WARNING: STABBING
Two days later
The girls and Julian kicked in the air, switching legs to kick high. They have been practicing basic martial arts lessons for two days, learning from the turtles with what they learned so far. Ginny, Julian, and Judi were only beginners at this, while Nina was experienced in martial arts. So, she is willing to help them keep up with their training.
They kick their other legs, instructed by the turtles while continuing their search for EDF. They told them to practice while they're gone. Judi kicked her leg up till she fell backward and landed on the mat.
Judi groaned. "This is so hard!!" She pouted. "I can barely move my legs!" She lay on the mat, upset with herself.
Nina helped Judi up, pulling her up and back on her feet. "You can do this Judi." She reassured her. "It only takes a little muscle strength." She breathed, stepping forward and kicking her right leg up. It's a perfect kick. But during that kick, the motion of it caused her long hair to swing in the air and hit Julian in the face.
"Ah!" Julian backed away, reacting to the pain.
"Oh!!" Nina gasped, guilty for her action. "Lubos Na Paumanhin!" She apologized in Filipino. She covers her mouth with her hands.
Julian rubbed his face as if he was getting the pain off him. "It's fine." He assured her. He chuckled a bit, surprised by the hard hair flip he got. "Your hair got more attack than Rapunzel's hair does."
"I guess…" Nina frowned sadly. She stares down at the mat; her eyes look empty, and her long bangs cover half her face. She stares at her hands, holding them together.
Ginny noticed it. "Nina?" She touched her shoulder, getting her attention. "Are you feeling okay?"
Nina sighed sadly. "Sorry." She looks up to face Ginny, her eyes showing sadness and grief. "Today is the anniversary of Tatay's death from his heart disease." She revealed.
Ginny gasped softly. It was also the anniversary of the start of her abuse too. "Oh my… I'm so sorry." She apologized to her.
"It's alright..every year, I would sing a song he always sang to me," Nina told them. She gripped her biceps tightly. "When I have bad dreams and feel scared. I missed him so much…" she sadly sighed.
Ginny wrapped her arms around Nina's shoulder, "I understand how you feel. I still miss my mom and dad every day." She added. She smiled softly at her." You are not alone anymore. You have us now."
"Yeah. You have a new family that will never hurt you." Judi stepped in.
Nina's eyes formed tears, sniffing. "You guys.." she smiled at them. How did she end up being from unlucky to lucky? The three hugged her close as she hugged them back. She sniffed, tears rolling down her cheek. "Thank you. It made me feel better." They pull away from her.
Ginny smiled proudly. "Good." She pulls up Nina's hair, staring at it. "No, how about we do something with this hair? You seriously need a haircut." She added, looking through her locks. "When was the last time you got it cut?" She asked her.
"Ten years?" Nina answered questionably.
"Ten!!?" Ginny shouted, shocked. Nina never got her hair cut for ten years. She huffed out, snapping her finger. "Judi, scissors! Julian, find me a comb!" The twins all nodded. They both left the dojo and searched for scissors and combs.
Nina raised her eyebrow. "You know about hair?" She asked her.
"Used to work in a beauty salon." She answered. She used to help a hairdresser clean, cut, and organize hair products. She used to watch them cut hair and took some mental notes in case she needed to cut her siblings' hair. "Can't believe your mom never let your hair get cut."
"She was a hairdresser till she got fired," Nina revealed.
"Well, she deserves it." Ginny grinned. Karma got her mother. "Come on. We can skip training today." They can focus on their lessons another day; they need to help Nina feel refreshed and happy instead of feeling grief.
The two leave the dojo. If Splinter finds out they left their training; he will understand and allow them one day off for Nina. They can only hope the turtles will be okay with it.
With the turtles, they all meet back together by a building roof. None of them found any lead on EDF; they searched, double-checked, and even triple-checked places they'd been before—still none.
Leo sighed; at this rate, they might be too late to save Draxum. "Two days and no lead on EDF." He reported.
"We've searched over New York." Raph huffed out. "They can't be here."
Donnie sighed. His map has been covered with red x marks on places they check. "Maybe their location isn't in the city." He suggested.
Leo turned his attention to Donnie, glaring at his brother. "Where else can we look for them if not in the city?" He questioned him, throwing his arms out and waving them in the air. He groaned. They can be doing this forever.
"We can search over there." They heard Mikey speak. The three turned their attention to Mikey, who pointed at a broken neighborhood suburb. "We have never been there before. Maybe they're in a hidden location there." He added.
"Hmmm." Leo hummed in thought. They pretty much covered the whole city, both on the surface and in the Hidden City. Yet, it never got to the point outside the city's borders and on the outskirts, it could be where the EDF are hiding. He pulled out his katana. "We can try there." He opened a portal that teleports them to that neighborhood.
A portal opens in a small park with dried grass and old dying trees. One by one, the turtles jumped out and landed on the grass, making a crushing noise under their feet. Their faces cringe in disgust at the sight of the park and the buildings around. Unlike the clean and well-built houses in their city and April's apartment, this area is like a zombie land; everything around is dead and broken. Several homeless are sleeping outside in tents and inside empty houses that have been abandoned. This place got to be so awful enough to keep anyone from finding the EDF.
"Let's split up," Leo ordered. "Keep your communication close to you if you find anything." The three all nodded. They split up and headed in opposite directions: Leo took the north, Raph in the south, Mikey ran the east while Donnie rushed west. They must keep a close eye on EDF activities or an agent.
Donnie leaped from rooftop to rooftop; he put his goggles on to scan his area. It watches inside the houses and the sewer lines, and none have any EDF activities. He snarled; he was not going to give up easily. Draxum needs him and refuses to let his family be in danger. He leaped off to another rooftop and landed while scanning through. A cold breeze flows past him, making him shiver. He looked up, watching clouds forming and turning gray in the night sky. It seems a rainstorm is heading to New York.
He jumped off the rooftop, landing in a backyard. He pulls his goggles up and places them on top of his head. The background was just as bad as the park; the grass was dead, no living trees, and the bushes looked wild and tremendous. You can fit a massive body in there. He grimaced; the sooner they checked the area, the sooner they could leave and try again another time. He felt something under his foot as he was about to leap away.
He lifted his leg, seeing a small muddy paper sticking on the bottom of his left foot. He pulls it off, holding it in his hand as he rubs off the mud a little. The paper shows a man who looks like Flipino holding a little girl in his arms. He looked closer at the girl, instantly recognizing who that is.
"Nina?" He whispered. It was a picture of Nina as a human child with her father, Benjamin, holding her while smiling at the camera, with the background of Luna Park. He observed his surroundings, holding the picture in his hand.
He saw a small path leading to the bushes. The path seemed like a body was draining itself there. He followed the path, pushed it aside, and took a peak. Inside the bushes was an old mattress covered in dead leaves and bugs crawling through the ripped fabric. He slowly backed away from the bushes.
"This was her home…" he whispered. He has landed in Nina's old home, her hellhole. He got to get out before her parents found out he was here.
Suddenly, he heard the sound of an open door behind him. He was caught. He slowly turned around and found young Olivia standing by the doorframe. He froze still, afraid a single move would frighten her and cause her to scream, alerting her parents and getting the police forces involved. A cloud of fog slowly formed from his mouth, and sweat formed on his forehead.
Olivia stood still, saw Donnie in her background, and did not move an inch. To her, he looks like a monster that can eat her. And like the young child she is, she gets scared. She then opened her mouth, ready to scream in fright.
Seeing this, Donnie panicked. "No wait!! I'm a friend of Nina's!!" He whispered loud for her to hear but not loud enough to wake anyone.
Olivia gasped, her eyes widened at the word 'Nina.' Does this creature know Nina? Her older half-sister? "Nina? She's alive?" She asked him, her hands clinging close to her chest, waiting for him to continue.
Donnie nodded to her, confirming. "Yes. She's alive, she's healing and is much happier." He answered.
She sighed in relief. "That's great." She nodded. "Nina is my older sister, but she doesn't like me very much." She added with a sad frown.
Donnie's face softened. Nina told him about her parents and what they did, but she never mentioned having a half-sister. The young child looked to be about six years old with long black hair that reached her waist, wearing a dirty propel dress, and was barefoot, her feet looking blue due to the cold weather here. Her eyes were brown but held a sad shine, and her face had patches of dirt on her soft, pale skin. How can Nina's cold-hearted parents have another child?
He slowly approached her, showing her he meant no harm. "Hey. It's not your fault." He assured her. Unlike Mikey, he was not great with young kids and never liked being around them. "You're completely blameless of her abuse." He added. He kneels down to her, facing her.
"I guess.." Olivia shrugged, not feeling very sure. She eyed him, taking in his form. He is a turtle, yet walking and talking like a human. But Nina loves turtles because she always has Bello with her. So Olivia can trust this turtle. She caught sight of the picture in his hand. She pointed at it. "I saw that man before." She informed him.
Donnie blinked, holding the picture in his hand. "Huh? Benjamin?" He responded. He showed her the picture. "When?" He asked her. How can she know him when she wasn't born during?
"Follow me." Olivia motioned him, opening the door for him to come in.
Donnie enters the house, following Olivia. He almost gagged at the sight. The house inside was a complete health hazard zone.
The walls are stained with coffee, beer, and what looks like blood; it was even peeling, too, and more cracks have been added and gone missing. The carpet floor is dirty with mud and food scrapes, completely ruined, and beyond repairable. The furniture has nasty stains and is ripped, losing some fabric stuffing. The kitchen is dirty and has tons of dirty dishes, and there are dirty clothes on the floor, too. And rotting, moldy foods, too.
Donnie cringed in disgust. He would rather take his chances outside than inside this disastrous building of a house. He focused on Olivia, not to get distracted by the horror he witnessed. "Your parents never cleaned the house?" He questioned her.
"They never clean. They made Nina do the cleaning." Olivia answered, walking past a pile of beer bottles. "With her gone, they have me do the cleaning."
"What?" Donnie blinked. They forced not only Nina but Olivia to clean for them. "But you're just a kid."
Olivia frowned sadly. "Don't feel like a kid…" she muttered with a cracked voice.
Donnie's frown formed. He is disgusted by this. Their parents are the most awful people, if not in New York, in the whole world. He followed her as they reached the stairs and headed up.
They reached the second story, like the mess downstairs; the walls and carpet floor were a disaster. There are even trash bags that no one bothers to throw outside, and rotten food on the floor, too. Olivia shushes him; her parents are asleep and must make it through quietly. They walked past the trash bags, the food, and the fallen furniture.
Olivia grabs onto a doorknob, twists it open, and enters inside. Her room is not as disgusting as the rest, except for the broken walls and drawings of a young girl crying and hugging a teenager; the carpet is stained and has broken toys. The bed hasn't been clean, and her clothes are dirty.
Donnie observed her room, walking in. He heard the door close behind him, turned around, and saw Olivia close the door. She motioned him to keep following her. Whatever she is about to tell him can't be heard by anyone in the house. Not even her parents, who she knew would go far worse.
She walked to her closed closet and grabbed the handle. "From these." She opens them apart, revealing her closet to him. Her closet has closed boxes with labels that never belong to her, clothes hanging on the rack, and hangers empty without clean clothes.
Along with the boxes, one is open and has four picture frames in them. Olivia grabbed it and pulled it towards her, letting Donnie see them.
His eyes widened. These were picture frames with Benjamin on them, from him with his co-workers and young five-year-old Nina in the hospital, him and Abigail holding three-year-old Nina, getting his medical degree to him and Nina in Luna Park. He can't believe Olivia has them; no one has noticed them. Nina told him her mother could have thrown them away, yet they are in frame and untainted.
He faced Olivia. "Where did you get those?" He asked her.
"I found them in her closet last year after I thought she wouldn't return," Olivia answered, gripping the end of her dress and rocking back and forth, staring at the floor. "When we heard the news of her disappearance, my mommy and daddy threw a huge fight and almost harmed each other. Then, after that, she went to her room and destroyed everything Nina owned and belonged to that man in the pictures." She told him. "So when I was sure she wasn't looking, I stole the box with the pictures and hid them in my room." She finished.
Donnie took the four frames from the box, smiling down on them. Oh, Nina is going to be so happy when he finds them. He smiled down at her. "Thank you for looking after them for her." He thanked her. "She'll be so happy to know they're still here."
Olivia looked up, her eyes shined. "Did I do good?"
"Yes, you did." Donnie nodded.
Olivia smiled warmly at him. Happy that she did something good instead of doing something terrible. She stares at the face of Benjamin. "Who is that man? You said, Benjamin?"
Donnie set the frames down, kneeling down before her. "Benjamin was Nina's father before he died." He explained to her. "He was your mother's husband before your father married her and had you."
Olivia frowned. "But why would she marry my daddy if she is already married to Nina's daddy?" She asked him, not understanding.
Donnie huffed out, thinking of a better way to explain this to a little girl. "Have you ever heard of the story of Snow White?" He questioned her.
"No." She shook her head. "Mommy told me stories are for dreamers with no sense of reality." She responded.
"Well. When their loved ones die, they're alone to take care of their child, and it can be pretty stressful alone." Donnie shared his answer in a way for a child to see. "So they look for another partner to help and love them."
"So she married my daddy to help her take care of Nina?" Olivia guessed. She sadly frowned. "But she hit her and had her do chores here. And daddy would do the same to her and never give her food." She sniffed, eyes forming tears.
He rubbed her back, giving her the same comfort he gave to Nina in her darkest times. "Your sister told me about what they did to her." He informed her. "They messed with her so badly."
She looks up at him, her teary eyes staring into his. "Will she be alright? And can you tell her I'm sorry for hurting her too…" she requested, starting to cry.
He rubbed the top of her head, messing up her hair. He smiled warmly at her. "I'll tell her you're thinking about her, and you saved her memories." He assured her
Olivia sniffed, her lips forming into a happy smile. The way he spoke and comforted her gave her a sense of hope. He is helping Nina be happy again, wherever she is; she hopes she can forgive her for being an awful sister and not doing much to save her from their horrible parents.
A loud crashing noise is heard outside her room, followed by something breaking and loud footsteps walking down the hallway. "Olivia!? Are you up, you brat?!" Henry's voice shouted, his voice getting closer.
"Oh no.." Olivia gasped, fear in her voice. Her eyes widened, and her pupils shrunk. She clings to her dress skirt and backs away.
The doorknob twisted violently as if it was trying to break off its hinges and break the door along, too. Then the door swung open, hitting the wall, causing the wall to break, and fallen pieces landed on the floor. The impact caused Donnie and Olivia to flinch.
Henry walked in, holding a baseball bat in hand. His expressions show anger, and his face is red, too. "I told you to shut the hell up while I'm sleeping, you fucking brat!!" He yelled, not caring if his voice woke up his wife. His eyes showed dullness, and he was drunk in rage, glaring at Olivia.
Olivia hid behind Donnie, her body shaking, and she was crying softly while holding her head and hair like she was trying to hide. Donnie turned his head to look at Olivia having a meltdown; she also seemed terrified. That's when he noticed something on her back: a massive bruise behind her dress. It suddenly started to come clear. With Nina gone, they began to abuse Olivia. His fist slowly formed in anger. He slowly turned his head forward, facing Henry with a glare.
Henry blinked, rubbing his eyes before blinking again. He narrowed them while staring at Donnie. "Who the fuck are you?" He slurred. He doesn't remember allowing anyone in their home at the end of the evening. He also doesn't let anyone near his daughter. He snarled in his drunken rage.
"Olivia, stand back," Donnie ordered her, reaching behind his shell and pulling out his bo staff. Olivia backed away from Donnie, just as she was told.
"Hey!! You don't order my daughter around!" Henry shouted, raising his baseball bat. "I do!" He ran in and swung his bat at Donnie.
Donnie blocked the bat with his staff, using his strength to push him back and out of her room. He swung his staff and hit Henry in the stomach, causing him to hit the wall with his back.
"Oh, that's it." Henry snarled. "You're done, you freak!" He got up on his feet and then punched Donnie in the face. He even kneed him, causing him to back away and fall down the stairs. Henry grabbed his bat and chased after Donnie, reaching the bottom.
Donnie grunted, not expecting this. He quickly stood up, ready to fight back. He flipped backward and landed on his feet. He grabbed hold of his staff, holding it close to him. Henry swung his bat, only for Donnie to dodge his swings, till Donnie kneed his stomach, causing him to drop the bat. Donnie grabbed hold of Henry's arm and twisted it hard.
Henry screamed in pain, feeling it being twisted and almost dislocated. Donnie let his arm go and kicked him on the chest, causing him to get pushed back and land on the coffee table, breaking it.
"What is going on!?" Abigail's voice shrieked from upstairs. "I'm trying to sleep!" She walked downstairs, reached the bottom, and saw the scene.
Olivia ran downstairs, following her mother while trying to hold the four frames in her tiny arms. She saw her father getting up from the broken table and Donnie panting from the brutal fight he took from him. She tilted her head up to watch her mother staring at Donnie.
Abigail was gapping, eyeing Donnie. He was still holding his staff, and her husband struggled to stay on his feet. She froze still, eyes widened, and only focusing on Donnie. Then she opened her mouth and let out a scream, echoing the house.
Olivia covered her ears, blocking the scream, and not noticing, she dropped the frames on the floor. Donnie backed away a bit, taken back by her action. He was expecting a panic, only from Olivia and not from her mother. Her screams almost damaged his hearing.
Henry groaned and growled angrily. He covered his ears. "Will you shut up!? You're going to break my ears!!" He shouted at her.
Abigail stopped screaming, facing her husband with a scowl. "Oh, like you needed them!!" She snapped. "You hardly hear anything from me!!"
"Maybe if you stop talking, you wouldn't sound like a banshee!" He barked back. "You have a terrible voice!!"
Abigail scoffed, offended. Her jaws grinded. "Said you!! Your voice is so terrible, my mother would die in fright!!" She argued with him.
While the two are fighting, Donnie quietly sneaks up to Olivia. He grabbed her and held her in his arms while he grabbed the four frames and gave them to her to save them. He can't let her stay here with those two after seeing and hearing their true colors and how they act toward each other. And he will not let her end up the same fate as her older half-sister. He reaches down to his wristband and presses the screen, alerting his brothers. He may not have found the EDF, but they'll understand the care of a little girl.
Before he could leave the house from the back door, a vase was thrown past him and hit the wall. He stopped midway when he thought the vase would hit him on the back of his head. He turned around, finding Abigail holding another vase in her hand.
Abigail glared at him; fury and rage clouded her mind. She held a vase, ready to throw again. She snarled. "Where do you think you are going with that brat!?" Her voice shrieked.
Donnie groaned; now he had to face her, too. He quickly rushed to the damaged couch and placed Olivia on the cushion. He held her face, staring into her eyes. "Whatever you do, don't turn around." He told her. She nodded, understanding him. With that nod, he left her side and twirled his staff.
Abigail throws the vase, but he swings his staff and breaks the vase like a baseball bat hitting a ball. She grabs a photo frame from a table stand and throws it at him, only for him to swing it, landing on the floor and breaking it. Every time she grabbed items she could find, they only got destroyed by his staff. She is starting to reach her breaking point.
Henry stepped in, fist ready to punch him. Donnie swung his staff and walloped Henry, sending him landing on the kitchen floor. His head hit the cabinet, his eyes closed, and he went unconscious.
Abigail was panting, feeling all the rage in her. She grabbed a clock placed by the window and tossed it at Donnie; like always, he hit the clock, and it landed by Olivia's side, who was covering her ears and closing her eyes to not watch the fight.
Abigail roared loudly. "You stupid, ugly freak!!!" She grabbed a lamp, pulled it off the plug, and threw it hard at Donnie. He hit it, and it shattered into pieces. "You are not going to take my stress toy away!! Not since I lost my previous one last year, that disgusting Arianina run away from me!! Like a coward!!" She yelled while throwing another vase at him.
Donnie hit it, breaking it. He gasped softly. "Nina?" He whispered softly. Did she call Nina her stress toy? Is that what she is to her? Not as her daughter or part of her life? His anger slowly clouded his mind, glaring at her. "Well, it's no wonder why she ran away. You are the most pathetic human being in New York." He snarled. He twirls his staff, ready to attack her. "You don't deserve to be a mother if all you do is hurt your children."
"How dare you!!?" Abigail barked at him. "You don't know anything about me!!" She picked up some disgusting rotten foods on the floor and threw them at him.
Donnie hit them individually, not caring if he could smell the rotten stink. His senses were only focused on his fury over that woman. "I know that you and your sorry excuse of a husband have been abusing Nina after the death of your former husband, Benjamin, and the reason she nearly died was that she never got the vaccination she needed." He explained all that Nina told him, her past and her pain.
Abigail let out a careless cackle. "Are you kidding?! She was just a pathetic spawn of that weak man!!" She stopped throwing and bragged. "Always has and always will be!! Nothing but a horrible reminder of that stupid, stupid ma-"
Out of nowhere, she got slammed against the wall, and it cracked under her back. The impact was too fast; her sense was cut out. She slowly regains her senses and opens her eyes. Abigail gasped in horror and surprised.
Donnie's gaze held so much rage and fury over what this woman bragged. He had never been so mad and enraged in all his life, not even when he was fighting against the Krang. No one had ever seen him so angry and felt like prey under his gaze. Donnie held her by the neck, gripping it tightly and almost breaking it. He doesn't care if he will kill a human being; his protective instinct over Nina overcame his senses.
"Talk about her like that, and I will get the police involved and have them put Olivia in a better family where you will never see her again!!" He threatened her; his voice was like poison.
Abigail panicked, gasping for air. "No! No, please! I will be disowned forever if my family finds out about my actions and knows Arianina is still alive!!" She begged him. "I can't let them and Benjamin's family know about her! I can't let them take her away from me!!"
Donnie snarled, teeth bearing in rage. "I couldn't care less about that. You've been hiding her for too long!" He shouted at her face. "And you've been hiding her from those who love and care about her!! You are a bad example of a mother to a daughter who was grieving over the death of her father!!"
"I don't care if she still misses that pathetic Filipino rat!!" Abigail barked back, forgetting she was in his grasp. "She is just like him! Naive! Weak! And dirty! She is a rat like him!" She added. "A waste of sperm for being a dirty rat!"
As if someone flipped the switch in Donnie's brain, he punched Abigail's face with brute force and broke her nose as it bled. He pounded her chest, making her gasp for air and yell in pain. He slammed her to the floor, damaging her back. He is too enraged to know what he is doing is wrong, too focused on killing this woman for speaking so horribly about Nina. He would make her life much better by getting rid of the monster that caused so much damage to her.
Abigail was in pain, from her bleeding nose to her broken back. She slowly crawled backward from him, terrified of Donnie.
Donnie pulled out his Bo staff, transforming it into a drill. He raises his staff, ready to finally be rid of her and end the suffering she caused. Suddenly, he was pulled away from her, and his staff was tossed out of his hand.
"Donnie! No!" Leo shouted, dragging him away from her. Thanks to Donnie's alert, he was lucky to make it here, and stopped him from making the biggest regret in his life. "It's not worth it!"
"Let me go!!" Donnie struggled, trying to break free.
"Donnie! Don't do this!" Leo begged, keeping his grip tight and firm. "What will Nina say if she finds out you murdered her mothers?" He questioned him.
That causes Donnie to stop struggling and come back to his senses. He was about to kill her without thinking of any consequences. He looked at Abigail, crawling away from him in fear, almost coming close to death's door.
Leo let him go once he was sure he would avoid risky actions. Behind him, Mikey and Raph stand by the portal Leo created, Mikey holding the picture frames in his arms. They had never seen Donnie so vengeful before, and it almost frightened them.
Then, the sound of police sirens was heard from a distance, coming this way. Someone must have reached the police after hearing the fight.
"Come on, guys!" Mikey panicked. "Before we get caught!" Raph jumped into the portal, taking them home. Mikey jumped after his older brother.
Leo jumped in after, leaving Donnie to last. He reached and took his staff, placing it on his battle shell. Before he jumped in after, he turned to face Olivia as she got off the couch and walked to him. She's scared, scared of what is going to happen to her and her parents.
She sniffed. "The blue men are coming, are they?"
He kneels down before her, facing her. "Yes. They are." He nodded.
"What's gonna happen to me?" She whimpered, scared, while gripping her dress skirt.
"I'm more sure." He shrugged. He smiled softly at her. "But you must be brave and strong for Nina and her father." He added.
Olivia nodded. "Okay." She replied. She hummed. "Uh..tell Nina I said hi."
Donnie chuckled. "Will do." He ruffled her hair, making her giggle a bit. If they put Olivia in a foster home, he hopes she can find a forever family that loves and cares for her. Giving her the love Nina never got growing up.
He pulled himself up and headed to the portal. Before he could jump in, he heard a loud roar behind him. Then, a sharp pain on the shoulder, he screamed in pain.
Abigail stabbed Donnie with a kitchen knife and right on his left shoulder. Her eyes have gone red with rage and murder. She was screaming like a crazy maniac and cackling too.
Donnie grabbed his staff and swung it at Abigail, pushing her away from him and causing her to drop the knife. He jumped in the portal quickly as it disappeared. The portal was gone, leaving Abigail, Olivia, and Henry, who had woken from his unconsciousness.
Abigail panted heavily, defected by a group of freaks that came into her home and ruined her image. She let out a loud roar; all of it came crashing down and will now be destroyed.
A loud bang is heard, and the door opens as a police officer walks in and takes a good look at the place. He was utterly taken back by the disaster here; the walls had broken down from the harsh fighting, the food was stinking the area, and he saw bruises on the three.
"Got a call that there were loud noises here. What is going on here?" The police officer asked, arms crossed and raising his eyebrow.
Olivia stepped in, gripping her dress skirt. She looked down. She has to be brave and strong. She lifted her head and faced the police. "Sir, can you take me away from here?" She asked him, voice cracking while trying to fight her tears.
He sighed, then slowly nodded. "Don't worry, kid. You are going to be okay." He picked her up, holding her in his arms. His soft glance turned into a disapproval snarl at the two adults. "And as for you two, we're talking about this back in the station." He pulled out his radio communicator.
Abigail growled angrily, glaring at Henry. "This is all your fault!" She yelled.
"My fault?!! You started this!" Henry argued.
"Oh, shut up!!" She snapped. Her life is over for good. Outside, it started to rain hard.
Back in the lair, Mikey looked at the pictures placed on the kitchen table. He smiled at the pictures of young Nina. "Aw! Look at Nina, so cute and tiny." He awed. "Nina will be so happy when she hears we found pictures of her father." He looked at young Nina and Benjamin's smiling faces. Raph and Leo exited the portal, arriving in time.
Donnie came out last, holding his bleeding shoulder. He leaned against the kitchen wall, gasping in pain. The three turtles gasped.
"Donnie!" Leo rushed to his brother, checking his shoulder. It looked deep and was bleeding badly. "What happened?!"
"Her crazy mother attacked me from behind," Donnie answered.
Leo carefully placed Donnie's right arm around his shoulder. "Come on. We need to get this stitched." He guided him all the way to the med-bay. He gently set him on the bed, having him sit down and softly letting him go.
Donnie hissed in pain, gripping his arm. This was way worse than the technodrome.
Leo got a needle for surgery, an alcohol bottle, strong surgery strings, and a fresh roll of bandages. He poured some of the alcohol into a cloth. He inhaled and exhaled. "Okay. This is going to sting, a lot." He warned him.
"Just hurry and do it." Donnie perused him.
With that, Leo gently dapped the cloth on his wound, making Donnie hissed in pain. He quickly grabbed the needle with the string hooked and stitched it close.
Donnie flinched as he felt the needle going through his skin. He gripped the bed edge, trying hard not to think about the pain. He waited till his brother had finished sewing the wound close.
Leo wrapped the bandage around his shoulder, under his arm. He tied the bandage together, finishing. "Okay. You're good to go." He informed him. He set the bandage, the bottle, and the needle on the table. He can take care of those later. "Let's get you rested." He grabbed his right hand, helping him up.
The two leave the med-bay, finding Mikey and Raph waiting for them with worried expressions. The four all walked to the game room to get Donnie rested and to take a break from looking for EDF. They can worry about it later; they must focus on Donnie and teaching the girls their lessons.
They enter the game room, finding the girls and Julian watching the screen showing Street Fighter. Judi and Ginny cheered for Nina while Julian laughed.
Judi heard the boy's footsteps, turned around, and smiled. "Hi, guys!" She waves at them from the couch.
Nina paused the game, stood up, and turned around. "Hey." She smiled. The moment she faced them, they saw her hair look completely different. Her long brown hair has been cut to waist length, and her bangs have been cut short. View both her forest eyes.
Mikey glassed. "Whoa! Nina!" he beamed. "You have your hair cut!"
"Yeah. New year, new me." She smiled and gave her hair a small flip. Upon seeing the bandage on Donnie's shoulder, her smile faded, and she gasped. "What happened?"
"Uh..Foot Ninja got me, almost killed me." Donnie lied to her.
Leo blinked, turning to Donnie. "What? No, the- "Donnie quickly used his right hand to cover his mouth. Leo looked into Donnie's eyes, confused about why he had lied.
Mikey chuckled nervously at this. Then he smiled. "But on the lighter side, we found something." He pulled out the four frames and showed it to Nina.
Nina's eyes widened as if she was seeing a ghost. But in Mikey's hands are the four picture frames she kept in her room as a reminder of the good days with her parents. She grabbed the picture of her and her father in Lunar Park. "How..how did you find them?" She asked them, holding the rest in her hands. "I thought Nanay had thrown them away."
"Well…" Raph was about to explain when he saw Donnie shaking his head no. Raph doesn't like to lie to a lady like Nina. "We found them laying on a dumpster on our way here." He lied.
Nina hugged the frames in her arms, beaming huge, and the shine in her eyes came to life. "Thank you so much!! Can't believe you found them just when I thought they were gone for good." She then hugged them one by one. She even placed a kiss on their cheek, too. She kissed Donnie's cheek last before running off with the frames.
Donnie huffed out and rolled his eyes. He walked carefully to the couch, sat down, and grunted from the pain in his injured shoulder. He sighed, feeling eyes from his brothers and the teens.
"A Foot Ninja got me? Found them in a dumpster?" Leo repeated the lies. "Why couldn't you let us tell her the truth?" He questioned him.
Donnie glared at him. "What would you have me say?" He asked. "I accidentally landed on your house; your little sister was keeping them for you, and your crazy mother stabbed me?" He raised his eyebrow at him and crossed only his lower arms. "I'd rather not tell her when she is on the road to recovering from trauma. So you all better keep your mouth shut about this." He told them.
"You sure you didn't just bring them back because you know how special her father is to her and want to make her happy?" Raph asked him.
Donnie scoffed. "That was out of sheer fate." He added. "Nothing more."
"Wasn't sure trying to kill her mom was sheer fate," Leo mumbled.
"She was insulting her daughter and couldn't let that woman talk badly about her," Donnie responded to his mumble.
Ginny crossed her arms, smirking and raising her eyebrow to Donnie. "You really like Nina that much to try hurting that woman." She pointed out.
Donnie groaned. Not this again. He snarled. "I told you all. I will never, ever in a million years ever fall in love with Nina." He told them. He doesn't believe in love; he acts out on instinct. Nina will always be his friend only.
In Nina's room, she placed the frames on the wall by her chemistry desk. They hang on the wall, firmly and in place. She kneeled and spoke a silent chant in Filipino. At the end, she smiled at the pictures.
"Mahal Kita Tatay." She speaks in Filipino, bowing. She stood up. She checked on Bello, who was inside his tank, enjoying the warm water. She walked out of her room.
She stopped by her door frame, turned to her right, and saw a nameplate by her door. 'Arianina' was written there. She huffed out, stroking her newly cut hair. For the past months, she felt like she was no longer the Arianina she recognized herself as. She felt new and fresh today. She wiped out the name, grabbed the marker, and wrote something in place. She did a quick check and nodded with a smile. She left the area and met up with the group. On the nameplate, what was originally known as Arianina is now Menina.
And that marks the end of Act one. Stay tuned for Act Two of Risen from Ashes.