Jaylene stepped out of the shadows, exposing herself to the light, and the eyes of the turtles and April. It was a jaw-dropping sight. And not in a good way. Purple, blue and red. These were the only colors marked on her body. Her clothes were slightly torn and her hair was messed up. She was in terrible condition. When she stumbled towards them and sat on the couch, they got a glimpse of the red stripe on her arm. The cut ran from her upper arm and stopped halfway on her forearm.
Donnie reached out his hand to examine the wound, but the brunette narrowed her eyes at him and gave a sour, deadly look. He saw the anger in her eyes and it was frightening. He dropped his arm to his side immediately. Why did she give me that look?
The purple banded turtle tore the eye contact he had with her and fixed his brown orbs on his hand, like it had been electrocuted from her gaze. Now that he thought about it, the expression she shot at him was not angry, but possibly grave, and haunting. It was an inscrutable look. Suddenly, she blanked out and tilted her head back, staring at the ceiling. No emotions were showing.
Questions raced through their minds as they peered at her. What happened to her? And more importantly, who did this to her? Jaylene didn't even notice some of the looks they threw at her. After the long silence Leo knew the first thing they should do was apologize. "We're truly sorry for not looking out for you last night."
The brunette stayed silent and did not reply. They felt even guiltier. April rose from her seat and sat next to her friend. She reached her hand out just as Donnie did before. Before her fingertips came in contact with Jaylene's skin, she paused. The red head didn't want to receive the same look that she gave the purple banded turtle. She studied Jaylene carefully and realized the brunette's mind was somewhere else. In a heartbeat, April pounced at the teen and wrapped her arms around her small frame.
Jaylene didn't move. She didn't respond or return the hug. The red head squeezed tighter. She could feel her friend breathing against her body; the light thumping of Jaylene's heartbeat panging against her chest. She finally released her grip and scooted away from the brunette.
"Jaylene, maybe we shouldn't have let you come with us. We thought you could handle yourself out there", Leo said with his voice cracking at the end. He didn't care that his statement was offending, he needed to be firm with her. But it wasn't her fault that she came with them. After all, he made the offer.
He looked up at her, expecting a reply, but she stayed the same as before. She didn't even flinch from his voice. Her eyes were glued to the ceiling; no emotions in them.
"Dammit Jaylene, look at us! What's wrong with you?!" Raph yelled with the anger evident in his voice. He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her, ignoring the looks from April. Her body was limp as he held her. He knew she was scared of something. Past the blank expressions in her eyes, he could see fear. Something he never saw in her eyes. He didn't know why. It scared him to see her this way and it just didn't make her seem like herself.
"Karai", the fourteen year old choked out. All eyes were on her. "She attacked me. She must've seen me sneak off. We had a one-on-one battle and I-I defeated her. I didn't know it was her until I knocked her mask off." A tear slipped down her cheek and wrapped her arms around herself, quaking with fear. "We are so gonna get her for this!" The red banded turtle banged his fist into the floor. Everyone flinched at the sound and Jaylene held her hands up to motion for them to stop and listen.
"Wait guys! She wouldn't have hurt me if she knew it was me"
"What do you mean?"
Donnie crossed his arms over his chest and arched an eyebrow. "The thing is, Karai didn't know it was me because I had my mask on and my hood over my head", she explained.
"Well why does she need to know it's you so she wouldn't hurt you?"
"Because, because when I was little, Karai and I used to be best friends. I lived in Japan for a bit because my dad had a long business thing there where we had to stay for four years. We both went to a ninjutsu academy and were always partnered up together for sparring. I know I said my dad taught me taijutsu, but he only did that when he had free time. It was quite a while ago though."
"And how long ago was that?"
"It was six years ago. I was eight and Karai was ten years old", she sighed sadly as she collapsed to the floor, sobbing.
"I-I can't believe I hurt Karai. I didn't know. I didn't know" and her lips quivered as she spoke. Donnie knelt down beside her. He rested a hand on her back and patted slowly. "Jaylene it isn't your fault. It was a long time ago and Karai has changed. She may not be the same person you knew before."
Jaylene slowly nodded, but continued to sob. The same question repeated in her mind. What have you done?
More tears spilled out and she bit her bottom lip to try and stop crying. She thought about Donnie's words carefully. Maybe he was right. Karai is probably different, but she still had the thought embedded in her head that she shouldn't have hurt her old friend.
A voice shook off the thoughts. "Jaylene, please come with me." The brunette lifted her head and looked up at Splinter standing next to her. She didn't even hear him walk over to stand next to her. He grasped her hand gently and helped her to her feet. Splinter led her towards his room located at the front of the dojo, near the entrance. He slide the door shut tightly and seated the teen on a sitting pillow. Jaylene opened her eyes and found herself in a small, but cozy room. Oh so this is sensei's room.
She tilted her head and watched Splinter carry a teapot and two small cups. "Tea?" he offered. She gladly accepted the drink and sipped on it before the rat began to talk again. "Miss O'denlly, you must not blame yourself for what you had done. Karai is different now, then how you would've known her those years ago. You and Karai were very young, and knowing her father, she would have changed a lot", he paused. The memory of him and the Shredder battling appeared in his mind, and he sighed sadly. Poor Miwa, he shut his eyes for a moment before turning back to face Jaylene.
The brunette gazed at the rat sitting across her. Splinter looks so sad…but why?
She finally found the courage to ask, and she said, "Sensei, what's wrong?" she didn't press any further, in case he didn't want to talk about it. Jaylene didn't want to feel like she was prying, but yet, she did. Splinter exhaled deeply before saying, "Oroku Saki, the Shredder had changed. We used to be friends, but now, he is an evil man. His jealousy caused him to keep a grudge against me and take Miwa away from me."
"But I thought you said she died in the fire?" Jaylene interrupted. She clamped her mouth shut and nodded for him to continue. "Yes. I thought my daughter had died in the fire, but..." He paused. "But what?" she face-palmed and sheepishly smiled. Her curiosity took over and she was prying. She didn't want to force him to tell her, if he didn't want to, but his pauses irritated her.
"She is alive." The brunette stared at him wide-eyed. Did she hear him properly? Did he say she was alive?
"Wait, how do you know? Where is she now?"
"On the night of the invasion, April was captured by the Shredder and the kraang. I snuck into the Foot headquarters and battled the Shredder. He revealed to me, that on the night Tang-Shen was killed, he stole Miwa, while I thought she too was taken by the fire. He raised her as…Karai." He paused once again to let the information sink in. He breathed in deeply and stood up. "Do not let your guard down around Karai. People change and Karai will use the past against you. You will think she is your friend, but do not expect her to be the friend she was to you back then", he stated firmly, and Jaylene suddenly found herself standing outside his room with the door closed. She could hear shuffling from inside the room and the sound of lights clicking off. She shut her eyes, rewinding the conversation she just had with Splinter. She couldn't believe that Karai, the turtle' enemy and her old best friend, is Splinter's daughter. More like was Splinter's daughter, she corrected herself.
"Everything alright Jay?" a voice spoke from behind her. She flipped around and spotted the orange banded turtle leaning against the doorway, with curiosity plastered on his face. She held her hands behind her back and shifted her weight uncomfortably. "Nothing Mikey. Everything's fine." Short, simple and firm statement. He wouldn't press on any further. Just as she had hoped, he nodded in reply. "The guys told me to leave you alone so you could calm down, but you looked really sad, so I wanted to see what's wrong." He walked to her and put an arm around her shoulder as a friendly and comforting gesture. "By the way, can I check out your apartment?"
/
Home sweet home, she thought as her eyes darted around the main room. "Luckily your apartment-", the young turtle started, but paused. "More like penthouse castle!"
"Oh please Mikey, be reasonable. My apartment isn't on the top floor and it's not that big"
"You're right. It's huge!" He exclaimed with his mouth hanging open. Jaylene chuckled softly and lightly punched his arm. She climbed through the balcony window and motioned for the orange banded turtle to follow. He clambered in after her and stared in awe at the room he stood in.
The light streamed gracefully into the room, leaving lightly colored splotches dancing across the room. It was noon, and the sun shone brightly in the sky, but wasn't too powerful to pierce their skin when its light entered the room. Luckily I cleaned my apartment up in the afternoon the day before, she beamed, quite proud with her work as she watched Mikey explore her home. He was clearly fascinated with the elegant furniture, and didn't hide the excitement in his voice when he came across something new. Spacious. The word the youngest turtle used to describe her home. "Donnie taught me that word", he said proudly. He wandered through the halls and peeked through every room, making sure he had a glimpse of everything and didn't leave anything unseen.
A room with a light blue door decorated with the waves of the sea, caught his attention. He ran his fingers over the patterns. "Every single door is decorated especially to what's inside of the room", he noted aloud. He grasped the doorknob, and the cold metal feel gave a tingling sensation running through his body. He twisted the knob and held his breath. The room he stood in amazed him.
The room wasn't humongous and decorated beautifully as the others, but in the middle, was a swimming pool. The smell of chlorine burst through the air and hit his nose. Two mini spa pools were built a few feet away from the main pool and water fountains sprouted around the edge of the pool and one in the center. Mikey screamed in excitement as he sprinted to the pool and canon bombed in. He surfaced to the top and lay on his back while kicking, with his knee pads and gear slightly weighing him down. A smile grew on his face. He placed his hands behind his head and giggled in delight as he enjoyed the moment of relaxation.
"I see you've found the indoor pool", Jaylene said from the other end of the pool. She sat down on the edge and swung her legs over so that her feet dipped lightly into the water. The water lapped at her toes and swam over the top of her feet. The water suddenly moved in front of her and she slowly looked up. She didn't even realize she was staring at the still water in between her toes, without a thought in her head.
The young turtle stood in the water in front of her, looking concerned. "I know this might sound too sudden but, do you still want to come on patrol with us tonight?" he asked with a hint of hope evident in his voice. A bit of guilt grew inside of her as she listened to him. She didn't know what to say to him. Jaylene knew Mikey was soft and sensitive, even though his brothers completely ignored that bit about him and still tease him anyway. She didn't want to hurt his feelings for the second time, but she didn't want to encounter the Foot again and Karai especially. "I would love to", she said when she figured out what to say, "but I can't. I-I don't want to fight Karai. I don't think I can even land a punch on her without almost crying, despite what Splinter said."
"What did sensei say? And what if Karai isn't there?" Mikey countered. He rested his hand on top of hers and rubbed his thumb on the smooth surface of her skin.
The brunette turned her head away from facing him, because one look would cause her to crack. She gently got on her feet and slowly pushed his hand away. "I'm sorry but I can't risk it. I just need to calm down, Y'know just have some time to myself", she replied; completely ignored his first question. A vibration against her left leg startled her. She dug into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She pressed the 'home' button on the bottom of the screen and the phone flickered to life. She swiped the lock and her home screen appeared. An instant notification popped up. Donnie was calling. She tapped the answer icon and placed the phone to her ear.
"Hello?"
"Hey Donnie"
Awkward silence. She didn't know what to say and it seemed like neither did he. After a moment or two, the brunette started with a simple and non - awkward question.
"Um what's up?"
"I just needed to tell Mikey to come back. Since we didn't show up for early morning training, Splinter told us we have to train now. I tried to call him, but he didn't pick up"
So Donnie didn't call her to check up if she was alright. He only called to ask for Mikey. Wait a second, why was this bothering her? She kept a straight face and ignored the thought. Jaylene swallowed a lump in her throat as she held her phone out for the orange banded turtle, but he didn't notice. He was too busy searching for his t-phone. He patted his chest, waist, belt and finally found it. He pulled it out from behind him and nervously smiled. The phone was soaking wet. Pool water dripped down from the edge and plopped to the ground. Guess he forgot to take it out before he dived in.
He grabbed the phone from her hand and put it to where his unseen ear was. She giggled softly. She didn't realize they didn't have ears that look like a human's. Oh well, it would have looked a tad weird if they did have human ears, she thought as the image appeared in her mind. The brunette watched as Mikey talked with his brother. She could hear a distant 'Mikey you can visit her later' before he nodded and handed the phone back to her. "I have to go, but I might come back later", he said obviously feeling disappointed.
She followed him through the hallways until they reached the window of her balcony. He hopped over the frame and was just about to jump off, when she remembered something. "Hold on a sec Mikey", she tapped his shoulder and dashed off to the kitchen. She snatched a small white box sitting on the kitchen bench and shook it lightly to make sure the contents were inside. Jaylene scurried back to the turtle waiting by the window and tossed him the white box. He caught it and stared at her in surprise. The smell of something sweet seeped through the gaps of the lid and the turtle had the sudden urge to lick his lips. He slowly opened the box and gasped. A bunch of golden brown, round shaped, chocolate chip cookies were stacked inside. "Homemade chocolate chip cookies", the brunette told him. "Oh and save it for the other guys and sensei too."
Mikey gave her a quick hug as a thank you while carefully holding the box he closed shut. He jumped off the balcony and waved before disappearing into the shadows.
Fin
Finally done! Took me a while because I wanted to make sure the details were perfect, or at least descriptive enough to imagine. Jaylene also chats more with Mikey and Master Splinter since I wanted to include them a bit more in the story. I also wanted Mikey to talk and spend time with my OC so she is equally close with all the turtles. Please review! I love to read thoughts, feed back and feed forward. Happy New Year to everyone! (I do not own TMNT)
