Chapter 19: Revelations
A/N: So, here's the chapter you've all been waiting for. You've waited and wondered about who A is, and now you're going to get to find out. Were any of you right in your predictions? You'll find out as you read on. Thanks to all of those who have read and reviewed thus far. Your kind words and encouragement have been inspiring me to keep going. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: TMNT belongs to Nickelodeon. I only own the plot.
"Concentrate, Leonardo," Splinter instructed. "Focus your mind."
Leo let out a frustrated sigh. "Sensei, we've been at this for hours!" he complained. "My memory's not coming back."
"That is because you're not focused enough, my son," Splinter replied. "You must allow your mind to relax."
"Well, it's hard to relax when you're bombarded by different thoughts," Leo retorted. "I just wish I could remember what happened."
"Maybe you're just anxious," Robyn suggested. "Sometimes that can happen if you're struggling to remember something and it's hard to think about what you need to know. Maybe retracing your steps is a good idea because it might trigger your brain into remembering what happened."
"Or you could try hypnosis," Don suggested. "I read that in a hypnotic state, the brain conjures up images and things it keeps suppressed. Maybe that would work. Some psychologists try it on their patients, and it often is successful."
"But unfortunately, there aren't any therapists who would want to work with a mutant turtle," Raph pointed out.
"Unless they're blind like Murakami-san," Mikey added.
"Wait, since when did my private sessions with Splinter become public?" Leo asked them. Sure, Splinter was trying to get Leo to focus out in the open with the others, but he'd also done some private sessions with his son, trying to get him to remember the night he found out about A.
"Sorry, Leo, we were just trying to help," Robyn replied. "We know how hard this has been for you. But I have a good idea. My aunt's letting me live in the apartment above the antique shop while I help her out there. It's not much, but the pay will help cover my rent, and I won't have to worry about a high rent in an apartment. I'm moving in tomorrow, and I thought it would be a good idea to have a little sleepover to celebrate. What do you think?"
"That sounds great, Robyn," Leo answered. "We'd love to come if Master Splinter's okay with it."
"Yes, I think that would be fine," Splinter replied. "It has been a long time since you boys have had any real fun. Perhaps this is a way for you all to forget what has happened to all of you."
"Awesome!" Mikey cried. "We're gonna have so much fun! We can even build a campfire and make s'mores."
Robyn laughed. "You can't build a campfire in the house, Mikey," she explained. "There's no fireplace. However, we can do s'mores in the microwave."
Mikey's blue eyes lit up. "You can do that?" he asked in awe.
"Yeah, it's pretty easy to do. We can also watch movies, too, and have a movie night."
"Definitely," Raph chimed in. "We'll bring over a few from our collection so you can choose them."
"Yeah, and we gotta have other snacks, too," added Mikey.
"As long as there isn't too much sugar," cautioned Don. "Mikey gets too hyper when he has a lot of sugar."
Leo couldn't help but smile as they continued to plan. Maybe this was the answer to their problems. He had been so obsessed over his lapse of memory that he really hadn't taken time to just relax and heal. But now that could change as he decided to stop worrying about it and have fun with his brothers and Robyn. His memory would return in its own time.
Raph looked at his brother and asked, "Are you okay, Leo?"
Leo nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said. "I just think this will be a nice break from all the drama we've had."
"You got that right," Raph agreed.
But little did they know how much this sleepover would change everything for them.
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"This is awesome!" Mikey gushed as Robyn opened the door to the antique shop. "Your aunt owns this place?"
"Yep," Robyn answered. "You can look around if you want, but don't touch anything. I don't want my aunt wondering what happened to some of this stuff. She'll know if something's been moved, and she gets upset if it isn't put back the way she wants it."
"So what does your aunt do with this stuff?" Raph asked as he looked at a small statue.
"She tries to sell it to people who are invested in antiques," Robyn replied. "She even goes to antique shows to see if she can buy anything to sell in her shop that others don't want."
"Hey, so that's why your aunt has been all this time," Don mused. "We always noticed that she was gone a lot."
"Yeah, she's pretty busy. No wonder April was able to go the Lair any time she wanted without her knowing. She wasn't around to be suspicious about it, though I always wondered how she got away with it."
"Will you have to go with her to get antiques?" Leo asked her.
"No, I'll probably stay here to manage the register and stock shelves," Robyn answered. "That way someone can run the shop while she's gone."
"It sounds like a pretty easy job," Raph commented.
"Oh, it's going to be a lot of work," Robyn contradicted. "But at least it's a job and I get free room and board. Come on up and see my new crib." She led them up a winding staircase and to a door not far from it. There were other rooms on the top floor, but this one was to Robyn's apartment. She opened the door and let them look inside. It was a fairly good apartment with a living room, kitchen, and small dining area. There was only one bedroom and one bathroom, but that suited Robyn just fine.
"So, what do you think?"
"It's very cozy," Don replied. "At least you'll have privacy and won't have to worry about anyone invading your space."
"Or nosy neighbors who don't shut up all the time," Raph added.
"I wish I could live here," Mikey said wistfully.
"Well, you can visit whenever you want to as long as it's not when I'm working," Robyn told them. "Now, let's get this party started."
They started making popcorn and started watching movies first, making sure to comment about whether it was a good movie or whether one scene was totally dumb. Mikey started a pillow fight that led to an all-out pillow war. They even played Truth or Dare which led to some funny moments the Turtles were sure they would never forget the next day. They were having a great time and were having fun, which was something they'd avoided since April disappeared. They realized that April would want them to have fun. Maybe April had been reincarnated in Robyn, and although he knew that Don or Raph wouldn't believe that, Leo really felt that this was the case.
"Hey guys, I was wondering if you could teach me how to meditate," Robyn suggested. "I think it would be really cool to learn."
"Yeah, but Leo would be the one to teach you that," Raph told her. "He's the best at it."
"Hey, you guys are good at it, too," Leo reminded them. "But if you want to learn, Robyn, I'd be happy to teach you. First, you have to sit in the lotus position like this." He sat down with his legs folded over each other, and the other Turtles joined him. Robyn sat down and did as he asked, though she wobbled a bit but regained her balance.
"Okay, now close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing," Leo instructed. "Don't breathe fast or slow. If a thought enters your mind, try to banish it by concentrating on your breathing."
Robyn did as he instructed, and he had to admit that she was a fast learner. As soon as he saw she was doing well, he decided to join in and meditate with her along with his brothers. He felt the tension leave his body, but he began to see a vision he hadn't seen before. Instinct told him to banish it, but he wasn't able to get rid of it.
It was during the night in New York, but his attention was fixed on a sewer lid. April climbed out, turning to wave goodbye before climbing out and leaving. He watched as she walked along the street, headed for home. Things seemed to be fine until April passed the site of a new office building that hadn't been built yet. Someone appeared there, and Leo could see that it was Robyn.
April jumped in surprise at seeing her sister there. "Robyn, what are you doing here?" she demanded. "Dad told you to stay in your room."
"I'm just taking a walk," answered Robyn. "Were you out visiting your freaky friends again?"
Leo was shocked by her words. She had never called them that since she met them. What was going on?
"They're not freaks!" snapped April. "Stop making fun of my friends!"
Robyn snickered. "Some friends," she scoffed. "You know, I really don't get you, April. You get everything handed to you on a silver platter. A nice home, time to yourself, and crazy friends. And what do I get? Time in a mental ward where no one wants to even look at me. I'm only here on a temporary basis, but Dad's going to take me back again, and you'll get all the attention just like you always do. You make me sick, April, and I seriously can't stand you."
"Stop it, Robyn!" commanded April. Her blue eyes were filled with fear. "You need to calm down."
Robyn laughed. "You think you're so great, but things are going to change around here," she declared. She advanced toward April, a mean glint in her eyes.
April stepped back. "What do you mean?" she whispered.
Robyn smiled evilly. "I mean that you're not going to be around here anymore," she replied, and then she attacked. April tried to fend her off, but Robyn was too strong. Leo watched helplessly as Robyn and April fought. He wanted to help her, but he knew there was nothing he could do. Robyn knocked April out with a pipe and then dragged her body to a hole that had been dug up by Robyn herself, the very hole her body had been found in. With an evil smile, Robyn dumped April into the hole and covered it up.
"Rest in peace, dear sister," she said. Then she turned and left the scene.
The vision changed to a rooftop where Leo stopped after receiving a text. He opened the text and read what it said and couldn't believe what he was seeing.
It was Robyn's number, which meant that Robyn was A.
Leo snapped out of his meditative state with a gasp, and his brothers turned to him.
"Leo, are you okay?" Raph asked him.
"Guys, I remember who A is," he replied.
"Cool!" exclaimed Mikey. "Wait, where's Robyn? We have to tell her, too."
"She probably had to go to the bathroom," said Don. "She told me she was on her period."
"Okay, I did not need to know that," groaned Raph.
"Guys, stop!" commanded Leo. "Robyn is A, and she killed April."
"How the hell do you know that?" demanded Raph.
"Because I just saw it when I was meditating!" snapped Leo. Then he explained about the vision and all that he had seen. "It was Robyn's number on that text," he concluded. "That's what I couldn't remember."
"So that means Robyn ordered Karai to attack you," mused Raph. "She knew she'd slipped up and had to keep you quiet so you wouldn't spill the beans."
Both Don and Mikey were in complete shock over Leo's revelations.
"This can't be," whispered Don. "There has to be some mistake."
"Do you seriously think I'd make this up?" Leo yelled.
"No, of course not," Don insisted. "I just can't believe that Robyn would do this."
"It's just like Chris Bradford all over again," Mikey said sadly. "We were all betrayed."
"Well, when she gets back, she's gonna have a lot of explainin' to do," Raph snarled, striking his fist into his palm.
Don's eyes strayed to the door, and he noticed that it was closed and there was something wedged in the bottom. "Hey, what's this?" he asked as he grabbed it.
"It looks like a note," Leo replied. On the envelope was written, "To Four Freaks."
"Dude, that is so not cool," grumbled Mikey.
Leo opened the envelope and read the letter out loud while his brothers looked over his shoulder.
Dear Freaks,
Once upon a time, there were two twins named Robyn and April. Both of them lived a pretty good life until their mother was killed in a car crash. Robyn was so upset and angry because she felt it was April's fault. So she went to her sister one day and tried to kill her with a knife, but Dad saw her and stopped her before she could finish the job. Then he sent her to a mental institution hoping that it would make her better, but instead it made her worse. Robyn was determined to finish what she started no matter what because she didn't want April to live. Five years later, she finally succeeded at her task.
That's right, Freaks, I killed my twin sister, and I'm not sorry that I did it. However, my job wasn't done yet. I snuck into April's room and stole her journal which is where I found out all of your secrets. I learned about Mikey's art talent, Don's crush on April, Leo's desire to be a good leader, and Raph's pet turtle. So I decided it would be fun to mess with your heads for a little while by pretending to be April. It was easy to do because she had written down your numbers in her journal, not even thinking that I would get ahold of them. After her body was found, I knew I had to be stealthier.
Dad revealed you to me, and I knew this was the perfect time to set my plan in motion. I fed Mikey some advice about love, made Don think I really liked him as more than just a friend (Yuck!), and I fed Raph some information that one of his brothers might be the culprit. But the real genius part of the plan was sending texts to myself and making it look like I was a target, too. Pretty brilliant, huh?
But then I slipped up, and I knew that I couldn't let Leo tell the truth about any of it. I read in April's journal about Karai, and I decided to use her to attack Leo. She didn't want to attack you, Leo, but she had no choice because if she didn't, I was going to pin April's death on her. After all, Karai didn't really like April, so it would have been easy. Luckily, she carried out what I wanted her to do, and my secret was safe until tonight.
So, where do we go from here? Well, I can't let you live now that you know what I did to April. I definitely can't go to jail, so it looks like this is the end of our friendship and the end of your lives. Don't worry, you'll be with your precious friend April soon enough. It's been fun, Freaks.
Sayonara,
Robyn (A)
Don lifted his eyes from the letter. "It's true," he whispered. "She really did kill April."
"And we're next!" Mikey gasped.
"No, we're not!" Leo declared. "We're going to find Robyn and take her down for good. I'm sure she'll love being in jail." He hurried to the door and tried to open it, but it was jammed shut. "Great, we're trapped," he growled.
"Not if I can help it," Raph said. "Outta my way." He ran at the door and kicked it down. Don pocketed the letter, and they all ran into the hallway. They could hear someone moving downstairs and thought that maybe someone had broken into the shop. Then they heard footsteps and a funny sloshing sound. Robyn appeared, carrying a can of gasoline with her.
"Robyn, what are you doing?" Leo demanded.
Robyn turned and saw the Turtles looking at her. "Oh, hey, guys," she said nonchalantly. "What are you doing here?"
"Cut the sweet act, Robyn," Raph snarled. "We know it was you who killed April and sent those texts to us."
Robyn laughed, and it was the same type of laugh she'd used before she'd killed April. "Good for you," she taunted. "Too bad you won't live long enough to tell anyone the truth." She produced a lighter and lit it with an evil glint in her eyes.
"Robyn, stop this," Leo begged. "It doesn't have to end this way. We can help you."
"I don't need your help!" Robyn screamed. "I never needed any of you in my life!"
"But why did you betray us?" asked Mikey. "I thought you were our friend."
Robyn laughed again. "I was never your friend, Mikey," she said. "I played you, and you fell for it just like you did when Chris Bradford befriended you. You're so stupid, Mikey."
"Stop calling him stupid!" Don yelled. "I can't believe you killed your own sister. I thought you were better than that."
"Well, you were wrong, weren't you?" taunted Robyn.
"But I loved you!" Don sobbed. "I really thought you loved me, too!"
Robyn rolled her eyes. "You are such a freak, Donatello," she said. "I would never love someone like you, and I think April was stupid for even encouraging you like that. She was so sick."
Leo's blue eyes filled with anger. "Robyn, this ends now!" he declared. He ran at her, intending to tackle her to the ground, but the boards gave way, causing him to almost fall until he grabbed onto a protruding board.
"Leo!" Raph screamed.
Robyn snickered as she walked up to Leo. "Well, isn't this an interesting sight," she remarked.
Leo looked at her and then looked at the depths below him as he felt the heat consume him, and he realized that the bottom floor was on fire. He had thought he had smelled something, but there hadn't been time to tell his brothers about it once Robyn started talking. He saw Robyn advance on him and knew she was going to kill him by shoving him into the fiery depths. Leo looked to his brothers, hoping they had a plan to get him out of this.
"So any last words, Leo?" Robyn asked him.
"Robyn, you don't have to do this," Leo begged her. "Please, think about your dad. He's already lost one daughter. You don't have to be a killer."
Robyn hesitated as she thought about Leo's words. "Yes, I do," she said. She raised her foot like she was going to step on Leo's hand, but Raph tackled her while Mikey used his kusarigama to pull Leo to safety.
Meanwhile, Raph was struggling with Robyn, and she managed to throw him off of her and threw a smoke bomb on the ground, causing her to disappear. She reappeared near the stairs and poured gasoline over the floor then lit the lighter and threw it on the ground, causing the floor to burst into flames.
The Turtles yelled and ran into Robyn's apartment as the flames moved toward them. They closed the door, wondering what else they could do. Don grabbed some dish towels and used them to seal up the crack in the door so the smoke couldn't get in.
"What are we gonna do?" wailed Mikey. "We gotta get out of here!"
"Try the window!" cried Leo.
Raph ran to the window, but he wasn't able to open it. "It's jammed," he said.
"Try the bedroom window," Don suggested, but that one wouldn't budge either.
"This is it!" Mikey moaned. "We're done for."
"Wait, there's a grate here," Leo pointed out. "Let's see where it goes."
Raph pried it open with his sai, and Leo led them into it. They had to crawl, but this was the best way they could find to get out of the building. They could smell the smoke and hear the roar of the flames. It seemed like there was no end to the tunnel, but then Leo spotted another grate and saw that it led out of the building. He kicked it open and leapt out, landing on the fire escape and from there, to the street, followed by his brothers. The Turtles fled to the alleyway and away from the shop. Staying in the shadows, they watched as firefighters hurried to the scene, trying to extinguish the blaze. They even spotted Kirby hurrying to the scene.
"Guys, Robyn's still in there!" Mikey cried.
"No, she's probably far away by now," Raph predicted. "She had plenty of time to escape while we were trapped."
Don's T-Phone rang, and he pulled it out to answer it. "Hello?" he said.
"Donatello, thank God you're okay," Kirby said. "Is Robyn with you?"
A sad look crossed Don's face. "No, she isn't," he said and went on to explain how Robyn killed April, how she sent them texts and e-mails, and how she'd tried to kill them by setting the fire. "If you don't believe me, meet us at the Lair," he said. "You need to know everything."
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Splinter came out of his room, a feeling of foreboding seizing him. He turned on the news and saw that the Second Time About antique shop was up in flames. Then he remembered that his sons and Robyn were in there.
"No," he whispered. "My sons, I hope you are all right." He listened to the report until he heard the door to the Lair open. He turned to see his sons coming inside, looking as though they had been through a horrible ordeal.
"Boys, what happened to you?" Splinter demanded as he hurried to their side. They embraced him and held onto him for a long time as though they were afraid of letting him go.
"Robyn killed April, Sensei," Leo replied. "I saw it while we were meditating. She was A, too. Her number was the one I saw on my phone. If only I would have remembered this sooner, none of this would have happened!"
Raph put a hand on his shoulder. "It's not your fault, Leo," he said softly.
"Raphael is right, my son," Splinter said gently. "Robyn did this to you and caused you to forget. Do not blame yourself."
Don showed his father the note Robyn had written. "Kirby's coming down here," he said. "I wanted to prove to him that Robyn did this."
Not long after, Kirby came to the Lair and read the note for himself. "This just can't be real," he whispered. "Why would she do this?"
"She was jealous of April," Don replied. "You knew she tried to kill her once."
"Yes but I didn't want to believe it," Kirby replied. "Before the knife incident, I caught Robyn trying to drown April in a pool once, but I didn't really think anything of it and thought maybe April was just trying to get Robyn in trouble." He sighed as everything began to sink in. "I just wish I had known this was going to happen. I thought she was getting better."
"So what do we do now?" Mikey asked.
"I'll have the police search for Robyn," Kirby replied. "I know you didn't see her escape, but it's possible that she did. I'll keep in touch and let you know what's going on. But for now, I need to go home. I'm so sorry this happened, boys."
"It's not your fault, Mr. O'Neil," Don said gently. "You didn't know she would do this."
Kirby embraced the Turtles, shook Splinter's paw, and left, promising to keep in touch. The Turtles watched him go and wondered if Robyn would ever show up again.
"My sons, it has been a trying day for all of you," said Splinter. "You should all get some rest."
"Can we sleep in your room tonight, Sensei," asked Mikey.
Leo shot a grateful look at Mikey for making the suggestion. He had wanted to suggest it himself, but he felt that Raph would tease him if he did.
"Yes, you may," replied Splinter.
The Turtles gathered their blankets and pillows since their sleeping bags had been destroyed in the fire and huddled around their father. It was just like when they were little and had a nightmare and came to Splinter's room for comfort. As it was, they had lived a nightmare already, and they would need to hold onto one another for support because of it. As Leo drifted off to sleep, he couldn't help but feel a sense of comfort. Yes, he was devastated by Robyn's betrayal, but he knew that the four of them would get through it. At least they knew what had happened to April, and they could put this ordeal behind them and properly say goodbye to their fallen friend. And after that they could finally move on. With that last thought in his head, Leo let sleep take him.
A/N: Wow. Seventeen pages for this chapter! So, what did you think? Were you right about who it was, or did I throw you for a loop? Needless to say, this isn't the end of the story yet. Only four more chapters to go before this story is finished. In the meantime, feel free to leave a review and have a shelltastic day.