I was spending all my time in my room in mental pain. I was feeling betrayed and lonely. Raphael was a jerk, why did my parents have to die for me to see that?

A soft rap on the door sounded in my ear. "Come in," I replied, frowning.

Karia walked in with her usual dignified, emotionless attitude. Sometimes I wondered how she did it. I wanted to be emotionless. No sadness or anger…just nothing, it would fit my new wanted lifestyle. "Are you done fasting?" She inquired harshly, "or do you feel like dinner instead of laying about like a useless lump?"

I sat up from laying on my stomach. "It's not fasting," I argued, "I'm just not hungry."

"Typical," Karia sniffed, "very well then." And with that she turned and left.

As the door closed I stuck my tongue out at her. Even though Karia was dignified, she tended to be rather arrogant. Besides, what did it matter to her whether I ate or not?

I sprawled back with my face in the pillow and Socky squished to my side. I closed my eyes for just a minute…

A clicking sound ripped me from my dreams. I realized it was someone walking down the hall. No one ever made noise walking down the hall, and Karia was the only one I was aware of that actually came around here.

The steps got louder until they stopped at my door. I did not sit up, but simply stared at the door, staring.

"May I come in?" Master's voice sounded. I swallowed, could he be mad that I hadn't done anything in three days?

"Yes, Master," I replied, trying to hide the fear. I don't think I did to well.

As the door started to open, my heart started pounding. Then Master stepped in. He was wearing Japanese sandals and holding a tray with what appeared to be sushi, a small cup of tea, and chopsticks. He frowned, "You look worse than Karia said."

I felt relief wash over my whole body. He wasn't mad, just worried.

"You need to eat something," He continued, "to keep your strength up." He handed me the tray.

I broke the chopsticks and pinched up a piece of sushi and popped it in. I loved sushi; even my mom could make good sushi. I had to hold back tears.

Master watched me eat three more pieces and take a few sips of the steaming tea. "Good," He nodded briskly, satisfied. "see to it that you finish all that." Then he turned and left.

He reminded me of Dad. When I first moved out into the country, I was depressed about Raphael. I never told Mom and Dad, but it was pretty obvious because I never ate. Mom always insisted upon leaving me be, I would eat when I was hungry enough. But Dad always brought me different varieties of foods to get me to eat. The only thing he ever got me to eat back then was Mom's sushi. It wasn't as good as her pastries, but it was good sushi.

Tears started to bubble up and wander down my cheek. One landed on a piece of sushi. I frowned flicked off the most I could with a chopstick and ate it before it could ruin a good piece of sushi.

I sat there and cried, leaving five pieces of sushi for later. I cried for Mom and Dad. And I cried for my childhood friend who changed and ruined my life. Why did Mom and Dad have to die? Why did Raphael have to change to an air-headed, arrogant jerk? I wanted them all back, Raph as he was six years ago.

"Didn't I warn you?" I looked up at Karia's voice. I must not have heard her come in through my tears. "I could hear you blubbering from my room. You broke my meditation," She snapped, frowning. It reminded me of a disturbed she-lion I had see on TV.

I bit back a retort and simply returned the glare. The tears that had not gone down my cheek, started to dry.

"Be quieter next time," Karia scoffed before walking out the door.

"You broke my meditation," I mocked after I gave her enough time to be out of earshot.

I popped the last five pieces of sushi in my mouth one at a time, savoring the taste.

The door opened as I was drinking the last of the tea. Karia's head popped in, and she did not look happy. "Master would like to speak with you," She snapped as if Master were playing favorites and she lost. "Follow me."

I placed the cup back on the tray, and the tray on the bed.

Licking the tea-stache from my upper lip, I followed Karia out of the room.

"Where are we going?" I inquired, trying to sound a bit more mature.

"You'll find out soon," She sighed impatiently. "So why should I tell you?"

"Right," I muttered. Could I ever impress her? If I couldn't return to my past life of depression I should have some goal. I don't know why I can't be depressed. My main guess is that my parents made such an impact on my personality. Mom was always so positive and Dad never gave up.

Karia walked up to the wall and pressed a button. Suddenly a section of the wall slid open.

"An elevator?" I was appalled; I expected to walk down stairs.

"What? Did you think we were that old-fashioned?" There was no hint of friendliness in her voice.

I made no effort to argue. Karia snorted and stepped inside the elevator with me following slowly.

The walls inside were plain red with no décor. It was surprising, since the whole place seemed well decorated. Karia pushed another button from beside the door of many and the doors shut. The electric carrying car lurched, causing me to lose balance, and slowly tracked down with the clicking of it being slowly pulled down. I regained my stability and tried to stand as straight and well-carried as Karia.

I didn't last too long as the car jostled once again to a shaky stop. I lost one foot to the air and had to catch myself on the red, wallpapered wall, but Karia's body moved with the elevator.

I frowned. It wasn't fair, Karia seemed perfect. (That's excluding her lack of patience.)

The door slid open and revealed a room of beeping computers, robot displays, and people and lab coats rushing to and fro.

As Karia and I stepped in; the people stopped, turned to face us, and bowed. "Mistress Maysa," their voices came in horrific unison, like robots almost.

Before I could glance at Karia, I realized with a strange, sickening twist they were all looking at me. They all looked so serious. What was going on? In what seemed like slow motion, they all straightened back up and went to their busy worlds.

"Cally," I said slowly, "that's my name." I shivered, as I observed closer they all appeared to act like robots. Each one walked on only one side of the room to which no one ever bumped into another and they moved in jerking movements.

"Not anymore," Master's voice rang out amongst the 'people's' chatter. It sounded slow and defiant, but still soft somehow.

I bowed slightly, unable to find the right question in my head.

"Come," He motioned with his hand as he turned and walked deeper into the room.

"The preparations are nearly ready," A voice sounded from in front of a computer. As I looked closer if appeared to be an actual robot, but when it turned around I saw a brain connected to two eyeballs. I squealed, jumping back, only to have Karia gruffly push me back. "You can be friends with mutant turtles, but be freaked by a brain?!" She hissed.

Master and the brain ignored me. The brain was in a glass container filled with liquid, and the container was atop a robot's body, complete with speakers so that it could talk.

Master narrowed his eyes. "Very well, Dr. Stockman, if you're not careful, it could be your last."

"Of course, of course," Dr. Stockman replied, not too well at hiding his fret.

I turned to Karia. "What does he mean by his last?" I whispered.

Karia simply glared at me and flicked my ear, making me turn back around.

Rubbing my ear, I frowned. "Jerk," I muttered, too quiet to be heard.

"Come now," I looked up to see that Master had walked down to the far wall, and was standing in front of a painting that looked painstakingly familiar. As I got closer, I gasped. It looked just like me!

I touched my cheek, tracing the scar that marked my cheek of my promise. The night I feel off the front porch roof six years ago. Even that stripped across the girl's left cheek. She wore a purple and yellow kimono, and her brown hair was pulled so strictly back that if appeared to pull at her face.

"It looks like me," I gaped at the picture. "Is it?"

Master shook his head," Close, it is your ancestor from five-hundred-fifteen years ago, Empress Maysa."

"So why…?" I couldn't seem to find the right words in my churning mind.

Master ignored my gawking and went on. "They say that after five-hundred years, one's reincarnation comes back. You are she," He explained calmly. "She was said to have never trusted anyone." He looked down at me, almost as if he expected a reaction.

I simply stared at the Empress. I had been like that…six years ago.

"That was until she met four unusual beings, whom were feared for their fighting skills. She befriended these four, and took them as her advisories once they had proven themselves. Two stood on each side of the throne from which she ruled her land.

"One day the four had to leave for a long and perilous journey, that of which they could not explain. They promised the Empress they would return. To seal the promise they gave her a jewel. But soon after they left, Lady Maysa discovered that it was no ordinary jewel. It held great powers that could destroy the world with out the lift of a finger to guide. So Empress Maysa kept the jewel a secret from her land, and had it protected with only the best. Now, after years of waiting for her adversaries to returned, she was nearly ready to leave her life. Her son and his wife oversaw the land till she perished.

"It was then that she understood her friends' promise. The Empress fretted about the jewel's powers that would not be kept fully safe after she was gone. So, to prevent this, she had the jewel implanted in her by swallowing it. No one knew of this as she swapped it for a fake. The only person who knew was her son who was given the secret in a letter for him after the Empress had passed.

"Now," Master looked down on me, "the jewel lives inside you."

I felt fear churning inside of me as his stone stare seemed to see into me.

"The powers rightfully belong to me," He gestured into the air, "so that I may finally bring the turtles to their deserved fate!"

I took a step back only to have Karia's firm grip lock my shoulders. A cold sweat ran down my back. It had led to my death, I was sure I was going to die. Whether this jewel was real…or not.