My name is Alice Swanns and I am a college freshman. It's been a while since I last wrote a journal entry but a lot of things have happened that it's worth writing about. I started college a few weeks ago and so far I like it. Not only am I in college but I also work part-time at one of New York's precinct, which happens to be the one my dad works in. I currently live by myself in an apartment complex on the fourth floor. It's decent and I have an amazing view of the city at night. I, supposedly, have a good head on my shoulders and down to Earth, determined of what I want and strive for it. I am not a perfectionist and I am not afraid of making mistakes. But above all, I am not perfect and I'll never be. I am, however, the perfect example of an imperfect person and I am proud of it. It sort of sounds as if I have an easy life but in reality, it's not as easy as it seems and it will never be the same again. At least not after a cold, winter evening in January. And it only got less easy when April arrived.
"You... you saved me, thank you..." she spoke to the shadows who had just kicked butt. The light rain had soaked her sweater and she could feel the weight increasing downward and the cold air pierced her skin, goose bumps forming in the aftermath of the wind. She tried to stand up, her black flats slipping from under her. She somehow managed to stand on her own two feet, her back leaned against the cold, wet, concrete wall.
"Don't mention it", a deep voice replied. Her eyebrow cocked upwards as her balance faltered, using the wall as support. Her vision was off focus after she hit her head from the hard shove she had received prior to the fighting. She managed to make out the silhouettes of her heroes, all of them large and muscular. She wasn't sure about this bit of what she was seeing, but she could have sworn they had some circular, no- oval shaped objects on their backs. All four of them were of different heights and of different body compositions, the tallest was the one with the most muscles.
"Who...who are you?" she asked. The rain poured down slightly harder, not helping her with her vision.
"It's best if we don't tell you", a different voice answered.
"But...how am I supposed to thank you if I don't know your names?" She paused for a moment, a street light from behind them blinded her. "Can you please step closer? I can't see you either..."
"Come on Leo, let her know our names. Besides, she's pretty hot..." a younger voice commented.
"Don't say our names! It's safer for her to not know them", the same voice who refused to give her their names answered, and she assumed his name was Leo.
"I'm still standing right here", she let them know. A huge shiver ran through her body and a throbbing in her head increased. She gasped and kneel down, holding her head with her hands.
"Are you alright miss?" the last voice asked her. Her body couldn't stop shaking and her throbbing worsen.
"Mhh...No, my head is throbbing...really hard..." her voice shivering.
"Leo, we have to help her. On her own, she can't get help, at least not while she's injured..."
"Donnie, we can't let her see us."
"Leo, we have to help her!" the deepest voice of the four answered. She managed to distinguish each voice by the pitch of each one. The throbbing only worsen and let herself fall from her kneel. She expected to feel the wet pavement on her cheek and the impact of the floor but instead, a cold yet soft surface held her head. She couldn't keep her eyes open any longer but her ears were aware of everything, from the falling rain to the conversation of the four who saved her.
"Let's take her to Sensei, he might know what to do..." the one she thought was named Donnie answered.
"Be gentle with her, she's so beautiful..." the youngest voice commented. Then, the sound of flesh hitting flesh followed. "OW!"
"Shut up Mikey!" the deep, nameless voice snapped. Exhaustion and pain took over her mind and she drifted into a dreamless sleep.
"It is a great risk to bring her here", an older voice, much older voice, was the first sound she heard when she regained consciousness. Her eyes were still closed but her sense of touch and hearing were still in full gear. She was over something soft and warm and a blanket of some sort was over her.
"So, when she wakes up, what are we going to do when she sees us?" the voice she assumed as Mikey asked.
"We let her take it in slowly. Remember, don't hurt her if she freaks out and be gentle", Leo answered.
"Do you think she'll scream and faint?" the one she thinks belongs to Donnie asked.
"It's hard to tell, maybe she will or maybe she won't. But as Leonardo mentioned, we must be gentle and patient." The older man sounded closer than the other three. Her eyes then fluttered open but her sights were still out of focus. All she could see was really shapes and shadows but her vision still morphed things into a giant mass of blurriness.
"Where am I?" her voice broken and cracked.
"She's awake", Mikey answered.
"We can see that Mikey. Now, go get a glass of water", Leonardo instructed. She could hear heavy footsteps approaching her.
"Miss, how are you feeling?" Donnie asked her.
"My head is still throbbing and I can barely see..." She tried to sit up but her head began to spin.
"Woah, woah, woah, take it easy..." the nameless voice told her. "You need to take things slow. You're safe with us." A giant hand landed on her shoulder, nearly engulfing it whole, gently pushing her down back against whatever soft surface she was resting upon.
"Aww, Raph's got a soft spot for her!" Mikey answered. The sound of flesh smacking against flesh was then echoed again. "OW!"
"Here, drink this", Leonardo placed his hand behind her head, gently lifting it up a bit. He then placed the brim of the cup between her lips and tipped the cup slowly, allowing her to drink at her own pace. She slowly swallowed the clear, refreshing liquid and rested her head back onto his hand.
"Do you remember anything from last night?" Donnie asked.
"I was in the alley way with you four...it was raining lightly and you four saved me. I asked for your names but you refused. I don't remember much after that..."
"Not suffering from amnesia or concussion. Her throbbing is from the impact of last night and it should go down in a few hours with plenty of rest and water."
"What else do you remember?" Raph asked her.
"I couldn't see after I collapsed but I could hear everything." She placed her hand over her head where it throbbed the most. She felt a slight movement and felt a cool, wet rag over her forehead. She furrowed her eyebrows together in the middle and her lips etched a frown.
"So, you heard me when I called you beautiful?" Mikey asked.
"Now's not the time, Mikey!" Raph snapped at him. "What else do you know?"
"I know...part of your names...Leonardo, Raph, Donnie, and Mikey..."
"According to her symptoms, she is suffering from a cold, nothing to grave too worry about", Donnie answered. "She'll need to drink this every 4 hours and drink plenty of fluids. By the way, my name is Donatello." Donatello then gave her the medicine she was instructed to drink, cherry flavor syrup replaced the morning breath taste from her mouth.
"You already know my name as Leonardo, but you can call me Leo." Leo helped her drink more water, tipping the glass towards her lips.
"I'm Michelangelo but you can call me Mikey", Mikey answered, giving himself an unnecessary introduction. "And this here, is my mean, older...OUCH... violent older brother, Raphael."
"I apologize, young one. My sons don't know how to control themselves when meeting new people." The voice belonged to the older man and he seemed to silence the room.
"Who are you?"
"I am Splinter, master and father of the four who saved you." Slowly, her vision returned and she could see colors again. The figures then became clearer and more focused. Then, one of the four leaned his face closer to hers. That's when she realized who or what was staring at her. The one staring at her was of green complexion and wore an orange/yellow tattered mask over his face, two light blue eyes staring into her deep brown, red eyes.
"What...what are you?"
"We're ninjas", Leo answered.
"Mutants..." Raph continued.
"Technically, we are turtles", Donnie followed.
"Oh, and we're teenagers", Mikey finished.
"You're turtles? Mutant ninja teenage turtles?" Her heart beat accelerating in her chest.
"That's right", Splinter's answer silence the room again. She then saw an overgrown rat speaking.
"You're...you're a rat?" It was too much to process and she fainted.
"Uh, miss? Miss, can you hear us?" Leo's questions didn't nudge her. He didn't dare shake her and simply patted her forehead. Raph searched left and right, catching her chest rising and falling as she breathed in and out.
"And she fainted...typical for a woman..." Donnie gave his confirmation.
"No, she's not the typical woman...she's different..." If Raphael could have one wish, it would be for those words to have never left his mouth. But then again, he did want them to be heard, he wanted to defend her.
"How would you know? You've only known about her existence for a few minutes...well hours if you includes yesterday's encounter. You don't even know her name", Donnie replied. Raphael wedged his tongue between his teeth to avoid answering the question.
"Raphael, is there something you aren't telling us?" Master Splinter asked. Raphael's three finger hands held hers, feeling her weak pulse in his fingers. Or maybe it was his pulse. He wasn't sure.
"No", he snapped. His answer didn't please his father.
"Raphael..." The tone his Sensei/father used was one that made him break easily but he refused. "If that's how it's going to be, to the Ha'shi." Raphael glanced at the sleeping girl one last time and got up, not needing a guide to lead him to his punishment.
"What's eating him?" Leo asked his younger brothers.
"Beats me, but I could eat some pizza right now", Mikey answered. He stood up, took one more look at the girl, and headed to the kitchen for a slice of pizza.
"Let her sleep Leo. She'll come around", Donnie told his oldest brother. Stealing one last glace at her, he got to his feet and readjusted the blanket over her.
"4 hours in the Ha'shi and still going." Leo was the only other person in Ha'shi, watching his rebellious younger brother. "Just give it up, man. You can tell me the truth."
"So what? You can rat me out with Master Splinter?" Raphael twirled his toothpick with his tongue and tried to keep his balance on a tricycle on one foot and knitting an endless scarf, the needles clicking and echoing in the room.
"No, I just want to know the truth." Leo's voice stopped for a moment and turned soft, less authoritative-like. "We used to talk all the time when we were kids. What happened, Raph?"
"Master Splinter made you leader and I was left to follow you..." the tricycle wobbled forward and back, Raphael unable to get off.
"Is that what's been eating you? You are mad because you're not the leader?" Leo asked. "Come on Raph, we all know what would happen if you were the leader of the team."
"I don't want to the lead, I just don't want to follow."
"Enough. Leonardo, go see your brothers and the girl." Splinter joined the brothers, taking Leo's place as he left the room. Splinter's voice wasn't in a tone of anger, more concerned than anything else. He watched for a few minutes his second son fulfill his punishment, grumbling under his breath. The clicking of the needles and the squeaks from the tricycle from the pressure above it were the only sounds that muted the silence. "You are still not going to tell me what do you know about her and how?"
"No, Sensei."
"Very well." Splinter turned his back and made his way out of the Ha'shi. "Continue your training."
"So your name is Alice and you're a college student?" Mikey asked the young girl. Alice woke up an hour ago, sneezing and coughing. Donnie and Leo prepared her some chicken noodle soup they had. She had started to warm up towards the turtles, all except Raphael. Leonardo handed her the bowl of soup and a spoon, sitting next to his brother.
"Yes... well, I will be a college student in the fall", she answered, lifting the spoon to her mouth. The warm soup felt amazing as it slowly made its way down her throat, instantly warming her up nicely. "And you're names are Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Donatello..." she pointed to each turtle with their corresponding name. "Named after famous Italian renaissance artist."
"Wow... you're beautiful and smart..."
"Shut up, Mikey!" the other two snapped. She couldn't help but laugh and cough at the same time. Donnie handed her a tissue and she gladly took it, covering her nose with it.
"But, where's Raphael?" she asked. She just noticed he wasn't anywhere near his brothers.
"He's training", Splinter answered, appearing from behind the group, all four of their heads facing the father of her new found friends.
"So Alice, what are you planning on studying in college?" Leonardo asked.
"Criminal justice", she answered, another spoonful of soup entered her mouth.
"Ooh, beautiful girl is gonna be fighting crime with us!" Mikey's face was so bright, she wondered how he managed to be so happy when clearly he was the one who got pushed around by his brothers.
"Criminal justice doesn't mean she'll be fighting crime like we do. It includes policing, correction, and courts. She could probably be studying to be a lawyer, judge, or prosecutor..." Donnie explained.
"I'm actually planning on working as a police officer", she answered, her voice sounding sick.
"And is that what you wanted or what your parents wanted?" Leo asked.
"It's what I want. I'll be the first woman in my family who will be a cop."
"Well, congratulation", Leonardo smiled and she returned the gesture.
"Thank you." She took another spoonful of soup and set her bowl aside for a moment. Then, she sneeze, leaving her feeling weak and fragile.
"Bless you", all three said at the same time.
"Thank you... so, when do you think I can go home?"
"You can't leave..." Mikey told her. "You know about us, now you have to stay with us." She looked at the guys and tried to wrap her head around the situation.
"But...but I have to go back. I have school to go to and...My family as well..." she stuttered. Mikey then started to laugh.
"I was only kidding! You should have seen your face!" he laughed. She couldn't help but she also laughed.
"You can't leave just yet", Splinter added. "You must wait until its night so my sons can take you home safely."
"And until you're illness goes away as well", Donnie mentioned. She nodded and looked at the clock. It was barely 2 p.m., something told her it was going to be an interesting day.
The sun was setting, giving the room an orange glow. Sweat rolled off his brow and onto the floor. He had lost track of time of how long he was in the Ha'shi but one thing was for certain; he wasn't going to break. He continued to knit the no longer endless scarf but instead made a blanket. The red yarn he used was not just one ball but many tied together and he continued to knit. He was sore from his legs, both the one that was balanced on the tricycle and the other for hanging a few feet from the air. His fingers were also tired from being arched from the position they had to be. But he refused to break. His rebellious spirit made him tougher, stronger, and meaner looking compared to his brothers. He was stronger because he pushed himself everything he worked out, whether he lifted weights that seemed impossible for someone so young of age to lift or pushed himself to do more push-ups from the last time he exercised. He was tougher for he knew what it was like to be an outcast and he had mentally prepared himself every day for things that might happen.
But nothing, not his training, not his mental preparation, not his Sensei, not even his brothers, prepared him for the day she walked into his life. None of his brothers were prepared for that day.
"Hi." His head turned when he heard a soft, gentle voice instead of his brothers or his father. Her loose hair shined with the setting sun's light, relaxed and crowing her shoulders and framed her face. Her bangs roughly parted to her left side, one small strand over her eyebrow and merely touched her eyelid. Even though her hair was gleaming in the light, it was still a mess from last night's encounter and she didn't have a brush and hadn't had a chance to take a shower so it looked a bit greasy.
"Hi..." The words he wanted to say were trapped in his chest and mind. He was never good at talking to people, much less girls, especially someone who he thought was beautiful.
"Master Splinter and your brothers said I could find you here." Her hands were stuffed in her front pockets, her black low heel flats scraped the floor, sending tiny debris of rock and cement to scatter across from her. "I, uh, I never got to introduce myself to you. My name is Alice. I, uh, came to say goodbye..."
When the word escaped her lips, he nearly lost his balance and would have landed with a hard thump on the ground, probably causing severe damage to himself. But somehow, he caught his balance and continued to knit. "Goodbye?"
"I need to go home, Raphael." Hearing her say his name brought a new meaning to it. It sounded different when she spoke the name. "I can't stay here, even if I wanted to." The light behind him cast a silhouette; one so similar she had seen before. It was a memory buried deep in her mind and it unraveled itself to her attention. "This might sound crazy but, have we met before?"
"Yeah, we have." He couldn't believe she remember that night. It was a long time ago when they first encountered. His heart thumped loudly against his chest and he could feel it everywhere, from the tips of his toed bare feet to ends of his three fingered hands, still knitting the red yarn into place.
"Are you...have you already saved me before?" Heat rushed towards her cheeks and hands, her pulse in the joint of her palms and fingers. She could feel the ring on her left ring finger growing tighter, as her finger swelled from low circulation. Raphael didn't say anything but he nodded.
"It was you, wasn't it? You saved me from some robbers...back in January... I was walking from a friend's house. Some guys cornered me against the wall. Before they could hurt me, something stopped them. That was you, wasn't it?"
"Yeah, that was me", he couldn't stop himself from what he said next. "I know this will sound creepy but I made sure you got home safe."
"You've been watching over me?" Her hands came undone from being stuffed in her pockets and hanged by her sides.
"Just whenever you are out alone at night."
"As creepy as that sounds, I'm glad you did..." Her hands then crossed over her chest and she looked up at him. "I never got the chance to thank you for helping me in January, so thank you, Raphael."
"You're welcome..." He was starting to fall in love with the way she said his name. His heart was still racing in his chest and there was a red glow on his cheeks.
"So that's how you know about her", a different, familiar voice broke the comfortable silence that held the turtle and the young girl captive. She turned to find Leo and Master Splinter standing at the doorway.
"You were eavesdropping?"
"Don't worry Raph, she had no idea we were listening. In fact, we didn't know she was coming here until we heard the two of you talking", Leo answered.
"Raphael, you disobeyed a direct order again...will you ever learn?"
"Master, she was in trouble when I met her and I wasn't going to let her get hurt or worse. I had to do something." His teacher/father didn't say anything but simply stroked his mustache and beard.
"You should be punished longer for disobeying me but because you saved the life of this young girl, I will let you go", Master Splinter's verdict was music to his ears. At that moment, Raphael jumped off the tricycle and landed on the cold, hard ground. He towered over her, though she was 5'9", so she had to look up to see his face. "But, there is something I need for you, my son, to do for her. You must take Alice back home when it's dark with your brothers and make sure she gets home safe."
"I've done it before, I'll do it again", Raphael answered. Alice turned to face their Sensei and she smiled.
"Thank you Splinter, for letting me stay here", Alice answered, smiling at the overgrown rat who helped her healed. He bowed at her and walked out of the room.
"So Alice, are you hungry? It's been a few hours since you ate something..." Leo offered.
"Um..."
"Who wants pizza?" Mikey's voice was heard from wherever he was in the lair.
"Shall we?" Leo offered a hand to her and she gladly took it. "Come on, Raph." Raph grumbled something in his throat and followed the duo.
"So you guys were mutated 18 years ago?" she asked, setting her plate with a slice of pepperoni pizza on her lap.
"Around that time. We were saved from the fire by a friend of ours who comes by every now and then to check on us. She's a really good friend", Leo explained. Alice sat on the couch made out of cardboard pizza boxes and was in between Leo and an empty spot. Mikey sat on the floor and Donnie sat beside him. Raphael, however, refused to sit down and remained standing.
"Interesting. I'm not one for science or math but that's really interesting", she answered. She took a bite from her pizza and smiled.
"Hey, who wants to play a game?" Mikey asked. "We still have some time before we take you home."
"What game?" Donnie asked.
"We should play spin the bottle", he answered. The other's groan but agreed silently. They all sat in a circle, Raph taking the empty spot next to Alice. Mikey brought for a bottle and sat between Raph and Donnie. "Alright, rules are, 1. Whoever spins the bottle tells the one who get pointed truth or dare. 2. The one who gets pointed has to do or say whatever the spinner told them to do. 3. You can't change to truth or dare. And 4. Have fun!" He then spun the bottle and it landed pointing to Donnie. An evil smirk formed on Mikey's lips.
"Truth or dare, bro?"
"Uh, truth...?"
"Okay, true or false... Mikey is the coolest, handsomest, smartest...OW! Again, with the violence Raph?" Mikey rubbed his new sore spot.
"You said have fun", Raphael answered, smiling. Alice couldn't help but to smile and giggle a little.
"Rule number 5. Have fun without hurting each other. Okay, Donnie, is it true that all you ever do is think about science and figuring things out?"
"That's the lamest question I've ever heard, Mikey", Leo commented.
"Ah, ah, ah, wait your turn, brother", Mikey answered in an ancient voice. "I'm kidding, is it true that you lick the icing off of the pop tarts every morning and put them back in the box?" Donnie's face turned red with embarrassment and he bit his lips.
"Yes, it's true!" Donnie answered. All three brothers started making disgusting noises and hacking coughs.
"That's gross Donnie!" Leo yelled. "Ugh!"
"Okay, Donnie's turn to spin." Donnie spun the bottle and pointed at Leo.
"Truth or dare?"
"Dare", Leo answered.
"I dare you to...oh I dare you to show off your most impressive ninja skills to Alice!" Donnie smiled. Leo got up, walked towards the empty space in front of the group and stretched himself to warm up. Once finished, he bowed and got in strike position. He jabbed, kicked, and stabbed the air with imaginary katanas. He twirled and sliced the invisible opponent on supposedly the back. Alice was impressed, much to Raphael's distaste. When finished, he bowed again and joined the group.
"That was impressive, Leo", Alice commented. There was a hint of red on his cheek as he sat down next to her. Leo then twirled the bottle and it landed pointing to Raphael. A devious smirk sketched Leo's face.
"Truth or dare, Raph?"
"Dare", Raphael answered, without missing a beat.
"I dare you to do a set of your average pushups..." Leo dared.
"That's not too hard..."
"But..." everyone looked at Leo and waited to hear what he would say. "Alice will have to balance on your back. And if she falls, you lose the game." Alice and Raph looked at each in confusion. Raphael stood up, not even saying a word and helped Alice stand. He got on his knees and hands and she climbed up.
"Okay, this isn't so bad..." she commented once she found a decently comfortable spot on his hard shell.
"No, you can't hold on to his shell..."
"You mean, I have to keep her on my back without her holding on for safe keeping?"
"Nope."
"Leo, that's not fair..."
"It's okay Raphael, I can do this." Her hand landed over his shoulder and made his heart leap to his throat. "You just do what you have to do and don't worry about me." He turned his head and looked at her smiling. Both nodded and he started his routine. "Woah..." For a second, he thought she was slipping off but she kept her balance by placing her hands by her side over his back and hold on as best as she could. When he finished his 45 set of push up, she slid off his back and combed her fingers through her hair, causing his heart to leap and kick start again.
"That wasn't too bad", she answered. Raphael's eyes soften when she smiled and looked into his eyes.
"Okay Raph, you're turn to spin", Leo answered. The bottle pointed at Mikey.
"Truth or dare?"
"Truth."
"Why are you such a pain in the ass?" Raphael asked. Alice looked at him with a not so smiling face.
"Because where would you guys be without me, bro?" he answered, opening his arms wide to emphasize his importance. Alice smiled and shook her head. Mikey spun the bottle on the floor and it landed facing Alice.
"Truth or dare, girl?"
"Um, dare." She wasn't afraid of a simple little dare and she just balanced herself over Raphael's back as he did pushups. What's the worst that could happen?
"I dare you to kiss the one ninja turtle who you think is the most handsome one." She had no way of knowing he would ask her for that but his brothers had a feeling he would.
"Oh no Mikey, that's not fair for her!" Leo interjected.
"Why? You're scared she's going to pick me?" Mikey asked.
"No, it's just not fair."
"I got a better idea..." Mikey interrupted the bickering.
"You sure about this?" Leo asked.
"Of course I'm sure", Mikey answered. In a hat, there were pieces of paper folded and on it were the color of the bandanna of each other the turtles. "Alice, pick one piece of paper and that lucky winner will have 7 minutes in heaven with you!"
"Mikey, this is stupid!" Raphael complained.
"You're scared she's not going to pick you?"
"I'm scared she'll pick you!" Alice placed her hand in the hat and shuffled the pieces of paper around. She then withdrew a piece and gently opened it. She stared at the name of the color for a moment then bit her lip.
"What color is it?" Mikey asked.
"It's a dark color..." That eliminated one bandanna. "It's a primary color..." Two left, one color. "It's associated with the color of..." They all waited for her to continue. "Love..."
Raph's eyes grew huge. Alice's cheeks flushed his bandanna color and her lower lip was wedged between her upper and lower teeth. She looked down and grasped her hands together. Mikey then pushed her and gently nudged him to go into a closet. He closed the door and the only light in the room was from the crack under the door.
"You both got 7 minutes!" he hollered through the door.
"We don't have to do anything if you don't want to. I'll pound Mikey afterwards for this."
"It's fine Raphael." God, the way she says his name sounds different... "My friends used to play this game whenever they had a party. I wasn't all for it the past few times..."
"How come?"
"I got paired up with some guys I wasn't really fond of..."
"Ex-boyfriends?"
"Where you also spying on me while I was at a party?"
"No...I mean, there's no way a pretty girl like you should be single for 18 years... but if that's the case...then it's fine...b-but I mean, wait, it's not that I think you are pretty because you're not...I mean..." He was a total mess of words and he was blushing hard, but she couldn't tell. Alice smiled and laughed.
"Where are you? It's pretty hard to see." She stretched out her hand and felt something muscular and scaly. "Is that your arm?"
"Yeah." She walked closer to him and placed her other hand over his shoulder.
"I get it Raphael, you're not the first person who says that. But yes, they were my ex-boyfriends. And thank you for the compliment..." Her lips landed on his cheek, she somehow found it in the dark. His hazel, golden green eyes widen and frantically tried to look for her smile. Then she realized what she did. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to kiss you...I mean, I did but I didn't know how you would react or if you wanted to..." Now it was her turn to be a jumble of words. Raph couldn't help but laugh and gently pecked her cheek, or tried. He ended up kissing her nose. She looked at him, or assumed she was, and her fingers touched the spot where he kissed her. She smiled and wished she could see his smile.
"Just a warning, I don't know how to kiss..." He blushed in embarrassment and looked away, but who could tell? It was dark. Alice simply shook her head and held his hands, gently tugging him to sit down with her.
"It's okay. I could show you if you want me to..."
"I just don't want it to be...awkward... you know?" She cupped his cheeks and imagined his eyes staring at her.
"What you do is that you look into her eyes, if you can see them, lean closer to her and gently hold her face", she used her hand to guide his to her cheek. "Like this and you can stroke her cheek with your thumb... ruffling her hair is also a good thing." Raph followed suit, even though he didn't look into her eyes. "Something else you can do is lean your forehead against hers and breathed softly and deeply..." She then softly dragged her hands down to his neck and could feel his heartbeat. "You can also place your hand over her waist...or her back...wherever she feels comfortable..." She then felt his hand hold her back, just below her shoulder blades.
"Alice, I just want to let you know something..." She waited for him to continue. "From that day we met..., the day I fought off those guys...there's something about you...that captivates me and... attracts me to you. Since that day..."
"One minute!" Mikey hollered. She closed her eyes and breathed out a sigh.
"Let's make it last..." he whispered. "What's next?"
"Then, you kiss her gently..." Her eyes then readjusted to the light from Mikey opening the door.
"I thought you said we had a minute..."
"I said half a minute", he answered crossing his arms.
"It is time..." Master Splinter mentioned. Raphael stood up and helped Alice stand, both walking out of the closet
"Thank you for bring me home, guys", she answered after they had found her apartment. "I'd like to invite you in and stay for a while but I don't want to get you guys in trouble with Splinter." The moonlight cast shadows on the floor and walls of the window and the five figures that now occupied the apartment.
"Maybe you can come and visit us sometime", Mikey suggested.
"We can always come here to check up on you", Leo answered.
"Both sound like good ideas, I like hanging out with you four..." she smiled.
"We better hustle before Master gets upset", Donnie answered.
"Goodbye Alice, see you soon", Leo told her. He bowed down to her and she bowed slightly back to him.
"Goodbye beautiful." Mikey gave an ultimate performance of his parting and Alice shook her head. Donnie and she exchanged a simple handshake and a smile. Last but not least was Raphael.
"Thanks for the lesson on kissing..." he stated.
"No problem, Raph...I mean, Raphael..."
"You can call me Raph. See you soon, Alice..." He was getting ready to leave when two arms slid across his left side.
"Thank you Raph, for saving my life..." She again pecked his cheek and blushed furiously.
"You're welcome, I take payments in cash or checks..." He then leaned in and did everything she had told him to do when kissing a girl. At last, he felt his lips match with hers. She felt butterflies in her stomach and her heart raced in her chest, feeling her arms unconsciously wrap themselves behind his head, feeling his thick, muscular neck and his beating heart against her wrist. When the kiss ended, both were breathless and content. "Or kisses..." She laughed and gently kissed his lips again.
"Ooh, Raphie's got a girlfriend!" a childish voice broke the silence. The two that were still in the apartment looked outside to see three other masked, ninja turtles staring at them.
"Yeah, that's right, I've got a girlfriend, so what?" Raph didn't miss a beat. He faced Alice again and kissed her once more. If it were any other boy, she would have felt used or a prize to be won. But there was something about him that made her feel different, made her feel less tough and brave and more...herself.
"So cute!" Mikey commented.
"We better go, Raph", Leo answered, a smile still plastered on his lips. All three jumped down from the balcony and Raph followed a few seconds later but not before bidding goodbyes to the young girl and stealing one last kiss on her cheek. She watched them from her balcony and followed them to the window which faced an alley way. That alley way had a manhole and the four disappeared into the darkness.
My name is Alice Swanns, I am 18 years old and I am a college freshman. I was saved three times by four teenage mutant ninja turtles, all four named after Italian Renaissance artist. The first time was in January on my way home from friend's house. The second and third time were in April on the same day. It sounds crazy, I know, but it's the truth. People assume I have an easy life but in reality, it's not as easy as it seems and it will never be the same again. At least not after that cold, winter evening in January. And then it only got less easy in April on the rainy night. But, I wouldn't change it for the world.
