DISCLAIMER – Well, for now, I seem to have broken through that wall of Writer's Block! Yippee! The story and Beth are mine; all others belong to someone else.
As for "Pick a Finger", it's a phrase that my son created, to throw back at his fellow workers when they 'give him a bad time'. It keeps his language clean, yet says it like it is. When he told me about it, I couldn't help but laugh. Had to use it somehow with Raph. Ah, think of it as 'the one finger salute', kind of the way Raph 'pointed' out the location of the second squeak in the stairs in Chapter 3. Implied vulgarity, in other words. For Raph, it fits and helps me to keep from spelling it out, too. LOL
CHAPTER 10 – Somebody Shut Her Up!
Unable to stop staring and with her back flattened up against the interior wall of the sub car; Beth struggled for air. The girl had just ended with a wild and nearly hysterical round of screaming, at one point nearly passing out from hyperventilating.
For the moment, her exertion had left her spent and exhausted. Although she tried to will herself to calm down, her mind whirred and buzzed with a thousand unanswered questions to the validity of what stood before her.
She hoped the shadows in the dimly lit room were playing with her mind, allowing her to see monsters where there was none. In all honestly, Beth hoped she was only having a nightmare.
Nevertheless, as she stared in disbelief at the rat, the girl was beginning to conclude that she was, indeed, not asleep, but – quite literally – she was very much awake. The more she realized and began to accept this fact as true, the faster her heart beat against her chest.
As for Splinter, the poor old rat sighed deeply in relief for what was surely a brief abeyance. His hearing buzzed from the fallout of riotous noise and, for a moment, he hoped that, maybe now, the girl would let him explain where she was.
Yet, just as he opened his muzzle to speak and before he could say even a single a word, Beth's eyes widened in terrifying fright - again.
Splinter groaned, realizing his mistake, ceasing all movement for the time being. It was becoming obvious to him that, if he stayed absolutely still and said nothing, there was a good chance the girl would realize he was not a threat to her. Otherwise, she just might pass out.
Then again, as he thought about it, having her keel over might be better than listening to her shriek.
Just the same, he watched and cringed, hoping her exhaustion would be greater than her need to scream. Yet, as she drew up yet another deep terrified breath, the rat resigned himself to the inevitable.
As expected, she began another rendition of 'Banshee of the Sewers'.
Pinning his ears back in reflex, Splinter could only cringe - again.
She was certain the monster had bared his teeth at her. Now, Beth tried to get even further away from the creature. Already pressed hard into the wall, she attempted to climb it vertically, instead. Unfortunately, footholds were minimal, at best. Each time she would dig her heels into the contours of the wall, she would slip back down to onto the mattress. However, every attempt would cause the bed to shift slightly from its corner position.
For the moment, Beth was unaware of it.
Seeing the girl out of control for a second time, Splinter grimaced under her verbal assault. He exercised a light form of meditation to remain calm, as Beth's stentorious voice pierced through him. He knew that, at least for now, she had to vent whatever terror still seized her mind. It was obvious to him, whatever it was that had controlled her dreams was currently influencing her waking.
As the creature stood there, looking at her, all Beth could do was to scream and try to climb the wall in pure terror to get away. Yet, her eyes could not stop staring at the huge, hairy beast in front of her. With his big ears, hairless tail, and overgrown size, the strange being was now her primary focus. Had it not been for the nightmare she awakened from a moment earlier, Beth might have handled the situation a bit better.
For one, she might not have screamed so loudly.
As it was, though, the moment she awoke, the instant her eyes snapped open, her 'fight or flight' response fully engaged. Where she could do neither and where she felt completely trapped inside the unfamiliar room, she did the next best thing.
The problem was she simply could not justify what she was looking at. No matter how hard she tried to convince herself that it was not real, the creature refused to go away, to disappear within the nether reaches of her obviously disturbed mind.
Now, instead of the human monster of her nightmares, Beth had to deal with a monster of a very different variety. Consequently, with her mind and eyes focused on just the rat, those standing around the furry abomination went unnoticed.
Hence, the girl failed to see the more familiar, turtle-like creatures in orange and purple that stood next to the one that riveted her attention.
As he stood there and cringed throughout Beth's resonating caterwaul, poor Mike could only wring his hands in nervous anxiety. He desperately wanted to be somewhere else entirely – somewhere peaceful. In desperation, he looked over at his sensei, feeling almost as terrified as the girl was.
Speaking loudly over her deafening clamor, Mike exclaimed nervously to his father, "Sensei, we gotta do something. She's going to bring all of New York in here if we don't!"
"I am well aware of this, Michelangelo." Splinter replied, sighing, "But if any of us attempt to restrain her now, I fear her mental stability might succumb."
Don's voice then rose above the din, "I think we're going to have to dart her, again, Master."
Splinter looked back at his son and remarked, "Not as strong, this time, Donatello. We need only to help her calm down."
"What I was thinking, Sensei." Receiving an approving nod from the rat, the turtle quickly left, leaving his father and two brothers alone with the nearly hysterical girl.
As her screams declined a little and their voracity weakened, Beth noticed Donatello's departure. Consequently, her squalls quieted even more. However, all she saw was a quick departure of purple and green, appearing to move quicker than she thought humanly possible. It was what grabbed her attention and caused her to ask herself silently how anyone could do that?
Therefore, she was distracted, causing her to truncate her vocalized fright.
Yet, as quickly as Don had left, another presence came into view, except this one wore blue. For an instant, Beth thought she recognized him.
Just as her panic eased up, though, she found herself suddenly gasping for air. Hyperventilating once again, she was realizing too late that she had neglected to breath. As a result, she began to feel light-headed and then dizzy, causing her knees to buckle beneath her. Before she could catch herself, Beth found herself falling and collapsing onto the bed, her back landing hard against the wall.
In the moment she crumpled, the force from her fall moved the bed even further from the corner. Thus, Beth lost her balance and slipped off the back of the mattress. Falling unceremoniously to the floor, she landed on her back, stuck between bed and wall and, now, hidden from view.
Nevertheless, a sudden silence now deafened the room. Shocked and surprised by what had happened, the girl's screaming came to an abrupt and, for those victimized, happy ending.
Yet, the moment Beth fell in behind the bed, a rush of green and blue whipped around Splinter and Mike. Despite his own injuries, Leonardo sprinted over and onto the bed.
Moments earlier, he had stood transfixed with astonishment and concern while listening to Beth's reaction to the rat. He could certainly appreciate her shock, where he, likewise, felt the same only a couple of hours earlier. Yet, the girl's reaction had still surprised him.
Recalling how she had helped him earlier, Leo now seemed drawn to reciprocate the girl's kindness. Consequently, when he saw her bleeding and then when she fell behind the bed, he could not help but to rush to her aid.
As for Beth, she had been so traumatized with seeing Splinter, that she had not realized she was hurt – until now. Now, as she lay behind the bed on the floor and on her back, she felt a sudden sharp pain in her side. She quickly pressed a hand against the offending area. However, she gasped in surprise as she felt a warm sticky wetness. In alarm and as if she had just touched the metal plate of a hot iron, Beth pulled her hand away. Her eyes went saucer-size at the sight of the red liquid glazing her fingers and palm.
It was blood.
However, before she could cry out in alarm, a green face peered down at her from above. Wrapped around the face, the creature had a blue bandanna, with holes cut out where the eyes were. Whomever it belonged to was apparently on his knees and leaning over the bed where she had fallen. As she looked up, Beth noticed the caring expression of the eyes behind the mask.
Next, a three-fingered hand extended towards her, accompanied by a vaguely familiar baritone voice.
"Are you all right? Here, let me help you," it said softly.
At first, the girl pulled away out of reflex, throwing her hands up as if defending herself. She cowed, almost shyly, as she turned her face away from the strange creature. So much had happened in only a few minutes, she was afraid that, if she saw anything more, she would go catatonic.
"Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you," the creature said compassionately, "Do you remember when you helped me?"
Curious, Beth cautiously turned back to look at the creature, peering at him between her hands. As she gazed up at him, he seemed familiar to her. Finally, nodding mutely, she studied him and recognized that he was, indeed, the very one who had slept on her couch. Recognizing his injuries, she knew that he was the one she had discovered bleeding in the alley near her apartment. How long ago, she could not say, but then she had just woken up. Therefore, it was anyone's guess how much time had actually passed.
Had so much elapsed that he was now well? If so, did that mean she had gone catatonic, once again, and longer than normal this time?
For that matter, and as she looked around, Beth wondered where exactly she was.
Nothing appeared familiar to her.
"Wh- where am I?" she asked in a small, hesitant voice, her eyes flitting around nervously.
"I think you're in my home. That's what I've been told, anyway, but – it seems my memory is a bit vague for the moment," the one with the blue mask replied. He smiled softly, further explaining, "Splinter says I have amnesia."
"Why – am I here, though?" was Beth's next question. She gulped nervously, not sure if she was safe or in danger.
"Hmm…that I don't know. I only found out a moment ago that you were even here." Leo looked down at the girl's midsection, noting the blood on her blouse. "But, it looks as if you've been hurt."
Beth's attention was riveted back to the pain in her side again. She grimaced. "Yeah," she finally mumbled, "I think you're right." She looked back up at him, mesmerized with his face, his smile, and the kind concern he expressed through his eyes. "How was I hurt, though?"
A voice she did not recognize, came to her ears, "If you will cease your screaming, child, and allow us to explain, you will know."
Since she was behind the bed and lying on the floor along the wall, Beth was unable to see who had just spoken. "Who - was that?" she asked the one in blue, looking fearfully up at him.
Leo replied, shrugging, "Supposedly, my father, even though he doesn't look at all like me." He then leaned in just a little, whispering, "I think I'm adopted!" He grinned, then, as if he had just shared a joke with the girl.
She gave a small smiled in response. Then, remembering what he had just said and recalling what she had just seen only moments earlier, Beth softly inquired, "Would – he be the – rat monster?" She swallowed nervously, again, as her eyes widened ever so slightly. Beth was not sure, now, if she wanted to get up, not if it meant having to look at the overgrown rodent, again.
"Well, yes, but his name is Master Splinter. He's quite harmless, really; very nice, in fact." Leo cocked his head to one side, as he added, "Makes a decent cup of tea, too." Then he smiled again.
Beth returned the expression, if only because she could not help it. For some odd reason, the one in blue seemed to be doing that to her. However, realizing her compromising position, she blushed. Having this pleasant, though strange looking, creature peer down at her and at such a close range, seemed a little unsettling.
However, ignoring the girl's obvious embarrassment, Leo reiterated his offer, extending his hand once again to her, "Here, want some help getting up?"
Hesitantly, Beth accepted, allowing the creature's green hand to close around her own. She saw how the pale white of her skin nearly radiated light against the green embrace of his. Yet, what startled her more, was how easily his hand dwarfed hers, as he effortlessly and gently pulled her out from behind the bed.
Bracing her feet underneath her, she now stood up and realized that she was in full view of those that were in the room.
Seeing the rat again and out of reflex, she slammed hard against the wall for a second time. Still, the one who held her hand did not let go. As Beth looked at where the rat stood, she could now see another like the one who had a hold of her. This second one was smiling as well. His white teeth nearly gleamed with its own radiance as he stood where the light of the room did not reach. It piqued her curiosity where his grin vaguely reminded her of someone or something familiar. However, where the shadows dulled Mikey's orange mask, Beth was unable to discern its vibrant hue. Therefore, she did not recognize him as the one she saw before passing out in her apartment.
"Don't be afraid, okay? You're safe here – honest." Leo encouraged gently as he knelt in front of her.
The girl then asked him, nodding towards Splinter and keeping her voice soft, "Does he – bite?"
Although Beth did try to keep her voice low, Splinter still overheard her question.
As calmly as he could, the rat replied with a noticeable edge to his words, "No, I do not!" Splinter remained where he was, however, and decided not to advance towards the woman, but to allow her to calm down under the guidance of his eldest son. The master was pleased to see that, despite Leonardo's obvious amnesia, his innate desire to help was still a viable part of his personality.
The rat sighed and hoped that it was a sign of improvement.
Just the same, however, Splinter's nose easily took in Beth's presence. Directing his words to her, he invited kindly, "Maybe, when you are better, you would like to 'freshen' up in our bathroom?"
Beth was still unable to fathom the idea that the creature in blue could speak. Therefore, it seemed equally bizarre that this even stranger entity had the same capabilities.
Yet, it was obvious to her that these 'mutations of nature' were quite intelligent.
Consequently, she felt obliged to answer, "Yes, that would be – nice, I guess."
Huffing a bit, the rat replied dryly, "Indeed it would be."
He then studied this human, this girl who obviously harbored many debilitating psychoses. He could sense her now-subdued panic and easily discerned the feeling of terror from her dream. Nevertheless, Splinter was unable to get anything more than just a disjointed feeling from it. It was as if somewhere, somehow, an event in this mentally frail woman had altered whatever course her life would have taken otherwise. Consequently, his current irritation with her subsided, replaced with a bit of empathy for the girl.
"Possibly you would like to remove yourself from behind the bed and maybe visit the rest of our home?" He watched with twitching whiskers and waited for the girl's response, adding, "Possibly you would also enjoy a cup of my tea?"
Beth looked to Leo, who was still holding her hand while kneeling on the bed to her right. He smiled at her encouragingly and nodded, telling her, with that gesture alone, that it was a good idea.
In answer to the rat's invitation, Beth cautiously stepped up onto the bed, yet still mindful of her sore side.
Her benefactor rose up to stand with her, gently helping so that she would not aggravate her wound any further. Leading the way, Leo then assisted Beth across the bed, preceding her to the other side as he stepped carefully down from the mattress and onto the floor. Gingerly, Beth followed him off the bed to stand beside him.
Unfortunately, the movement jarred her already tender side, causing her to grimace from the pain.
As a result, her knees buckled a little, forcing her to sit upon the edge of the mattress.
"Guess I'm a bit sore," Beth remarked, frowning a little. The pain was now becoming more of a concern for her than her fear of the rat. She closed her eyes for a second to bear against it and then, as she opened them again, she saw another turtle walk into the sub car. He seemed to be carrying something in one hand. However, before Beth could determine what it was, he shoved it into a small pouch on his belt. She noticed that all three of the turtle-like creatures wore a belt of some type with similar pouches, yet it seemed rather comical to her that they would even need it.
Who would think that turtles would wear a belt?
"Guess she won't need this," Don mused under his breath, thankful the girl did not see the dart he had been carrying. He then gave Beth a thoughtful look.
"No, she will not, Donatello, but you will need to address her injury, again." Master Splinter remarked and, as he looked over at the girl, he said to her, "My son will need to re-bandage your wound. He is very skilled in this area."
As Splinter said this, Don slowly and carefully moved around his father. Grabbing the first aid kit from off the top of the nearby dresser, Don stepped over towards the girl.
Seeing the turtle approach her, Beth startled and tried to scramble back onto the bed. However, the hand that held hers gave a reassuring squeeze. Leo softly encouraged her as he wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders to keep her steady, "It's all right. He's – my brother."
Don hesitated for a moment to allow his brother to assure the girl. It was apparent to him that the bleeding had stopped, yet it was also imperative the wound be dressed again. Just the same, he waited as he watched and listened while the girl's attention was temporarily distracted from him.
Looking over at the one in blue, Beth noticed the same kind expression in Leo's eyes. She saw him smile once more and wondered if he was always this pleasant. She finally asked what she had wanted to know from the very beginning, when she watched him sleeping upon her couch, "What – is your name?"
"Leo or Leonardo. At least, that is what my father, Master Splinter, told me," he replied and then asked her, "What is yours?"
Shyly ducking her head a little, the girl sheepishly replied, "Beth."
While his brother and Beth interacted, Don reached out with his senses and saw a remarkable reduction in the girl's fear. Usually Mike was the one to put people at ease and not Leo. Leo was all business and more concerned with intent rather than purpose, seeing anyone they rescued as potential enemies. Yet, his current amnesia had obviously changed that part of his personality.
It would certainly prove interesting in the days ahead what other changes were in store for the clan.
As Leo looked his way, Don proceeded towards the girl once again.
As the one in purple came up to them, Leo introduced her, "Beth, this is Donatello."
She looked at him and received a small reassuring smile from the turtle in the violet mask. Then, she heard him say, "You can call me Don; everyone else does – except for Master Splinter."
"Yeah, Splinter's big on formalities!" an unfamiliar voice said, sounding quite bouncy and cheerful. He then added, "To him I'm Michelangelo, but you can call me Mikey." A turtle, much like the others only shorter, stepped out from the shadows. Now, light washed over him, clearly allowing the girl to see his face. He cocked his head just a bit and grinned, quite relieved that their guest had ceased her screaming.
However, Beth quickly recognized the one who had spoken. The orange mask brought it all back to her.
In an abrupt change in demeanor, she suddenly exclaimed, "YOU!" Her eyes flashed angrily, "You were in my apartment. You broke into my home!" Discontent now edged her words, her voice changing from that of a frightened young woman to one who was thoroughly irate. "You violated me!" she accused as her eyes narrowed threateningly.
Completely taken by surprise, Michelangelo stepped back. His smile now gone, Mike was unsure of where this confrontation was heading. He placed a hand across his plastron, grinning weakly as he said, "I – I can explain that, really I can." He gulped nervously as he saw the girl's face darken. He then looked with pleading eyes to his brothers and his father for help.
"You BETTER do some explaining." Beth countered, "What you did was against the law. Breaking and entering is punishable to up to ten years in the state penitentiary." She was livid, thoroughly and completely vexed with the poor turtle.
Don blinked and straightened up just a little, asking her, "And how would you know that?"
Hardening her gaze on him, she quickly recalled that he was one of three who had broken into her apartment. Therefore, Beth hotly replied, her temper flaring, "Because, my father was a lawyer. I would have become one, as well, except…" she paused for a moment, collecting herself, only to say, "Except I didn't." She swallowed and looked away for a moment. Then, rounding her gaze back over to Mike, she reiterated her declaration, "Doesn't matter, I know the law and you broke it!"
All the commotion between Beth's screams, her sudden silence, and now her verbal complaint, had drawn Raphael out from his bedroom.
As Beth finished her accusations and as she sat there defiantly, Raphael eased up behind his father. He looked hard at this woman, who was just now realizing his presence.
Beth was certain he had not been there a second before. Yet, there he was, seemingly appearing out of thin air. "How did he do that?" she wondered to herself.
Just the same and as she recalled the event in her apartment, Beth remembered there was a fourth turtle - the one in red. "And you, too! How dare you break into my home!" she accused him tempestuously.
Taken aback by Beth's rashness, Raphael gruffly declared, "Look, lady, we were look'n for our bro. Wha' d'ya expect us ta do, go knockin' on yer door, askin' if you've seen him?" Raph remarked, a swagger to his words, "If it hasn't occurred to ya yet, it's not like we kin do that very easily, know what I mean?" Folding his arms across his plastron, Raph shook his head as he said derisively, "Why're humans so stupid, anyway?"
"RAPHAEL!" rebuked Master Splinter as he turned to shoot a warning glare at him. Yet, it was too late; Beth had heard the insult loud and clear.
Narrowing her eyes, the fighting part of her personality came forth. She hesitantly and painfully stood up off the mattress, keeping her eyes on her antagonist as she exclaimed pointedly, "You could have left a note!" Then she smirked, her irritation overriding her previous concerns, "Unless, that is, you don't know how to WRITE!"
Raphael's eyes widened just a little – and then they narrowed to dangerous slits. He caught Splinter's warning; however, the subtle slap of his father's tail directing a command to stand down.
Just the same, the crimson-banded mutant threw back one final tart comment before turning hotly around to head back to his room once again, "I can WRITE, lady, but I didn't know if I should use English or Japanese Kanji!"
Beth watched as he turned around and disappeared beyond her line of sight. She stood there next to the bed, her hand still within Leonardo's grasp. She soon heard a door slide shut with a loud, echoing bang. Blinking back her astonishment, she was somewhat struck by the selection of writing skills, as if Raphael was serious.
Looking over at the one in blue, Beth asked incredulously, "He can write in Kanji?"
Leo shrugged, "Don't know. I'm memory-challenged right now, remember?"
However, Don, who was somewhat irritated with the repartee' between his temperamental brother and the girl, replied as he sniffed at Beth's question to their intellect, "Actually, we all can."
Beth looked at him, then over at Splinter and Michelangelo, horrified that she had been so assertive and insulting. Maybe they did break into her apartment, but this one in red had made a valid point to support their reason.
She could then only give a simple, soft-spoken response, "Oh." The girl suddenly sighed as she blushed yet a second time, sitting back down on the edge of the bed.
Commenting in a low, chastised tone, Beth softy remarked, "Guess I owe him an apology."
Harrumphing, Master Splinter exclaimed, glancing back in the direction of Raphael's bedroom, "Just as he owes you, my child!"