Skyler's POV

My birthday was coming up. As each day passed by, a depression began to come over me. I avoided Donnie because I didn't want to worry him. I knew I would never be able to hide my emotions from him. My parents had never once even wished me a Happy Birthday. And I was turning sixteen. I thought I was doing an okay job at avoiding Donatello until...

"Skyler!" A voice called. It was Donnie. I turned and ran. He ran after me. He was faster. When he finally caught me, he said, "Skyler, what's going on? Why have you been avoiding me?" Then, grief took over his expression. "Do... Do you hate me or something?" He asked solemnly.

"What?!" I yelped. "I-I could never hate you!"

Apon hearing this, grief was replaced by relief. Then, he look at me questioningly. "Then how come you've been avoiding me?" He asked.

I sighed. There was no point in evading this conversation anymore. "M-My birthday is coming up," I said sadly.

"What does that have to about this?" Donnie looked at me in eyes, wanting me to tell him what was going on.

I took a deep breath. "My p-parents never notice," I said, choking up. "I-I just didn't want you to worry. I-I'm sorry."

He looked around and noted how many people were around. To avoid causing a scene or anything, he led me into an alley. "Skyler, I'm sorry," he said sympathetically. I threw my arms around him and cried. He held me protectively, whispering words of comfort and sympathy.

I wished we could stay like this forever.

Donnie's POV

I held a weeping Skyler in my arms, keeping her close. I knew her parents neglected her, but I never thought it would be this bad. I wished I could do something for her, make her feel better. But all I could do now was to comfort her. And that wouldn't be enough. I wanted to help her. I wanted to make her happy.

A while after that, I decided to do something. I went to Skyler's building and knocked on the door. I knew Skyler wasn't home. When the door opened, Skyler's mom looked at me with a sneer. She did look a lot like Skyler, only not as, uh, friendly, or very, ah, calming. Infact, she was kind of intimidating.

"What?" She snapped.

I cleared my throat. "Um, I'm here to talk about Skyler," I said nervously. Geez, this lady was unnerving.

"Who?" She asked, giving me a strange look.

"Skyler," I persisted. "Your daughter?"

"Are you some kind of idiot?" She snapped. "I don't have any..." Then, it was as if a light went on in her head. "Oh, yeah, that's right. Skylis."

"Skyler," I corrected. She doesn't even know her own daughter's name?! What the shell kind of mother is this lady?!

"WHO'S AT THE DOOR?!" A voice I assumed must be her father's called.

"SOME DOPE HERE ABOUT SKYRIS!" Skyler's mom yelled back.

"Skyler," I repeated. I was seriously getting annoyed, but I tried my best to suppress my anger. What happened next didn't help at all.

"Who?" Her dad asked, coming to the door. He looked at me, his expression hard. Yikes.

"Your daughter, Skyler," I repeated through gritted teeth.

"Hey, Sarah," he said to his wife. "You got any idea what he's talking about?"

Before she could answer, I just couldn't take it anymore. "What's wrong with you two?!" I shouted angrily. "Skyler has been your daughter for nearly sixteen years! What the heck do you think you're doing, neglecting her like that?! Have you no shame?!" I hastily turned and walked away, leaving the world's worst parents at the door with open mouths. I couldn't believe this! Why didn't she tell me it was this bad? I could've... I-I could've... I mentally whacked myself in the head. I could've done what? How the shell was I supposed to do something about parents like that? The best thing I could do for Skyler was to make sure she'd have a Happy Birthday. But how?

Sam's POV

I was riding my skateboard on the sidewalk, not really going anywhere. I was just cruisin' around, nothin' much to do. Then suddenly, I heard a familiar voice.

"Sam!" Donnie called.

I stopped and turned to him. "Yo, Don, what's up?" I greeted with a smile.

"I need some advice," he said, looking slightly shy. Even I knew what that meant.

"It's about Skyler, right?" His reaction confirmed it. "If it's about her birthday, she loves animals, even stuffed ones. She's a sucker for a soft, cuddly little stuffed animal. She'll love it, trust me."

"Thanks," he said. He ran off, clearly not wanting to waste a second. I smiled. They were just so cute together!

Emily's POV

Leo and I had just climbed out of the sewers, him still as a turtle. Suddenly...

"LOOK OUT!" Leo yelled. I spun around just in time to see an arrow coming straight at me! Leo's hand shot out before I could blink, catching it inches away from my face. He looked up. His eyes widened. Then, his features turned hard and cold. "Aw shell," he muttered. Suddenly, a bunch of black-clad ninjas dropped down from above, surrounding us, weapons at the ready! "Emily," he whispered to me. "As soon as you see an opening, you run. Run as fast as you can, and don't stop until you're far away from here."

I looked at him, utterly shocked at what he just said. "Leo, I can't just leave you here," I whispered stubbornly.

"I'll be fine," he replied. "Just run as soon as you can." Then, one of the ninjas chose this moment to attack. He was soon followed by another. Then another. And another. I could only stand by helplessly, watching as Leo fought for both of us. And I couldn't do a thing. Leo fought and fought, but he was losing ground. The odds were against us, and these guys just kept on coming.

One snuck up behind me and roughly grabbed my arm. I cried out.

"EMILY!" Leo gasped as he saw my predicament. His expression quickly turned from worry to hatred. He fought as hard as he could, trying to get to me. But he was just too slow...

The ninja that held me put a damp cloth over my mouth and nose. Fear washed over me as I realized what was on the cloth. It was sweet. Sweet like... Syrup. I grew limp. My sight darkened. I felt feint. Fell to the ground.

"NO!" Leo cried. I could barely hear it, though. I passed out.

It was chloroform.