Race. [TMNT 2012]

19. The Arena of Hopelessness; Charlotte

I hate being in a hideout with mutants. It's the most uncomfortable situation I have ever been in, and I have Casey for a brother. You can only imagine the awkward circumstances he has put me under.

   Speaking of Casey, he's busy flirting with April. I am relieved when she brushes him off, mostly because I know how he is around girls. He goes through girls faster than he goes through underwear. Then again, he doesn't change his underwear all that often.

   Leatherhead and Slash seem to be getting on with the turtles a lot better than I am. They just float around, able to fit into pretty much any conversation. Despite their horrifying size, they aren't too bad.

   My brother picked up, or stole, a few large pizzas for us, but no one really seems interested in them. Donatello is fiddling with retro-mutagen, trying to get it into a vile. Once he gets it in, he carries the needle over to Raphael, who is keeping Michelangelo protectively in his arms.  Elizabetta stands close by, keeping close to Michelangelo and Leonardo at the same time.

   "Ready?" Donatello asks Raphael.

   "This better work," Raphael growls. He watches expectantly as Donatello inserts the needle into Michelangelo's neck. He injects the retro-mutagen and waits for a reaction.

   Nothing happens.

Raphael stares in disbelief at the little turtle. Donatello sighs. "I warned you on the way here that it might not work," the purple-clad turtle says. "He didn't mutate, he unmutated."

"So?" Raphael grumbles.

"So, that means it wasn't mutagen that spilled on him," Donatello goes on, as if it's obvious. "It was either a different substance, or another type of retro-mutagen."

"But it looked like mutagen," Raphael points out dully. He is sadly attempting to feed Michelangelo a leaf from a pile he collected, but the turtle is refusing to eat it.

"That doesn't mean it was mutagen, though," Donatello insists. "It could have been a mix of sulfuric acid and-"

"I don't care, ok?" Raphael finally snaps. "The point is that Michelangelo is gone. He isn't here anymore, Donnie! Don't you see that? Our little brother is gone." He scoops Michelangelo up and stomps out the exit. He comes back two seconds later to snag a piece of pizza, and then he leaves again.

"What? I'm hungry," he tosses over his shoulder.

I glance at Lucy. She watches after Raphael with a worried expression, something that surprises me. Then again, she worries over everyone. She'd be concerned about the Shredder if she were to meet him.

Lucy's gray eyes trail to me. "He's not much different from you, you know," she comments softly as everyone else travels to their own conversations. "Maybe you should go talk to him. He would relate to you the best."

I bite my lip and cross my arms loosely. "I don't want to," I protest, though I'm not sharp at all. I can't be mean to someone as sweet as she is.

Lucy blinks, her soft complexion making her look younger than she actually is. "Char, he needs it. He doesn't deserve what he's going through, whatever it is. He's not all bad. Just... Just give him a chance. Please," she begs, her eyes twinkling.

My best friend is the only person who can make me appreciate people, and she knows it. I finally feel myself caving in. "You really care about him, don't you?" I murmur.

Lucy smiles a little. "Yes."

I inhale deeply and close my eyes, bracing myself for the worst. Then I turn around follow in Raphael's tracks, Lucy's thanks echoing after me.