Poisons Of Fear

Chapter 8

Haley yawned as she finally opened her eyes.  The guys had let her sleep at their place.  In fact, Leo even let her sleep in his bed and he took the couch.  She had never been in Leo's room before, and she hadn't looked around that night because she was too tired to even think about it.  She looked at the alarm clock beside the bed.  The blue lights showed that it was almost seven in the morning.  Usually, she was getting up for school, but she had agreed to miss a few days, staying with the brothers to make sure her pneumonia did not get any worse.  

Haley swung her feet over the bed and stepped onto the cold floor.  The room was simple.  There were LED lights that gave off a soft light around the edge of the ceiling.  Leo had it preset to a blue color at night, so that was what it was set on at the time.  The walls were covered in a bunch of random things.  

There were tapestries with what Haley only assumed was Japanese writing.  There were pictures of her and his brothers at various ages too.  There was one picture of just him, when he was younger.  He was holding swords and smiling so big.  It made Haley smile to see Leo so happy.   She also took a mental note of how cute Leonardo looked when he was a kid.  Not that she knew exactly what a child mutant turtle was supposed to look like, but she couldn't help thinking about it.  There was one post too about an old TV show titled Space Heroes.  Haley had heard of it but never cared to watch it.  

He also had a bookshelf full of books and a large bean-bag chair beside it.  Random books from Harry Potter to Coraline to the history books about ancient Japan.  There was also a box full of comic books, some wrapped in plastic.  Haley knew better to mess with those.  It was interesting to her.  Despite being trained ninjas and mutant turtles, all of them were so ordinary.  

Lastly, Haley looked to see what was on his desk.  There wasn't much.  A closed journal, an old "I Love NYC" mug holding a few pens and pencils, and a desk lamp.  Other than that, there was nothing else in his room.  She did notice how clean it was though, which was a nice thing to see.  She was used to messiness because of her parents, but she welcomed the change.  

She was still looking around, sitting back on the bed as the door opened.  Leo peaked his head through.  "Oh sorry.  I didn't realize you were awake.  I was just coming to check on you." 

"Oh... yeah... I woke up around seven.  I just didn't want to throw off my sleep schedule too much so I decided to stay awake.  

Leonardo opened the door fully and stepped into his room.  "Did you sleep okay?  I know it's not the most comfortable..." 

"I slept amazingly," Haley interrupted.  "I don't think I've had such a warm bed." 

"Well, we have to keep it warm this time of year, being cold-blooded and everything," Leo said after chuckling slightly.  "Anyways, breakfast is almost ready if you want to come to join us.  I think Mikey's making eggs and waffles." 

Haley stood up and walked beside Leo to the kitchen.  "Eggs and waffles?  That's like two separate main courses." 

"Well, we are four teenage boys.  It takes a lot to feed us," Leo explained before they got to the kitchen where everyone else already was sitting.

Everyone greeted Haley by telling her good morning.  She answered all of them by saying the same, and in between Raph and Leo.  Mikey handed her a full plate of food.  There wasn't just a full waffle and a pile of scrambled eggs, but also crispy bacon, some orange slices, and a small portion of oatmeal.  

**********

The day went on rather slowly for Haley, but she did not mind it.  Honestly, it was kinda nice to take a break from her life, dance, and school.  She knew it wouldn't last, but she was okay with that.  A small break was all she would need.  

Haley and Leo spent most of the day together.  After breakfast, Haley worked on homework in the dojo while Leo practiced his katas.  After, they both read a little.  Leonardo read his comics while Haley chose a book off of one of Leo's shelves.  After lunch, Haley sat and watched all the brothers train together.  Leonardo introduced Haley to Space Heroes and they watched the first few episodes together.  Now, they decided to go on a small walk through the abandoned sewer and subway tunnels surrounding the lair.  

Haley followed Leonardo closely.  "So, this is the only place where you and your brothers were allowed to go when you were younger?"  She asked as she watched Leo jump down to where the tracks were on the subway.  

Leonardo nodded as he looked up at Haley, kicking some trash out of the way.  "Yeah," He said as Haley sat on the edge of the drop.  He reached out his arms, grabbing her by her hips to catch her as she slid down.  "This is where we used to play games like Follow the Leader, tag, hide and seek, and other things.  It's crazy that most games that other kids play really help us with basic ninja skills." 

Haley laughed as Leo set her on her feet.  They continued walking down the tunnel.  "I bet Splinter had his hands full trying to keep all four of you occupied." 

Leo laughed.  "You have no idea," There was an awkward pause for a second or two.  "What were you like as a kid?  Were you always this studious or did it comes with age?" He walked beside her nudging her with his body slightly as they walked.  

"I was actually a bit of a wild child.  I didn't do anything crazy, but I was definitely more of a risk-taker," Haley said with a smile.  "I would ride horses three times my height, shoot handguns at targets, jump into a creek not being able to see the bottom, climb trees to where I could jump onto the roof and trampoline..." 

Leonardo looked at her confused.  "I thought you grew up in the city."

Haley shook her head as she shrugged.  "I actually was born in Texas, believe it or not." 

"No, you did not!"  His mouth cracked into a smile.  "You've got to be messing with me!"

"It's the truth.  I lived there until I was seven!" Haley said laughing.  She could feel herself blushing.  Not many people knew about that fact of her life.  

"But... but you don't have an accent!"  Leo said, still laughing.  

Haley's mouth dropped, still smiling slightly.  "Wow, as a mutant I didn't expect you to stereotype me.  Not everyone from Texas has an accent.  I had a small one when I moved here, but it faded with time.  We don't ride horses everywhere.  Our closets have more than cowboy hats, boots, and blue jeans,"  She sighed.  "I do miss it a lot though.  I would love to go back, and see my old house where I grew up, took my first steps, and learned how to swim and ride a bike." 

Leo put his hands up defensively.  "Okay, okay.  Fair enough, I guess.  But, I do have another question.  Do you like country music?"

Haley smiled.  "Another stereotype, but I do fall into that category.  I do like country music, but that is not the only type of music I listen to." 

Leonardo chuckled.  "You'll have to play some for me," He looked at his phone.  "Dinner will probably be soon.  We should start to head back." 

"Okay," Haley nodded quietly.  She turned around expecting Leo to follow her but when she turned around to look at him, she saw him standing where he had been.  "What is it?" 

"Can I hear you scream 'yee-haw' in here?" He said with a smirk.  

Haley scoffed as she rolled her eyes.  That led to a giggle before she turned back around to start walking to the lair.  "Not a chance." 

Leo chuckled as he jogged to catch up with her.  "How about a 'howdy'?"

Haley kept walking with a smile.  She smiled at him as their eyes met again.  "In your dreams, Leo."