I hurried through the lobby and into the elevator, jabbing the button for the fourth floor and bouncing on my heels as I hummed to the song softly playing through the small speaker. The doors slid open, and I strode down the hallway, fumbling with my books to reach into my pocket for the house key when I got to 198. I grinned hopefully when I opened the door, but my smile faded when I didn't see another set of keys laying on the entryway table, which meant my dad hasn't gotten home yet. I sighed, stepping in and kicking the door closed with my foot, dumping my school stuff on the recliner in the living room and heading to my room.

I shut my door softly, staring around at my carefully detailed bedroom. The walls were painted the faintest color of orange, with posters of my various favorite bands covering the wall above my simple white daybed. My stereo sat in the far corner of the room, near my west-facing window. I had a small bench under the window, a couple books and a sketchpad placed on the sill. My fuzzy gray blanket draped over the wooden bench. A large, cozy, deep orange area rug covered the otherwise cold hardwood floor.

There was small TV on a shelf on the opposite wall, my lone video game controller beckoning for me to log on and spend the next few hours playing Halo. I resisted the temptation, instead plopping down on my little window seat and pulling the blanket over my legs. I opened my window to let a brisk, warm breeze waft through the room, and grabbed a notebook from my pile of tomes, turning to a page bookmarked by a pencil, squinting at my neat little rows of handwriting that stopped suddenly half way down the page.

I had just set my pencil to the paper, about to begin another sentence.

"Psst."

I jerked my head up so quickly I might've given myself whiplash. My eyes narrowed; either I'm more crazy than I thought, or someone just said something. I cautiously set down my notebook, glancing around he room, eyes peeled for any signs of an intruder. My mind went into autopilot, as I slowly rose up, the blanket falling around my feet, halfway in a defensive fighting stance.

"Who's there?" I asked, surprised at myself for actually managing to sound confident.

"Over here," The voice whispered, making my head swivel back to the open window. I didn't even think twice, grabbing the first weapon I could think of - the shoe off my own foot.

I tried not to think about the dizzying heights as I climbed out onto the fire escape, swallowing hard to keep my panicked thoughts in check.

"Show yourself," I called out, adding less than certainly, "You can't be out here on my fire escape."

False, of course. The unstable skeleton of metal that clung to the apartment building was technically property of the landlord. But whatever.

"Up here," The mysterious stranger, apparently male according to the tone of voice, called from the roof.

Odd, it'd sounded much closer from inside my room.

I began to steel myself to scale the ladder up, when whoever it was called again, "No! Don't come up here."

I paused, brow furrowed in confusion and agitation. "Then come down and talk to my face like a man!"

"It's...uh...complicated," It explained, voice somehow trying to stay quiet while being raised to a high enough volume for me to hear, "Listen, just don't leave your place tonight. The Pur-- some guys have it out for you."

"For me?" I inquired, lowering the sneaker in my hand to put my hands on my hips, "Listen pal, you've got the wrong girl. I never did anything to anyone!"

"I didn't say you did," The guy sounded almost like a child trying to backtrack his way out of a parental lecture, "But please, this is for your own good, dudette."

I rolled my eyes, gripping the rail of the fire escape to steady myself as a blunt blast of wind was thrown at me. "My own good? I can take of myself, thank you very much."

"Not against them," He insisted.

"Against who? How am I supposed to trust you if you won't even show yourself?!" My cheeks had inevitably begun flare up with red splotches - it always happened when I was upset.

"Please, just trust me," The stranger pleaded, his voice strewn with distress.

"I don't know who you are," I snapped my fists clenching as I let go of the rail, "But you must be crazy. I don't need your help!"

I threw the shoe in my hand to the grate beneath my feet, frustrated at this guy for trying to act like some sort of heroic vigilante. I was perfectly capable of handling my own safety - what did he know about me? He might've just lured me out to try and trick me into getting kidnapped. I was so caught up in my mental rant, I had forgotten to remind myself not to look down.

My head reeled as I stared down at the concrete below me, my vision zooming in and out of focus like some sort of warped camera lens. I stumbled, gripping my temple as I was hit with vertigo. My heart hammered against my ribcage as I tried to clamber toward my window, faintly hearing the weird guy's voice yell, "Hey, watch out!"

That was when the wind decided to really start up. A huge gust buffeted me back and forth, my clumsiness only enhanced by my extreme dizziness and nausea. I closed my eyes, trying not to throw up as thoughts of just how high up I was filled my brain. I stumbled again as the wind made the already unstable fire escape sway in a way that made my stomach do somersaults.

I cried out in fear as I threw my hand back to grab at the railing - and missed.  I shrieked as I tumbled over the side of the fire escape, somehow miraculously getting a hold of the railing before I could begin free falling. I was hyperventilating now, my chest heaving with each breath inhaled. I squeezed my eyes shut, completely terrified as my fingers started to loosen on the metal rod keeping me from plummeting to my end.

I heard a thump on the fire escape, and a sigh of relief.

"Phew!" The familiar voice of the stranger exclaimed, "I thought you were a goner for sure! Here, let me help you..."

I felt a gentle hand take hold of my bicep, starting to pull me up.

Tears gathered in the corners of my eyes as I forced them open, starting to splutter, "I-I don't need y-your..."

I gasped when I saw the hand slowly pulling me up. Green, three fingers, huge. My eyes bugged out of my head as I gazed up in horror at the creature attached to that hand, also green, freckled, and definitely not human, with a carapace surrounding his upper body and a stripe of orange across his baby blue eyes. He gulped.

"Whoa, dudette," The turtle started, a nervous smile forming on his lips, "Don't be--"

He was cut off by my scream. I struggled away from him, and he winced at my obnoxiously loud keening, causing his grip to loosen.

For a split second, I was relieved the freak had let go of me. Then I realized no one was holding onto me. I yelped as I began to fall again, this time with no one to stop my momentum. I flailed in the air, crying out, not wanting to accept the terrible death awaiting me at the bottom of the building...

Then it all stopped. I held my breath, not wanting to open my eyes to see my spirit drifting out of my mangled body, when I realized I could feel two arms wrapping around me tightly, supporting me uncomfortably.

I blinked as I slowly lifted my gaze.  My savior's eyes narrowed, his dark and grimy hair falling across brown eyes full of malice. My heart stopped for a moment when I glimpsed the serpent tattooed across his bicep. I glared at him, and spat, "Fong."

"Well well well," The Purple Dragon replied smoothly, returning my cold stare, "We're definitely getting a pay raise once we turn in the infamous Sadie Hayes."