Revelations of the Heart

Jealousy is a Green Eyed Mutant.

Raphael, 18 years old
New York, New York 2017
I hit the bag over and over, picturing that boy's stupid face in my head. I was pissed, and then I came home and took it out on Aella. She deserved a lecture but I overreacted. I should have let Splinter handle it, or even called Casey and let him know what happened. Instead, I let my anger and pride fuel my tongue, just like I always did, and it always got me in trouble. Tonight I had let my guard slip. She had looked so good, and smelled amazing, pinned against that wall. Anger turned into lust. I just wanted to touch the exposed skin under that poor excuse for a t-shirt, and I almost did. The look on her face stopped me. She was scared. I scared her. She would never forgive me if I had touched her then. And so I promised her I never would. But I was already thinking about it again. I yelled in frustration and kicked the bag, hard. I needed to apologize, but first I wanted to talk to Sensei. I paused outside the curtain to his room, and then I heard,'Come in Raphael.' He was sitting on a pillow in meditation stance. I had never figured out how he always seemed to sense our presence before we announced ourselves, ever since we were kids. It made sneaking around of any sort extremely hard. I took a knee in front of him and he looked up at me. 'You wish to apologize to Miss Aella, isn't that correct, my son?' I nodded. 'Hai, Sensei.' I paused. 'I messed up dad. Casey trusted me to take care of her, and I took it too far. She probably hates me now, she's definitely scared of me, and when Casey comes back he'll hate me too. I just got so mad that she took herself out from under my protection. She put herself in danger, and that was unacceptable to me. I just saw red when I saw her walking with that boy. I felt so many emotions all at once, and I let them dictate how I spoke to her. Tell me how to fix this, please,' I begged. He closed his eyes again, sitting quietly for another moment. 'I believe she needs time, Raphael. She does not hate you, my son. I believe she respects you more than you realize. But she is still a child. The 16th year for a human girl comes with many changes. It is widely recognized as the year a girl becomes known as a young woman. Miss Aella has been through more loss and hardship than most girls her age have, and she has done so with more poise than most women possess. But at the same time, she has not been given the opportunity to be a teenager nor does she lament the loss. She does not party, or rebel, or act as a delinquent. I have reason to believe her actions tonight were strictly to get under your skin, so to speak. I do not think she will ever do so again, and I hope that you will treat her with forgiveness, and 'cut her some slack' as you boys say. In human years, 18 is a man. Act as such, with grace, humility, and compassion.' I bowed, and turned to leave. 'And Raphael, I do not think she will be in your room tonight. I suggest Michaelangelo's.' I nodded, thanking him and ducking out into the hall. I checked my room first, and of course Splinter was right. I took a minute, breathing deeply the new scent that was Aella's mixed with mine, before stepping over to Mikey's room. I tapped on the wall to announce myself, and entered. I stopped short at the sight in front of me. Mikey was in his bed, snoring lightly, movie credits playing on the tv. But Aella was what caught my attention. She was on the floor on a thick layer of blankets, curled around a green body pillow. The blanket on her body had slipped down to show her top half. She had on a long sleeved fitted henley shirt that clung to her like a second skin. The tv screen illuminated her face, her expression peaceful. Her nose twitched and she rolled onto her other side, the blanket sliding off the rest of the way. She was wearing pajama shorts and fuzzy socks, her calves and most of her thighs now exposed. Her shirt had ridden up a little to show the same piece of skin I had seen earlier. The same feeling washed over me, the need to touch. I stepped forward, and Mikey snored again, louder, snapping me out of my thoughts. Instead, I grabbed one of the blankets on the bed and threw it over her, quickly exiting the room. I would talk to her tomorrow, or maybe the next day. After I figured out what was wrong with my brain.

Aella Jones same night
I knew he was there. I woke myself up rolling over, and then I sensed him. I had become quite adept at being in tune with my surroundings, thanks to Leo's instruction. Raphael was silent, but I knew his presence by the energy surrounding him. It was typically restless or hostile, rippling around him, but tonight it felt almost calm, or as close to calm as I figured he could get. I kept my eyes closed, feigning sleep, but I was getting cold. I could feel his stare on me, and just when I was going to move, Mikey snored loudly. I felt something thick being thrown over me, and then he was gone. I sat up, looking at the curtain, and wondering why he had come in the first place. Probably to chew me out some more because I wasn't in my assigned prison cell. I sighed and fell back onto the blankets. I deserved it. What I had done was uncalled for and unfair to all of them. I had acted like a petulant child. I knew he was just trying to act how he thought Casey would want him to. I couldn't blame him, and I needed to apologize tomorrow. I yawned and rolled back over to get some more sleep.