Chapter Two

"Excuse me?" Leo asked dumbly.

Chuckling again, the woman took a step closer. "You hear strange stories from time to time," she explained, as easily as if she were talking to the mailman, "especially late at night at clubs."

The revelation that stories about them circulated in nightclubs among intoxicated patrons didn't shock him - they had been seen enough times now that rumors were inevitable - but the utter indifference this woman was showing over meeting him face to face did.

She looked completely calm - serene, even - as if she ran into beings who were something other than human all the time. Not that he minded; it was kind of a relief, actually. He didn't care for the screaming very much...although the fainting was kind of funny when a man did it.

He felt like he needed to be sure, though, just in case she was only pretending not to be terrified. "So...bumping into a five-foot-tall turtle in the middle of a dark alley doesn't scare you?" he wondered, keeping his tone light as he let a smile touch his face.

Another chuckle. His skin prickled again. "No. Should it?"

She took another step closer, and the light stretched across her face. Leo felt his breath catch in his throat.

He had never seen anyone so beautiful before. Her face was a perfect heart shape, her features slender and delicate. Her coat had a hood that softly framed her face and hid her hair, but the wisp of bangs hanging over her forehead was red - the brightest, purest red he had ever seen. Her skin was smooth and flawless, like white porcelain.

But what struck him most were her eyes; he had never seen such a green before, so bright and luminous. Though there was a smile on her plump, pink lips, those eyes were sharp as knives, boring into him. There was something almost primal, bestial about them; a shiver ran through him.

"Now that you mention it, you do look a little menacing," she noted, her voice like liquid velvet. "Do you always carry weapons like that around?"

"No - I mean yes, I do, but they're not..."

It was hard to talk for some reason. A strange ache was forming deep inside him; she was so beautiful it was almost painful to look at her. He wanted to look away, but he couldn't. He felt like those eyes were going to draw him in and swallow him whole.

Her smile deepened, and a dimple appeared in each cheek, like two perfect dents in white cream. "Relax; I was only kidding. I've been watching you for a while, and I can tell you aren't looking for trouble. Honestly, you look a little down."

I am, Leo wanted to blurt out. He couldn't explain why, but he wanted to spill out all his troubles to this woman, and he didn't even know her name. But the thought that maybe he had found a new friend and ally - especially during a time he felt so out of place - made his spirits lift a little.

Befriending her didn't seem like a farfetched idea; he had never seen someone take meeting him into stride so easily. "I am," he admitted, out loud this time. "Down, that is."

Her gaze turned sympathetic, though it didn't lose its intensity. "I can imagine. It must be awfully hard for you, being part of this world but having to hide from it."

That wasn't why he was down right now, but...he did get depressed about that sometimes. And it might be nice to talk to someone about it - someone who wasn't one of his brothers, someone who seemed understanding and compassionate.

He knew he would probably be scolded later for being so careless, but for now he let those thoughts slip from his mind. A ghost of a smile touching his face, he took a step closer. "That can be rough," he allowed. "But we're used to it."

"We," she repeated. "So the rumors are true; there are several of you living below these streets."

"How many do the locals figure there are?" Leo wondered curiously.

The smile returned, along with the dimples. Leo had always thought dimples were cute, but seeing them on a face so achingly beautiful made them something...else.

"Depends on how much the storyteller has had to drink," was the response. "Last I heard there was an entire army of mutated reptiles, amphibians and pet goldfish growing down there, waiting for the right moment to rise up against us mammals."

The image made Leo snicker. "Well, I haven't seen anything that qualifies as an army yet, but when I do I'll be sure to tell them to calm down a little."

He could hardly believe how easy it was to talk to this person. He hesitated to use that old, overused cliché of it being like they already knew each other...but that was how it was starting to feel. And she had said she had been watching him for a while...she just hadn't said for how long. He had been distracted for several nights now; for all he knew, she had spotted him days ago and had been waiting for a chance to speak to him.

His smile growing, he moved closer, until they were standing only about a foot apart. He had to look up to hold her gaze - which he couldn't seem to bring himself to look away from - but not very much. This woman was very petite, standing at only five-foot-one or so.

He was used to being around humans who were notably taller than him, so this was a nice change. "I'm Leonardo," he volunteered, "but you can call me Leo."

"Arella," said the green-eyed stranger, and held out her hand.

No one had ever offered to shake his hand before. Feeling a little shy, Leo slowly reached out and gripped her slender fingers. They were soft, he discovered, and delicate, and he made sure not to squeeze too tightly. Her skin, which felt as flawless as it looked, didn't feel warm or cold to the touch.

"How many of you are there?" Arella asked, her luminous eyes scanning his.

"Just four," he said, without hesitation. "And our sensei. He's a rat."

Arella's smile was knowing. "And the five of you have to live cooped up underground? You must drive each other nuts."

Leo laughed a little. "Sometimes. But we're really pretty close."

Well, we used to be, he added bitterly to himself.

Arella's smile softened. She had such an air of understanding and caring about her, Leo felt completely comfortable telling her these things. He wanted to tell her more - everything, in fact. Their entire history and everything that had led them to where they were now - especially this uncertain time he found himself in. In fact, he wanted to talk about that the most.

Her gaze suddenly left his, and Leo followed it down to where their hands were still clasped together. His cheeks started to warm; he hadn't noticed that he never let go.

He withdrew his hand shyly, but Arella didn't seem to have minded. "How old are you?"

"Seventeen. You?"

This time her smile was more of a smirk. "Old enough," she said vaguely.

"Aw, come on."

The smirk deepened as she shook her head playfully. Leo didn't really care; her small size and delicate-looking frame hinted at youth, but the way she carried herself - with confidence and poise - suggested maturity. He figured she was older than him - but not by a whole lot. Nineteen, maybe.

Most people he met were older than him, so it would be nice to talk to someone closer to his own age.

"Do you live around here?" he wondered.

Arella turned and pointed across the alley. "A few blocks down that way," she directed, "in a studio apartment above the old movie theater."

Leo knew the place. It wasn't far from where April used to live, actually, before the antique store burned down. That theater had been closed down for years, and though it was up for rent, no one had picked it up because, well...that area had gotten a little seedy.

"Not the nicest place in town," he noted, with a small frown.

Slipping her hands back into her coat pockets, Arella gave a nonchalant shrug. "You do what you can to get by."

Leo snorted quietly. "Tell me about it."

Though honestly, he was pretty sure a broken-down subway was a lot nicer than one of those apartments. At least they never had to worry about the police busting the door down in the middle of the night because they were looking for the drug dealers who lived next door.

Arella lifted her slender wrist and glanced down at the watch she was wearing. "I had better go," she said, a touch of reluctance in her voice.

Leo felt a surge of something much deeper than mere reluctance. "Do you have to?" he asked.

He knew that sounded childish, but he didn't want her to leave. Not yet.

"I have to," she said apologetically. "I've got some things I need to do."

Leo had never envied humans the time constraints and schedules they had to stick to. Now he downright loathed them. "Will I get to see you again?"

Her smile was warm as she reached out, her hands closing around one of his. They felt like before - not warm and not cold - but he curled his large fingers around hers, reveling in the simple touch. "Of course. You know where I live; if you ever need to talk to someone, don't hesitate to stop by."

She paused. "Although I'm not always there, or sometimes I won't be able to let you in."

"I understand," Leo said quickly. "You've got a job just like everybody else, and friends you won't be able to, uh, freely introduce me to."

He smiled, and Arella's eyes twinkled in amusement. He found himself staring into them - he always thought it was stupid and corny when people in movies did that but couldn't stop himself - and almost made a sound of protest when she suddenly looked away. Her hands let go of his.

"See you around, Little Leo," she called as she passed under the light and disappeared into the darkness.

Something about the way she said that didn't make it condescending, but endearing. Leo felt oddly light and happy as he gazed off in the direction she had gone, smiling to himself.

He wasn't sure how long he stood there like that, but abruptly he blinked several times, feeling like he had just been roused from a dream. He hadn't noticed - in fact he had completely forgotten about it - that it was still raining. It was downright pouring, and he was soaked and cold.

Shivering, Leo turned and hurried toward the nearest way under the streets, feet slapping in the growing puddles. When he got back to the den he found his brothers playfully arguing over a board game. They didn't look at him as he came in, but Splinter, who was reclining in a nearby chair and sipping a cup of tea, glanced over at him with a small frown.

Thankfully, he didn't ask where he had been, and Leo tried not to make eye contact as he darted by and ducked inside the subway car, closing the door behind him.

He absently scrounged up a towel and dried himself off, blind to his own actions. His mind was full of images of Arella - that face, those dimples, those incredible eyes. He couldn't get them out of his head - and he didn't want to.

Another thing he didn't want to do was share this with his brothers. He had considered it - briefly - but he had decided against it. He rarely had things all to himself - and if they weren't interested in sharing anything with him right now, then why not?

It would be nice to have something that was all his own for a change. Arella would be his own little secret, something for him and him alone.

Well, he probably wouldn't be able to keep it that way forever. She was bound to grow curious about the rest of them, and someone - probably Splinter, who had a habit of figuring out anything and everything - would eventually notice that something was up.

But until then, he had no intention of mentioning tonight to anyone. He would behave like everything was normal...which would give him the chance to have Arella to himself for a while. A place to go when he wanted to talk, or to just get away and be with someone who wasn't one of his brothers, who weren't being very receptive to him right now anyway.

As he switched off the lamp and curled up in bed, it occurred to him that he never had a secret from his family before, not in all his seventeen years. Splinter had taught them that secrets were wrong, especially among family members. Plus he had that annoying habit of figuring out things. Leo knew he probably wouldn't be able to keep this a secret for long...but for however long it lasted, he was going to savor it.