Four weeks later
Four weeks had passed in the lair since Prim was still in her coma, Nina refused to leave her room, and Ginny have been depressed. So far, everything has gone quiet and still for the turtles. No news of danger and crime, so the turtles passed the time by trying to enjoy their time in the lair while keeping an eye on the new turtles. Halloween had passed, and the weather started getting cold, meaning winter was about to come.
Julian and Judi watch a Lou Jistu movie in the living room to pass the time. Julian sat on the couch with his legs crossed and his elbow resting on his knee. While Judi, on the other hand, is rocking back and forth and swaying her head from side to side. Then she tried to lay on the couch, hanging over the couch and hitting her head on the back.
She pulled her head up and groaned loud. "I'm bored." She whined.
"Really?" Julian turned his eyes away from the screen and faced her. "You used to watch movies, saying they keep you from listening to the voices." He added, mentioning a moment only he knows and Judi doesn't know.
"Yeah, well, I don't have a voice and am bored." She complained and lay on the couch seat while hanging upside down. "So this movie is boring."
Walking passed the twins is Leo, only to stop and gasp dramatically at what Judi said. "What?! I am shocked, missy!!" He placed a hand over his heart and stared down at Judi.
She only rolled her eyes and watched the movie upside down with a bored expression.
"If you are bored, why not explore the lair?" Julian suggested. "Be sure you are within the lair lines." He added.
Judi slid down from the couch and landed on the ground. Then she pushes herself up and stands straight. "Yes, sir." She walked away from her brother, heading to an empty tunnel out from the lair.
Julian frowned, concerned. With her memory gone, she was a completely different person. She doesn't remember him and has forgotten the field trip that causes their mutation and her memory loss. He let out a sigh and turned his attention to the movie.
Judi looks up at the tunnel ceiling, walking down along the way. Till she faced the tunnel way and rubbed her head. Every day, she is more lost and more lost without her memories. Whenever she tried to think, it just hurt her brain and gave her a nasty headache. The person who claimed to be her brother seems to know her well, and she clearly can't remember him or how they know each other. She wants to find her lost past if only she doesn't have to hurt herself by using her brain.
A metal clang sound caught her attention, coming from the other side of the tunnel. She decides to follow the sound and see if it's something the turtles can solve. Her footsteps were soft, and could barely make a sound for her lightweight. She holds her breath, reaching the entrance. She pokes her head out and found the source of the metal clang.
Mikey is standing over a wall with a spray can in hand and using it to spray paint graffiti on the wall. He was dancing, too, as he listened to music through his headphones. He has a smile on his face, too, in his thoughts and not noticing Judi standing by the entrance and watching him. He stopped spraying as he looked at his graffiti. "And there!!" He grinned. "I am good!" He tosses the spray can away and grab another.
Judi walked up to him and stared at the wall. The wall features a graffiti painting of an orange-yellow portal and orange chains coming out of the portal. Her eyes widen with interest and amazed. The detail and the texture looked so natural to her and were pulling her close to her like it was calling to her and getting her attention. She touched the graffiti wall, feeling the wall texture. She let out a gasp, and stars twinkle in her eyes.
Her feet touched a paintbrush. She looked down and picked it up. She then felt a slight urge in her to use the brush and paint with it, but she couldn't understand why she got the urge. But her curious notion won over her willpower.
So she dips the brush in an open paint can, lift it to the wall, and add a stroke as she paints alongside the graffiti. The more she painted, the more she seemed to get lost in her mind.
In her mind, she can see a little girl with the same hair color as her and Julian. And they were hiding inside a closet as she looked up to a woman with long red hair and blue eyes. She was talking, but no voice came out, and the door closed on her. Then a voice spoke, broking her out of her thoughts. "Wow."
She flinched, startled, and turned around to find Mikey looking at her. He raised his hands up. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you." He grinned at her. He then looked at her painting. "Your painting is magnificent." He pointed to the wall.
Judi turned her attention to the wall she painted on. On the wall, next to the graffiti, is a yellow figure of a girl next to an orange male figure as they hug each other and smile sadly. Then she faced Mikey. "You think so?" She sounds unsure.
"Totally. You are pretty good." He nodded, being a hundred percent sure. He then got an idea as he grabbed a spray can. "Care to join?" He asked her.
Judi blinked. "I..." She was feeling unsure of his offer, but hearing how he commented on her painting and how good he was, it couldn't hurt to have someone with her. "I love to." She smiled at him.
"Nice!!" He pulls a thumbs up and then tosses a paintbrush to her as she catches it.
Together, the two paint around the graffiti and create a huge art mural. Judi was smiling as she painted a stroke along with the color. She can't remember a time she had fun making art or how she managed to paint. She looks at Mikey, who is spraying on the wall and grinning, looking proud of himself and his creativity. She wishes she had his confidence, not feeling lost or empty feeling inside. He is a fun person to be around and can talk to. And he had made her smile.
Once the two are done, they take a great view of it. A color of orange and yellow swirling around the portal and the word 'Hope' in the middle.
Mikey turned to Judi. "You are really good at this." He grinned. "How did you know a thing or two about painting?"
Judi frowned and rubbed her head, feeling the headache pain. "I don't know. I really can't remember." She answered. The headache has gone away. "But one thing I do know is that it makes me feel better about myself and takes my mind off bad things." She faced Mikey. "It's kinda like my happy place."
Mikey hummed, fingers between his chin and in thought. "I read that art therapy helped express one's emotions and thoughts." He added.
"Cool." Judi smiled, finding it exciting and unique. She turned her attention to the mural on the wall and looked at the portal. She tilted her head to the right. "I am curious as to what the portal and chains meant." She pointed out.
"Oh, that? Yeah, funny story." He chucked nervously, thinking back to the Krang invasion and how he used his new mythical powers to open a portal to get Leo out. He clears his throat and changes the topic so as not to think of those days. "Say. Since you are creative, want to paint on your own?" He asked her.
Judi frowned, rubbing the back of her head. "Sure, I guess?" She let out a shrug.
Mikey gave her a smile and a soft pat on the back. "Don't worry; you can do it." He reassured her. "I bet Julian will get a kick out of it."
Judi smiled at him, wondering how Julian would be amazed by her creative skills. So with that in mind, she grabs a brush, holds the paint cans, and walks to a bare wall just two miles from Mikey's mural. She opens a can, dips the brush in, and paints a single stroke. She can feel Mikey watching her and seeing how she does it.
While painting, she started to get lost in her mind and saw an image of the same woman closing the door on the two kids, and the kid that looked like Julian as a kid was holding her close and scared like. But the young girl left his arms and opened the door as she ran to the living room. Julian followed after her, and she stopped by the couch. She can see the woman arguing with a man that has the same red hair as the woman and the kids, but he has green eyes that are glowing green like toxic chemicals. He grabbed the woman and yelled at her; it echoed in Judi's mind as she shook her head and returned to reality.
She returned to her painting, smiling and feeling quite proud. She stopped. "All done!" She called out to Mikey.
"Really?" Mikey beamed. He looks up to get a good look. "Let me get my pho-" but he stopped his mind sentence as he gazed at the painting, his eyes looking grim and concern clouded.
On the wall is a painting of a young girl that looks like Judi hiding behind a couch with her ears covered and crying as a man with a crazy look in his green eyes stares down at the girl. He had his hands on both sides of the couch and was grinning like a madman, and a sentence was written under the girl. 'You will never be rid of me.' It was distributing and unease. Judi stares at him with her large blue eyes as if glowing too, but they have an empty and lost gaze.
Mikey was in shock at this. He faced her. "Judi, who are they?" He questions her.
Judi looks up at the mural and back to Mikey. "I...I don't know them." She told him. "It's what came to mind. Is it bad?" She asked him with a concerning expression.
"What? No!" Mikey shook his head and waved both his hands. "Of course not! It's nice." He smiled nervously. He doesn't want to tell her that it creeps him out, rather be dis-shelled than hurt her feelings. "Say..would you mind reading some comics with me?" He suggested. Judi gave him a nod. "Great. Wait for me in the hangout spot."
Judi smiled at him and ran off, feeling happy and joyful.
Once she was gone, he grabbed his phone and snapped a picture of the mural after washing it off. After ensuring he has cleaned that disturbing work of art off, he rushes back to the lair. If one person knew what it meant, it was her brother.
Julian made himself a blt sandwich in the kitchen with chips and fruit for his lunch. He even made an extra plate for Judi when she returned from exploring the sewers.
He spots Mikey coming in. "Hello Mikey, what's up?" He greeted him with a soft smile.
Mikey breathe in and out, inhaling his stress. "Okay." He faced Julian. "Uh...Julian, I need your help right now." He told him.
"Why? What's wrong?" Julian is starting to get concerned.
Mikey pulls out his phone and shows Judi's painting to him. He waited for his reaction, then seconds later, Julian got a look of fear and terror in his eyes and face. Mikey continued. "She said it's what came to mind when she painted it. Do you know what this means?" He asked him.
Julian looks around the kitchen, checking for any sight of being body in present. Once he was sure no one was listening or watching, he turned his focus to Mikey. "okay. Listen." He begins. "When me and Judi were only five, our father had schizophrenia. A mental illness that causes hallucinations and hears things that aren't real. He murdered our mom when he was hallucinating and then killed himself in the process. Because of the trauma, Judi developed that illness and almost hurt herald from it." He sighed sadly. "She had been suffering so badly from it."
Mikey covered his mouth in shock and horror. He couldn't believe the horror and trauma she had to deal with after watching both her parents dying from each other, and it just caused her mental mind to form that illness and suffer badly from it. And Julian was being strong for her in her weak times. He felt scared for her sake and for her mental state of mind now. "Oh mi gosh..." he whispered.
"Mikey, if she managed to paint it out of her mind," Julian whispered in fear and terror. "It could mean her mind is trying to find its way back. And...back to her schizophrenia stage." He grabbed Mikey by the shoulder and faced him. His face pulled a serious look. "I need you never to mention this to Judi. Never spoke of this, never even think about it." He told him. "This is the first time in ten years she felt so calm and happy now and...I am afraid for her safety." He frowned; he wanted Judi to remember him and their good time but never the horror and trauma she faced.
"I won't. I promise to keep it a secret." Mikey nodded.
Julian sighed in relief. "Thank you, Mikey."
Mikey left the kitchen, leaving Julian with his mind and his lunch.
Judi sat in a beanbag chair while waiting for Mikey. She stared up at the ceiling, and the hurting headache returned while trying to think. She sighed and sank deeper into the bag.
Mikey came in with a box full of comics he had collected and kept on. "Alright, here we go." He then dumps it all on the floor, scattering around. "Where do you want to start?" He asked her.
Judi, look at the comics one by one. They have good characters, and the colors are fun too, but they couldn't spark her interest. She was about to give up when she spotted a comic with a woman dressed like a magical girl and standing on the moon in an open space. "How about this?" She picked it up and held it for Mikey to see.
"Oh. Lady Luna." He grinned."A scientist by day, but magical girl by night."
"sounds fun!!" She beamed brightly. "I want to read this!"
"Go ahead." He exclaimed.
Judi sat back down on the bean bag and read the comic. As she read it, the more she became fascinated by it. She loves the plot, the character, the outfits, and the way she uses magic. She was enjoying it very much.
Mikey watched her loving the comic. As long she is happy and never going deep in thought, she is safe from her own memories and rebuilds a new memory to replace it.