Warning: chapter does mention brief use of marijuana. Don't dabble with drugs kids.

Read on fellow readers.

Words were being exchanged behind me. I couldn't really make them out. A constant yet quiet up beat chatter. They tugged me out of a deep comfortable blackness.

I was laying down, all my limbs felt sort of numb. My shoulder ached and my hand and wrist hurt but not terribly. I tried to make a fist with said hand, thinking it would crack some knuckles maybe relieve some pain but it just hurt worse and wouldn't bend. I winced and drew open my heavy eyelids to see why.

My hand was bandaged thick, placed neatly over a pillow. An ice pack beside it. I squinted past that, a tv was on across a long ways with bean bag chairs around it. This wasn't a place that I knew.

I furrowed my brow looking around where I could. I was on a couch that seemed to enclose the whole space. I couldn't see past that.

Where the hell was I?

I popped up, feeling a panic rising in my gut. I spun my head to the direction of the voices, ignoring the dizzy spell that hit me.

Three pairs of surprised eyes met me across from what looked like a kitchen.

I recognized them one by one.

Leonardo.

Raphael.

Michaelangelo.

One was missing, but I couldn't remember who, my mind was cloudy.

I had an idea of where I was. Some memories and scenes of last night returning. The last thing I remembered was walking to this couch.

"Well, she's awake." Raph stated.

"I'll go let Donnie know." Leo said taking a light jog towards the steel doors across the other way.

Ah Donnie was his name, thats right. I stared at those doors for a moment, remembering the hour or so I spent in there last night. Or at least I think it was an hour.

Mikey and Raph made their way over, Raph took a seat in front of me on the couch and Mikey plopped down on the floor sitting indian style.

"How are you feeling dudette?" Mikey asked worriedly but with a smile.

I rubbed my tired eyes. "Better. I guess."

"Need anything?" Raph asked, I looked up, still a scary looking guy compared to the others but his voice was soft enough despite being gruff.

"Water...if you could please."

"On it." He said hopping up off the couch.

Leo was quick to take Raph's place and the purple one... Donnie kneel beside Mikey.

I looked to Donnie already knowing he'd be asking some questions.

"How's your pain?" He asked putting a hand on my shoulder. Eyes looking concerned.

"Tolerable. But I can't really feel much... My whole body kind of feels weird." I said admittedly. My sense of touch was dulled, my muscles were slow, but I felt kind of euphoric strangely enough. All things I began to notice as I woke up more.

"That's probably from the last morphine shot I gave you. It should start to be wearing off in an hour or two."

My eyes went kind of wide.

Well that explains that.

"What? You gave me morphine? When?"

"Well you definitely don't remember the last one, you were still unconscious. But I originally gave you a small dose around one a.m... You don't remember do you?"

"No." My voice cracked, that scared me that I didn't remember.

"It's probably best that isn't in your memory bank then." Raph chuckled handing me the glass of water as my head swiveled to him.

Taking the glass quietly I took a quick sip of the water and then put it on the floor beside me.

"Raph could you just leave the explaining to me please? Thanks." Donnie said coldly.

Raph threw up his hands in defense then folded his arms aggravated.

"So what happened exactly that required you to give me morphine?" I inquired, rubbing my eyes again, they felt like they had been glued shut at one point.

"Well it's sort of my fault for not having you take pain killers before you fell asleep..." Donnie trailed off with guilt in his voice.

I wasn't mad or focusing on the fact I was given morphine without my knowledge, I sat there thinking hard trying to remember even laying down on the couch in the first place. The memory wasn't there. I had a brief image flash in my mind of Leo resting my hand on the pillow. But when he did that I had no idea. There was just too much to process.

"... and then you woke up in the middle of the night screaming in pain. Morphine was really the only choice I had. Even if I had a pain killer that you could safely take without eating first, I don't think I was getting you to take it." Donnie said fast and apologetically.

I sat silent for a moment, seeing it stupid to try and remember something like that. And honestly I felt kind of thankful for the fact that these guys- total strangers- were carefully looking after me and that I felt pretty darn good right now. I looked back to Donnie.

"Well I don't remember any of it. As Raph said, sounds best that I don't remember it." I chuckled, grabbing the glass to take another sip of water. The mood of the place lightened up once they heard the concern lift from my voice. "And I feel pretty fantastic right now so ah-thank you."

"Heh. I don't mean to dampen your mood, but that will probably wear off soon. So to stay on top of the pain I'll get you some ibuprofen 800s to take after you eat. That's the best I've got for now." Donnie said standing and heading off to retrieve said medication.

"Oh heck yeah its almost pizza time." Mikey blurted.

"Pizza time...? What time is it?"

Leo glanced down at a phone. "Six-"

I almost spit out my water. "It's not morning?!" Not like one could tell under ground anyway.

"You were out for almost a whole twenty four hours. Excluding the part when you woke up in the middle of the night." Raph replied.

I stare at him for second, probably with a goofy smile on my face because I started to find it funny.

"Damn if I wasn't high as hell right now I'd be worried about that." I laughed and they chuckled along. I held up my empty glass to Raph and he took it to be placed back in the kitchen.

"So what kind of pizza do you like? Or if you want pizza...I can go get the menu to the place we order from." Leo said.

"I like the kind with pineapples on it. We don't get pizza all too often where I'm from... no idea what that kind its called."

Leo's eyes lit up. "You mean Hawaiian pizza."

"Yeah that."

"No Leo this does not justify pineapples on pizza!" Mikey shouted, he shot up next to me and grabbed my shoulder. "Koda got hit on the head, she has no idea what she's talking about."

"You don't get an opinion! You put marshmallows on yours!" Leo jokingly yelled back.

"He ain't wrong Leo. It's unnatural." Raph said from the kitchen.

"Uncultured swine." I yelled over to Raph.

"Wha- what did she just call me?!"

"An uncultured pig. And I happen to agree with her." Leo laughed back.

And that's when Raph came in for the kill at full sprint and tackled Leo off the couch.

Dinner lasted a while and was filled with laughs and jokes.

Leo was more than excited to share the Hawaiian with me. He wouldn't stop telling his brothers how they were wrong about the pizza all these years.

And I couldn't understand how they defined themselves by pizza toppings. City people are weird.

Mikey was relentless in his attempts to get me to try his marshmallow pizza. To which I eventually replied I would rather get my good hand blasted by a Kraang gun instead of eat whatever that concoction was.

Also to my surprise they had human friends. They brought the pizza as a matter of fact.

The red head was sweet as pie. Her name was April. Her and Donnie had a thing going. To each their own I guess. Not saying it was a bad thing or strange! After all my parents were an interracial couple... but come on, girl, he's a turtle. He's nice enough though so I guess it checks out.

Casey was cool but way too flirtatious. If we were in school- he is a boy I would pummel into the ground for thinking he's hot shit. A couple of glares was enough to get him to know that crap belonged nowhere near me.

Karai was also pretty rad. I was never a makeup person but hers was "on fleek" as I've heard kids say in school. And somehow... long story short: a deceased rat dad named Splinter is the reason her and the turtles are technical half siblings or maybe a quarter siblings? I didn't really catch the scientific babbling from Donnie. I don't really think anybody did.

Again, the strange things you find and see in the city...

But I had also gotten a lot of answers that I was looking for during the more serious parts of the night's chatter.

I was in another dimension. It could be months before I can get back home. The Kraang- which the turtles had been fighting for a long time- were supposedly destroyed. But another faction must've survived somewhere that went unnoticed.

I have been part of a plan since birth for them to use my DNA to take over my universe. But as plan b: I learned they had done the same to April and I got a lot of the background story on how they all became friends and got to where they are today.

Once they got ear of the Kraang's survival and new plans they came out looking for me. Apparently this dimension is used as a passage way between others quite often and the turtles learned they'd bring me through here first. Then they found me and here I was.

Donnie went on that through listening to some kind of translator he had intel that my family was safe. The Kraang couldn't locate them even after torching my house... he could've left that part out. And a slap from Leo signaled that to be true. But I didn't care as long as my parents and brothers and pup were safe.

The turtles also informed me that they had close ties with an organization called the Earth protection force and another alien species (which were technically kraang) called the Utrom. They told both of the situation, the EPF in this dimension alerted the ones in my dimension and the Utrom headed over to help battle it out.

The turtles were going to keep me safe here until the all clear was given by the Utrom. The Kraang would be looking for me and I guess they were far more dangerous than they used to be. It was best to let real militaries deal with them for now. The Utrom would be looking for my family and bring them here if and when they were located.

It was so much to take in. I didn't really feel much about it, it was a lot to process. That and it was still kind of hard to think, whether that was from morphine or the concussion I had no idea.

The night dwindled down, my fellow humans had departed some time ago and I was left among the mutants. Leo and Donnie were nowhere in sight. Mikey sat way in front by the television. Raph was to my right on the couch.

I was desperately waiting for either Leo or Donnie to stroll back in. My injuries were becoming very pronounced once again as the drug began to wear off and the ibuprofen was not able to battle the pain now that was sure to be worse in the coming hours.

I could ask Raph or Mikey. But my typical anxious personality began to return with the diminishing concussion from yesterday. I didn't want to be a bother or nuisance in someone else's home that I was invited into. And quite honestly I felt more comfortable talking to Leo or Donnie as I had spoken to them the most.

Just as I was about to finally speak up, Leo quietly entered the main room.

Finally.

Making a stride straight for Raph, Leo looked furious. I turned my head to see Raph with a corn cob pipe to his lips and lighter in hand. That's what Leo's beeline was for. I don't know how I didn't notice that earlier. He smacked it down from behind Raph.

"Rapheal! Not out here." He seethed through his teeth. He folded his arms as he stood above on the backside of the inground couch.

"It's only an herb, Leo." He chuckled. The pipe already long hidden in his belt.

"Its a drug and I don't want it out in the open in our home. I said you could use it for anger management as a tool not a recreation."

"I was." Raph fired back confidently.

"Just have some respect and keep it private." Leo said quieter gesturing his eyes my way.

"Whatever sensei Leo."

Leo just shook his head and made his way toward his room which appeared to be his original destination before eyeing Raph.

I kept staring at Raph for a minute. Now I only smoked cannabis two times in my life. Yes I was only eighteen but being in the woods growing up we had access to it uninterrupted. After those two times in my life I had never wanted to dabble in it again. John continued to though, he kept it out of sight and out of mind at least. But right now I knew it would be a good solution to my pain rather than another shot of morphine or ibuprofen. But I couldn't dare bring myself to ask.

"I didn't bother you right?" Raph's sudden guilt ladden question caught me by surprise as I realized I had still been staring at him.

"O-oh... No." I stuttered.

Perfect time to ask..."Ok. Sorry if I did though. Leo's right... I promise I only use it to help my anger-"

I interjected his rambling before he got too far for me to take my chance. "I took you for a pothead anyway." I smiled.

"Do I really give off that vibe?" He asked almost hurt sounding.

"Yeah, just a tad." I chuckled. "Now pass me that pipe before mister rules comes back."

He smirked. "You and I... we're gonna get along great." He said before handing me the pipe and lighter. I took a quick hit and passed it back, holding the smoke in my lungs for a brief second.

I knew the effects would be short lasting and wouldn't necessarily take the pain away, but would help me forget about it long enough to fall asleep. Hopefully by morning I wouldn't need anything to manage the pain.

Raph took another hit himself and Leo walked in just as he did so.

"Are you kidding me!?" He stammered.

I let the puff of smoke out of my lungs because I couldn't hold it in anymore. I tried to be discreet about it. But Leo's eyes were quick to narrow in on me, his mouth hung open in disbelief for a second. His dumbfounded gaze flashed heatedly back to Raph and he snatched the pipe from his younger brother.

"You're grounded."

"You can't ground me we're nineteen." Raph laughed.

"Yeah well you are." Leo huffed and stormed off with the pipe.

Raph and I broke out in laughter as soon as he was out of sight.