Leo groaned, rolling over to try and find his missing sheets that always seem to find a way to disappear sometime in the middle of the night.
All he accomplished was getting a bump on the head as he slipped off the couch.
Groggily, Leo sat up, his normally perfect hair sticking up on all sides. He began feeling weird last night before he drifted off on the couch-which is in itself something Leonardo would never do-and he still felt that odd sensation this morning. As if to add insult to injury, the clock on the wall glared at him with the time of one-seventeen.
In the afternoon.
For a while, Leo didn't understand why it said it was so late, and he didn't move for a bit, sleepily gaping up at the wall clock. When the time finally dawned on him, he shoved down his panic. The power must have gone out sometime last night, he tried to rationalize, pushing himself up with the coffee table. He winced as a hand was covered in leftover pizza grease. He grabbed the remote and flicked off the TV with his clean hand, and all but stumbled into the kitchen. Maybe a power outage screwed with the time.
It was right after he washed the pizza sauce off that he remembered that the clock ran on batteries. Leo groaned and hit his head on the fridge, emphasizing the bad day this was turning into. He'd have to call in sick; there was no way he'd go to school with only an hour of class left, and this way his parents wouldn't kill him if they found out he missed a day. But one thing was for sure. Leo would make sure to never miss another day of school again.
His dad would probably already be stern with him when he got home. Mr. West was the kind of father with great expectations, which is why Leo is taking numerous Honors classes. He wasn't a bad father, not at all. He just asked much of his family. 'And,' Leo thought, unbidden, 'he isn't around as much as I'd like him to be…'
Leo did his best to push his musings about his family aside, opting instead to shower. It may be too late for him to go to school, but he could still find something to do in New York. Leo went into his personal bathroom, turning on the water in his shower to a temperature that was not quite hot, but not lukewarm either. Leo shut his door deciding that his shower would not take more than ten minutes.
After his shower, he called the school then threw on a blue sleeveless hoodie and jeans, grabbing his backpack as an afterthought. Maybe later he would return that book he borrowed from sensei Tsuyoi on Japanese history. He locked the apartment up, a force of habit, before he took the elevator down.
The streets were definitely busier today, and Leo had to jostle among the crowd, pushing past people and wincing when elbows struck his side or when people stepped on his toes. Briefly, he wished he could just travel by air, or rooftop, even, to avoid the masses that seemed just so… monotonous.
It made Leo feel small, sometimes. Insignificant. He was just another face in this crowd, moving along with the other nameless people in one big group. He didn't stand out any more than the person next to him. Or behind him. He was just… average.
He sounded harsh on himself, but it was the truth. No one around him saw anything different in the people nearby. But then again, nobody was every truly average, he supposed. He thought of Mikey, the kid from the other day. Anyone else would write him off as a poor child, and they'd probably assume he was some thief, desperate to survive. Heck, even Leo had wondered if he would try to steal from him. And then Leo got to know the kid, and he was pretty nice. He even tried to decline when Leo offered him money to keep himself alive.
He was a neat kid, Leo mused as he bumped into some African-American guy in a pink sweater. He definitely wouldn't mind grabbing a pizza with him sometime, but he couldn't say what would happen if his dad found out he was hanging out with a homeless boy.
'Maybe I'll visit Mikey again,' Leo decided, darting through the crosswalk to the other side of the street. 'I feel like some company.' If the kid wasn't there today, He'd just walk the extra block to drop off the book.
As Leo got closer to where he met Mikey yesterday, the sounds of yelling and a cry of "ya little freak" reached his ears. Leo furrowed his brow, picking up his pace. By the time he rounded the corner, he had broken into a sprint, and now he skidded to a halt. Mikey was in the center of a ring of boys who definitely didn't look like good news. Every time Mikey got close to the edge of the ring, one of the boys would shove him forward, back towards who Leo assumed to be their crew leader. His eyes went wide with shock when he recognized the redhead from the gym, and Leo ran over, jostling the loop of boys out of the way to get to Mikey. The redheaded teen had him by his shirt collar, hauling the blonde up to glare at him.
"Listen, you, jus' gimme dat back, an' I promise ya won't get pounded into da dirt. Sound good?" The leader threatened, snarling.
Mikey just swallowed and tried to squirm out of his grasp, to no avail. "I swear I didn't take it!" He cried, kicking his feet pathetically. "Just-just put me down! Please!? I-I'll make it up to you! I swear!"
"Ya can make it up ta me now! Ya street trash, ya could'a escaped a beat down, but noooo…" The teen pulled back a fist, ready to strike.
"Stop!"
The redhead turned to see Leo, who had just pushed passed the others. Mutterings of "This ain't your business," and "stay out of it, pretty boy," were hissed from the troop, who didn't dare mess with their leader's 'justice'. Mikey whimpered pitifully, cracking open an eyelid to look at Leo hopefully. The desperation in his eyes made Leo's jaw clench, and his hands curled into fists.
"Put him down."
The strongly built redhead turned, narrowing his eyes when they met Leo's frame. "This doesn't concern you. 'Sides, this trash-for-brains stole something of mine!"
Leo's gaze flicked briefly to Mikey, look plainly asking if what the redhead said was true. Mikey shook his head, although a little too fast. Leo figured it was because he was still dangling above the ground. Leo glared at the other teen, harder.
"Put. Him. Down."
The wind seemed to speed up with Leo's determined command, whipping his black hair violently. Growling, the leader tossed Mikey to the side none-too-gently, his posse keeping the homeless boy in the circle. He stalked closer to Leo, hands balled into fists. "As you command, oh fearless leader," He mocked. "I simply must tremble in your presence! Listen close, 'cause I don't wanna repeat myself," He jabbed Leo in the chest, roughly, and scowled when he hardly moved. "You don't tell me what to do. Got it?"
The street had all but emptied now, the few people still around casting wary glances at the assembled group before turning down different streets. The sky, as though sensing the imminent conflict, was darkening to a stormy purple, and the wind picked up to blow the trash along the sidewalk like a tumbleweed before a showdown.
A few of the redhead's crew were shifting nervously, casting worried glances at the howling sky. One broke the circle, running off to escape what would soon be some nasty weather. 'Odd,' Leo thought. 'The weather was supposed to be fine today…'
"Raph!" One of the boys said from behind the leader. "Looks like we're gonna get a storm soon. C'mon, let's head back. They ain't worth it!"
He turned and snarled at the one who spoke up. "You buncha' wusses can run back home to mommy, I ain't leavin' until the kid pays for stealin'!" He cracked his knuckles, and Leo wondered how this boy, shorter than Leo and just barely taller than Mikey, could seem so determinedly threatening. He braced himself, ready for a fight. In addition to being a kendo player, he was pretty skilled at martial arts, too. And now was the time where that kind of skill came in handy.
The leader swung, not caring that the few boys left were edging away from his chance of revenge. Leo saw his fist coming towards his face, and ducked beneath it, grabbing the redhead's wrist and using his momentum to throw him onto his back with an "oomph" sound. Leo stepped back as he got to his feet, fixing him with a look that screamed Leo's funeral.
"Ya done it now, pretty boy!" He snarled baring his teeth as he charged him.
Vaguely, Leo remembered Mikey standing behind him and he did his best to move away from where he assumed the kid was. He sidestepped the rampaging ball of anger, looking over his shoulder to see that Mikey was being pulled out of range by a brown haired boy in glasses. From the looks of it, Mikey was insisting he stay, and Leo his turned attention back to the fight, dodging another blow.
"Get back and fight!" The redhead roared against the whipping wind, squinting to shield his eyes. Even Leo was beginning to feel the wind choking him. He backed up to where Mikey and the other boy were, raising his arms to protect his face. The rumbling sound of thunder met their ears, and a flash of blue-green electricity descended upon the city.
"Uh, now's probably not the time to mention this, but isn't lightning supposed to strike before the thunder!?" The brunette shouted, holding onto his glasses.
"We need to get out of this storm!" Leo called, looking around for a shelter. It was difficult to see three feet in front of him, and if they stayed out any longer…
"Way ahead of you, dude!" Mikey's voice called, and Leo turned to see him pointing at an underground subway station that had been closed down a few weeks ago. Already, he and the other boy were fighting against the wind, grabbing onto the railing as they made their way down the steps. Perfect! Leo took a step forward, only to stop and look back at where the redhead was struggling to get to him. Leo sighed. Stupid hero's complex.
In an instant, Leo was at the gang leader's side, hauling him to his feet.
"What're ya…?" The redhead asked, fixing Leo with a curious look in his green eyes.
Leo choked back the wind, screaming over the howling storm and a slap of thunder. "When I give the word, step forward, okay?"
"You ain't the boss of me!" The other boy hissed.
Nevertheless, he stepped in the direction of the subway when Leo shouted "Go!" They marched forward like this repeatedly, the combined effort of their footsteps at the same time pushing them forward. It seemed like it took an hour, (although in reality it couldn't have been more than a few minutes) but they finally reached the bottom of the steps, diving into the run-down space of the old station.
Leo moved behind the stairs to avoid the wind that was still lashing into the underground space, ignoring the redhead who was following behind him. It seemed like all his earlier fight left his body, and Leo figured it was from having to fight against that storm. Even he was tired, and he could perform multiple sets of katas with little effort.
Mikey and the brunette were slumped in the corner behind the wall, sharing a jacket to guard against the chill. Instantly, Mikey's blue eyes lit up when he saw Leo, jumping up and practically sending the other boy sprawling on the floor. He threw his arms around Leo's middle, hugging him tight.
"Leo! My big bro's okay!" Leo laughed a little, trying to pry the blonde's fingers off of him.
"Okay, okay, you can let go now!" Mikey let go with a sheepish smile, dancing back a few steps as the brunette stepped up next to him. Leo glanced over at him
"Thanks for getting Mikey out of there," He said with a smile. "I'm Leo."
"My name's Donatello, but everybody calls me Donnie," He said, nodding. "And we got lucky. I've never seen a storm as... unusual that before! What kind of idiots were you guys, to start a fight in the middle of something like that?"
Leo winced a little, figuring that it was one of the dumber moments in his life. "Not smart, was it?"
"Nope."
Leo laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. His eyes widened when he saw the redhead jump into the lowered area for the subway over Donnie's shoulder.
"Hey, wait! I don't think we're supposed to-"
"Relax, fearless!" The redhead called, waving him off without looking back. "Dis station's been closed for a while! No way dey kept the power on, so why not explore a bit? We'll be stuck here a while, anyway!"
Leo looked at his retreating back with a look that could only be described as irritation. "You don't know what's down there!"
"All the more reason to explore!"
Leo sighed, turning to Donnie and Mikey. "Should we go after him?"
Donnie nodded. "Oh yeah, definitely. Before the hot head gets himself killed."
They stepped down onto the rails after him, carefully avoiding the bar that would normally be active. Trash littered the dimly lit space, and graffiti coated the walls of the tunnel, saying things like "Jones is everywhere" or "Beware the dogs". One in particular caught Leo's eye, a crude drawing of a turtle with a hastily-scribbled signature of-
"'Mikey'…"
The blonde froze and turned, a sheepishly innocent expression on his face. "Yeessss, Leo?"
"You know that can be considered vandalism, right?" He said, pointing at the sketch.
"Aww, come on Leo, its just chalk! Oof!"
He ran into Donnie, who had stopped to look around. "Do you guys… do you feel that?"
Leo paused, senses alert for whatever Donnie was trying to describe. He could hear a faint dripping sound, which seemed to come from beneath him. Probably a sewer pipe. Other than that he felt-
Wait… he could feel something. Sort of like rocks being scraped up his back, but… less painful and tinglier. "Yeah, I feel it."
"Whoa…" Mikey exclaimed. "That is one wicked feeling, man! It's like floating on feather pillows!" He made a face that made Leo nearly laugh.
"What?" Donnie said, casting a confused glance over his shoulder. "No, not that feeling, the one that feels like a prickling along your skin. Wait, are you guys telling me you're feeling something different?"
"No, duh Donnie." The hot head in the lead said sarcastically, scowling at the others. "I don't think pillows and prickling sensations are similar."
Donatello narrowed his brown eyes at him, as though looking at him through a microscope. "You're feeling something too, aren't you?"
He scoffed, looking irritated. "No, I think you guys are just scared. Now come on, let's keep-"
In a split second, a rumbling filled the tunnel, and parts of the ground fell away under their feet. Four bodies tumbled into the shadows beneath them, a cry of "Earthquake!" filling the air as they slipped into the unknown.
Leo just hoped this wasn't the end.
..::-::..
The aged being paced in its darkened room, a sharp twinge having pulled it from meditation. That twinge signified the moment the Great Mutation's chosen ones were united. Now, it felt a tugging in the pit of his stomach, a sign that the Mutation has accepted them. It knew what to do now. It grabbed a paper lantern from a hook, slipping into the tunnels to follow where the Mutation had summoned it.
It could only hope that whoever was chosen had survived.