A Rose by Any Other Name

Chapter 25 (Rose)

"What?" I whisper.

"Oh. Did you not hear me right?" Leo growls, staring me down. "I said. You. Were. A. Mistake."

I stare at him mouth slack. Does he mean....?

"You were Draxum's first turtle experiment right?" Leo says putting his hands crossed over his chest.

I don't move. 

I don't make a sound. 

I barely breathe.

"Draxum casted you aside once he was able to get his hands on our Dad. Calling you a mistake. A flaw. An oversight. Invisible! A slip-up!!" He gets louder.

"SHUT UP!!" I yell and cover my hands with my mouth. I feel tears slowly stream down my face.

Leo stops and drops his hands to his sides. He looks at me with regret. 

Raph puts a hand on Leo's shoulder. Mikey clinging to Raph's leg. 

I don't even hear what Raph says next because my legs run. My eyes show blurry images rushing past me. 

I don't know where I am. Where I'm going. I just run. 

The wind whips around my face drying my tears as they are replaced with fresh ones. 

I'm covering my mouth to hide the silent wails coming from it.

It's just like school all over again.

Kids bullying me. Thinking I'm a monster. 

"IM NOT A MONSTER!" I would shout back.

They would throw paper balls at me as I ran home crying. 

Sometimes they would follow me as I ran. Other times they would give up.

Eventually I got so tired that I could barely breathe. I'm conscious once again as I realize I've run out of the junk yard.

I'm leaning against a wooden fence breathing hard. 

I don't recognize where I am. 

I look around and find that the Junk yard is about a mile away. 

I slide down the fence and curl into a ball. My tears have been exhausted out of me. And yet a few more trickle down my knee.

I shouldn't have said those things to Leo. He's a great brother. Really.

Then again. He insulted me right back. Those words really hurt.

I close my eyes and imagine I'm home. Huginn and Muninn are flying around trying to cook dinner as I slowly come down the stairs. 

I was only six at the time.

"Daddy! I drew you!" I say referring it to both of them. 

Muninn comes and looks first. 

"That's adorable. I think it should go on the fridge with the rest of your drawings!" He says. He picks me up, grunting while doing so, and helps me to place it on the top of the fridge.

Huginn comes over stirring a pot of sauce.

"Yes. That's probably the best one yet. You really captured Muninn's fangs." He says.

I giggle.

The memory fades and I return to the sad dreary world as I'm awoken by rain. I uncurl myself and lean back against the fence again. I should go apologize to Leo. 

I get up and start walking towards the Junkyard.

I hear footsteps behind me in the rain. I whip around and grab my bow from my pouch. 

I'm not even able to press the button by the time I'm knocked on the head. 

I fall to the ground as everything goes blank.