The Spark

Chapter 2: A Taste of the Future

I do not own the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Carefully climbing down the last few steps of the grimy ladder that served as a one of the main access points to the lively surface world above, Fox landed swiftly onto the damp cobbled floor below. His heart raced, his hands trembled, and sweat was dripping down his eagerly grinning face yet again. He looked at his older brother with admiration filling his youthful eyes to the brim, and marveled at how calm Skull was given the feat that they accomplished

They were in their hideout yet again, sweaty, hearts racing, breathing heavily, and letting the large amounts of adrenaline leave their trembling young bodies because they had successfully shoplifted a large amount of items from the local convenience store. Skull decided that they needed to switch up their normal routine. To him, it was not challenging enough because, let's face it, a farmers market does not offer the highest level of security.

Smiling triumphantly at his younger brother, Skull straightened out, confidently grabbing the lapels of his worn tan overcoat. Leaning into Fox, he coolly whispered, "D'wanna see what I boosted from the store?" His brother's silent and eager nod was all he needed and he opened his jacket grinning at his Fox's gasps of shock and awe.

Hiding under his over-sized overcoat, like their identities, a secret from the world, were two large cloth sacks that served as the inner lining of his coat. The two other pockets were attached to these large inner pockets causing whatever to be put in them to disappear into a place that only Skull, and now Fox, knew about. It was a clever idea.

The cloth sacks bulged and Fox for the life of him could not understand how his brother was able to move so casually because from the sheer sight of the bags alone, he knew that his brother was being weighed down with various treasures.

It took Skull a good twenty minutes to empty his pockets and separate the goodies into neat piles. Fruits, vegetables, breads, pastries, soups, candies, juice packets, meats, supplies, and various other items all found their way into his possession. Every item was categorized and put into its respected pile. From there, he decided what was going back to the lair for their family, and what was going to stay in their secret hideaway.

"What did you manage to swipe, bro?"

Hesitantly Fox began emptying out his coat pockets. The thought of sewing extra cloth to the inside of his jacket to create deeper pockets never crossed his mind. He was only able to grab what the pre made pockets of his trench coat could carry, and he knew that the amount paled in comparison to his brother's. Slowly, he began digging his hands into his pockets and grabbing the items. One by one, he laid them out on the ground below. When he finished he was disheartened by how small his pile looked and avoided eye contact.

"Hey," he felt his brother rest a hand on the back of his shell, "you did great, this is the most stuff you have ever snagged!"

The two boys sat staring at each other for a few moments. Skull reached over into his pile and grabbed a butterfingers candy bar and offered it to his younger brother. With a mischievous smile that was so characteristically his, he quipped, "Wanna celebrate?"

So there they sat, sitting side by side in their secret hideaway on worn bean bag chairs that they looted from the dumpster. They munched on the various treasures they acquired from a hard days of looting while sharing stories and bragging about close encounters with employees and other humans that may or may not have happened. As the candy pile slowly diminished, in their eyes, their future was beginning to taste a bit sweeter. They talked about what they were going to do when they returned home, while also working on the story they were going to tell their family about how they yet again acquired their loot.

"I am so tired of living at home, there are so many rules. When I turn fifteen, I am going to leave," Skull huffed.

"You can't leave; Master Splinter will never let you. I'd never leave."

"Sure he will. I am just going to walk right up to the old rat, look him square in the eyes, and tell him that I think his rules are stupid, the homework he makes us do is stupid, the training sessions are stupid, and that Leo is stupid. Then I am going to walk right up to Leo and punch his teacher's pet self in the face."

"You wouldn't dare," Fox gasped.

"I sure to would dare. Then after that I am going to get a motorcycle or one of those expensive cars, like a Mercedes, or a Mustang, or a Bentley, and I am going to ride until I see the other half of the world. Then I am going to take whatever I can from wherever I can and then I am going to find myself a giant house to live in. After all that is done, I am going to buy the world's largest box of pizza and eat it all by myself."

"A whole box of pizza by yourself?"

"Yep. Every single cheesy slice."

"Wow, that sounds like some plan," said Fox with a hint of admiration at his brothers bravery in his voice, "hey, it's getting late, we should probably start heading back to the lair, we don't want anyone to get suspicious."

With that, the two brothers gathered up their belongings and solidified the story they were going to tell their father. This time, they were going to convince everyone that they acquired all of the food and supplies from a local church and food bank.

As they walked, Skull rambled on about what he was going to do as soon as he turned of age and what he wanted his ideal future to look like. He was tired of hiding, tired of being tucked away underground like some hideous monster. He loathed the surface world but at the same time he wanted to be a part of it. To cause havoc, taste adventure, or create ripples in the monotonous stream, Fox was unsure.

"I know you wouldn't, but what would you do if you left the lair?" Skull questioned his younger brother.

The silence that followed was painful, and Fox didn't quite know what to say. He had never put any serious thought into leaving because he knew that the sewers were probably the best place for his family; they didn't know anything else. He wanted to be more adventurous like his immediate older brother, but at the same time, he knew he was not quite as brave yet. He had never imagined himself anywhere else other than where he was in this present moment, and that thought scared him a little.

"I don't know," he said.

"Well, you can always tag along with me," chirped Skull.

Stopping at the front door of their home, Fox turned around to face his brother. His brother's face was filled with complete compassion and sincerity. He knew that joining Skull as a "partner in crime" was the obvious choice for his older brother, but for him, he wasn't so sure. He thought about his offer for a moment and scrunched up his face into deep thought. He didn't know what he wanted to do, but he knew that he wanted to please his brother. Placing a tender hand on the front door, he looked over his shoulder and said, "Yeah."

Pushing the door open and disappearing into the soft golden glow of the home, he left his brother behind to decipher what exactly he meant by his response.

(A/N) Here is chapter two of The Spark, and I hope you all enjoy it. Please read and review! Constructive feedback is always welcomed.