I See Through You

Chapter. 11

I stir a bit as I wake up. For some reason my entire upper body hurts in a way I haven't felt since I was 8, when I had karate lessons. I'm really sore, that's all I can say for sure.

I try to sit up, but I stop as soon as I feel sharp pains on my abdomen and even sharper ones on my arms.

"Ow!" I yelped.

Then, I heard my door opening.

"Val? Oh, thank God. Mr. and Mrs. Lopes! Val's awake!"

I frowned.

"Leo? What the heck are you doing here?" I asked.

"Valentina!" Before I could get any answers, I heard my mom calling me and felt her pulling me into a tight hug. It's tight it hurts.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow! Mom! You're hurting me!" I said.

"Oh, sorry, sweetie." She said as she pulled back. But I noticed something I haven't heard in a long time.

"Mom... Are you... Crying?"

She sobbed and my eyes widened.

"What happened?" I asked.

"You don't remember?" Leo asked.

"All I remember is a loud sound of a crash in front of me before someone grabbed me and made me inhale something. When I woke up, my wrists were tied up and they started to ask me questions and..." I trailed off.

Slowly, my hands went to my arms. They were wrapped up with bandages, but I could feel that they were stitched up which made me flinch. "What the..."

"Leonardo and his brothers came here as soon as they got our distress signal. They went to look for you. They brought you back, Donatello took care of your injuries, and... Leonardo never left your side." My father said.

I raised an eyebrow. "You let Leo stay over?"

"After everything he did to us, how could we not?"

That was when I remembered it. As that thug was about to pull the trigger, I heard grunts and metal clashing. I was so lost and scared. Then, I felt someone cup my cheek. It was so warm and kind. Then I heard Leo's voice full of worry.

I bit my lower lip. "Can I talk to Leo? Alone?"

Soon enough, I heard my parents footsteps leaving the room and the door closening right after that.

"Are they gone?" I asked.

"Yeah, they are. What is it, Val?" He asked.

I slowly managed to sit up. And when I was no longer laying down, I placed my hands on my face.

"Val?"

Everything flooded out of me as I cried and sobbed.

"I-I was so s-scared, Leo... I-I thought I was going to die, I..."

Soon enough I felt him hugging me gently, careful not to hurt me.

"Shh... Shh... It's okay now... It's over. You're home, and you are safe now. Besides you were really brave back there. But you still got me worried." He said.

"*Sniff* I-I'm sorry... I didn't want to w-worry you so much..."

"Shh... It's okay, Val... It's okay... You don't have to apologize."

He kept hugging me as I cried my eyes out. For some reason I felt safe whenever Leo was around. Mainly when he hugged me like that. It calmed me down, somehow.

Then, I heard him speak with his voice full of guilt and sadness.

"I'm sorry." He said.

"*Sniff* Why are you apologizing?" I asked.

He pulled back and slightly rubbed his thumb on my arm, making me flinch a little.

"I wasn't there for you. If I had gotten there earlier, you wouldn't be like this."

I smiled sympathetically as I held his large hand.

"If you had arrived later, I wouldn't be here at all. You saved me, Leo. I owe you my life."

"But... Now you'll have scars for the rest of your life."

I chuckled. "Like I don't have any." I said as I pointed to a small scar I had on my forehead and then one I had under my left eyebrow.

"Besides, you know looks don't matter to me. I'm alive, aren't I? To my parents that's what matters, and that makes me happy."

I heard him chuckling a bit. That until I felt him hughing me again.

"You scared me so bad."

I leaned my head on his. "I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "Don't. You're right. You're alive. That's what matters."

I felt my heart warm up as he said that. So's that, I couldn't help but smile as I tried to hug him back the best way possible.