"You're also a mutant like them?"
"I'm not sure though if I would be called as one. But I do have abilities. I wanted to tell you about it but it's too complicated." Rose started to explained about how she has those abilities. Although at the back of her mind, Rose doesn't know its potential and how far she can go with her abilities. Especially she hasn't learn how to fully control of them. She kept straining herself on it. But for now, they just got back to their apartment they are living together. April took Rose to the hospital where Rose got treated. The doctors gave her prescriptions and recommended medicines to take incase her anemia kicks in. They also suggested to see psychiatrist as well if her anxiety gets a better of her. They said that if anxiety started, your brain will start malfunctioning, since brain is connected to everything, your body organs will start malfunction as well, thus creating GERD and having a lot of problem to your body.
"Try me." April sighed, readying herself to a long explanation that her friend will tell her.
"I was born with this abilities. Even as a child, I could hear other's people's thoughts. But I couldn't fully control it. I could sometimes do it, but sometimes I don't. But I can control things using my mind."
"Wait, you can move things?" Then the objects surrounding the two girls floated. Light blue energy can be seen surrounding on each objects that is floating. Rose gestured her hands again to put the things that she made float to where its laying down. April is so shocked the revelation that her friend is no ordinary roommate. No ordinary student. She's not just cool, but super cool.
"Okay. That's so cool." April chuckled. But composed herself as she didn't forget how Rose kept this secret from her and still upset about it.
"But still, I am upset that you kept this from me."
"I'm sorry, April." Rose looking upset as well to herself.
"But it's not too late right?" Then April looked at Rose with a menacing look giving Rose an unsure feeling.
"But you can help me out." April started. "You can help me out convincing Bernadette about the vigilantes."
"I don't think that's a good idea, A." Rose disagreed. Rose, who is also different like the turtles, knew the feeling of it.
"Come on, this is now my story. There's no more froth or foam for me."
"April, didn't they told us that they will find us if we tell others about their existence?" Rose reasoned back at her and added.
"Did you see Donnie with his technology? He'll probably has a lot of research on us." But of course, as April wanted to become a super certified serious jounalist didn't listen and started digging on her clothes.
"Leonardo." April muttered while digging more.
"Raphael. I know those names." Rose could only watched the aspiring reporter digging out until she finally took out a box and opened it. She took out an old model camera used back around 1998 or 1999.
"You know those turtles, don't you?" Rose asked the reporter who is busy watching an old video. Rose got curious on what's on that tape, so she sat beside April to watch it.
The video showed Eric Sacks injecting the mutagen on each turtle. They're box turtles. Then another scene came, young April asking Mr. Eric Sacks on what they are doing. And Eric Sacks answered. "We're trying to change the world."
Then another video played, a video showing a rat. April found another videos, and it was named after the Italian Renaissance painters. Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo.
This made Rose realized on how April reciting and muttering their names. So she knew those turtles. She could recognize them as her childhood pets.
"I knew it! The vigilante! I saw him! I saw them-"
"WE saw them." Rose corrected.
"They were my childhood pets and they were named after Italian Renaissance painters."
April excitedly told Rose upon realizing how safe her childhood pets are.
so I befriended a childhood pet? Rose thoughts.
April turned to Rose and said. "And Rose, please be my witness!" As much as Rose wanted to help April with her fantastic story but thinking about the turtles, especially on how they don't want to be find. Rose could feel it. She could feel if the world found out about them, it'll be really hard for them. People will either make fun of them, probably get bullied or something. OR if April told this to other, she'll lose her job. Either way, for Rose, whatever April is trying to do, it is not a good idea.
"I can't." Rose plainly denied.
"I'm so sorry April, I want to help you but I can't. This is my last year of college. I can't mess up anything." Rose said to April.
April sighed. Feeling defeated. Rose felt upset for her friend. As much as she wanted to help April but she's also afraid for her.
No words has spoken since that night. April kept working all night. Since the doctor told Rose to sleep earlier as prescribed to her, she slept that night. Her body is so tired that day, from school, being hostage and meeting the four ninja turtles.
--
After their encounter with two human, the four brothers came to hustle back their lair before their master notice their disappearance. Donnie, the tallest and the second youngest turtle quietly open the door that has a circle shape.
"Is he here?" Asked the red bandana turtle. Donnie used his goggles to scanned the Area.
"I don't see him." Leo said then turned his attention to the younger brother, Donnie.
"Donnie?"
"My thermal thermal scans indicate there's 74% variable that there's a 61% chance he's not..." Donnie said however was cut when Mikey the youngest of the brothers, sporting his signature orange bandana, jumped at them, surprising his three older brothers only to be shushed by them.
"That he's not here, guys."
"That he's not here."
"Okay. Fall in. QUIETLY." Leo ordered his brothers quietly as possible. Then jumped softly leading the way. Followed by Raph doing the same tone then Donnie. Mikey took his time for a bit until he jumped, grunted loudly enough to earned a stern glare from Raph and Donnie.
"Dude, so if it wasn't obviously with that girl." He whispered, literally talking about April he is simping on.
"Dibs!" He pointed on himself. Then turned his attention to Donnie.
"Though I like Rose too, she's quite charming. Right Donnie?"
"Ssshhh. Mikey!"
"If Master Splinter catches us, he'll send us all to the ha'shi." Leo scolded his youngest brother.
"I ain't going back to the ha'shi." Raph said.
"Every time we're in the ha'shi, it's because of you." Leo started. The tension to the both older turtles ignited
"Well, bro. You don't have to worry dragging you down anymore." Raph argued back pushing Leo.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Mikey asked.
"I'm going out on my own. First chance I get." Raph answered Mikey then putting his sai weapon on its sheathed.
"How are we gonna finish our hip-hop christmas album, bro?" Mikey reasoned out.
"You're the hype man!" Then the three brothers starts shushing themselves.
"Shut up."
"Shut up."
"I got glop in my eye."
Donnie then joined to scold his three brothers only to be scold back.
"Ssshhh. He's not going anywhere. We all stick together." Leo said reassuring Mikey.
"Sorry I spit in your eye, bro." Mikey apologized to his older brother. Then a thud can be heard from their behind to which Donnie called his brothers and informed them.
"Sshh. Guys guys. We got a bogey."
Splinter, the rat mutant who took care of them, turned his flashlight on, shining it to the four brothers. Before Leo could say anything, he smacked his using his long tail.
"Where have you been?" He asked.
"We weren't..." Raph started only to get choked by Splinter's tail.
"I forgot to soak my retainer!" Donnie excused himself and tried to runaway but still got hit by Splinter's tail causing him to hit the ground.
"I'm totally sleepwalking. Look! Mikey is sleeping and walking. He's totally innocent." Mikey tried to act like sleep walking, convincing his master that he is 'innocent' and has nothing to do with them but it didn't work on Splinter still hit Mikey.
"Enough! You disobeyed the direct order! What happened?" Splinter angrily scolded the four brothers.
"Very well. If that's how it's going to be... To the Ha'shi!"
--
When morning came, Rose does her normal routine. Getting up early in the morning, cooked breakfast, make bento box for her and for April, since April is still sleeping, once she has done her routine, she left a note to April:
Dear April,
Here's your lunch. I hope you're doing fine lately. I'm sorry about last night.You'll become one of the greatest reporter someday. Don't give up! Fighting!
Love,
Rose
Rose neatly folded it on the bento box she made for April. Hoping that she would like it as she felt guilty on not helping April to become her witness.
But it's for the best, right
As usual, Rose took a subway to go to her school. St. Freya High School. An all-girls school. Her last year of high school. Rose can't wait for her to graduate this year and to become a full artist someday. Yep. Rose already decided to pursue her passion to become an artist. She'll continue her business as a painter and a digital artist.
All through out her classes, Rose couldn't focus so much as her mind is clouded about what happened last night. The night where she met the turtles. Especially the turtle named Donnie. He said that they were childhood bestfriends. Rose couldn't remember that phase of her life. But Donnie is always on her dreams. He's such a gentleman or gentle turtle. The way Donnie took care of her on the rooftop when she was on her weakened state. If it's others, they might probably took advantage of it. But Donnie, he was so nice and caring. Rose could tell that Donnie is probably the most gentle one, well aside from being the smart one too. Raphael seems like a tough guy but deep inside, he's the softest one. Mikey seems the friendliest as well as the most playful one. Probably the youngest of all the turtles, then there's Leo. As per Raphael "Who put you in charge?", Rose assumed that he's the leader. He's is also gentle as Donnie is but she can feel his burden.
Rose isn't really freaked out like how April reacted, not that she's afraid of them. Probably because she's also like them? A different kind of people. Rose consider herself as different. Welp. She's actually different than most kids here in St. Freya. Most of the girls here are either party-goers, they have group of friends, some are just as introverted as her, some are just plainly popular, some are royalty. But Rose? Aside from being an introvert, she doesn't belong to any of those type of people. She's entirely different to them that's why she doesn't have that much friends. She's more invisible to many, and the only people who knows her are her teachers. Why? Well. She's a scholar and maintains her top A grades to her subjects. She's one of the most diligent student in St. Freya and most of the teachers spoke highly of her.
"Miss Park?" Her math teacher called the only Asian student on her class to which the latter responded, there's a bit shock on written subtly on her face. The class turned their attention to Rose as well, to which gained an anxious feeling to the mutant.
"I hope you're listening the entire time, Miss Park. Care to answer the problem here on the board." The math teacher gestured her to go to the board. This made Rose more anxious as she wasn't paying that much attention to the class. Thankfully, the bell rings. Indicating for them that's already dismissal time.
Rose has fixed her things for school, putting them all inside her sling tote bag. After she's done putting them inside, she slung her bag on her shoulders, she was about to leave the class when the math teacher approaches her.
"Ms. Park, are you okay?" She asked worriedly. To which Rose nodded softly.
"You've been distracted the whole day, whatever it is, I hope for you to get well."
"Thank you." After that, Rose left the room.
--
"Ooh. 11 hours in the Ha'shi." Splinter was quite impressed to the four turtle brothers who aren't breaking yet. Not giving up on giving information about what happened and what they did above ground.
Each of the brothers have their own punishment. Leonardo in a split, trying to balanced out the three eggs from his head and each egg on the chopsticks he's holding. Then there's Mikey on an upside down with a chair, Donnie.
Splinter looked at the four brothers, observing each of them. "Are you sure none of you want to tell me where you were last night?"
"How you holding up, fellas?" Leo asked his brothers struggling on his position.
Then he used his tail to slight hit Raph's bike almost losing his balance while knitting with one leg. "I ain't breaking if Donnie ain't breaking." He stubbornly said. Then Splinter turn towards his attention to Donnie who is balancing ping pong while standing on a plank spinning. "Experiencing intense nausea but not breaking."
The rat mutant used his tail again to spun Donnie's plank faster then turned his attention to the youngest turtle. The mentally weakest turtle out of the four turtle who is in an upside down with a chair on one foot.
"Guys, I'm in the zone!" He said spinning around. "There's literally nothing that could break me!" Then at the right timing, Splinter presented the Pizza infront of Mikey. This made Mikey shake at the presence of his favorite food.
"Of course, you've all tasted the five cheese pizza. But this." Splinter started as he gestured to the pizza box infront of the brothers.
"Cheesemongers have speculated of its existence for centuries. Da Vinci's original masterpiece. I submit to you..." then splinter dramatically opened the pizza and spoke something an Italian words.
"The 99 cheese pizza."
"Ooh. It's not possible." Mikey who's now his head is on the clouds.
"Mikey. it's a trap! A pizza with that variety of cheese is a culinary impossibility!" Donnie warned Mikey. But on noticing on Mikey's situation, he's starting to break as Splinter listed all of the ingredients.
"I don't even know what that is." Mikey said.
"Mozzarella of course." And because of the last ingredients, Mikey started to break.
"All right, all right, all right! We left the lair because the Foot were taking hostages and we kicked some serious butt, and there was this two girls named April O'Neil who took our picture and there's this Asian chick names Rossuain Park that Donnie has a crush on but we took care of it."
Splinter's face changed by the time he heard April and Rose's names knowing what kind of danger they have been too.
"Oh no. My worst fear have been realized." He muttered but still enough to hear by the four brothers.
"Don't worry about it. Donnie erased the picture, we're not in danger." Leo reassuring his sensei not knowing that it was the two girls who are in danger.
"No, it's April O'Neil and Rossuain Park are in danger!" Splinter said. "Find the girls! Bring them here!"
"Specially Rose, make sure to bring her here."
"But sensei, you said not to go..." Donnie tried to reasoned out.
"Find the girls!" Splinter insisted.
"Find the girls." Mikey said while munching the pizza he snatched on Splinter's hand.