She looked outside her window to the busy streets of Paris bellow her. She had lived there for years yet she felt like a stranger in this city.
"April I am heading out. Are you going to be ok for the night?"
She turned to see her father standing in the door way of her room.
"Yeah dad I will be fine, go have fun the guys. Oh and is it ok is the girls come over?"
"Of course sweetheart. I would love it if you weren't left alone for so long."
He walked over to her and gave her a hug, she looked up at him.
"Is everything ok dad?"
"Yes, you just remind me so much of your mother."
"Really?"
"Yes it is like I am looking at her every time I look at you."
"I am sorry, it must be hard."
"I am fine. Well I am going to go now. I will see you in the morning."
"Bye dad."
"Good bye April."
He let go of her and turned away. He slowly walked out of the room. She wondered why he was so sad. She turned to her mirror in the corner of the room. Do I really look like her? He must be in so much pain when looks at me. To think she only died a year after I was born. She looked at herself in the mirror, her orange fur with the spots of gray. The product of having a raccoon father and fox mother she thought. Her long curly blue hair shimmered in the light. Her bushy tail was her true pride. No one else has a tail as beautiful as hers she thought. As she gazed in the mirror the part of her that stood out the most was her necklace that she was given at birth by her father. A weird golden jagged shape pendant was hanging on the chain. She was told that she was never to take it off.
She turned from the mirror and walked out of her room. She sent a text to her two best friends Brittany and Missy.
Hey it is ok if you come over. ~Jinx
She walked a little further and then received a text.
Ok will be there in a few. So PUMPED! ~Bronze
Figures Missy is the first to reply.
Stellar can't wait, be there in a nanosecond. ~Geeky
Great the gang is assembled she thought to herself then walked to her father's room. She knew she wasn't allowed in there but she thought she would need some extra cash. Now where would he keep his money she thought, she looked over to a black box across the room. That must be where it is, it is so like dad. Placing it so out in the open like that. She walked over to the box and opened it. All she found where old files and newspaper articles. The first one she saw had the title "Cooper Gang at it Again". Before she could read further she heard the door bell ring. She closed the black box and closed the door to the bedroom as she went to the front door. She turned to knob and opened the door.
"Hey girl!" she looked down at a small pink mouse with green hair and glasses.
"What's up April?" she turned to large rhino with pink hair.
"Not much. Come on in you guys."
The two of them entered the apartment and walked with her to the couch.
"So how are things with you Brittany?" she turned to the mouse on her right.
"Well mom and dad were fighting again."
"Again?" the rhino said in disbelief.
"Yeah, they were fighting over which of their core processors was the best. So they asked me to choose. And I chose my own."
All three of them laughed. April still found it funny that Brittany was the daughter of her father's friends Bently and Penelope. She turned to Brittany.
"Hey Brittany I know I ask this all the time, but how the heck are you the daughter of a turtle and a mouse?"
"Do I really have to go over this again?"
"It would be nice."
"Fine," she sighed "well I was made basically in a test tube. I was born naturally but I was created with specific genes from both parents. All my dad wanted was for me not to be a turtle. He wanted me to be able to run faster than a turtle could, so that if I was ever in trouble I could be able to get away."
"Well at least you know who your parents are…" the rhino stared at her feet.
"Oh Missy, your dad isn't that bad is he? April said as she turned towards her.
"No, Murry is great but he still isn't my real father."
The two girls scooted over and gave her a hug.
"Hey don't you think it is funny how our parents were best friends just like us?" April said as she broke the hug.
"Ha yeah it is almost like they were a gang like us." Missy said as she got up to get a drink from the fridge.
There was a slight silence between the three friends. They looked to April who had a worried look on her face.
"April what is up?" Brittany said as she shook April's shoulder.
"What? Oh it is nothing I was just thinking of something." She smiled at them to try and convince them nothing was up.
"Ok." Brittany said still slightly worried. "So when is your dad going to be back?"
"Well he said he wouldn't be home until the morning. He is with your dads remember?"
"Oh yeah, but what were they going to do?" Missy said with her face still in the fridge.
"I don't know, just what ever they always do I guess." Brittany said as she got up to join Missy at the fridge.
Yeah but what is it that they always do though? Does it have something to do with that news article? Missy did say it is like they are a gang. April sunk deeper into the couch.