Living Well Is The Best Revenge

by Katarena

Taylor's decision not to move out seemed like the right one at the time. She never considered that the turtles and April would want to stay in each other's lives - or that she might have to choose between a safe life and an extraordinary one. Sequel to "Raphael's Big Mistake".

9. Treasure

Treasure

The turtles need to find a new home. Apparently, leaving the tracker at the old one worked a little too well.

"It was absolutely trashed," April tells Taylor one afternoon. "The turtles and Splinter have just taken what they needed and left."

"So where are they going to go now?"

"They've found another place, one that's much larger than the first lair." April sighs heavily. "It's been really tough for them - they grew up in that lair. It's all they've known."

Taylor feels sorry for them, and for Splinter. Living in the same place for fourteen years and then your enemies destroying it out of spite must be hard for anyone. Neither can living - and growing up - in a sewer of all places.

"They're already fixing up the new place. It's amazing what people will just throw out; Mikey said 'one person's trash is another turtle's treasure'." April takes a gulp of lukewarm coffee. "The turtles asked about you, by the way."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Taylor tries not to shift around, or grip her mug too tightly. "What did you tell them?"

Her friend's dark eyes are serious. She leans forward a little. "What do you want me to tell them?"

"Tell them I'm fine."

(What about the sleeplessness or the nightmares, or the creeping fear that someone can just enter a place Taylor thought was safe, or the secret anxiety that the turtles will decide they can't afford to have three humans knowing about them?)

"Are you?"

Taylor sighs. "No. But they don't need to know that, do they?"