I leant heavily against the wall outside the local supermarket, the flow of people continuous from the automatic doors in the surprisingly quiet night of Manhattan.

'God, I'm starving. Do people not go to shops for food anymore or do I just have bad timing' I thought miserably as I hugged myself tighter against the chill of the cold.

'This better be a good one' I thought tiredly, resting my head on the wall pipe, closely observing the rotating CCTV camera directly above my head.

'If it weren't for these blasted things, I'd go in there myself' I thought bitterly, as I observed the updated security layout of the perimeter.

'One security camera on right side of building…police car on opposite side of the street…simple' I smiled, analyzing the area again, looking for any possible mistakes.

Happy with my plan of action, I casually flicked through different songs on my shuffle while watching discreetly through my ebony fringe for my determined target of the week.

"Takes his bloody time," I hissed under my breath in anxious wait.

Suddenly, said target moved quickly through the doors and followed the flow leading close to the subway.

Grinning in anticipation, I stuck my shuffle in my light grey hoodie and began my practiced pursuit.

'Let see, next bus should leave 5 minutes from now. Guess I can do the rush approach tactic. Should provide enough disorientation to be in and out' I thought my plan through again for the 5th time today as I edged closer to the target.

Picking up the orderly pace of the crowd, I began a hasty jog towards the nearby subway entrance, watching him get closer and closer, until I faked a trip over my own feet and tackled him to the ground.

"Hey!" he grunted in a daze, dropping the groceries all over the floor as the flow of traffic circled us, not even stopping for a glance.

"Oh, I-I'm so sorry, I'm late for a meeting" I lied through my teeth, rushing as I collected the scattered groceries and replacing them in the tarnished plastic bag.

Well, most of them.

"Here, I'm so sorry" I apologized again before skittering off down the subway steps.

"Hey, wait a minute!" he called after me a few seconds later, making me quicken my pace as I stashed the stolen food safely in the inside of my hoodie.

I intersected the crowd and jogged to the other entrance, avoiding the officers on duty along the way as well as any small groups of people near cameras, and made it just in time for the bus to show up promptly.

Spending the rest of my loose change on a ticket, I tiredly paced down the aisle and dropped gently into a seat near the back row as I examined my loot with a Cheshire grin.

A large loaf of white bread and a small carton of orange juice lay out in my hands.

To New York, that was as basic as you could probably get.

To me, I was eating like royalty tonight.

I could've got more but it wasn't my fault; there wasn't anything else salvageable, plus I was running out of time. I hadn't realized he had delayed his schedule by a few minutes. Nearly ruined the entire operation.

In fact, everyone in the neighborhood was doing it: I don't know if it's bad luck or if they're trying to catch me out.

So much for community spirit.

Watching the world go by silently as the bus managed to glide through traffic, I got off a reasonable distance from the subway.

At least I think I did.

Walking down the streets of New York at night wasn't exactly safe, especially in certain territories owned by local thugs and gangs but I had everything planned out and ready when it came to avoiding those areas.

However, I hadn't stolen from the old man in ages, not since his reflexes nearly got me caught by some off-duty police sitting in a nearby café.

Never ran so fast in all my life.

So, unfortunately, I was still getting used to the bus route side of my plan, meaning getting off at the right stop was practically a lucky guess.

"Was it the second stop with the shortcut around the bulldog territory or was it…?" Mumbling to myself as I was held back, yet again, by my non-existent sense of direction.

Looking down each end of the road, I sighed in utter defeat.

It really wasn't my day.

"Stuff it, I'll find an alley for the night. Hopefully I won't have any visitors," I ordered myself as I made one more attempt at direction before going to Plan B.

Wandering down the street, I found a deserted alleyway with a few trashcans, a manhole and a ladder leading up the side of one of the buildings.

The streetlight barely illuminated the enclosed space.

Testing the ladder, the rust encrusting the wall hold for the ladder told me enough. Trying to use that would just make a lot of noise and way too much attention.

That just left the manhole as Plan B's plan B.

"At least it's cozy," I encouraged out loud as I pulled off my hoodie; laying it on the ground behind one of the bins as I huddled up and began stuffing down the bread like a makeshift picnic.

It lightened my mood considerably having something in my stomach and the orange juice washing it down definitely left me positive. However, I could tell the hunger pains have only simmered slightly.

This will be a long winter.

After the banquet, I wrapped the hoodie around like a blanket and curled up into a small ball, crossing my arms in an attempt to conserve heat.

I nestled against the corner of the bin as I settled for the night, making sure to blend with the scattered cardboard as well as possible.

Plugging my headphones in, I flicked through my shuffle until I landed on my ironic song list.

I settled nicely as I listened to the first on the list, "One Jump Ahead"

"Night Night" I mumbled tiredly as I drifted off.

It seemed only minutes later when I was shook awake.

Wide-eyed, I pulled out my headphones and scanned the area for a visitor before he loudly jumped in front of me.

I held my breath.

From the bare resonance of the lamppost in the street, the figure was illuminated with small but toned arms and what looked like a very large patterned backpack or coat.

Even from sitting down, the kid must've been no taller than 5' 3".

I internally calmed when I realized it was probably dressed up children from the neighborhood.

They do realize Halloween was last week, right?

A few seconds later, three more joined the first as they bickered loudly about something or other as they collectively lifted off the manhole cover.

"Did you see that skateboard, though!? Dude, that was my baby being ripped from me. It was my life in a nutshell," the smallest one wept miserably before being nudged in the side.

"You are a nutshell Mikey, now cram it. Want another dog to attack you today?" the beefier one joked but was met with fire.

"I thought it was a cat! Seriously, how can a Chihuahua have that strong a bite" they bickered loudly before one of the others hit them both on the heads.

"Sorry, just wanted to know if you wanted an audience for this or are you gonna jump?" he said cynically.

'What the hell are they doing?' I watched curiously, slowly uncurling from my position but still took shallow breaths.

Mikey and beefy looked at each other before Mikey stuck his tongue at him and jumped down the hole.

"You little-" beefy quickly took after him, leaving the other two behind in hot pursuit, quietly closing the hole and allowed the silence to settle again.

I tried drifting off again once I know the event had passed but the nagging in the back of my head forced me awake.

"Since when did I worry about snotty kids? They're probably older than me anyway, so I shouldn't care. They'll probably just see a rat and leg it back" I reassured myself but it was a lost cause.

"I am not going down there. As much as I would love to be promoted to sewer rat, I'm happy with street rat," I argued with myself before sitting restlessly for a few more minutes.

Maturity sucks.

Sighing with agitation, I dusted off my hoodie before replacing it over me as I headed for the manhole.

"Those kids better be scared shitless or-Jesus!" I jolted with shock as the weight of the cover pulled on the tired muscles of my arms.

"Those kids on steroids?!" I huffed tiredly as I pushed the manhole to reveal a large enough hole for me to pass through.

The bomb of stench wafted up, almost making me gag.

Well, they've certainly got strong stomachs, that's for sure.

"I've officially reached. The lowest point. In my life" I stated dryly as I hesitantly lowered myself onto the ladder and began to climb down.

"Well…might as well get this off my mind" I shrugged, pulling out my shuffle again and selecting "Never smile at a crocodile"

'I really need better songs. Honestly, you'd think a 14 year old would have better taste in music. I must've done a favor by taking her, what? 5th iPod?' I defended myself but the smell and the reason I was down here still made me moan sadly as I began my journey of getting lost. Again.

Walking cautiously around the network of tunnels, barely enough light to see clearly, I took out one of the headphones incase they were bickering again.

Any clue to figure out where the hell they went.

"Breadcrumbs would've been phenomenal at this point," I thought aloud as I explored deeper into the tunnels, completely forgetting the way back as the darkness of the tunnels followed my heels.

"Well, the kids have buggered off…maybe I should-" I was cut short, as I didn't notice the tunnel slanted and I began sliding down at a fast rate.

I shrieked in panic before desperately trying to find a ledge or something to grab onto.

Anything to slow the fall.

Spiraling down the long connecting tunnel in complete alarm, I notice the tunnel began to curve, before seeing a cut off point at the end of the tunnel.

"Oh, fu-aaaaaaaaah!" My shriek probably echoed throughout the entire network as I barely connected with the opposite tunnel, but was still secure.

It took a moment before a relieved laugh built up in my chest, bellowing in childish glee as the tunnel slowly leveled off at a large, lit clearing.

I skidded to a stop before landing face first on the ground but I still giggled in victory, rolling onto my back and fist pumping the air as my other hand held my sore face.

"That. Was worth it" I grinned, closing my eyes as my heart lowered to a normal rate before I opened them to see four heads peering down.

I was stunned for a few moments as we basically did a staring contest.

Eventually, the one I think was Mikey peered closer at my face.

"Is she dead?" emphasizing his question by poking my cheek.

"Hi" I smiled, still surprisingly giddy from the ride as I practically jumped back on my feet, startling him.

"Jesus, dude, what's got you hyped?" he held a hand to his startled heart as his brother snickered.

"Did you guys not do that ride?" I grinned ecstatically like an idiot but I didn't care at that moment.

"How do you think we got here?" one of them said dryly.

That killed the buzz.

Sighing, I looked at them individually: the 'backpacks' turned out to be large shells as the kids were each dressed up as turtles.

Fair enough.

A tall but lanky one with an olive green costume and light brown eyes eyed me curiously but from his body language, I could tell he was the shy one of the group. His large brown eyes made him look so cute, though.

Next was a slightly smaller but bulkier one with a sea green costume and very deep brown eyes. He was the one that killed my buzz.

I'm not happy about that.

Next came beefy, with a dark forest green costume and what seemed to be a permanent scowl; his eyes were almost black but flecks of brown still shone through.

'Hmm, light at the end of tunnel. Even if the tunnel is still likely to punch your face in' I thought with a small smirk.

Finally, Mikey, the smallest one with a pale pine green costume of and had the lightest brown eyes with small green flecks.

He must be the fun one.

Oh right, time to lecture.

"Well, there better be a way out of here. It's dangerous down here for kids like you. Even if you're probably older than me, that's beside the point. Let's hope your parents are oblivious when I bring you back, eh?"

If not, nothing wrong in asking for payment is there?

I crossed my arms, waiting for a response, as they gave me the most incredulous looks I've ever seen. Well, generally, the people who look at me are usually angry but it comes with the territory.

"What? I'm serious you know" I defended myself, trying to regain control as well as shield from their bombarding judgment.

Last time I give a crap about some kids, that's for sure.

"You're worried that –we –" Buzz killer pointed between themselves.

"Will be in danger down – here?" He finished, pointing to the ground.

"Yes" I clarified, looking at them like they're the crazy ones.

They stood silently; looking at each other with a spreading grin, before they slowly backed off from me, and then finally began running off.

"Hey! Don't leave me here!" I yelled as I began my chase.

Why are children so difficult?

"Is she following us?" Raph yelled from in front as I dared a glance back at our guest.

Her slender legs battered against the tunnel as she propelled her body forward ahead of her legs. Hopefully, she realized this and wouldn't suddenly stop.

Dad probably wouldn't be too happy with an injured human at our door.

Sensing my stare, she sent her death glare ahead of her.

"Yep, she's still here" I grinned excitedly, facing forward as we bound off the different sharp corners and bends; our guest following close behind, kicking off the walls when she had too much momentum.

"Alright guys, make sure we stay in her sight. If she lags behind, Mikey, slow down or trip or something" I shrugged, not really caring what he did as long as she didn't give up the chase.

'Come on, only a little longer' I thought in encouragement.

"Why me and not bowling ball over there? Make him do it" Mikey gave a toothy smile over his shoulder at Raph.

"Only if you're the pins, smart mouth" he shot daggers as Mikey just laughed it off, his giddiness infecting the rest of us as the tunnel began to grow brighter.

"Knock it off you two – how long 'till home, Donnie?" I asked quickly, watching him in earnest as he mentally calculated the answer.

"Should be right-" we collided with Raph and Mikey, yelping as we fell into a dog pile at the bottom of the clearing.

"Now" he finished, weakly using Raph's head as support, despite loud protesting from said head.

Footsteps came closer to us as her worried expression peered over the end of the tunnel, her brown hair dangling down towards us like a safety line out of arms reach.

The look quickly wiped off her face when she saw we were alive still.

"You – are so dead" she threatened before grinning evilly, like Mikey before he steals the last pizza slice without us knowing.

Suddenly, she did a surprisingly graceful swan dive before landing flat on top of us, angling her body so she made a safe landing on top of Donnie, who cringed as the weight pressing him harder on top of an irritated Raph.

Immediately, a course of pained groans echoed from Mikey from the weight of his brothers and the girl as well as the small bruise he'll probably get out of this dog pile.

Poor Mikey.

Smiling victoriously, I gently but casually hopped off the pile and flopped onto the floor next to them, completely tired out.

'I'm really out of shape, that was only a 2 minute run at most' I thought dejectedly as I tried to bring my breathing rate to its normal, quiet self.

"You guys *pant*better know the bloody way out" I grinned tiredly, not really caring at this point.

Of course, starving down here isn't exactly on the top of my to-do list but I'm too poor to be picky.

Slowly, the pile dissolved into the individuals as I finally took in where I was.

Lost.

Completely – and utterly – lost.

Again.

Moaning, I pushed myself from the ground to a sitting position before facing the others.

"Why the hell did you guys run?" I asked curiously, only now questioning why the hell they were down here in the first place.

"We got you here to prove a point to our father" Buzz killer shrugged.

"Once he sees your reaction, he's bound to ease up on the 'never go topside' rule" Olive theorized as I look at them to see any signs that they were lying.

There were none.

"Your father forces you to stay down here in the sewers," I asked in pity, suddenly having the mind to take them back out. What kind of father forces their kids to live down here?

I'm poor and even I wouldn't do that to my kids!

"He says it's for our protection, that people won't understand us" Mikey shrugged sadly, slowly setting off my anger.

'Now I'm definitely giving him a piece of my mind' snarling internally so I didn't alarm them.

"Ok…before we carry on…what the hell are your guys names?" before pointing at the small one.

"You're Mikey" He smiled as he fake bowed.

"Michelangelo – lady killer. But Mikey works" he grinned, making me laugh and putting a damper on my anger for now.

"Bowling ball next to me is Raphael, or Raph – Ow!" he rubbed his head before glaring at his brother.

"Ignore him, it's better that way" He grinned, wrapping his arm round Mikey's head, pulling him into a headlock.

"It's because people can't stand when they see 'The Mikester' " Mikey smiled proudly, earning an eye roll from bowlin – I mean, Raph.

"Our unofficial leader here is Leonardo, or Leo" 'The Mikester' nodded with a smile.

"He wishes" Raph mumbled but if anyone heard him, they didn't show it.

"You the goody two-shoes of the group?" I chirped up, making the others snigger as Leo faintly blushed.

"You have no idea," Mikey laughed before Leo's commanding glare silenced him to a giggle.

"Last but not least, you've got Donatello, or Donnie. He is literally the internet search bar" Donnie grinned proudly, which made his entire face light up as he did a small wave. He had one of his middle teeth missing, leaving a small black gap in his smile.

I had to restrain myself from hugging him, he looked so much like an animal plushy, it was ridiculous.

'Aww, he's so adorable' I thought before returning the wave with a warm smile while going over each of the names in my head.

"Wow, you have…very posh parents" I smiled incredulously, wondering how the hell a dude living in the sewer, forcing his children to stay in the sewer, would name his children after renaissance painters.

The fact that I know the names of renaissance painters but still didn't know where the local bus station was is still a mystery.

"Why, what's your name?" Raph piped up, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Do you want my 'official' name or my real name?" I asked; they just shrugged.

"Well, 'officially', my names is Leandra or Lea – you can thank star wars for that nickname" I grinned half-heartedly.

"As for my real name…people just call me yo-yo" I shrugged.

"Why yo-yo?" Donnie asked like it was the weirdest thing he ever heard.

"Because no matter how far you throw me away, I drag my ass back," I grinned.

"Mainly because my string ends up getting tangled to you," I joked tiredly.

I could tell they didn't know what to make of me since they kept giving each other weird looks.

"I have prepared for the appearance and corresponding punishment of four, yet I sense five"

Startled, I whirled around the see the largest rat ever walk towards us with a warped walking stick in tow.

"You…you're…." my mouth failed to function as I looked between the rat and the kids.

"Dad, it's alright. She's not afraid of us" Mikey grinned like it was the best news he heard all week.

"Does she know who you are?" at the silent reply he continued, his voice echoing years of experience…from a talking rat.

"From what I heard from the…scuffle…she probably believes you're children" he spoke matter-of-factly, eyeing me with great care.

"If…if they aren't kids…what are they?" I asked politely as I could manage.

"Turtles" Mikey grinned proudly but when seeing my face it slowly diminished.

I sat still for a few minutes before slowly pushing myself up and walking towards the group.

They didn't move as I neared Leo, leaning close as I peered at all his facial features.

He watched cautiously as his eyes never left my face, but on closer inspection, I probably should have guessed that their 'costume' was just a little too realistic.

Again, know renaissance painters but cant tell a turtle and a costume apart.

Backing off calmly, I headed towards the rat.

"Yep, they're talking turtles" I confirmed as my brain restarted.

"You're a talking rat," I pointed at said rat.

"You're…a father…to the talking turtles" I slowly processed.

"And…I think I need a sit down" I stoically walked past the 'father' as I headed towards what looked like a chair.

Sitting down, I took deep breaths as cradled my head.

The others watched from the doorway before Mikey interrupted the peace.

"I think I saw her brain implode" earning an eye roll from Raph.

"She just couldn't handle it," he explained but noticing the look on Mikey's face, he panicked.

"Mike, I didn't mean-"

"And that - is why I'm the lady-killer" he swaggered past the group as he headed towards the kitchen, following his nose to the deep pan cheese pizza that drifted its scent throughout the circular stone room.

Raph could only face palm.

"I hate you" Raph mumbled.

"So…what do we do?" Donnie peaked from behind the group, eyeing the woman like a ticking time bomb.

Of course, being Donnie, that only peaked his interest.

"Now…we wait," Splinter remarked before heading back to the station car, his staff the only noise uttered as each hit clicked against the hard stone floor while his tail slithered behind him.

"Well, that went well" Raph muttered before heading to join Mikey in the kitchen where seconds later, yelling soon ensued.

Something about Lea, pizza and dibs.

"How old do you think she is?" Donnie muttered next to me, eyes never leaving her form.

"No idea, why?" I asked curiously. I hated talking about the girl like this, but it seemed Donnie found a new project.

What it was exactly was anybody's guess.

"Her interactions as well as her physical features imply she hasn't physically developed yet, however her behavioral patterns suggest a mentally matured individual," he rambled off.

At my blank and tired look, he reiterated.

"She doesn't look like she's hit her teens yet" he simplified.

"Who knows? Might be the same age as us" I shrugged before Donnie headed off to his 'Computer Corner'. He was probably itching to get back onto the new thingamajig that someone dropped down here.

I began studying the woman without realizing: her long brown hair was pulled loosely into a ponytail with only a small fringe framing her face; she wore a faded grey hoodie which looked two sizes too big for her and a pair of torn, navy blue jeans with thick black boots covering the hem.

Dirt marks blotching her face and clothes made her look rugged beyond hell.

Walking towards her, I grabbed a blanket from the shelf and dropped it on her lap.

She looked up, obviously confused.

"It gets cold down here pretty easily" I shrugged; slightly unnerved by the odd look she was giving me. She managed a thank you before slowly wrapping herself in said blanket.

I would've struck up a conversation before a smash in the kitchen, followed by louder bickering, broke my concentration.

"Welcome to the sewers" I nodded in apology before jogging into the kitchen.

"Ok, what – Mikey, how the shell did you break the toaster again?"

Watching Leo leave, I slowly began to grip onto reality here, even if the thought of a talking rat fathering talking turtles grew a headache.

Gripping the blanket with gratitude, I nestled into the chair, happy that I was finally able to get a good night sleep in such a warm place, even if the bickering distracted me with a small laugh.

The smell wasn't even that bad.