Shadow Mutation (Book Seven) [UNDER MAJOR EDITING]

Chapter 22: Needing Her Help

Her body tenses, stark still. "Is...is it in the Bronx? Right between some high-rises? Looks pretty out of place?"

"Yeah, exactly! You know it?"

She doesn't turn back to him, a tremor rolling through her shadowy body. "What could you possibly need there? And why are you telling me?"

He purses his lips. "Leo wants to talk to you. We need info and we're hoping you'll help us break in."

"No."

He rolls his eyes. "You don't need to test me again, Shadow."

She turns to him as her eyes seem to glow, her body expanding in her rage, and Casey takes a staggering step back as she looms at him. The soccer ball still clutched in his hands raises a little, the worst shield in the world.

"This isn't a test," she hisses. "You have to stay away from there and I won't risk going back."

He blinks. "Back? So you know it?"

"It's dangerous."

"I like a little danger."

She glares at him, her body still rippling with barely-concealed distress. "See, this is what I'm talking about. You didn't want to just see me. You need my help again."

"It..." He groans. "Damn it, yes! But you don't have to help, I just had to ask!"

"I know. I don't have to do anything," she says. "Why should I help you again?"

Casey closes his eyes, trusting that she'll still be there when he opens them again. He hugs the soccer ball closer, a cold spot against his flushed chest. "I don't know. There's...there are these scientists that hurt the turtles a few years back. It was bad. We're worried that this is them trying to make a comeback."

"Scientists?"

"Yeah, Mutacorp. It got bought out but, you know, evil people are like cockroaches sometimes. We think they might be behind Beast Mode." And her, but he doesn't add that part.

She raises an eyebrow at him. "So your friends are...just afraid that someone is going to try and hurt them again, huh?" Her voice is softer now. "What are you going to do if you can break in?"

"I don't know. Leo has a plan, but...he asked me to talk to you. See if you would be willing to talk to him?"

"So you're running an errand for him?"

"Only as a side quest." She rolls her eyes and he sighs. "I did want to see you. I missed you."

She floats lower, bringing herself to the ground instead of constantly hovering at his eye level. "You really...really don't know how to handle rejection, do you?"

He shrugs. "You really don't know how to stay away from me."

Again, she raises herself to his eye-level, leaning closer. Her chill wafts against his face, like standing in front of an air conditioner, and he hopes that she can feel his sincerity even though she can't feel much else.

"I'll say it again," she murmurs. "That warehouse is dangerous. I really, really don't want to go back there."

"Why?"

She turns her face away. "You wouldn't understand."

"Try me."

"I won't. I don't want to."

He stares at her, at her bright pupil-less eyes and the faint shadowy features on her face that you can only see if you get close enough. He likes to pretend he doesn't know what fear is like, but it's just bravado. He's good at bravado.

"Okay, I won't pry," he says. "But...if you help us, whatever happened back then that hurt you, whatever is behind that door? I can stop it. The turtles can stop it, but we can't do that without you." Her shoulders release some stiffness, but she doesn't look at him. He takes a deep breath. "I swear, I'll do everything it takes to make sure you don't get hurt again. Any scum that try will have to face the Casey Arnold Jones."

She lets out a brief weak laugh. "Your middle name is Arnold?"

"After my dad, yeah."

She exhales, still not looking at him. He reaches out to grab her hand, almost instinctively, but stops. Instead, he holds the soccer ball out, letting it rest against her fingertips. She flinches and yanks her hand to her chest, holding it there for a second as she squeezes her eyes shut.

"Okay..." she whispers, her tone soft and broken as she looks up at him. "I'll help."

He exhales. "Awesome." He holds the ball out again. "So...you want this back?"

"Hold on to it for me." She eyes the sky, frowning. "Think your friends will want to talk now...or later?"

"Now, probably. Come on."

Together, they head into the sewers, and Casey hopes that she'll trust him to keep his promise to her. No one, shadow beast or otherwise, is going to get their hands on her if he has anything to say about it.