Chapter 1- Shadow

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His breath quickened as fast as his beating heart, running as far as he could from the men chasing after him along the streets.

He didn't even know why they were after him.

He wasn't rich or important enough for them to be after him.

He was just a ordinary guy, with a loving wife at home ready to celebrate their son's seventh birthday.

It was late coming from work, as a broadcaster on the Daily Rebellion. Making sure people knew they had hope from all the crooks roaming the streets. Luckily it was a short broadcast today, so he was able to make it home earlier then excepted.

He finally made it down to his streets and ran to one of the many apartment buildings and went in locking the door behind him.

He looked out the peep hole to see the men run past him, and when he felt they were truly gone he let a relief sigh, before going up the stairs to the sixth floor, to open the door to his apartment being tackled by his adorable little son.

They didn't live in the best of places, but Ephraim knew he found the perfect place, being in such a small one roomed apartment, no one would suspect them to have such nice things for them to steal. Even though they never had any nice things, it didn't stop Ephraim for making sure he, his wife, and their son would have a safe, beautiful life.

He laughed holding his son in front of his face, "How's my birthday boy?"

His son laughed as he keep making silly faces before putting him down so he could run to the kitchen where already the man saw his wife taking out the small cake in the oven.

He smiled, "How's Ezra been doing?"

She sighs smiling at their son rolling on the ground trying to do a somersault but failing falling on his head.

"He's been begging me to go outside again and again as always.

The man sighs, "Mira, you know better, we can't let him outside it's filled with criminals and murders alike!"

Mira frowns, "Ephraim, we can't shut down Ezra forever, he needs to play with other kids his age. Not drawing all the time."

He sighs, since Ezra was born he's shown Mira and him talents that surely amazed them. He was able to levitate objects with just the use of his hands, sometimes his mind. He could run at great speeds, running around their one room apartment.

Mira and Ephraim sighed but laughed as Ezra came over to them smiling as bright as the sun.

"Daddy, Mommy, can I open my presents now?"

Mira smiled and picked Ezra up, "Of course! Ephraim dear, get the cake ready."

He sighed as Ezra laughed, "Look! Daddy make silly monster face!"

Ephraim smiled and quickly put his arms out like some messed up zombie and groaned, "Me hungry tonight! Me want little Ezra's brains!" Ezra laughed as he and his mother ran to the stack of presents where she put him down letting Ephraim to come over and tickle Ezra after placing the small cake on the mini table.

Happy birthday Ezra."

"Wow!" Ezra looked at his parents amazed at the small cake./

It said 'Happy bday Ezra' in blue icing in sloppy handwriting.

Ezra frowned and turned his head trying to read the words, "Happy...bday?"

Mira laughed as she pointed the words out, "It says 'Happy Birthday Ezra'," she then whispers close to Ezra, "Blame your father for his messy handwriting."

Ezra and Mira laughed as Ephraim growled slightly before cutting the cake muttering, "My handwriting? Well..."

In turn they all ate the entire cake, after all it was only three slices of a whole cake, the words were written very poorly, and small due to the size.

Mira turned to Ephraim who sighed seeing Ezra eat his cake like an animal, even though it was one, small slice.

All they wanted was for Ezra to have the life he truly deserved, but being so poor...they couldn't do that.

"When Ezra was finished, he looked up at his parents, his electric blue eyes shining like the stars above, "Can I please have my present now?"

Ephraim nods as Ezra goes for the two presents beside him. He smiles holding behind his hands one gift, but it was for last which wouldn't take long, after all there were just 'two' gifts for him.

"Wow! A slingshot!" Ezra marveled at the electric shooting slingshot. Mira even smiled despite Ezra shooting two windows, cracking them a bit./p

Ezra put down the slingshot(eyeing his mother a little), before opening what he though was his last gift. It was foiled in green and yellow paper, a little dirty but not for long as Ezra ripped it to shreds before marveling at the gift he was holding.

"Y-You guys got me...a journal?" His eyes watered making Mira and Ephraim worry.

"If you don't like it son we can always..." Ephraim didn't finish his sentence for Ezra hugged him and Mira in a tight hug.

"I love it." They all were warmth in the hug, and when they broke away Ephraim turn to Mira and smirked.

"Wanna give it to him dear?"

Ezra looked back at his father then his mother feeling jumpy, "What? What is it?!"

Mira laughed, "No you do it I'll give the card."

Ephraim smiles and nods turning to their very excited son, "Ezra...what we give you, you have to promise to never lose okay?"

Ezra nods, "I promise! Cross my heart!" He uses his finger to make an 'x' where his heart is before holding his small, wrapped gift, along with the card his mother gave him in a red envelope.

Bam! Bam!

Time seemed to stand still as Ezra watched in horror as his parents fall to the ground, dead at his feet, both with a small hole in their head.

He turned to where the shots he assumed where fired and only saw one man. His eyes cold then anything he ever saw, he could see a symbol, of a foot. But who was he?

Ezra was terrified, sadden, and confused all at once. He grabbed his gifts and ran to his room just as the man started to shoot again. He dodged surprisingly many bullets that hit the wall behind him.

Knowing he didn't have much time grabbed his small, blue blanket he got at birth and a picture of him and his parents when he was just two. All smiling and happy, all alive at Central Park.

Ezra wiped the tears that suddenly ran down his face before tucking it all in his small backpack next to his bed and ran off out the side window.

He fell to the ground but quickly got up running down the alleyways, twisting along many streets and corners before lifting a sewer lid and going down below.

Dropping down he looked around, not caring of the foul stench as he ran down the sewer lane. Water splashing against his feet step by step. The splashing echoing throughout the underground as Ezra just happen to run into one of the sewer holes where he bumped into four people, or so he suspected.

Ezra pulled back, he couldn't move to far for one of the 'people' dropped behind him glaring down upon him. Ezra shivered wishing his parents were here, but thinking of them now he sobbed not seeing the people reach out to him.

Ezra gasped as he felt three fingers touch his arm and looked up seeing these weren't people.

They were walking, and soon he heard talking turtles.

"Leo come on let's just leave this brat."

Ezra looked behind him at the turtle walking over to the turtle who touched his arm, his green eyes glowing it seemed in the faint light.

The turtle named Leo it seemed looked at Ezra and shook his head gesturing to him, "Look Raph he's already scared to death, let's just bring him back to Splinter, he'll know what to do."

Raph turned to Ezra, Ezra flinched feeling his cold glare, "Whatever." He moved past Leo, bumping him in the shoulder as the other two turtles behind Leo came over.

Ezra could see clearly now that Leo was the one with the blue bandana, the other two he saw had purple and orange bandanas, both looking upon him as they turned to Leo.

"Oh oh! Leo can I name him?"

Leo turned to the orange bandana one, "Why? Mikey, he probably has a name already."

Ezra wanted to say his name, but thought against it, he didn't know if they worked for the cold-hearted man that killed his parents so he stayed quiet.

"But I want to make him a mini ninja! He could be like our partner in crime! Right Donnie?"

The purple turtle sighed, "No, we just bring him to Splinter now come on!"

Ezra tried to run off but he felt his arm chained up, they literally where as he fell to the ground.

"Relax little Shadow we'll bring you to Splinter don't worry."

Donnie turned to Mikey and raised an eyebrow as they walked with Ezra, "Little Shadow?"

Mikey nods turning to Ezra who keep his eyes ahead, "Yeah! He was a shadow I tell you and those eyes! Dude he's different!"

Ezra just shook his head as they entered what seemed like a lair more then a sloppy sewer hole.

Ezra flinched as he saw Raph and Leo. Where these turtles gonna kill him?!

He then saw them talking to some rat in a robe, even so he screamed a bit as they turned to him and walked over.

Ezra tried to run but Mikey took out his chains and Ezra froze not wanting to taste sewer again.

The rat bend down to Ezra's level and looked to see his backpack before looking him in the eye, "Where are you from little one?"

Ezra shivered in fear, just one look into those brown eyes and he knew he saw more then any seven year old should see.

"It's alright child I will not hurt you." Ezra looked up at Raph who just stared at him for a moment before looking away.

"Ezra turned back to the rat, "I-I-Im Ezra s-s-sir."

The rat smiles kindly as he pats Ezra's head, "Nice to meet you Ezra, my name is Hamato Yoshi."

Ezra looked at him confused, "Hamato ohsi?"

The rat laughed and shook his head, "No, but why not just call me Splinter. Can you say that?"

Ezra though hard then spoke, "Splint...er…Splinter!"

He nodded, "Very good." He then stood up at and looked at the turtles, "Show Ezra around the place."

Before Leo could step up, Raph butt in, "But Sensei he's just a kid! He probably as parents anyway looking for him." He turned to see the bag, "Or he's running away."

Splinter looked down at Ezra who shivered at the sight of Raph, "Where are your parents Ezra."

Ezra began to tear up, "Their dead, due to the man with the foot."

Leo frowned, "Foot?"

Ezra nodded, "The man...he shot mommy and daddy and had a foot on his shoulder."

Splinter gasp, Ezra though maybe he knew who he was, but since he was a kid he assumed what Splinter was now saying.

"Boys, show Ezra to his new room."

The turtles nod, even Raph, bringing Ezra to a small, yet roomy bedroom. Before that though, Ezra looked up at Splinter who seemed to look away feared of some dark, dark memory.

Leo scratched the back of his head looking down to Ezra, "I know it isn't much..."

Mikey smiled as he bend down to Ezra's level, "But we'll get you tons of toys and fun stuff to put in here what you say Shadow?"

Donnie glared at Mikey, "Stop naming him Shadow!"

"But..." Mikey was stopped though by Raph who pushed Mikey and looked at Ezra, this time Ezra saw, with soft eyes.

"Look kid, we'll protect you, no matter what just uh...don't go in my room cool?" Raph gives Ezra a fist.

Ezra stares at the fist then back at Raph unsure what to do.

He laughs making Ezra flinch, "It's a fist bump look." He holds Ezra's hand, which shivered a bit, "Relax I'm not gonna hurt you."

Mikey laughed, "Like we haven't heard that before...ow!" Donnie smacks Mikey in the head as they watched them.

Raph placed Ezra's fist next to his bumping them, "A fist bump see? Cool huh?"

Ezra looks at Raph, for the first time not in fear, but with admiration, "Yeah!"

They all laughed before they left to leave Ezra to his new room.

As soon as they left, Ezra emptied his stuff gently on the ground. When he looked to see the card and gift he never opened, he frowned wondering if he should now.

He didn't know why, but he felt he should, so he gently took of the paper of both and laid them in front of him when he was done.

The gift...was some sort of gem it seemed, tied to it was a note. For some reason, he felt some sort of connection to the blue, glowing gem. He gently took off the note and it said only one word.

Hope

Putting it aside, Ezra turned to the card and opened it. He read it once, then twice before closing it sobbing his heart out since his parents deaths.

"Mommy...Daddy..." Before he knew it he fell asleep on the floor, the card in his hand, the gem in the other.

Dear Ezra,

We know it's been tough for you, ever since you were born you've never gotten what other kids have, freedom.

You never got to play outside or even interact with others, locked up in the apartment.

But we only did it cause we love you Ezra.

You see, bad people are out there, and we were worried of you ever being taken or killed be them. So...we keep you hidden, and for that we are very sorry.

We hope you like the presents! By now we've explained what they are, and we know you'll love it especially when we let you outside.

Hope we get a video when we do!

We love you Ezra, always.

Love forever and always,

Mommy Daddy