Remember [Book 1]

2 - Naomi

Before I woke up in the place called the "lair", I remembered nothing. Nothing except my name and the letter "M". When I did wake up, I had nobody around me. Nobody but a green human-like turtle who was also out. It was there that I had a feeling that the "M" was the beginning to a name. Why? I don't know.

I was getting off the table when another turtle thing came into the room I was in. I froze for a moment as they were looking at a phone with a green case. Later I would know these as their T-Phones. But I waited, wondering if they were going to call out.

When they looked up from their screen, they looked at me and blinked. I blinked back. They had a purple mask on, a belt with a shoulder strap, and some wrist, ankle to foot, and finger wrappings. Without much sudden movement, they set their phone down on a nearby table. "You're awake..." He had a male's voice so that gave me his gender. "Are you okay?"

As an odd response on my part, I frowned at him. He seemed to take it offensively since his head moved toward his shell a little. "Sorry... Uhm... Do you hurt anywhere?" I shook my head. "Okay... Uh..." He paused and looked away for a moment. He then turned to me again. "Do you remember anything?" Again, I shook my head. Was this twenty questions or something? "Can you speak?"

"Really?" I asked immediately in a snarky tone. "Asking me if I can speak... And if I was, were you expecting Chinese or Bulgarian by any chance?"

His head tilted up for a brief moment before tilting down again. While doing so he had the look of "oh great". Instead of answering me he calmly raised his hands up a little. "Sorry... It's just we heard screaming while on patrol and found you and your friend like this. We weren't sure where you came from."

My attention drifted to the passed out turtle beside me. They seemed at peace. And much cleaner than the purple-masked one talking to me. Maybe they weren't originally from wherever this guy came from. When I looked back at the conscious turtle, he cleared his throat. "Do... You have a name?"

"Naomi," I answered simply. That's when I felt something I hadn't remembered feeling before now move. Turning my head, I saw a tail. I stared at it for quite some time. Was this normal? Have I always had a tail? What was I? With the last question, I looked at my hands and arms. They were green with darker patterns marking my body. I wasn't sure if I should freak out or stay calm. What did slightly concern me was that I had torn clothes. I tried my best to cover myself up.

Apparently the turtle had been watching me. It didn't help my discomfort at all. He went to a drawer in one of his desks and pulled out a T-shirt and a pair of pants. Coming up to me, he offered them. "Here. I had to check over you while you were awake to make sure there wasn't any major bleeding or injuries."

Quickly, I took the shirt and pants. Getting off the table I was on was a bit more difficult than it sounded. As my feet touched the ground my legs decided to not support me for a moment. I had to slap the table with a palm to keep from collapsing all the way. Standing straight, I let out a heavy sigh. It took me a few moments to get my balance back.

"I'll, uh, leave you alone for a few moments..." The purple-masked turtle said from a few feet away. I watched him walk out. He closed the door enough to leave a crack.

Taking off the ragged and ripped clothes, I put on the ones he provided me with. The shirt was a bit big, but I didn't mind it. The pants were tight fit and my legs couldn't breathe, especially with a tail. Somehow waddling to a desk with drawers, I started searching through them for anything sharp.

Pens, pencils, blue prints, compasses, a welding mask, some stencils, a sketch book, and gloves. It was a while before I found a box cutter. I cut the pants right at my knee, a hole big enough for my finger to go in. I ripped each leg horizontally until I had a pair of shorts. For my tail, I grabbed a pen and made some marks on the fabric where my tail may fit. To make sure I didn't cut myself I slipped the shorts off and cut the hole out. I was careful putting my tail in first before my legs. It was a decent fit. A big large but it would have to do.