A few minutes later down in the lair, after the news report, the phone rang. Michelangelo answered it and spoke for a few minutes. Then he said okay and hung up the phone. He turned to his brothers with a big grin.
"What is it?" Raphael asked.
"Melody, refused to tell April anything about us." Michelangelo replied.
"So?" Raphael responded.
"That means, we might be able to trust her, Michelangelo concluded. Leonardo stood there, in thought.
"Michelangelo, we still do not know for sure," Master Splinter said. "But why don't you and Leonardo," Leonardo looked up hearing his name spoken. "Both go and keep an eye on her tonight."
"Okay, Master Splinter," Michelangelo said. "April said that she'll be in a play tonight at the Broadway Theater. Master Splinter nodded, and the guys went their separate ways in the lair.
I woke in time for James to pick me up to take me to the theater. He waited in the living room as I washed up to go.
"I saw you on the news Melody," James yelled over to me. I grabbed a towel and dried my face off.
"Yeah, what a way to get publicity, don't you think? I responded. James laughed and took me to the theater once I was dressed. Once there, the makeup artist, came over and quickly transformed me into Sarah, my character in the show. My eye was still swollen but they were able to hide it with theater makeup. The show is set in Transylvania and a 19th century vampire wants to win the body and soul of eighteen year old Sarah, me, but then is interrupted by a vampire killer.
Five minutes until show time. I spent this time focusing on my character, but my thoughts kept interrupting me with thoughts of the turtles. I was starting to get frustrated. James noticed and went behind me and started rubbing my shoulders. I jumped when he touched me, but then realized he was trying to help me relax.
The music started cueing everyone to get into place. James left and I waited. As soon as I stepped out onto the stage, I was Sarah, and all thoughts of the previous night, the robbers, the turtles, were all gone.
At curtain call, as I bowed on stage with everyone, I noticed, past the bright spotlights, movement up in the balcony. I narrowed my eyes then realized that James was trying to pull me behind the curtain so it could close. I shook my head thinking I was seeing things.
"Melody," I looked up to see the play director coming up to me. I smiled at him. "Wonderful, wonderful show tonight. Now the Christmas Carol will be playing next month, but you're not cast in that show." I nodded. I was a little disappointed because that had always been a favorite of mine. "The reason being is because we want you to be in The Phantom of the Opera, which will start showings in May." I stood there with my mouth open.
"Now I want you to play Christine. Think you can do it?" The director finished. Holding my excitement in check I nodded yes and thanked him for such a part. He nodded and walked to speak to a few other cast members. James came up to me, wondering what happened.
"Are you okay Melody?" James asked me. I took a breath, not wanting to announce it in the theater in front of everyone.
"Yeah," I took a breath. "Take me home, I'll explain it to you there." James drove me home. During the drive I kept glancing over my shoulder.
"What's the matter?" James asked.
"Nothing, I just feel like someone is following me." I replied. James shrugged then started glancing in the rear view mirror.
"Damn, Melody, now you got me nervous too," James said.
"Sorry," I said to him. "It's just that I've been so nervous ever since this morning." James nodded understanding.
"It's okay," James said. "I'll walk you up to your floor to make sure you're alright." I smiled and we arrived at my apartment.
"Melody, you said you were going to tell me what happened at the theater." James reminded me. We took the elevator up and stopped in front of my door.
"The director wants to have me play, Christine for the Phantom of the Opera." James cheered out loud and spun me around.
"Congratulations, that's great," James said. I thanked him bid James goodnight. He watched me go in and close the door. Downstairs, at his car, James looked around, turned up his collar and got back inside his car.
Inside the apartment, I looked outside my window watching the streetlights in the distance. After a performance, I was bursting with energy but I knew I had to get rest for tomorrow night's performance. I went outside and looked down at the street below. I heard voices and they sounded like they were arguing.
"No . . . can't . . . but . . . no." I craned my neck out as far as I could to try to look up to the apartment above me. Two figures were there. I went in and grabbed the stepladder from my apartment and put it next to the balcony edge. Climbing up on it, I started to think that I am the dumbest girl alive for doing this but paranoia was partial to blame. My fingers grasped the edge of the balcony above me and I was able to reach my eyes just above the floor. The figures looked a lot like . . .
My foot slipped and I gasped. The figures ran to the edge of the balcony and I saw that it was the turtles, the one in orange and blue. The orange one grabbed my hand to steady me as the blue one climbed down to my level. Grabbing me by the waist the orange let me go and blue set me down on my balcony.
"Now what was that all about?" Blue demanded to know.
"Well," orange reached my landing and just looked at me. "I heard voices and well." I shrugged.
"Good one, Leo," orange said. "I told you that . . ." Leo bopped orange in the head. I watched them for a moment then pushed them inside.
"Okay, in, this is the second time I met you guys." Inside I shut the door and looked at the two. "Who are you guys and what is going on?" The turtles just stood there, looking at everything but me.
"Guys, hello," I said. "Rescued me when I was half naked, ring a bell?" Their cheeks blushed but they still didn't answer me. I sighed and walked up to the one in blue. Taking his face in my hands I made him look at me.
"Please talk to me," I begged. His eyes were also blue. He lifted his hands and took mine off of his face, his eyes never left his.
"Alright, I'll tell you," He said. About an hour and many questions later, I sat across from, Leonardo and Michelangelo." I made some tea earlier but Leonardo was the only one who accepted some.
"So you followed me tonight because you believed I could have been in more danger?" I asked again. From Leonardo's patronizing look I sat back. "I'm sorry, it's just ever since being here the strangest and most interesting things have been happening to me."
"First the twin towers go, then I'm rescued from being pinned by the building, then . . ."
"That was you!" Leonardo interrupted.
"What do you mean that. . ." I stopped, memory flooding back to me. I had forgotten most of that day. My mind wasn't able to deal with so much, especially a giant turtle rescuing me from a building.
"Yeah," I said. A gurgling from Michelangelo distracted me. "There's pizza in the fridge if you want . . " Michelangelo was gone. I heard the fridge open and I smiled. " . . . some. Help yourself." Leonardo laughed and shook his head.
"Sorry about Mikey," Leonardo started to say, I waved his comment off.
"Please no worry," I said. "Its actually kind of nice to have peop, uh, company again."
"What about the guy who took you to the theater?" Michelangelo voiced from the kitchen. I looked back to Leonardo.
"You guys really have been following me all night." Leonardo nodded.
"So," Michelangelo questioned. I paused then remembered his question.
"Oh, James," I laughed. "He's just a friend, one of my co workers actually. Nothing serious will come of it though." I shrug.
"So, where are the other two?" I asked. Michelangelo came back in and sat down.
"They're home." Leonardo said.
"Which is where?" Geez am I nosey I thought to myself.
"We can't tell you," They said. I nodded understanding. "Hey we got to get back home, to check in." Leonardo said and they stood up. "Keep the doors locked." I nodded and got up.
"Don't have to tell me twice." I said. They hopped out off the balcony. When I got there they were gone from sight. None of us saw a figure running through the alley below, or see that a shadow tackled her.