My Best Friend
Author Dark Closure
Note
Uh, yeah, I kind of noticed like way too late that I posted the third person chapters 1-2, and the fact is we were trying to keep it in first person. But I got it all confused and junk, so to make things all consistent, the next two chapters will be in third person and blah blah, yeah. Hope you get it, and sorry for the inconvenience.
Chapter 7
His throat constricted at the sight of the small footprints. A small tremor ran down his back, tickling just under his shell at the sound of a tiny giggle coming from behind. He whirled on his heel, hands open, legs bent ready to spring at any moment. Breath came in short into his lungs, the sweet flavor of sugar in the air resting on his tongue.
"Hey, Don," Leonardo's voice called out sharp, the tone of voice he got when he was worried. Purple clad eyes looked up to his brother who looked confused as to why his sibling was half way into a fighting stance, "Um... something wrong?"
"Leo! There are-" he looked down to where the footprints were, to point them out, but there was nothing there. Was it all just a trick of the eyes? There was a soft thump behind him the sound of feet shuffling, no guard was up. That was unusual, if he had seen what was in the bathroom then his defenses would be up. He would be on guard for the possibility that someone could have actually caused the phenomena but... he slid his foot over the polished cement as to not slip on the flour. He caught the sight of his brother before he quickly turned his attention to the ground. His feet planted and he looked this way and that.
"Donnie what's the matter?" A worried hand was clapped onto his shoulder.
Unsure brown eyes looked up; he could feel an uncertainty digging around in the pit of his stomach, twisting like a worm. He returned his gaze back down to the floor. There was... there was... A sharp pull on his bandana from behind jerked his head back his beak almost smacking into his brother's who had moved in trying to get a closer eyes of disturbed eyes. He jerked forward when a sharp pain smacked into the back of his knee. A small cry thrust out of his throat when he buckled to his knees from the sudden assault taking away his balance. Hands grasped onto Leo, trying to keep erect but the leader of the four brothers only knelt down when his sibling had taken a hold of him.
"Donnie, what. What's wrong?" Leonardo tried to adjust his brother who was clinging onto him.
"Leo, where... where's Mikey and Raph?"
Donatello's voice was thick and quiet. His eyes were fixed on something, something that was moving slowly. Leo tried to trace his fellow turtle's sight, tried to find what it was that he was looking at but all that was there was their home. "Where's Mikey?" was whispered this time.
"He and Raph are asleep in Raph's room."
"And..." he swallowed hard. "And the bathroom?"
"Its fine, no one's there. Donnie," he tried to adjust his brother once more, this time, when the brown-green turtle was shifted his hand gripped painfully tight, a muted gasp when the techno geek buried his face into his brother's chest a tremble shivered through out his body. This did not sit well with the oldest.
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Getting up from the spot on the floor where he slept, Raphael looked over his little brother who slept with his thumb caught on the corner of his mouth. He smiled a little, an emerald green hand coming down to that child like face, gently removing the thumb and closing the open mouth. Michelangelo shifted, grabbing a hold of the pillow Raphael had just been using, the warmth from his head pressed against chest and belly. Mikey was safe here, with him. Nothing could get him, except for... but the others, yes the others. He would have to deal with them as well. Quite a mess he got himself into with out realizing it. A simple trip it was to be, to hang out with a group of friends and there would be screams and laughs, but the screams have yet to truly begin. A feeling inside was whispering to him that they were just about to begin.
Voices drifted in from outside the room. Muscles tensed, feet cautiously crept toward the door. His three fingered hand taking a hold of the handle, the slight creak echoing in the room as he pushed the door open. Slipping out, he looked over his shoulder, watching his orange loving brother as he just as slowly shut the door behind him. Once the soft click of the handle signaled the full closure, Raphael silently found his way to the voices. They were down below. His golden-brown eyes peered over the railing as he leaned one arm over. Leonardo was trying to sooth Donatello. Something must have happened. What? Well, just a few more minutes of listening would be sufficient enough.
"What do you mean there was glass in the wall?" Leo's voice was level, curious as he came to the couch with a cup of tea that he handed to his brother.
"I mean, Raph, Mikey, and I saw glass from the mirror imbedded into the brick wall, Leo. I'm... I'm not making this up."
"Of course not Donnie, but, that's not what it was like when you asked me to check it out. The mirror is fine; April's compact isn't even there. And, you said that Mikey and Raph were baking, and got flour on the floor but there's no flour, they weren't baking, they're asleep, as should you be."
"No! Leo, listen, there's something going on. I know it! Something that has to deal with that house, I don't know what but... but... Raph didn't cut himself, he couldn't have. Raph would never do anything like that, never! He knows better than that, and... and Mikey, why is Mikey acting so frightened all the time now?"
"Donnie, I just..." Leonardo let out a long sigh, and then decided to change the subject. "How's the leg?"
Donatello hesitated for a moment before removing the cold compress that was against the back of his leg. He twisted a little to look at the damage himself, "Bruising. It's in a weird shape too."
Raphael slowly blinked, his vision soaking up the sight of the injury. Five small fingers and a palm were crudely tattooed onto the back of his brother's knee. A tingle ran down the back of his shell. Eyes narrowed, he turned around opening the door just before his brother could reach the door knob. "Go back to bed Mikey," his voice was low holding a hint of dark promises.
"I just wanted some water, bro."
"I said, 'go back to bed, Mikey'," his hissed out the name catching the eye twitch on his brother.
"Fine, but if I die because of dehydration it's your fault."
He waited, waited until the body was lying on the floor, until soft sounds of snores over took the room once more, waited until that feeling was away from his back before closing the door and returning to the railing. Leonardo had moved the lazy boy chair over closer to the sofa, to keep a better visual on his brother.
"Are you sure?" their whispers were loud against the stone walls.
"Yeah… a little girl. She looked… looked so…"
"It's alright Donnie," Leonardo reached over and threw a blanket over him. "We'll sleep down here tonight. Raph's with Mikey, so no worries, in the morning we can all get some stories straight. Alright?"
"Alright," the purple clad turtle rested his cheek on a pillow. "Good night Leo."
"Good night Don."
Donatello's breath began evening out every minute that ticked by soon as silence was formed in the room. A blue bandana bobbed from time to time, showing that their fearless leader had fallen away to the land of dreams himself in the lazy boy chair. Raphael waited in the shadows, in the cold darkness watching over his brothers. A tiny giggle was behind him, itty-bitty fingernails running behind him as a stench of rot wafted up.
To Be Continued…