Chapter Nine: Obstacles
Carrie was motionless, her jaw dropped in shock as Barry's words finally registered in her head.
"But, why-how-I-I don't think-," Her words broken by the thought of Barry sharing the bed upstairs with her mutant house guests.
"You can shut the door now, Girlie," Barry waved at Carrie as he pulled his gray scarf from his neck and removed his suede jacket. "What the country expression? Were you born in a barn, or something like that?"
After she realized that her hand was still stick on the back of the door knob, Carrie pushed the door closed and locked the dead bolt, wishing that she had thrown Barry outside first before doing so.
"I hope you got that leak fixed." Barry knelt down and unzipped one of his leather suitcases. "I'm exhausted! I didn't sleep on the ride up here. There were some people on that bus that looked like they would slit my throat and rob me blind if I had fallen asleep!" He turned his head toward Carrie and chuckled. "I think I downed twenty lattes on my way up here just to stay awake! Disgusting public transportation."
Carrie sighed, then put on a fake smile as she turned to Barry, but the smile disappeared as Barry pulled a small black and silver contraption from his suitcase.
"You brought your own latte machine!"
"Well, Girlie, both of us know I can't stand that New Age tea-drinking thing of yours!" Barry smiled quickly, then push his glasses back up and went into the kitchen. Carrie wrinkled her nose, disgusted by Barry's comments, and followed him through the house.
"You know, the Chinese were drinking tea way before white people were!"
Barry shook his head, dismissing Carrie's pointless conversation, and plugged the latte machine up next to the white toaster. "All I am saying is that I can handle your 'organic lifestyle', but I need my caffeine. There's not a Starbucks around for 500 miles!"
Carrie buried her face into her hands and let out a low growl. "Look, Barry. I'm sorry that I haven't been returning your calls-,"
"Answering the phone would be the better choice of words!" Barry interrupted.
"Whatever!" Carrie pulled her hair back from her face and held it tightly in her palms. "The thing is I've been really busy and, with you here- you're going to make me uncomfortable because I'll feel rushed, and both of us know I can't work under pressure like that!"
Barry leaned against the counter, his long arms crossing over his brown turtleneck as he peered at Carrie through his glasses, his thin lips pushed together.
"You're still hiding something!"
Carrie's jaw dropped down again and she threw her arms above her head. "Why do you keep assuming that?"
"Girlie, come on!" Barry tossed his black hair around as he headed back for the living room. "Your strange behavior, not returning my calls, and you obviously don't want me here, when any other time you'd welcome me with open arms!" He stopped in front of the stairs, ignorant to the bulky shadow that sat only a few feet up from him. "I've know you for a long time, Carrie, and not once during those ten years have I ever seen acting so strangely!"
"Barry, I've just been-," Carrie took a deep breath, her brain working overtime to come up with a believe lie. "See, I've- things have just been so-,"
"Yeah, nice try." Barry's smug smile returned and he went to collect his bags. "Whatever your excuse is, and I know you're trying really hard to think of one, it can wait. I need some sleep. Lord knows I need dark circles under my eyes again! I'm too far out in the boonies to get a good facial."
"Raph! Raphael! Wake up!"
"What!" Raphael grumbled as he lifted his head from the soft pillow, his good dreams shattered by Leonardo's rude awakening. He rubbed at his eyes and tried to focus on his brother through the darkness. "What the hell is it now?"
"We need to get to the barn!" Leonardo shoved the window up, sending a blast of cold air at Raphael's skin. "Hurry!" He reached over to the dresser, grabbed Raphael's bandana and threw it at the bed. "Come on!"
Raphael sat up, his teeth chattering from the cold, his eyes still half closed in an evil glare at Leonardo as he tied his bandana back on.
"Am I even gonna get a reason why?"
Leonardo paused, his left leg hanging out in the night air. "How about the fact that Carrie's editor is here and on his way up right now!"
"Huh?" Raphael stood and stretched his arms, turning around to glance at the clock on the bedside table. "It's 12:30 in the fuckin' mornin'!"
"I'll explain on our way to the barn! Come on!" Leonardo dropped from sight, his feet crunching in the snow a few seconds later.
Raphael scratched at his head, still lost in a sleepy daze. "Editor? What's he talkin' about?"
"Barry! Wait!"
"Girlie, I'm tired! We can play this little game in the morning!"
"Holy shit!" Raphael exclaimed, feeling fully awake as the brass handle turned and the door cracked open. He dashed from the window and leaped out just as Barry burst in.
Barry stood still for a minute, watching as the long curtains blew in the breeze from the open window before setting his bags down.
"Why is that open? You do realize it's winter out there, right?" Barry hurried over and slammed the window shut. Carrie let out the breath she had been holding and sank against the wall.
"Would you believe I was airing out the room for you?" Carrie suddenly laughed, her jumpy nerves and the curious look that Barry held making her feel like she was borderline insane.
"This is fuckin' bullshit!" Raphael yelled, his feet stomping around on the hay loft as he paced. "Who does that guy think he is?"
"It doesn't matter!" Leonardo looked out of the loft's wide window to the house's upstairs lights. "This just means that we can't stay here anymore."
Raphael stopped dead in his tracks and turned his fiery eyes on his brother. "What? I ain't gonna let some pansy ass push us out!"
"Raph! We need to be realistic about our situation!" Leonardo turned from the window and sat down against the hay bails. "We can't risk being discovered by that guy! We need to leave!"
"So we can get caught by Bishop?" Raphael argued. "Yeah, that's so much better!"
Leonardo glared at Raphael's sarcasm. "Why does it matter to you? Any other time you would be gone before the decision was even made!"
Raphael turned away from Leonardo's accusing stare, and moved to the railing, looking down at the dimly lit barn floor. He sighed heavily, his thoughts stuck on the blonde in the house and little else.
"All I'm sayin' is that we're safer in here than out there!" Raphael rubbed at his sleepy eyes and yawned, and was slightly shocked when Leonardo suddenly agreed with him.
"You're right. We are better off."
"Damn right I am." Raphael yawned again and moved back to the nest he had created days before. He crawled up on the floor, placing one hand under the side of his head, and Leonardo watched suspiciously as Raphael dragged a finger across the bed of straw next to him, a pleased grin on his face that stayed lit while his eyes slowly shut for the night.
The next morning, Carrie tromped around in the snow, not finding a trace of Leonardo and Raphael anywhere, and she was worried that the presence of Barry had frightened them away. The first place she had checked was the barn's loft, where she found two empty piles of scattered hay, and it gave her some relief to know that they had slept there during the night. But as the sun rose higher and the barn stayed empty, Carrie thought for sure that they had left for good.
Carrie walked around the yard, her eyes bouncing around through the woods, still hoping to catch a glance of the turtles. She threw another stick for her dogs to fetch as she moved around to the back of the barn, noticing that the snow in the back was high, still untouched by the rays from the sun. Carrie shoved her hands into the deep pockets of her light blue hooded jacket, the ends of her black peasant skirt rustling as she took long strides across the snow, breaking through it with her knee-high black suede boots. She then laughed at herself as she watched the fabric twist around the boots, wondering what had made her put on a skirt when it was no more than thirty degrees outside.
Artex was the first to bring the stick back, Atreyu right on her tail, and they both sat patiently as Carrie patted both of their heads and tossed the stick again. They watched it sail far into the woods, then took off, nipping and banging into each other as they raced on. Carrie smiled at their puppyish antics, then let out a deep breath as she leaned against the back wall of the barn, pulling her head back a little as the wooden splinters from the old wood grabbed the ends of her hair. Her gray eyes fixated on the smashed snow beneath her boots, and she scooted some of it around, collecting it into a small pile in an attempt to make a snowman without using her hands. Carrie became so enthralled in her little effort that she didn't notice the figure that was standing next to her, watching with an amused smile.
"Whataya doin'?"
Carrie let out a shriek and jumped against the barn, glaring at Raphael as she placed her hand over her heart to slow down the beats.
"Don't do that!" Carrie smacked Raphael's shoulder. "Why must you guys do that all the time!"
Raphael took a step back and raised his hands up, the cold sting from Carrie's frozen fingers still burning his dark green skin. "Jeez, what's got yer panties in a bunch?"
"I'm sorry, it's-," Carrie growled and pointed to the house. Raphael nodded, knowing exactly what she meant. "I feel so bad about forcing you guys out of the house. I had no idea he was coming!"
"Hey, it's cool." Raphael watched Carrie paced around, enjoying the way the black skirt clung to her hips and slid around the boots.
"And I was so scared that you guys left!" Carrie went on, not noticing Raphael's anxious stare. "I'm going to try to get him to leave. At least make him stay in town or something. But I don't know that will work because ski season has started, and the town is going to be packed full of tourists and-,"
Raphael seized Carrie's waist, stopping her from pacing anymore. "Okay, ya just need ta shut up. Yer yappin' is makin' me insane." He pulled her back toward his body, making sure that her rear end hit up against his thigh.
"Oh, my god! You don't think that-," Carrie gasped in disbelief as Raphael's cold fingers dug their way under her jacket and white blouse to reach the bare skin of her stomach. "Oh no, no, no!" She pushed on Raphael's leg with her boot and moved away, holding her arms closely to her chest. "There's no way we're doing-that-out here!"
"Why not?" Raphael chuckled and looked around. "Ya afraid someone's gonna catch us?" He moved slowly toward Carrie until he had trapped her against the barn. "Don't ya think it makes more excitin' when ya think someone is watchin' ya?"
"You are disgusting." Carrie plainly stated, her hands pushing on Raphael's chest plates to keep his mouth away from hers. "Seriously, Raph. I told you we weren't going to make this an all time thing either!"
"Ya say things, but that don't mean nothin'," Raphael grabbed Carrie's hands and pushed back, his brown eyes drilling into her. "I know ya want it."
Carrie growled and yanked her hands away, this time holding Raphael back with her knee, the scar from the bike just below. "Then you must also know that you are an egotistical jerk-off who needs a few lessons from his brother in respecting women."
Raphael's grin dropped and his eyes turned into small slits. Before Carrie could react, Raphael grabbed her knee and turned her around, slamming her face first against the barn, holding his arm in her back to keep her still.
"Do we havta keep playin' this game of yours?" Raphael whispered into Carrie's ear while working his free hand back under her jacket. " Why do ya havta keep makin' me mad? Ya get off on shit like that or somethin'?"
Carrie stifled her breath as Raphael's fingers raked across the lace fabric of her white bra. Her nipples had already been hard from the cold air, but feeling his touch on the bottom of her breasts made them grow harder and tingle with anticipation.
"I'm not the only one." Carrie closed her eyes as Raphael's lips trailed down her neck. "As I recall, you didn't mind being bitched at last time."
Raphael chuckled. "Looks like we're both sick individuals."
Carrie's giggle turned into a moan as Raphael played with her breasts, both of his hands working around on them this time, and Carrie arched her back, pressing her butt against Raphael's crotch. Raphael responded by pushing back with his aching groin, and his brain quickly begin of a way he could relieve his ache without changing their positions. He removed his hands from Carrie's breasts and knelt down to get under her skirt. Carrie turned her head to look over her shoulder as Raphael pulled her panties down, pushing one of her snow-covered boats through the hole and letting them slid down the other leg. Raphael grabbed a tall piece of wood from the nearby woodpile and beat it down into the snow, hoping it would be steady enough to keep Carrie's leg elevated. Carrie knew exactly what Raphael had planned and she wasted no time in placed her boot on the log and Raphael stood back up, the bottom of her skirt still up and her rear end exposed to the cold.
As they engaged in their wild romp, Carrie rested her forehead on the barn, her thoughts drifting back to another time, and to another lover. She had been thinking about the similarities between Raphael's aggressiveness and Mark's domineering since her and Raphael's first encounter. Both made her feel dirty, very pleased and physically fulfilled, but that little nagging voice in her head that had always told her she needed more was starting to come back, and Carrie did everything in her power to block it out.
"Carrie? Carrie! Hey Girlie! Where are you?"
Carrie snapped out of her thoughts and lifted up her head, the beads of sweat vaporizing in the cold air.
"Oh... shit!" She stammered as she tried to regain her breath. "It's...Barry. You...you gotta get...out of here."
Raphael, who had stopped when he heard Barry's voice, threw Carrie an evil grin and slowly pushed himself back against her. Carrie moaned and bit her lip, her eyes growing wide as Barry called out again.
"Carrie! This isn't funny! We're a bit too old for hide and seek!"
"Raph! Come on!" Carrie whipped her head around, spitting out her hair as it hit her dry lips. "Either get off or get out!"
"But don't ya wanna see his face when he comes around that corner and sees ya gettin' screwed by a giant turtle?" Raphael whispered.
"No! Not really!" Carrie tried to pull her butt back but found Raphael's grasp too strong. "I mean it! Stop it!"
Raphael pushed her closer to the barn wall."I'll finish, but only if ya do somethin' for me."
Carrie sighed, her insides aching for a release. "Anything, just hurry!"
He leaned in closer, taking a few nibbles of her neck and ear before speaking.
"I want ya ta scream out my name."
"What!" Carrie sent her elbow into Raphael's chest in another attempt to free herself. "There is no way I'm-,"
"Nice and loud." Raphael put his hands going back under Carrie's blouse. "I want everyone ta hear ya."
As Carrie reached her climax and the sounds of Barry footsteps grew closer, she knew she had no other choice but to appease Raphael. She screamed out his name at the top of her lungs, then heard him chuckled as he whispered into her ear again.
"That a girl."
Carrie then slumped to the ground, her shaking legs bent under her, her head still leaned against the wall. Her deep breaths were shallow from the cold air that hit her lungs, the exhales coming out in great white clouds that disappeared in seconds. Carrie pushed her head back, glancing down at her bloody fingertips and the dozens of splinters that were poking out from under her nails. The sight made Carrie laugh slightly, but as footsteps rushed toward her, Carrie whipped her head around to make sure Raphael was out of sight.
"Carrie?" Barry skidded in the snow and dropped to her side, immediately taking her fingers into his hands. "Oh my god, what happened to you? I heard you scream and-,"
The color drained from Carrie's face as Barry looked around, his eyes stopping on the log that was still standing upright in the snow. He looked back at her, his dark brown eyebrows arched in a quizzical manner.
"I think I know exactly what was going on here."
"You-you do?" Carrie blinked her eyes, hoping that the hair in her face hid her horrified expression.
Barry brushed her bangs aside and patted her flushed cheeks. "Clumsy little Carrie, I know thee so well. You obviously fell and tried to catch yourself." Barry looked up and pointed to a metal beam that stuck out from the barn's back wall. "The question would be why you were standing on the log in the first place?"
Carrie's eyes drifted to the beam and said the first thing that popped into her head.
"Cat."
"A cat?" Barry repeated, his brow narrowing even more.
"Yeah!" Carrie nodded vigorously. "A wild cat. It was just sitting up there and I tried to reach up to recuse it-," Her finger jumped out of Barry's grasp and pointed at the log. "I couldn't reach, and-and my boot slipped!" She flashed Barry a wide smile, hoping that he fully bought her story.
"You and your animals." Barry shook his head and stood up, leaning over to pull Carrie to her feet. "Is it really worth killing yourself to save one?"
Carrie took Barry's hands and began to push herself up when she realized that her panties were still hanging around her left boot.
"Hey! Look! There is goes!" Carrie shoved her finger over Barry's shoulder toward the woods. As he turned completely around, Carrie bent down, removed her underwear and quickly shoved them into her jacket pocket just as Barry shifted back, the wide, innocent smile still on her flushed face.
"He's fast, huh? Oh, well!" Carrie shrugged her shoulders and turned Barry back around. "Anyway, I'll be inside in a minute. Go make yourself a latte or something!"
"But I've already had one!" Barry felt Carrie's hands suddenly shove him forward, almost sending him into the snow.
"A few more won't hurt!" Carrie waved him on, her smile still shining bright. "Go on! I'll be inside in a minute!"
After Barry shook his head and went back into the house, Raphael peered around the corner, still laughing from Carrie's performance.
"A wild cat, huh?" He chuckled.
Carrie glared at the turtle, the smile turning into a wicked grin as her legs began to shake again. "How did you finish without making any noise?"
Raphael copied Carrie's grin and gave her a wink. "I'm ninja, remember? Silence and stealth are my strong points. Maybe I could give ya a lesson in it sometime."
"Oh, please!" Carrie rolled her eyes and turned around, the satisfied smile lingering on her face as she walked back to the house.