To Be Fearless... (TMNT)

Prologue

"THAT WAY!" A voice yells out from the dark. SPLASH! You almost stumble as you splash into a pothole, filled to the brim with water.

"Dang it-!" You mutter under your breath, still running even in your soaking wet jika-tabi.

The rain has gone from a light drizzle, to a violent pour. You gasp as you skid and turn a corner, avoiding your deadly pursuers by sticking to the shadows in the alleyway as best as you can.

SMACK! "Ow!" You yell as you run into a discarded green dumpster.

"That way! I heard noise!" A female voice calls from behind you.

'NO... NO NO NO!'  You think as you whip your head around looking for somewhere, anywhere to hide. Your eyes wander back to the dumpster, and you grit your teeth and groan. 'Not the dumpster, anything but the dumpster...'  The footsteps grow louder and you decide being smelly and alive is better then being clean and dead. Throwing the lid to the bin up quickly, you place one hand on the rim of the dumpster and skillfully swing yourself into it. The lid  closes with a light THUD!

The footsteps get louder and suddenly pause. You hold your breath and move farther back into the dumpster.

"She can't have gotten far, search everywhere." The female voice says. Multiple voices mutter 'yes' and the footsteps start again. Hyperventilating slightly you start digging, that's right, digging into the trash. 'WHAT AM I DOING?! IM DIGGING IN FLIPPING TRASH! WHY AM I DIGGING IN TRASH AGAIN?!'

You're reminded why when the lid of the bin starts to open, you quickly scoot into the little hole you've made, hold your breath, and throw the trash back on top of you.

You hear the lid hit the wall behind the dumpster, signaling that it's been fully opened. 'Please don't see me....' You beg in your mind. THUD!  The lid is slammed back down and you let out a sigh of relief.

"No one is here Karai, we tore apart the entire alley." A male voice reports. "IDIOTS! How could she have gotten far? Incompetent fools!" Karai spits at the men, "Keep moving! Check that alley to the right!"

The scuffling of feet is soon heard again, as the men obey Karai's orders. You wait in the dumpster, heavily breathing in the scent of the trash, but you don't even care anymore. 'One... Two... Three...' You silently count in your head.

'One Ninety-Six... One Ninety-Seven... One Ninety Eight... One Ninety-Nine... Two Hundred...' You slowly move the trash off of your body, as you shift out of your little hole. Putting two hands on the lid you push up and stumble out of the dumpster, gasping for breath.

You almost want to kiss the ground, but it seems too cliché. "Thank..." You gasp, "God." You start running again, but this time you don't know what to do, so you stop.

"Where am I even going to go? I have no one... I just abandoned the only people who ever cared about me..." You mutter under your breath, trying your best not to let tears fall but to no avail. Once the tears start it doesn't seem like they're going to stop, and you shakily sit down on the wet concrete, the rain soaking every part of your body.

Then suddenly you remember someone you can go to...

"Y/N! Dear please get down!" The orphanage headmaster scolds you. "Sorry..." You say as you put the cookie jar back on the shelf. The ladder begins to wobble, and she runs underneath and catches your tiny body as you fall. You giggle, "Thanks Ms. Bridge!"

She sighs, "Y/N! You could have gotten hurt! Promise me you'll be more careful dear!" You suddenly feel guilty and you nod as she puts you down. The corners of the kind woman's mouth turn upwards slightly as she grabs your hand, "Come on dear, let's get you to bed." You yawn and follow her back to your shared bedroom with the other kids...