7 The Green Brick Road

Chapter 7 - The Green Brick Road

Kamila took a breath. The rain falling around her avoided her completely. It was like the small droplets were fearful of her. It was odd. Taking a step the wood floor beneath her turned into dead wet grass and she soon found herself standing in a barren field. There was nothing alive here. Even the bugs that could possibly find safety in said field were no where to be seen. The rain continued to pour down around her and in shock she noticed that the water was collecting and rising. It was only seconds before she found herself in 1 to 2, then 3, then 4 feet of water. Kamila began to panic then.

Trying to stay on top of the water she kicked her feet as hard as she could. It was no use though. She soon found herself being pulled under the water by a strong current as it whipped and tugged her feet from under her. The water was churning so bad that it had managed to rip some layers away from her dress leaving it showing her legs and her chest open for all to see. Kamila was scared beyond any fear she had felt before. The water kept pulling and pulling her down into its depts that the water around her grew dark. She wanted to scream. She wanted to cry out for help. She wanted someone to rescue her but it was like her mouth was glued shut. No matter what she tried it wouldn't open.

Looking up she reached for the light above her. Maybe someone would see her hand? They might right? But Kamila quickly brought it back when she saw something huge swim above her. It was horrid. A true monster of nightmares and it was coming straight for her. Kamila tried to get away. She tried to fight. She tried but when the creatures large mouth opened around her she knew she was doomed.

Kamila woke just as the monster's mouth clamped down on her. She gasped taking in as much air as she now could and clutched the blanket to her breast. Her panic dissipated when she realized she was back inside her room. She sighed in relief but jumped when a sound from her table scared her again. But this creature would do her no harm. In fact, what this little creature was eating might harm it though. There on the table bounced around a little yellow bird. The small thing was pecking and eating the grains of rice she had in a cup for her to cook for breakfast. Realizing that the bird would die from eating to much she got out of bed to shoo it away. It was when she did she noticed the tiny rolled up paper fall from its back before it flew out her window.

Kamila came to the table and picked up the paper delicately. 'What on earth is this?' She thought. Unrolling it she soon realized it was a love poem.

My love for you is understanding and passionate.

And I promise to be compassionate.

My love for you is thoughtful and cherishing.

And I promise to be devoted and caring.

My love for you is patient and kind.

I promise this till the end of time.

My love for you is selfless and forgiving.

And I promise this for as long as im living.

Kamila gasped as she read it. It was a loving and touching poem. Its meaning very clear to her. Smiling she was going to read it again when she heard a knock on her front door. Quickly hiding the note in the inside pocket of her dress she went downstairs to see who it could be. Opening the door she peeked out to see Leo standing there.

"Good morning Leo. What brings you so early?"

"I just wanted to let you know that we are going to the city today."

"The city? Whatever for?" Kamila asked opening the door more. The closest city was the city of Kahé. A large city filled with tons of shops and merchants. Many nobles and Lords come to visit this city as well because of how beautiful it is.

"Well we are hoping to sell some stuff and get supplies. We always go once a year. Would you like for us to bring you anything?"

"Ah, um, yes I do need some things but wouldn't you guys be in danger if you went like this?" Kamila asked concerned.

Leo gave her a genuine smile. "Don't worry. Donnie is smart and made us some good disguises. Its the only reason we are able to go every year in the first place."

"Huh. Then would it be ok if I come with you all? I wont be a burden and I wont get in your way. I promise!" She begged. She knew about the city but she had never been and seeing as they were going maybe they wouldn't mind bringing her along?

"Sure. We are waiting in front but we are still waiting on Master Splinter."

"Great! I'll be there in a minute." Kamila said excitedly as she closed the door and ran upstairs. In as little as five minutes she was fixed up and running out of the house towards where the boys were. The moment she saw them though she nearly mistook them for intruders.

To say that Don was a genius was an understatement. He was so much more and the boys disguises were proof of it. To Kamila's eyes she did not see 4 turtle men instead, she found 4 human monks with wooden shells on their backs. Their skin was no longer green. In fact they each were a different tone of tan matching natural human skin colors. They wore normal monk clothing which consisted of a modest robe and pants but their feet and hands were the only off things. Mikey was the last to fix them as he bound 2 of his 3 fingers in wrapping making it look almost human. Their feet were bound the same but were in large shoes making it comfortable for them to walk around. In all honesty they looked pretty normal.

Coming up to the group she was about to great the boys when Splinter came up beside her. "Good morning miss Kamila. How are you feeling today?"

"I'm doing fine Master Splinter. How about yourself?"

Splinter looked at the boys and then at her giving her a look like he was already contemplating on staying on the island which made Kamila giggle. "I assume they have told you what we will be doing?"

"Yes, Leo told me but may I ask if it will be alright to come along?"

"Of course my dear. But my only warning is to stay close. This city may seem peaceful but there is always danger watching. Do not wander off by yourself unless they," he pointed over to the boys," are with you."

"Of course. I will stay as close as I can without causing you any trouble as you do business." Kamila said bowing her head.

"Very well then. Oh, here." Splinter reached into his robe and pulled out a cloth bag. "Here is your first pay. I'm sure you will find something while you are in the city and would want to buy it so I am giving it to you a week early."

"Oh, thank you?" Kamila was confused. this coin purse was far larger and heavier than what a normal person should make doing her kind of job. Pulling the string that kept it closed she peeked inside and immediately closed it. "There must be a mistake!" she nearly yelled. "Please take this back!" She said handing the purse back to the elderly rodent.

Splinter chuckled and gently pushed the bag back to her. "No my dear it is correct. One gold piece for every day you work here. So there should be no more than 38 gold pieces in that purse."

Kamila's mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water at the shock of it all. In their time money was divided into 2 simple coin pieces. Silver coins and small pressed gold rectangle plates. Five hundred silver coins was equal to one of these gold plates and a person could live off of one gold comfortably for at least two and a half months. For her to have thirty-eight gold pieces was like winning the lottery. Then there was the fact that she was getting it a day! She couldn't believe it!

"I trust you wont spend it all at once?" Splinter asked snapping out of her shock.

"O-of course not." She said quietly before bowing. "Thank you so much!"

Splinter merely gave a chuckle before patting her shoulder and started walking over to the boys. Kamila stood as he left and looked back into the bag. 'Praise the gods.' Kamila thought thanking them for this great kindness. She could feel tears prick her eyes but for the sake of her dignity she blinked them away. Pulling out three gold pieces she placed them inside her inner dress pocket next to her breast where her poem was tucked away in. With a new bounce in her step she rushed back to her house to place the rest of her money away and came back to the boys.

Once she was with them they started to make their way to the edge of the island in the direction of the city. The path they took as worn from cart wheels and constant walking to and from making the ground to compact for plants to grow. The walk wasn't a long one. It led to the area of the island where the trees grew on top of the giant boulders and to a beach riddled with even larger ones. They spanned as far as Kamila could see inside the lake.

Looking around she saw Raph come up to a well placed wooden cart. Of course like everything it was finely crafted and looked strong enough to even carry the said boulders that Raph uses. It already contained some small items and what looked like a tarp. She watched as he pulled it, hecking easily like it weighed nothing, and brought it over to the edge of the water. Leo and Mikey placed the burlap bags they had inside and gave Raph the all clear for him to leave. However there was no bridge or path that would allow her or the others to cross the cold water. How was he going to get the cart and themselves across? To Kamila's amazement Raph lifted the cart like nothing over his head and took off hopping from rock to rock with ease. She stood there in awe until she lost sight of him in the early morning fog.

Leo was the next to hop across. He had bent down and allowed Splinter to climb on his shell before taking off. When she saw this she panicked. how was she going to get across? Would Mikey or Don be willing to take her? She looked at the water and took a step back. Maybe this was a bad idea. But as she took another step she felt someone behind her. The hand that came down on her shoulder made her jump as she turned to look at Mikey.

"You ready, angel cakes?"

Kamila shook her head no.

"Great! Lets go!" He yelled excitedly picking her up.

Kamila clung to Mikey for dear life as he began to jump from rock to rock. Closing her eyes tight she waited for the tell-tell feeling of being dropped into the water. Yet oddly enough the wind stopped whipping around her and she was still. Opening her eyes she peeked around to see they were already on the other side safe and sound.

Loosening her death grip on Mikey she looked around at the dense foliage around them. They were on the other side on the main land and everything around her looked familiar. It kind of made her feel sad. This place was not the whimsical home he had been living in for the past month where she was safe and protected. Here was a world that she knew would be cruel and greedy. On the off hand it made her want to go back to the island.

When Mikey placed her on the ground she saw Splinter go up to the cart. He needed no assistance getting up and sitting himself at the head. Raph then walked around to where the horse hitch was and stood waiting for the go ahead. Leo and Don placed the remaining sacks they had inside the cart and told Master Splinter that everything was ready. Once Raph heard he grabbed the cart and began pulling it down the dirt road.

The group walked leisurely towards their destination. It was sunny but because of the tall trees above them they stayed shady and cool. Kamila stayed close to the cart. She stayed at least an arm length away just in case she needed to take cover she could either slide under or climb on top quickly. Leo was to her left of the cart while Mikey and Donnie were to her right, Mikey being the closest as he started to chat up a storm with her.

"Your going to love it! The food there is amazing and you can totally see the different types of cultures that blend in and mash to make them taste so good! Have you ever tasted a Sweet Rod Roll?"

"No. I don't think I have." Kamila said as Mikey turned towards her, easily walking backwards.

"They are amazing! They wrap this dough around a rod and cook it and when they do they glaze it with this sugar syrup that gets hard as it bakes! Ugh its so gooood! We need to hurry and get there! I want one so bad!" Mikey began to ramble. He described the sweet bread in great detail explaining how good it was to the point where it actually got annoying. It wasn't that he was being extremely annoying but the fact that they wanted to enjoy their long stroll through the woods quietly incase something or someone did manage to come up on them.

"Mikey, go up ahead and check the road. Come back when you see anything." Leo ordered.

"Ok!" Mikey said, his attention snatched away towards his brother. Without missing a beat he happily hopped into one of the trees ahead of them and disappeared. It was actually quite amazing how they were so fast. Being such large creatures and water dwelling ones at that they were surprisingly light footed. Then again Master Splinter has explained that they had been training for their whole lives. The main reason behind it she was still unsure.

During her little time on the island she had come to realize that she was not the only one with secrets. She knew they were keeping something from her. Whether it was because they did not trust her enough or the fact that they just were not aloud to tell her she knew she wouldn't find out. That was fine. She understood. She really did. However, it just irked her that they either ignored her afterwards , lied, or ran away after realizing that she was there. It made her feel like she was living back in that small village again. It made her feel . . . alone.

Kamila sighed. She was supposed to be excited yet here she was thinking things that were going to bring her down. She really needed to relax. Taking a deep breath she tried to zone out and be absorbed by the relaxing forest around her. The air here was starting to become crisp. It was cool but the sun was not yet ready to let its grip on summer go just yet. The animals around them were still enjoying this. They chirped, singed, and (from the deer that walked in front of them) bleated to one another about how great their day was. The wind was also helping in the ambience around her. It made the trees sound like the gentle waves of the cliffs. Slow and gentle. Soft and relaxing. It was making her feel sleepy.

Kamila didn't knew when she started to drift off the path. She didn't see the trees getting closer and she definitely didn't see the branch that was just about to smack her. But it never got the chance to. Donatello made sure of that. It gave her a shock and snapped her out of her daze. Some how he had appeared in front of her and stopped her from going forward with a well placed hand on her shoulder. It was then that she realized what had happened.

"Im sorry." She said with a slight blush. "I must have zoned out a bit. Its so calm here." She watched as Don looked her over with his eyes. No doubt trying to assess if she was ok. Then he sighed and a look of tired relief masked over his worried one.

When he looked over at the rest of the group so did she but when she did so she realized that she had been left far behind. It then clicked that he had been worried and more than likely scared when he did not see her. Now she felt guilty. She had said she wouldn't cause them any trouble but it seems like she was doing just that. Turning towards the way Leo and the rest were heading she was about to go over when Don moved first.

It came as quite a fright being hoisted so high so fast but the strong yet gentle grip on her legs that sat her comfortably in said arm that showed no signs of faltering. Kamila gasped at the quick action. However she didn't protest one bit though. In fact, she felt like a hormonal teenager again. Like the time she saw the soldiers for the first time. She felt giddy and fawned over them. She blushed at everything they did or said to her making her heart pound out of her chest. It wasn't until she saw the truth about the soldiers that her feelings drastically changed. I mean come on. Who would want to shag men who murdered an old lady. She didn't know, but it sure wasn't going to be her.

When the red on her face dimmed and her heart calmed she smiled down at her tall protector. Leaning her head she rested her own on his, her right cheek tapping the top of his head. She then wrapped her arms around him. Her right coming around his shell to place the hand next to her own forehead while her left arm loosely wrapped around his neck. One would say it looked like she was cradling his head from the position she was in and if she thought about it she actually was. She felt him stiffen under her but continued to walk forward anyways.

"S-so uh... Mikey seemed pretty excited." Don said trying to start a conversation, however, the shakiness and the awkwardness in his voice showed. It made him self-conscious. "Have you ever been to this city?"

"No I haven't. Honestly I am just as excited as Mikey is." Kamila said with a giggle. "In fact, other than the island and my village I haven't been to any other places. I never had it in me to stray to far from there... even when my father would leave. But with you all I feel like all will go well. Don't you agree?."

"Of course, without these disguises we would have never manage to start trading with the city. Plus, with our good reputation we get plenty of business every time we do come."

"Has anyone ever questioned you all on being... well... odd?"

"Yes, actually. There has been some that have tried to push for information but we use the stories that Master Splinter gave to us. They usually leave us alone after a while."

"Has anyone ever gotten a little to curious?" She asked. At her question she felt Don's fingers twitch on her thigh.

"Yes... There was a man that did continue to pester us. He had followed us through the whole city until we left. But even then he still followed."

"What did you all do?" Kamila asked curiously.

"We threw him off of us by hiding. We lost him by jumping into the trees at an intersection. He was honestly mad when he couldn't find us."

"What did he do then?"

"He left. Stayed in the damn trees till Leo gave us the all clear." Raph chimed in. They had caught up to the cart thanks to the fact that he had slowed it down for them.

Donnie then went over to the back and gently removed Kamila from him placing her inside. It was not that she was heavy but for the fact that the needed his arms free incase something did happen. He couldn't take the risk and if she was close to their master then she would be protected as they fought, if it ever came to that. Once she situated herself Raph picked back up the pace again. Don stayed close as they continued to converse. They chatted for quite a while. Often times Leo or Master Splinter would take over the conversation, Raph only giving a short few words here and there. By the time they had finished one conversation another would then be picked up. And at one point a calm debate bounced around the group leaving the woman in a fit of giggles as the situation turned funny.

It was around the time when the sun had started to set that Mikey rejoined the group. He still had that goofy smile on his face and bounced around even as he plopped himself down from the trees to sit next to Kamila. "What's up angel cakes? Hoped Donnie didn't bore you while I was away?" He asked using his left arm to prop himself up as he leaned in towards her. Reaching out with his free hand he picked up a couple strands of her hair and playfully played with them. "Did ya miss me?"

"How's it look up ahead Mikey?" Leo asked a hint of authority in his voice.

Mikey huffed and threw himself back to lay down on the cart. "We're totally fine! Haven't seen a thing since I left. It was sooooooo~ boring."

"How far away from the spot are we?" Raph asked annoyed with his brothers jumping and added weight.

"Just a few minutes away. We should find it before it gets to dark."

Like Mikey had said it only took them a few minutes before they found the spot where they camp. Raph had found their marker, a well placed tree next to an odd shaped rock. Anyone else that saw would have passed by with no interest to it and it was the exact reason they used it. Raph pulled the cart into the foliage off of the road. Kamila ducked her head just incase there were any low hanging branches that she was not able to see. The group walked for another two minutes until they came to a group of thickly clustered trees. Leo was the one to run ahead and move a bush out of the way for them allowing Raph to pull the cart easily into the middle of them. When Raph finally let go of the cart Mikey and Master Splinter nimbly jumped off and proceeded to grab a large sack from inside. Kamila got off as well and looked around. The cluster of trees was in a oval-ish type shape and the center of it was semi clear. Given that some of the dead branches on the ground needed to be picked up and there were a patch of weeds growing here and there it looked somewhat clean. The only real problem was the chill from the air. It was the shiver she received that got her wanting to help them set up camp.

"Where should I build a fire?" Kamila asked as she reached down to pick up a thin stick only to chuck it away when she hears Master Splinter's reply.

"We wont be needing one. We are still to close to the road and these trees are not thick enough to keep the light from a fire from being seen by thieves. We will be safer without it."

Kamila mentally huffed knowing that without the warmth of a fire it was going to be a good while before her body stopped shivering and she would be able to sleep. But Kamila understood and in all honesty she was used to nights like this. It was because of this she had even managed to survive one of the worst winters any of the people of her continent had ever seen. Of course, the fever and sickness she earned afterwards didn't help as she started to prepare for spring.

"Leonardo. Michelangelo. You both will be keeping guard tonight." Master Splinter commanded. Once the boys jumped up and perched themselves inside two of the tallest and thickest trees Splinter situated himself at one of the bases, his walking stick close just in case.

Kamila did the same. Going to the closest tree to her she sat down and tried to get as comfortable as she could. When she did another shiver overtook her followed by a sneeze. This caught Donnie's attention. With out her hearing he had managed to sneak up and sit down next to her. It wasn't until she saw the blanket being held out to her that she jumped. When she realized what it was she guiltily took it.

"It's supposed to get colder tonight. I knew these knuckle heads wouldn't use it but I'm glad I still brought them." He explained.

"Was I that obvious?" Kamila asked looking up to him and then the orange he also offered to her.

"A bit." Don said cheekily as he watched her pout for a second before turning her attention to peeling and eating the orange. He expected her to sit where she was but when he felt her scoot closer to him to the point where their hips touched he was glad for the fact that it was to dark for anyone to see his face turn a darker shade. Then the moment he felt her lean against him was the exact moment he had to keep himself from leaping away in a flustered embarrassed panic. He was used to his brothers leaning on him but this was a woman, a woman he really liked, and the first woman that he had ever met. He had no idea what to do. And he was supposed to be the smartest one dang it!

"Im glad I came with you guys today."

"O-oh? W-why is that?" It took Don everything he had to stop his awkward panic from showing in his voice. But it didn't really work that well.

"Well," she started, " I got to go on an adventure with you guys, I got paid for the first time, and... Oh! I got a very lovely gift from a bird this morning." Kamila felt Don flinch at the last part and looked up at him with a smile. "Do you think that if I leave seeds out for it that it might come again?"

"I-its possible." She heard Donnie say.

"I hope he does. I really liked what he brought me." And with that Kamila began to feel sleepy. It only took a minute before she did manage to give in and let her head rest on Don's arm, the warmth of his skin lulling her further.