A/N: Thanks to all who have reviewed so far! I am soooooooooo very addicted to all the wonderful comments, so please keep them coming! I hope you all like this chapter. This has much more of the turtles in it! =]]
Disclaimer: I have no ownership whatsoever of the TMNT. I threw a fit about yesterday but it got me nowhere. Kallie is still mine though. So she'll do for now.
Chapter 3: We've Gotta Stop Meeting Like This
Kallie dreamt of the four turtles that night. She was being chased by something and she saw them running towards her, she reached her hand out but they didn't seem to be getting any closer. She called out to them, but they couldn't hear her. She was jolted awake, sweating and tangled in her blankets. Once she calmed down she went to start her day. She only had three classes and would be done by 1 in the afternoon. She had made plans to go out with a friend of hers from choir class; Maggie. Maggie was older than Kallie and had kind of taken her under her wing when she first came to NYU. Kallie still wasn't as familiar with the school even though she'd been attending for two years. The campus was huge and she spent the majority of her time at only one side of the school.
Classes went fine, but Kallie was definitely distracted. Maggie elbowed her more than once in the ribs to get her to pay attention. Kallie was definitely going to have a bruise there now, which she told Maggie but Mags didn't seem to care. They were on their way to The Hub, a diner on campus with the best pulled pork sandwiches. Once there they were seated immediately and Kallie got a pulled pork sandwich with fries and a coke while Maggie ordered a chicken salad wrap.
"Why do you eat that rabbit food?" Kallie asked with an amused smile.
"Why do you eat artery clogging junk?" Maggie countered.
"Because it tastes good." Kallie retorted.
Maggie rolled her eyes but smiled back at her. "So what's with you being all distracted and what not?"
Kallie tensed. There was no way she was going to tell Maggie about what had happened to her last night. First, Maggie wouldn't leave her alone if she knew she had been attacked. Second, Maggie would think she had gone bat crap crazy if she told her about the turtles. Plus, even if Kallie thought Mags would be okay with it, she still wouldn't say anything. She felt the need to protect their secret. They had been so kind and so considerate of her; it was the least she could do for them.
"Late night at work. I barely got any sleep." Kallie lied easily.
Maggie let out an irritated sigh. "That creep works you way too hard."
Maggie didn't exactly approve of Kaliyah's job at The Duplex. She felt as if Kenny had a crush on Kallie and was trying to get in her pants. Plus, Maggie didn't like the fact that she was working at a bar at the tender age of 20.
Pfft.
"I only work three times a week Mags." Kallie said patiently.
"At a bar."
"Hey! It's a nice bar thank you very much! And could you be any louder?"
"You're lucky I haven't called the cops." Maggie replied.
"Then you'd cut into over half of my funds Mags. I need that job." Kallie told her. She wasn't worried about her actually calling the cops. She and Maggie had had this same conversation many, many times.
"Your mom should at least know." Maggie added. Kallie shot her a look, but Maggie looked completely unrepentant. "I'm serious. If your mother knew she would freak."
"My mom's opinion is that last opinion I'm worried about." Kallie told her darkly.
"Oh don't get that attitude with me Kaliyah Miller. I know you two have your differences, but she's still you mother."
"Don't full name me Margaret Deaton." Kallie retorted.
Maggie laughed. "I don't mind my first name Kaliyah."
Kallie growled at her but then their food came and she was lost in the deliciousness. They ate and continued talking about school and classes, the subject of Kallie's job and her mother left for another time. Kallie couldn't help but be a little miffed at Maggie. She knew how much she hated talking about her mom, but she always pressed the issue. Kallie only spoke to her mother whenever it was absolutely necessary. And of course whenever Kallie actually did call to genuinely see how her mom was doing, he always friggin' answered the phone which prompted Kaliyah to hang up immediately. So eventually she stopped calling. If her mother was interested in what Kallie was doing, then she could call her. Kallie wasn't going to talk to Robert, wasn't even going to listen to his voice if she could help it.
They finished their meal and Maggie walked with Kallie to her apartment. Maggie didn't live too far away from Kallie so it really was on her way.
"Thanks for the company at lunch." Maggie told Kallie after hugging her.
"Thanks for the invite." Kallie replied.
"Do you work tonight?" Maggie asked.
Kallie shook her head. "Nope. I'm off and plan on reading for the evening."
Maggie smirked. "Bookworm."
"Illiterate bum." Kallie retorted.
Maggie laughed. It was a well-known fact that Maggie did not like reading; she preferred to just watch the movies despite Kallie's protests that they were nowhere near as good as the books.
"Don't stay up too late. Professor Carson won't allow you to be distracted during his class and you know it!" Maggie chastised.
"Well it's a good thing I'm not working then and I don't have to worry about it huh?" Kallie retorted.
"Good bye Kaliyah."
"See you later Margaret." Kallie replied with a roll of her eyes.
She made her way up to her apartment and decided to clean it before she got settled for the day. It was nearing 3 already and she figured she could probably go and get a hot chocolate from the cart five blocks away later on if she was still up for it. She decided to start in the bathroom and work her way from there. Luckily her apartment wasn't that big and she rarely did anything other than eat, sleep, read, and play piano so there wasn't much to clean. It only took about an hour so she decided to work on her music. She was currently writing a new song and just having a bit of a hard time with the harmony on the piano. She sat down and began to find the keys that went best with the tune she wanted the song to have. She could hear the grumblings of her downstairs neighbors and with a roll of her eyes she stopped playing. It was nearing 7 anyways and it was dark outside. She was really starting to crave that hot chocolate as she eyed her new book. Nothing beat curling up on the couch, reading a good book, and drinking hot chocolate. Kallie slipped on a cleaner pair of jeans, her hoodie, and a beanie since she knew it would be really cold. After locking her apartment up she went downstairs and outside, making the trek to the little cart she frequented on a weekly basis.
It was freezing in New York already. It was about a week before Thanksgiving and it had already dropped to the lower 30s after 5p.m. Kallie hated the cold weather. She wasn't good at dealing with it since she had grown up in Texas where the coldest it got was the low 50s. At first she had loved the snow. It was a completely new experience that she had only seen on T.V. and the snowball fights she had had with her few friends were always fun. But now that she was older and had to walk in the snow, she hated it and the cold. She fisted the ends of her hoodie to keep her hands warmer. The streets weren't nearly as busy as they normally were and she was grateful for that. She could get there and back faster without the hordes of people.
She finally made it to the cart and smiled at the older gentleman who ran it. He greeted her and she ordered the hot chocolate and a chocolate iced doughnut. The man put extra whipped cream on it for her and she smiled and thanked him after paying. The heat of the hot chocolate in her hand warmed her entire body. She smiled and sighed in happiness as she thought about getting home and reading. Kallie was a total bookworm and nothing made her happier than a quiet evening of reading. And after the hellish weekend she had, she really could use the stress reliever.
Unfortunately fate was not that kind to her.
"Where ya goin' sweetheart?" An all too familiar voice said from behind.
Kallie groaned and stopped walking, completely fed up with this jackass constantly tailing her.
"Please tell me I'm dreaming and you're not who I think you are."
"I'll be anything ya want me to be." He replied.
"Look, we're on a very crowded street. What do you think you're gonna do?" Kallie asked.
The creep opened his jacket and showed her a gun. It was everything she could do, not to roll her eyes.
"How did you get out of jail in the first place?" She asked him.
"There were no witnesses to no crime. Ya left in such a hurry last night sweetheart…ya shoulda stuck around. Now, we're gonna go down that there alley and yer gonna regret the day ya ever crossed me."
"I'm not going anywhere with you." She spat out.
"Unless ya want ya pretty brain splattered all over this here sidewalk you'll do what I say." He said menacingly, wrapping his fingers around the gun.
"I'll scream." She told him.
"The louder the betta." He replied.
Kallie could barely stop herself from vomiting. This guy was never going to leave her alone. His grip on the gun tightened and her heart started slamming in her chest, fear threatening to choke her. She slowly turned around and started walking towards the alley he had told her walk down. She was clutching her hot chocolate tightly in her hand, planning on using its hot contents to throw in his face and then run. The moment they were out of the line of sight of people he shoved her against the cold wall. The hot chocolate fell to the ground and she wanted to cry; that was her last hope.
"Remember to scream." He whispered in her ear. She raised her knee, ready to knee the guy in the groin.
"Hey, dirt bag?" A voice suddenly called. Kallie looked around for the person who had just spoken. She couldn't see anyone though.
"Where the hell are ya?" The creep demanded, not loosening his hold on Kaliyah.
"I coulda sworn we took care of ya last night." The voice said again, only this time Kallie recognized it. It was Raphael!
"Raphael! He—!" She was cut off by the creep covering her mouth.
"This don't concern ya, so buzz off!" the creep said scathingly.
Raphael laughed, a cold and harsh sound. "Oh but it does concern us."
"Us…?" The creep trailed off.
"Us." Raphael confirmed and then the creep was tackled from the side by a green blur. There was a slight scuffle, sounds of fists connecting with flesh, grunts of pain coming from the creeper. Kallie was still pressed against the wall, more out of fear than anything else. Finally the sounds stopped and she was staring up at four familiar faces.
"Ya thinkin' of makin' this a habit?" Raphael asked.
Kallie scowled, her temper flaring. "Yes, because I enjoy nothing more than getting attacked twice in a week. No genius, I don't plan on making this a habit."
Michelangelo laughed at the slightly shocked face Raphael was now sporting. "Oh man Raph, you better watch it, she's just as temperamental as you are!"
"Shut ya trap Mikey." Raphael growled.
"You okay?" Leonardo asked Kallie.
"What kind of question is that?" Kallie asked him.
Leonardo looked confused. "What do you mean?"
"I just got attacked, again. Do you honestly think I would be okay?"
Leonardo looked somewhat sheepish and brought a hand to rub the back of his neck. "Uh…I guess not."
"Your damn right I'm not! What the hell is wrong with the people in this city?! I mean, do I have 'please attack me' written across my friggin' forehead or something?! I though the cops were supposed to keep creeps like this off of the streets?! All I wanted to do was get some hot chocolate and read my book—Awe man! My hot chocolate! That creep made it spill when he threw me against the wall! That bastard! That's the best damn hot chocolate in the city and he closes his cart at 8! What time is it?!" Kallie demanded, slightly hysterical.
"Uh…8:07." Donatello replied, wincing.
"WHAT?!" Kallie shrieked.
"Kaliyah…please keep it down, you don't wanna attract too much attention…" Leonardo told her.
"Don't tell me to keep it down and don't call me Kaliyah! I'm completely hot chocolate-less right now! I'm allowed to be pissed! That stinking jackass made me miss my hot chocolate and totally ruined my evening! Where is he?"
"Uh…over there." Michelangelo pointed a finger to a corner, looking slightly scared.
"I'll kill him." Kallie snarled. She made her way towards him when four hands grabbed her arms, stopping her.
"Not a good idea Kallie. He's out for the count and the cops are on their way." Donatello said.
"Is he actually gonna go to jail this time?"
"Yes. He's also wanted for robbing a gun store a few days ago. The gun he's carrying now is the weapon he stole." Donatello told her.
Kallie looked skeptical. "If he's not in jail by tomorrow I am so kicking y'alls ass." She told them, pointing an accusing finger at them.
The four of them were trying so very hard not to laugh, but the sides of each of their lips were quirked slightly; except for Michelangelo, he was full on smiling.
"I really like her." Michelangelo said.
"Would you like us to take you home now?" Leonardo asked.
Kallie didn't really want to go home. At home she was alone, and right now that was the last thing in the world she wanted. She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. It was getting colder, or she was just allowing herself to actually feel what had just happened to her.
Michelangelo looked at her with confusion before recognition lit his eyes. He seemed to sense her uneasiness and fear.
"Hey, you haven't met Master Splinter yet! Why don't you come back to the lair with us?" Michelangelo offered.
"Mikey…" Donatello said uneasily.
"What? It's the least she could do! I mean, we have saved her twice in one week." Michelangelo said, winking at Kallie. Kallie couldn't help but smile in gratefulness. Michelangelo was offering her an excuse not to go home, not to be alone.
Raphael must've caught on to what Michelangelo was doing because soon he added, "Mike's got a point. She kinda does owe us. Plus, Master Splinter did say he wanted to meet her."
"Who's Master Splinter?" Kallie asked.
"You'll see! C'mon! After that we can watch some movies! Do you like horror movies?" Michelangelo asked her enthusiastically.
"Are you kidding me? I love them!" Kallie responded.
Raphael groaned. "Great, another Mikey."
Leonardo chuckled and patted Raphael's shell. "Let's just get going. Master Splinter will be expecting us soon. Donnie, can you call him and let him know we're bringing company?"
"On it." Donatello replied, grabbing a phone out of his belt.
"We normally travel by rooftop, do you think you can handle that?" Leonardo asked Kallie.
"I think so." She replied.
Leonardo smiled and the five of them started making their way up the ladder. Once on top the four turtles set a quicker pace. Kallie was jogging slightly to keep up. Michelangelo was flipping and spinning and doing all sorts of crazy acrobatic things that Kallie couldn't help but stare in awe.
"Show off." Raphael muttered with an amused glance at Kallie.
Kallie laughed and shook her head. "Where did he learn that?"
"Master Splinter. And he ain't the only one who can do that kinda stuff. We all can." Raphael told her.
"Really?" Kallie asked in disbelief.
Raphael smirked before bounding ahead and back flipping onto the next building. He landed perfectly and soon Leonardo, Donatello, and Michelangelo did the same thing. Kallie stopped at the ledge, mouth open in shock.
"What are y'all, some kind of like…ninjas or something?" She asked.
Donatello looked impressed. "Actually…yeah."
"Who the hell taught y'all to be ninjas?" She asked, still on the other building.
"Master Splinter." They replied.
"I really need to meet this guy." She said, still looking at them with awe.
"Well, if ya stay on that building we ain't neva gonna get there." Raphael retorted.
Kallie looked around and blushed furiously. "Sorry."
Raphael barked a laugh. "No need to turn red Sweetness."
Kallie blushed even harder and the four turtles couldn't help but laugh. Kallie cursed under her breath as she jumped the short distance between the buildings; she turned red super easily. It was a curse and something that never failed to get her a large amount of teasing.
"Don't call me Sweetness." She told Raphael, pointing a finger at his chest.
Raphael simply smirked. They continued their way across rooftops until they finally got to one that was way too wide for her to jump.
"Alright, climb on my back." Michelangelo said.
"What?!" Kallie demanded.
"Climb on my back, there's no way you can jump that."
"How would you know?" Kallie demanded.
Michelangelo snorted.
"What? I could totally be some kind of circus freak and you wouldn't know it!" She argued.
"There ain't no way yer a circus freak." Raphael commented as he vaulted himself across the buildings.
"How would you know?" Kallie shouted after him.
"Yer too short!" He called back with a smirk.
"What?!" Kallie shrieked.
Donatello and Michelangelo laughed. Leonardo rolled his eyes but he had a slight smile on his face as he flipped to the next building, Donatello not too far behind.
"You are kinda short." Michelangelo stated. "Even by human standards."
"I am not short!" Kallie insisted.
"Dude, you're like 5'3." Michelangelo said.
"More like…5'2. But that's only 4 inches shorter than the national average for women!" Kallie stated.
Michelangelo laughed and then before she could even protest, he grabbed her arm and slung her on this back before launching himself across to the next building. Kaliyah didn't even have time to scream before they finally landed. And instead of just letting her off, he continued running! The other turtles seemed to have absolutely no qualms as he nimbly made his way over the rooftops, skating across tight clothing lines, and eventually landing softly (how the hell he did that she would never know), on the road below. Kallie didn't realize it at first, but she was clutching tightly to the edge of his shell, her nails practically embedding themselves in it.
"You can let go now." Michelangelo told her.
"I'm sorry, but Kallie's not here right now, please leave a message after the beep." Kallie replied, sounding breathless.
Michelangelo laughed. "Where's the beep?"
"Beep." She deadpanned.
"You two wanna hurry it up? I'm starvin'." Raphael said gruffly. Kallie eventually pried herself off of Michelangelo's back and stood on shaky feet.
"You alright?" Michelangelo asked her.
She scowled at him. "Give a girl some warning next time!"
Michelangelo saluted. "Yes ma'am."
Kaliyah rolled her eyes and followed them down the man hole. Michelangelo was chattering away about the different kinds of horror movies he liked while the other three simply rolled their eyes, trying to hide amused grins. Kallie listened and nodded, responding with her favorites whenever he asked. Michelangelo was certainly more animated than his comrades; he seemed to have absolutely no problem with talking to Kallie. Not that the others had problems with talking to Kallie, they inserted opinions here and there, it just seemed as if the others were still gauging her reaction to everything. Kallie had a sneaking suspicion that they were still expecting her to start screaming her head off and run in the other direction.
Pfft.
Giant talking turtles? No biggie. These city slickers obviously have never seen a giant armadillo. Now that is scary.
They finally reached the wall they had climbed out of yesterday…er…earlier this morning she supposed, and Leonardo grabbed what looked like a pipe and pulled. The wall gave a shudder before sliding open effortlessly.
Well, here goes nothing.
