Kage gasped, a hand flying to her mouth in shock.
She spoke...she SPOKE!
It had been the most guttural, raspiest, nails on a chalkboard sound she had ever made, but she had spoke. And now she had to run, because now They were coming.
Mr. Splinter had taken her warning to heart, dodging the falling debris and saving himself from the impending doom. He popped up, looking for the owner of the voice. His astonished face all but confirmed any suspicions that maybe it hadn't been her. That maybe Kage hadn't just told her pursuers where she were. That maybe she hadn't put Mr. Splinter in danger...
"Kage!" Mr. Splinter breathed, shocked. Wide eyed, Kage twirled on her feet and ran for the entrance. "Kage!" he shouted out again, but the girl in question wasn't about to stay to answer any questions. She zoomed out of the lair right as a big explosion rocked the earth. A bright portal erupted in the kitchen, and Kage let out a scream in fright.
They're here! They're here!
Her mind froze, and her body took over. Her feet pounded against the ground, her legs burned with speed, and her arms pumped as fast as they could. She had to get out before They got here...Before they could start tracking her...Not again...Not like the last time...
Rewind seven years, to a much younger Kage. Her hair was short, nice and well kept. Her eyes were the sweet innocent blue you would associate with a child. She looked to be around eight or nine, ten maybe, with wonderment in her eyes as she looked at the necklace she had been given. It was a beautiful ruby red stone on a simple chain, something that dazzled in the light. She was so happy her mom had given her it! She had put it on, excited, the clasp locking shut. It didn't dangle that far over her shirt. Actually, it fit pretty nicely over her collarbone.
"It's so pretty," Kage had whispered, in awe. Soon after she had spoken, a bright blue light erupted in the room, almost like an earthquake. Wonderment turned to fear as odd, brain like beings zoomed into the room. They floated on weird disk things, and Kage had trembled before the alien creatures.
"Wha-What do you want?!" she had exclaimed, and the creatures just narrowed their eyes at her.
"Playing innocent, are you?" one had asked darkly, and Kage's eyes just went wide. A laser beam went past Kage, barely missing her, and then she was running.
"Sweetheart! Over here!" a voice had shouted, and Kage had ran towards her mom. If her mom hadn't been there to save her, Kage doubted she would've gotten away.
They quickly retreated to a safe house of sorts, but those weird, alien creatures kept finding them.
"What are we going to do?" Kage asked, pitifully. "What do they want?"
Almost as soon as the words were out of her mouth, the portal appeared.
"Come on!" her mother exclaimed, and the started running again. This time they ducked into a sewer entrance, disappearing into the dizzying underground. The two leaned against the wall, breathing heavily.
"Listen baby," Kage's mom began. "you can't say a word. Do you understand? Every time you speak, they seem to find us. I don't know how they can track a voice, baby, but they're tracking yours. You gotta be silent, okay?"
Kage had gaped, shocked.
"B-"
"Sh, baby. You gotta be quiet!" her mom said quickly, covering her daughter's mouth. "Take the necklace off, alright?"
Kage reached for the necklace, searching for the clasp, then gasped.
"The-"
"Sh!"
Kage quickly shut her mouth, starting to feel panicked. There was no clasp! She kept searching the chain, but she couldn't find a clasp!
"Come on, baby, take the necklace off," her mother urged, but Kage's face conveyed the impossible: It wasn't coming off.
Kage shook her head, feeling the ruby like necklace hitting her chest with each step. She cleared her thoughts, quickly disappearing into one of her hide holes. She slowed her breathing, closed her eyes, and urged her ears to hear more than just the pounding of her heart. Those brain things were back! And after the first few chases, Kage didn't know if she would be able to get away on her own again. Her mom...She had saved her the last time the aliens had come after her...and she had paid for it with her life. Kage worried for Mr. Splinter, had she gotten him killed? Not like mom, not again...
They had been on the run for a few months. Sometimes Kage would slip, and then they would have to run again. She didn't like it, always moving and never being able to speak. But she had her mom's encouragement, and if losing her voice meant never seeing those freaky things again, Kage would do it. It had been an accident though, the last time she had brought those things after them. She hadn't meant to speak up, she had just wanted to tell her mom that she loved her.
And then the portal.
And then came those things.
Her mom tried to protect her, but this time...a laser hit. There hadn't been anything she could've done, Kage had just cried. She had to leave her mom there though, with those things. And she had taken her mother's lead, and went into hiding.