Chapter 5

Elizabeth (POV)

The more I spent time with the turtles the more I was surprised I didn't really know them at all. I thought I knew everything about these guys' but all I really knew was what I had read and seen. It became obvious to me that not everything about them would be mentioned and it saddened me. I was embarrassed that I thought I knew everything that made them the amazing people I had come to know. It was the little things that made people, and I was learning them every day.

I discovered that Leonardo awoke every morning at dawn and would drink a full cup of lemon tea before leaving for his morning exercise, and when he returned would flick between the headline news and the lifestyle section of the daily paper. Donatello would spend most of mid-morning cleaning around the old farm house; he emptied the dish washer without complaint and would continue on his way. I became fascinated with learning more about them, but I did so silently and kept my distance. It had only been a week since I had arrived and I was already becoming comfortable with my new life.

It was Tuesday morning and I sat on the front porch swing. The grounds of the farm house were beautiful with a big barn to the left of me and a vast woods expanding behind that. I had thought about exploring but decided against it. Donatello had warned me about my condition and until he could understand what had happened to me it was unwise to wander off on my own. I obeyed his instructions but the time left me to think more and more about my old life. I was worried about what was said about my disappearance. Would Emmet be blamed? Or would my family believe his story, or was it too outrageous to even take the word of ten other witnesses.

I was sad for my family, and I was upset about my current condition. My body had changed, I barely recognised myself anymore, and I couldn't control myself when it came to raw meat. I could smell it from miles away and it made my mouth water, but that wasn't the problem that bothered me the most. I had realised that Karai had been one of the main reasons why I was here and a mutant. I hated her for it and my thoughts were consumed by her. I hadn't told the others that she had been involved. I wanted to find her, and make her pay for what she had done to me.

"A man is but the product of his thoughts what he thinks, he becomes" Master Splinter stood in the main doorway. His ears pricked to the sound of a small bird singing in the trees. I was ashamed of my recent inner monologue, and for a split second I thought Splinter could tell what I was thinking.

"Master Splinter, I am afraid" I whispered as he came and sat beside me. He placed his walking stick beside the seat and sighed as he made himself comfortable.

"Tell me what you fear Elizabeth"

"I am afraid of myself sensei" I didn't know how to express it any other way. I knew I wasn't a killer and these thoughts frightened me. I could tell that even though I was accepted by my new friends they were on edge around me, almost expecting me to snap. It hurt me to think that I had killed something and could do it again without knowing.

"Personal pain can be more terrifying than anything anyone else can inflict. You have been through some difficult periods in such a short space of time. It is expected that you would feel unsure of your surroundings. The people you have lost should not be forgotten but do not let their memory dictate how you would regard your new life." He smiled when Michelangelo and Casey walked out from the house laughing.

"Hey Zee! We were looking for you; we are going to have a movie night. You up for it?" Michelangelo held up a DVD case and waved it at me.

"Sure" I smiled softly and walked to the front door thanking Splinter before walking inside. "Zee?" I questioned the both of them. "Is that supposed to be a nickname?" I took the DVD case from them and scanned the back.

"Yeah, it seems a lot cooler than Elizabeth" Mikey grabbed the box back and skipped towards the television. The movie wasn't great but I didn't complain. It was light storied horror movie about a small town girl who is stalked by her high school teacher. When it was over I excused myself and went to bed and had a dreamless sleep.

Leonardo (POV)

I walked down the stairs silently. I wasn't worried about waking anyone up, I was already late. I had slept in because of the late night movie. I drank my tea quickly and headed for the door. She scared me. I really wasn't expecting to see anyone up so early. She stood in the grass in her bare feet. They were covered in mud and bits of grass; I was more worried about the blood stains that covered her pyjamas. Her hands and face were also stained. She seemed in a trance but be became aware of me when I spoke. "Elizabeth, what happened?"

She swayed, lifting her head. "I killed a moose" then pushed her head between her shoulders. I walked towards her and began guide her inside the house and up the stairs. I ran the bath in her room, and while the water ran I retrieved towels from the main bathroom closet. When I walked back into the bathroom I was shocked to see she had begun to take off her stained bed clothes. I turned away shyly "The towels are here"

"Thank you" she said and I heard her dip into the water. I waited in her room, not wanting to leave her alone. I sat on her bed and mulled over waking Donnie up or not. It was still pretty early and we had all had a late night. When the bathroom door opened she walked out wearing just a towel. Her hair was dark when wet and fell to one side of her neck, she pushed back her fringe as she approached me. She bit the top of her lip awkwardly, looking at me.

"I'm sorry" was all that she said. I stood up from her bed and made my way towards the exit, turning with a questioning look.

"Will you be okay?" I wasn't sure if that was the question I wanted to ask, but it was the only one I could think of. She sat on the bed and water dripped on to the sheets from her hair. Her ears hung low and made her look sad and upset.

"Yeah, I think so, I just need to sleep" Her tail twisted around her waist and I searched for the door handle with my hand and began twisting.

"Okay, if you need anything I will be just outside in the yard." She nodded and I left and walked downstairs for the second time that morning.