Song: Fix Me - 10 Years

The stand in middle of the dojo with Leonardo. Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo are off to the side with their eyes trained on me. Butterflies flutter around my insides. It's both exciting and nerve-wracking.

Leonardo insisted it was time for me to show off my newly-obtained skills. He said that his brothers might respect me more if they see how fast I learn, and I know he is referring to Raphael. I agreed to go along with it. I mean, it's about time Raphael stopped breathing down my neck about how I'm a waste of time.

I grip the dagger in my hand tightly. The last thing I want to do is drop it. That would be embarrassing.

Leonardo's gaze locks with mine. He sizes me up, so I make sure to do the same.

I watch his body movements carefully- he is harder to read than normal. Good. That means he isn't going easy on me. It will be a real battle.

"Ready?" The blue-clad turtle asks me softly.

I nod and narrow my eyes, mimicking his base position stance, the one he taught me in our first lesson. "Game on," I say.

Leonardo's expression changes to one of surprise. I even shock myself, because I've only ever said that to my brother. The feeling in the air just feels familiar, so I said it out of habit.

The turtle smirks at me. "Game on," he repeats, just like my brother would have.

I push away a feeling of nostalgia. I can't let my tears take control of me in front of all the turtles. Instead, I bend my legs a bit and get ready for an attack.

Leonardo starts. He runs at me with his katanas jutting out. He aims for my stomach, which I slide to the side to avoid. He expects that, though, and swipes his weapon towards me. I leap into the air and come down on it with my dagger. Leonardo is forced to his knees, one of his katanas trapped under my dagger. I use my other hand to flip him onto his back, pinning his arms to his sides.

   But he isn't done. He lodges his knees onto my thighs and pushes upwards, throwing me off. He jumps to his feet expertly and faces me.

   I scramble to my feet ungracefully and point my dagger at him threateningly. He swings his katanas towards my head. Remembering what he taught me, I duck and spin with one of my legs out. My leg hook around Leonardo's and send him into the air.

   Leonardo does a back flip and lands on his feet. A smile creeps across his face as the sound of applause sounds from our small audience. "Good job," he praises me quietly. He then crosses his katanas into the form of an 'X' and runs at me.

   I can tell by his movements that he is going to leap over me. At the same moment he flies off of the ground, I get low and jump forward. I barely manage to dodge the tip of his weapons. I land with a thud on my stomach that knocks the breath out of me- but I'm not going to give up.

   Gasping for air, I roll over and get back on my feet. Leonardo is already there, his weapons dangerously close to my throat. I freeze as ideas race through my mind on how I can get away.

   "Give up?" Leonardo asks me, his eyes offering it as a friendly challenge.

   I finally settle on a plan. In one swift movement, I lean back to dodge his katanas, using my ballet skills to stay balanced as I twist behind him. I grab his arms and pull them behind his back, forcing him to drop his weapons. He lets out a wince as I accidentally scrape one of his hands with my dagger.

   "Sor-" I start to apologize, but then I feel myself being thrown into the air. Hands bring me over the top of one of Leonardo's shoulders and I land with a loud 'thud' on the dojo floor. I feel the breath leave my body for a second time, and my head bounces off the ground.

   Then, I black out.

~*~*~*~

   "Lizzy? Lizzy! Please wake up!"

   I hear a deep voice near my ear. Someone is mercilessly shaking me. With every movement, pain shoots up my spine and rings inside my head. I let out a groan and wave away whoever it is.

   "Lizzy!" Another voice speaks up. "You're alive!"

   "Yeah," I mumble weakly. I rub my forehead as I sit up and hunch over my legs. "You wouldn't believe the dream I had. There were these things called Footbots, and then there were these huge turtles..."

   I look up, expecting to see my brother standing in my bedroom. But it isn't. I'm not even at home; I'm in a laboratory with four giant turtle mutants.

   I scream and back up across the table that I'm sat on. That is a big mistake, because I fall right off the end of it. Luckily, someone catches me.

   I look up to see who is holding me. It's a teenage boy with dark hair and dark eyes. "You gone mad or somethin'?" he asks me.

   I let out another scream of shock and escape his arms, backing into the table. A jolt of pain shoots through my hip as it collides with the corner of it.

   "Lizzy, calm down! It's just us!" One of the turtles with an orange bandana has its hands on my shoulders, staring into my eyes. I can't move. "It's ok, just breathe," he coos.

   I take and deep breath and blink. Everything comes back to me at once. It's not a dream. It's real. The turtles aren't an illusion, my family is dead, and I am trapped underground with them.

   "Mikey?" I mumble.

   "Yeah, it's me." Michelangelo smiles widely at me.

   I glance around the room and my eyes connect with some strangely familiar ones. They are bright green and glowing. But they don't belong to who I thought they did; it's just Raphael. Yet, I can't look away.

   "What?" Raphael finally growls at me with glare.

   I blink again. "I never noticed before, but you have my brother's eyes," I tell him softly.

   The annoyance fades from Raphael's eyes and gets replaced with curiosity. But he doesn't say anything more.

   Suddenly, my legs start shaking uncontrollably. My knees start to give out and I plummet towards the floor.

   Michelangelo quickly swoops me up and sits me back on the table. He pulls himself up beside me and engulfs me with a comforting arm. I barely notice, since my head is spinning and throbbing.

   Leonardo steps forward. His dark blue eyes are wide with guilt. "Lizzy, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to throw you down that hard. I was just-"

   "I know," I interrupt him. "I understand." I feel like a robot; I have virtually no emotions. And I feel nauseous.

   He bites his lip. "I don't understand why our training sessions always go wrong."

   I don't really hear him. Black fuzzes start to attack my vision. My eyesight begins to fade and my ears aren't working properly. I also feel dizzy. Very, very dizzy.

   A hand touches my knee gently and Leonardo speaks again. "Lizzy? Are you alright?" He sounds far away.

   From what I can see through the black specks, the room is twirling before my eyes. I choke out a "Yeah," but then I see no more.

~*~*~*~

   I open my eyes with a gasp. I sit up abruptly and stare at the turtles with wide eyes. They're all gathered around me with matching shocked expressions. They also look afraid, like they aren't sure what to expect from me.

   "Guys," I say. "Guys!"

   "What?" Donatello demands as he leans closer to me. "What is it?"

   "Lizzy, lay down," Leonardo orders as he gently pushes my shoulder down onto the table. His eyes are bright with concern.

   "No," I breathe. I shrug his hand away and sit back up. My heart is racing. "Guys," I repeat, as if they didn't hear the first time.

   "What, Lizzy? What?" Donatello asks impatiently. He sounds like he is about to burst at the seams from curiosity.

   "I remember what happened!" I exclaim. I grab Donatello's shoulders and shake him violently. "I remember what happened with the Foot Clan!"