Moonlight Mutation (A TMNT Fanfic)

Chapter 23: With These Watchful Eyes

Her hand flies to the hilt of her uchigatana. Ahead, the turtles slow down as they laugh breathlessly and chat amongst themselves. She becomes faintly aware of a voice or two calling her name, but it's all noise to her.

"Guys..." she whispers as they jog back towards her, focused completely on one another. "GUYS!" she repeats in a firmer voice. They stop their chatter and look at her as her hand secures around the sword handle. "I think we're being watched."

"Why's that?" Michelangelo asks.

"Just...trust me," she insists, turning to look at the empty building nearest to her. The wind blows loose strands of hair across her face, making flyaway pieces stick to her sweaty forehead.

"There hasn't been a single sighting in three weeks, at least. I think you're just nervous," Raphael says, raising his arms to the sky and causing his joints to crack.

She latches her animalistic eyes on him. "What if that's what they want you to think?"

Donatello laughs and shakes his head, wagging his hand towards the girl. "Destiny, I think you're being a little paranoid—"

"It could be a trick," she says. "The Foot Clan stays out of sight to make you think that everything's okay, then they wait until you feel safe and attack," she utters.

"Where'd you get that idea from?" Raphael inquires.

She looks at her feet. "Space Heroes..." Leonardo shoots Raphael a smug look, but Destiny's head snaps back up and she recaptures their attention. "It could happen. Besides, Karai and Diaval seemed pretty adamant when they told me—"

Destiny abruptly cuts her words off, sucking in a breath. Confusion passes over every one of the turtles' faces.

"They attacked you," Leonardo says slowly. "Without a warning, they attacked. That's what you said."

"Well...I just said we fought...which is true," she mumbles. "But they didn't want to fight me originally, they wanted to talk."

Their eyes widen simultaneously. Leonardo moves forwards, grasping Destiny's shoulders tightly and pulling her closer to him. She goes rigid in his grip.

"Why didn't you tell us?" he demands, his blue mask bunching together to show his rage.

"I...I don't know. I was just freaked out and I didn't think it was all that important?" She bites her lip. The blue-masked turtle releases his grip on her.

"What did they say?" Raphael asks.

"They wanted me to join the Foot Clan. They said that the Shredder is fascinated by me and wants me to join in one way or another," she says. "Then Diaval started making me see things—"

"See things?!" Michelangelo exclaims. "Dude, like hallucinating stuff? Did he make you eat something bad? Did—"

"Mikey, she didn't eat anything," Leonardo snaps. His eyes switch to Destiny. "Did you?"

"No! He just..." She purses her lips, thinking of the bubbling warmth inside her when she saw that house, all full of light and food and friendly people. "He tried to convince me to join by saying that they could give me something I really want."

Donatello groans and places his head in his hands. "I knew it! Leo, I told you that Diaval isn't just an archer! Didn't I tell you?" he asks, glaring daggers at his eldest brother. "I knew it! He's got some kind of magic!"

Leonardo ignores his brother, fear shimmering behind the pensive mask he wears. Raphael growls, cracking his knuckles, whilst Michelangelo just looks confounded.