Chapter 1: The Thief
Raphael ran across buildings looking for any dangers in the New York City streets. The night air was cool against his shell. A sign the winter was on its way. His brother and the group leader Leonardo stopped at a roof top and held up his hand. Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo stopped. Raphael was the first to walk over and get a look down below them. From the top of the three story apartment building he had a perfect view of what made Leo stop.
Cross from the building two building down was a girl. Her black hair stopped just below her shoulder blades. She wore a long black coat and black jeans and a pair of worn out running shoes. Her skin was an olive color however; she looked a bit pale in an unhealthy kind of way and she was very thin. She looked to be about April's age. Her eyes caught Raphael by surprise. They were a turquoise color that almost looked unnatural. Of course who was he to talk he and his brothers were mutant turtles for crying out loud.
He watched her wondering what made Leonardo stop to watch this girl from what he could see the girl was looking at apples in front of a grocery store. She had a bottle of water in her hand and a loaf of bread. She put the bottle in her pocket as she examined the apple more and set it down to pick up another apple.
"You stopped us to watch a girl examine fruit?" Raphael asked in an angry tone. They could be out kicking Kraang butt! But no Leonardo wants to stop and watch a girl look at fruit.
"No look." he said in a calm manner that Raphael found annoying most of the time.
Raphael looked at the girl and around the front of the store to see what his brother was talking about.
Then he saw it. A man was standing a few feet away from her, his back turned from her. He was clearly losing a bit of hair and wore a button up shirt and pants. His body thin looking but not in an unhealthy way he looked to be in at least his late thirties. The man must have owned the store and he was talking to…well nobody. He stood with his back to the girl as he talked to the air as if it was a person. The girl didn't even seem fazed by it and that shocked him most. She seems to go about her apples as if he wasn't there.
"Dude maybe he has an imaginary friend." Michelangelo said with a smile. Raphael slapped him in the back of the head.
"Ow!" he pouted has he rubbed were he hit.
"Guys look." Donatello pointed back to the girl. Raphael looked just as he saw the girl slip an apple into his pocket.
The man turned around and actually smiled at her. Smiled! She bowed her head and he did the same and she turned and walked away. Just as Raphael was going to take action the man shook his head as if to get out of a daze and looked around and at his apples the at the girl who was cleaning it as she walked down the side walk.
"Thief!" he shouted. She turned her eyes widened in shock and she saw him running for her. She turned around and ran down the block and a surprisingly fast pace.
The turtles ran across the roof tops trying to catch up and waiting for her to get to a place my secluded before they made their move. The man has long stopped chasing after her shouting something about calling the police on her. She ran faster. Raphael had to give her credit. He was hasn't had this much of a work out on the job for a while. Finally after what felt like forever but was really seven minutes she turned into one of New York's alleyways and stopped to catch her breath she started to open a bottle of water. The turtles wasted no time jumping off the building and in front of her blocking the alleyway.
"Hey I think it time to make a little return don't you?" Leonardo said. The girl looked at him her eyes filled with fright. Then to everyone's surprise she gave a menacing glare.
"I don't have to return anything." her tone showed she was in no mood for them.
"Oh yes you do and if you don't return it like a nice little girl we will drag you over to the store and make you." Raphael said as he started to move forward.
She backed away her eyes narrowed. Raphael was taken back at how her eyes looked even more amazing close up. They seemed to glow.
"I am not a little girl…" she growled.
"Then be a big girl and return the things you stole" Raphael growled back.
"No." she said the word like it was the end of a discussion.
"That's it! If you don't hand it over I will just have to take it then."
Raphael jumped to grab her bottle. He didn't want to hurt her really. She was starting to really push his buttons but she was a girl and looked innocent. She jumped back. His brothers followed his lead and grabbed at her pockets. She kicked at them and punched at them with little skill. She jumped back again far enough and opened her mouth.
"La la la la la la la la laaaaaaaaa laaaaaaaaaaaaaaa la la la la la laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa…"
Raphael stopped fighting as his vision became blurry and as he blinked it away he saw the girl stop fighting. Her eyes became soft and she smiled a warm smile. Raphael's heart leaped in his chest as she walked to him slowly and looked at Leo.
"I am sorry…I shouldn't have stolen from the store. Forgive me. It's just that I have been so hungry. I didn't want to seal I just didn't have to choice." She handed back the food. "If that is all you wanted…" She walked past them. "Goodbye turtles…I hope our paths don't cross again." She gave Raphael another small smile and she turned the corner and left them starting there.
Raphael stood smiling until he felt like he was in a daze she shook his head and blinked and looked to see the others doing it also. The light feeling he felt when she was here giving them the food was gone and replaced with emptiness.
"Hey Leo?" Donatello asked looking at his older brother.
"Yeah Donnie?" Leo answered still trying to snap out of the dazed feeling.
"Where is the food that that girl gave back to you?" he asked
They all looked at Leo and on the ground. There was no food to be found. And worse the girl was gone. Raphael ran around the corner and she was nowhere to be found. The girl had won, she tricked them and they let a criminal walk right past them
"Yeah Donnie?" Leo answered still trying to snap out of the dazed feeling.
"Where is the food that that girl gave back to you?" he asked
They all looked at Leo and on the ground. There was no food to be found. And worse the girl was gone. Raphael ran around the corner and she was nowhere to be found. The girl had won, she tricked them and they let a criminal walk right past them.