Kayla hurried down the hallway, swerving around the people clogging up the hall. Most of them were freshmen, who seemed to think they owned the school.
'Was I that obnoxious last year?' Kayla wondered to herself before shaking the thought away. It was Thursday and her last class just ended. Tomorrow was the first day of Spring Break, and Kayla couldn't wait for it to start. Master Splinter said that Leo was supposed to come home on Saturday, though Leo hadn't written another letter since the one she got for her birthday, and she planned on chewing him out for that.
"Finally." she muttered when she reached her locker and opened it. As she put her things in her locker and grabbed the few books she needed she felt a familiar, uncomfortable presence near her and knew he was at his locker, too.
He didn't say anything, actually they hadn't said a single word to each other since that Monday when she punched him. Only Alex, her, and Alana knew anything about that since their hallway was nearly empty all the time and no one saw it. Plus, no one would believe him even if he tried to tell, and he knew it. So the tense waiting for him to say something, like Kayla was used to, was replaced with more of an awkward silence. Which Kayla actually preferred.
Kayla threw her bag on, grabbed her helmet, and shut her locker, hurrying down the hall to meet Alana. Her friend was just closing her own locker when Kayla approached.
"Hey." Alana greeted her, "Are you excited for Spring break?" she asked teasingly.
"You have no idea." Kayla answered with a laugh as they walked down the hall.
"So, what day is he coming home again?" Alana asked curiously.
"Saturday." Kayla answered with a huge smile on her face.
"Cool. And I'm guessing you have some big plans for spring break, huh?" Alana guessed.
Kayla looked up thoughtfully. "Well, there are some things I'd really like to do. Like go on patrol, get ice cream, and I'd like to show him the video of Katie and me singing 'Sound the Bugle' at that contest. But I really don't care that much as long as we can hang out, ya know?"
Alana nodded. "Yeah, I get it. I mean, you haven't seen him in six months, and he kinda left on short notice. Just tell him I said 'hi', okay?"
Kayla laughed. "Yeah, I will."
The next day Kayla peaked out her bedroom door, her skateboard under her arm, her hair up in a ponytail, and wearing a T-shirt with denim shorts. She silently slipped out of her room and closed the door behind her. She could see the entrance across the lair, all she had to do was get there unseen.
'Okay, if I can make it around that pillar and up onto the second floor I can make it to the other side of the lair, jump down, and then I'm home free,' Kayla thought as she surveyed her options.
She raced up to the pillar, her back pressed to the rough brick. Glancing around Kayla didn't see anyone, so she slid around the corner. Looking up she stopped dead. Mikey stood in front of her, his arms crossed, one eye ridge up, and a knowing smile spread across his face. Then, he pointed his thumb over his shoulder at the clock on the wall. Kayla's shoulders sagged.
"Do I have to?" she whined at him.
Then Don came out of his room tinkering once again with the toaster.
"Yes you have to Kayla." Don answered. "This one is supposed to be bigger than usual, and Mikey will need help. You'll only have to be there for about an hour, you'll be fine."
Kayla groaned and tossed her board back towards her room. "Fine. But if I get bitten you two will NEVER hear the end of it." Kayla added as she followed Mikey towards the entrance.
"Wait!" Mikey stopped her suddenly and grabbed something off the sofa. "Here." he said as he handed it to her and hurriedly left the lair.
Kayla unfolded the cloth to see that it was a green and yellow T-shirt. On the back in red and black letters said: "Call 555-0124". On the front was a giant yellow star; a smiling turtle face; and in big, red graffiti letters spelled 'Cowabunga Carl'. Kayla looked back at Don with a look of disbelief.
"A T-shirt?! Seriously? Don!" Kayla whined slightly, hoping maybe that could get her out of it.
Don rolled his eyes. "Just do it. It'll be over with soon, I promise." Kayla growled loudly in protest as she left the lair, pulling the new T-shirt on over her other one.
When she made it to the van Mikey was already there waiting in the driver's seat.
"Come on, come on. We gotta go!" he shouted as she climbed into the passenger seat.
"Alright, I'm in!" Kayla yelled back as she buckled in and he sped out of the alley.
It was about fifteen minutes before they pulled up in front of a small apartment building.
Kayla sighed. "So, how many kids are supposed to be here?" she asked. This was her first time going with Mikey to one of his birthday party jobs, and after seeing some of the injuries her brother gets she was not looking forward to it.
"Um, the lady on the phone said about…twenty…maybe." Mikey answered as he grabbed his 'head' from the back seat and put it on. When Kayla turned her head away from the apartment to look at him she snorted to keep herself from laughing and had to cover her mouth.
"Yeah, haha. Real funny, squirt. You just wait, Donny and I've been talkin' about getting one of these for YOU." Mikey pointed out as he got out of the van.
Kayla immediately stopped laughing and nearly choked on her next breath. She climbed out of the van and hurried to the back where Mikey was getting out some supplies.
"Excuse me…What?!" Kayla nearly shouted.
"Here." Mikey ignored her and handed her a box filled with Styrofoam ninja weapons.
"You better have been joking." Kayla threatened him as Mikey took another box and lead the way to the apartment. She hated how, because of his 'head', she couldn't see his real face and couldn't tell if he was joking or not.
After Mike rang the doorbell a woman with blonde hair, who looked to be about in her late twenties, answered the door.
"Oh, good, you're here. This way, please." she greeted them as she motioned them into the apartment. Kayla could hear the sound of screaming, laughing kids in another room and unintentionally walked extra close to her brother. Mikey noticed.
"Nervous?" he teased her. She glared up at him.
"If you don't watch it I'll pay one of those kids to kick you where it hurts." she whispered back at him as they set the boxes on the ground near the table. They spread the Styrofoam weapons out on the table and laid out some napkins and plates with the Cowabunga Carl logo on them.
"Okay, what am I supposed to do again?" Kayla asked nervously.
"Well, all you have to do is pretty much help pour drinks, help with the little toys and thingamajigs, and ya know…help get them off me when they attack."
Kayla laughed quietly at the nervousness she heard in his voice.
Just then the mom peaked her head into the room. "Is everything ready in here?" she asked.
"Yes it is, ma'am." Mikey answered in his goofy, Cowabunga Carl voice. When the woman left he leaned over and whispered, "Get ready." before going to the center of the room holding two inflatable nunchuks. Kayla covered her mouth, laughing, as she moved to stand behind the table.
As the kids entered the room Mikey called in his goofy deep voice, "Happy Birthday from Cowabunga Carl!"…
About an hour later Kayla walked out the front door of the apartment, followed closely by Mikey.
"Thank you, again." the mother said from the doorway.
"No problem, ma'am." Mikey answered in his goofy voice. A loud banging on the window made them all look over to see all the kids screaming and laughing. Mikey did a loud, fake laugh. "Cowabunga, dude!" he chuckled nervously, "Bye, bye."
Kayla and Mikey both waved goodbye to the woman as they walked down the steps. As soon as she closed the door Mikey stumbled a bit and limped a few steps.
"Ow." he groaned as Kayla put an arm around him to help him walk. One of the little twerps managed to kick him in the knee, which at the time Kayla thought was hilarious. As they crossed the street every time Mikey had to put weight on his injured leg he said, "Ow…ow…ow…ow!"
"Oh, you'll survive." Kayla told him as he climbed into the drivers seat and she got in the passenger side. "You know, it could be pretty hard for you to drive with your injured leg. I could drive for you!" she suggested excitedly.
Mikey took off the Cowabunga Carl head and put it in the back seat. "Ha, nice try, Sis. But you're too young to drive. Besides, it's my left leg that's hurt. You're supposed to use the right one."
"I am not too young." Kayla pointed out as Mikey started the van and drove off. "You guys were only about fifteen when you drove for the first time. I've been sixteen for over a month."
"Yeah, and you don't have a permit." Mikey pointed out with a big smile.
"I have a motorcycle permit." Kayla muttered, knowing it was a lost cause to argue anymore. So she just cranked up the radio and listened to some music on the drive home…
The next day Don yawned and stretched his arms as he left his room. He'd fallen asleep at his computer again. Between working as an IT Tech Support and the usual fixing things around the den, he was exhausted.
As he approached the kitchen he stopped and couldn't help tilting his head to the side slightly. Kayla was sitting at the kitchen table, elbows on the tabletop, wearing a T-shirt and sweats, staring across the lair like a stone statue. Don followed her gaze. She was staring across the lair at the main entrance. Looking over at the clock Don saw that it was only 6:26 in the morning.
Looking back at his younger sister Don slowly walked into the kitchen.
"You okay?" Don asked slowly as he passed behind her. She didn't respond so Don rested a hand on her shoulder. She jumped and looked back at him.
"Oh, hey Don. What's up?" she asked casually before looking back in the direction of the entrance.
"Well, it's Spring break and you're awake earlier than you are on a school day." Don pointed out as he sat next to her at the table. Kayla looked down as she smiled and blushed.
"Yeah, I know I just…I wanted." Kayla sighed with a small smile as she looked back up at the entrance. "I wanted to be the first one to welcome him home." she answered quietly.
Don blinked as he suddenly realized what today was. It was Saturday! Leo was coming home! Don smiled as he patted his sisters back before standing up.
"How about I make some omelets? It may not be Mikey's cooking, but…why not?" Kayla smiled up at him before nodding.
Later that afternoon Kayla sighed as she looked up at the clock. It was 12:47 and Leo still hadn't come home yet. Looking around Kayla saw Mikey putting streamers around the lair. She helped him earlier putting up a giant 'WELCOME HOME, LEO!' banner across the wall that she designed.
Hearing the sound of the brick entrance opening Kayla jumped to her feet, causing the chair she was sitting in to fall back on the floor. When the brick sliding doors opened April and Casey entered, Casey carrying four extra large pizzas. Kayla's face went back to its blank expression as she picked up her chair and sat back down; folding her arms on the tabletop and resting her chin on them. She breathed in a deep sigh, trying to calm herself down.
She blinked when someone set the stack of pizza boxes in front of her, steam wafting from the boxes with the mouthwatering smell, but the smell suddenly didn't seem so appetizing to Kayla at that moment.
"Man, you look like you're gonna hurl." Casey bent down slightly to get a better look at Kayla's face. She tilted her head back slightly, her chin still on her arms, to look up at him.
April came up and smacked his arm. "Casey! Be nice. Why don't you go tell Raph the pizza's here?" Casey put up his hands in an 'I surrender' motion as he headed toward the stairs. April sat down next to Kayla and rested her hand on Kayla's shoulder.
"Are you feeling okay?" April asked gently.
Kayla shrugged.
"He said he'd come home. The day is barely half over. He's probably on his way right now." April pointed out gently.
"Pizza!" Mikey yelled as he rushed into the kitchen and opened the first box. He closed his eyes and breathed in the delicious aroma before sighing. "Mmm…black olive and green pepper. Yum!" he grabbed a slice in each hand before beginning to devour them. Kayla lifted her head slightly as Don reached over her head to grab a slice for himself.
"You better eat some before Mikey eats it all." Don reminded her as he moved away from the table.
Kayla rolled her eyes with a small smirk, but she moved the already open box off the others to open the second one. "I'll take pepperoni over peppers any day, thank you." she told them as she grabbed a slice of pepperoni.
Don sighed as he quietly closed the refrigerator and opened the soda can. Looking over he smiled at Kayla. She was still sitting at the table, but she was sound asleep, her cheek resting on her arms. It was already past two AM Sunday morning and Leo still hadn't come home. Seeing her shiver slightly Don grabbed a blanket from the couch and gently laid it over her back and shoulders.
"Aw, ain't that sweet." Don looked up to see Raph looking down at him with a sarcastic smile on his face.
"Quiet Raph. You'll wake her up." Don whispered as Raph jumped down to the first floor and walked into the kitchen with his usual tough guy swagger.
"Yeah, yeah." he muttered back as he grabbed a soda for himself out of the fridge. "What's she so tired for, anyway? All she's been doing is sittin' 'dere all day."
"Like you're no different?" Don retorted as he sat a chair away from his sister. "And anyways, she's been up since around 6 in the morning. Give her a break."
Raph swallowed a chug of pop. "Yeah, up waitin' for 'Fearless Leada'. Maybe he's actually takin' my advice an' not comin' back. It's not like we need 'im." Raph shrugged.
"I don't know how you can say that." Don answered. "He's our brother. We'll always need him. And he'll be back today, his plane…probably got delayed or something."
Raph rolled his eyes. "Pfft. Yeah, whateva'." he crushed his can in his fist and tossed it on the floor before leaving the lair.
Don looked back down at Kayla. She shifted slightly when the doors slid shut but didn't wake up. Don looked down at his hands thoughtfully. 'Where are you, Leo?'
Mikey slouched down in the couch as he turned the volume down on the TV. Looking around he saw Don was working on his computers again, Raph was nowhere to be seen as usual, and Kayla was still asleep at the kitchen table. Mikey was actually kinda worried about her. It was going on six in the afternoon and she woke up a few times but kept falling back asleep, but he had to remind himself that she'd been up mostly all day yesterday. 'Poor dudette's probably bushed.' he thought to himself.
Michelangelo's eyes lit up when the entrance opened, but he sighed when April and Casey walked in.
Don looked over from his computer. "Hey, April, Casey. Leo's not home yet, if you were wondering." Mikey could hear the disappointment and worry in his brother's voice. When tense silence met Don's words Mikey looked up at their friends. April looked scared, maybe a bit depressed. Her green eyes wide and glistening. She was clutching an envelope to her chest.
Mikey turned the TV off and walked over to them, as did his brother. Don gently took the envelope from April's shaky hands. Mikey looked over his brother's shoulder to get a good look at it.
It was addressed to Kayla from Central America. Mikey looked up worriedly at Don and their friends, who looked equally curious and concerned.
"Why would Leo send a letter to us when he's supposed to come home?" Mikey asked, tilting his head slightly.
Don sighed. "I guess there's only one way to find out." he answered as he slowly walked over to the kitchen.
Kayla groaned and squinted her eyes when she felt someone shake her shoulder. She forced her eyes open and looked up to see Don leaning over her. Looking past him she saw Michelangelo, April, and Casey all looking at her with weird looks. She looked back at Don when he held out an envelope.
Kayla furrowed her eyebrows in confusion as she slowly took the letter and sat up a bit. Looking it over she looked back up at them, fear seeping through her veins. All they did was look at her with worried expressions as she slowly ripped open the envelope. When she pulled out the letter she breathed in a shaky breath as she began to read:
Kayla,
I really don't know how else to say this, so I'm just going to come out and say it. After being here for six months I've realized that the people who live here…they need me. More than anyone back in New York, more than you guys. So, I've decided to stay here for a little while longer. I don't know how much longer, I just know that I'm needed here.
Love, Leo
Kayla felt cold seep through her whole body, like when you drink ice water too fast. The paper fluttered from her shaking hands and she pushed herself through the others and blindly raced out of the lair.
(Better in Time By: Leona Lewis)
Don picked up the letter and read it to himself. His eyes widened and Mikey took it from him.
"But, why would…why?" Mikey asked, his blue eyes big and voice sounding more like that of a scared little kid.
Don shook his head slowly. He just couldn't understand it.
It's been the longest winter without you
I didn't know where to turn to
See somehow I can't forget you
After all that we've been through
Kayla raced through the familiar tunnels blindly, following instinct until she reached the ladder and climbed out of the sewers into a back alley. From there she leapt up onto a fire escape and climbed up onto the rooftop.
Going, coming
Thought I heard a knock, who's there no one
Thinking that I deserve it
Now I realize that I really didn't know
Once on the roof Kayla raced ahead at full speed, the wind stinging her eyes and blowing her hair back.
If you didn't know this
You mean everything
Quickly I'm learning
To love again
All I know is: I will be okay
Kayla ran nonstop across rooftops for nearly an hour before coming to a stop, heart racing, lungs burning. Her head ached and her cheeks burned from the wind-dried tears. She sat down, her legs hanging over the side of the building to catch her breath.
Thought I couldn't live without you
It's gonna hurt when it heals too
It'll all get better in time
And even though I really love you
I'm gonna smile cause I deserve to
It'll all get better in time
Kayla closed her eyes, the tears still streaming down her face as she took deep breath after deep breath. She looked up at the night sky. The bright city lights made it so she couldn't see the stars, but as she got lost in the endless navy-blue sky she could see memories flashing through her head.
I couldn't turn on the TV
Without something that'd remind me
Was it all that easy?
To just put aside your feelings
"Hold your fist up like that." an eight year old Leo lifted Kayla's wrist up to adjust her fist. "Now, punch." five year old Kayla threw a punch that barely missed Leo's face. "Like that?" she asked excitedly. Leo laughed. "Yeah. Just like that." Kayla smirked sadly at the memory.
If I'm dreaming
Don't wanna laugh
Hurt my feelings
But that's the path I believe in
And I know time will heal it
If you didn't know this
Well you mean everything
Quickly I'm learning to love again
All I know is: I will be okay
Kayla looked up at him again, this time her brown eyes meeting his. "Leo? You'll help me get through all of this…right?" Leo smiled down at her. "Of course I will. I'd never leave you alone to deal with this." "Promise?" Kayla wanted to be sure. Leo pulled her closer and rested his chin on her head. "I promise." Kayla hugged her arms and clenched herfists around her arms. "Liar." she muttered through clenched teeth.
Thought I couldn't live without you
It's gonna hurt when it heals too
It'll all get better in time
Even though I really love you, I'm gonna smile cause I deserve to
It'll all get better in time
Kayla sighed as she looked over the horizon. The dark, night sky almost highlighting the city lights. 'the people who live here…they need me. More than anyone back in New York, more than you guys.'…'more than you guys'. Did Leo really believe that? That she didn't need him? Well, maybe she didn't.
Since there's no more you and me
It's time I let you go so I can be free
And live my life how it should be
No matter how hard it is I'll be fine without you
Yes I will!
Kayla glared up at the sky. Leo had pretty much left her to handle things alone a day after he promised he wouldn't. Well, maybe he was right. Maybe she didn't need him. She'd managed to shut Alex up for a month on her own. Why shouldn't she be able to handle things alone?
Thought I couldn't live without you
It's gonna hurt when it heals too
It'll all get better in time
And even though I really love you
I'm gonna smile cause I deserve to, yes I do
It'll all get better in time
Kayla's head snapped to attention at the sound of squealing tires and honking. She looked down at the busy streets and saw a group of about three guys racing across the street, pursued by a gray figure on a motorcycle.
It'll all get better in time
Thought I couldn't live without you
It's gonna hurt when it heals too
It'll all get better in time
And even though I really love you
I'm gonna smile cause I deserve to
"The Nightwatcher." Kayla murmured as she leaned closer to watch. She saw him speed after two of the guys while a third one snuck off in a different direction. The other two were empty-handed while the third guy had a bag in his hands. The Nightwatcher didn't even seem to notice the third guy. "Moron." Kayla muttered to herself.
The crook was running right towards where she was perched. Thinking for a moment Kayla jumped to her feet and ran to the opposite side of the roof and leapt down into the alley. Waiting quietly she heard his footsteps and threw her hand out of the shadows, grabbed the collar of his shirt, and yanked him into the alley.
He shouted in pain when she threw him against the wall.
"Wha-what do you want?" he demanded. Kayla stayed in the shadows so he couldn't see her face.
She grabbed the bag off the ground and slowly approached him. Thinking to make this quick and mess-free she slammed the side of her hand into the crook of his neck, knocking him out cold.
Kayla tied him up with an old cord she found in the dumpster, left him in the alley with the bag, and made a quick 911 call on a payphone before disappearing back on the rooftop.
As she watched the cops take him away Kayla couldn't help but think… she missed this. The whole vigilante thing. The freedom, the adrenaline, the feeling she got knowing there was one less slime ball on the streets because of her. She hadn't done this since Leo left…Maybe she'd have to do this more often…