Chapter 3

The Concert

"Okay," Leonardo sighed as he paced on the roof. "Tonight, we'll split up to cover more ground."

"Sweet! Goin' solo! Finally!" Raphael said.

"Remember, practice ninja." Leo reminded.

"Got it." Donatello nodded.

"Let's see…am I forgetting anything?" Leo asked.

"Yeah, we're getting pizza afterwards, right?" Michelangelo asked.

"Ugh… we'll see." Leo rolled his eyes, though he had to admit, he could go for a slice as well.

It had been three years since The Shredder had been officially defeated. Things seemed calm for the past few months, but occasionally, some members of The Foot Clan would still be remaining. The turtles would patrol every night to make sure The Foot would not be hurting anyone else. They had been mostly successful, though one person would always get away.

Now, the turtles were having a hard time adjusting to not seeing April as much. She mentioned a family member was staying and didn't want the turtles to be spotted by her. Donny wondered if it was only a matter of time that she would meet them anyways…

Boy, how right he was.

~jb~

Jamie was feeling great that night. She wore a black, long sleeve shirt and a short blue skirt. She decided to wear heels and styled her hair the way she liked it- wavy!

Libby and Cody looked amazing too. Cody really seemed to have a thing for fish nets. She wore fish net tights under a long, black hoodie. Her boots were black and had multiple buckles on them. Libby wore a yellow, spaghetti strap dress over a stripped, long sleeved shirt. All three girls felt sassy and free. The concert turned out to be outdoors. The wannabe band members danced to the music and laughed together. Libby insisted that none of them drink, sense they were still under-age. Cody didn't seem to care about drinking, and neither did Jamie. After a few hours, Jamie started to feel bored. She wondered when this concert was going to end. She turned to Libby to let her know she was going to start walking home, but then remembered April's warning. Jamie stood in the crowd, silent, and thinking about what to do. She could ask the girls to walk home with her, but they seemed to be having more fun than she was…she didn't want to ruin their good time. On top of that, campus was in the opposite direction of April's apartment…she would just be asking them to go out of their way.

Jamie shrugged and tapped Libby's shoulder. She told her she was tired and was heading home. Libby only nodded and went back to dancing with Cody.

The noise started to die down as Jamie walked further away from the hustle of the crowd. Finally, she could hear her thoughts again. She decided to hum a tune as she walked. She wasn't a fan of being outside at night. She paused and sensed that someone was watching her. She looked around and didn't see anyone. She continued walking down the road, wishing she didn't wear a short skirt in the cold autumn night…

As she passed an alley, three men approached her. Before Jamie could react, one grabbed her waist and covered her mouth. They dragged her into an apartment complex. It must have been later than Jamie thought, because the lights were off in the front lobby, and it was empty.

The men ushered Jamie into an elevator, much to her dismay. The elevator ride up to the roof felt like hours. Jamie was on the verge of hyperventilating. The thugs pushed her into a hallway, and out a door. That's when Jamie realized she was on the roof of this foreign building.

That's when she finally had the courage to struggle out of the grip of the stranger. He threw her to the ground onto her back. He placed a hand on her mouth again.

"This will be over soon." He said. He friend stood close by and pointed a gun at her.

Well…this isn't going to end well…Jamie thought, attempting to stay calm.

Suddenly, another figure seemed to fall out of the sky and land flawlessly on the roof.

"That's not how you treat a lady." He said before pulling a long wooden staff out.

The three men backed away in fear. Jamie was confused as to why…it was technically three against one. But as Jamie looked, she saw the figure in the shadows…he seemed taller…more intimidating.

He quickly ran out of the shadows and charged at the three men. He took them all on at once. Jamie had trouble processing what she was seeing. The stranger was indeed taller, and muscular…but she couldn't tell what he was wearing…He seemed to be wearing green…

With inhuman haste, the stranger had knocked out all three men and tied them up, also gagging them in the process.

He clapped his hands together as though he had just finished dusting a shelf. He then turned to Jamie.

She couldn't believe her eyes. He looked like…a turtle… What kind of costume was that?

He slowly walked toward her and knelt to her level, holding his hands up…his three-fingered hands.

Jamie scooted away.

"Hey, it's all right. I'm not gonna hurt ya. I just want to help." The stranger said.

Jamie couldn't say anything at first. Instead, she decided to scoot back toward the giant turtle.

"Are you hurt?" He asked.

Jamie reached out and touched his nose.

"Um…yeah, it works, in case you're wondering." He said. She looked closer at his face. He wore a purple mask over his brown eyes. Jamie was fascinated by those eyes…

She shook her head. "Sorry, it's just…this is…an impressive costume…" She stammered. Yeah, a costume…it had to be. There was no way this was real, right?

He smiled and shook his head. "I'm sorry to disappoint ya, but no. This isn't a costume." He stood and slowly turned around so she could see his shell. "This is my skin. This is the real me."

Jamie stood and gently touched his shell. "Wow…" She suddenly felt light-headed.

"Uh oh, you okay?" The turtle turned and reached out for her in case she fell.

Jamie took a deep breath and gathered her bearings.

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine. Just…overwhelmed. That's all."

"Understandable. It's not every day you meet a walking, talking, turtle..."

Jamie giggled. "Um, yeah…I don't suppose you see a human very often."

"Actually, I see a human almost every night." The turtle admitted, scratching the back of his head. "I go on patrol and stop crime. So, I'm used to seeing humans, except… I'm not supposed to be seen." His green cheeks suddenly seemed to turn pink.

"Oh…" Jamie nodded her head in understanding. "I see…" Jamie held up a pinkie. "I pinky promise not to tell anyone about this."

The turtle looked at his hand awkwardly. "Or…we could just shake on it."

Jamie's face felt warm. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't…eh…" She trailed off.

The turtle chuckled. "It's okay. It's your first time meeting a turtle with three fingers." He reached out his hand and Jamie shook it. For a fighting turtle, he was gentle with her. His hand also felt…almost like real human skin instead of reptilian scales.

"I'm Donatello, you can call me Donny."

"Jamie."

"Well Jamie, I would like to know where you live, so I can escort you home. You don't have to give me your full address. Just your street. I would rest easier if I knew you got home safe."

"Well, that's very kind of you." Jamie said before giving him the street name.

"I know that street well!" Donny said happily.

"But…how will we get there…if we go through the building, someone might see you…" Jamie said, voicing her concern.

"Who said we were going through the building?" Donny asked.

"You mean…climb down the building?" Jamie gulped.

"Yeah, it's easy. I'll carry you." The turtle reassured her.

"Okay." Jamie said, taking a deep breath. She allowed Donny to pick her up, bridal style.

"Don't be afraid." He said.

"I'm not afraid." Jamie replied. Donny jumped off the roof, flinging Jamie over his shoulder and clung to the side of the building.

"Now I'm afraid!" Jamie said, gripping onto Donny's shell.

"The trick is not to look down." Donny reassured her.

Jamie did the opposite of what Donny told her and looked at the road below…it was so far away, it made Jamie's vision blur. She decided to take Donny's advice and shut her eyes tightly.

Donny leapt across the old building, and onto a slanted roof.

"Wow," Jamie was now clutching to the back of Donny's shell, as though she were riding him piggy-back style. "You're quite the acrobat." She complimented.

"Thank you." Donny said. Suddenly, the metal slab slid off, and Jamie and Donny were practically sledding down the roof of the building. When it reached the edge, Donny jumped and grabbed onto it, clutching Jamie with his free arm. The metal slab flew into the air and landed on a car, causing the horn to go off.

"Oops…" Donny cringed, before dropping the rest of the way down. He landed flawlessly onto the cement. He walked her home until they got to her building.

This is where April lives… Donny thought.

"Well, this is me." Jamie said. "Will I ever see you again?"

"Well, it is New York. Anything could happen." Donny replied. "It was an honor to meet you, Jamie."

Jamie's cheeks turned pink. "It…was an honor to meet you."

Donny smiled before jumping out of sight…for a turtle, he was quite fast.

Jamie turned to her building and made her way inside. She took a deep breath and opened the door of the apartment. She knew she would have to tell April the truth…but she wouldn't tell her about Donny. She wanted to see her new friend again and didn't want to see him get whisked away by mad scientists. She would take this secret to her grave.

Apparently, April had stayed up, waiting for her. She was sitting on the couch reading a book.

"Hey Jamie, how was the concert?" April asked.

At first, Jamie wasn't sure how to respond. What should she say first?

"Uh…it was good." Jamie said, secretly hoping she could leave the conversation there, but then she remembered what could've happened if Donny hadn't shown up. She teared up and her voice cracked.

"Jamie, what's wrong?" April put her book onto the coffee table and rushed over to Jamie.

"I…I messed up, April." Jamie cried.

"What happened?" April urged.

"I didn't listen to you. I wandered away from the crowd and I got attacked…" Jamie explained the situation but leaving out when Donny saved her.

"How did you survive, are you okay? Are you hurt?" April asked, voice filled with concern.

"Um…a…passerby helped me." Jamie replied. "I…I didn't get his name, but he was really nice. But that's not the point…the point is, I didn't follow your advice, and I almost paid for it…I'm so sorry."

April smiled. "Wow Jamie…you really are growing up."

"What…?"

"Remember, you're eighteen now. You're an adult. And you are certainly acting like one now. You're taking accountability for your actions. And now I think you've learned something new today. Don't you?"

Jamie smiled back at her cousin. "Um…yeah. I learned not to wander on my own. You're not going to tell my dad though, right?"

"Of course not." April nodded. "Your dad can be a little…intense sometimes. I think he needs to let you learn things on your own now. Otherwise you'll never learn anything."

"Thanks April." Jamie said before heading upstairs. On the way she quickly said; "Love you, sis!"

April smiled. She and Jamie were going to get along just fine.