Chapter 15
The two of us stood outside an apartment that looked like no one really inhabited it. I made a questioning look at Raph.
"What? It's actually in a good enough condition. There is nothing wrong with this place" He said. I rolled my eyes and turned back at the apartment with a disbelieving look. Raph walked towards the side of the building, not fearing whether or not he would be seen. I looked to the blackened sky. The only for anyone to see anything would be to stand near a lamp post.
"Hey, you coming?" Raph called back. I quickly ran after him and we both started to climb up the fire escape. We reached a small window halfway up, lit by a single light bulb, and Raph peered into it. He knocked a small tune on the window and waited. After a few moments, Casey Jones came to the window and opened it.
"What are you two doing here?" He asked, quickly ushering us inside. Raph went in almost at once. I looked back before going in. Casey shut the window and locked it, keeping the cold out.
"Case, Tristan needs a place to stay for a while. She wants somewhere with human contact and away from harm" Raph said, looking at Casey.
"Can't she stay with April? Wouldn't she be better there?" Raph shook his head.
"Na, hasn't April told ya? Bishop followed her to the apartment and took her away. The kid just wants to stay somewhere safe for now, until she figures out what she wants to do" He said, gesturing in my direction. I glared at Raph. How dare he call me a kid?
"Make yourself at home Trist" Casey called over to me. I sighed and walked away from the two to make decisions concerning my homing arrangements. I walked over to the small armchair that sat in front of a TV and switched the TV on. I changed the channel to the news and watched the reporter talk about an event that happened just hours ago. I watched as a person had filmed myself pushing James into the streets, which then was run over by a car. The reporter at the desk then came back onto the screen and a rough image of my face came up.
"Police are still looking for this young woman who has eluded authorities for the past two years. If anyone has any information regarding any sightings or known whereabouts of her, police have asked that they call the number at the bottom of the screen" the reporter said. I frowned. Had I really escaped custody for that long? What had I done to be put on the police list? I shut off the TV and arched my back over the side of the armchair. My back cracked in three different areas and felt more relaxed than what it had been in days. I sat back up and peered over the back of the couch to Raph and Casey who were now discussing in low, heated voices. I moved my eyes around the room and they fell onto a silver, gleaming hockey mask on the table. I stood up, walked over to it and picked it up. I rapped my knuckles onto it and listened to the hollow sound my fingers made. I placed the mask back down and wandered over to Casey.
Bathroom? I asked. Casey looked at me with a raised eyebrow. Raph turned to me then back to Casey.
"She lost her voice from something Bishop done to her. She was asking where your bathroom is" Raph said. Casey made an 'oh' mouth.
"The bathroom is just through there at the end of the hallway" he said. I nodded and headed off. I entered the bathroom and shut and locked the door behind me. I leaned against it and shut my eyes for a few moments. I opened them again and walked towards the sink. I turned on the cold tap and cupped my hands under the water. I splashed water on my face and looked up into the small mirror. What was I doing here? Looking at my face all I could see was all the hurt and pain I had caused everyone. I clenched a fist and punched the mirror, causing it to shatter into a thousand pieces. Shards of glass hit the ground with a loud clatter. I clenched my teeth as pain flared through my hand and blood gushed out of my hand through the cuts and scratches on my hand. I gripped my wrist just as a knock sounded at the door.
"Tristan, are you alright?" Came Casey's voice. I quickly moved to the door and leaned my body against it. The door knob rattled.
"Open the door or I'll break it down; you know I will" Raph yelled over the rattling.
"You will do no such thing. In case you haven't noticed, I don't have the money to pay for a new door" Casey replied.
"How else are you going to get her out?"
"I don't know, just don't destroy anything; I'll be back in a moment with the spare key." The rattling stopped and everything went quiet. I went to the sink's cupboard and knelt down. I opened it and searched for some sort of cloth that could be used to wrap my hand. I found a face washer and tore it using my teeth and un-injured hand. I wrapped my hand with the strips and tied them tight enough to stop the bleeding. I shut the cupboard with a bang and turned back towards the door. I slumped to the ground and brought my knees to my chest. I buried my head in them and waited for Casey to return.
"Tristan, open the door" Raph said, in a quiet voice. It sounded like he was leaning against the door. I brought my head up, so only my eyes were showing. I could hear the sadness in Raph's voice and wondered what he looked like. For a moment, I was tempted to open the door and let Raph in. I stood up and walked over to the door. I pressed an open palm to it and leant my fore-head against the cold wood. I shut my eyes and moved my hand down towards the lock. I turned it with a click and opened the door a little. I peered out with just half of my face and stared at Raph's face. He staring at me with a calmed expression I hadn't seen before. "Are you alright?" He asked, gently. I nodded my head once. "Come on out, you must be in pain" He said, gesturing to my hand that was visible from the gap in the door. I looked to my hand and quickly hid it behind my body. I shook my head and started to close the door again. Raph slammed his foot in the gap, blocking the door from being shut completely. I looked into his eyes and he smiled. "Look, just come out. I'm not mad at you, I just want to know what's wrong" He said. I quickly opened the door, grabbed Raph's hand and dragged him into the bathroom, locking the door behind him. I held out my hand and Raph took it. He unwrapped the strips and turned my hand over to inspect my knuckles. His face frowned. He then turned to the mirror, before turning back to me. I smiled a little before turning away. Raph let go of my hand and headed to the door. He was about to open it, when I grabbed his hand and pulled him back, while shaking my head. "Listen, I have to get some things to clean your wound otherwise it will get infected" He said. I let go and Raph unlocked the door. I hesitated for a moment before following. Raph moved to the kitchen and searched through the cupboards. I stood near the bench and watched. I heard footsteps coming closer and the rattle of keys. I turned and saw Casey had his head down, trying to figure out which key was for the bathroom, from each of the many keys he had on a key ring. He looked up as a sound of clattering came from the cupboards. He made a slight putting face before walking over and setting the keys down.
"So you managed to coax her out did you?" He asked.
"All it took was a little talking," Raph said, not looking back, "Do you have any alcohol and tweezers?" Casey moved next to Raph and searched the bottom cupboards. He pulled out a bottle filled with a light brown liquid. He placed it on the bench then went off to the bathroom, only to come back holding a small silver pair of tweezers. He placed it beside the bottle and sat at the kitchen table. Raph took the bottle and tweezers and sat at the table. I moved over and sat beside Raph and opposite Casey. I held out my hand, knuckles up and Raph started to pull out the shards of glass.
"What did you do?" Casey asked. I turned away and looked out the window.
"This may sting a little" Raph said. I turned to him just as he poured the liquid over my hand. I hissed in pain and snatched my hand back. I clenched and unclenched my fist a few times. I glared at Raph who smiled apologetically. "That should be fine for now, but if anything happens to it come back to the lair and get Donnie to fix it up properly" He said. I nodded. Raph stood up. "Case, I've got to head back or the others will worry."
"Alright Raph, I guess I'll see you next time you're here" Casey replied. Raph went to the window and opened it. He saluted one hand to me then left. Casey shut the window then turned to me with a sigh. "So what is it that teenagers like to do these days?" He asked. I shrugged, not sure what I wanted to do. We both stayed where we were in an awkward silence.
"Tell you what," Casey said, breaking the silence, "You can sleep on the couch tonight and have the TV for the night." I nodded my head. "Feel free to eat anything in the fridge or in the cupboards. There isn't much, but you might be able to find something." I smiled a little and bowed my head a little in thanks. Casey walked away and headed to his room. "I'm going to turn in early," He said, "Don't stay up too late." Casey then smiled and winked at me before disappearing to his room and closing the door. I stood up and went over to the window to look down. I saw small white drops falling gently down to the ground below. I opened the window and let the cold air rush into the room. I looked down to the alleyway below and saw a manhole that wasn't shut completely. I waved down to it, just in case Raph was watching. I shut the window again and headed over to the couch. I sat on it, curling my legs underneath me and switching the TV on. I put the channel onto a news station and half watched. I placed my head on the arm of the chair and watched as the TV started to blur and my eyes getting heavier. I shut my eyes for a moment and was quickly off in dream world.
I woke up violently and looked around. Where was I? Then it hit me. I was in Casey's house and sleeping on his couch. I sat up and felt a pain in my neck. I stretched it slowly and made a face of pain. I heard Casey laughing and talking to someone. I stretched out my legs before standing up.
"Ah, she's awake. I'm sure you two have met, but April that is Tristan. Tris, this is April" Casey said. I spun around and saw April and Casey sitting at the table. I waved a hand and smiled. I walked over and sat beside April.
"Are you alright?" April asked, "Last time I saw you, you were being chased down by someone. You have also cut your hair." I nodded, and then gave April a thumb up to tell her I was alright.
"She can't talk. Bishop injected her with something as a way to trap the turtles" Casey explained. April nodded and looked to me with sad eyes. I rolled my eyes and smiled. Casey coughed and stood up. "How 'bout we go and do something fun?" He asked.
"Like what?" April asked. Casey shrugged.
"We could head to the amusement park. I'm sure kids like Tris love them" He replied. I glared slightly, before shaking my head. "You don't like 'em?" Casey asked. I shook my head again and crossed my arms, being a little stubborn. Casey laughed whole heartedly. April bowed her head a little and shook it. "What kind of kid doesn't like amusement parks?" Casey asked. April looked at Casey.
"It's alright, we can go somewhere else?" She suggested. Casey opened his mouth to speak when a rock came hurtling through the window. April screamed and covered her head with her arms, while Casey swore and moved out of the way. The rock bounced along the table before stopping right in front of me. Casey stood up and stormed to the window. He looked out and started yelling. I looked at the rock and picked it up. On the bottom of it was a small piece of paper with a note.
Tristan,
I know where you can get the antidote to what you have been injected with. It can be found in Alaska. Hurry and you may get there before the place is completely destroyed along with everything in it.
James.
I re-read the note before it sunk in. I shot up from my seat.
"What is it?" Asked April. I clutched the note in my hand and headed for the door. I ignored anything that either April or Casey were saying and I left the apartment. I headed to the alleyway and moved the manhole cover. I climbed down and raced through the sewers towards the turtles Lair. I reached the door and opened it. I didn't see anyone around and moved further into the lair. The door slammed shut behind me. I moved towards Splinter's room and peered in through the door. He was sitting cross-legged on the floor, his eyes shut and candles around him.
"Come in my child" He said. I moved into the room and sat down in front of him. Splinter opened his eyes and smiled softly. "What can I do for you?" He asked. I held out the note to him and he took it. Splinter read the note then looked at me. "No, you are not going until the last of my sons return" He said.
"Not going where?" Asked Raph from behind me. I turned and he walked in. Splinter handed him the note and Raph read it as well. "She should be able to go" He said, scrunching up the note in a fist.
"She would only get into danger. She is not going until your brother's return" Splinter replied.
"But Sensei, if I go with her…"
"No my son. You would be placing her into danger and I don't want to lose any one of my sons."
"But if we go now, we could be back before midday tomorrow."
"NO! Go out and wait for the others." Raph tsked and walked out. I stood up and quickly followed him. Raph was leaning against the kitchen table waiting for me. I walked over and he leaned in to whisper in my ear.
"Come on. We don't have to wait, if we stick to what I said; we should be back by midday tomorrow" He whispered. I nodded and we walked towards the door of the lair. We opened it and ran out, quickly heading towards the airport.