Chapter 5: Sweet Dreams
Sleeping in the Turtle's home was certainly an interesting display of old childhood
frenzy. Started with Mike and Raph arguing over channels with a new repaired remote
control, Leo was on the couch
reading a book called Book of Five Rings while Don tapped away frequently on the
computer in his lab. Splinter was nowhere to be seen; perhaps retired for the
night. Sure wish I could join him and
get away from these guys for awhile! I hear when he's away, he meditates within the
sanctuary of his Japanese decorated bedroom. I rested my elbow on the arm of the
couch, my palm under my chin
with a look of plead to get some rest. Leo looked up from his book across the couch
at me. He put the book down and checked the clock. 1:28. He then looked
over at Raph and Mike.
"Okay, guys, I think we should get some sleep."
"But the infomercial on the easy-pizza-making machine is about to come on!" Mike whined.
"Yeah, but I was more interested in watching Insomniacs on MTV." Raph grumbled still attempting to snatch the remote. That did it.
I stood up. "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I don't have insomnia!
It's much too late to argue with you now so if you'll excuse me, I'm going to sleep
in the train car." At that I marched off into
the sliding door of the car and slammed it shut behind me. It was nice and
comfortable in there. But not good enough to sleep soundly. Low muffling from
the TV kept my eyes open wide. I also heard
the Mike and Raph in a dull roar.
"So how much do you think they want for this easy-pizza-making-machine?"
"Shut up, Mike! Give me that remote!"
Obviously, they didn't hear a word I said. If Leo has common sense, he'll go off
to his room and ignore them. Don, on the other hand, won't check in to reality for
another hour or so. I hope he finds what
he's looking for and gets some sleep. Being cranky and strong at the same time just
doesn't mix. The sound of the television came through the rusted door of the train
car. Were those two going to sit up
all night long? I wrapped a blanket around me and got up, leaving the train.
Leo had left for the moment while Raph and Mike remained glued to the set.
Back on the couch, I gave in and sat next to
Raph whom was intrigued by what was on the screen. I couldn't sleep. Mike was
sprawled on the floor on his stomach with his hands under his chin. He too, seemed
intrigued. Music videos. 120
minutes of videos. Mostly reggae. Funny thing is, a Jewel video came up at
some point. Mike turned around and Raph looked over at me. Both grinned.
"Hey, it's you!" Mike quipped.
"Or her twin sister." Raph added.
"If I had a twin, we wouldn't have the same name." I hoped that cleared up their playful antics. Leo came out again and glanced on the screen. His response was a smirk. "Don't say it!" I warned him.
"What?" He looked at me questionably but still grinned. "She's cute, and has a nice voice. Don't you sing, Jewel?"
I looked away in deep thought. "Uh, well, I use to sing in my church's choir and have sung a couple of times in high school concerts but that's it. It's been awhile and I'm a bit rusty."
"What kind of stuff did you sing?" Mike sat up, interested.
"Um, mostly classical; you wouldn't be interested!" I waved a hand. They stared at me like I just insulted them.
"What are you talking about? I love classical!" Leo said in a hurt tone as he rested one leg on the arm of the couch. "What did you sing?"
I was now blushing. "I've sang Mozart's Vespers, psalms of Leonard Bernstein, some songs in German, Spanish, Japanese-"
"Japanese?" Leo interrupted.
"Yeah, my class practiced and performed 'Sakura.' We even had a Japanese lady come in to help us on the language's accent. It's a lovely song; one of my favorites."
Leo nodded with a grin. "It's one of Splinter's favorites too. Maybe you can sing it to him sometime."
"Yes, sometime. Not at one thirty in the morning! Come on guys! Aren't you tired? I can barely keep my eyes open." Leo stood up and answered in a stretch.
"Yeah, I'm pretty tired. If you'd like, you can sleep in my bed and I'll take the train car."
"Really? You don't mind?"
Leo shook his head. "Nah, besides, you need your rest and it's only polite
to offer hospitality to visiting guests." He then glanced at his brothers.
"Plus, depending on how long these two stay up,
the train car isn't a very quiet spot to sleep in. Don's trying to find a way to
sound proof the passenger area."
"How about sound proofing them?" I thumbed at the two. Raph and Mike gave me a dirty look.
Leo stifled a laugh. "Lots of luck. Come on."
I grabbed my jacket from the couch as Leo led me off down a corridor.
"Good night, Jewel!" Mike and Raph sang.
I turned around with half a smile. "Good night.....'dudes'!" They looked at each other.
"Dude?" Mike frowned at Raph whom shrugged back.
Leo went through a hole in the wall that led to a small cove lighted by a lamp near a
somewhat large bed with a dark blue cover. I glanced around at the area; armor,
weapons, and ninja gear littered the
far end wall. A mini-stereo system was hooked up next to the bed with CDs scattered
around and on top of it. Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Chopin to name a few were listed
on the discs. On the bottom
laid Celtic music, Irish traditional, and Gypsy folklore. Hmm, not a bad taste in
music. Leo stood for a moment and observed me glancing around his room. He
felt safe enough to explain.
"We used to live in a more secluded area before moving here." He
started. "The four of us use to share one big room and Splinter's room was a
little closer to ours. Now, living here, we've each
found our own space to keep things; Don's room is also his lab so he's able to sleep while
in the comforts of his inventions."
"This is quite lovely." I glanced around again. "Very cozy. And this subway station, I've never seen it before. Must be real old by the looks of the architecture."
Leo looked around as well. "Yeah, it's pretty old, possibly a station from
the late 19th century, when it was the newest and busiest area to high society.
Upper-class people in fancy clothing of that
time would ride the subway. Now, modern low-life scum, homeless, gangs, businessmen,
and anything other 'normal' human being rides the underground system."
"Do you wonder if this place is haunted? I mean, if it's been abandoned for over a hundred years, it must have some history. Maybe a history on....ghosts?!"
Leo rolled his eyes. "If you see anything, let me know. Mike felt the
same way when we first moved here. He wasn't too impressed with it. It was
dusty, cobwebs everywhere, a real dump. Don
and I loved it at first sight. Mike hasn't complained about ghosts or strange
noises. He just stopped complaining altogether. But we've watched enough
Unsolved Mysteries, Sightings, and paranormal
shows and subway stations haven't been mentioned so far. I'm a little fascinated
myself on this station's background, not just about ghosts, but how it looked, what
well-known celebrities back then
road the train, what caused that train car out there to derail, why it was abandoned and
so on."
I sat on the bed and stared up at him. "Um, it's almost two and I'm really tired." I smiled, clicking my finger at my wristwatch.
Leo stepped toward the doorway. "Hookay! Sorry, I tend to ramble now and then. We don't get much visitors at this time of year so I just relish on talking. That's all."
I kicked my boots off by the bed as he walked out. "G'night, Leo."
He turned around and smiled. "Goodnight, Jewel."
When he was gone, I closed the door and removed my jeans and placed them and my jacket
on a nearby chair. I then unbuttoned my cotton shirt and took it off, also placing
it on the chair. I slipped into
the covers in bra and underwear. Checking the door again, I quickly removed the bra
and flung it on the chair. I crawled over the top of the bed and hit the light
switch by the door then quickly dove back
under the covers, praying to God that none of them would walk in. These guys must
not get a lot of women down here. It'd be a cheap thrill for them to see me like
this. Outside the door, it got real quiet.
I closed my eyes and was soon asleep. There was a faint knock at the door. I
woke up and waited.
"Who's there?" No response. Another knock came. Slow,
quiet, taps. "Who is it?!" My voice boomed with a squeak. I
sat in the bed and stared at the ceiling. Those guys! Will they ever give up?
I
waited another ten minutes before dozing off again. Before surrendering to deep
sleep, Don comes bursting through, turning on the light by the door.
"Hey, Leo! I-"
I let out an unlovely shriek and pulled the covers up to my chin. Don's eyes got as wide as saucers.
"Oh!" He turned away. "I'm so sorry. Where's Leo?"
"He's out in the train car." My heart pounded as I held the covers for dear life.
"Okay. Look, I'm real sorry. I didn't know you were in here." He stared at me. The scream brought Mike and Raph to the door.
"What is it? What's wrong?" Raph looked around and saw me in the bed; my knees tucked up to my chin. His face lit up. "Oh, heh, heh! Well, lookee here!"
"Hey, Jewel!" Mike waved innocently. "We heard a scream and thought you saw a ghost."
Raph corrected him. "Well, Mike did more than I."
"I'm fine, guys. Now will you all please leave and let me sleep!" I smiled angrily.
Raph glanced at Don. "Whoa, bad timing Don. Real bad."
Don felt horrible and headed back out. "I know! I know! I was just leaving." Mike and Raph grinned at me. A hand from behind jerked them both away. "And you're coming too!"
They met Leo in the hall as he came running out from the train car.
"I heard Jewel scream. Is everything alright?"
Raph gave a wide grin. "Yeah, we just caught her at a bad time. I wouldn't go in there if you value your life."
Leo frowned. "What? Last time I left her she was going to sleep."
"Well, Don thought you were in there and that's when the explosion hit." Mike turned to Don.
"I wanted to show you something I found on the internet and didn't know our 'guest' was occupying your room. Apparently she wasn't decent when I came in."
Leo shook his head. "She'll probably think we're a bunch of horny guys with nothing on our minds except sex."
"That's not true." Came my voice as I stood in the doorway with arms
crossed. I was wearing my cotton shirt which reached my knees. "Don, I'm
sorry I screamed at you like that. I'm real shy about
my body and I didn't expect you to come in like that."
He shrugged. "It's okay. I should have knocked first."
I frowned at him. "But you did knock, didn't you?"
Don looked at his brothers. "Uh uh. I only came through the door, well too excited to knock. I've done it to Leo many times once I've discovered something. Almost a habit."
Leo looked at Don. "Yeah, a bad habit you should learn to break."
"But, Don, that wasn't you? Then who else could-" I stared accusingly at Mike.
Mike stared back wide-eyed. "Hey, it wasn't me! Raph's the one that got up to get somethin' out of his room. He probably did it!" Mike pointed to Raph whom smacked his finger away.
"Hey! It wasn't me! If I can avoid Leo's room as much as possible, I'm damn sure not gonna go start knockin' on it! And even tho I knew he wasn't in there, I wasn't about to bother you."
Leo ignored him. "Well, it must have been someone and the only other person
down here is Splinter." A worried look washed over his face. "Jewel,
go back in the room and lock the door.
We're gonna check around the area."
"We are?" Mike didn't sound too thrilled.
"Yes, I want to make sure there's no one else here whom may have followed us from the hospital."
I thought back to those men in dark clothing and a shiver ran down my spine.
The Turtles went off in separate directions as I slipped into the bedroom, sliding a
dead-bolt and a latch across the door. Should have thought of that earlier before
Don came barging through.
Then again, Leo should do that if Don has abruptly come through numerous times.
Shaking, I sat on the bed and quietly waited. I was so tired, I stretched out
at the end of the bed above the covers
and closed my eyes. I kept thinking about the area being haunted and remembered how
possible that this place could very well be occupied besides the Turtles and their mentor.
I shivered more
harder and decided to sleep with the light on. Of course, the light wasn't bright
and started to flicker a bit. Oh, God. Please don't let the bulb burn out now.
The room got incredibly cold and I could
see my breath as I breathed out irregularly. I started to shake again, now
uncontrollably and knew beyond a shadow of a doubt I was not alone in that room. I
looked in the corner of the room and
noticed a white smoke was circling around near the floor. Before I knew it, the
light shut off, leaving me in a pool of darkness. I screamed and lunged for the
door, clawing at the latch and dead-bolt
to try to open it. My mind was racing and my heart was in my throat as I panicked to
get the door opened. A soft 'click' and twist of the latch got me out to the
hallway. But I didn't stop there. I
started running with my head looking back at the room to see if some sort of creature will
come lurking out. I slammed into something hard as hands encircled me. It was
Leo whom caught me from
falling backwards. I screamed again and shut my eyes, terrified of almost anything
at the moment.
"Nooooo! Help! Let me go!"
"Jewel! It's me! Leo!"
I opened my eyes and stared into his worried face. I started to lightly sob and put my head down, breathing hard.
Leo looked down at me. "What's wrong? What happened to you?"
I lifted my head. "It's nothing. I just had a fright. Your lamp blew out and I thought I saw something."
"Jewel, you're shaking real bad. Are you sure you're alright?" Leo placed both hands on my shoulders in concern.
"No. Yes.... no, I don't know." I looked at him with blood-shot eyes. "I'm just really scared, that's all."
"Scared? About what?"
I shook my head. "I can't explain it." I changed the subject. "Did you find anything? Or anyone?"
"Don's checking out around the outside in the sewer area with Raph. Mike
checked up and down near the train car, the kitchen, the refrigerator for a quick
bite." I rolled my eyes as Leo continued.
"He checked out each room including Splinter's than backtracked to the living room
again. I was on my way to check on you but you seemed to have saved me the trip.
You came running out of there
like you saw a ghost."
"You know, you're starting to sound like Mike." I forced a smile. "I said it was nothing and that's what it probably was."
Leo raised an eyebrow. "And just what was IT anyway?"
Ah, I caught myself, realizing that I implied it was something I saw. "Well, you'll think I'm crazy, but I thought I saw something. . . . out of the ordinary."
"Oh? What did it look like? An animal? A spider?"
"Smoke." I said finally. "Unless you keep lit cigarettes in your room, I saw white smoke bellowing in the corner of the room."
Leo stood back, staring at me, than eyeing his room in the back.
"Hmm, it could be I left one of my incense sticks burning. I'll go check it out for you." He started toward his room and I pulled his arm back.
"No, don't! What if it's still there?"
"I don't even know what it is I'm looking for, Jewel. Whatever it is could explain what knocked on the door." He started to go when I yanked him again.
"So, you think this place is haunted now?" I tried to stall so I wouldn't have to wait alone in the hall.
He took my hand. "I can't answer that. We haven't had any unusual occurrences since we moved in so what makes you think it's a ghost?"
"Well, maybe you've never noticed it. I've read stories where people move into seemingly normal houses then have strange happenings weeks or even months later."
"What kind of strange happenings?" Mike came up behind us, hearing half the conversation. I clutched my chest from being startled by his quick appearance. He's got a bad habit of doing that.
"Jewel thought she saw something in my room." Leo told him. "I was on my way to check it out. Will you stay here with her?"
"Sure! You don't need back up do you?"
"Just wait here. This won't take long." Leo left my side and went down the hall into his room.
Mike glanced at me. "Hey, you don't look so good."
I looked over at him. "I don't feel so good."
"You're not gonna get sick again are you?"
"No, Mike. It's not that kind of sickness. I'm just scared, that's all." I leaned against the wall and slinked down to sit on the floor. "And totally exhausted."
"Wanna rest on my bed? Room's a bit messy, but it's right over there and if anything should happen, I'll come for you."
I smiled with a tired grin. "Okay. You can tell Leo when he gets back."
Mike helped me to my feet and I slowly walked into his room. I flipped the switch
on and didn't even care about the mess. I hit the bed immediately, one leg hanging
off the side. I slept for a long time
without any disturbances. At some point, someone lifted and placed me at the head of
the bed, covering me in the thick sheets. Someone also turned out the light and left
the door ajar. I didn't wake up
till the late hours of the morning. No interruptions, white smoke, lights
flickering, or cold spots. Just pure slumber.