「ABSENCE」 TMNT 2012

31; Tonight

"Karai! Get out here!" Shouted Jeff for the tenth time. He rapped his knuckles against the door impatiently and sighed. "Master wants you."

    Inside, Karai rolled her dark eyes. She just wanted to be alone. Was that too much to ask?

The doorknob rattled and she glanced over, ready to start screaming at Jeff for entering her quarters without permission, then shook her head and returned her focus to the punching bag before her. She'd locked the door for a reason. Why couldn't Jeff understand that? He was a pest, she decided, and wiped her wet forehead with the back of her wrist.

"I'll break the door down," he threatened, and she knew he would.

But that's fine, she thought to herself. Throwing one last, angry hit to the heavy bag hanging from the ceiling, she turned around and began peeling the sweat-soaked wraps off her hands, letting them unravel and fall into the trash can a few feet away.

    Just as she finished freeing her hands and shaking them out, Jeff's body slammed into the door with a hard thud! Wood cracked and splintered at the contact. Karai faced the doorway and bounced on her toes. She was always on bad terms with Jeff, so he would definitely have his guard up. She would need to be quick – like lightning – to match the skill of the man destroying her room.

The next slam made the drywall around the doorframe crack, releasing small tribes of powdery dust into the air. One more thud and the door came off its hinges. It fell forward with a small groan and more powder. Jeff stumbled in after it, rubbing his right shoulder. When he looked up to find Karai, all he saw was a clenched fist before it pounded into his face and pain shot into his head.

She burst through the doors of the throne room just moments after Jeff's cry tore through the building. She dropped to her knees and lowered her head.

"Ah, there she is," Shredder watched her enter, an amused smirk on his lips. "The woman of the hour. And without a designated uniform, I see." He referred to her drenched, black tank top and leggings, which clung to her sweaty body.

    She stood and placed her hands on her hips. "Jeff said you required me immediately. I didn't have time to dress properly."

    "You seemed in no hurry to get here," Shredder observed.

Flashbacks of ignoring Jeff's calls for forty-five minutes reminded the kunoiche of her obvious guilt. Her eyes narrowed.

    "No matter." Saki shifted on his throne. "I want to inform you of the plan that we're finally able to put into action."

    Karai wasn't in the mood to hear it. She was still enjoying the image of Jeff's "precious face" getting smushed beneath her fist. It was quite satisfying, honestly. She couldn't understand why Jeff was Shredder's favorite, most trusted student when she was clearly so much better than he. Although of late she hadn't been as upset about it as usual, as she'd had other things on her mind.

She wanted to go back to her room. But by all means, let the great and mighty, oh so powerful Shredder continue.

"We will launch the missile tonight, from the skyscraper on Park Avenue."

    Karai's arms fell to her sides. "432?"

    "Yes."

She lifted her arm and glanced down at the watch on her wrist. 3:26. It might work. "What time?" She inquired.

Shredder studied his pupil carefully. "Midnight," he replied.

Without a moment of hesitation, she said, "I'll meet you there," and turned her back on him.

His left eye ridge lifted slowly. "Are you going somewhere?"

    "I have plans," she called over her shoulder and pushed the double doors open. Jeff passed her on her way out, holding his bloody nose and muttering under his breath. He gave her the stink eye, but she didn't even glance his way.

Instead Karai returned to her living space and hopped across the fallen door, then lifted it up and leaned it against the doorway so no one passing by could see inside. Then she went to stand in front of her closet. Most of the clothes held within were dark: black upon black upon more black. It was such a versatile shade and it reflected herself more than she would admit. Jeff often teased her for the clothes she wore, saying they stood for the darkness of her soul.

    On this night, the occasion called for something red; the minor color in her wardrobe, and what Jeff said stood for the blood of her enemies. She would wear black, but she'd heard somewhere that sporting red was appealing to men, and there was one man who hadn't left her mind for days. So the silky red dress left the hanger at the back of her closet.

She let it glide up her body and slipped the thin straps over her shoulders, adjusting the fabric until it looked right in the mirror. She took a moment to study herself in the reflective surface, running her hands down the floor-length skirt and straining her neck to see every angle. She felt elegant enough already. But she wasn't finished yet.

    An elaborate, silver necklace topped the outfit, just above the draped, v-neckline of the dress. After completing her makeup, she ran a rich, red tint along her lips. Her signature smell, a rare perfume she had acquired from a merchant in Japan, sat in wait on her dresser. A spritz here, a spritz there, and the scent of a blooming rose lingered on her skin and in the air around her. Lastly, she picked up a pair of sparkling heels that matched her jewelry, grabbed small clutch, and threw a heavy cloak over herself.

    As she passed the mirror, she stopped once more, catching her own eyes. For a moment, she was almost . . . nervous. A single butterfly seemed to flutter about in her stomach, and anxious doubts clouded her dark eyes. It was a foreign emotion, and she suddenly felt lightheaded, like she could collapse. If she didn't regain her composure, she'd lose to the vicious thoughts waging war on her calm exterior.

    Quickly, she turned away from the mirror and left her room. Her bare feet padded softly down the cold floors of the halls, sending shivers up her spine. The halls were always dark, save for a few torches scattered across the walls.

    Karai wasn't sneaking out, but she suddenly didn't feel free to leave. She pushed herself to hurry as the building began to feel eerie, as if there were eyes around each corner. She'd explored every nook and cranny hundreds of times before, and knew them by heart. But they didn't welcome her on this night, as they had every night before, and she wanted to run.

When she got to the exit, she shot out into the open and inhaled a deep breath to calm herself. She was supposed to meet Lucas a few blocks away. So she tugged her cloak closer around herself, shoes and purse tucked under the folds, and headed down the sidewalk, eager to escape the glare of the Shredder.

    Something about the way Lucas smiled at her under the city lights as people rushed around them calmed her. In the midst of the chaos of her surroundings and in her own mind, he gently lifted her hand and tucked it in the crook of his arm. Her heart fluttered dangerously. But she didn't mind it. In the backseat of the uber, she leaned her head on his shoulder, because he made her feel safe, and loved. The world around her became muffled, and his smooth voice was the only sound she could hear.