Trace

Twelve

The sky had decided to start raining about five minutes after they started walking into the sparse scrub. M growled as raindrops curled their way down his face and felt himself shift into a new body. Almost immediately, he saw himself- dark green eyes, shaggy, dirty blonde hair, olive skin, shorter than usual but slightly more muscular. He sighed and tugged at his hair, flicking it out of his eyes and grunting when water fell into them. He focused on following the almost invisible pair at the front, moving in rhythm with the two girls next to him. Glint was glowing steadily, the water sizzling as soon as it hit her light.

Lucky her.

He glanced at Trace out of the corner of his eyes. She was looking ahead intently, her dark hair plastered to her face and shoulders, her eyes fixated on one of the boys. Splinter. He turned his head fully to look at her and she turned her own to meet his eyes, a mask of confusion written behind their surfaces. She hadn't looked him in the eyes since her panic attack in the truck. Part of him was beating himself up over getting angry; the other was upset that it had taken him so long to realise his mother was claustrophobic- he was just to proud to admit either.

"You OK?" Her voice caught him off guard- strong and resonant, ringing out in the air over the rain. It didn't sound like someone who had just had a panic attack less than an hour and it was her voice that made him reason he'd been staring at her.

"Yeah." M replied, a little flustered and embarrassed.

He mentally face-palmed himself- he wasn't usually like this around girls. It's usually the other way around, he thought. But now, as he watched her shrug and mutter " You are one weird dude, M." he almost felt himself smile. Almost. M watched as she ran up to her brother, Splinter, as he stopped near a burnt tree and his mind flashed back to when she'd held the glass to his throat. He'd panicked before getting ready to pummel her but then, he'd actually seen her. Standing, proud and defiant, her eyes glaring yet somehow soft, her mouth pressed in a line. It was like she was used to fighting like this. Maybe she was.

"M. Dude. M!" Serpent's voice was like a sliver of ice in his mind and he snapped his eyes to the older boy.

Glint was crouched next to him, Trace next to Splinter. All eyes were on him. He shook his head and grunted back, "What?"

"Seriously, dude, wake up." Splinter said and waved him over. He trudged over, crouched down and looked to where Splinter was pointing. A group of fifty or so men and women in black uniforms and helmets marched down a track about ten metres from where they crouched, each with army precision. He shuddered. This must be the army Splinter and Serpent had been talking about; the one who was after them.

"You guys must've done something really bad to be that wanted." Glint said quietly, her glow lessening into a dim, greyish light.

Serpent nodded, his black hair glinting in her glow. "Yep."

He didn't elaborate and M didn't push the subject. Instead, he was focused on the group, who were just disappearing from his sight. "Let's go."

Everyone turned to look at him. "You don't even know where we're going." Splinter said.

"Look, we want to get out of here as much as you do, M." Trace said, looking over to him. "But seriously, you should think this through."

What is it with people telling me what to do? I'm not five! M growled and closed his eyes. He knew what he had to do.

"I don't care what you say. You can come if you want but I'm getting out of here." His voice came out gruff and angry but he couldn't care less.

No one said anything. No one moved. So M stood up and sprinted down the slope and across the track.