Sorry, sorry, so sorry for yet another delay! But here it is - finally! - the next chapter, a little longer than usual but not too long... I hope. And I hope you'll like it.
I keep repeating it, but I must, I must thank everyone again for their patience and many people for leaving such terrific reviews. I can't get enough of those! ^^
Enjoy the following! :3
Am I… dead?
"Naomi?"
Who's that?
"Naomi, are you awake?"
Naomi…?
"I swear I just saw her move her hand."
That's… my name…
"I don't think she can hear you."
Yes, I can.
"Sorry, bro. I guess not today. Not yet."
You're the ones who can't hear me.
"No, look, her eyes are open! Naomi? Naomi, can you hear me?"
Whose voice is that? It sounds so familiar…
"Can you see me?"
No, where are you?
"Naomi?"
Wait… what's that?
Naomi blinked a few times, her eyes searching.
"She can hear me," said Donatello. He tried to get caught in her vision, but the normally clear, toxic green eyes were blank, like she was blind.
"N…" was all she managed.
Serge… Mom, Dad… Grandpa… Donatello, guys… April… You're all here.
Naomi saw everyone she loved, standing around her bed.
What's going on?
"You're in the hospital, honey," said her mother.
Naomi started to cry. Oh Mom, Dad, Serge… I've missed you so much!
"I'm sorry, sis," said Serge. "I thought you were going through the same fate as I did. You know… not making it past the age of 16 and all. But I was wrong."
"We're always with you, sweetheart, and don't you forget it," said her father with his usual wide smirk.
"We love you, honey," said her mother.
But then, they started to disappear. Everyone but the Turtles and April. Disguises slowly appeared on the Turtles.
No, don't go, don't go!
"Don't go," she mumbled. Tears were rolling down her cheeks. "Don't go…"
"It's ok," said April. "No one's going anywhere."
Naomi slowly turned her head to April. Her blurry vision was finally starting to clear.
"A… April?" she asked.
"Welcome back, weirdo," said Raphael with a smile. Naomi looked at him from the corners of her eyes.
"Raphael…" she mumbled. "You're smiling. That's… really creepy."
"What? You've gotta be kiddin'!" said Raphael. "Coma or not, this kid's asking for—"
"Coma?" asked Naomi. She tried to sit up straight, but a stabbing pain in her chest forced her back to her pillow.
"You've been sleeping for a while," said Leonardo. "It's been a week now."
"A week?" asked Naomi in shock. She coughed, finding herself having trouble breathing. She looked down to see what was hurting her so much. Her eyes widened. From her neck down to her waist, she was covered in bandages. A red stain on her chest stood out against the white bandages.
"What happened to me?" she asked. She coughed again. Her breathing was getting faster.
"Naomi, stay calm," said Donatello, taking her hand.
"No," said Naomi, slightly panicked. "No, what is this? Why am I here? Donatello…" She coughed again. It hurt even more when she coughed.
"Shhh, relax," hushed Donatello. "You're safe now. It's all over. You're going to get better."
Finally, she remembered. She remembered the evil looking eyes, the insane expression on Alexio's face, the way he had tortured her. How she had used her last bit of strength in order to try to escape. How she had fallen and given up. How she had thought that her life had ended.
But it hadn't.
"Donatello," she cried softly. "I was so scared…"
"Me too," said Donatello softly. He rubbed away a tear that had escaped from her eye. "When we found you, we thought you were…" He paused when he felt his own eyes filling themselves with a warm liquid. When he started talking again, it was like a rock in his throat was choking him in his own words. "But when Raphael found out that you were still alive, I hadn't given up on you. Not after all we've been through. And I knew you were thinking the same. That one sign of life gave me hope. Gave us all hope."
Naomi looked at him. She could see his eyes, clouded by tears. He was obviously trying to hold them back.
"You… found me," she whispered between a few sobs. "I thought you guys were…"
"Hey," said Michelangelo, his voice a little shaky as well, "it'll take a lot more to get rid of us. We never leave a mission unfinished. Especially when it comes to family."
"That's right," said Raphael. "You may be a weirdo, but… you're still our sister."
"You're a strong girl, you know that?" said Leonardo. "Even I thought we were too late when we found you, but… it seemed like you were trying your hardest to show us you were still alive."
"I did?" asked Naomi. "I… can't remember."
"You can't?" asked Donatello.
Naomi turned her head a little and stared at the ceiling.
"The last thing I remember was… in that room," she started. "I couldn't go on anymore. Everything was so quiet. I thought I had gone deaf. Couldn't go on…" She paused. The memory was now so clear to her, that it was like she was living the whole moment all over again. A big, warm hand on her arm calmed her down a little. "I wanted to find you," she continued. "I wanted to make sure you were ok. I fell down and couldn't get up. I felt so weak. Then I knew it was all over. I was too tired to try again. So I just gave in," her face was getting paler, "… and waited for death."
"Naomi…" whispered Donatello.
Naomi slowly turned her head back facing the others. She looked at Raphael.
"You found out I was alive?" asked Naomi.
"Huh? Oh… yeah," said Raphael, scratching the back of his head. "Don't ask me how, just… leave it with that."
"Ok," said Naomi, followed by a deep sigh. "Thank you." Raphael just smiled at her.
"Wait, where's Grandpa?" asked Naomi, her grandfather's absence finally coming to her attention.
Donatello chuckled. "Bathroom," he said. "He keeps telling us he's getting old and his bladder isn't what it used to be."
A giggle from April followed by the rest – even Naomi – laughing briefly. A pain in her chest wiped the smile off Naomi's face. "Ow…"
"You ok, kiddo?" asked Michelangelo.
"No," admitted Naomi. "But I will be. Right?" She looked at Donatello.
"R-right," replied Donatello hesitantly. "You keep amazing the doctors here, that's a fact. They told us it was a true miracle you were… still alive when you were brought here. After all that blood loss…" He stopped when he saw Naomi's eyes almost closing. She's tired. "I'll tell you the details when you've gotten some of your strength back," he whispered, petting her head.
"I'm sorry I've caused you all this trouble," said Naomi. Her eyelids were getting heavier and heavier.
"It's not your fault," said Leonardo softly. "We attract trouble, wherever we go."
Michelangelo laughed. "You got that right, compadre."
Naomi smiled shortly. Then she sighed and closed her eyes.
"Sleep well, sis," was the last thing she heard before a peaceful darkness shrouded her completely.
Harry entered the room.
"You just missed her," said Donatello.
"She was awake?" asked Harry.
"Only about two minutes," said Leonardo. "She even talked."
"What did she say?" asked Harry.
"She asked what happened," said Leonardo. "It looks like she'll be alright, though."
"Oh, my poor girl," said Harry. "How could they have done this?"
"The man who did this to her was crazy," said Donatello. "No one could have seen this coming."
"I can't thank you people enough for bringing my granddaughter back to me," said the old man.
"You don't have to thank us," said Leonardo. He wished he could explain the bond they shared with his granddaughter. "All we ask of you is not to mention us to anybody."
Harry smiled. "I see," he said. "Heroes in disguise, huh?" He laughed. "Don't worry. In my life, I've seen plenty of things. Nothing surprises me anymore these days."
If only he knew, thought all four Turtles.
"You secret's safe with me," said Harry.
"Thank you, sir," said Leonardo.
They couldn't possibly tell him what their connection to Naomi was. For all Harry knew, they were four men in disguise who were trying to be heroes, who were searching for danger and had found Naomi.
"No," said Harry, "thank you." He looked at Naomi. "Thank you so much."
"An event that has caught the attention of all of New York City. Who knew that something like human trafficking had been going on right under our noses for years? And on top of that, what might be considered as one of the cruellest kidnappings of all time, has cost company president Alexio Greco his life.
"16-year-old Naomi Peterson had been kidnapped by Greco himself almost two weeks ago. She has been tortured with violence, starvation and severe dehydration. She has been saved by our favourite local heroes: the ever mysterious Turtles. They were able to defeat hundreds of trained guards working under Greco. The events of the kidnapping and the rescue are still under thorough investigation.
"It doesn't end here. While searching the building for more victims, one of the search teams has found a hidden room on the basement floor, hiding 37 young women who had gone missing several weeks and some even months ago. Amongst them were 4 girls at the very young age of 13. The other 33 women were between 15 and 28 years old, most of them were college students. All of them have been abused and were in a shocked state when they were found. These happenings have been very traumatizing to them and most of them will need therapy. It is also a big shock to New York City. How could something this cruel have happened right under our noses?
"As for Naomi Peterson, after being in a coma for a week, she woke up yesterday. The doctors have announced that her physical condition is stable, but they are still uncertain about her mental state.
"All of New York City is praying for all of these girls. Let's hope that they will be able to come to terms with what has happened, and lead the rest of their lives at peace.
"This was April O'Neil, Channel 6 News."
Hope it wasn't too cheesy... I tend to do that. ^^;
We've almost reached the end of "Long Lost Sister", and I'm sorry to say I'm not likely to make another sequel.
I am, however, starting on another TMNT fanfic called "The Lively Little Rodent", which, as you may have already guessed, is a story starring Splinter. Can't say too much about it yet, though. So if you're interested, please do subscribe or just keep an eye on my profile page right here on FF. ;-)
Next chapter is the final official chapter, which will be followed by an epilogue. Yes, I'm dead serious. :) Bye bye~ ^^
