First... thanks for all your reviews! :D I really appreciate it, it's great to get feedback!
Second... I'm going to apologise in advance for any spelling errors. I'm having to work on a very basic program that doesn't have a spell check, as my version of Appleworks insists on putting strange O shaped characters in instead of quotation marks whenever it's uploaded, and it takes me ages to edit them in Simpletext. So sorry about that. ... no Thesaurus, either.. *mutters*
Anyway.. on with the story....
Lost In Shadow
Chapter 4
Don held the flashlight, watching Leo dig in the greasy black water. He gave an impatient sigh.
"Leo we won't find anything. Her bones will have been washed away, years ago."
Leo didn't look up. "There must be a trace of her somewhere. Besides, it's not bones I'm looking for." He stepped back, his eyes watering as the odious stink rose in his face. "...oh... man..."
"I told you this part of the sewers stunk worse than most." Don covered his beak.
Leo looked grave. "I think it's because she died here. Mike and Raph could smell her perfume here, too. I think it's like a ghost smell."
"A ghost.. smell?" Don snorted. "Whatever it is, it's disgusting."
"The water's black." Leo looked at it, slightly repulsed.
"No it isn't. It's just because it's dark." Don looked at the water without interest.
"Whatever. Hold the flashlight still, I'm gonna have another look."
Don shook his head. "I'm gonna go back soon, " he said watching Leo dig. "I'm tired and this place creeps me out."
Leo rolled his eyes. "Knew I should have brought Mikey, " he muttered.
Don scowled and looked up, right into a pair of cold grey eyes. They gazed back at him intensly from a pale, luminous face. Don cried out, and flung himself back, bumping against the wall behind him.
"Shit!!"
Leo's head snapped up, ready to fight if need be. He looked at the ghost, calmly. She was no threat.
"We want to help you...." he said.
Don, his hand on his plastron, caught his breath and waited untill his heartbeat slowed to it's usual pace. "... speak for yourself." He grumbled. "It nearly gave me a heart attack."
Leo glared at Don, then looked back at the girl. "What happened to you?"
Her eyes were hard, like marble. Eventually she opened her mouth, but she didn't speak. She shook her head and turned away.
Leo looked down at the oily black sludge. "Do you want a burial?"
Her stony gaze returned to Leo, then she looked down at the water at his feet.
"...there's nothing left..." She turned her back and walked away. Leo looked at Don, who looked blanker than he'd ever seen him, then sloshed after her.
"Nothing?!" Leo stared hopelessly at the putrid water. The girl paused and gazed at him again, then she pointed ahead and began walking. Leonardo followed.
"Leo!!" Don yelled. "Where're you..."
"She's showing me something."
Don let his head drop. "Awwww... c'mon... it's the middle of the night. Can't it wait?!"
Leo stopped. He shot Don an icy look. "Fine. Give me the flashlight, then." He held out his hand impatiently.
Don looked at him in surprise. This was obviously getting to Leo. Don rubbed the back of his neck, it wasn't like he had to get up for school or anything.
"Okay, I'll come ...but I don't like this..."
"You don't have to come." Leo clenched his jaw. "I don't want you to come if you're going to be so negative and whiny."
Whiny?! Don felt his temper flare and balled his hands into fists. Then he let it go. This was obviously important to Leo. He gave a lopsided grin.
"Okay, I won't."
Leo frowned.
"I promise!"
"Alright..." Leo turned and followed the small figure as it drifted down the tunnel. She seemed to take them in almost a straight line, untill they were wading through parts of the sewer they didn't recognise. Don explored the tunnel with the flashlight as they walked, playing it up and down the walls, until he eventually gave in to boredom and began twirling it around watching the light bounce in circles.
Leo looked back. "Will you quit it?!"
Don stopped and pointed the flashlight ahead. "What's it doing?"
She'd stopped at a large grate and was crouched in front of it. She peered into the thick grey gunk that had gathered at the bottom. Don looked down at it in disgust, but held his tongue. Leo looked at the girl, she'd put her hand to the squidgey mess but it seemed to go right through. Don stared, fascinated, wondering what she was made of and lapsed into scientific thought of the subject... Leo crouched opposite her and pointed at the slime she'd tried to touch.
"Here?"
She nodded.
***
Leo dug with his hands, wrinkling his nose. "Uhh..." He fought back nausea and turned to Don. "Bring that flashlight over here." Don squatted beside him shining the torch into the hole Leo had dug. He seemed to dig for hours, scooping out the loathsome sludge, but only half an hour had gone by. Don glanced at him, he looked sick.
"...want me to take over for a while?" Don asked, reluctantly. Leo nodded. Don passed him the flashlight then sunk his hands into the soft slop. He balked at the stench and the touch of it.
"Urrgh. This is so gross.." He looked at Leo aghast.
Leo smirked. "I know."
Don pulled out handfuls of gunk, then the girl gave a tiny gasp. They both looked up at her. She pointed to a fine, glistening trail of slime slung between two bars of the grate like saliva.
Don pulled a disgusted face, Leo carefully unwound it then drew his finger and thumb along it, wiping it clean. It gleamed dully in the beam of the flashlight. Don looked at it, quizzically.
"What is it?"
"What I was looking for... her bracelet." Leo turned the dirty, tarnished silver over in his hand. He looked over at the spirit, but she was gone.
"Looks like it might have something engraved on it..." Don examined it. "But it'll need a good clean."
Leo nodded. "Come on let's get back."
Second... I'm going to apologise in advance for any spelling errors. I'm having to work on a very basic program that doesn't have a spell check, as my version of Appleworks insists on putting strange O shaped characters in instead of quotation marks whenever it's uploaded, and it takes me ages to edit them in Simpletext. So sorry about that. ... no Thesaurus, either.. *mutters*
Anyway.. on with the story....
Lost In Shadow
Chapter 4
Don held the flashlight, watching Leo dig in the greasy black water. He gave an impatient sigh.
"Leo we won't find anything. Her bones will have been washed away, years ago."
Leo didn't look up. "There must be a trace of her somewhere. Besides, it's not bones I'm looking for." He stepped back, his eyes watering as the odious stink rose in his face. "...oh... man..."
"I told you this part of the sewers stunk worse than most." Don covered his beak.
Leo looked grave. "I think it's because she died here. Mike and Raph could smell her perfume here, too. I think it's like a ghost smell."
"A ghost.. smell?" Don snorted. "Whatever it is, it's disgusting."
"The water's black." Leo looked at it, slightly repulsed.
"No it isn't. It's just because it's dark." Don looked at the water without interest.
"Whatever. Hold the flashlight still, I'm gonna have another look."
Don shook his head. "I'm gonna go back soon, " he said watching Leo dig. "I'm tired and this place creeps me out."
Leo rolled his eyes. "Knew I should have brought Mikey, " he muttered.
Don scowled and looked up, right into a pair of cold grey eyes. They gazed back at him intensly from a pale, luminous face. Don cried out, and flung himself back, bumping against the wall behind him.
"Shit!!"
Leo's head snapped up, ready to fight if need be. He looked at the ghost, calmly. She was no threat.
"We want to help you...." he said.
Don, his hand on his plastron, caught his breath and waited untill his heartbeat slowed to it's usual pace. "... speak for yourself." He grumbled. "It nearly gave me a heart attack."
Leo glared at Don, then looked back at the girl. "What happened to you?"
Her eyes were hard, like marble. Eventually she opened her mouth, but she didn't speak. She shook her head and turned away.
Leo looked down at the oily black sludge. "Do you want a burial?"
Her stony gaze returned to Leo, then she looked down at the water at his feet.
"...there's nothing left..." She turned her back and walked away. Leo looked at Don, who looked blanker than he'd ever seen him, then sloshed after her.
"Nothing?!" Leo stared hopelessly at the putrid water. The girl paused and gazed at him again, then she pointed ahead and began walking. Leonardo followed.
"Leo!!" Don yelled. "Where're you..."
"She's showing me something."
Don let his head drop. "Awwww... c'mon... it's the middle of the night. Can't it wait?!"
Leo stopped. He shot Don an icy look. "Fine. Give me the flashlight, then." He held out his hand impatiently.
Don looked at him in surprise. This was obviously getting to Leo. Don rubbed the back of his neck, it wasn't like he had to get up for school or anything.
"Okay, I'll come ...but I don't like this..."
"You don't have to come." Leo clenched his jaw. "I don't want you to come if you're going to be so negative and whiny."
Whiny?! Don felt his temper flare and balled his hands into fists. Then he let it go. This was obviously important to Leo. He gave a lopsided grin.
"Okay, I won't."
Leo frowned.
"I promise!"
"Alright..." Leo turned and followed the small figure as it drifted down the tunnel. She seemed to take them in almost a straight line, untill they were wading through parts of the sewer they didn't recognise. Don explored the tunnel with the flashlight as they walked, playing it up and down the walls, until he eventually gave in to boredom and began twirling it around watching the light bounce in circles.
Leo looked back. "Will you quit it?!"
Don stopped and pointed the flashlight ahead. "What's it doing?"
She'd stopped at a large grate and was crouched in front of it. She peered into the thick grey gunk that had gathered at the bottom. Don looked down at it in disgust, but held his tongue. Leo looked at the girl, she'd put her hand to the squidgey mess but it seemed to go right through. Don stared, fascinated, wondering what she was made of and lapsed into scientific thought of the subject... Leo crouched opposite her and pointed at the slime she'd tried to touch.
"Here?"
She nodded.
***
Leo dug with his hands, wrinkling his nose. "Uhh..." He fought back nausea and turned to Don. "Bring that flashlight over here." Don squatted beside him shining the torch into the hole Leo had dug. He seemed to dig for hours, scooping out the loathsome sludge, but only half an hour had gone by. Don glanced at him, he looked sick.
"...want me to take over for a while?" Don asked, reluctantly. Leo nodded. Don passed him the flashlight then sunk his hands into the soft slop. He balked at the stench and the touch of it.
"Urrgh. This is so gross.." He looked at Leo aghast.
Leo smirked. "I know."
Don pulled out handfuls of gunk, then the girl gave a tiny gasp. They both looked up at her. She pointed to a fine, glistening trail of slime slung between two bars of the grate like saliva.
Don pulled a disgusted face, Leo carefully unwound it then drew his finger and thumb along it, wiping it clean. It gleamed dully in the beam of the flashlight. Don looked at it, quizzically.
"What is it?"
"What I was looking for... her bracelet." Leo turned the dirty, tarnished silver over in his hand. He looked over at the spirit, but she was gone.
"Looks like it might have something engraved on it..." Don examined it. "But it'll need a good clean."
Leo nodded. "Come on let's get back."