I yawn and give a big, lazy stretch. I was bundled up in some blankets, binge watching Transformers for the thousandth time. Empty containers of all sorts of junk food and candy were littered around me, an empty cup of chocolate milk sat next to my computer as the credits roll for Transformers: The Last Knight.

    I look to the window and saw how bright it was outside; I could feel the warmth seeping in through the window. It was a perfect day for sun bathing. I hum happily and give my sleeping cat a kiss on the head before getting ready in my usual shorts and swim top outfit. I gather my things in my gym bag and move to the window. "Love you baby, see you later." I call softly, not wanting to wake Khaleesi up but not wanting to leave without and 'I love you'.

    I jump across rooftops, the task becoming easier the more I do it. I head to the rooftop of the abandoned building I claimed as my own. It was on the corner of 4th avenue and 11th street, rather far from the apartment but still close enough to civilization.

    I set my bag down and pull out the old, warn blue blanket. Laying it out flat I slide my flip flops off and lay stomach down on the roof. I slid my sunglasses on and took a book out of the bag. I sighed in content, already feeling the warmth of the sun seeping into my skin. I was out here for hours, letting my parents know what I was doing and that I wouldn't be home till late tonight. The warm sun making me sleepy, I pull out sunscreen and lightly apply it before laying down and closing my eyes.

    "Hahaha!" The laughter of a little girl could be heard. It seemed to go well with the serene setting of the lush, green landscape. A little girl with sun kissed skin came bounding out of the woods, a grin of happiness on her face. "Hahaha! You can't catch me!" She ran into the clearing, her white and purple floral skirt flowing in the wind.

    "I'm gonna get ch'ya! I'm gonna get ch'ya!" A deep voice teased from the forest. Seconds later a large man appeared, he easily towered over the young girl. "Ahh! There you are!" The muscular man dove forward, his short brown hair ruffling slightly at the force. The girl squealed and tried to evade the man but he was too quick. "Ah! Omnomnomnomnom!!" The man made eating noises as he rubbed his scratchy beard on the girl's neck.

    "Ahhhh!!! Hahahahaha!!!! Daddy! Daddy sto-aahhh hahahap!!" The girl withered in her father's grip, desperately trying to escape. "I – I – I can't... breahehehehethe!!" She gasped for air only to exhale it in fits of laughter.

    The man pulled away, smiling lovingly down at the child as she regained her breath; lightly giggling. "You little trouble maker you. Next time I won't let you off so easy!" The girl giggled and nodded. "Come on!" The man groaned as the picked the child up. "Oh! You're getting heavy!" The man started walking towards the woods again, "I should stop giving you so much cookies."

    "No!!" Whined the girl. She latched her arms around her father's neck and gave him a sad puppy look. "Pwease continue to give me cookies?" She blinked her eyes rapidly for effect.

    The father laughed, walking down the dirt path towards their home. "Oh, alright. You can still have cookies." The girl cheered and turned toward the small wooden house as it came into view. "Babe! We're back!"

    A woman stepped out of the house, two small boys following her. "Hello sweetheart." The two shared a kiss causing their daughter to make a face. The mother laughed, giving her a kiss too. "Hey sweetie, did ya have fun?"

    The girl nodded, "Mmhm! Can I play with Aaron and Cory now?" She looked over to her two older brothers excitedly.

    "Of course you can sweetie." The father let her down and she raced over to her brothers, giving them each a hug. The oldest one returned the hug; his long blond hair getting in his face as he bent down to do so. The middle child, however, didn't return the hug. He just looked to the side, swiping his dark brown, shaggy hair out of his face. The sister wasn't upset or discouraged though, she was accustomed to her brother's ways and knew he still loved her by acknowledging the little things he did for her. "Aaron." The mother scolded lightly. "Give your sister a hug." He huffed, clearly upset that his mother was making him do this, but followed directions none the less. The ear-splitting grin his sister gave him making it worth it.

    The trio began to head to their backyard, talking about what game they should play. The six year old girl wanted to play on the rope swing, the eight year old boy wanted to go back inside and play video games, while the eleven year old boy decided that they'd play hide and seek. "Love you momma bear! Love you daddy!" The girl called over to her parents before disappearing behind the house.

    A blaring noise woke me up, I jolted awake and looked around for the noise. I looked and saw my phone glitching out, stopping as soon as I touched it. "Bam! You've been hacked!" I squeaked in surprise but quickly recovered; clearing my throat. "By Donatello, remember me? Turtle? Four eyes? But enough about me! We told you we'd find you." An address popped up on my phone screen. 4th Ave. & 12th St. COME ALONE. "Meet us here, and come alone. Or- or else we're – uh, you shall be punished!... and stuff?" The phone glitched for a few more seconds before the address went away and my phone went back to normal.

    I giggled, "'Punished and stuff'?" I shake my head in an amused manner and think back to the address. 4th Ave. & 12th St. "Isn't that...?" I look to my right, there are three more rooftops on this block before it opens to a street and turns into 12th street. "Huh." I check the time, 5:47. I still have about an hour and twenty minutes till the sun goes down. Still feeling rather tired I set a timer and lay back down, this time on my stomach, before drifting off again.

~~~

    "Ring a ding ding on your telephone! Get off yer butt and get that phone!" The phrase repeated itself a couple of times before I gathered up enough will power to turn it off. "Stupid alarm." I mumble and groggily sit up. "Stupid people." I bend down, my but in the air, I stretch my arms out forward (like a cat) then lean my hips forward bending back. "Stupid everything really. Why do I 'ave ta get up?"

    I put on a shirt and messily repack everything before tossing it in a closed-up' air vent. Heaving a heavy sigh I climb down the fire escape and walk over to 12th street, climbing up another fire escape. Once on the roof I give a big yawn and stretch my arms up. "Uh, hello?" I clear my throat trying to get rid of the roughness that sleep left behind. "I know 'm early but I was in tha neighborhood so..." I shrugged, "I'm alone 'n all. Like ya asked."

A thud came from behind me and I spun around to face Mikey. "Okay, are you Rachel Collins?"

"Uh," I furrowed my brows. "'M pretty sure."

    A thud came from the left and I watch Donnie quickly approach, "Initiating retinol scan. Scanning, scanning, scanning, scan complete. It's her guys! It's her!"

    I took a step back due to the bright light in my eyes only to be grabbed around the neck and led in a different direction. "Of course it's her Donnie!" I looked up at Leo, "Heeey! Really glad you could make it. There's someone important we'd like you to meet." He turned me so I was facing him. "But first." A red cloth was placed over my head.

    "Oi, what's up with the cloth?" I placed my hands on my hips, deciding to leave it on sense I could still see through it well enough to get around.

    "Ya, we still have to wait for Anglecakes! And she is early. Let's just hang!" The cloth was pulled off, a smiling Mikey handing it back to Raph. "There's my gummybear!"

"Gummybears? Where?" I look around getting amused looks from everyone.

"You silly! It's your nickname girl. Cause you're sweet, like a gummybear."

    I laughed, "Aw, thanks Mikey. I'll need ta come up with a nickname for you too." He grinned, apparently liking the idea. For some reason though, he began sniffing the air and leaned in a little, "Uhh..."

    "What's that smell?" He leaned back and gave me a cute, confused face. "I've never smelled that before. Is it perfume?"

Donnie sniffs a little too, "It's titanium dioxide and zinc oxide Mikey."

"Uhh."

"Sunscreen." I supply.

"Oh!!" Mikey grins, happy to understand. "Why're you wearin' sunscreen this late at night?"

    I scratched the back of my head, "Well..." I ruffled my hair, making it even more messy. "I was sunbathin' for most of tha day. I do it sometimes when I get homesick." I shrug, "I fell asleep. Just a couple-a rooftops away actually." I supplied, unaware that the turtles already knew. (They saw me asleep when they were on their way here.)

    Mikey nodded, "Oh that's cool I didn't know that!" He scratched his head, "But if you're homesick then why don't you just go home?"

    I laughed, "Well, I know home is where tha heart is but..." I frowned, "After livin' somewhere yer whole life, 's hard to jus' not think of it as home."

"Oh," Mikey frowned. "Where are you from?"

    I smiled in memory, "Georgia." I grinned, "It was always really hot over there, I was sunburnt aaallll tha time." I laughed, "One time, kind of like today, I was really tired but wanted ta go outside. I ended up fallin' asleep on tha roof and nearly fell off!" They joined me in my laughter. "When I did wake up, half of ma body was hangin' off the roof and I didn' wanna move cause I was sunburnt so bad." I shook my head, "Aaron loved to 'accidentally' slap meh on tha back when that were ta happen."

"Who's Aaron?" Donnie asked, stepping closer, fixing his glasses.

    "'E's my brother." I smiled proudly and puffed out my chest. "'Em an' Cory. Tha best brothers a gal could ask for. Cory's a state champ in wrestling an' Aaron's computer smart and really strong." I saw the teasing smiles and raised eyebrows I got from the turtles and blushed. "Uh, well... I mean. They're jus' pretty great guys is all." Their smirks just got bigger at my words. I puffed my cheeks and crossed my arms, looking away. "Whatevea."

    Mikey laughed and threw his arms around my shoulders, "Aww, hahaha, it's nothing to be ashamed of! I think it's adorable you look up to your brothers so much! I know I love mine!" Mikey grinned, not noticing how his brothers stood taller and prouder at his words.

    "Well, how long have you lived in New York Miss. Rachel?" Leo asked, deciding it was alright to pitch in.

"Jus' call me Rachel Leo, no need for formalities between friends. And five months so far."

"Well, welcome to New York." Donnie offered.

    "Thanks, tha's one of the few warm welcomes 've gotten since movin' 'ere." Donnie was just about to say something when all of a sudden, they all hid. A metal creek came from the stairs and I turned to see April climbing up. She looked at me with surprise, "Wazz up?" I wave.

    She gasped in surprise, "You're that girl!" I raised an eyebrow, "From the subway and rooftop! On Friday! You saw them too!"

"Saw who?" I ask, deciding to fuck with her.

"The mutant turtles!"

"The what now?"

"I know you were there, I saw you!"

I give her a falsely concerned look, "Are you ok mam? I think you should sit down."

    Mikey laughed and landed behind her. She gasped and turned around to face the tall mutant. "Okay, are you April O'Niel?" The turtles did exactly what they did to me, to her. The only difference being a purple cloth covered her face.

    Raph grinned, obviously enjoying her dismay before his eyes snapped to me. "Aw, do I have to?" His grin only seemed to widen. He held up the red bag and started walking my way. I threw my head back, letting out a groan, "Lame." Once my head fell back forward all I saw was a brown plastron then my vision was blurred with red. "You're a big meanie. You know that right?"

~~~

    After the interesting ride, to what I can only assume be their home, I was set back down on my own two feet. "Ahh, ya! Welcome to my crib ladies." I could make out Mikey holding his hands out.

    "Where are we?" April asks, sounding breathless. Why? I have no clue, she was carried the whole way here.

"Ya, it's our fortress of solitude!"

"Our Hogwarts!"

"Our Xavier Academy!"

"Our next generation, state of the art: Wonder Dome!!" I laugh and clap.

April, however, sniffs and makes a disgusted noise. "Ugh, are we in the sewers?" Rude.

"Uh, n-no?"

"Well, technically yes."

"Ya, ya. It's the sewer."

    The cloths were removed from our heads and I greedily took everything in. I look around the place with a wide grin. I turn to see Raph staring down at me intently, so I offer him a small smile. "This place looks cool as fuck man." I tell them honestly, receiving appreciative smiles.

"You, brought us here April." I turn my attention to the giant mutant rat.

"Splinter?" She whispered.

"How'd she know his name?"

"Oh, did you tell her his name?"

"Maybe she's a clairvoyant."

    "Maybe she's a jedi!" I quietly giggle at their accusations. At least they have a good taste in books/movies.

    "Come closer." Splinter watches as April takes hesitant steps towards him. I rub my arm, feeling a little out of place, more so than I usually do. "It's been a long time." He seems to examine her and gives a thoughtful hum. "You always did have your father's eyes."

    I stay put, watching the interaction happen. The turtles begin to move forward as well, and when Raph notices me not moving he nudges me with is elbow. I look up at him with uncertainty and he just gives me an encouraging nod; gesturing with his head to walk closer too.

"I don't understand."

    My gaze returns to April and Splinter. I slowly take a couple of steps forward, sticking close to Raph. "Don't be afraid. All will be made clear." He makes a general gesture and gives her a comforting smile.

"This is crazy."

    Splinter hummed, "Listen closely April." He had her sit down and the turtles followed suite. I was just standing there awkwardly but Mikey grabbed my wrist and yanked me down into his lap. He snuggled closer to me and rested his chin on my head. My face heated up in embarrassment and the brothers lightly glared at him before turning back to face Splinter. Splinter stroked his beard/mustache and began his story, "I don't remember a time, before living in that laboratory. That fateful night started like any other."

    Mikey cheered lightly, obviously looking forward to hearing Splinter's story. "Sacks gave us our injections, your father made sure out vital signs were strong, and you, as always, provided us with a special treat. After the brothers went to sleep, I heard loud voices." He paused and closed his eyes, trying to remember the details. "There was the smell of smoke; alarms sounded. Your father had discovered the truth behind the man that he was working for. He set fire to the lab; his last breath was taken trying to destroy Shredder's plan. I was terrified!" He smiled, "But then you appeared, and ushered us to safety. I never had a voice then; but I thank you now April." He gave her an appreciative nod.

    "We wondered the sewers until I found this place. It was then, that the mutagen that was injected into our blood began to change us in miraculous ways. I saw how your father loved you, and I knew that I had to show that same love to the turtles. I became their father, and they became my sons. Like all children they were drawn to the distractions of popular culture. And I knew that one day they would want to explore the world above."

    "They would be ridiculed. They would need to learn how to protect themselves both mentally and physically." He paused for dramatic effect, "And then, I found a way. First, I would teach myself the ancient art of ninjutsu. The brothers followed my lead, accelerating at a wonderous rate! Their gift was also their passion. They lived, breathed, and dreamed all things martial arts. Then, they were ready. Everything they are, and everything that they've become, was made possible by the bravery that you displayed on that fateful night."

    The turtles stood, Mikey taking me with him. I stepped behind Mikey and wondered back over to Raph. "I was just a little girl."

"And you gave us freedom. Where others would have kept us in cages."

    "Wait a minute dad." Leo kneels down. "All these years you've told us that we were rescued from the fire by a great guardian spirit. A hogosha."

"That's right. This," He gestures to April, "Is the hogosha."

"What?"

    Yep, now I really feel out of place. April, some dramatic girl with breathing problems, is supposed to be a great guardian spirit? The great guardian spirt that saved the turtles no less? Why did they even bring me here? A spark of amusement distracted me from my dark thoughts as I watched Donnie scan her with his goggles. The thoughts came crashing back down on me though because when Leo bowed to April, Mikey and Donnie followed.

    I rubbed my arm again, looking up at Raph when he didn't bow. He just stared at her before looking away and down at me. I give him a tight smile and looked back to April. "Why did you bring me here?" I'd like to know why I'm here too, please.

"To find out who you told of our existence."

"Nobody that believed me. Except for Eric Sacks."

    Splinter gasped and got up, "Sacks. Just as I feared. Sacks is not a friend. His soul has been poisoned by the influence of a dark master. The Shredder." He looked away from April, "Shredder practically raised Sacks, in Japan. He's like a father to him. Sacks will do anything for his master."

    "Wait. Wait. Sacks and Shredder?" Raphael walked up to Splinter, "So why aren't we out there huntin' 'em down?!"

    "Because Raphael! The Shredder is a skilled warrior whose cruelty is ever-reaching." Oh gosh that sounds uber-bad. "And you are just teenagers." That's a good point. "The mutagen in your blood is of great value to them. Now that Sacks has confirmation that you are alive, I fear that they will bring the fight to us."

    Out of the corner of my eye I saw April shift and pull a card out of her pocket. Confused I was about to ask her about it when Splinter turned to me. "And you, Rachel Collins." My eyes snapped to his, shocked at being addressed. My eyes flickered between the brothers frantically before settling back on Splinter. "Did you tell anyone of our existence?"

    I opened my mouth to answer but no sound came out. Embarrassed I cleared my throat and tried again. "Um, n-no sir." I shifted, hunching in a little more on myself. "I didn't tell no-one. Like I told yer-um- your sons." I mentally cringed at my voice, all of a sudden embarrassed by my southern drawl. "I'm not a snitch."

    Splinter gazed at me with knowing eyes and hummed as he stroked his beard. "You have a kind heart and trusting eyes." He walked up and grabbed my hand that was picking at the hem of my shirt. "Thank you for looking at my sons with that same gaze and not trying to sell them out." He patted my hand gently. "I hope to see more of you."

    I felt myself blush and ground my lips between my teeth in nervousness. "Uhm, thank ya-um-you sir." This time I did outwardly cringe at the slip up. "I hope to see more of you as well." I offered a nervous grin earning an amused one in return.

    All of a sudden alarms started blaring. "Perimeter infringe breached! We have incoming!" The brothers took off toward the wall of T.V's; Splinter running towards the weapons rack in the next room.

    I march over to April and snatch the card out of her hands. "What the hell is this?!" I saw the big 'S' symbol and the word 'SACKS' carved out in the card and glared at her. "You led them here?!"

Tears welled in Aprils eyes, "I didn't know!"

"We got two breaches! Fan room and weapons wall!"

    After that everything happened so fast. Leo was barking orders, the brothers were running every which way then Splinter was yelling at them to duck for cover. An explosion rocked the place. I was thrown back and my ears were ringing. I looked around the dust filled room as the brothers recovered and began fighting off the enemies. My heart was pounding in my chest and for a startling second I thought I couldn't breathe. I was shocked and scared; my mind desperately trying to keep up with what was going on. Then, like a beacon in the night Michelangelo appeared and lifted me up. "Rachel, April, come with me!" He hefted April to her feet and began to guide us away from the fight. "I got a safe place for you guys to hide! And if you get thirsty, I got a secret stash of Orange Crush behind the fridge. Don't tell Raph!"

    I let out a startled laugh as he guided us to a wall of crates that was next to what I assumed was the kitchen. After making sure we were okay he ran off to keep fighting. Both April and I crouched down and peered over the crates to watch who I can only assume to be The Shredder enter thru the gaping hole in the wall.

    I quickly crouched back down and brought me knees to my chest. Taking gasping breaths I put my hands over my head and try to calm down before I hyperventilate. I listened as the Shredder and Splinter fought when a rumble vibrated the lair. I silently prayed that the boys were okay and squeezed my eyes shut. 'Come on Rachel, momma didn't raise no bitch. I know this is crazy. Like completely insane but you need to get it together. Survive first. Then you can have a mental breakdown.' I continued to hype myself up before deciding to just rip this shit off like a band-aid.

    Snapping my eyes open I don't allow myself to think as I surge to my feet and begin to pay attention to what was going on. Splinter and Shredder were still locked in an intense fight. The brothers calling out to their father to hold on. I watched as Leo became overpowered, Donnie desperately trying to make his way to him while Mikey was on the other side of their lair doing his best to hold his own. It appeared that Shredder was starting to get the upper hand when April hissed my name. Looking to her she gestured to one of Raph's weapons that was lodged in the crate next to me. "Are you insane?!" I hissed. I knew she either wanted me to grab it and do... I don't know, something or she was wanting me to give it to her so she could do something.

    "Grab it!" She made a grabbing motion. "I have an idea!" With a self-suffering groan I yanked it out of it's spot and handed it to O'Neil. If she wanted to get herself killed then so be it. My self-preservation instincts were still intact and currently my number one priority was to survive and see my family again.

    I watched as she quickly snuck up behind the walking talking knife and stabbed the weapon into his back. He shouted and spun to face her with a growl. "You stupid little girl!" She slowly backed up – which, honestly, hurry the fuck up and get out of there! – when Splinter cried out to her.

    "April!" Wrapping his tail around her he threw her to the side and out of harms way. I watched long enough to see April get behind cover and for Splinter to be tossed aside before I dropped back down and curled up again; my whole body shaking.

"Sensei!"

    "No my sons! Stay back!" I heard grates closing and the brothers calling out for their father. Clamping my hands over my ears I felt tears trickle down my eyes as I listened to the heart wrenching screams of sons and the pained cries of their father. The only thought racing through my mind being of my own dad and two older brothers. I thought of my moms warm smile, my dads bear hugs, and my brothers teasing grins. I thought of how Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo must also have a defining aspect that they hold dear about each other and their father.

    I silently wept for them as I heard their weapons clang to the ground in a last-ditch effort to save their fathers life. Listened as they were betrayed and corralled out of their home like animals. "Where's the fourth?"

"He's dead." I slapped a hand over my mouth and choked back a sob.

"Destroy this place."

    They quickly left and the lair was rocked with several more small explosions. Luckily, this time I wasn't throw by the blast, but I began to cough heavily at the debris in the air. Shakily standing up I watch April rush out of the lair. Not bothering to waste time on worrying about what she was doing I scanned the area and saw Splinter beneath a pile of rocks. Gasping I rush over and began to pull and push rocks off of him. April soon came back and began to help, even if it wasn't by much, when I heard a noise behind me.

    I turned and saw a shocked Raph staring down at us. He stared for a minute before snapping out of his trance and rushing over to help. He tossed the last two rocks aside that I couldn't lift and pulled Splinter into a gentle embrace. "Let's get him to the needle room." Not knowing where that is I simply followed Raph as he rushed into one of the wrecked rooms. He wiped away the debris off the wooden slab in the middle of the room and directed us to the first aid kit.

    April quickly got it and I snatched it out of her hands, cracking it open I began to shift through the supplies, glancing frantically at a whimpering Splinter. 'Come on momma. Don't fail me now. I helped you study for your N-Clex, surely I remembered something!'

"Raphael?"

"I'm here."

    "You must save your brothers." He begged. I blinked away tears as I pulled out some Hydrogen Peroxide, Rubbing Alcohol, and bandages. "Stop Shredder."

    "Sensei." A weak alarm sounded from the wrecked wall of monitors. April quickly rushed over to see what it was. Raph wanted to check too but clearly didn't want to leave his dad.

    "Go." His eyes snapped to lock with mine. "My mom's a nurse. I can patch 'em up. Go see what's wrong." He stared at me for a second longer before nodding and rushing to April. I turn back to Splinter and offer him a kind smile, "This is going to sting a little bit." He gave a weak laugh.

"It's some kind of tracker!"

"It's Donatello."

"Go." Splinter whispered. I looked down at him with a concerned frown.

A shadow fell over me and I looked up at a determined Raph. "Let's go save my brothers."