The Leader Gave Me Hope: The First Book of the Freeformers Series

• Meeting •

"...ine...ae...Faline..."

Faline's eyes flew open, then squinted and began to water at the sudden light. She shut them as abruptly as they'd opened, groaning and trying to comprehend why it felt like she'd just run ten miles in two minutes. Her muscles ached, and her mind was still as fuzzy and out of focus as her eyesight. Flashbacks began to emerge from the depths of her brain; the fight with Connor, her scream when the pain returned. The rest was obscured from her understanding. All she could recall clearly was Leo's voice. She had to have been dreaming, to have seen herself turning into a... a...

Leo...

"Faline?" His voice reached her ears again, bringing with it the multitude of other noises, making her slam her palms to each side of her head to drown out the cacaphony.

"Leo," Fae groaned, starting toward the sound of his voice and wincing when her muscles twinged in protest.

"Keep her down," another voice mumbled, one unfamiliar to her.

"You need to lay down," Leo told her, and she felt two hands gently pushing her back against pillowy cushions.

But she'd already decided she wanted to sit up. With a grunt, she shoved away the hands restraining her, struggling to rise when those same hands pushed her back down once more.

"Lemme go," she slurred, "lemme go!"

"Faline, stop fighting me!"

Her eyes opened slightly to see her friend leaning over her, grabbing and re-grabbing her wrists each time she tried to evade his hold, a look of concern on his face and worry etched deep in his ocean blue eyes. At once, the discord was cleared from her head. She sighed in relief, giving him a small smile.

"Calm down, please," he pleaded, "Donnie's not finished making sure you're not hurt."

Fae paused, letting him guide her back down onto what she realized was a couch. Her eyes found a strange structure above her, wooden boards and pipes spiraling upward to the ceiling, creating some sort of training fixture. She fully registered what Leo had said.

"Donnie...?"

A harsh light instantly shone into her eyes, making the blonde shy away with a whine of protest.

She heard Leo again. "Really?"

And again, that unfamiliar voice: "Do you want me to make sure she's alright or not? I had to check her pupil dilation for any head traumas."

Cautiously, Fae cracked her eyes open, peering up at another terrapin, definitely not Leo, with a purple mask tied around russet eyes.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, and she caught a glimpse of his diastema as he spoke.

"Been better," she replied, "can I get up now?"

"Is she awake yet?" someone shouted from far-off in a petulant tone.

Leo rolled his eyes discreetly, turning his head to call back, "Yeah."

Fae's ear drums ached, and she whimpered in discomfort.

"Might not want to raise your voice around her for a while," the turtle she assumed was Donnie suggested, "Her hearing is still temperamental, at best."

"I'm getting up," Fae said, propping herself up on her elbows and taking in her view of what seemed to be a living room.

Leo shot a questioning glance toward his brother, who hummed his permission and replaced his examination instruments back into a med kit. The blue clad turtle helped Faline into a sitting position, as another turtle bounced into the room.