Chapter 9

Leo's P.O.V

After talking with Emmett; I head towards April's place to let her know about the dragons. I arrive and land in the back door on the side of her shop. I knock on the door and wait for about maybe five minutes for her to open the door.

"Leo, what are you doing here?" April said surprised.

"Hey, April. Mind if I come in?" I ask.

"Uh." She says as she looks back inside and up towards the stairs that lead to her house. She then thinks for a moment and then looks at me. "Okay; but you must be very quiet," April said as she lets me in the shop. "I'm babysitting for a friend and they're asleep in my room." She said in a whisper as we make our way upstairs.

"Okay," I said as I sit down at the table. She walks towards the kitchen and pulls out some cups and pours some tea for us.

"So what brings you to my shop, Leo?" April asks as she hands me a cup and then she sits down to hear me speak. Then I explain to her what happened and about the boy. I also explain to him about our little meet. "Leo are you really sure about meeting with the boy, this Emmett?" She asks.

"I'm sure. He's lost and trapped in their world. Emmett really wants to leave but something's keeping him with them and I want to know what." I explain. "He also seems like he's alone. His eyes are so full of sadness and pain. I want to help him." I said as I think back as I look at his eyes.

"The way you described Emmett; he almost sounds like..." April started to say but is cut off by the so April's shop door opening and the bells chime. Then a young girl's voice rings in my ears.

"Hey April are you here?" she asks.

"Yes, Eve I'm up here," April replied as we both look in the direction of the spiral stairs.

"Great I'm coming up." The girl said. This surprises me and April.

"Uh...wait Eve. don't come up." April said in a panic.

"Why?" The girl named Eve asks as I hear her walk towards the stairs.

"Because it's dirty and I don't want you to see," April said making up an excuse so it can buy me time to hide. I quickly hide in the nearby closet but I leave the door open just enough for me to see.

"Did my brothers make a mess in your living room and didn't clean up." The girl said as I see April run towards the stairs to block her from coming up. "It's not that dirty April." The girl said.

This causes April to look behind her and see that I've hidden and then sighs in relief. As April moves aside for the girl to enter, my eyes widen as I see who April is talking to. It's the same girl that my brothers and I encountered the other night.

"Then again; knowing my brother Rai he would be the one to leave a mess." The Girl explains as places her bag down on the table and sits on the couch with a tired sigh. "That's why my dad gave him the nickname tornado because he left a mess everywhere he went." She said with a chuckle.

"Really?" April said as she laughs along with the girl.

"Yeah." The girl said as she continues to laugh but something about the way she spoke, I heard a hint of sadness. "Anyways; where are they? So I can round them up to take them home." The girl asks.

"Oh, they're asleep in my room. Rai said that he's never slept on a bed before, of course I know he's joking." April said jokingly.

"Yeah; he's such a jokester." The girl said with a nervous laugh. I know she's just trying to hide the truth from April and it seems that she hasn't told her anything about herself. "Well; I'm going to go get them." the girl said as she stands up and walks towards April's room to get her brothers. When she closed the door I stuck my head out and walk towards April.

"April; who's that girl?" I ask in a whisper.

"Her name is Evelyn. She and her brothers helped me out one time and since then I've gotten to know them. However, there's something mysterious about them." April said as she looks back at me.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"Well throughout the whole time I've seen them, I've never once seen them with their parents or ever heard them talk about them." She said. However, before I could say anything the door opens and I quickly hide back in the closet again. Entering back into the room with the girl are the same boys that my brothers and I saw with this girl before.

"Hey, April, who were you talking to?" The oldest boy asks.

"Huh, oh I was talking to your sister," April said.

"No, before my sister came. I woke up hearing you talking to someone." The boy said.

"Oh, well you see I was on the phone talking to a friend of mine," April said.

"Well, then you must have a really good reception because it sounded like your friends were right here." The boy said as he started walking around the room. "In this very room." The boy said as he looks towards the closet. After a few seconds of looking in my direction, he starts walking towards me. Then I notice that the girl looks in the same direction. Just before the boy could reach the door the girl speaks.

"Greg it's bad manners to pry into other people's thing." The girl said as she looks at her brother. "Alright, guys let's head home." The girls said. The boy looks back at me and then walks back towards his siblings. For a kid; he's very sharp. I'm pretty impressed.

"Eve; can you carry me, I'm still sleepy." The youngest boy said as he rubs his eyes.

"Sure thing Rai." The girl said with a smile. She hands her bag to her other brother. Then she kneels down for her other brother to climb up. However; once he touched her right arm; the girl cries out in pain, scaring everyone. Her brothers immediately rush to her side.

"Eve!" The youngest boy says as he jumps off his sister's back.

"Are alright sis?" The oldest boy asks worriedly.

"Did you hurt yourself during your job?" April asks.

"Yeah; some lame brain was trying to show off with this samurai swords and he ended up losing his grip and it sliced my arm." The girl said as she holds her arm. I noticed that it started bleeding. April immediately gets the first aid kit. The oldest boy helps her take the jacket off and reveals a poorly wrapped bandage and blood is seeping through. April has the girl sit down and she cleans and properly wraps the wound.

"There. That should prevent it from getting infected." April said as she puts everything away. The girl looks at her arm and is relieved that the pain is gone. The other two boys are relieved that their sister is no longer in pain.

"Thanks again April." The girl said as she stands up.

"It's no trouble, but don't you think you should call your parents. I'm surprised that your parents let you stay out so late." April said as she joins the group. When April mentioned their parents I saw the sadness in all three of their eyes, especially the girls. The emotion changes as she looks back into April's eyes.

"They understand, besides our dad's phone is in the shop. So we can't call him either way." The girl said with a smile. "Anyways we should get going." The girl said as she takes her youngest brother's hand and the three siblings head towards the stairs.

"Are you sure, you guys will be alright?" April said worried for the three kids.

"I'll be fine. I know my two bodyguards will protect me." The girl said as she wraps her arms around her brothers making them laugh.

"Yeah, I'll protect Eve." The little boy said as he jumps out of the girl's arms and then shows off his skills by kicking and punching the air. This causes April and the others to laugh at his enthusiasm.

"Alright Bruce Lee, let's head home." The girl says as she ruffles her brother's hair. The three kids bid April good night and then they head out of the streets. In the shadows; I follow them as they walk back towards their abandoned and run-down house. They enter the house and I watch the girl help her brother get ready for bed. The older brother checks her arm again and then treats it again, with a new bandage. As I got a good look at the wound; I noticed that it's the same wound that I gave Emmett. I know my handy work anywhere. What I want to know is how did a wound that I gave to someone else end up on her. I ponder this as I watch the older brother finish helping his sister. She thanks her brother and then kisses them both goodnight. She stays awake until her brothers fall asleep. I quickly look away as she begins to undress. Sure she isn't the first human girl I've seen and sure she's pretty. Heck...she's beautiful, probably the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. Granted that she's the only girl I've seen and up this close no less. Still, I'm not like Mickey; I won't spy on her while she changes.

After she finished getting dress, she walks towards her brothers and unrolls her sleeping bag. She places it beside her brother and lays down. As she falls asleep; I notice that the youngest brother turns in his sleep and snuggles closer to his sister. Then the other brother turns over and wraps his arm across his little brother and his older sister. The girl looks up from her spot and notices this and then lays back down with a smile on her face as she falls asleep beside her brother. Again I'm moved by the bond of love between these three kids. I decide to spend the night and watch over them, they need someone to look after them. That's what I'll do. I don't know how but I feel that these kids and Emmett are connected somehow, and I'm going to find out what it is.

Next Day

I wake up to a sound that I didn't expect to hear in the morning streets of New York. I hear the sound of calming relaxing music. I lean over my hiding spot and see the girl is listening to the music as she does some sort of morning exercise. She moved in slow but gracefully to the sound of the music. After watcher her movements for a few minutes I realized what she's doing, Tai Chi. I've heard of it but I've never seen it. It's actually quite beautiful. After about maybe ten minutes her brothers wake up and join their sister for breakfast. Then it dawns on that I stayed out all night and I know my brothers are going to wonder where I'm. I take one last look before I head back home. As I drew near the layer I realized that I still have the tanto blade. I meant to return it to Emmett but it slipped my mind. I look over the blade and I couldn't help but admire the craftsmanship of this blade.

With the blade still in my hand; I quietly enter the layer seeing that everyone is still asleep, or so I thought."You've been gone for a long time my son." My father said as he stands at the threshold of his room.

"Master Splinter. I was just..." I said as I quickly hid the tanto. I try to come up with an explanation, however, knowing my father he'll never believe me.

"Come my son and tell me everything." He said as he gestures me to enter his room. I step into his room and sit beside his table. He places a cup of warm tea in front of me then places the pot in the middle of the table. He then sits across from me. "Now then my son, why don't you start by showing me what it is that you were trying to hide from me." He said as he places his cup on the table. Knowing that it's useless to hide anything from him. I hand him the blade and he looks over it. I see his eyes widen for a very brief moment but it disappears as he looks at me. "Where did you get this blade, Leonardo?" He asks me.

"That boy that we told you about Sensei. Our last encounter with him, he used this weapon against me however, I managed to disarm him." I explain as I watch him look over the blade again. It looked like he's seen this weapon before. He had the same look when I told him about the three kids and when we first told him about Emmett. "Have you seen this blade before, Sensei?" I ask him.

"Yes my son, I have," Sensei said as he places the blade in front of him on the table. "Before the death of my beloved Master Yoshi; there was a man that my master and I meet when we moved to New York. He was a skilled martial artist whose abilities could rival my master." He said as he begins his story. "His name was Damien Carson. He was a brave and strong man but he was also a valiant and honorable warrior. Over time my Master and Master Damien friendship grew strong, they became like brothers." He said as I see him look over at his shelf. Resting on the second row stands a picture of Master Yoshi standing beside a family.

"Is that him?" I ask as I look at the photo.

"Yes; Master Damien Carson had a wife and children and they welcomed us into their family," Sensei said as he looks back at me finishing his story.

"Whatever happened to Master Carson and his family?" I ask.

"I'm afraid my son I do not know. There was an accident that caused the death of his beloved wife. After that, they disappeared and we haven't heard anything from them. That was a month before the death of my beloved master." Sensei said as he looks back at the blade.

"Do you think that Master Carson is still in New York?" I ask him.

"I long thought that they have left the city but after seeing the moves that you demonstrated, I'm beginning to believe that this...boy might be connected to my old friend," Sensei said as he looks at me. "This blade was a gift from my master to Master Carson," Sensei said as he lifts the sword off the table. "I believe it is best that return this blade to its owner. He must be missing it terribly." He said as he hands it back to me.

"Yes, Sensei," I said as I take the blade from him and then bow my head before I leave his room. As I tuck the tanto blade in my belt, thousands of questions buzz in my head. I'm sure that Emmett and these kids are connected. I'll get to the bottom of this mystery tonight, although something tells me that I'll be in for quite a night.