Shadow Mutation (Book Seven) [UNDER MAJOR EDITING]

Chapter 7: Keeping Her Friendship

Casey doesn't know what to expect when he goes out the next night. A large part of him wants to find the strange shadow girl who broke up his Purple Dragon smackdown. He's let himself wonder if he should just suck it up and thank her. After all, if she hadn't shown up, he would've had a Rocco-shaped mark forever imprinted on his face.

Might still chew her out for leaving him on clean-up duty, if he finds her.

He skates down the sidewalk, watching every shadow, every flicker in the corner of his eye. He hasn't let himself slow down and wonder why he's so caught up in finding her again. Maybe it's the questions plaguing him. Is she a ghost? How did she die? He hopes it was something absolutely metal.

Behind him, he hears a rush of air and the hairs on his neck prickle. He spins around, hand on his hockey stick, ready to face the ghost, but instead of meets a pair of wild green eyes and a scarred face.

"Geez wolfie, don't scare me like that," he mutters, letting go of his weapon.

Destiny flashes a fanged smile. "Expecting someone else?" she asks. When he frowns, her smile falls. "Sorry. Didn't mean to sneak up on you."

He rolls his eyes. "Sure. No problem."

"What are you up to? It's late."

"And? Doesn't matter what I'm doing."

She purses her lips. "I just wanted to check on you. You weren't at your apartment, so I tracked you here." She comes closer, frowning. "You're all bruised again."

"Congrats, you have eyes," he snaps.

She bares her teeth a little. "Hey, smarten up."

"We all know that isn't my strong suit," he retorts, turning around and skating away.

"Casey Jones, you may be egotistical and proud, but I've never known you to be a pessimist," she calls, jogging to catch up with him.

He snorts, never slowing down. "Aw, thanks, wolfie. You're making me feel real warm and fuzzy inside."

He hears her stop walking and for a moment he lets himself believe that she has given up. A stupid belief, of course, because it's Destiny, and Destiny doesn't give up. She also has a wolf.

A solid three and a half seconds later, Casey lets out a squeal as the giant animal pins him to the ground. With his face against the concrete sidewalk, Destiny lets out a rumbling wolf laugh and returns to her humanoid state, still kneeling on him.

"Now that I've got your attention—" she starts.

"Since when are you so—" He grunts a little as he tries to get up. "—annoying?"

She flicks her tail, shrugging. "The number one way to get a sourpuss to stop and listen is, obviously, to tackle them as a giant dog." She laughs. "Leo, Donnie, and Raph approved!"

"What about—" He gasps out a breath as he struggles to rise. "—Mikey?"

"Mikey's an angel. Why would I ever need to tackle him?"

Casey wheezes. "Des...need to breathe—"

She flaps her wings once, lifting her into the air just enough to land back on her feet, and Casey rolls onto his back. She holds her hand out to him. He sighs as he grasps it, letting her help him back to his feet, and he rubs his chin a little where the asphalt scratched it.

"Look, I'm sorry, I just wanted to talk," she says.

"What is there to talk about?" he asks, crossing his arms over his chest. She raises an eyebrow and he groans. "What? Want me to talk about how my dad's dead? Or how my sister ran away? Maybe about how have no chance of ever graduating high school and April left me?"

He winces. He didn't mean to say that last part.

Destiny gasps. "April left you? Oh, Casey..."

"Don't 'oh, Casey' me," he says. "Casey Jones doesn't need a girlfriend anyway."

Her tail lashes nervously, her ears pulling back against her hair. "I just...don't understand why she would do that to you. Why now? Why—"

"Because she..." He swallows. "She...didn't leave. I broke up with her."

Her expression twists with shock. "Why the shell would you do that?"

"Because I wanted to!"

"Oh, that's bullshit."

"No, it's not!" he snaps. "She got into a journalism program and I'm just holding her back. She was going to resent me if I didn't let her go, so it's not bullshit! I wanted to let her go! I w-wanted—"

Shit. His voice cracks and everything's suddenly all tight again. The next thing he knows, Destiny's got her arms around his middle, hugging him tight, and he gasps out a breath as a tear escapes and rolls down his cheek. He can't bring himself to hug her back.

"Look," she whispers. "I know what you're doing and it's not good."

He sniffles. "What?"

"You're self-destructing. Pushing everyone away so you don't get hurt again."

"Maybe I deserve it. Maybe this...this is just what I get for killing my dad."

The hug gets tighter, desperate, and he exhales as he drops his cheek to the top of her head. Slowly, he lets himself hug her back, feeling the softness of her wings against his arms.

"Don't say that," she whispers. "The accident wasn't your fault."

"If I hadn't been—"

"If you focus on the what ifs, it's only going to drag you down."

"That's...that's all I can think about, Des."

"I know." She pulls away from the hug, although she stays close. "You know, you've been there for me through a lot, Case. I'm just trying to return that energy."

A lot is an understatement; they've faced battles with the Foot, random hostile mutants, sentient computer viruses and twisted versions of their worst nightmares together.

"This isn't dealing with Dream Beavers or...breaking into Foot Headquarters," he mumbles.

"But it's a lot more important."

He exhales through his nose. When they tracked down Bernie and fought back against the Dream Beavers, the turtles were dying. When they broke into Foot HQ, it was to rescue Diaval.

He just can't see himself being more important than any of them in her heart.

"I don't know how you can help me," he whispers.

"Could you let me try? Let...us?"

It's hard. It's so, so hard to ask for help, and he isn't ready to do it yet. It's too much pressure. He can't guarantee that he'll bounce back quickly. What if it takes years for him to feel okay? What if he never recovers? What if they get tired of his doom and gloom?

He wants to believe her. He wants to wake up in the morning believing that the day ahead shows endless promise, but he just can't. When he pictures the future, he thinks of the turtles and April and the others going on without him. There's nothing left for him.

"Casey?"

He looks down at her, then reaches out and ruffles her messy brown curls. She laughs a little, more out of confusion than amusement, and his lip twitches at the side.

"You're a good friend, Des. Thanks."

"It's what I do for my pack."

If it was anyone other than her saying that, it'd be weird, but it is her and being part of her pack is an honour.

"I'm gonna take some me time," he says. "I'll...see you later."

"Promise?" she asks.

He doesn't, skating away down the road and leaving her behind.