Chapter Twenty-One

Trying to take Control

"You cannot escape me!"

"You disappoint me! You are not my daughter!"

"You should have joined us! We could have been so much more!"

"No! No! It's not real! This is only a dream!"


Kemeko screwed her eyes shut as the voices echoed around her, the voices of Shredder, Karai, and the mutant clone of her.

In this nightmare she was in a void of darkness, she couldn't see anything, yet she could hear the many evil voices around her, and they drilled into her skull and tore into her soul.

"Do not deny your heritage daughter!"

"You will always belong to me! You cannot deny your family!"

"You could have had everything! Yet you choose a family of freaks!"

Kemeko screamed louder and tried to block out the voices as she tried to remember what Sephie said to her.

"Lucid dreaming means that you remain lucid while dreaming, aware that it is all a dream. If you can attain this state, you can control your dreams, and maybe turn your nightmares into something far less disturbing."

Putting her fingers in her ears, Kemeko tried to think of something else.

"This is all a dream! I control it!" she shouted at the top of her voice, "It doesn't control me!"

She stuffed her fingers in her ears and tried to focus on something else, this time, she tried to focus on what made her happy.

Kemeko knelt on the ground, keeping her fingers in her ears and her eyes closed and focused hard.


Before long, she smelt a sweet floral smell and she opened her eyes as well as lowered her hands from her ears.

To her relief, the young Asian girl found herself in a beautiful garden.

She could smell the sweet scents of the different flowers around her, such as chrysanthemums, hydrangea, and camellias, and she could hear the rushing water of a nearby waterfall.

Standing up from the ground, Kemeko looked around the garden, and she smiled at the many colours of the flowers and plants, as well as felt the soft grass and moss under her feet.

She could feel a lightness in her soul as she walked amongst the garden, and she soon saw the petals of cherry trees fly around her.

"This is my dream." She thought "This is my heaven….my happy place…"

Kemeko then walked over to a small wooden bridge overlooking the little river and she looked into the clear water.

"Daddy told me about the beauty of Japan, and the places no-one had seen in the most sacred parts of the country, he promised one day we would go."

She looked at the sparkling water then walked a little further into the garden, her hands stroking the bushes and flowers and she closed her eyes as she felt the cool breeze and the blossoms stroking her face comfortingly.


Opening her eyes again, Kemeko looked around the garden, feeling more relaxed, but it didn't last as she heard an evil laughter again.

Kemeko's blood ran cold, and she looked behind her to see a figure moving from behind one of the Cherry Blossom trees.

"No! No!" she pleaded, then she saw the Shredder appear, his bladed hands shining in the sun and sharp as razors.

"You cannot escape Kemeko!" Shredder snarled as he stepped towards her "You're mine! You will always be mine!"

"NO!" Kemeko screamed, again she looked at her hands then at Shredder.

"You're not real! You're not real! It's all but a dream! You're nothing but an illusion!"

As she shouted at Shredder, she felt a pair of arms behind her, and she looked behind her to see the ugly face of her clone behind her, the snake features prominent, the sharp venom filled teeth and slit iris eyes.

"You should have joined him! You should have joined him!" the clone jeered.

"Never!" Kemeko screamed "Let go! Let go of me!"

As she struggled, the sky began to grow dark then the plants began to wither, and the river bubbled as if it was boiling.

"No! No!" Kemeko tried to fight but the clone was holding her tight.

"Don't fight! Don't deny it! Don't deny the truth!"

Kemeko then saw Karai appear next to the Shredder.

"Mother?"

"Don't deny it! You cannot run away from what is right in front of you!"

"No! No! NOOOO!"


"NOOOOOO!"

"Kemeko! Lotus! Wake up! I'm here! I got you!"

Leonardo held his daughter close as she kicked out and screamed.

"Wake up! Wake up!" Leonardo shouted "Please!"

Kemeko screamed again then opened her eyes as she found herself back in the medical wing of Mutopia with Leonardo holding her close.


At the same time, James and Dahlia ran out of the next room to see what was happening.

"Leonardo? Kemeko?" James cried.

"What's happened?" Dahlia asked.

"It happened again!" Leonardo reported as he held Kemeko close, the sobbing girl leaning into him as she ceased fighting.

"Another night terror?" James sighed then looked at Dahlia "This really is bad."


Dahlia nodded then looked to the side as a knock at the door was heard.

James glared.

"Who is it!?" he asked exasperated.

"It's Tyroth!" James heard the Dragon's voice from behind the door.

"Oh right." James quickly changed his tone "Enter!" he yelled.


The door opened and Tyroth walked in, as he did, he saw Dahlia and James standing near Kemeko's bed, the young girl sobbing and wailing in Leonardo's arms as the turtle held her close and tried to soothe her.

As he observed, the Dragon could see how tired and stressed Leonardo looked.

The turtle had dark rings under his eyes, and his green skin was pale.

Kemeko meanwhile looked worse, and as she calmed down, and the dragon took a good look at her, he soon saw something rather shocking.

"Oh gosh, her hair…" he breathed.

James and Dahlia also looked, and they gasped, Leonardo also saw their faces and looked at Kemeko.

"Oh, my poor baby…" he cried as he looked at his adopted daughter's hair, only to discover a white streak on the left side.


James walked over to analyse the change in Kemeko's ebony hair, and he stroked the white streak.

"What happened to her hair?" Leonardo demanded, "What happened to her beautiful hair?"

James looked at the streak of white then turned to Dahlia.

"It's the trauma Leonardo." She said, "The trauma of her nightmares, known as Marie Antoinette Syndrome."

"What?" Leonardo cried "You mean the queen who was executed via the guillotine during the French Revolution?"

Dahlia nodded.

"There's no research to support it, but records say that before she was executed, her hair turned wite from fear and shock, yet in my training, I have learnt severe trauma can cause hair to discolour."

James nodded.

"She's right Leonardo." He spoke.

Leonardo stroked Kemeko's sweaty forehead then her hair.

"Oh my Lotus….my turtle child." He murmured as he held her tight.

Tyroth walked closer and he sat next to Kemeko.

"Lotus?" he said.

Kemeko looked over at Tyroth, she was still breathing heavily.

"Uncle T?" she said, "Uncle T, I tried, I tried what Aunt Sephie said, but it didn't work!" she wept.

"What didn't work Lotus?" Tyroth asked as he held Kemeko's hand in his large paw.

"She told me how I could control my dreams, but I couldn't!" Kemeko wept "I tried! Believe me I tried!"

Tyroth stroked Kemeko's cheek.

"Oh sweet child!" he said in a comforting tone "I know You tried! If I know you, if the challenge was given, you would take it and win it! Or do your best to win it!"

Kemeko hiccupped as she looked at her uncle and the Dragon smiled softly.

"You tried, and that is all that mattered." He said, "You are strong, I know you are!"

"But I don't feel it Uncle T!" Kemeko sobbed "I don't feel strong! No matter what I do to control my dreams, I'm still haunted! I can't escape!"


Tyroth sighed and held Kemeko's hands tightly then looked at Leonardo who was rubbing his head in stress.

"Leonardo?" he called over "May I have a word?"

Leonardo looked up at the dragon.

"Of course!" he said.

Tyroth then looked at Kemeko.

"Lotus, your father and I are going to have a talk alright?"

Kemeko paled a little.

"Dad?' she asked in fear.

"It's alright Turtle Child!" Leonardo said in a comforting voice "Like before, we're going to speak outside."

Kemeko sniffed, but like before, she agreed, and Leonardo walked outside with Tyroth whilst James and Dahlia did a few checks on Kemeko.

As James checked on Kemeko, Dahlia looked over to the door seeing the turtle and dragon leave and wondered what they were going to talk about.

Poor Kemeko is still haunted by her night terrors despite Sephie's help, and they are still tormenting her.

Yet what does Tyroth have in mind to help her with Leonardo's help?

Btw, the conditon spoken of in this chapter, I did some research and I knew a few people who had suffer the same after a severe trauma.