little staring contest with a gusty sigh and palming his face before heading towards the rumpus room. He's upset. Someone should go after him and help him to calm down before he- I wince from the loud crash that comes from the other room. I don't hear any cursing so I guess he's alright but whatever crashed isn't.
Blue sighs, "H'ee jb wp-"
"Cb," huh? I turn and watch as Rat heads towards the other room with slow and steady steps. "Hw thee lpxl Mbcpwleeb'x dhcm hk rbv pcm rbvy oybwily yldphc ilyl thwi ihd. Xwpr, xll hk rbv npc ilea Payhe thwi ily wpxf." There's another loud crash from the rumpus room. What's Red doing? Attacking the walls? "H thee nped Ypaiple's pcjly." Blue bows slightly to Rat who has just about vanished down the passageway to the other room. He then turns back to where Man and Lady are. Good, I guess he's on guard duty and Rat will calm Red down.
Okay, Orange is obviously enjoying this program but I can't make any sense of it. I get the whole coyote wanting to catch and eat the bird thing but where did it get the intelligence to write? Okay that was a poor choice of words coming from a five foot who's capable of talking and writing but not in whatever language his hosts are using. Still, where did that anvil come from? And why did the ground it was standing on drop away and not the ledge the bird was standing on? That's impossible. And that coyote would be a lot more then just dizzy falling from the height. I don't think it would survive.
"Orange," I need to get away from this program before I go insane. He looks at me with his eyes practically dancing with mirth and wiping at the tears in his eyes. Shell he's such a little kid sometimes. Make that all the time. He's never going to grow up. I point to myself, act like I'm taking a drink of something, point to the kitchen behind me and then point towards him with a questioning look. He shakes his head no and I hop over the back of the couch. There a break away from the insanity and a new soda. I glance over to see about the mess I made when I dropped the first can of whatever but someone has already cleaned it up. I have to stop dropping things on the floor that make a big mess.
I take another silver, blue and green can from the fridge. I wonder what this stuff is called anyways. I like it a lot. Maybe it's my favorite drink or something. I can hear Orange laughing form here but that show really isn't holding my interest. It's more entertaining for me to watch Orange then the actual show. I toy with the tab on the can of soda. What else is there for me to do? Orange is watching the show, I shouldn't distract Blue from his guard duty and I have a feeling the Red and Rat are having a bounding moment. I really hope Red is going to be alright. Hmmm… I wonder if I can vault up to the second floor like Red did. Besides if I fall I'm sure everyone will notice and have a freaking panic attack over it.
I put down my soda on the table and take a few steps back. Okay. I can do this. He took a few running steps. Jump. He put his foot right about here. Perfect. There's the rail. Roll over it and -Oooff. Okay, so my landing wasn't as graceful as his had been but I still made it up and no one seems to have noticed. I was right there are more rooms up here. Four doo- make that five doors, one is way down there around the slight bend in the room, line the wall in front of me. Hmmm… let's see what is behind door number three.
This rooms a mess. I wonder if this is Rat's room because whoever owns this room definitely has packrat qualities. I pick my way carefully across the floor looking over everything that litters the floor. Wonder if this guy ever heard of organization or even cleaning would be nice. There's comic books, a half eaten pack of gum, and –please tell me that's not a month old pizza crust on the floor. Yes it is, gross! Half a ping pong table pressed against the wall so whoever can play the game with themselves. There are several soccer and football laying around. There' several skateboards in here, guess now I know why there is a half pipe in the main room. It wouldn't fit up here. On the far wall there's a desk that is cover in a pile of papers. Above it is a bed set up like a bunk bed over the desk. That looks cozy. Amid the pile of pillows and blankets scattered about on the bed there is a teddy bear that is just sitting up there like its waiting for someone to come to bed.
Orange's room. This is Orange's room. I kneel down and scoop up a paddle ball fiddling with the ball on the end of the string attaching it to the paddle. Yes, this room just screams Orange. I can see him in here goofing off for hours with all theses toys. All the papers on his desk are actually little stories he's wrote. He wants to write stories for kids one day. Little ones like six and seven years old. He's going to be great at it. He's still going to be a big kid when that happens and that will help him put the contents of his stories in better perspective for the children who reads them. I set the paddle ball back down where I found it. Let's see what are behind the other doors now.
Door number one leads to a room that is the exact opposite of Orange's. It's clean and tidy. Almost enough that it makes you feel like your contaminating the room with your presences. Weird. Whoever owns this room is certainly a neat freak. Are those swords? Yup, six katanas hang on specially crafted holder line the wall. I bet I'm in Blue's room. There are candles of varying heights and widths setting around the room. Bet they all smell different too. His bed is neatly made. The blanket looks like it's been pulled so tight I might be able to bounce a quarter off it. I kind of wish I had one so I could give it a try.
The center piece for the room is this large paper screen that is along the back wall. You can see where it has been damaged, it looks like part of the frame has been broken and the paper was ripped. Someone took a lot of time to fix it. The paper has a picture of Japanese cranes standing in the water and flying in the sky beyond. Quite a beautiful piece actually. I'm glad Blue took the time to repair it. In front of the screen is a rice paper mat that looks terribly uncomfortable to sit on but I can just see Blue sitting there in front of the screen meditating. He might even put some of the candles on the floor around him to help him relax and reach a higher plane of knowledge and understanding. Oh-kay that was a little weird, onto the next room.
Red's room. Door two leads to Red's room hands down. Who else would have both a punching bag and a speed bag in their room? And that weight set is so much bigger then the one in that room downstairs. There are several planks of plywood covering up the brick wall with several bull's-eyes painted on it at different levels. Why would he- oh, target practice. There are surikens and kunai littering the center of each bull's-eye. Wow, now this is a stereo system. He could probably make the walls shake with a set up like that. Bet Blue doesn't like it when he turns it on when he's mediating. Is that a hammock? How can he sleep in a hammock at night? Is that why he's always angry? Because of the lack of sleep?
There is one thing that seems very out of place in Red's room. Tucked back behind the hammock and away from where it would get in the way of his weights and fighting paraphernalia is a desk with shelves above it. What's on the shelves? Models. Lots and lots of models. Not the kind you snap together either, these are the ones you spend hours and hours on gluing every little piece together. He has a half built car sitting on his desk right now. The shelf above the desk is filled with models of hot rods and other vehicles. Wow, he's been doing this for quite a while I guess and he's really good. If I didn't know any better I would say he bought these instead of made them.
If I thought any of the other rooms were bizarre then this room takes the cake for odd. It's not as much a room as it is a workshop. Yeah it has a bed and desk like the other rooms but it so much more different. There are electronics everywhere. In the center of the room is a large table, almost the size of the one downstairs but instead of being covered in books this one is crammed with half built or dissembled things. It's hard to tell where one gizmo ends and another begins. There is one spot that has been semi cleared that has a partially built laptop resting on it. Why on earth do they want another computer? There's a huge one downstairs and there one over there against the wall too. Talk about a computer nerd. Like in Orange's room the desk is covered with paper but they look more like mathematical computations and mechanical sketches. Bet that this filing cabinet is full of the same thing and is this a chemistry set or what? Better not touch anything and mess up someone experiment.
What really catches my eye is the huge drafting table that takes up the whole wall on the right side of the room. Wow, that's massive. There are lamps every so many inches along the top of the drafting board. I bet they would really light that thing up. There are several pieces of paper taped down to it. It looks like someone was in the process of designing a motorcycle. Man, whoever did this went into some real detail. They were even figuring out how much stress is put on the front- Hey wait a minute. That's wrong. Sure most of it's right but that nine in the thousandths place should be an eight. I snatch up and pencil and quickly erase the mistake adding in the correct number. At high speeds the bolt might sheer and cause the whole front axle to break free. That would be bad for whoever was on it at the time. Hey, wait a minute… How did I… why did I… I set the pencil down slowly and look around the room again.
This is my room…
This is my room!
Holy shell! I'm home! I'm home and never even realized it! That's how I know where everything is! That's why I feel so safe here! That must be why everyone panics every time I move wrong! We're housemates! We live together! Shell, I'm home! That means all this stuff is mine! I was designing a bike on my own! Wow, I must be smart or something! Hey that means that chemistry set is mine! Sweet, let's see what I was doing!
Okay. I was heating the water. About to add this to that and let it boil. Good, good. Now put in some sodium and… Oh crud… What did I just put in there? Better yet what's in that beaker?! Oh shell. That is not supposed to be boiling like that. Crud… Crud… Okay don't panic just turn the Bunsen burner off and back away. Shell, it's still boiling. Ummmm… shake a leg and hit the deck, you moron!!
BBBBOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMM!!
Ow… That hurt my ears and slamming my ribs down on the ground like that was not a good idea either. At least I don't have anything to dangerous up here. I keep that safely locked away… somewhere where I know Orange can get into it and mess around. I am glad I have this big table in here. It's the perfect thing to duck behind in case of a random explosion. At least nothing caught on fire. It's a good thing I turned that burner off. It could have igni-
Red suddenly explodes into the room, chest heaving and eyes flying to the remnants of my chemistry set. He looks around the room wildly his eyes finally settling on me where I'm standing on the opposite side of the table from where the chemistry set had been. Wow, he's really freaked out. Shell, I'm really freaked out. I should never have started goofing off with chemicals like that. I could have killed myself. Is that why Red is so panicked, because he's worry about me. Actually right now he doesn't look so much panicked as he does pissed. Uh oh…
"You know, Red," I'm able to gulp out. Oh yes he is very pissed now. "It's a really bad idea to mess around with chemicals when you can't read the labels."
