A/N: Alrighty here's chapter 5! Thanks for all the reviews again. I just can't stop thanking y'all. Lol. Please don't forget to let me know what you think of this chapter as well! =]]
Disclaimer: Kaliyah is mine. The mutants are not.
Chapter 5: I Don't Even Know What to Think…
That first night hanging out with the turtles had probably been the most fun that Kallie had had in years. They watched all of the Scream movies while chomping down on pizza. It was nearly 3am by the time she got home. Class was hell the next morning; she was working on barely 3 hours of sleep. 2 five hour energy drinks, 8 cups of coffee, and 4 shots of espresso later, she was finally able to keep her eyes open for her last class. Maggie snickered the entire time, constantly poking her in her ribs in the exact spot that Kallie was most sensitive. Kallie would jump, try to stifle her giggles, scowl at Maggie, before straightening and trying to pay better attention.
After class, Kallie had two tutoring sessions before having to be at The Duplex to sing. It was one of her longer singing sessions and she had to have 7 songs ready. She left her students around 6 and barely had enough time to get back to her apartment to grab her outfit for the night. She arrived at The Duplex 15 minutes before she was due on stage. Kallie dressed as quickly as possible, put on some make up and did absolutely nothing with her hair besides rub some gel in it to tame the curls. Kallie made her way backstage and met Kenny.
"You ready?"
Kallie straightened her wine red one shoulder strapped dress before smiling at Kenny. "As ready as I'll ever be."
"You're cutting it close again." He told her.
"Tutoring ran a little later than I thought it would. I'm sorry." Kallie said.
"It's fine. Can you play piano tonight? I'm wanting a chill mood."
Kallie smiled widely. "Of course!"
"Put those lessons of yours to the test." Kenny told her with a slight smile on his face.
"I'm so down with that." Kallie replied.
"You're on sweetheart." Kenny said as he walked onstage and introduced her.
Kallie waved, grinning brightly to the audience as she made her way to the piano. She decided to do an indie set; starting with Ingrid Michelson and adding in a bit of Lisa Gungor and Sara Bareilles. It took about an hour to get through all the songs with the breaks Kallie had to take in between, but it was a good set and the audience really seemed to enjoy themselves. She bid the audience goodnight and decided to go straight home. Her caffeine high was lowering and her body was crashing. Kenny gave her the tips she earned for the night as well as her paycheck and with a smile and a wave she left. The heels she had on were killing her, her toes were fine now, but the balls of her feet were really achy.
It was supposed to snow tonight and she was not happy. She pulled her pea coat tighter around herself, hating that she didn't change before leaving. She wanted to crash immediately once she got home, but she promised Raphael that she'd call them once she made it home safely. Kallie kept a constant eye out for any jerks that may be following her, but she made it to the subway safely. She was going to take a taxi at first but Sam was off duty for the week while his daughter was in town from Stanford. The subway pulled to a stop and she got off, quickly making her way up the stairs and then down the two blocks to her apartment. It was nearing 10pm and she couldn't wait to sleep. She took the elevator up and stopped dead in her tracks once she walked out of the elevator.
Black smoke was coming out from under her door.
Kaliyah ran towards her door and wrenched it open, ignoring the heat of the doorknob. Her entire apartment was up in flames. Unfortunately the alarm wasn't going off in her apartment but the moment she opened the door the one in the hallway started shrieking. Kallie could barely take the heat, the smoke was choking her but she needed to get to her bedroom. She couldn't think of anything else but getting to her room.
Her photo album was there.
Her last memories of her dad.
Kallie covered her mouth and nose and surged forward, keeping her head low and trying not to breathe. She could hear screams coming from the hallway and she figured people were trying to get out of the building. She finally made it to her room when a board fell from the ceiling, cutting off her route to her closet. The board was complete set aflame; there was no way she could get over it. But she had to try. She was going to run through it when she felt an arm snake around her waist. She immediately started fighting it, desperately clawing at it to get away and get to her closet.
"Kallie! We gotta go!" Raphael yelled over the roar of the fire.
"No! I gotta get my album!" She shouted, still trying to get away.
"It's no use Kallie! Ya can't reach it!" Raph responded, pulling her away.
Kallie struggled harder, coughing before screaming. "NO! I NEED IT!"
Raph finally wrapped his other arm around her legs and hoisted her into the air before making his way out of the apartment. Kallie continued to fight screaming at the top of her lungs for him to 'let her go' and 'I gotta get my album!' Raph struggled to keep a hold on her as well as not breathe in the toxic fumes. Kallie was coughing uncontrollably through her screams. They got out of the room, but the whole hallway was now on fire. Raphael whistled, setting the signal for his brothers. Down the hallway a window exploded, three green figures tumbling in and motioning for Raph and Kallie to follow them. Raph didn't let go of Kaliyah, afraid that if he did she would immediately try to run back into the burning apartment. Raph tightened his grip as he barreled through the flames and jumped out the window, switching to holding Kaliyah with one hand as he grabbed the outside railing and swung them to the top of the attached building's roof. The three other turtles were following closely and Raph continued to run, jumping from rooftop to rooftop until they were a safe distance away from the fire. Kallie was still fighting once Raphael let go of her.
"I gotta go back!" She insisted, trying to run back towards her building.
"Kallie you can't! It's on fire!" Donatello said, blocking her exit.
"I gotta get my album!" She said, ducking under Don's arm. Leo was the next to step in front of her.
"Kaliyah, this is madness, it's gone!" Leo said.
"NO IT'S NOT! I GOTTA GO BACK!" She screamed, pushing at Leo's chest, surprising him enough that he stumbled. Kallie took her opportunity and booked it towards the ledge. Mikey caught her easily though, wrapping his arms around her thin frame.
"LET ME GO!"
"Kallie, it's gone. It's all gone. Everything. I'm so sorry." Mikey said to her, refusing to let go.
"NO! IT CAN'T BE! I NEED IT! IT'S ALL I HAVE LEFT! PLEASE LET ME GO!" She screamed, her struggling slowly decreasing as her exhausted body held no more energy.
"I'm so sorry Kallie. I'm so sorry." Mikey murmured in her ear, still holding onto her.
"Please…please…I need it…it's all I have of him…" Kallie begged miserably, silent tears pouring down her face.
Mikey stroked her head as he continued to hold her, her body finally going limp as the fight left her. Donnie, Leo, and Raph made their way over to them. Eventually Kallie sank to her knees, Mikey and the rest of the guys following her. Kallie continued to cry; completely silent, her shaking shoulders and tears the only thing noticeable about her sobs. Mikey continued to stroke her hair, whispering that everything was going to be okay.
But it wasn't.
She had just lost everything. Everything. Her music, her piano, her clothes, her violin, and most importantly her photo album. The photo album that her father had given her before he died 7 years ago. It was the only thing she had left of him. All her pictures of them together, their movie theater tickets, concert tickets they had seen together, and letters they had written to each other when he was deployed. She now had nothing left.
"Kallie, I'm so sorry, but we need to get back to the lair. We'll be safe to talk there." Leonardo told her.
Kallie looked up at him, barely registering his words, but allowing Michelangelo to lift her to her feet. Raph came forward and immediately scooped her up into his arms and they were off. It was a short trip luckily and they got to the manhole quickly. Raph just jumped down and continued carrying Kaliyah until they reached the lair. Master Splinter was already waiting for them; two cups of steaming hot tea in his hands. Raphael let Kallie down and she stood on unsteady legs, still clad in her red dress and heels.
"Come Kaliyah, sit and have some tea." Master Splinter said, ushering her to the couch. She followed numbly, sitting on the couch and accepting the tea. She didn't really want to drink it but Splinter insisted and she took a deep sip. Warmth immediately spread throughout her body and she went to take another drink when she started coughing violently. Splinter took the cup from her and allowed her to get through it before handing it back to her.
"I should check out her lungs. She was in that room for a while." Donatello said.
"M'fine." Kallie mumbled.
"It is for the best Kaliyah." Master Splinter told her. Kallie shivered and wished again she had changed before leaving for work. The shiver was not lost on the old rat. "We may have some of Ms. O'Neil's old clothes here. I will find you some while Donatello checks on your health."
Kallie nodded and followed Donnie into the lab. Donnie ushered her onto the medical table. He rummaged through a few cupboards and came back with a stethoscope. He listened closely to her labored breathing, wincing at the wheezing sounds coming from her lungs. She was in serious trouble if they got infected. An antibiotic was her safest bet just in case. An inhaler probably wouldn't hurt either, but Don couldn't remember if he had any.
"I'm worried about an infection, that was a lot of smoke you inhaled. I'm gonna give you an antibiotic to take for the next few days. I'll see if April has an extra inhaler too, just in case." Donnie told her.
Kallie said nothing, just stared at the floor. Don frowned and went to the cupboards to get the medication. He shook out two pills and handed them to Kallie. He was about to call for one of his brothers to get a glass of water when Leonardo appeared with one, Mikey and Raph not too far behind.
"Here" Don said, handing her the glass and pills.
Kallie made no notice of either thing.
"Kallie?" Don called. Still no answer. "Kallie, I need you to take these okay?"
Kallie looked up, blinking unfocused eyes at him. It was the first time he noticed the color of her eyes. They were a brilliant blue, almost cerulean in color. And right now they were the saddest pair of eyes he had ever seen in his life. It was as if she had just lost a family member. Donatello could not understand what it was that was so important that she was willing to risk her life to get back into that apartment.
"Sure." She mumbled, swallowing the pills down. She shivered again right as Master Splinter came back in.
"These were all I could find." Master Splinter said, handing Kaliyah the clothes. Kallie accepted them; it was a pair of gray sweat pants with a long sleeve New York Giants shirt. "We shall leave you to change. Join us in the living room once you are done."
The five of them left and shut the door. Kallie didn't move for a few moments. She just wanted to curl up and sleep; only to wake up and find that this whole night was nothing but a horrible nightmare. She knew she was delusional of course. A coughing fit overtook her as she quickly changed out of her dress and into the offered clothes. Once changed she got up to rinse the black stains on her hands. She looked into a small, cracked mirror and noticed her face was covered in soot as well. She sighed and washed her face and hands. Once she was clean she walked out and joined the rest of the group. Master Splinter handed her another cup of tea. They sat there, silent for a few moments before Master Splinter spoke once again.
"I know that you have suffered a terrible loss today and I cannot express to you how deeply sorry I am. And I am even more sorry to have to tell you more bad news."
Kallie looked up at him. More bad news? Yeah, because tonight hasn't been terrible enough for her, had it?
"There was a note on your kitchen counter. This was not an accident." Master Splinter told her.
"A note?" She asked hoarsely.
"From the Purple Dragons." Leo told her.
"What did it say?" She asked.
"I will read it to you." Master Splinter said. He pulled out a piece of paper. "Ms. Miller, this is a warning. You have something that we want. Give us the combination by the end of next week. If you refuse to do so we won't be so lenient next time."
"Combination?" Kallie asked confused.
"Do you know what they're talking about?" Donatello asked.
"No, I have no idea." She told them.
"Kinda stupid of them to burn the apartment down. Ya'd think there'd be a possibility of burnin' the combination to ash. Yer sure ya don't know anything about it?" Raph asked.
Kallie nodded. "I've never been given any kind of combination besides the one to my high school locker."
"They obviously think you've got some kind of combo though. Kinda weird for them to do such a violent attack so early though, there's normally a warning. They had this planned though; they cut off her fire detector and everything." Leo commented.
"Dudes, they've been trailing her for weeks now." Mikey added.
"That's true. They must've gotten tons of information about her just from watching her." Leo said.
"We can worry about that later, for now, we must ensure that Kaliyah is safe." Master Splinter said. "I am going to call Ms. O'Neil and see if she can bring some more clothes for Kaliyah tomorrow. We all need to sleep after that. It has been a long night. Boys, be sure Ms. Miller is comfortable and then head to bed."
"Hai Sensei." The boys replied.
"My condolences once more Kaliyah." Master Splinter said. Kallie merely nodded, trying to keep the tears at bay as the older rat left the room.
"You okay?" Mikey asked.
"Not even a little bit." She whispered.
"What were ya thinkin'?" Raph demanded suddenly.
Kallie's head lifted as she looked at him. "What do you mean?"
"Ya charged into that burnin' apartment and almost got yaself killed! What the hell was so damn important that ya felt the need to risk ya life!"
"Raph." Leo warned.
"What Leo? I just wanna know what the hell she was thinkin'!"
"My photo album." Kallie whispered.
"Ya risked ya life for a photo album?!" Raph asked incredulously.
"It's all I have left…"
"Of what?" Donnie asked gently.
"My dad…" Kallie croaked out.
"What happened?" Mike asked.
Kallie swallowed thickly before being thrown into another coughing fit. Mikey rubbed her back through it. She took a shuddering breath as tears ran down her face.
"He died…in the war…he was deployed and…h-his tank hit a r-road side bomb…he d-didn't stand a ch-chance…his whole u-unit was g-gone…" Kallie sobbed. "Th-That album was all I h-had left! It h-had our letters t-to one another in it; along w-with concert tickets, m-movie tickets, and c-countless photos…that's all I h-had left of him. Now I have nothing."
The four brothers stood speechless. In their short amount of time knowing Kallie they would never have guessed she held this kind of pain. Granted she didn't really want to talk about herself or her family, they still wouldn't have guessed she had this kind of secret. It hurt them to know she was in so much pain.
"Kallie…I'm so sorry." Leo told her. He couldn't imagine losing a family member like that. Of course, it was a possibility for them each and every day, but he still didn't like to dwell on it. He had almost lost a few of them in the past and he couldn't imagine what he would've done if he had actually lost them.
"I need it…to never f-forget him…to r-remember his sacrifice f-for me…and th-this country…and now it's g-gone…"
"Kallie, it's gonna be okay. We're gonna find the creeps who did this and make sure they pay." Leo told her.
"It's n-not gonna bring back m-my album…" She said miserably, still crying.
"No it won't and I'm sorry."
"I just wanted t-to get it…"
Raph rubbed a hand over his face. "We get that, really we do, but the next time ya pull a stunt like that I'll beat the blonde outta ya hair."
Kallie almost smiled at that. "M'sorry. I didn't mean to scare you guys…guess I got a little desperate…"
"It happens." Mikey said, trying for an easy smile.
"I need to call Maggie, she's probably freaking out." Kallie said suddenly, wiping her face and shaking her head as if to clear it.
"Of course. We'll be back. Are you hungry?" Donnie asked.
"No." She answered. They nodded and the younger turtles walked into the kitchen, Leo making his way to a closet while Kaliyah made her phone call.
Maggie was hysterical, demanding to know where she was at so she could pick her up and take her to Maggie's house. Kallie ensured her that she was with friends on the other side of town since she was hanging out with them before work. It was a lie, but one that Maggie bought so that was all that mattered. She used her phone to email her professors to let them know she wasn't going to be in class for the rest of the week. She turned her phone off and leaned back on the couch.
The turtles returned with Leo handing her blankets and a pillow before leaning against the arm of the couch next to Kaliyah's feet, Raph sitting on the recliner, and Mikey and Donnie on the floor next to her head.
"Should you call your family?" Donnie asked.
A dark expression crossed over Kallie's features. "Maybe later."
The turtles could tell that this was not an issue they wanted to press so they left it alone. They sat in silence, no one really knowing to say at the moment. Mikey yawned loudly suddenly and Leo glanced at the clock, noticing it was nearing midnight now.
"C'mon guys, let's leave Kaliyah be, she needs some sleep." Leo told the group.
Mike looked as if he were about to protest but a sharp look from his oldest brother silenced him.
"If you need anything, just yell and we'll be here in an instant." Leo told her.
Kallie nodded. "Thanks."
"Night." Donnie told her, Raph grunting the same phrase.
"G'night. Don't hesitate to holler for us." Mikey told her.
"Good night Kaliyah." Leo told her as he turned to follow his brother's up the stairs.
"Good night guys." Kallie responded. "Oh and Leo?"
Leo stopped and turned to look at her.
"Yes?"
"Call me Kaliyah again, and I'll smack ya." She told him, a small and tired smile graces her features.
Leo grinned back at her. "Understood."
He continued up the stairs and once at the top he stopped once more to ask Kallie if she needed anything else, but once he looked back at her, she was already asleep.
