When Shadows Rise | I

Ch. 25 | An Idea

🥷

Talia came back to the safe house carrying a bucket of paint and two paint rollers, with April behind her holding an orchid pot. Having a target on her back did not stop Talia from going to the nearest homeware store to buy tools and items in order to decorate her 'home' for the foreseeable future. Prior to the trip, she asked her best friend if she wanted to tag along; April said yes.

"I'm surprised you even wanted to go out at all," April remarked when she and Talia entered the apartment. "You know, since some evil ninja lord could probably be watching you."

"It is not like I can remain cooped up in here forever," Talia said, shutting the door and double-checking that she had locked it. "Fear controls us only if we let it."

"Like how my fear of talking on the microphone hindered my ability to make the morning announcements when we were in middle school." At that time, April thought it was ironic that she wanted to be a journalist when she grew up. After puking in front of the staff who worked at the front office, she avoided public speeches at all cost; a flagpole fit the distance between her and a microphone. 

"Yes, that moment was. . . less than delightful." Talia remembered how April was quickly known as 'Puke Girl' for weeks. It had even made it to the 'Wall of Fame' that the school had in the hallway as a practical joke. "But the good news is that you overcame your fear."

I don't know if my fear will ever go away.

The girls brought the stuff to Talia's room. As April set down the plants, she noticed a cardboard box lying next to Talia's bed. She snuck a look inside.

"Are these nightlights?" April held up a glow-in-the-dark star.

Talia started to open the can of paint. "Yeah." She nodded. "Leo gave them to me."

"Wow, really?"

"Mm-hmm. I'm hoping that they can help with the nightmares. I haven't put them up yet because I want to paint the walls first."

"That's thoughtful of him."

Talia smiled a little. "It really is."

Both girls put on an apron and dipped their paint rollers into the can one at a time, coating the walls with a lovely shade of blush as evenly as they could. Each paint stroke reminded Talia of the time she and her parents moved into their new mansion when they moved to New York City. She remembered how crazy she went over picking the paint colors and furniture to decorate her new room. She always picked pink; everything had to be pink. Pink was the color of love; pink was the color of happiness.

And right now, pink symbolized any comfort, warmth, and positivity she would hope to bring living here. What she needed right now was hope. Hope that Oroku Saki and his soldiers don't find her or her father. Hope that she could finally have the answers that she so desperately needed. Hope that things would get better.

"Yo, Taly, that part is going to be clumpier than a bowl of mashed potatoes if you keep painting there."

Talia had too much on her mind that she realized she had been painting the same spot over and over again. She quickly moved over to the next wall.

While painting, April glanced at her best friend every now and then. She had a pretty few guesses over what Talia was thinking about. April knew Talia and her father's lives were going to be stressful when everything crashed and burned over the revelation of Genesis's criminal affiliations after her death, but April could've never predicted that stress would triple when the criminal organization Genesis fell into was ran by a homicidal ninja burning for retribution.