Mystic Resonance

Why Not?

Hola. This is Claire Ramirez. Due to my busy schedule, I'm not near mi telefono. Please leave your name, number, and reason for calling and I'll get back to you eventually. Adios.

And that's the end of her answering machine before the beep went off. I hung up the call. I was annoyed and confused to leave a message. Okay. Don't bite my head off. I can hear your thoughts loud and clear. "Merrill, why the fuck didn't you leave a message? Wasn't it the point in contacting your aunt to get started on that life-changing plan?" The answer is simple: I have. Or at least I did before. I called mi tia many times and all those times I was met with her answering machine and left the same message each time.

Which left me in the state I'm in now. I was on the rooftop just smoking when I ended the call. After returning from the mall, I put on a grey long-sleeved shirt with matching sweatpants. I couldn't fall asleep. I had too many questions and thoughts stirring in my mind including the call I made. It didn't make sense. Out of all the messages I left behind, Aunt Claire would've heard them. Her schedule was on her cell phone! Her schedule consisted of projects or online meetings discussing said projects. Even with a heavy schedule, Tia would've set a reminder in her phone for a break. At that time, she would've been able to see the missed calls and the messages. This didn't add up. Like a workaholic and on track with scheduling, Tia would've always had her cell phone by her side even on breaks. Either she's ignoring me or got a new phone...

Yeah... something in my gut was telling me there's something I'm missing... maybe another description I've overlooked.

I stuffed my cell in my pocket. Okay... let's take a step back and go to another problem. There's that little battle me and Leon went through. My shadows retrieved the ring, but it wasn't the artifact those thieves were after. Why go after a hand display? Then again... I've never seen a mannequin's hand made out of metal. Maybe it's a new generation form of masterpiece. It could happen. Somehow that doesn't explain my sudden dizzy spells occurring whenever... or rather whenever I'm near the object. Maybe it's not the ring that affected me... maybe it's the metal hand. Why would two thieves want it in the first place? It's no doubt the hand had some mystical properties. Of what kind I don't know.

Then there's the big guy... if it weren't for my dark powers kicking in, I wouldn't stand a chance. If Raph was there, he would've done a better job than me. It wasn't the fighting style. The big flame-headed guy was nothing but punches; giant, painful punches. What baffled me was he said how familiar I looked like someone he recognized. I've never met him or his partner before. That was our first encounter. A head lit on fire like him and his partner they're like a miniature bonfire. Dead giveaway. And what's the deal with those footprints on their faces? A symbol representing their cult? A secret club? Leon said he and his brothers met them while solving the Paper Thieves Case. They won, but Donnie mentioned all the stolen paper (plus bologna, blegh!) were soaked so there wasn't any point in taking them. The paper was used as a secondary weapon for the skinny guy. I saw how he folded a piece of paper into a tiny ninja and magically became life-sized. Presuming they upgraded to jewels, they went after one ring. They broke through the gate and stole one jewel! There was plenty of other jewelry they could easily grab and make a break for it. Yet they picked a ring with a large ruby on it... along with the mannequin's hand... the one that kept giving me a dizzy spell.

I inhaled a large sum of nicotine and exhaled half a minute later. Why did my thoughts fall onto the metal hand? Hold my nuts (not really)! It's not the first time I've acted weird and I'm not talking about the unique kind. I've had the same reaction to something else. What I'm wondering is the time and place. I just can't place a finger on it.

"All this overthinking is giving me a headache", I muttered watching the sunrise. "Maybe I'm not taking enough vitamins."

"Or maybe your smoking is finally getting to your head." I blinked. How come I didn't sense him? "You're so lost in thought that it gave me enough time to make you a cup of coffee. And yes, it's black like your soul. I also brought you some vitamin pills."