Chapter 2- A glimpse of the past

"Is she going to be alright, Donnie?" A voice asks, sincerely and curiously, from close by to me. I keep my eyes close, trying to recall why I had fainted in the first damn place. "I believe so." Another voice replies and I recognize Donnie's and Leo's voices talking. "What do you mean that you only believe so? Is she okay or not?" A feminine voice demands and I recognize it as April Jones' voice. "I mean that I only believe so because I don't know why exactly she fainted. There isn't anything physically wrong that I can see and I'm sure everything is fine internally." Donnie explains, frustrated.

"Any theories on why?" April asks, concerned. Then the events from before flash across my eyelids as I remember why I fainted. Damn, I really have got to remember to rest a bit before healing someone. I do hope Ralph and the others are okay. "Maybe a medical condition of some sort but I'm not sure. Plus it's odd that she is able to use non-human abilities, such as the healing ability that she used on Ralph." Donnie says. "I wonder why she helps us against the Shredder." Leo says, slightly curious. My hands instinctively clench at the very mention of the Shredder, as dark memories threaten to reappear and make me relive through those times but I block that from happening. "Hey guys, look at her hands. They are clenched, seems like someone is starting to wake up." Mikey comments and as soon as he says that, I open my dark blue eyes, giving him a glare. I then scan the room and notice just how close they are to me. I instinctively get up quickly and jump away from them. I back away from them. "Easy, we aren't going to hurt you." Leo calmly says to me and I glare at him. "Like I'll believe that." I scoff at him. Leo takes a step forward and I take one back, my eyes slightly growing wide. "Where are your parents, young one?" Splinter asks. I briefly give him a grief-stricken look for a few seconds before I go back to glaring at Leo. "None of your damn business, Splinter." I growl out at him, slightly feeling guilty for being disrespectful towards him. I see him give me a disapproving look. "Why are you on your own?" Mikey asks and I glare at him. I spot an exit and start backing towards it. "Why should I trust you with my story?" I demand. "You already seem to know ours, so it's only fair." April says, eyeing my movements as Leo takes a step forward. "Didn't anyone ever tell you that life isn't always fair?" I nearly yell out and turn, starting to splint fast down a sewer tunnel; away from the turtles, Casey, April and Splinter. I just keep running fast as I hear feet coming after me but I don't look back. I can't trust people anymore! I'm alone and if I'm around people, someone will get hurt! I turn quickly at a dark tunnel and hide myself among the shadows, calming my panting breath, as the feet get closer to my hiding spot. "Are you sure she's this way, Master?" I hear Leonardo ask Splinter as they approach close to where I am. "Yes, my son." Splinter says and I scold myself for forgetting that he is more skilled then his sons. I see him stop and point to where I am hiding, and for some reason, I freeze just a little. "Come on out, we know you are there." Leo says and I glare but don't come out. I see Leo nod to his brothers and suddenly they rush forwards towards me. I become visible and get into a fighting stance. "Please, just leave me alone." I say but they ignore me. Ralph reaches me first and goes to grab me but I flip over him, not wanting to hurt him again. Don tries to hit me with his Bo staff but I grab his staff, which shocked him enough for me to fling him into Ralph and Mikey, who were both trying to grab me. All three of them tumble like bricks, falling down. They groan in slight pain at hitting each other and I smirk. I frown when I notice that both Master Splinter and Leo weren't coming to attack me like the others. I get back into my fighting stance again as Leo slowly makes his way over to me. I hear the others getting back up and I panic slightly, noticing that unless I try to escape now then I'll be forced to talk more. I glance around the area around me, trying to find a way out. The others get up but don't attack; instead they move to be beside their leader, Leo. "You do realize that four against one isn't really fair, right?" I question them and they smile. "We know but if you weren't being difficult, we wouldn't have to be doing this the hard way." Leo comments to me. "I'm being difficult to protect everyone. You can't be involved with me." I growl back at him, glaring at him. "Why can't we be involved with you, child?" Splinter asks me and I just shake my head, not answering him. I noticed an exit close by but the turtles and Splinter are blocking it. I attempt to keep my breathing nice and calm, before I make a mad dash in between where the turtles are lined up and where Splinter is. I sprint as fast as I can into the gap that is between both of them but as I reach close to the exit, a sudden force hits me from my left side. The force wrap their arms tightly around me, making sure that my arms are close to my side so that I can't escape or move. I look up and see that none other then Casey Jones. I should have known that they would have the Jones' as reinforcements. "Please just let me go. That's all that I want." I plead with them as they force me back to their home. Casey lets go of me but as I try to come up with a plan to make another desperate escape, Mikey decides to grab me and force me onto his lap on the living room couch. The rest of the turtles sit down on the couch seats or on the arm of the couch while Splinter and the Jones sit on neighbouring chairs. "Why should we let you go? Why do you want us to leave you alone? Don't you need our help this time around?" Leo questions me and I hang my head lowly, not wanting to answer him at all. "Shredder is going to be after me and if he comes after me and you guys are around me, he will kill you." I mumble under my breath, hoping and praying to whatever God that is giving such rotten luck, that they wouldn't hear it. Luck was definitely not on my side at all. "Why is he after you, Child?" Splinter asks me gently. "Shredder murdered my family when I was ten years old and since then has always managed to find me and torture me. I knew about your story and who you guys were because he was always mentioning you guys. I decided to be on your side and to help you but every time that I fought with you guys, one of his goons caught me on my way home and dragged me back to his lair. He held me prisoner over and over again. I can't have him find me only to have you guys get killed in the process…. That's not how I roll." I explain to the turtles, Splinter and the Jones, tears streaming down my face. I can't have them end up just like my family. I won't allow that to happen again. "But we can protect you." Leo says, giving me a small smile. I smile a little back and pull the long sleeve of my black sweater over my hand, playing with the hem of it, nervously. "Yeah, you can stay with us. Right Master Splinter?" Mikey asks, smiling and giving a cute and pleading look at Splinter, who also smiles and gives a nod. "Yes, my children. She can stay with us." Splinter says. "B-B-But where will I sleep and such?" I ask them, nervously and not exactly all the way thrilled at the idea of staying with the turtles. I know I don't have a safe place but the turtles could end up being Shredder's next lunch if I keep staying with them. "You can sleep here on the couch or with one of us." Don comments, smiling as well. Ralph rolls his eyes a little at the suggestion. "I guess that could work." I comment back. "So it's settled. Angel can stay with us here." Mikey says and I nod my head. "Alright, let us go to bed. Angel, you won't leave right?" Splinter says to me and I shake my head to say that I won't leave. Casey and April say good-bye and leave. All the turtles except Donnie, head to their bedrooms. Donnie goes and grabs me a pillow and blanket. Splinter slowly heads to his bedroom. "Here, just in case you find our place too chilly. Also our bedrooms aren't too far away so if you need anything just yell." Donnie says and I smile at him, grabbing the pillow and blanket and setting them on the couch. "Thanks Don. I'll make sure to give you guys a yell if I need anything else." I say to him and he smiles. He takes a running leap and jumps up to his room. I go over to the couch and lay down on it. "Good night, my children." Splinter says to his sons. "Good night, Master Splinter." They all yell in sync with each other and I smile as I curl up more on the couch, pulling my knees to my stomach. "Night, Angel." Splinter says to me and he shuts his sliding bedroom door. "Night Splinter." I say back to him, smiling to myself a little bit.

I slowly close my eyes as the room has grown pitch black. "I won't leave them quite yet." I think to myself as sleep over takes me once again.