I find it a little amusing you guys have already made pairings when I haven't even gotten to the romance yet (I still love you guys!). All I'm saying is I don't want you guys to be disappointed when you read future chapters. Like I've said before, things are going to get dark! Thank you Guest, Purplbuni21, Guest, georgeisthewin, and FearlessDragoness for reviewing! Kinda short chapter, though I hope you like it! Enjoy!
"Jade? Jade, are you okay! What's wrong?" Whitney asked frantically, as she put her hands on both of my shoulders
I clutched my head tightly in my hands and bit back all the screams that were forming in my throat. I didn't know what to do, so I ran. Ryan looked startled as I ran past him. I shoved my way through grumpy customers as they stared at me running through the door. I felt like my skin was on fire. My head was burning with pain. I ran into the streets and blindly shoved my way through people. I felt like I was going to melt into a puddle. My skin burned that much. Once I reached my apartment, I practically threw the door down and ran to the bathroom. I turned on the cold water as far as it would go and yanked my shirt off, but it didn't do any good. Every part of my body burned. I started to have weird flashes, the same ones I had the day before. I sank to my knees and clutched my head. I could see the flash again. What's wrong with you? Someone asked. Stay away from me! I had snarled. The person screamed and I saw his face clearly. It was Dave. He was in the alley, staring blankly at the sky in a pool of his own blood. I cleaned the blood off my hands and walked back inside.
My eyes widened. "Oh god" I whispered in horror. It was me. I did it. I killed Dave.
"Finally, you figured it out" Rebecca said
I didn't look in the mirror, but stared at my bathroom floor. "You…you killed him" I whispered. I was in so much shock, I didn't want to move.
"No, you killed him" Rebecca corrected
"How could I?" I said "You were in control, not me"
"Mentally, I was" Rebecca explained "I only told you to do it and you followed through. Sure, you weren't in control of your own body, but you didn't do anything to fight it either. So the death's on you"
I suddenly felt a burst of energy form in my body. "What's happening to me?" I managed to choke
"You mean all that energy you're feeling? It's that urge to kill remember? You want to strike again, Jade. And you want to strike hard"
I grabbed the edge of the sink and pulled myself off the ground. I was standing there in my black bra and faded jeans with horror etched on my face. My vision was normal, but my eyes were red and pupils were black slits. My teeth were razor sharp, but I felt no pain this time. This wasn't a good sign. I was a monster. A million questions ran through my head. What else have I done? How many more people did I kill? How could I stop it?
"Jade?"
I turned my head to see Kelsey standing in my bedroom. Oh no.
"You're door was open and I heard you scream, what's wrong?" Kelsey asked as she stepped towards me.
Do it, Jade. Go for the jugular Rebecca said in my head
"No!" I screamed as I stepped back. I put my arm out in front of me and tried to resist the urged to lunge at her. "Kelsey, get back!" I commanded
"Jade, what's going—"
"I SAID GET BACK!" I shouted and glared at her. I felt the back of my legs press against the tub. Kelsey widened her eyes.
"Oh god…your eyes" she said
"I don't want to hurt you" I said "Stay away"
Without saying anything else, she ran out of my room. I ran and locked my bedroom door, before sinking in a corner of my room. I killed someone. Like I said before, I had no intention of killing Dave. A wave of guilt swept over me. I hugged my knees to my chest and rested my chin on top. What was I going to do? I had intentions of killing Saki, but not anyone else. I watched the clock tick as an hour went by. It felt more like five hours to me. I heard voices outside my door. I heard Kelsey's voice.
"Thanks for coming" I heard her say. Had she been sitting in my living room this whole time, even after I told her to run?
"What's going on?" someone else asked. It was Don.
"I don't know, something's really wrong with Jade. I thought maybe you could help" Kelsey explained. My ears were already sensitive to begin with. Now thanks to my newly extreme sensitive ears, I could hear everything they were saying as if they were talking right in front of me.
"Where is she?" someone else asked. It was Raph.
I hugged my knees tighter to my chest as I heard the doorknob turn. Don stood in my doorway.
"Oh…sorry" he said, awkwardly before stepping back out and my sister walked in.
I turned my head, slightly blushing when I realized I didn't have a shirt on, only my bra and jeans; even though my body was hidden behind my legs. My body still felt like it was set on fire. Kelsey went to my closet and pulled out one of my jackets despite it being ninety degrees outside.
"I know something's wrong with you" she said to me "I called Donny here because I think he can help"
"Kelsey, you have to stay away from me" I told her "I'm a monster"
She completely ignored me and helped me stand up. I reluctantly put on my jacket and walked into my living room, with Kelsey standing close behind me. All four of them were there. Obviously my small apartment didn't have the right tools Don needed so we followed them back to the lair to run tests on me. I couldn't help but wonder if this was how a lab rat felt like. Being checked, examined, and occasionally stabbed with needles. Donny took a sample of my blood and examined it, while I sat quietly in a chair. I felt pairs of eyes staring at me.
"You're blood seems to be okay for the most part, except…" Don said finally
"Except what?" I asked as he gave me a suspicious look.
"Jade, when was the last time you ate?" he asked
His question threw me off for about a minute. "You mean ate like a meal or…?"
"Anything" he said "Meal, snack? Anything. When was the last time you ate?"
"You're blood's just starting to show signs of malnutrition" Kelsey put in, looking up from the microscope.
I couldn't believe that Kelsey, the girl who had been so afraid of needles was suddenly on a career path of becoming a doctor. I began to think about when was the last time I had eaten anything. Another wave of dread washed over me when I realized the answer to their question.
"A week ago" I answered. How did I not notice that I had suddenly lost interest in food?
"A week?" Raph repeated "And it never occurred ta you that there might be something off about that?" he demanded
"I didn't realize it until now" I told him coolly, trying to keep myself leveled as well.
Leo sat down in a chair. "I think you should start talking" he said calmly
I told them what had happened from the museum robbery to finding a weird science lab where Bishop practiced mutations. Then I received raised eyebrows when I told them about my "alter". I didn't blame them for not believing me. Don rubbed his chin.
"Maybe you should stay here for tonight. I'll take some more tests tomorrow" he said
"No" I said quickly "I killed someone, Don. What if Rebecca takes over again in the middle of the night and kills one of you in your sleep?"
Mikey gulped. "Well, when you put it like that…"
I leaned back on the chair and twisted my finger around the chain of my necklace. "The worst part is that I can't go home either. What if I kill someone else?"
"Ahem"
We all turned our heads to see Master Splinter standing outside his dojo. I wondered if he had heard everything I just said. He walked towards us and looked at me. "Perhaps I can be of assistance" he said
~o-0-o~
"Uh, Master Splinter what're we doing in front of our old home?" Mikey asked
"This was your old home?" I asked, looking inside the frankly dark cave.
Splinter was drawing different symbols around the entrance with chalk. I didn't know how a bunch of symbols in chalk would prevent me from killing someone else. He began to chant something and for a minute the symbols glowed in a faint purplish color. Splinter stopped chanting and faced me.
"Enter" he said
I obediently stepped inside the dark cave and turned to face him. "How is this supposed to help me?" I asked
"It is a barrier" he explained "It prevents you from stepping out unless the symbols have been tampered with. I'm afraid you will have to stay here until you have returned to your normal health"
I outstretched my hand and he was right. I felt an invisible wall blocking my way from the turtles. I couldn't say I exactly approved of the idea of staying in a dark cave, but it was probably the only choice I had. Kelsey looked just as skeptical.
"We'll bring you food and water" Don said "I'll keep studying the blood sample and see if I can work out a cure"
"Is a cure possible?" I asked anxiously
"It's attainable" he answered
I sighed. "Is that the best you can give me?" I asked
"For now? Yes" he said
~Kelsey~
"I'm not so sure about this" I told them with my arms folded.
I was staring at my sister inside a cave as if she was some caged animal. Couldn't there be a better way? Jade glanced over at me and I guess she saw my worried look.
"I'll be fine" she assured me. She was tough, I knew that.
"How long will it take for you to find a cure?" I asked Donny
"Right now, I'm not too sure" he said uncertainly
Jade sank down against the wall. She looked exhausted. I hoped a cure for her was possible. Her creepy red eyes had really freaked me out earlier, but I didn't like the idea of her staying down here in a dark cave. What if she went crazy? I know I would. I looked over at Donny again. "If you're going to keep her here, I'm gonna want updates" I said
"If anything changes, I'll let you know" he agreed
I felt really bad for leaving Jade like this, but there wasn't much I could do now. All of us were heading back their lair when we heard shuffling behind us. Jade was suddenly standing up again and her eyes were blood red and her teeth were razor sharp. She glared at all of us, but mostly Splinter.
"Let me out of here you old rat" she said in non-Jade voice
Raph folded his arms across his chest. "Well, what do know? She was tellin' the truth" he said
"And from the looks of it, her alter doesn't seem too friendly" Leo said
"You must be Rebecca" Don said, stepping just right before the barrier.
"No shit" she told him "You're really smart for a mutated frog" she spat
"Jade…" I started and she glared at me "Jade, I know you're in there, just—"
"Jade's not home right now, can I take a message?" she said sarcastically. Three seconds passed and her features returned to normal.
"Sis?" I said
"Nope, it's still me" Rebecca said smugly "You assume that just because my eyes are normal, it's your bitch sister? Guess again, honey"
She groaned for about a minute and rubbed her head. She blinked and looked at us, confused. "You're still here?" she asked
We all shared a strange look. "Jade…?" Mikey said uncertainly
"What happened?"
*Next day*
It was Tuesday. I woke up early so I could get to Jade's workplace and tell her boss she was out sick today. When I walked inside, everything smelled like toffee and caramel. Yum I thought. I approached the cashier that stood behind the counter.
"Is your boss here?" I asked
"Sorry, we're not hiring" she answered rudely
"I'm not here to look for a job. I just want to talk to your boss" I said calmly
"Ryan!" she shouted over her shoulder.
A man with brown hair emerged from the back room. "How can I help you?" he asked
"Actually, I came here to talk to you regarding my sister. Jade? She works for you, doesn't she?" I asked
He raised an eyebrow. "Jade is your sister?" he asked, to which I nodded "Well, that's interesting. I didn't know she had a sister. She tends to keep to herself" he explained
I sighed. My sister had changed so drastically, it scared me. She used to be very social. Jade only ever kept to herself if something was wrong, which even that was rare! Why she refused to acknowledge Dad? I had no clue. "Anyway, I just came here to tell you that my sister won't be in for a while. She…she caught the flu" I quickly made up
He raised an eyebrow. "The flu?" he repeated "This time of year?" he asked
"Yeah, she doesn't exactly have a strong immune system" I lied. I held in a small laugh. Knowing my sister, not even flu would slow her down.
"Do you know how long she'll be out for?" he asked
"I can't be sure. I'm sorry it's really short notice, but she just caught it yesterday" I fibbed
"Yesterday? Well, that's interesting" he said more to himself. The cashier looked at him and shrugged her shoulders.
"What?" I asked
"Yesterday she ran out of here faster than a speeding car. Your sister looked like she was having a panic attack"
Panic attack? I thought. I wonder if she had told Don about anything like that. I stayed and talked to Jade's boss for a little longer before heading back to my place. I really hoped Jade would be okay. Few days passed and Don still didn't give me any update on my sister. I was beginning to worry. So far the only thing they were able to tell me was that Jade and this Rebecca-alter-thing were switching occasionally. They told me they were beginning to have a hard time telling the difference between Rebecca and Jade every time they would talk to her. Leo said they'd come over today to give me an update, he said it was probably better that we all talk in person than over phone. It would make me less anxious. I hope he was right. I was waiting in my living room and trying to distract my mind by watching TV. Tap, tap. I jumped up when I saw the four of them standing on the other side of my sliding door. I let them in. "How is she?" I asked, getting right to the point.
"You want the good news or the bad news?" Leo asked
I looked at each of their faces. "Let's go with the good first" I suggested
Don folded his arms across his chest. "Well, the goods news in that I've been studying the serum she'd been infected with and I think I might be able to formulate a cure for her, but it'll take some time" he said
"And the bad news?" I asked worriedly
Don sighed. "And the bad news is that she's getting worse"
~Turtles~
Kelsey put her hands on her hips. "That's not bad news, that's awful news. What's happening to her?" she asked
Mikey sat down on the couch. While the rest of them stood in front of Kelsey.
"She's not eating" Mikey explained
She pushed back her long blonde hair away from her forehead. "Then do something to make her eat, don't let her starve" she said
"Oh, that's not what he meant" Don said quickly "She's eating, but her body is rejecting the food. Something tells me it's not because of her…"
"This Rebecca thing is making her reject the food" she concluded to which Don nodded. Kelsey sighed and sat down next to Mikey on the couch.
"I don't think this alter of hers eats "normal" food. I don't think this alter is even human" Don explained
Kelsey rested her chin on her fist. "So Jade has some kind of monster inside of her that's probably eating away at her insides?"
"No. If it was, then Jade would probably be dead a long time ago. There aren't any visible wounds on her either, so I don't think its goal is to kill her. I think Rebecca is sort of using Jade like an armor. It's a theory"
"Not making me feel any better" she said, before burying her face in her hands.
Mikey squeezed her shoulder. "Hey, your sister's a tough cookie, she can beat it. I'll bet my nun chucks on it" he assured
"What if she doesn't?" she pointed out, before shaking her head "Never mind, don't answer that. Have you guys tried talking to her? I mean "Jade" Jade?"
"Well…" Raph started as he sat down on the opposite couch "No offense ta your sister, but she's not much of a talker. Has she always been Miss. Gloom and Doom?"
Kelsey shook her head. "Never" she said "She would talk all the time. I don't know what happened to her, but it's really starting to bother me"
"I didn't mean to eavesdrop, Kelsey, but I overheard your conversation with Jade that day we met you. Jade doesn't talk with her dad?"
"Apparently. I think Jade's moodiness has something to do with him. Anyway, I'm more worried about Jade right now. Did you guys ever notice her acting strangely before?"
Leo shrugged his shoulders. "Not really, except maybe when she went crazy over this one robber about a robot kid" he explained
Raph chuckled. "That's just her. I was there when she sweet talked two knuckleheads into goin' home that night. Then one minute we're both fightin' Purple Dragons and the next she's practically cooing at some kid in a stroller, it was kinda weird." Raph said "I guess she's got a soft spot when it comes ta kids" he added more towards Kelsey
The four of them looked at her for confirmation. She just shrugged. "Kids in general, I'm not so sure, but she does have a soft spot when it comes to Denise"
"Denise?" Leo asked
Kelsey took a picture off from the windowsill and handed it to him "Our little cousin. She recently turned six" she explained
Leo looked at the picture of a small girl smiling brightly up at him.
"Maybe Jade will feel better if she had this" Kelsey suggested
"Don't be so sure" Raph said
"Yeah" Mikey agreed "She already spends a lot of time looking at a picture of your brother" he said
Kelsey looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "My what?" she asked
"A small picture of your brother" Don repeated
Kelsey looked from each of them as if she thought they were crazy. "Uh, guys? I don't have a brother" she said
The four turtles looked at each other, confused. They didn't know how to respond. "Are you sure?" Leo asked
Kelsey raised an eyebrow at him. She clearly thought they were crazy. "Guys, I think I'd know if I had brother or not. Unless, Jade knows something I don't. Does she?" she asked all of them
None of them answered. "Never mind" Don said, "We better head back. I have to finish with that cure before Jade becomes any worse"
The others agreed and jumped down the fire escape. They were talking for so long; they didn't realize how dark it had gotten.
"That was extremely awkward" Mikey said, as they all jumped through the manhole
"Why would Kelsey not know about her own brother?" Leo wondered
"Then who is that little guy? Boyfriend? Cousin?" Mikey suggested
"Why would she keep a baby picture of her boyfriend?" Raph said
"Kelsey didn't say anything about having another cousin" Leo pointed out "And if it's her brother, then why doesn't Kelsey know about him?"
"Maybe it is her brother, just not full brother" Don said
Raph rolled his eyes. "Half-brother? C'mon Don, you aren't thinkin' one of their parents' had an affair, are ya?"
"I'm theorizing" he said "I mean think about it, Kelsey said so herself that Jade was really close with her mother"
"So what you're sayin' is their mom had an affair and told Jade about it and not Kelsey" Raph said "That doesn't exactly makes sense, Don"
"Maybe not, but think about this for a minute. Remember when we took them to see Splinter? Jade said so herself that Kelsey isn't usually afraid to speak her mind. So what if—and this is a giant "if", again I'm only theorizing—suppose their mother did have an affair and trusted Jade with it but not Kelsey, because she knew Kelsey would most likely spill the beans at some point? That could be what Jade's hiding from her sister" Don said
"Sounds possible, but not too likely" Leo said "I guess that would maybe explain her hatred for her dad, but still doesn't sound too possible"
"Like I said before, it was only a theory. I wasn't concluding anything" Don said "Do you think Jade would tell us?"
"Nope" Mikey said, popping the p
End of Chapter 21.
Now I know what you guys are thinking "Great, more unanswered questions", but I promise all will be explained soon. Please review!