Reunion (Sequel to Shell Shocked)

7

I angrily descend the fire escape, opening my window and swinging inside. I shove my costume under my bed and put on my pajamas. The resturaunt's closed now, so I stomp downstairs.

I stalk over to the fridge, yanking it open and glaring at its contents. I grab a can of Coke and slam the door, going back upstairs and throwing myself onto my bed, clicking on my tv.

"Calm down, kid," a voice says. I don't have to look at my window to know it's Donnie.

"Hey, hey, count to ten and breathe," Mikey says.

"Let 'er fume, guys," Raph says gruffly.

I stare coldly at the documentary of pygmy marmosets on the screen, sipping my drink. I hear them whisper.

"Ugh," Leo says. "What happened?"

"Iris," I snap. "That's what happened."

"Technically, Iris is not an event or trouble," Donnie states.

"Oh, yeah?" I set my drink on the bedside table, standing up and walking over to the window. I set my palms on the windowsill and glare at him. "Isn't it a problem when your best friend doesn't trust you with something really important? Isn't it a problem when she trusts some dirty little street gang instead of you?"

"Oh, that kind of problem," Donnie says. "Can one of you guys call April?"

"Already here," April says, poking her head through the window. Donnie jumps.

"I don't need you watching over me all the time," I grumble. "I'm sixteen."

"Oh, boy," Donnie says. "Here comes the mommy-daughter talk... or at least one of them."

"A-hem," April coughs. Donnie holds his hands up. "Okay, we'll be quiet."

April climbs into my bedroom. "Could we please talk in private, Donnie?" Donatello slowly closes the window.

"So watcha got?" April asks. She's been like the mom I never got to have.

"Iris's dad abuses her, and she went to some street gang that took her in instead of coming to me." April stares at the ground in thought.

"What's the name of this gang?"

"The Apple Crushers," I say sternly. April's face breaks out into a huge grin. She starts to laugh. "What?" I say. "April, what's so funny? Tell me!"

"Oo-ohhh," April sighs, wiping tears from her eyes. "I wouldn't worry about Iris if she's in the Apple Crushers. They're not who you think."

"How do you know?"

"My friend, Casey Jones, has a younger brother in that gang. His name is Henry. Nicole, the Apple Crushers don't crush the good guys. They ARE the good guys."

"Huh?" I blink.

"They locate robberies and stuff going on in New York and stop them. Just the minor stuff, you know?"

I groan and lean back on the bed, rubbing my eyes. "I need to apologize, but I still wish she'd talked to me."

"Don't worry," April says, putting her hand on my shoulder. "She's in good hands."

Suddenly, gunshots ring through the air. "Everybody, come out and line up!" a stern voice says. The turtles leave to hide. April and I stay in the building. Uncle Chang tells us to stay in as he draws the blinds and curtains in hid shop, locking the door behind him. However, I hear the bolts blasted off and footsteps pound the ground. I bend the concrete walls around us, making them swallow April and me. I have the tiniest little hole to look through; men in black suits and sunglasses. Government agents.

"Sir, no one in the cafe," one crackles through an earpiece. They leave.

I hear the shouts outside, that whoever is abnormal or knows the abnormal is to step up and report themselves immediately.

This is about me.