Hey people! I'm back! Okay, sorry it took so long to get this out. I'm trying to make each chapter longer :D
Nicole was starting to loose track of everything that has been happening in her life. She wasn't sure who she should feel crossed with, who to be happy with, or what exactly to say to the next person she sees.
So she sat in her room with a journal in her lap and a pencil in her hands. Next to her the small Turtle known as Picasso was pressed to her side, his small fingers wrapped around her shirt as he quietly snored. Sebastian would be in here as well, however whenever he seemed to be pulled away from Arinna, he would cry.
To avoid causing any ruckus, Arinna and him slept on the couch wrapped snuggly in a blanket.
Absentmindedly patting Picasso's head, Nicole began to scribble down some thoughts. Perhaps if she wrote everything down, things would start to make sense? She wrote about when Arinna knocked on her door all the way to when she tackled her neighbor Michelle down the stairs. Her side still stung from when she crashed it into the cement floor.
Speaking of Michelle, she had been returned safely to her room after several long hours of discussing what exactly was happening. Nicole could still remember it word for word.
0000-5 hours earlier 7:30 P.M-0000
"MMGMGMMHMGMG!"
Placing a hand to her ear, Nicole leaned down towards the girl she had tied up and thrown in the corner of her room. "I'm sorry Michelle, what was that? I can't exactly hear you."
"MFFHGH!" Michelle shrieked through the duct tape tied around her mouth.
"Nicole." Arinna who has been sitting on the bed quietly with the two Babies sighed. "Really?"
"I'm not gonna take off that duct tape until I'm positive you wont tell." Nicole huffed stubbornly. Michelle gave her a dirty look, pulling wildly at the ropes covering her arms and legs.
"Nicole." Her friend tried again. "Are you sure this is the right way to go about this?"
"Trust me Arinna, this must be done. You don't want her running to the police and telling them, do you?"
"Well… No." Arinna hugged Picasso and Sebastian a little closer to her chest, not wishing to part with them… or get arrested for assaulting and kidnapping a pedestrian.
"Right, so we have to do this." Nicole concluded. "Are you ready to talk calmly Michelle?"
"Hh-mmm! Hmm!" the girl screamed.
"Right, didn't think so." Nicole narrowed her eyes. "We'll just have to take you out." She growled.
"MMMMMMHMMHMHMH!" Michelle began to scream through the duct tape, not wanting to be killed.
"Nicole!" Arinna wailed! "We aren't killing her!"
"I didn't say anything about killing her, I said we would take her out!" Nicole huffed.
"That means killing!" Arinna stepped between Michelle and her.
Nicole folded her arms, "As in we should take her out of the apartment complex or something just incase someone hears her."
Both Arinna and Michelle blinked a few times, looking at each other. "…Oh." They nodded, though Michelle sounded muffled.
Rolling her eyes at the two, Nicole moved to the table where she had placed Michelle's Camera. "You know Michelle, I should smash this thing." She grumbled, picture up the device. "You shouldn't be taking pictures of people without permission, it is rude."
Michelle's eyes widened as Nicole twirled the device in her hands, examining each angle of it. Shaking her head, Michelle called out a muffled cry, pleading with Nicole not to break her Camera. Glancing at her, Nicole smiled.
"Relax, I wont break it. I'm just looking." Turning it on, she began to browse through the pictures. "I'll just have to erase the ones you took of Picasso and me."
"Yeah." Arinna nodded.
Plopping down on her bed, Nicole glanced form Michelle to her pictures of the city, people, landscape- good gosh these were good. "Man girl, these look amazing. Even the one with Picasso and me. I might actually just keep these."
"Really?" Arinna looked over her shoulder, just as awed. "Wow, those are good."
"Yeah. I mean look at this one of the city. That is breath taking." Nicole pointed to the screen. Across the room, Michelle blushed a bit at the compliments, lowering her head. Wait, no, she was mad at them, she couldn't let flattery get the best of her!
"Mmh!"
"Yeah yeah, calm down." Nicole didn't even look at her as she waved off Michelle's yell. "I'm just looking. Oh look at this."
"Nice." Arinna smiled.
"And then this one. Oh and this one-" Nicole paused as she moved to the next picture, and odd sight coming onto the screen. "Uh…. What in the world is that?"
"Is that… an alien space ship?" Arinna's eyes doubled in size.
"What in the world?! Michelle?!" Nicole jumped to her feet and held up the camera. "Why do you have pictures of Alien Spaceships?" the pictures was odd to say the least with just the weird Taco sign in it, but then you add the circular and slightly pink alien ship floating over it, then you've got some issues.
Michelle jumped, blinking a few times. She began to speak, but her words were incoherent. "Mmnn hmm sndnsn nhhhn nmn."
"…" Nicole looked back at the Camera. "You've seen these Space Ships for a while all over the city? That is crazy."
"…You understood what she just said?" Arinna looked confused.
"You didn't?"
"Of course not, she has duct tape on her mouth." Arinna grumbled, sitting down with Picasso and Sebastian on her lap. The two little babies cooed as they messed around with the buttons on Arinna's shirt.
"So are they really aliens?" Nicole asked to Michelle, who shrugged. "Why didn't you go to anyone about this?"
Michelle blinked a few times then looked at Sebastian and Picasso, as if they were her answers. "Mgm shdhs."
"What the heck does daft mean?" Nicole frowned.
"What?" Arinna was confused.
"Oh Michelle said, "Don't be daft, I have no intentions of going to the Police with this."
"Oh, daft means crazy, odd… mad." Arinna explained.
"Oh…Yeah, I guess I haven't gone to anyone about those two baby Turtles either, so I have no right to judge why you didn't about aliens. Then again though, I doubt anyone would believe you about them- WAIT A MINUTE!" Nicole jabbed an accusing finger at Michelle. "I'm not mad or crazy! And how are you so calm about all of this?! You took a picture of friggin' aliens girl!"
Michelle blinked a few times, shrugging again.
"Nicole, stop yelling. You can't be mad at her about being calm with all of this." Arinna sighed.
"I can too."
"You were pretty calm when I brought Sebastian and Picasso with me into your house."
"… Not true. I was freaking out on the inside."
"Maybe that is what Michelle is doing too." Her friend smirked.
"…Curse you Arinna and your logic." Placing the camera down, Nicole shuffled across the room to Michelle. Kneeling down next to her, she hesitantly reached for the duct tape. "…" Frowning, as if she was unsure, Nicole reluctantly ripped the duct tape off of Michelle's lips.
"Ow!" she yelped.
"Oh, sorry."
Frowning, Michelle looked up to her captures. "So…" she cleared her throat. "What are you going to do with me exactly?" she said cautiously.
"Nothing." Arinna said quickly. "We just want you to hear us out and let us explain."
"I believe I have the basic idea of what is going on here. You found two Baby Turtles, which is strange, and are now raising them. At least, that is what I have come to believe." Michelle announced, her voice thick with a British accent.
"….Ugh." Nicole turned away, wiggling her fingers.
"…" Arinna frowned at her friend. "What?"
"I love British accents." Nicole explained simply. "Michelle, keep talking." She waved to her neighbor. Surprised, Michelle titled her head.
"Uh… Oh. Very well. What exactly would you like me to say?"
"Anything, just let me hear your accent."
'Nicole." She frowned.
"C'mon. Please?"
"I struggle to see how this is relevant to the topic we are on-"
"Hehehe." Nicole clapped. "Gosh I love it. I wish I had a British accent."
Michelle sighed. "Okay. Back to the point at hand. What am I going to have to do to be released?"
"It is simple, swear never to tell about what you have seen here tonight."
Arinna nodded. "We don't want you to say anything to anybody about these two." She motioned to Sebastian and Picasso, who she had placed on the ground to let them crawl around a bit.
Watching them stumble in front of her, Michelle nodded slowly. "…Is that it?"
"Pretty much." The other two nodded.
"Very well then. I promise not reveal anything." She bowed her head. Looking satisfied, happy things seemed to be going well, Arinna reached to untie the ropes surrounded Michelle.
"Wait-" Nicole stopped her by grabbing her wrist. "How do we know you'll keep your word?"
"…" Michelle frowned, unsure of how to answer.
"Ah-ha. We can't trust ya." Nicole huffed, her point made. Lowering her gaze, Michelle sighed.
"I suppose you have a point." She agreed. "You have no reason to trust me other than my word. That is what I am giving you however; my word. I will not reveal anything about these Turtles or the fact that they are here."
The two friends looked at each other, narrowing their eyes. Turning away in a quiet team huddle, they began to whisper. "Can we trust her?" Arinna's eyes were wide.
"I'm not sure." Nicole shrugged. "I don't really know her too well. She only recently moved in."
Arinna nodded. "I think she is being honest."
"Maybe."
"…So what do we do?"
"Untie her, for now." Nicole said. Turning back around, Michelle straightened when they stood over her. Kneeling down, Nicole grabbed the end of the rope and untied it. With a few good tugs, the whole thing fell loose and Michelle was free. "Okay Michelle, we're giving you a chance here. Don't mess it up."
"Highly noted." Michelle rubbed her wrists. "I apologize for all the trouble." She said bashfully. "I never intended to cause any harm. Being a photographer, sometimes I feel as though my hands have minds of their own on what sort of pictures I take."
"Well, there is no harm done." Arinna nodded. "Well, kind of. I apologize for Nicole tackling you down the stairs."
"I'm not. It was fair." Her friend replied curtly.
"Though unpleasant." Michelle mumbled. "It is okay though, I understand why you did what you did." Michelle almost jumped out of her skin when one of the baby turtles, Picasso, suddenly appeared next to her.
With a weary expression, Michelle watched as Picasso approached a little closer. Keeping perfectly still, she was quiet as Picasso circled her once before placing a little hand on her knee and slowly crawling up into her lap. Plopping down, as if he owned the new location placement, he wiggled his toes.
"I think he likes you." Nicole chuckled.
"Oh well…" Michelle smiled shyly. "I wouldn't say I am very good with children."
"Agreed. It is okay." Reaching out her hand, Nicole gave Michelle a nervous smile of her own. "…So, are we cool? No hard feelings?"
"None what so ever." Michelle took a hold on her hand, giving it a firm shake.
BAAM! BAAM!
The three girls jumped at the sound of sharp and precise knocking at the front door.
"Agatha." Michelle and Nicole said in unison, knowing the sound of that knocking anywhere.
"Why do both of you sound so worried whenever Agatha's name comes up?" Arinna sighed.
"Because she could skin us alive if she wanted. Shh." Nicole whispered harshly. "Quick, get in the closet in case she decides to snoop around."
"Oh." Arinna scoffed. "Nonsense. Ms. Agatha can not be that bad."
"….Well, she isn't She is actually super sweet and always gives us cookies." Nicole shrugged.
"Why would she want to snoop around?" Arinna inquired over her shoulder as her friend herded the babies and her into the closet.
"Cause she is a creepy Ex Spy or whatever that can slice your head clean off your body if she thinks something is wrong or that you are hiding something from her." Nicole answered simply.
"You're over exaggerating."
"It's true." Michelle suddenly piped in.
"Wha-" Arinna's eyes widened just as Nicole slammed the door in her face.
"Okay, you stay over here." Nicole said to Michelle. "I got this."
"I faintly remember you screaming that to Arinna before you tackled me down the stairs." Michelle said bluntly.
"…Michelle I am this close, to throwing your sorry butt out the window."
"You are the one who insisted on kidnapping me."
"Michelle."
In rebuttal, Michelle held her hands up in surrender, and moved to the corner of the room. Snorting at her, Nicole nodded and quickly shuffled down the hall.
Honestly, Nicole was seriously starting to reconsider keeping these two little babies. The hassle of everything that came with them was too frustrating for Nicole to keep her cool.
Pausing to check her reflection in the mirror, she nodded and swung open the door.
Turning at the sound of the door, Agatha smiled. "Good evening Nicole." she mused.
"Good Evening Agatha." Nicole placed her best smile on her face. "How can I help you? You don't usually come around at this time of night. I thought you already went off to bed."
"Ah yes, I do, but I had something I need to take care of it. It was something that involves you." Agatha's smile never left. It was as if it was plastered into her very being.
"…Okay?"
"First off, I am very sorry to bother you so late in the night but… I have a question for you."
Nicole blinked a few times. "Uh…" her heart began to race and she grew nervous. "W-What kind of question?" she struggled not to stammer.
"Well, this is going to sound strange, but I was going over the surveillance cameras within the building when I witnessed something… odd." All the warmth in Agatha's smile suddenly vanished.
"What sort of… odd?" Nicole whispered, already knowing the answer. It was like when you break your Mother's favorite vase and run away before she can tell it was you, but she already knows. So when she comes to your room later, acting all sweet, you know it is just some sick trap to make you feel secure and accomplished that you got away with it before she suddenly holds up the broken vase and you get busted.
"The kind of odd where it shows you tackling your neighbor, Michelle, down a stair case." Agatha's voice grew cold. "Mind explaining that?" she folded her arms, her eyes practically threatening to kill Nicole if she made the wrong move.
Yup, this was the Agatha everyone feared so highly. This women meant business.
Nicole could already see the two blades she kept hidden in her boots. Seriously, this women kept blades hidden away in her boots. She had them for emergencies… and to beat up people if she felt like it.
"Uh… Uh…" Nicole gulped. "Oh! That." She chewed on her thumb nail nervously. "That is actually a-a funny story. Haha."
"Really? I'd love to hear it."
"Well um… you see… Michelle and I were just… we um… She…" Nicole shivered as sweat pooled down her neck. "I… we…" She was dead meat. No getting out of this one. Next thing you know the cops will come bursting in, guns a blazing!
"Agatha!" behind her, a hand was placed on Nicole's shoulder and she was pulled back. "It is so nice to see you!" The one and only Michelle suddenly stepped out from behind Nicole and out into the hall.
Shocked, both Nicole and Agatha stared at Michelle with wide eyes. "Michelle!"
"That is my name, yes." She smiled. "It is so strange to see you out in the halls at this hour. Is something wrong?" the pure innocence and confusion in Michelle's voice baffled Nicole to no end.
Agatha even seemed to be caught off guard for a few moments before she stammered back to her train of though. "I… I was just asking Nicole about why she tackled you down the stairs a few hours ago."
"Oh, that." Michelle began to giggled. "It was part of our game."
"Game.' Agatha repeated dryly.
"Yes. Nicole was showing me how to play America Football. Since I'm still getting use to the ways of this country I wanted to make sure I didn't mistake England Foot Ball for American Foot Ball."
"So to show you she tackled you down the stairs?"
"Yes." Michelle nodded. "We did not intend to go that far, however we got so into our rambunctious ways, we didn't even pay attention to where we were."
Agatha stared at the two, her eyes wide with disbelief. Glancing over Michelle's shoulder at Nicole, she narrowed her eyes. "Is this true?"
"…Yes." Nicole answered robotically, her mind still swirling around with too many thoughts to come back with any other remarks.
"Sorry about that Agatha." Michelle continued. "I am fine though, honestly. Nicole and me have just been goofing off like that for weeks. We start off just tossing a ball around, rough housing, and then Bob's your uncle, we're toppling down the stair case." She playfully bumped Nicole's arms. "Right?"
"Oh… right…" she nodded numbly.
Agatha stood there for a few minutes, looking the two girls over. "…So I have nothing to worry about?"
"Not at all Ma'am." Michelle nodded.
Agatha nodded her head a few times, sighing. "Very well, but please, try to refrain from making so much noise… or tackling each other down the stairs?"
"Will do Ma'am." The two nodded.
The smile growing back onto her gentle features, Agatha chuckled. "Well, have a nice night girls." She turned and disappeared down the hall. Watching her, the two slowly closed the door, keeping their ears to the wood make sure she didn't come back. When they were sure she was gone, they jumped back.
"Girl! You're a genius! Agatha was totally giving me her, I'm gonna skin you alive, look!" Nicole grabbed Michelle's hand and dropped to her knees as if Michelle was an angel from above. "Never leave!"
Michelle laughed a few times, puling Nicole back to her feet. "I gave you my word, I will keep your secret."
Touched, Nicole sniffed. "Thanks…. Now I kind of feel super bad about tackling you down the stairs before."
"I told you before, that is water under the bridge."
"Still feel bad about it though." Nicole sighed. "But man, that was some quick thinking on your part. I never would have thought of using Football to trick Agatha like that."
Michelle shrugged. "I suppose it is all in the job description of someone who works for the news. We all must stretch the truth a bit."
"… So you admit everything on the News is a lie?"
"I never said that."
"It kind of seemed like you meant that though."
"Those words never once exited my mouth."
"…." Nicole narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Very well. Arinna! You can come out now."
Seconds later, Arinna scrambled out of the closet. "I hate hiding in the closet."
Both Nicole and Michelle chuckled at the sight of Arinna giving them a large pout as the boys tangled themselves around her, tugging and pulling on her cloths, wanting attention.
"I think the babies want to play." Michelle announced.
"Probably. I'm sure they hate being stuck in a small dark closet just like me." Arinna frowned down at them. "Right?" she cooed, giving Sebastian an Eskimo kiss.
Sebastian giggled at the gesture, touching his nose curiously. Reaching up, he touched Arinna's nose, giggling again.
Chuckling, Arinna turned to Picasso and gave him an Eskimo kiss as well. Shocked, Picasso blinked a few times, grabbing his nose. Squeezing it, he looked up at Arinna with wide eyes, unsure of what just happened. Leaning down, Arinna was going to give him another eskimo kiss, but Picasso covered his nose, thinking it was some sort of game.
"….Argh." Nicole growled at the scene, looking away. "Curse those babies and their cuteness!"
-0000-10:20 PM-000-
"Here you are." Arinna smiled as she handed Michelle a cup of hot Chocolate.
"Thank you." Michelle took the cup from her hands, gently blowing on it. "So, what is your plan now Nicole?" she inquired.
Taking a large chug of her own drink, Nicole sighed. "Like shell I know."
"Shell?" the others frowned.
"Yeah, you know, turtle joke." Nicole motioned to the two sleeping tots they had placed in a mountain of pillows in the corner of the room. "Turtle, Shell. It is like hell but it isn't-"
"We get it." Arinna held up her hand to stop her. "Back to Michelle's question; What are we going to do Nicole?"
"Hey, you are the ones who brought them here. Shouldn't you be making up the plan?"
Arinna frowned. "…If I had a plan I wouldn't have come to you in the first place."
Nicole sighed. "Okay yeah, I see your point." She took another sip. "In all honesty, I have no clue on what we should do. This is my first experience with this kind of thing. I'm kind of just taking this one day at a time."
"I have often heard that is the best way to go about a situation." Michelle agreed.
"Right, so I say, we forget the plan and just wing it." Nicole concluded.
The two girls looked baffled. "Wing it? The whole thing?"
"Yes." With a nod, Nicole chugged the rest of her drink. "I mean, what is the use of coming up with a plan when we don't even know what to expect? I say we just be prepared for anything. Including Agatha sneaking into the apartment."
Arinna's eyes widened. "She'll sneak into the apartment?"
"If she has reason to suspect that something fishy is going on, yes." Michelle spoke up. 'As long as we act normal around her though and keep our voices down at night, we should have no worries."
"Agreed. I'll just have to call her tomorrow and tell her I'm having a friend stay for a while, so she won't get suspicious that you are living with me." Nicole nodded to Arinna. "And then… um… I dunno. We should really start reading those baby books. Sebastian starting hiccupping earlier and started to freak out cause he wasn't sure what it was, and I didn't know how to make them stop."
"What did you do when he started?" Michelle inquired curiously.
"Well, I picked him up and patted his shell a few times. After a while, they went away on their own." Arinna explained.
"Oh."
"Yeah, and then there is the whole ordeal with Sebastian's legs. We can't let him move around too much in their condition, yet he is a baby and has a short attention span… ugh." Nicole shook her head.
"I was wondering about that. Why does he have sticks wrapped around his legs?" Michelle frowned at the sleeping infant.
"The muscles in his legs are weak and they can't support him. Their very delicate, at least that is what Nicole says." Arinna frowned. Michelle looked at her neighbor, who nodded.
"Yeah. So I wrapped those around his legs to try and keep them straight so he doesn't hurt them. Even just crawling around on the floor is dangerous for him. His legs bruise easily."
"The other one, Picasso was it? He seems rather healthy." Michelle noted.
"Yeah." Nicole smiled. "Good thing for that. Then again though, I'm not really a vet, so I don't know if he is completely okay. Bone and muscle wise though, he is doing fine. I dread the day those two get sick though."
"I am sure you'll be able to handle the situation." Michelle said with a gentle smile.
"…Perhaps."
-0000Current time0000-
Sighing, Nicole dropped her pen and journal onto her night stand and leaned back against the pillows. Michelle had gone home a few hours ago, but Nicole couldn't help but wonder if she would keep her word or not about their secret.
Would she tell? Would she make a huge report about it and let the whole city know?
Running her hand through her hair, she looked at Picasso. Reaching down she petted his head. He subconsciously leaned into the embrace, wrapping his tiny fingers around her hand to snuggle with it.
Nicole felt her heart melt at the sight. Okay, she admits it, she was really starting to grow attached to these little guys, even if they caused her a lot of trouble.
They were only babies too, it wasn't like they had a choice in what happened to them. They could only hope someone would be kind enough to let them grow until they could make that choice.
Nicole was willing to let them take their time till they could make that choice. She was willing to protect them… and perhaps even raise them.
Not as their Mother, heavens no, but family all the same. Arinna could take the Mother role if nothing else. She was good with kids and stuff anyway, unlike her.
She didn't know the difference between a children's story or an adult horror tale.
Scratching her head, Nicole turned off the light and rested her head to her pillow, patting Picasso's back. Hopefully this little guy could sleep through the whole night without waking up.
She heard from her own Mom that babies would often wake up in the middle of the night crying. Nicole really didn't want to wake up in the middle of the night, or take care of a sobbing infant… but if she had to, then that was that.
"Good Night Picasso." She mumbled as her eyes fell close. "Sweet dreams."
-000Next morning000-
"…Ugh…" Nicole grunted as something smacked her in the face. It wasn't a hard smack, but it annoyed her all the same. "What the-?" she grunted as she was smacked right between the eyes by a little hand. Forcing her eyes open, she blinked a few times as her vision blurred. When it cleared, she huffed to find that Picasso was sitting on her chest, openly hitting her face.
Seriously, he was just hitting her, and giggling every time he did it, as if it was some sort of game.
"Hey." She grumbled when he did it again. "What do you think you are doing?" He patted her nose, pinching it. "Ow." Reaching up, she snatched his hands up, moving them away from her face. "No hitting."
He frowned, unsure of why she was suddenly angry. Sighing, she sat up, making the turtle roll onto her stomach. Titling his head up at her, he hopped off of her stomach to circle the bed. Every time he would reach the end of the bed, he would pause, realize there was a drop to get to the bottom, whimper, then move on, only to do the same thing on the other side of the bed.
"Sorry buddy, you can't get down without me helping you." Nicole yawned, rubbing at her eyes. She chuckled a bit when Picasso looked at her, shaking his bottom.
Ever since last night, Arinna had decided to place a diaper on the turtles, just in case there was an accident.
It was the strangest thing alive to see a baby turtle crawling around with a diaper on. And judging by home much he kept trying to shake it off, Picasso didn't exactly find it as amusing as her.
Reaching out, Nicole plucked the little baby up and rolled off the bed. "Come on. "she held him out to stare at his face. "Lets get you some food."
-000-Later-000-
"Hey Michelle." Nicole called, giving her neighbor's door a few good bangs. At first there was no response, and Nicole gulped.
Had Michelle snuck out early in the morning to reveal their secrets?
Suddenly, the door flung open and all Nicole's paranoia was tossed to the wind. "Oh." Michelle rubbed her eyes sleepily. "Good Morning Nicole." She greeted.
With a sigh, Nicole nodded. "Morning. Good to see that you are still here."
"Where else would I be?"
"Good question." Nicole stepped back. "So it's 10, just thought I would come check on you."
"Already? How time flies." Michelle yawned. "Thank you for the wake up call."
"Anytime." The two stared at each other. The awkward silence was unmistakable, but neither of them felt inclined to point it out. "So… bye?" Nicole turned.
"Oh yes… Good Bye…" Michelle trailed off, down casting her gaze. There was a tone in her voice Nicole had recognized a few times in Arinna. It was empty and at the same time, lonely.
Michelle lived alone, right? Plus, she had only recently migrated here from England so she probably didn't have many friends yet.
"….Hey Michelle!" Nicole called just as she began to close the door. Pausing, Michelle looked to her with wide blue eyes. "Wanna um… wanna join Arinna and me for some breakfast? I'm making waffles."
"Waffles…" Michelle rubbed her chin, considering the offer. "Well… yes." Her smiled spread across her face like wild fire. 'I would enjoy that very much! I-If… If you don't mind, of course." She blushed, suddenly growing timid.
"Pfft, not at all." She waved the girl in. "Get on in here."
-0000-
"Do we sound strange to you Michelle?" Arinna inquired. Michelle lifted her head, not expecting the odd question.
"Hmm?"
"Do we sound strange to you?" Arinna repeated.
Holding Sebastian in her lap, Michelle titled her head. "I do not understand the question." She admitted quietly.
"Well, we don't have British accents, which is probably what you are use to. So to you, we probably are the ones with the accents. So do we sound strange to you?"
"Oh." Michelle nodded. "I see. I suppose so, yes."
Arinna clapped happily for an unknown reason. "So then, I technically have an accent right now, right? Like, an American accent or something?"
"I'm not sure if that is considered a thing."
"Actually, America has a lot of different types of accents all within the English language." Nicole piped. "I mean, just here in New York we've got some Boston accents."
"You two don't seem to have those though." Michelle pointed out. The two shrugged.
"We don't." they agreed in unison. The three left the conversation at that.
-0000-
"This is so awkward." Nicole grumbled as she placed a few dishes into the sink. Glancing at her, Arinna titled her head.
"What do you mean awkward?"
"Michelle. It is weird having her here. It is like I can talk to her, then suddenly it gets super awkward." Nicole explained quietly, looking to the front room where Michelle was playing with Sebastian and Picasso. They seemed to enjoy her company, but then again, they didn't exactly have to work up conversations to get to know her.
Ah, the simple life of babies.
"You just don't know her well enough yet." Arinna insisted. "Give it some time."
"You know I would agree, if she wasn't already in my house where I'm forced to awkwardly just sit there." Nicole grumbled.
"You are the one who invited her in."
"I didn't want her to be lonely." Nicole growled. Arinna smiled gently at her friend.
"Exactly. So don't be so hard on yourself that you can't strike up a conversation with her. You just met and at least you are trying, that is a good sign. Maybe all you need to do is find something in common."
"In common?"
"Yeah, see if you like the same shows, or books, or whatever." Arinna nudged her. "Go on."
Stumbling forward at the push, Nicole frowned. Looking back to Michelle, she shuffled closer, sitting down, hoping she didn't look to awkward as she did it. "…Hey." She nodded when Michelle looked her way.
"…Hi." She nodded back.
"So…." Nicole whistled a bit. "How are you doing here in New York? You like it here?"
"It is very large, a little loud. In truth, very similar to my own city in ways, but very different all the same." Michelle answered. Nicole nodded.
"…Where did you live before New York?"
"Oxford." Michelle smiled.
"Ah. That is a pretty place. My Dad went there once for some business."
Michelle chuckled. "Yes, sometimes my Father would travel for business too."
"Does he still live in Oxford?"
Michelle's smiled fell and she shook her head. "Well no… he… he passed away a few years ago under some… heavy circumstances."
"…" The conversation's mood suddenly dropped in just a few seconds. Nicole contemplated on asking Michelle what she meant, but she knew better than to pry on other people's past, especially over the death of a family member. "I…I'm sorry to hear that. I didn't mean-"
"Oh no, it is quite alright." Michelle insisted quickly. "You did not know. I actually moved here to get away from all of that. My old life in Oxford was… well it was getting a little too crazy for my taste."
Nicole snorted. "Only to have you move here where your neighbor ends up having two mutant baby turtles."
"Ah yes." Michelle laughed. "I switched one crazy life for another that is just as mad!" the two shared a good laugh. Behind them, Arinna watched with a smile.
Making friends just took some time.
-0000-
"Nicole, what are you doing?"
Nicole lowered the binoculars in her hands and turned to her best friend and new room mate. "I'm on the look out for Agatha." She answered.
"Why?"
"Well, ever since I got three strange new house guest, yourself included, I need to be on constant surveillance in case Agatha decides to get the jump on me."
"That is ridiculous. Ms. Agatha seems like a very sweet woman and you are taking this way out of proportion."
"That isn't what Jimmy said!" Nicole insisted.
"Who in the world is Jimmy?"
"Our neighbor down the hall. Did I ever tell you the story of him? He was once being super loud and Agatha came up and practically kicked his door down-!"
"I heard she only picked his lock." Michelle spoke up from the other side of the room. It had been 4 days since they had told Michelle of their little secret, and ever since then Michelle seemed to be finding herself in Nicole's apartment more and more. She didn't mind of course, but she sometimes wonder how exactly she ended up in here.
"Picked the lock, kicked the door down, it doesn't really matter. Either way, she broke into his house and gave him a beat down for disturbing the rest of the building." Nicole continued.
"I seriously doubt that." Arinna folded her arms.
"It is true… I think." Nicole shrugged. "Jimmy has never fully admitted to it happening, but he always seems really nervous whenever Agatha is in the vicinity." She turned back to the window to look out, keeping a constant watch for Agatha's car.
Arinna held her hands up in defeat and moved to the kitchen. "You could always go shopping you know, if you are bored."
"No way." Nicole scowled. "I spent a fortune last time I went, and all of it went to Seba and Pica."
"I told you not to call them that." Arinna sighed. 'They are boys, they should have cool boys nicknames."
"But they are babies, they shouldn't have cool names, they should have cute names." Nicole insisted. "Michelle, help me out here." Glancing up from her book for a few seconds, Michelle blinked, lifted the book up and hid her face behind it to avoid be pulled into the conversation. 'Michelle! C'mon~!"
"No thank you."
"Michelle~"
Arinna laughed for a few minutes, reaching to grab her shoes. "Then I'll go shopping… Can I possibly borrow some money?" she asked, looking ashamed. Nicole didn't even look angry anymore as she reached into her pocket.
"Sure thing buddy." She pulled out around 40 bucks and handed it to her. "Just don't get mugged."
"I'll try my best to avoid that." She said honestly. Turning to the boys, she gave the babies a tight hug. "Good bye." She squealed. "Play nice. I'll be back soon." She placed Sebastian and Picasso on the floor before running out of the apartment. Sebastian and Picasso watched her go with wide eyes.
"…Hmm?" A small confused whimper slipped out of Sebastian as he looked around, wondering where Arinna went. Circling the room, he looked to Picasso, his brother, and nudged him. Picasso nudged him back and the two continued their search.
"…I believe they are looking for Arinna." Michelle said.
"She literally just left 30 seconds ago. She'll be back soon." She said down to the little tots, unsure if they understood her at all. They looked up at her, their eyes wide.
Suddenly Sebastian hiccuped.
'Ah. No. No no no, don't you do it Seba." Nicole warned, knowing that a hiccup always lead to tears with him. "Arinna will literally be back in 20 minutes or so-"
"WAHHH!" Sebastian began to wail.
"Agh." Nicole slapped her forehead. "Really? Really? C'mon buddy." She scooped the baby into her arms. "How come you do this every time Arinna leaves the room. Look, Picasso is fine." She motioned down to the slightly bigger tot who stared up at them. "He's not even crying-" she froze when tears began to pool in Picasso's eyes. "Wha- WHY!?" she demanded. "Why are you crying too?!"
"Nicole, they are babies. They cry over everything." Michelle smiled.
"Why though?! I kind of get why Seba is crying, but why you Pica?" she knelt down, picking Picasso up as well. Passing the room, she gently bounced the two, hoping to calm them. "Uh… There there. Stop crying." Nicole huffed, mimicking the turtles wails by crying herself. "Wahhhhhhh." She cried sarcastically at the babies. "See how that sounds? Not fun. WAHHHHH."
"Nicole." Michelle sighed. "I do not believe that is the proper way to go about this."
"So says little turtles… Shhh. Shhh. Please stop crying. People will think someone is dying in here and call the cops, shh."
Michelle watched from the corner of the room, looking rather amused with the sight.
"You could help me out Michelle." Nicole growled.
"It looks like you have things under control though.' Michelle smiled innocently.
"Oh why you- This is pay back for me tackling you, isn't it?!"
"No, whatever gave you that idea?" Michelle inquired, pulling the book back out to continue her reading. Prepared to throw the whole couch at her, Nicole sighed when Sebastian pressed his face into her shoulder, sobbing as though it was the end of the world.
"C'mon on Sebastian. It is alright." She passed a bit more. "What did Arinna say again to make you two stop crying?"
"She sang a song." Michelle announced.
"Oh right. Um… Hush little Turtles don't you cry. Nicole is gonna sing you a lullaby. Hush little turtles don't say a word, Nicole is gonna buy you a mocking bird." Nicole sang gently. She was never a singer. Ever. Arinna definitely had the voice for it, but her, heck no! Hopefully these little ones didn't mind how off key and tone she was.
"I wonder if you can buy someone a mocking bird." Michelle asked from her spot in the room. Ignoring her, Nicole continued.
"If that Mockingbird won't sing, Nicole is gonna buy you a golden ring- how about a bronze ring or something instead? Cause gold is really expensive and I'm on a limited budget-"
"Nicole, that is not part of the song." Michelle reminded her.
"Oh right." She cleared her throat. "Anyway…. If that gold ring turns to brass, which is a total waste of money, Nicole is gonna buy you a looking glass. Though I don't really think you need one. You probably wouldn't know how to use it, would you Seba." Sebastian, who had stopped crying, stared at Nicole. "Didn't think so. Anyway, If that glass begins to crack, Nicole is gonna buy you a jumping jack. Or a jet Pack. That would be fun."
"What is a jumping Jack?" Michelle questioned.
"A guy names Jack who can jump."
"You can purchase one of those?" Michelle looked dumbfounded.
"If that Jumping Jack is broke-"
"Poor Jack." Michelle placed a hand on her heart.
"Nicole is gonna buy you a velvet cloak. Though if I was going to do that, you two would have to share it. I'm not buying both of you velvet cloaks." She chuckled. "If that velvet Cloak is coarse, Nicole is gonna buy you a rocking horse." She nodded. "Now that I could do. I think you two would enjoy a rocking horse."
"Agreed." Michelle nodded.
"If that Rocking horse wont rock, Nicole is gonna buy you a cuckoo clock. I'd also go back to the store and demand a refund too, but whatever. If that cuckoo clock wont tick, another refund here we come, Nicole is gonna buy you a walking stick. I actually might do that for you Seba. I think you need one." She tickled Sebastian under his chin. The little tot giggled, trying to pull away. "If that walking stick falls down, you'll both still be the sweetest little tots around."
"I don't think that last one actually rhymed." Michelle raised her hand. "Down, around-"
"Michelle, shh." Nicole commanded when she realized that Picasso had fallen asleep in her arms. Sebastian was close to the same state. She just had to lay them down and they would be out like lights for hours.
Michelle watched quietly, a gentle smile pulling on her lips. Her father used to sing this song for her when she was younger. She felt nostalgic to hear again after so long.
-000Arinna000-
Arinna felt like she was missing something super cute back at home. The boys were probably being adorable and she was missing it! She couldn't miss that!
"I have to hurry and get back." She nodded to herself, picking up her pace. She had never run through a store so fast in her life. She almost took out this couple who were sauntering in the middle of one of the aisles. "Sorry!" she has said when they gave her dirty looks. She was literally out of there in 10 minutes.
Nicole was right though, baby stuff was expensive, and she had only bought baby food this time! And a pack of gum, but Nicole would appreciate that.
Moving out of the store Arinna skipped down the streets with a jump to her step. To think, around a week ago, she would have been sleeping on that bench over there.
Not that there is anything wrong with benches, heavens no. Benches were Arinna's long term friends and comfort against the cold and unforgiving ground. At least on a bench Arinna could attempt to avoid bugs, to a certain extent, and other things.
Passing by a dark alleyway, Arinna jumped at the sound of a large crash. Freezing, mid-step, she slowly turned her head to look down it. At first, she couldn't really see anything, which could be considered good or bad depending on what made that noise.
As she looked closer however, she thought she could see some sort of form pressed up against the trash cans. They were on the ground, hunched over, as if in pain. Was that a person!? Oh no she should-
Little red flags shot through her skull. Nicole had warned her about this.
"Be wary of who you interact with at night. Who knows who might be trying to get the drop on you." She said a few days before. Well, though she did say that, Nicole didn't say Arinna couldn't help out an injured person. What if they were badly wounded and they would die if Arinna didn't step in an do something!?
Oh gosh! She had to do something.
Coming to her conclusion Arinna shuffled down the alley way, which was really starting to look rather gloomy and suspicious now that she thought about. "Um…. Uh… E-Excuse me? Sir? Are you alright?" She called, coming to a hault a few feet from the form. They didn't move.
She couldn't tell if they were an adult or teenager from their shadowy form. They weren't as tall as an adult, that was true, yet their body structure, muscle wise, looked similar to a grown man. A very buff man.
"Are you alright?" Arinna took a step closer, squinting her eyes through the dark. What she saw shocked her. No, that wasn't the right word. Horrified? Completely baffled? Astonished? Astounded? Staggered? Arinna struggled to place the words properly in her head, feeling herself fall backwards against the wall. She sat there for a few seconds, her grip tight against the shopping back.
In front of her was no man. Nor a teenager… well, maybe he as a teenager in age, but he wasn't a normal teenager.
He wasn't even human.
He was an alligator!
A repeat is required: AN ALLIAGATOR!
"…" Slowly placing down the bags, Arinna straightened and took a deep breath. Holding it in for a few seconds, she lifted her arms and began to wave them wildly, screaming incoherent words of shock and confusion. "sadlfhaosid roi hasjf ljasd ad fnas;dlf What the flip?! No seriously?! What the flip is this?! An Alligator?! REALLY?! Why is he here? Did he escape from the zoo?! He doesn't look like an average alligator! He is sitting like a person would and… and…" she lowered her hands, realizing she had been yelling to an Alligator that wasn't even conscious. If he was he probably would have attacked her or run away by now. "H-Hey…" she lifted her hand hesitantly, inching a little closer.
Now that she was closer, she could finally see them. Wounds. Bruises and scars covered his body, and his rib cage stuck out, his skin practically melting against them. When was the last time he ate?
"Don't…"
Arinna froze. Pulling back her hand, she did a double take. Did it just… speak? "Don't…. tou…ch… me." It growled quietly. "Don't… hurt… me…" he slurred, his eyes fluttering open for a few seconds before shutting and his body toppling over to his side. He definitely out cold now.
Arinna lowered her hands. He was talking to her. He was… intelligent enough to actually speak with her?
Arinna wasn't dumb, even if people believed her to be. She knew how serious this was, and oddly enough, it was a very similar situation to what happened a few days ago with the Sebastian and Picasso.
The only difference, is that this Alligator was hurt. Purposively hurt. Something did this to him. So…
Looking back and forth, she ran a hand through her hair. What should she do?
*HAPPY SQUEAL OF JOY!
And do you know why? I'm sure you do. I'm sure you know who this Alligator is people. Yup, that's right. My sister gave me an idea for this story, and I took it. She asked to add none other than LEATHER HEAD~
As a teen no less.
Basically meaning I picture him being a little smaller than how we usually see him. Like just a few inches smaller than Arinna, but still a little buff. Cause he is awesome like that :D
ANYWAY! GUESS WHAT PEOPLE! Speak of my sis, she has offered to do me something. She has offered to make a comic out of one of my stories. She would only do one of them though, so I asked her to do this one because I think it would be fun for her to draw this one and for us to see everyone's characters!
(if this isn't alright with you, please let me know)
Isn't this exciting!? I'll give you all more details in the next chapter, but for now, there it is!
ATTENTION! ATTENTION. This is a note to the Author Raph J, and Koraru Kinomoto. I hope you both read this. You both told me that your OC's both love and marry Raph. So um…. Yeah. I'm fine if you two want that to happen, but of course, that would be two OC's for the same guy. SO I was hoping you two could talk it over or something and work out some agreement over what happens with dear little Raphie and his love life then let me know what you decide? THANK YOU SO MUCH!