His True Love

Disclaimer: I deny any ownership of any adult or adolescent transformed shadow warrior chelonians.

Chapter Five – Sara

RAPHAEL:

   I watched our guest from the shadows, judging from the way she was acting I figured she'd be coming awake pretty soon. I didn't want to startle her too much when she did open her eyes but I knew sooner or later she'd scream or freak out when she did catch sight of me. Most of our guest, unless they were far too stoned on drugs, reacted in a pretty typical manner one of screaming, fainting or call us ' some kind of freak' or anything along that general line.

Trust me such reactions did little to make you feel good about yourself and who you were but we had to let our guest get used to who we were and put up with all their shock and out right disgust at us. Luckily for the most part they did get over it. It was just one of those things that took some getting used to.

She woke up and I could see she was looking around as if trying to figure out exactly where she was. She was clearly a little nervous but I didn't sense any fear from her at the moment.

" It's all right we're not going hurt ya."

Her head turned towards the direction of my voice and I could see her trying to figure out who was talking to her.

" Who are you?"

" My name is Raphael and you?"

" Sara Townsend. How long have I been here?" She demanded still not showing any fear.

" You have been here about a day and you're going need a couple more fore you are fully up to goin' places."

" Like hell!" she snapped suddenly.

" Look you have been hurt and you need time to recuperate" I started to explain.

" I don't give a damn okay? I have things I need to do" Sara barked at me she let out a large frustrated breath of air. Then in a bit of a testy tone she said, " Look its not that I don't appreciate you helping me out and I assume that is what this is ALL about. But I also realize this isn't a hospital by a long shot so you might be some wacko keeping me trapped to fulfill your own perverted fantasies."

" Sorry I'm not the type to keep people hostage. There wasn't a lot of time to get you to the hospital but my brother knows quite a bit of stuff and he got you back this far. However you still aren't fully recovered from your attack." I was putting it simply I didn't have much of a bedside manner.

" I think I can care for myself from here I am in training to be a nurse," Sara's tone was sharp and biting " I could use a smoke" she grumbled.

A nurse? Her? Now who would have thunk that? Not me, Leo sure as hell hadn't considered it either.

" You are a nurse and you smoke?" I asked skeptically.

" I'm cutting back slowly. Gone from two packs a day to about five a day." She boasted.

" You know kinda funny I took ya for a streetwalker" I admitted.

" I'm that too it's my temporary night job so to speak. It is how I pay for all my schooling and bills.  I hit internship in a few more months then I can drop the prostitute bit. I only started to be a hooker to make ends meet it wasn't meant to be my lifestyle" Sara stated with a haughty air about her.

This girl had attitude.

I noted she wasn't really complaining though she was just stating the facts of her life.

" Haven't you tried working a regular job?" I wondered out of curiosity alone.

" It doesn't get you much after taxes, and all I was working two part time jobs sometimes three and I was still falling in debt, couldn't get any loans and worst of all my schooling was suffering" Sara began, she paused and glared into the shadows.

" Listen if you are going be talking to me the least you can do is come out of the shadows and let me see you face to face" she demanded suddenly.

I shrugged " You won't like what you see I'm not normal."

" Name me someone who is" she shot back, " besides I've seen a lot of things in my time. I'm not worried."

I could detect the challenge in her tone. Any one who knows me knows I don't walk away from many challenges. I smiled she might not be worried yet; we'll see how she felt after she saw me.

I stepped out of the shadows and I saw her eyes grow wide in surprise but that was it no screaming, no theatrics, not a hint of revulsion or disgust which was pretty good considering I hadn't bothered to prepare her for what she'd be seeing.

Just a bit of a surprise was, all that registered and all that I was able to pick up from her.

" So Raphael you always look like that?" she inquired drolly.

I grinned a bit then told her of how we came to be large walking talking turtles and she listened carefully and in complete silence.

" So any way that is my life such as it is. What's your story Sara?"

" My parents were killed by a drunk driver, he was speeding and ran up onto the sidewalk where they were walking. I was an only child and about ten years old at the time. There was, no other relatives so I got placed in foster care.

I was shifted around from place to place. I had a lot of problems in school after that though before I had been a straight A student." She paused for a moment.

I went and got her a glass of water and she took it from me with a bit of a smile taking a sip.

" When I came of age to leave foster care at eighteen I really had no place to go. Kind of woke me up that here I was in the real world and I had to do something with myself, and my life.

I went back and got my GED and furthered my education with night school and the like while working minimum wage jobs during the day.
I decided since I wanted to help people and blood and guts and crap like that don't make me squeamish being a nurse just seemed the most practical job for me."

I had to wonder about that from what I had seen of her so far her beside manner was probably no better then mine was.

" However once I got into nursing school it got difficult to make ends meet. No matter what I tried cutting back on or how hard I worked I just seemed to fall further behind. I didn't have a scholarship and couldn't get a loan.

I was going deeper into debt and no amount of minimum wage work was enough."

" So you went to the streets where you could earn big money in straight cash under the table." I summarized for her. " Your only choice being, sell drugs or your body."

" Yeah. That was about it. I opted to sell my body because I'd still have some control you know. I don't use drugs and I don't think I could peddle them.

It at least took care of my financial situation and gave me something extra besides.

I also get to set my own hours; sometimes all I have to do is turn one or two tricks a night. I'm freelance after all."

Freelance meaning no pimp she had to pay a percentage of her earnings to. Being freelance came with it's own hassles girls who worked for pimps didn't care for freelancers taking their johns. Pimps figured freelancers stole from them and their girls and would cause all sorts of hassles and fights to keep freelancers out of their specific territory on the streets.

Still there were benefits to being free. A freelancer could decide who they would do and what they were willing to do and the price for it. Girls who worked for Pimps were not allowed to say no to anyone for anything and except if there was a set price for a certain service to be rendered.

I knew all of that and didn't have to ask. Let's face it I work the streets in my own way. When you patrol the streets you get to know the rhythm and people who worked the streets the gangs, the drug sellers, the pimps and their girls.

" Ain't it kinda risky?" I asked.

" The whole job is risky and dangerous. That is why before I even started turning tricks and trying to establish a place on the streets I took some self defense courses. It put me in the hole a little further but…"

I arched my eye ridges at the last comment, sure most hookers knew how to street fight, the pull the hair scratch the face kind of fighting but not real fighting.

My mind was racing as I tried to figure out Sara there was a lot more to her then what showed at first.

She had a plan for her life she was working hard to get the career she wanted and obviously didn't care to end up being deep in debt or owing for a better part of her life. Working the streets was just away of meeting the goals she had set for herself.

Sure it might not have been the best choice she could make, but it was her choice to make and she obviously had tried regular work.

Schooling took a lot of time and was a big expense in and of itself you had to have the right kind of funds to achieve higher education and unfortunately too many people who might do well in such areas never go beyond the basic schooling because of money problems.

Then there was the other cost of living to consider rent on an apartment, heat, light, groceries and transportation to and from places. I could easily see how such things could overwhelm and defeat many people in a similar situation.

Turning tricks was good money and I had a feeling that Sara was picky about her clients after all a girl who took self defense courses had to know enough to listen to inner alarms.

I sat down on a stool by the bed " So uh, tell me somethin' why donchya? Who hurt you and why?"

" I'm pretty sure the people who roughed me up are connected to Red Dago." She said.

Red Dago was a street name for one of the big pimps in the city. My brothers and I had, had run ins with him from time to time. He had a lot of girls who worked for him he also ran a bit of a black market deal and drugs.

" Red's got it out for me cause I turned him in. I'm the only one on the streets either brave or stupid enough to go against his latest stunt. Maybe because I know I'll be out of the business soon. But if Red gets away with it other pimps will start." Sara explained.

" So what is Red up to NOW?"

" He is getting a hold of the young runaways. Hooking them on drugs and then making them work for their fix. I'm talking kids younger then fifteen here. He wants to sell babies to the John's who get their jollies from little girls." Sara's tone was thick with revulsion and hatred.

" I don't give a damn about girls old enough to make that choice of life for themselves okay eighteen year olds might be fine, that is one thing but you don't give in to pedophiles. He is catering to their twisted desires and fantasies." She snapped.

I felt my blood boil at the very thought. If I saw Red he was going be in large trouble from me.

" I'll kill him myself," I growled.

" No you WON'T" Sara flared sharply, " An example has to be made of Red it has to go through legal and proper channels so the other pimps can see…"

" I can make a great example of him," I promised through gritted teeth.

" No. It has to be a legal example," Sara stated quickly.

I didn't like that idea the law often moved too slow and too often gave light sentences but I figured this was her fight and if she wanted it that way then I guess she had the right to decide on Raphael justice or court justice.

" If you are willin' to testify against Red why aren't the police protecting you?"

 " They were going to. I could go to school but I couldn't work and the state isn't about to pay my bills in the interim. They sure as heck weren't going protect me while I was turning tricks. Besides my clients might think it was some kind of set up." Sara pointed out logically. " Once I get my certificate I want it free and clear. I have worked long and hard for all of this."

I sighed suddenly feeling edgy and knowing that I'd probably have to work off some energy soon. " Bet you had a hard time getting the cops to listen to you." I muttered.

" Yeah well I gave them proof, it wasn't easy to get but they had to accept what I gave them and now they are interested in prosecuting. He is in jail awaiting trial but that hasn't stopped him from arranging a hit on me."

I scowled someone like Red could easily arrange such a thing and if Sara was silenced would the state have enough to put Red away for a long time. No her witnessing was a dangerous thing for Red. He knew it and that was why he wanted to be rid of her.

Meanwhile his girls were probably working for a secondary person in Red's outfit.

Sure some people might not put a lot of weight in the words of a prostitute but add what ever Sara had to say to the evidence on hand and it could be all that was needed, that plus the fact that Sara wasn't looking at prostitution as a way of life.

Sara seemed to be ready willing and able to help finger Red and throw the book at him. The police either couldn't or wouldn't do any thing to protect her and what little they were willing to do for Sara she wasn't about to agree to.

Sara was stubborn and determined and I knew one way or another that she was going to be trouble for us.

After all we would have to see to it that she lived to testify against Red.

My senses told me that the problems and troubles Sara was going be causing us had nothing whatsoever to do with the sort of trouble Leo was worried about.

TBC