Ashton had been staying with the Turtles for almost a week, and she
slowly began to accept her 'filthy' surroundings, as well as get used to
being around other intelligent beings.
Late one night, throughout the lair resounded a loud scream, and a loud, multiple-toned meow.
The Turtles and Splinter were startled out of a peaceful rest.
"What the heck is the matter with that kid?" asked Leo as he got out of bed.
The Turtles and Splinter went to Ashton's bed, which was the couch in the living room.
There, they saw her sweating profusely, thrashing about as if she were in a hard struggle. Her nails were out, and she appeared to be wavering between anger and extreme paranoia.
Donatello looked amazed.
"What's the matter with her?" asked Mikey in shock, disturbed at how she was acting.
"I don't know." said Donny.
"She is having a nightmare." said Venus.
"An extreme one." said Raph.
Leo was about to step forth and wake her up, when Splinter stopped him.
"No, she is in a very volatile state right now, we must not touch her." said Splinter.
"What are we gonna do then?" asked Mikey.
Splinter thought for a moment. "I have an idea."
A little while later, Ashton was still thrashing around, but not as violently.
Leo and Raph had rubber gloves on, and were holding a quilt, each standing at one side of her so that the cover was over her.
Splinter was standing at her head, and Donatello kneeled near her feet.
"At the count of three." said Venus, who was standing near Leo. "One, two . . . three!"
Leo and Raph brought the cover down quickly and held it tightly over Ashton, as Donatello grabbed a hold of her ankles, and held them tightly, and Splinter put one hand on each side of her head, and began chanting something.
Ashton got more excitable for a moment, then slowly calmed down, but was still breathing hard. She soon awoke, and looked around, her pupils shrinking and expanding at an alarming rate. She struggled to sit up as she noticed everyone holding her down.
"Let her go." said Splinter. He then stood up.
Everyone else let go, and also stood up.
Ashton jumped up from her spot on the couch, and ran to the wall near the kitchen and crouched in a corner, looking terrified.
"What happened?" asked Venus.
Ashton didn't respond right away, she just looked at everyone, feeling dizzy and scared.
Splinter approached her.
"Be careful Master." said Leo.
"I am." said Splinter. He then handed Ashton a small towel. "You are perspiring a lot."
Ashton looked at him for a moment, then took the towel. "Thank you." she murmured, almost incoherently. She quickly wiped her face from the sweat, then gripped the towel.
"Come, sit at the table." said Splinter, offering Ashton a hand.
Ashton took his hand as he helped her up, and they both sat at the table.
The Turtles came over, and sat down too.
"Are you all right?" asked Venus.
"I don't know." said Ashton. "I don't have nightmares like that often; only when something's going to happen." she said shakily.
"Like what?" asked Mikey.
"The scientists." A dark green camouflage suit flashed into her mind and she shut her eyes tightly. "They kept coming for me in my room, for the tests. No more tests, no more tests, no more tests."
"You had a nightmare like this before every test?" asked Donny.
Ashton shook her head. "No, for the first test, for the beginning of the series. Then I ran, I had to run, I attacked, and I ran, I had to. The second nightmare came before they found my first home." She held her head in her hands as if she had a headache.
"Would you like some water Ashton?" asked Venus.
Ashton nodded.
Venus got up and got her some water. "Here you are."
Ashton took it. "Thank you." She immediately gulped the whole thing down, then took a deep breath. "I'll be okay."
"Are you sure?" asked Raph.
"In my life, there's never a such thing, as 'sure', only 'for now'." said Ashton.
"Seems like that's the truth for all of us." said Raph.
Ashton nodded slightly.
"All right everyone, get to bed now, Ashton will be fine." said Splinter.
"Sure Master." said Mikey. "Night Ashton."
"Night Mikey. Night all." said Ashton.
"Night." said the others, then they walked off to bed.
Splinter watched them leave, then turned to Ashton. "Would you like some more water?"
Ashton looked at her glass. "No thank you, I'll be all right."
Splinter studied her for a moment.
Ashton looked over at him. "What?"
"Oh nothing. It is just that, I can tell that you are hiding something. What is it that you see in your nightmares?" asked Splinter.
Ashton looked down. "I rather not mention it, you wouldn't understand. Such visions are unique to who I am; what I am." she said.
"I see. Its okay, we are all allowed our secrets." said Splinter.
Ashton nodded, then sighed. "I gotta say, this is the first time I woke up from one of the nightmares without killing something in my sleep; no one to intervene and help me at home I guess."
"Home, you wish to be there, don't you?" asked Splinter.
Ashton sighed. "Yeah, well, sometimes. Its pretty and all, but lonely." She was quiet for a long while.
"Ashton?"
"Splinter if I, well, if I decided to stay here. . . would that be ok?"
Splinter smiled. "Of course, my child. You're welcome to call this your home, anytime."
Ashton gave a small smile. "Thanks, for everything Splinter."
"Anytime Ashton." said Splinter.
"Well, I better get back to sleep now, my nightmare left me kinda tired."
"Okay, goodnight." said Splinter.
"Good night." Ashton then went over to the couch and lied down.
Splinter watched her as she fell back asleep. Then he got up from the kitchen table, and put a blanket over her before going to his room.
Late one night, throughout the lair resounded a loud scream, and a loud, multiple-toned meow.
The Turtles and Splinter were startled out of a peaceful rest.
"What the heck is the matter with that kid?" asked Leo as he got out of bed.
The Turtles and Splinter went to Ashton's bed, which was the couch in the living room.
There, they saw her sweating profusely, thrashing about as if she were in a hard struggle. Her nails were out, and she appeared to be wavering between anger and extreme paranoia.
Donatello looked amazed.
"What's the matter with her?" asked Mikey in shock, disturbed at how she was acting.
"I don't know." said Donny.
"She is having a nightmare." said Venus.
"An extreme one." said Raph.
Leo was about to step forth and wake her up, when Splinter stopped him.
"No, she is in a very volatile state right now, we must not touch her." said Splinter.
"What are we gonna do then?" asked Mikey.
Splinter thought for a moment. "I have an idea."
A little while later, Ashton was still thrashing around, but not as violently.
Leo and Raph had rubber gloves on, and were holding a quilt, each standing at one side of her so that the cover was over her.
Splinter was standing at her head, and Donatello kneeled near her feet.
"At the count of three." said Venus, who was standing near Leo. "One, two . . . three!"
Leo and Raph brought the cover down quickly and held it tightly over Ashton, as Donatello grabbed a hold of her ankles, and held them tightly, and Splinter put one hand on each side of her head, and began chanting something.
Ashton got more excitable for a moment, then slowly calmed down, but was still breathing hard. She soon awoke, and looked around, her pupils shrinking and expanding at an alarming rate. She struggled to sit up as she noticed everyone holding her down.
"Let her go." said Splinter. He then stood up.
Everyone else let go, and also stood up.
Ashton jumped up from her spot on the couch, and ran to the wall near the kitchen and crouched in a corner, looking terrified.
"What happened?" asked Venus.
Ashton didn't respond right away, she just looked at everyone, feeling dizzy and scared.
Splinter approached her.
"Be careful Master." said Leo.
"I am." said Splinter. He then handed Ashton a small towel. "You are perspiring a lot."
Ashton looked at him for a moment, then took the towel. "Thank you." she murmured, almost incoherently. She quickly wiped her face from the sweat, then gripped the towel.
"Come, sit at the table." said Splinter, offering Ashton a hand.
Ashton took his hand as he helped her up, and they both sat at the table.
The Turtles came over, and sat down too.
"Are you all right?" asked Venus.
"I don't know." said Ashton. "I don't have nightmares like that often; only when something's going to happen." she said shakily.
"Like what?" asked Mikey.
"The scientists." A dark green camouflage suit flashed into her mind and she shut her eyes tightly. "They kept coming for me in my room, for the tests. No more tests, no more tests, no more tests."
"You had a nightmare like this before every test?" asked Donny.
Ashton shook her head. "No, for the first test, for the beginning of the series. Then I ran, I had to run, I attacked, and I ran, I had to. The second nightmare came before they found my first home." She held her head in her hands as if she had a headache.
"Would you like some water Ashton?" asked Venus.
Ashton nodded.
Venus got up and got her some water. "Here you are."
Ashton took it. "Thank you." She immediately gulped the whole thing down, then took a deep breath. "I'll be okay."
"Are you sure?" asked Raph.
"In my life, there's never a such thing, as 'sure', only 'for now'." said Ashton.
"Seems like that's the truth for all of us." said Raph.
Ashton nodded slightly.
"All right everyone, get to bed now, Ashton will be fine." said Splinter.
"Sure Master." said Mikey. "Night Ashton."
"Night Mikey. Night all." said Ashton.
"Night." said the others, then they walked off to bed.
Splinter watched them leave, then turned to Ashton. "Would you like some more water?"
Ashton looked at her glass. "No thank you, I'll be all right."
Splinter studied her for a moment.
Ashton looked over at him. "What?"
"Oh nothing. It is just that, I can tell that you are hiding something. What is it that you see in your nightmares?" asked Splinter.
Ashton looked down. "I rather not mention it, you wouldn't understand. Such visions are unique to who I am; what I am." she said.
"I see. Its okay, we are all allowed our secrets." said Splinter.
Ashton nodded, then sighed. "I gotta say, this is the first time I woke up from one of the nightmares without killing something in my sleep; no one to intervene and help me at home I guess."
"Home, you wish to be there, don't you?" asked Splinter.
Ashton sighed. "Yeah, well, sometimes. Its pretty and all, but lonely." She was quiet for a long while.
"Ashton?"
"Splinter if I, well, if I decided to stay here. . . would that be ok?"
Splinter smiled. "Of course, my child. You're welcome to call this your home, anytime."
Ashton gave a small smile. "Thanks, for everything Splinter."
"Anytime Ashton." said Splinter.
"Well, I better get back to sleep now, my nightmare left me kinda tired."
"Okay, goodnight." said Splinter.
"Good night." Ashton then went over to the couch and lied down.
Splinter watched her as she fell back asleep. Then he got up from the kitchen table, and put a blanket over her before going to his room.