Why? That's all I ask. Why? Why do people you always thought to be good, turn out to be evil? Why do people never trust you at first? Why does karma always come back and bite you in the butt? I'll tell you why. That's life. That's reality. You might not like it, but you'll have to live with it your entire life.

My name is McKenzie. I don't really know who or what I am. I don't know who my parents are. I don't know who's actually on my side. I don't know...

I have a sister and two cousins. The cousins are my sisters cousins, but I can only assume she's my sister. Their names are Liliana, Serena, and Angelina (my sister).

They weren't always family. I was once a daughter of another man, but I have left my past behind. We move around a lot, never staying in one place too long, but I refuse to leave New York. We have lived in many different places, subway stations, sidewalks, even a camping area, but right now, we're residing in a sewer. You would think this would be horrible, but its actually not that bad. Surprisingly, we found an old home. There were beds, a couch, a lab of some sort, and even a tv. We've been rooming here for the past month, and it didn't look like we were leaving anytime soon, until the accident.

So, it was late at night, around 10. Me and Lina were up at the surface, shopping around (yes, we had money), when we walked into a small convenience store. We were arguing over the best flavor of chips, far away from the door, when three large, strong men walked through the door. The cashier's eyes widened before he ran into the cooler room behind the cash register. The men looked around the store, and upon seeing no one, they all grabbed some cigarettes and a case of beer, when one of them said he has hungry. I pull Lina behind me. We were crouched down, right by the food. We walked away from the men as slowly and silently as we could. We were right by the exit when two more burly men entered from the cooler room. One of them saw us just as I was opening the door. Lina's eyes were already watering when the man shouted, "Hey! Get them!" Just as all of the men turned and started to attack us, four giant turtles ran through the door, each with a different color mask. I stifled a scream and passed out, leaving Lina alone. She told me afterwards, the turtles fought hard, and easily beat the men, who turned out to be Purple Dragons. She said that, after the fight, the turtle in the blue mask, Leonardo, saw us sitting by the door, Lina holding me upright. She was crying. He slowly walked up to us, and asked Lina if she was okay. When she didn't react to him, he knelt down and said, 'Do you want us to take you home?' To which she nodded. Leo called over his brothers and asked the one in the purple mask, Donatello, to carry me. What Lina didn't know was, Leo meant to take us to his home, not ours. I woke up to Lina, crying about how she thought they would take us to our home. I looked up and saw Donnie, carrying me bridal style. I silently jumped out his arms. I scanned my surroundings. We were in a home, in the sewers. Crap, the turtles did take us to their home. I turned to face the turtles, who were all staring at me with confused looks. I walked calmly up to Donnie, who was least likely to remember me, but I kept my head down anyway. I said, "Thank you, Donnie, for helping us out back there, but we really need to go." I knew what would come next. I duck right as Raph's fist hit the air right above my head. I jumped back up and spun to face him and said, "Look, I get that this looks, suspicious, but please, can we settle this later when I drop off Lina at home? I assure you, I will explain it." Lina grabbed my hand. I sighed. I pushed Lina away and jumped up just as Leo attempted to sweep me off of my feet and Raph tried again to punch me. I took a step away. "Please, just stop. We're not causing any trouble. What's wrong with at least telling our sisters that we're okay? They'll be worried." Raph snorted. "Oh, so there are more of you? Timid like her or feisty like you?" I snarled, then sighed. "Well, Serena's kind of neutral, like she doesn't get into a fight unless she has too, and Liliana, Lily, is really sweet, and pretty shy, like Lina, and she and Lina are the middle kids. I'm the youngest." I took a step backwards. "So, can we go check up?" Leo stared me down for a moment, glancing at Lina, before saying, "Fine, but we're following you so we know you're not lying." This time, Lina started to protest, but I tapped her arm, and said, "Only if you stay at the Gate. We can't have you knowing where we, uh, live. That's against our code." Leo shrugged. "Fine by me." I turned around, glancing at Lina. I whispered, "It's okay. They're trustworthy. They agreed to stay at the Gate, and they have no idea how far away that could actually be from our home. " I held her wrist and led the way. Even though I was the youngest, I was the most level-headed of all of us, so I usually took charge to lead my family. Serena and I are pretty matched, but when we were younger, our Sensei, Master Tolk, made Serena leader, because she was oldest, but I normally take over because she frets over failing us all the time. I led the way with Lina, standing tall by my side, when we reached the Gate. It's a large pile of rubble that we have made a tunnel through near the bottom that is almost invisible. We turned to face the turtles. Lina said, "This is the Gate. Our, um, home is right beyond this point. We'll be out in a moment." I could see the look of doubt spread across their faces. Then it registered in my head. They thought we lived on the surface, and that the gate was a normal chain link gate, and we would still be in their sight if we tried to escape. They thought we were stupid. "Yea, I get that it isn't a five star hotel, but we'll most likely move soon. We've been here the longest though. Give us five minutes." I nodded to Lina, and she crawled through the hole in the rubble wall. I crawled in behind her, turning on a hidden one-way walkie talkie that I kept in the tunnel. It transmitted directly to a little transmitter behind my ear, so I could hear if they were planning something. I walked up to Serena, who was nervously pacing until she saw me. She sped towards me and started quietly ranting. "Where were you? Why didn't you answer your cell? Or Lina? I thought you just went shopping? You don't even have any bags! Mac, tell me what's going on." I growled in the back of my throat, but quickly coughed, so Serena wouldn't get suspicious. "I was going to tell you the second I walked in, but you started ranting again." I heard a hushed, rushed sorry, and I went on. "We were down at that one mini-mart,Kallie's , when some Purple Dragons broke in, then some, ninjas, came in after and beat the hell out of them," "Mac!" "Oh, hush. I passed out when they came in, so they picked us up and took us to their home, but we knew we had to tell you so you wouldn't freak, and they somehow recognize me, so they want to talk, and they're outside the Gate right now. Lina was acting really scared, so I'm leaving her here with Lily. Can you come? I kind of have been keeping a… secret." I stared down at the ground. Serena steamed. "A secret? You actually kept a secret from us? Wow, I don't even-" "Leo, do you think they're living in our old home?" I jumped. The walkie talkie. Serena seemed to instantly forget about her next rant, because she leaned forward and said, "OMG, the walkie? They used to live here?" I shushed her and kept listening. Leo-"Yea, I think so." Donnie-"But, how did they make it habitable? The mousers ate the entire thing." I squeaked and paled. Serena grabbed my arm. I said, "You know what? Let me do this on my own. I need to. My secret was, Lina just randomly found me on the streets. She's not actually my sister. I think I've seen them before, and that's why they're curious." Serena's eyes widened, but she nodded anyways. "Yea, fine." She turned away. I sighed. What I just told her was barely half of my secret.

I crawled back through the tunnel, turning off the walkie talkie on the way. I emerged from the Gate. Leo looked at me. I remembered to keep my head down. "Where's the other one?" I replied, "I said I'd drop her off. And yes, I think this is your old home." I snuck a glance up at their faces before saying, "Walkie talkie." I sat down, and decided to look up at them. I said, "You don't actually remember me, do you?" Leo looked at me, obviously confused. I pulled my hood down. I could tell they still didn't recognize me. I just blurted it out before I realized what I had done. "Shredder kidnapped me to be his own, and I fought with you that one night." I turned to Donnie. "I really am sorry. I didn't mean to. Once I did it, I tried to help you, but you didn't trust me, and that changed me completely. You're why I'm still here today." Donnie"s eyes widened and he stepped back. "Oh my god. Kyra?" I shyed away. "Mac. McKenzie. I don't belong to the Shredder anymore. Have you ever wondered why Karai saved you from Tiger Claw that one time? I reminded her of honor. That wasn't you. I have been working to change everything that day." Donnie turned away. "Why did you do it in the first place?" "Shredder took me just like he took Karai." I was genuinely surprised. "Splinter never told you about me?" Leo tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

"Me and Karai are sisters. Real sisters. Splinter is my father as well."

The turtles just stared in shock at what I just said, but I was fuming. I pushed through the brothers and just started walking, muttering, "Figures. Miwa was older, just barely, so Splinter never cared about me. Wow. I mean, I knew we were true sisters even though she didn't know, but… Wow. My own father never mentioned me." I looked back over my shoulder. The turtles were all still standing there, and Raph was glaring at me. I kept walking. I was probably walking for a good ten minutes when I realized I wasn't being turtles were still back at my home, I could feel it. I took a left turn and there I was. The turtles' home. Also, Splinter's home. I walked in.

I looked around. I felt so weird, like I was home. But, what would I know? I had never lived in a real home. I glanced around. I saw a room not surrounded by any others, and I felt a presence in that room. I knew that he would be the only one home. He must be meditating. I opened the door and crept in. I felt Splinter move suddenly, but I jumped back right as he dove towards me. "Who are you?" I looked into his eyes. They were a deep brown. He showed determination in his eyes, but I knew that wasn't it. I dug deeper. I saw, hidden beneath the strength and power, he held lots of sadness, but there was no recognition. "You really don't remember me, do you?" The determined look never left his eyes, but I saw some surprise show, but still no recognition. "I don't know what you're talking about." He spat it out, as if talking to a dog. And that's what I said. "I'm not a dog, so don't treat me like one." I sighed. "I'm your daughter."

I saw confusion in his eyes, then remembrance, but then I was blocked. He said, "How can you read my eyes? Only a master ninja can do this as easily as you." I responded easily. "Only a master can block others, too." I realized he was no longer blocking me. I looked deep into his eyes. I finally saw it. Remembrance. He knew who I was. I stared even deeper into his eyes, until I realized I was looking so deep, I had found his soul.

I now felt his memories pounding at my ead like bullets, but I pushed them out. I was looking for one with me. Suddenly, one of his deepest, darkest memories pounded into my heart like a rocket, and I saw the memory as I would if I were him. I was standing in a burning house, looking around me. It looked like a nursery. I saw two tiny baby girls, one sleeping amidst the smoke, the other, screaming and crying and clawing at the crib. One of the girls, the one still sleeping, I recognized as Karai, from an old picture hidden in our room. The other, who was crying, looked like me. It was me. Splinter grabbed me from my crib, and was about to pick up Karai, when the Shredder burst in. He snatched up Karai and took a grab at me. Instead of grabbing me, he hit me with one of his claws, slashing from my cheek, across the side of my neck, hitting my shoulder. I screamed louder. The Shredder tried to grab me again, and this time succeeded. He kicked Splinter across the room and out the window before he could grab me back. Shredder apparently just noticed the cut on my skin. He grabbed a red hot metal bar from the ceiling and pressed it to first my cheek, then my neck, and finally my shoulder. I had passed out in pain. I saw Shredder jump out a window opposite the one he had kicked Splinter out of, and land on the ground. Then the memory faded. I was immediately thrown out of Splinter's soul. I felt myself return, and I was still staring into Splinter's brown eyes. I heard myself scream and fall onto the floor. Splinter reacted instantly. He grabbed my head before I hit the ground and laid me down gently. I think I passed out, but I'm not sure. I woke up, completely energized, but still laying where I was. I sat up and saw Splinter run out of the room to the bathroom, perhaps to get cold cloths. I stood up shakily. When I was standing, I realized I wasn't afraid, or even shaking. I felt stronger than I ever was before. I pressed my hand up to my cheek and neck. I still felt it. It was very faint, but still there. And now I knew how I had gotten it. I saw Splinter return to the room with nothing in his hands, and I saw it. Complete recognition and trust, and even worry. And then I heard a sound. I spun to the entrance of the dojo. It sounded like my sisters and the turtles. "Shit." I looked at Splinter, then back at the dojo entrance, and I started to run. Out the dojo door, grabbing Serena on the way, and dragging her about 10 feet before she regained balance and followed me. I stopped abruptly at a turn. I spun to Serena. I couldn't read her eyes at all except for confusion, but I could tell she saw a hint of something in my face. Her confused expression turned solidly serious. She looked me in my eye, and I entered her soul. I dug the memory from my head and implanted it in hers. I slid away from her and laid her down as she watched the memory. I watched her. I saw Serena's eyes return to normal. She looked up at me. I was holding my neck. She stood up and wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug. I hugged her back.

I pushed away from the hug and looked up at her, and I told her my lifelong secret.

"From that day, the Shredder raised me as his own, and until I was about 9, I didn't remember, but then one day, I did. I told Karai that our lives were lies, and that I would have to leave. She believed me, and she helped me escape during a mission. She said she returned to Shredder and said I was captured by Kraang, and he believed her. I went around for a while looking for Splinter, and then I saw Donnie. I remembered him from a mission. I had accidentally broke his bo staff, and he tripped and it impaled his leg. I tried to help him once I realize I had hurt him, but he wouldn't accept my help. I followed him a while until he met up with his brothers, and I followed them all to the lair. I wanted to confront Splinter, but I was afraid. I went walking around on the streets again until I found my courage, but then I found you guys." Serena looked at me with that older sister look in her eye. "Have you apologized to Donnie?" "Yes." "DId you tell Splinter?" "Yea, that's why I was already there." Then she shrugged. "Then I guess we just go back."