Thanks for the reviews and continued support!
Chapter 6:Not Alone
Noelle thought it was impossible for the pain in her heart to increase any more than it already had.
But it did. And she was wrong.
All she could do was stare at Donnie, her mind jumbled together in a wave of chaos and disbelief. She felt like she couldn't breathe, and the fact that she was the central focus of the two turtles she was confined in a room with didn't help in the slightest. Her stomach tumbled around in a spiral of nausea, the all-too familiar feeling of piled stones returning, only now the feeling was far worse.
She felt like she was going to collapse.
The thick knot lodging itself in her throat wasn't helping.
Mikey watched as his friend's face turned sickly pale. Part of him was resentful towards the Kraang because of all the distress they had enforced on her. He usually wasn't a sullen person, but if one of his brothers or a friend was hurting in some way, he couldn't help but get a little protective. He didn't know Noelle that well, but he did understand that what she was currently going through was tearing her apart, and he wanted nothing more than to take her pain away.
He wished he could make her smile or laugh. He tentatively wanted to stand up and give her a hug, but something told him she wasn't used to interacting with people on a daily basis, especially ones she barely knew, so he forced himself to sit, unsure of what he could possibly say.
"Will-will they hurt or kill her?" Noelle finally managed to choke out, her throat feeling like it was going to close up.
Donnie rubbed the back of his neck. "I think that for the time being your mom is safe because they do need her alive to assist them. I've never really seen them physically torture or kill somebody, but they do have a lot of brain washing maneuvers that have turned other humans into mindless creatures that labor for them."
Her eyes widened in panic. The tears were building up, and she couldn't control it anymore.
Sensing her break down, Mikey rose off his bed and hesitantly placed a hand on Noelle's shoulder. "We'll get her back. Everything will be okay."
She wanted to believe him so badly, but the anxiety and fear was overwhelming her. She had to get out now.
"I'm sorry." It was all she could say before she rapidly ambled past Donnie and hurried out of the corridor.
Mikey's lips curled down at her exit before he glimpsed in an almost pleading manner at his older brother. "We can help her, right?"
Donnie sighed. "We will do the best we can. The only difference is that the Kraang were really after April, so they basically showed themselves to us in order to grab her. They not only want Noelle's mom, but Noelle as well, which makes our problem even more complicated. It's definitely possible to track the lair down, but Savannah will probably be much more complex to get to than Kirby."
The freckled terrapin remembered how devastated April was when she lost her dad, and he'd felt a great deal of remorse for her. The difference between her and Noelle though, was that April had actually cried in front of him and his brothers, and even allowed them to hug and comfort her. Noelle was much shyer and seemed to refuse to shed a single tear around anyone. He wondered what had happened to her, and if there was a chance he could help her open up.
"But there's something we can do, right?"
"I'll talk to Leo and Raph and see what they think. Give Noelle some time alone and then we'll figure out where to go from there."
Mikey fell back onto his bed with a groan. "That means I'll be bored again."
Donnie rolled his eyes and started exiting the room. "Go watch more of that mecha anime or read a comic book." He shut the door firmly behind him, as his brother's boredom was the least of his worries.
"But I've already seen and read them all," the orange-masked turtle quietly whined. He wished he could at least comfort Noelle by making her laugh or something.
He just couldn't understand why she wouldn't let anybody get close to her.
[][][]
She quickly descended the stairs, allowing the tears to slither down her face as she covered her mouth with both hands. Her cheeks felt like they were on fire, both from the salty tears and the humiliation she felt at almost breaking down in front of the two turtles. She tried to navigate through the lair with as much speed as possible before anybody spotted her and forced her to explain herself.
Unfortunately, she just wasn't fast enough.
"What troubles you my child?"
She stiffened and ceased all movement at Splinter's voice, which was full of concern and perception.
However, she didn't want to burden him with her petty tears and problems, so she wiped the wet trails away and took a deep breath to try and rid herself of the tightness in her air passage. "Nothing, sir." Her voice sound weak, shaky and pathetic.
"Please, just call me Splinter or Sensei, whichever you prefer." He stepped closer to the blonde girl, his ears twitching at every unsteady breath she inhaled. "Now, would you mind actually telling me what's wrong?"
He seemed to be very compassionate, but she hesitated all the same. The only person she felt even remotely comfortable bearing her feelings to were her grandma and uncle, and even that happened on only rare occasions. She supposed that since he had so kindly taken her into his home, he deserved at least an answer as to why she was acting so disconcerted.
She took a deep breath to steady her voice. "Donnie discovered that my mom is going to be used by the Kraang to take over the world, and I'm scared that they'll hurt her." More tears gathered in front of her irises. All she wanted to do was just conceal herself away from everybody.
Splinter eventually drew close enough that he could place a three fingered hand on top of her head, causing her to gaze up at him with red-rimmed eyes. He felt saddened that this young woman had been through so much within a day, not to mention whatever had happened to her earlier in life that caused such solitude and dejection. "Please, come with me," was all he said before he backed off and started heading in the opposite direction. Curious and confused as to what he had in mind, Noelle followed him.
He guided her to the dojo, which was now desolate in Leo's absence. She found herself admiring the great tree that stood in the center of the room, growing magnificently beneath a wide ray of sunshine. It was beautifully fascinating, and something she would actually like to paint someday, but she forced herself to break away her stare and focus instead on what Splinter wanted to show her.
They stopped before a high shelf, where he grabbed a picture frame and brought it down. He handed it to Noelle, who painstakingly took the item and studied the image with great detail.
"That's me, my wife Tang-Shen, and our daughter, Miwa." His voice held great remorse, and when Noelle peered into his eyes she saw heartache. "My wife was murdered by an evil man who now calls himself the Shredder. He claimed to love her, yet he killed her in cold blood and stole our daughter away from me, letting me believe that our baby girl had also died."
Noelle studied the family in the picture. "Is your daughter safe?" she reticently inquired, hoping that she wasn't prying too much into his business.
His ears flattened, and for a moment she was worried that she had upset him. "She is," he replied. "However, she is under the Shredder's command. He has brainwashed her into thinking that I am the one who killed her mother, just like he made her believe that he is her real father."
[Tristan and Isolde: The Queen's Funeral]
"That's awful!" Noelle gasped. She couldn't even envision how difficult that was for him to face.
He nodded, and held out his hands as she placed the frame back into his palms. "She goes by the name Karai now. Leonardo is trying to convince her that she is fighting for the wrong person, that I am her father. He seems to have developed a strong bond with her, and yet she refuses to see the truth. I cannot blame her though, for it is not an easy thing to be told that the man who raised you is not your real father, but the murderer of your mother. She must have difficulties as well." He arranged the photo back on the shelf and sighed as he trailed his fingers over the image.
"I'm sorry," Noelle apologized, her emerald orbs cast down and bounding with guilt.
Splinter turned around and looked at her with benevolence. "My child, I did not tell you that story so you could pity me. I wanted to let you know that you are not alone, for I understand how you feel. Our circumstances may be different, but we have both dealt with losing the ones we love. Also," he laid a hand on her shoulder, "it is perfectly okay to cry. Don't ever feel like you have to be alone."
His words were enough to break down one of her walls as the tears uncontrollably poured out. "I've just-I've always cried alone. My parents never paid attention to me and after the divorce I stopped talking to people and allowed myself to escape through art. I don't really know how to act in front of people now. Mikey said earlier that we were friends, and that meant so much to me, but I don't know if I deserve it when I've pushed myself so far away from everybody. Now my mom is gone and I just want to find her and talk to her because I miss her and I'm scared!" She sobbed hysterically and covered her face with her hands.
Splinter reached forward and pulled her face into his stomach, his arms wrapped securely around her as she wept and allowed herself to be vulnerable for the first time in years. He lowered his head and held her in a fatherly embrace, his heart breaking for the poor child who had been through so much.
"I'm sorry." Her words came out muffled as her shoulders shook, humiliated that she had let herself lose control of her emotions in front of him, especially when she now knew that he had his own problems to work through.
"Never apologize. You are among friends here, and we will all help you."
"But your family-"
"Is here. I have four wonderful sons, and slowly but surely I believe Miwa is starting to open her heart to the possibility of me being her father. Life can be challenging at times, but things will always get better."
She peered at him with watery eyes, her cheeks crimson and wet. "You really think so?"
"I do," he confirmed with a smile. "Worrying will solve nothing. We will find your mother, but we need to be careful and come up with a plan first."
Noelle rubbed her tears away, the stress and anxiety dissipating at how confident his words were. She was still upset, but being consoled by another had mentally eased her enough that she made a mental promise to herself to get back on her feet and do whatever she could to assist in rescuing her mom.
"Yes, Sensei."
[+]
[][][]
After her discussion with Splinter, they agreed that her first action should be checking in on her grandma, followed by alerting her dad of the current situation. She'd been escorted back to her room by the kind rat, who promised to have a discussion with her and his sons later on after family matters had been sorted out. The only person she'd seen on the way back to her alcove was Leo, but he'd seemed completely engrossed by some space show on the TV. Of that she was rather grateful, as she still felt rather embarrassed about her little breakdown.
Noelle lay back on her bed with all the lights on and her head supported by two pillows. She dialed Uncle Nick's number since Sandra didn't have a cell phone. After only two rings she heard a click.
"Hello?"
She smiled, relieved to hear her grandma's voice. "Hi grandma. It's Noelle."
"Oh hunny, I'm so glad you're okay! Are your new friends treating you well enough?"
"Yes. They've all been so kind to me, and I met their father too. I think you would really like him. "
"I'm sure I would. How are you feeling?"
Noelle paused, wondering how she should answer that question. She really was feeling better, but she was also still rather troubled over everything that had happened. Sandra was a very understanding person who knew Noelle's personality and thoughts better than anybody else. If Noelle lied to her, then Sandra would know.
"Things are hard right now, but my friends have been so supportive to me and are coming up with a plan to get Mom back."
This time it was her grandma who seemed hesitant. "I'm glad, but how? Do you know where she is?"
"We don't exactly know where she is, but we do know who has her."
"Sweetheart, I'm worried. Are you sure you don't want to call the police? This is serious."
Noelle bit her lip. "I'm sure grandma. Please trust me. The guys who kidnapped Mom aren't normal, and the police can't handle them. The people I'm with know a lot about these individuals."
Sandra sighed. "This whole thing still makes me nervous, but I know you're a bright girl. Just be safe and call me when you can, okay?"
"I will Grandma. Love you."
"Love you too sweetie."
And with that the conversation was over. She felt terrible that she couldn't really reveal to her grandma just how dire the situation was, but how was she supposed to explain that a group of aliens wanted to use her mom to take over the Earth and the only chance she had at saving her was by trusting in four turtles and their rat father?
She took a deep breath and prepared herself for the next phone call she had to make. She wasn't sure if her dad would answer, much less where he was. Sometimes he'd be on the other side of the world or on a plane, and on the rare occasion that he was home he was so involved in his work that he didn't hear the phone at all.
He had to answer this time though, or else she didn't know what she would do.
She pressed his name and tried to be patient as the phone rang. After four rings, she heard the sound of the phone being picked up.
"Noelle?'
Thank goodness for caller id. "Hi dad. Is now a bad time? I have something really important to talk to you about."
"Oh, uh, I guess not. Sure. What's up?"
She knew he was probably in the middle of working on something, but he had to know what was going on. "Dad, mom's been kidnapped."
The line went silent. "What do you mean?"
"When I was walking home last night a group of men tried to grab me but were stopped by some of my friends. They took me home and when we arrived the whole place was a mess with the clear signs of a struggle."
She heard a sharp inhale. "Do you know why or who these people are? Are you okay?"
"I know who they are but not entirely why." Once again, Noelle felt guilty for having to lie. "I'm really upset but I'm doing the best I can."
"Well that's good then."
She sighed, as things were really not alright and she'd hoped he would have offered to help her. If he wasn't going to make the suggestion, then she would. "Dad, can I stay with you for a while?"
"Well, I guess so. I'll be out of town tomorrow night for a big project I'm working on, and I'm not sure when I'll be back, but I'll be home tonight. When were you planning to come over?"
She contemplated over when she should arrive. She had to go home and grab a couple more things before heading to his place, but she wasn't sure on the best method to getting there. She didn't want to walk by herself with so much stuff on her, especially after the experience from the previous evening, but maybe she could take a cab and just use the money she'd been saving up for new art supplies. "How about between six and seven? Would that be okay?"
"Sure. I'll order some take out for us okay?"
She smiled, excited that her and her dad would have the chance to finally enjoy a meal together after so long. "Sounds good. Thank you dad."
"No problem kiddo. I'll see you later. "
"Bye dad."
Well, that certainly went better then she expected. Even though Felix was her father, she still didn't know how to talk to him half the time. He wasn't a big talker, and he had made it fairly obvious that his work meant a great deal more to him than going out and socializing with people. He'd never gone to her school conferences or taken her out to a museum. She wondered if he even knew that she was into art and practiced it on a daily basis. She didn't have high hopes that meaningful conversations would take place, especially since he would be off traveling again, but the idea of her being able to see him for more than just the two days of every other month she was accustomed propelled a minuscule wave of excitement through her veins.
She peeked at her cell's clock and read that the time was only a little after one. Since she had a few hours left before going home, she decided to find both Donnie and Mikey so she could apologize for her earlier behavior. She hadn't meant to just walk out on them, but when it came to situations like that she wasn't sure what else to do. Thanks to Splinter she had been able to calm down enough to where she could phone both of her family members and keep her composure.
There was a sudden knocking sound on the other side of her door. She set her phone down, curious as to who was outside her room. "You can come in," she invited in a soft voice.
The door swung open and Mikey entered with his hands behind his back and a suspicious smile on his face. Noelle inquisitively watched him as he sauntered over to her bed and stood in front of her.
"Hey, so I was wondering if maybe you could draw something really cool for me."
She tilted her head to the side in curiosity. "Oh, of course. It's the least I can do after you helped me out. What would you like me to draw?"
His grin widened in excitement as he pulled out a magazine from behind his back and held it out to her so that the cover was directly in front of her face. An enormous creature that appeared to be a combination of a buffalo and baboon towered threateningly over a crowd of terrified people while one man was in the process of leaping upward to deliver a kick to its uniquely designed face.
"Can you make it so I'm the one about to kick his butt? It would be so cool! I'll even do some posing stuff for you if you want!" To demonstrate, he struck multiple fighting positions, each one barely two seconds long as he transitioned to the next one in an outbreak of thrilled eagerness. He seemed to be enjoying himself so much that Noelle just didn't have the heart to tell him to stop. She merely watched him, entertained by his erratic movements and jovial expression.
He finally slowed down and stared at her with pleading eyes. "So can you do it?"
She finally smiled, delighted at the idea of being able to try something new. "I will."
"Yes! Sweet!" He pumped a fist into the air and began humming an unfamiliar catchy sound that she knew would end up stuck in her head at some point.
Her smile faded as thoughts from that morning entered her mind. She didn't want to lessen his mood, but she felt she should say something before she even thought about proceeding through the day like nothing had happened. "Hey, Mikey-"
"Hey Noelle!" The energetic turtle bounced onto the bed next to her, beaming like he'd just won a lifetime of pizza. "What's up?"
The blonde teen diffidently played with her ponytail, trying to think of the best way she could apologize. She was freezing up again, allowing her timid nature to get the best of her. She calmed her nerves with a deep breath and faced him. She had no reason to fear talking to him.
"I'm really sorry."
He looked confused. "For what? I'm not worried about you messing up the picture or anything. You've got mad skills!"
She was flattered, but that just added to the guilt. "No, I rudely left you and Donnie earlier. I'm sorry, I just-"
"Needed to get away?" he finished with an understanding smile, not appearing the slightest bit angry.
She intertwined her fingers and bashfully regarded him with regretful verdant orbs. "I didn't mean to."
Mikey shook his head. "Nah, don't worry. I totally get it. I mean, even I need to get out sometimes."
This shocked her. "You do?"
"Well sure! You try being in here with an angry mutant buffalo like Raph all day!" He grinned when she laughed into her hand. "Anyways, just know that you're not alone. I mean, me and my bros really are here for ya. Our friend April had her dad kidnapped twice and we helped her out. Actually, I think she's coming over later if you wanna talk to her about it."
So somebody else had experienced the same thing as her? Noelle's face brightened as she nodded. "Thank you. Maybe I will."
"Thata' girl! So, whatcha wanna do? I'm bored outta my mind, yo!"
"Well..." she thought about it for a second before she realized that maybe Mikey could help her out. She hated to asked him for even more assistance, but it would definitely make things easier. "...would you mind showing me back to my apartment? I'm going to stay at my dad's and I need to pack."
The freckled teen looked absolutely elated. "Sweet! More exploring of your place huh? I'll help carry some of your stuff and then we can come back. April will probably be here when we return. "
"Oh no, you don't have to help. I'm okay."
"But I'm so bored!" he complained again. "Seriously! I just wanna get outta here and find something to do. Besides, things will move faster with two people, right?"
She considered the idea. "I suppose so. Are you sure?"
"Well, yeah! Let's go, girl!"
Noelle couldn't help giggling over his cheerfully animated behavior. She wished that she could be as lively as him, but she supposed that that was what made Mikey, well, Mikey. "Okay, thank you. I'm ready."
[][][]
After gaining Splinter's approval to venture to the surface, they trekked through the tunnels. Since Noelle didn't have a clue on how to navigate the city from below ground, she allowed her reptilian friend to guide her through the sewer system. He was pumped to be able to get out of the lair, and not have to deal with his brothers' boring attitudes. He understood that they all had their own thing going on, but there were only so many times he could watch an episode of his favorite TV show or reread a comic before he grew disinterested in everything.
"I mean, it's like they hate hanging out with me or something, which is weird because I'm the one who likes to have fun, ya know?" He flung his hands up. "I don't get it! Why are they so boring?"
"I don't think they're boring, and I like hanging out with you." Noelle wasn't used to having somebody vent to her,and while he was just confused and not angry, she was still fearful that she might say the wrong thing. Instead, she decided to appease to both sides, as she didn't want to badmouth the other terrapins when she really liked all of them.
"And that's why we're buddies!" Mikey exclaimed with a pleased grin while he looked up to see what numbered tunnel they were at. "Oh, I think we're almost there! Let's go up this way." He bounded over to a ladder and proceeded to climb it, while Noelle followed closely behind. He paused at the top and scantily lifted the manhole cover up to make sure the coast was clear. When he didn't notice anybody nearby, he fully pushed the cover off and shifted himself onto the ground, waiting for Noelle to follow him.
When she was also out of the sewers, he placed the cover back over the gap and hunched down like he had the previous day. "All aboard the Mikey express!"
She stifled a giggle and climbed on, her arms securing themselves around his upper plastron just as he vaulted them up and onto a nearby fire escape. She focused on the ground decreasing in size and the obliviousness of pedestrians as they carried on with their day. The duo dangled off the side while he used his upper body strength to carry them to the top of the building. When they reached the apex of the structure, he took off running so he could gain enough speed to cross over building gaps.
"How are you able to jump so easily, especially when somebody is on your back?" she inquired, curiosity getting the better of her.
"Years of training, sista! Master Splinter is da bomb!" He was talking and jumping around like he was only taking a brisk stroll. "You know though, maybe Sense can train you too. I mean, he's already training April so I don't see why he can't teach you."
Up until that point, Noelle hadn't even considered the possibility of her learning the art of Ninjitsu. It wasn't a bad idea though, and one she would seriously have to think about. She hated that she couldn't even defend herself last night, so maybe her gaining knowledge on the tactics of self defense would prove to be useful in case the Kraang creatures decided to go after her again.
"Well, I suppose so. I don't want to be any trouble though."
"Dude, you're no trouble at all! I mean, Sensei already likes you because of the art stuff, so I'm sure it'll be no biggy if he teaches you." He vaulted across another gap before he slowed down to a halt. "Woot! We're here. Thanks for riding the Mikey express." He cheerfully crouched down so she could easily climb off.
[Inside Out: Tears of Joy]
After she thanked him, they descended down some stairs until they reached her kitchen entrance. Her heart pounded as she pulled the door open and entered the disheveled space, trying not to imagine the struggle that occurred while her eyes traveled over the broken dishware and turned over chairs. She constrained herself to proceed past the mess and focus on packing so she could get away from what remained of a dismal memory, unaware of Mikey closely watching her in case she became upset.
His lively attitude returned when they reached her room, as he now had a better chance to examine everything. "Okay, so show me some stuff you've done!"
Amused and humbled by his desire to understand her art, she decided to put off packing for a second and appease to his inquisitive nature. "Alright, I do have some sketchbooks you can look at if you want." She reached into her desk and pulled out three broad books, two of which were blue and the other ebony. He greedily grabbed the chunks of cramped paper and plopped down onto her desk chair, hastily flipping the first one open and already looking impressed.
"Woah! You're like the next Shakespeare!"
This time she did giggle as she rummaged through her closet and began pulling out a week's worth of clothes. "Shakespeare wasn't an artist, he was a writer."
"Writing is considered an art form though, right?"
She dropped some clothes onto her bed and paused in thought. "You know, you're actually right. I should've realized that."
"See, people say I'm dumb but I'm really a genius." He tapped a finger against the side of his side, simpering and looking rather pleased with himself.
At that moment, Noelle came to a surprising conclusion. Mikey was more outgoing than she was, and even though he lived with three other brothers, he seemed almost as lonely as her. He always had a smile on his face, but that didn't mean that people insulting his intelligence or calling him annoying didn't hurt his feelings. She understood that when it came to thinking, it wasn't in the same logical way as most other people, but there wasn't anything wrong with that. To her, he was interesting because he had an open mind and saw the world differently, almost like her.
Her timid demeanor faltered. "You know what I think?"
"What?" He continued focusing on the pages, gaping in awe at all the images.
"I don't think you're dumb at all."
Mikey tore his eyes away from the book, staring at her in surprise. "Woah, seriously? I mean, Master Splinter has told me that I'm actually pretty smart, but I don't know if he means it."
"You're not dumb." She made sure that she looked very serious, because she was. He didn't seem to hear that enough, and it saddened her that somebody so kind was constantly being put down. "I think you have a beautiful mind." Her cheeks heated as the bashfulness settled in. She hoped she didn't sound silly to him.
He blinked in disbelief before his mouth stretched into a wide grin. "You're pretty rad, Noelle. Thanks." He walked over to her and pointed to one of the picture's she sketched within the book, which was of a human girl and boy sitting on a park bunch with a kitty. "Look, it's us with Ice Cream Kitty if we weren't mutated, not that you are or anything, but if you were this would totally be us in human form!"
Noelle stared at the picture before she burst into laughter. It was the most genuine laugh she'd had in years, and it was one of the best sounds Mikey had ever heard. It was the sound of a sad girl who he'd made happy, if but for a moment, so he decided to make the occasion last as long as possible by joining in with her.
He hoped he got to hear such a joyful sound from her more often.
[+]
