Book One In The Ahh-Ness Of Things Series: April & Donnie were once inseparable, but now almost six years have passed since she left NYC. What if April O'Neil could set the record straight, once & for all! The only girl down enough to chill with the...
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A tall figure in silhouette stood facing me in an erie silence . A million thoughts of excitement and confusion collided in my heart all at once; he was just standing there staring at me. Not a single word, no embrace, no smile. Just eyes piercing through the darkness, a single light at his side flickered in an old camping lantern. He held it up to his face and illuminated the space around us.
In a soft amber glow , the pieces of rubble around us suddenly seemed like spikes closing in upon me almost as if they were a physical representation of tension. How but for a moment I didn't exactly feel safe;
"Oh my god Donnie, how long have you been there!," I there I laughed nervously as he swayed slightly back on his heels and squinting his eyes looking me over as if he didn't recognize me!
Was this some horrible twist of fate, had something happened to his mind in my absence? Yeah I I was older but I didn't look that different. I tried it again; "Donnie, it's me April."
He was absolutely motionless . Not even his face moved, nor did his eyes change, they only lowered to my bag in my hand and then back to my face.
"What are you doing here?" was all he said, almost like a retort and my heart sank into my stomach.
" I came home..." I stammered "Yaaay..." still nothing in his demeanor changed. He slid his staff across his back; putting it away, and it was then that I realized he had approached me armed and ready. This unnerved me even more so than the blank stare in his eyes. I hadn't even noticed; he'd had his weapon in hand!
"Donnie... didn't you know it was me?"
Still nothing.
"I tried the old entrance; it was blocked up. I even went to the under-city. There was rubble, a wall."
Then something happened, I couldn't fathom, when he didn't answer me a third time: my instinct to run kicked on and I couldn't wrap my mind around what was happening. This was my sweet, gentle Donnie?
" God Donnie for a second I almost thought you were Raph," I nervously chuckled. That got a response; he scrunched his face yet still said nothing. "you know all big, dark & scary?" We just stood there all but squared off. I needed to tell him I was so happy to see him I just wanted to run and jump into his arms, bursting to tell him how much I missed him, but the air between us was almost hostile and I knew if there was something wrong with him I wouldn't stand a chance. If he wasn't right in the head there was no chance of escaping!
"Come on Donnie, I've been down here for hours, didn't you hear me?", I was angry now, I needed something damn, any kind of explanation for this behavior. He came closer to me and leaning forward as if he were going to embrace me to lift me up, but instead he only took the bag from my hand in his own & with the other, slide my backpack off my shoulder taking them both. I almost felt a shiver as the claws of his hand had run across my shoulder to lift the heavy bag. I watched them from the corner of my eye for a moment: long & sharp & un cut. He paused as he noticed. Then, walking past me down the corridor and in the direction I had been heading, he finally spoke; "Come on I'll show you the way."
