Times with the Turtles

The Guest

Night had fallen on New York. The sky was covered in clouds. No one was out, the clouds raining heavily on to the buildings. The air was cold and seemed like it might start snowing. Down in the sewers, the sound of rain could be heard dripping down through the manholes. The only thing that could be heard were the sounds of footsteps and chatter. Four turtles walked through the tunnels. Each wore a mask, purple, red, blue, and orange. They were about the size of tall men and walked like them too. The purple masked turtle had glasses with gadgets on his shell and a pair sort of like binoculars on his forehead. The red masked one was big and muscular, wearing sunglasses on his forehead and holding a toothpick in his mouth. Straps wrapped around his shell and rags were on his biceps. The blue masked one had a strap over his shell, holding two swords against his shell and had a row of bamboo sticks down his chest. The orange masked turtle wore a kukri necklace, his own sunglasses hanging from it and two straps crisscross across his chest and around his shell. Each wore a samurai type bottom around their waists, except for the orange masked one, he wore a jacket around his waist. A rat trailed behind them, acting also like a man, a bit shorter than the turtles. He wore a yellow kimono with a black jacket. He was clearly unsettled and cautious.

The blue masked turtle turned around, "Master Splinter, is something wrong?"

Splinter shook his head, "Something is not right here. A presence dwindles in the rooms of our hideout. It has the essence of shredder, but not his soul."

The orange masked turtle stopped, "Wait, are we talking about the big armored brute with the blades on his knuckles.......tried to kill us over twenty times?" He nodded.

The red masked turtle spoke up, "I thought he was dead!?"

"That's was we all thought." The purple masked turtle said. They kept walking until they came to their hideout. The sound of muffled shuffles sounded from the kitchen area. The blue masked turtle brought one of his swords, looking at his brothers and nodding his head toward the sound. Weapons were drawn, the red masked one bringing out daggers, the orange masked one bringing out nunchucks, and the purple masked one bringing out his staff. The four moved silently through the dark toward the lit area. Their hideout consisted of a big training room in the center with a weaponry wall on one side. Moving from the center, small rooms, used and unused, were built, five used as bedrooms, a bathroom, and four extra. Through one opening, there was the kitchen area with screens serving as windows for the cameras. Through another, a couch with a TV, the room a bit messy with empty pizza boxes. In the kitchen, the fridge was open, the door blocking the view of the intruder. The red masked turtle moved closer, looking over the top of the door.

A shriek came from behind the door and a figure darted into the dark corner, "Please, I'm sorry. I didn't think anyone lived here anymore." The voice sounded of a girl.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I-I was just h-hungry," she stuttered, "Please, don't hurt me." The lights suddenly turned on and the intruder was revealed. It was a girl with thick, brown hair with matching brown eyes. She was wearing a teared t-shirt with shorts that used to look like pants. Her ribs were poking out of her chest, her stomach so sunken in, it looked painful. Her arms and legs looked so fragile, it didn't seem possible they could carry her weight. Instead of regular ears, she had ones that looked like cat ears and a tail. Scars covered her body, concentrated on her sunken stomach. One stood out, one that traveled along her shoulder, a deep red. Three marks in a line, horizontally, almost looking like a lion scratched her.

"Are you working for shredder!?" the red masked turtle asked in a harsh voice, a vein popping out on his neck.

She shook her head, "I would never work for that evil man."

Splinter came in and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Calm yourself Raphael." He backed off. The rat smiled at the girl, "What is your name my child?"

She looked at him for a while before answering, "Ruby." She said softly.

Splinter smiled, "My name is Splinter."

The orange masked turtle smiled and came closer, "Hi, I'm Michelangelo, but you can call me Mikey. You've already met Raph." He grunted. "The purple one is Donatello and the blue one is Leonardo. Donny and Leo for short."

Donny put his staff away, fixing his glasses slightly, "Nice to meet you."

Ruby looked at each of the turtles and slowly stood, leaning against the wall for support, "Same here." She gave them a small smile.

Splinter looked at her with a sad look, "Come, you must be hungry." She nodded, touching what was left of her stomach. "Go and get some rest." He touched her shoulder, guiding her to the couch. She lay down, curling at the end it. Splinter touched her head softly, sensing she was already asleep and left her to rest. He went back to the kitchen, finding that three of the four were already laying something out.

Raphe frowned, "Why are we helping her?"

Splinter shook his head, "Because she is in need of it."

"Did you see her stomach?" Donny said, "I'm surprised her skin hasn't ripped." He put some fruit on the table.

Leo shrugged, "I'm surprised she's alive."

Mikey shushed them, "Don't jinx her."

Raphe grunted, "She can't stay forever."

"Just until she is strong enough to take care of herself." Splinter assured him.

The five of them began to create a big dinner for Ruby. Mikey ordered so many pizzas, they thought she wouldn't be able to eat them all. Fruits and vegetables were placed ready and water, of course, was provided. The turtles thought of waking her, but Splinter said to let her sleep until the pizza arrived.

"She has clearly been through much and needs as much peace as possible right now." He whispered looking in on her. She was sleeping heavily, so still she looked dead, but her breathe could be heard clearly in small sighs.

"So............that means no movie night?" Mikey asked with a slight smile. They all chuckled and Splinter shook his head. They all went and waited in the big training room, for their mysterious guest to wake and tell them her story.