You sit up, yawning widely, when your phone buzzes. You grab it, and smile at the name.
Raphael, a six-foot-tall mutated turtle, is texting you.
"Hey, girl!" You wanna meet up tonight?" The text reads.
You hope you don't sound too eager as you reply. "Totally! Where?"
"Your place?" He replies.
"Sure. Time?"
"10 at night work for you?"
You smile and send your reply. "Definitely. See you then!"
You check the watch. Holy! It's already noon.
Not that you're surprised. You spend so much time with Raphael and his brothers, Donatello, Leonardo and Michelangelo, that you've been sleeping in later and later, and getting home at night later and later.
You roll out of bed and get dressed. A hoodie and blue jeans that are ripped at the knees, along with your favourite pair of sneakers.
You grab a necklace. You usually don't wear jewellery, but you had to dress up a little for Raphael, even if all you grabbed was a blood-red choker necklace.
You wolf down brunch, which consists of leftover pancakes and bacon, and head for the door.
You race down the street to the library, one of your favourite haunts.
Two of your best friends are there. April O'Neil and Casey Jones, who both share in your secret. You aren't surprised to see April, but Casey's presence shocks you.
"Hey, Hockey Mask! Whatcha doing here?" You ask.
"Her idea." Casey groans, pointing at April.
"Big exam coming up. Casey still doesn't grasp chemistry." April explains offhand.
You shrug and check out some book, later heading back to your place.
You decide to read until Raphael arrives. When he does, you hear the usual tapping on the window, and an excited shiver runs up your spine as you throw open the curtains and open the window.
"Hey, girl." Raphael grins, climbing in.
You giggle. "Hey, Raph."
He holds your hand and kisses you on the cheek. You blush slightly.
"so, Raph. What did you want to do?" You ask.
He grins mischievously. "There's a break-in down at the Second Level Antique shop. You wanna come check it out?"
You roll your eyes. Of course. You wouldn't expect anything less from Raphael. He loves fighting, especially alongside you.
You nod and get geared up, complete with katana blades and a tesson.
"Okay, let's go! You cry, heading for the window. Raphael grins and follows you.
It doesn't take long to stop the break-in. The guys are easy to handle, and soon you have them tied up and ready for the cops.
On the way back to your apartment, you notice something that looks a little funny to you. You point it out to Raphael, who drags you into the shadows and out of sight.
"Raph, what-" You try to ask, but Raphael slaps a hand over your mouth.
You watch in terror as ten or twenty ninjas run past you, not noticing your presence...
Until your foot accidentally hits an empty soda can, which snaps one of the ninjas to attention, causing a few more to take notice.
Seven or eight ninjas come toward you. You know that they still can't see you, but your heart starts pounding wildly. The rest of the ninjas had left, thankfully.
Raphael lets go of you and jumps at the ninjas, his sai drawn, taking them down one by one.
You draw your katana and rush to help.
It's a hard battle, much harder than the one earlier. You notice that Raphael is lagging, and bleeding from various cuts and wounds.
You are tired as well, but Raphael seems worse off than you.
Suddenly, from the corner of your eye, you notice a flash of metal.
"NO!" You scream, pushing Raphael out of the way. You feel the blade go through your side, and you fall.
Somebody pulls the sword out of your side. Somebody stands over you. Somebody's hand clasps around yours. Somebody's voice is talking to you, begging you to open your eyes.
"Raphael?" You squeak.
You can't hear the reply, but you are dimly aware of a large, blurry green figure standing over you.
Pain. It's the last thing you recognize before falling unconscious.