Witch Sister Three and TMNT *EDITING*

22- Breaking Away (Morgan)

I knew something was really wrong when Kylee came home and stormed upstairs without a word.  She didn't even acknowledge me or mutter an obscene phrase that made me question her sanity.  I mean, technically I didn't want her to acknowledge me, I was trying out my stealth skills since I couldn't sleep and I really wanted to know what happened at the Tower.  At first I wanted to be super proud of myself because she hadn't seen me.  But then I tapped into her emotions, and her mind was literally racing.  I had never felt anything like it, and it really worried me.  

I emerged from the shadows, huffing slightly.  I felt a shimmer of emotion from Becca, who turned from a gentle hum to confusion and alert.  And then I heard Kylee begin talking in her room, and it made sense.  At least, Becca's emotional change made sense.

Ugh, my brain was starting to hurt.

I took the stairs two at a time up to my room, avoiding the creaky areas and managing to get inside without a sound.  I walked over to my closet, pushing aside all of my clothes until I found the uniform I was looking for.  I hadn't touched it since Mom gave it to me that night, but now I felt like it was time.  I could finally think clearly- or at least clearly enough that I was constantly confused.  I couldn't tell you when I stopped feeling that way, except I didn't anymore.

I wanted to celebrate by doing something I had never done before.  I wanted to explore New York City the way the Foot patrol did, the way my older sister roamed the city at night.  

I wanted to go out on the rooftops.

Because not thinking through things enough had always been my speciality, I quickly changed clothes and tried to remember how the uniform was supposed to go.  I think I did a pretty good job, if I do say so myself.  

There was the traditional Foot Ninja mask that I turned over in my hands a few times.  But Mom had given me another one, a bandanna similar the turtles'- she said something about it matching my personality better, whatever that means.  So I set the full mask aside, used a red ribbon to hold my hair up in a ponytail and tied the black bandanna around my head, blinking rapidly a few times so my eyes would adjust to material outlining them.  I glanced at myself in mirror, satisfied with my appearance.  I checked in on everyone with my powers, before sneaking back out of my room and making my way towards the front door.

I held my breath as I closed the door, and quickly used empathy one more time to see if anything had changed.  Discovering that nothing had, a huge grin filled with mischief spread across my face for the frist time in a while.  I felt more of the shell surrounding my brain break away, but there was still something blocking me.

I definitely wasn't going to think about that though.  I was free.  And I took off running.

I didn't care how many of Kylee's rules I was breaking; she and I were on the same playing field now.  She may be my superior when we're doing our job, but now it was time for me to assume my own identity.  Within the next few weeks, I would have a team of Foot Ninja same as my oldest sister- I would be able to keep up with her.  The dangers she always tried to protect me from would never be an issue anymore, I would have the capability to handle them.

"Silly sister," I found myself saying out loud.  "Why would you ever worry!"

Sooner rather than later, I was climbing the fire escape of an apartment building and hauled myself up onto the rooftop.  The wind change snapped at the tails of my mask, but I was too busy overcoming this sudden rush of adrenaline to notice.  I began running again, jumping from rooftop to rooftop.  As my confidence grew, I began flipping and twisting over the gaps, chuckling at the near-makes and grinning at the ones I landed one-hundred percent.