Chapter Nine: The Fire in her Mind

Back in the lair now, Raphael had sat his brothers down and told them what he told Evelyn. Leonardo was still upset over his insistence on keeping secrets, especially since he asked him not to mention the black substance Leonardo found in his room. Donatello was already thinking of ways that they could run tests without hurting Evelyn. He suggested taking a sample of her blood out into the sun to see how it reacted or taking her up there with the four of them just in case something happened. They could be on alert now that they knew what to look for.

"So it's decided." Leonardo finished, turning to Donatello, "You'll take Evelyn up to the surface after we have April work with her and see what she can do. Is that okay with you?" Leo asked as he turned to face Eve now.

Evelyn was quiet for a while, staring at her lap. Honestly, she wasn't sure about any of this. She didn't remember what happened on the roof and though she also couldn't recall everything that happened before Raphael kissed her, just some faint screams in the distance. Everyone wanted answers, so did she, but all of this was making her more anxious by the minute. "...I guess...it's fine."

"Good. Now, Sensei is waiting for us." Leo said as he turned to head for the dojo to train. The others followed him, but Evelyn didn't move. She stood in the middle of the room, staring down at the floor. What would they find at the end of this? A part of her was afraid to go any deeper. What was worse...the distant screaming in the back of her mind...it had never really stopped.

"Eve?" Leonardo asked, walking up to her when he noticed the expression on her face, "You okay?"

She looked up quickly, shaken from her thoughts now, "Oh...uh...I'm not sure actually." she replied honestly.

"...We aren't going to let anything happen to you. April will be able to help, I'm sure."

"It's not that..." she began quietly, "...what if...we find out who I am...and I don't like it? And...in a way...it feels like the me now...will die. Do you know what I mean? ...I like being Evelyn. I like being here with all of you..."

Leonardo stepped forward and placed his hand against her shoulder.
"Don't worry. No matter what happens, you will always be Evelyn to us." Leonardo reassured her. He wasn't actually sure what they were going to find either, but he didn't want her to get anxious over it. After all this time together, he cared for her just like the rest of his brothers.

Evelyn stared at him for a moment or two before her expression changed. She seemed conflicted about all this and it was visible on her face. She leaned in and wrapped her arms around his shell, hiding her expression against his chest. She felt lost in all this and she was afraid to tell any of them about the screaming. She didn't usually hug Leonardo, but she was just so tired. Leo was a little surprised by this and in truth he wasn't sure what to do. He placed his hands against her shoulders in an attempt to comfort her some. Though he did feel a little nervous in having her so close. It's not as if any of the turtles were very used to human female contact. Raph had come from the dojo in order to see what was taking them so long and when he rounded the corner to see them in an embrace, he felt a strange wrenching in his chest. Leonardo was his brother, but he was still leading Eve around like a puppy. At least, it's what he saw whenever they were together. He huffed and turned back to the Dojo just as Evelyn pulled from Leo with a heavy sigh.

"Sorry. ...This is just...a lot..." she said quietly.

"Don't worry about it. You're like a sister to us now. That's not going to change. Come on, why don't you watch us spar? It might take your mind off things for a little bit." Leonardo replied with a smile as he gestured toward the Dojo and turned to leave.

She was silent for a moment as she watched his back, "...a sister..." she muttered sadly before she began to follow behind him.

Splinter had his sons kneel before one another as he ordered for them to begin. Evelyn sat down by the doors to watch them. She wasn't normally present for their practice matches, but Leonardo was right, it might help to distract her for a moment. After all, she was admittedly a little excited to watch them train for once.

Donatello was a lot faster than she thought and Michelangelo seemed to be showing off for her benefit by making a spectacle of himself. Which of course earned a laugh from Evelyn and a scolding from Splinter. She covered her mouth when Mikey was berated and Splinter glanced at her in disapproval. She was sure that Mikey only wanted to cheer her up. He was always acting the clown to earn a laugh from her. Once Donnie and Mikey were beaten, they sat on each side of Eve and watched as Raph and Leonardo prepared to fight. Evelyn found herself leaning forward and her gaze drifted to Leonardo as he pulled his swords. She was excited to see these two fight. It was hard not to be interested when you had the chance to watch your crush.

Raphael could see where Eve's attention was focused and it caused his blood to boil even further. What was so good about Leo? He glared at his brother just before Splinter allowed them to begin. Each turtle didn't miss a beat as they launched at one another. For a moment or two, the fight seemed fairly even and Raphael did his best to focus. He wanted to beat Leonardo and show Evelyn that he wasn't worth all the hero worship, but when he glanced over at her, he could see her eyes on Leonardo. Since he had looked away, it allowed Leonardo to sweep his feet out from beneath him and hold him at the edge of his sword when Raphael landed on his shell.

Everyone looked a little surprised when Raphael went down, even Evelyn. Leonardo sighed as he sheathed his swords.

"You're not paying attention," he said evenly, "why don't you stop looking at your girlfriend and focus." Leonardo teased now.

Raphael and Evelyn seemed to blush simultaneously, "We're not a couple!" they shouted in unison, earning a laugh from the others before Master Splinter held up his hand.

"Sorry, Master," Leonardo said quietly with a bow of his head. Donnie and Mikey did the same, but Evelyn and Raphael just seemed uncomfortable now. Bitter over his loss and embarrassed that he was now being made fun of, he got to his foot and stomped out of the room.

"Raphael?" Evelyn started as she made to go after him, but Splinter placed his hand on her shoulder and shook his head. She took a small breath and sat herself back down.

"Maybe we should apologize?" Mikey suggested.

"What? You guys never apologize to me when you tease me about April." Donnie replied in annoyance.

"Yeah, but you're not gonna pound me if we make fun of your girlfriend." Mikey joked. Evelyn turned her head and glared at Michelangelo and he laughed nervously.
"Sorry Eve..." he said quietly.

"I'll go and talk to him," Leonardo said as he walked from the room. Evelyn got to her feet quickly and followed Leo, wanting to try and speak with him alone for a moment. She didn't like his joke. Not because she hated Raph or anything, but because she didn't want Leonardo to think that...

"Um-Leo?" she started as she caught up to him and pat his shoulder lightly. The turtle turned to look at her curiously.

"What is it?" he asked, stopping so the two of them were just short of the main room.

Evelyn blushed a little now and found that looking him in the eye was a little difficult.
"Ah...well...you know that Raph and I...aren't a couple, right...?" she asked quietly, feeling a little awkward now. What exactly was her plan here? She started to feel a little stupid as she spoke, but it was a little late to back out now.

"Huh? Oh, sorry. I was just messing with you guys." Leonardo said with a smile, reaching over and patting her on the head.

Eve frowned and reached up to take his hand from her hair, but held on as she looked at the floor. "...I wouldn't want you to think that..." she started, gripping his hand a little as she felt her chest tighten. This was harder than she thought it would be. After Leonardo had seen Raphael kiss her, she just wanted to clear things up.
"Because...because I..." she stammered softly, trying hard to come by the words.

Leonardo was a little worried about where this was going now. Evelyn looked serious now and it wasn't like he was complexly dense. Ever since Raphael had confronted him about Eve, he started to see what he was talking about. She did act differently with him than she did with the others. She was completely at ease with them, but around him she seemed nervous all the time.

"Leonardo...I...I just-" she started, doing her very best to summon a little courage, but her resolve died when she heard Donatello and Mikey leave the room. She panicked and released Leo's hand at once.
"N-Nevermind!" She insisted as she dashed from him and towards Mikey's room, shutting herself inside and slamming the door without a second thought.

"...Did...Eve just take my room?" Mikey asked in confusion as he arrived just in time to see the girl lock herself in his bedroom.

Leonardo sighed and rubbed the back of his head with a troubled expression. "...This just got a little more complicated..." he said to no one in particular before he started towards Raph's room again. Donatello just seemed annoyed and muttered something about Leonardo's luck as he wandered off, leaving Mikey alone and confused.

"Okay, seriously?!" Mikey shouted, "No one's gonna tell me what's going on?!"

Master Splinter sighed and shook his head as he watched the teenagers from the Dojo's entrance. "Youth..." he said quietly before he left to meditate.

Once he made it to Raph's room, Leonardo knocked on the door and waited, but there was no answer. He sighed and knocked again, "C'mon Raph, open up!" he insisted, "Don't be a baby!" Leonardo tried again and knocked, but the door swung open as he moved forward and took him off balance. He regained his footing and cleared his throat. "Got a minute?"

Raphael just leered at his brother for a moment before he nodded curtly and opened the door a little wider. Once Leonardo stepped inside and the door was closed, Evelyn peeked out of Mikey's room and sighed in relief.

"...That was dumb..." she muttered to herself. Annoyed that she had gone up to Leonardo without a plan on what to say and almost spilled everything at the worst possible time. It was clear that Leonardo only saw her as a sister or friend, yet she couldn't help but wish for a little something more. She left Mikey's room and smacked her cheeks to try to remove the nervous blush from her face.

"Just stay still." A woman's voice rang out clearly to Evelyn, but when she looked around, she didn't see anyone there.

"...Wh-"

"Don't struggle. It will only make it worse..." the woman's voice came again before Eve could speak.

"Where are you?" Evelyn asked aloud, looking up at the ceiling as she searched for the source of the voice. She could hear it so clearly that the woman had to be in the room with her.

"Where's who?" April asked as she walked into the main room, having just come from home.

Evelyn turned to April and stared for a moment. Did she not hear that voice? It was so clear. "Ah...no one. I was...I was looking for you actually." Evelyn lied quickly, feeling a bit uneasy discussing voices she was clearly hearing in her head.

"Me? What for?" April asked with a smile as she held up a paper bag, "Oh, I brought you something. I thought you might be yearning for a change of clothes by now."

"Thanks, April. I was just-" as Evelyn spoke with April, the redheads face changed. Her eyes became empty and blood seemed to drip from them. Eve froze where she stood and her expression shifted in horror.

"Evelyn? You okay?" April asked in concern as she reached for her.

Unfortunately, Eve could not hear April's voice. To her, the now grim looking April was speaking in tongues, words that she couldn't understand. The sight terrified her and she pushed April away, running towards Raphael's room for safety. However, the scene began to change. Everything was suddenly engulfed in flames and she saw charred figures burning around her, their screams of agony echoing in her head.

"Stay away!" Evelyn screamed in a panic as the figures began to reach for her. One had a crazed grin on its face as it grabbed her leg and another wrapped his arms around her from behind to hold her there. "ST-STOP! PLEASE!" she screamed again, struggling to break free as the fire began to singe her skin.

"Run...!" a shadowy figure spoke as its broiled arm reached for her, dragging its half-burned body along the floor.

Evelyn watched this in terror. The voice was familiar and struck a chord inside the girl. Not a good one. It only served to intensify the feeling of dread that was spilling over. Another figure appeared from the fire and limped towards her, holding a knife in his hand. The other burning figures were holding her so tight that all her struggling felt pointless. She wanted to scream, but all she could manage were mute gasps while the smoke from the fire filled her lungs. To Evelyn, she was about to be murdered for all she knew. She didn't understand who these figures were, but she needed to get away. She had to get out of here. She was going to die here.

However, as Evelyn struggled to get free from the figures engulfed in flames, the Turtles were attempting to keep her calm. They had heard her screams and all rushed to help her, but she couldn't seem to hear or see them. Raphael was pinning her arms to her side by holding her from behind. Leonardo was trying to get her attention by placing his hands on her shoulders and forcing her to look at him. Donatello was trying to keep her from kicking them by holding her legs and Mikey was simply watching in stunned silence as his brothers tried to subdue Evelyn. The raven haired beauty was proving to be a difficult task for the turtles. She was stronger than any of them had anticipated and the crying and screaming weren't making it easier. Donatello noticed Evelyn's skin begin to scar. Burns were forming along her skin where they held her, but he couldn't feel any heat. How?!

"Guys! Something's burning her!" Donnie shouted in a panic. Raph and Leo exchanged desperate looks and tried to hold Eve a little tighter. They didn't want to hurt her, but what would happen if they let her go?

"Evelyn! Wake up! It's us!" Leonardo tried desperately as he attempted to meet her eyes while the others tried to hold her steady.

"LET ME GO! LET ME GO!" She screamed in pure terror, unaware that the turtles were the ones trying to hold her down. She couldn't see them, she couldn't hear them. All she could feel was the heat from the fire. All she could see were the charred and disfigured shadows that were trying to keep her inside the flames.

Raphael couldn't stand this anymore. She was screaming and he felt completely helpless. How were they supposed to help her when they clearly weren't seeing what she was? Suddenly, a thought occurred to him. If it was all in her mind, there was something they could do.

"April! C'mere!" Raphael shouted, gesturing with a tilt of his head for the redhead to rush over. April scrambled over towards the struggle and frantically looked at the mess.
"Can you get me into her head?" Raph asked as he tightened his grip on Eve.

"I-I don't know!" April answered in a panic.

"TRY!" Raphael shouted.

April flinched and quickly placed her hand on Raphael's head and Eve's trying to concentrate and connect their minds. She had no idea if this would work with how panicked she was, but she tried to concentrate.

Evelyn was still desperately trying to escape until her body seized for a moment before going completely limp. It wasn't just her either, Raphael's body also ceased all movement. He fell backward onto the floor, while Leonardo was able to grab hold of Eve who fell forward into his arms. April's situation was much the same, although Donatello managed to slide over in time to catch his princess.

"APRIL!" Donnie shouted in concern as he held her close.

"...I think she did it." Leonardo said quietly as he laid Eve down on the floor gently beside Raphael, "I think she connected to them."

"But are they okay?!" Mikey asked in a panic as he looked down at his brother and his friends on the floor.

Donatello held April and embraced her gently before he looked at his brother and Evelyn. He didn't want any of them to be hurt. "...Bring them to the lab. ...I can monitor their vitals while we think of something..." he said as he stood up and carried April with him.

Leonardo grabbed Raphael and lifted him onto his back, piggybacking his brother as best he could towards the lab. Mikey was hesitant as he reached down to scoop up Eve. He just stared at her face for a moment, feeling his eyes begin to burn. It was as if she were falling apart before his eyes and he was helpless to put her back together. She had burns on her body and the face that he always made sure was smiling, was now emotionless and still in her unconscious state.

"Mikey! Hurry up!" Leonardo insisted as he neared the lab, trying to get Raph there quickly so they could make sure everyone was okay.

Michelangelo flinched a little and swallowed hard before he finally lifted Evelyn into his arms. The freckled turtle's face became pained as he fought back a few tears, gently hugging the girl close to him. "You're gonna be okay, Eve..." he whispered before rushing her towards the Lab.