#Raph is kind of a basic boy when it comes to his power creep

[kathaynesart]

in the time of the holiday special, do the boys all still have their ninpo?

They do! In fact this is pretty much the height of their Ninpo strength. Remember this?? This is where they're at right now!

We'll get to see some of this soon. I'm really excited to dive into more of their abilities. Got some ideas on how their powers have evolved that I've yet to see utilized within the fandom. Like... what ELSE could Mikey do other than just use chains to throw things? How else could Leo use portals both defensively and offensively? It's a fun puzzle to ponder. I just hope I can do the upcoming action sequences justice because I really... really... don't do them ever. Pray for me.

[strawberrybuddi]

The Adults and the New Kids!

I'm making progress on my fanfic, y'all! And I think I'm creeping out of my art funk!

The top trio are Donnie, Venus, and Leo. I don't want to spoil too much, but I love them. Venus is not related to the boys in this universe. She's a red-eared slider from Central Park, living in a mutant town that's basically all turtle mutants. She's good friends with both brothers and a powerful mystic warrior as well.

As for Donnie and Leo, I can't say much about them. They're still close! Leo would literally die for his brother, which leads to arguements here and there, but nothing new for them!

The 2nd trio are [in order from left to right] Chopin, Beethoven, and Strozzi! My OCs! Sort of. They're 3 kids that Mikey, Little Leo, and Casey meet almost immediately when they get sucked into the Alt Future. All 3 are mutants, but Strozzi can shift between her Bluejay mutant form and a more human looking form. She still keeps the Bluejay coloration in either form, though.

Chopin is a green anole lizard mutant. He plays guitar and snarks at people, but he's very easygoing. I didn't initially plan this, but he and Little Leo ended up really bouncing off each other well. Chopin kind of watches Leo's back when Casey isn't.

Beethoven is a cutie and a delight to write for! I love him so much. He comes off as prickly at first, but he's just as much of a big soft baby boy as Raph is.

[thenerdytomboynewb96]

Samantha Allan Park Ch. #16

Any references to TMNT or anything from popular media and culture is NOT MINE. I only own my OC's.

Chapter #16

*The next night, Friday June 13th*

“Whoa! What was that?!” Mikey shouted. “I don’t know, it looks like a metal tiger, but man that thing is creepy” Sam said as she looked up at the t.v. screen for a few seconds before looking back down at her notepad.   The two were sitting on the couch together. While Mikey was breaking in his new copy of Wolfenstein the New Order, Sam was sketching and jotting down notes and ideas about a new device that she wanted to work on. “According to Fergus it’s called a Hell Beast. Why aren’t you playing again?” he asked while still facing the screen, absorbed in the game. “Because I’m distracted.” “Aren’t video games supposed to be the distraction?” “Usually yes, but my mind is already wrapped up in something else, and once I reach a certain level of progress, then I can play. It’s like my own mental homework” she said with a smile. “So what’s the assignment teach?” “To find a way to be as strong as you guys without actually being as strong as you guys.”

“Can you explain that in English?” “I’ll try” she said with a laugh. “Obviously I can never actually be as physically strong as you and your brothers. Even if I became one of those super female body builders, there’s certain things that you guys both as mutants and as turtles can withstand that I as a regular human being cannot. Exhibit A. being what happened the other night.” “You mean when Donnie totally saved your ass?” he teased. “Psh, of course everyone saw him save me, but no one was around when I saved him. But yes I’m talking about that situation.” “How are your knees?” he asked, actually peeling his face away from the screen to show his concern. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing more than some cuts and bruises” she reassured. Mikey smiled and went back to playing his game. “Anyway,” Sam continued, “the point is, there’s nothing that I alone as a human being can do to obtain the same skills that you guys have, but if I’m successful in building this device, then maybe I can be a little more helpful than before.” “But you’re already helpful” he said with sincerity, and out of the corner of his eye he could see a smile creeping up on his friend’s face. “Thanks, but there’s always room for improvement.” “So what exactly is this new device?” “Pause the game and I’ll show you.” Mikey paused the game and leaned over to look at his friend’s notepad. “A glove? That’s it?” “Not just any type of glove” Sam said as she rolled her eyes, “it would be electronic. If I can create a perfect design and can find the right materials, I can use a tube within the glove to produce huge gusts of wind that could deflect or even move objects.” “Dude, that sounds awesome! But how would that even work?” Mikey asked in excitement. “Well, I would need some strong metal to form the sleeve, and I’d have to find a way to make it powerful enough to work. I might be able to program something more so with the wiring that if I throw a punch the battery then intensifies how much wind is pushed forward. I’d have to play around with different concepts to see what would and wouldn’t work.” “I guess you’ll be really busy then…” Mikey pouted. “Yeah and so will you” she responded, her face back in her notebook. “What?” he asked as he faced her, shock exposed in his expression. “Well I’m already working with you on fixing up our underground spaces, and I’m helping Donnie with the med wing and with the truck AND he’s helping me with the other vehicle that we don’t name out loud so the secret isn’t exposed. Basically I have a ton of projects that I’m already working on, so I’m going to need my best friend to help me out so that I can get this job done quicker” she said as she put her fist out for a fist bump. Mikey returned the gesture with a huge smile forming on his face. He loved that no matter what Sam did, she always found a way to include him IF he was interested, which the majority of the time he was since everything Sam did was usually either super cool or super fun. It was more so the things she did with his other brothers, like working out with Raph or meditating with Leo, where they went their separate ways for a bit and then eventually met back up to hangout again later. He really enjoyed the friendship they had formed over the past few months and not once did he ever regret meeting back up with her the night that they first hung out back in April.

 The two stayed the way they were on the couch for a while longer before Raph and Leo came over and joined them on the couch. “Alright Mikey, save your game now or I’m pulling the plug” Raph stated. “Aww c’mon bro! It’s up to me whether Fergus or Wyatt dies right now!” “5 minutes!” “Okay, okay, okay!” Sam chuckled and looked up at Raph. “Why the rush?” “The Knicks game is gonna be on t.v. soon and I’m not missing it. We missed the last game because there was a call on the police scanner about a robbery and we had to go take care of the huge group of idiots who decided to rob stores in the mall.” Sam gave him a confused look. “Wait, so you guys watch the game here?” Raph and Leo gave each other a funny look. “Yeah…why?” Leo asked. “I just assumed you guys watched from a cooler spot, you know, being ninjas in the shadows and all” she teased. Leo narrowed his eyes at her. “Please, enlighten us as to where a much cooler spot would be.” “Ohhhh the super totally awesome cool spot? You’re talking about THAT spot, right?” Mikey asked. “That one” she replied as she snapped and pointed her fingers at him. Mikey had finished saving his spot in the game and stood up once he got everything settled. “Leo we should totally go to Sam’s spot! It’s way better than watching the game on the couch I swear!” Leo looked back at Raph. The two shrugged at each other and looked back at Mikey. “Eh, why not” said Leo. “Seriously?” Sam asked in surprise. “Well, we do kind of owe you a thanks for saving our younger brother yesterday” Leo said. “Heh, but you can go have the fun of breaking him away from his nerd lab” Raph teased. “Psh, that’s easy.” Sam walked over towards Donnie’s lab and within thirty seconds he was walking through the door and over towards his brothers. “Hey guys, where we going?” The eldest two brothers both threw their hands up. “Aw come on!” Raph shouted. “How’d you do that?” Leo asked loudly. “I got connections to modern technology thanks to my brother and his nerd friends” Sam said as she gave the boy’s two thumbs up. “Figures” they both mumbled under their breath. “Guys the game starts soon so let’s gooooooooo!” Mikey shouted halfway down the hallway through the lair exit nearest to the t.v. “Um, we’re going to the Knick’s game?” Donnie asked in confusion. “Apparently Sam knows of this ‘super totally awesome cool’ spot” Raph said, mocking how his youngest brother made it sound. Mikey heard all of this of course, even though he was standing so far away. “You can mock me all you want but you’re going to flip when you see it!” “Yeah, yeah, whatever.”

The group then followed Sam as they left through the exit of the lair that was closest to the t.v. and the rest of the living room area. While they all talked and joked around as they walked throughout different pathways of the sewers, Donnie was curious as to where Sam was leading all of them, so he used a small handheld GPS system to track where they were as they all walked and talked. Once they arrived at their destination, Donnie decided it was time to speak up. “Okay, I’m not heading any further until I get an explanation.” Sam turned towards him and gave him a fake smile. “What’s the problem now?” “Do you realize where we are?” “Yeah.” “Where are we?” “Close to Madison Square Garden’s Arena” she said with an innocent smile. “Yay!” Mikey cheered. “No not yay,” Leo cut in, “you know we can’t go the actual arena.” “Dude, where else can you get a better view of the game than from the actual arena?” Mikey asked. “I assumed maybe there was a place where they broadcasted the game on a larger screen, like near a park or something where we could still hide.” “If you would trust me then you’d know that you can still hide at the spot that I’m taking you to” Sam stated as she rolled her eyes. “I’m not stupid, I wouldn’t bring you guys here if you wouldn’t be able to hide and stay unseen.” Raph sighed. “We’re trusting you on this one kid, so don’t screw it up” he said as he flicked her forehead. She stood there and pursed her lips together. “Gee Raph, I’ve never heard words of encouragement quite like yours.” “Let’s go!” he shouted. “Okay, so here are the ground rules. When you reach the surface, move quickly and whoeverreachesthetopfirstwins!!!” she shouted with one breath as she swiftly pulled her board out, Mikey doing the same with his board, and the two rocketed off towards the surface. Mikey pushed open the manhole cover and within seconds the two were out of sight. “*sigh* why did we agree to go with them again?” Raph asked. “Because we’re proving we trust her…and we owe her for helping save Donnie” Leo muttered under his breath as he started climbing up the ladder to the surface. “Ahh, so this is all Donnie’s fault. You just needed to be saved, didn’t you?” Raph teased as he followed his brother up to the surface. “HE GRABBED ME BY THE FACE! So yes I needed saving!” Donnie called out as he then climbed up. When the three got to the surface, they realized they were in an alley behind a tall apartment building. They each quickly swung themselves up higher and higher along the railways along the side of the building. Sam and Mikey were standing there, pretending to look bored. “Took you long enough” Mikey mocked as Sam nodded beside him. Leo looked around and saw that they were on top of an apartment building that was a bit taller and wasn’t that far away in distance from the top of the arena. He then paused as he realized that the distance didn’t seem that far away FOR HIM to run and leap onto the arena’s roof, but there’s no way that Sam could have made that jump, even for her. “Don’t worry Fearless, I only recently started sneaking in this way” she said. “Wait, how did you know-” “There’s this thing called facial expressions, and yours are extremely obvious and totally give away what you’re thinking” she smirked. “So what was your old method?” “Fake I.D.’s that said I was backstage staff.” “Backstage?” Raph asked. “Isn’t that term used for concerts?” “Yeah, why else would I come here?” She asked. “To watch the basketball game, you know, the reason we’re here now.” Sam stopped and stared at him. “Oh hey, funny thing, I don’t know shit about basketball.” “WHAT?!” the three oldest brothers shouted. “Why are you even here then?” Raph asked. Sam then pulled on Mikey’ arm so that he was now standing in a tilted stance and leaning towards her. He smiled while Sam gave Raph a look that said ‘duh.’ “We’re moving!” Donnie shouted. Leo and Donnie ran across the rooftop and leaped and rolled onto the rooftop of the arena. Raph soon followed with Mikey and Sam running and then leaping onto their boards which they used to travel down onto the rooftop. Mikey then lead the way as he ran over and opened up a curved vent. “Come on guys! We’re going to miss the beginning of the game!” Sam took the lead as she ran forward and leaped into the opening with Mikey right behind her, and then the rest of the brothers behind him. Leo, Raph, and Donnie looked around at the room they were in. They were surrounded by metal beams above them, and tons of different grated walkways below them. They looked forward to see Sam and Mikey racing forward along the walkways until the two jumped and as they traveled downwards, the two vanished. The three brothers then ran after them and stopped when they reached the hole that the other two had jumped through. As they looked down the hole with fear and concern their expressions soon switched from these feelings to confusion. All they could see was the game getting set up down below. It wasn’t until the saw Mikey waving his hands that they knew all was alright. They each carefully jumped down and their jaws dropped when they realized where they were. “Whoaaa!” Donnie shouted. “No way!” Leo exclaimed with a smile. “The jumbo tron?!” Raph shouted.” How did you find out about this?” “Sam said she would sneak up here for different concerts, so when I said that I would love to see a basketball game in person, we worked together to figure out how to get us both in here. That’s when we found that building we were just at and coordinated how to get from there to here and vice versa.” “I have to admit, this is pretty incredible” Leo said as he smiled at the duo. “THE GAME’S STARTING!” Donnie shouted.

Sam thought it was interesting that all four of the brothers were so absorbed in the game and fans of the sport. She was more so shocked that they were all fans of the exact same sport. She could easily see Raph and Mikey being fans of basketball, but she was a tiny bit surprised that Leo was so engaged as well. He seemed to like working out and at times he would playfully get rough with his brothers, but overall he usually seemed to prefer activities that were much calmer where he was alone, so it was a bit surprising to Sam when Leo was cheering just as loud as his crazy younger two brothers. She was even more shocked to hear Donnie cheering and act more energetic then any of them. Sam knew better than to judge a book by its cover, but Donnie never talked about sports, unless he did so when she just wasn’t around. He was always working on a project or jotting things down wherever he could, (there were a few times she caught him writing on the walls because something came to his mind and he had nothing to write on) or playing videogames like the techy nerd that he was, so she found this new behavior of his at the arena both shocking and amusing. She enjoyed seeing all four of the brothers let loose and have fun, especially since she was so used to seeing them act super serious because they were either training or preparing to go on patrol. She was so used to seeing them act so serious and quiet, so she loved seeing them now act so crazy and loud.

Sam looked back to the game and saw one of the players from the Knicks team run up to the 3 point line, dribble and dodge around the opposing player, and shoot the ball. The crowd went wild when the ball swished straight through the net. “Sam who’s that?” Mikey asked, quizzing the girl. She paused for a few seconds before shrugging her shoulders. “Ughhh Sam! His last name is Smith. Based on where he threw the ball, which Smith is he? And don’t tell me you forgot there’s two!” “Ummmmm, let’s see. He took a shot near the 3 point line which means he’s probably a shooting guard, so he’s…J.R. Smith!” she said, raising her eye brows in hope that she was right. “Before I can congratulate you…who’s the other Smith and what does he play?” Mikey asked as he crossed him arms. Sam closed her eyes as she tried to think of the player she was asked about. “Jason Smith…and he plays on the 5 spot on the diagram… so he plays center.” “Aye!!!” the four said, congratulating her. “That’s my girl!” Mikey said as he pat her on the back. “I knew you could do it.” Sam laughed. “I never said I couldn’t do it, I just said that I have a ton of stuff I’m working on so forgive me if it takes longer than usual for me to pick up facts and stats on the sport.” “So what kept you away from basketball?” Leo asked. “Nothing kept me away, I just never got into it. My parents always watched soccer, so my siblings and I started watching soccer, and then when I was in 5th grade I started playing for the first time and I got hooked and I started taking it seriously.” “Well, welcome to the club” Raph said with a smile as he playfully nudged her.

The group of five continued to watch and cheer as the game went on. None of them would ever admit it, but something as simple as watching the game slowly began bringing the group even closer together. This combined with the mix of how Sam had all of their backs the night previous and vice versa really strengthened the trusting bond that each of them was slowly building with Sam. This didn’t mean that the oldest three trusted the girl 110% just yet though. In fact, there were still a few things that they wanted to know about her that they had yet to learn about. But because their youngest brother seemed to be learning a lot more about her, specifically her past, much quicker than the rest of them were, they decided to continue using the more peaceful approach and hoped that she would start opening up to them as they also slowly began opening up to her, even though they would never admit it.

*Wednesday June 18th, nighttime in the sewers*

*Sam POV*

She couldn’t believe it. It had been a little over two weeks but the motorcycle was almost complete. Luckily Donnie had been a huge help, and Mikey had actually been much more helpful than she expected. Mikey enjoyed scavenging for parts that she needed as much as Donnie enjoyed helping put the pieces where they belonged. Now that all the hard work was done, Sam just needed to finish putting a fresh coat of paint on the vehicle so that no one could ever tell that it had been purchased so cheaply and full of dents. She was so busy at work that she didn’t realize that the other brothers had left the lair until she went to and ask Mikey and Donnie for their opinions on the paint job. When she had walked back from their hiding spot in one of the smaller open areas throughout the sewer and had arrived back at the lair, she was confused when she didn’t see anyone but Splinter meditating on the raised circular piece near the living room.

“Hey Sensei, where did everybody go?” she asked as she walked over towards him. “Ah Samantha, I didn’t realize you were here” he said with a smile on his face. “Yeah, I was working on something in another space in the sewer, so technically I was and wasn’t here, hehe.” “I see. You and the boys have all been busy lately. I appreciate you looking after them in ways that only you can.” She tilted her head to the side. “Huh?” He chuckled. “You’ve been teaching Leonardo to cook, and now even Raphael has been showing interest in the activity. You’ve given Donatello a lending hand in projects that no one else knows how to help him with. You’re able to keep up with the duration of Raphael’s workout routines whereas everyone else gets bored of doing the same thing day in and day out, and when the others are occupied or even just want some relaxing time, you enjoy participating in the same activities as Michelangelo.” Sam rubbed the back of her head. She was embarrassed, but in a good way. “Gee Sensei, I hadn’t really noticed any of that.” He shook his head at her. “Sam, do you really think you can lie like that to a wise old rat?” She responded while rocking back and forth on her feet. “Leeeeeetttt’s just keep it to ourselves that I’ve noticed the same things you have, okay? Okay!” she said as she gave him two thumbs up, leading the rat to laugh at her goofiness. “Anyway, did you happen to see where they all went?” “Ah, right! There was an alert on the police scanner saying that a gang was robbing an electronics store downtown, so the boys went on their way.” “WITHOUT ME?!” she shouted. “I’m sorry my child, but they didn’t know where you were. Well Michelangelo did, but Donatello said that there wasn’t time to reach you and that they needed to move quickly in order to catch the robbers.” “Hmph, well lucky for me I have a new set of wheels” she said as she rubbed her hands together. “Should I be concerned?” Splinter asked as he gave the girl a serious look. “Don’t worry Sensei, it’s nothing to worry about. I just have a surprise for Raph that he’ll be receiving sooner than expected.”

And with that she ran back towards where she was working on the motorcycle, threw on a helmet and elbow and knee pads, and rode away down the alley ways of the sewers.

*Turtles POV*

He felt bad about having to leave her behind, but if it meant possibly saving a life or putting a criminal behind bars, then they needed to move fast. Donnie knew where Sam was, and he knew that his younger brother was upset that they couldn’t go chase after her, but time was of the essence and they needed to leave now. The four brothers quickly gathered whatever they thought they might need and they jumped into the somewhat empty truck that Donnie was still working on and they sped away out of the sewers.

“So what’s the situation?” Raph asked as he walked around the back of the van. “An electronics store was robbed downtown” Donnie replied. “So this shouldn’t be too tough then, right?” “I’m not sure, since this gang didn’t just rob any ordinary electronics store.” “I don’t get it” Mikey chimed in while he sat on a couch against a wall in the van. “It’s not like this is just an Apple store where it’s filled with phones and computers. This building is also used for building and testing new technological devices that can be used for a variety of different situations. They’re currently working on a new hand held heart rate monitor, and I’m sure that’s what the thieves are aiming to take.” “Why would they want a heart rate monitor?” Leo asked from the passenger’s seat. “Devices like that are used by a variety of people. Not only can they help protect athletes from over working themselves, but they can also help weight loss patients maintain regular exercise and a sustainable dietary regimen, and they can also help injury rehabilitation patients recovering from an injury or an illness, or a cardiac incident, ensure that their gradual return to full strength and endurance proceeds safely and steadily. Basically, it can help many people that seriously need to monitor their heart rate by allowing them to constantly check it and make sure that they’re alright, and these gang members probably know how expensive they are, especially since this is the latest prototype.”

Just as those final words left his lips, they turned down a corner and saw a few cars start speeding away from the electronics store. Donnie put his foot on the gas and tried to catch up to them, trying his best to watch out for any other traffic nearby. Luckily, this store happened to be on a street with more local shops which meant that by this time of night, most were all closed and the streets around this area were empty. “Is it only these two cars?” Raph asked as he walked up and now stood behind the space between the driver and passenger seat. “It looks like it” Donnie replied. “Alright Leo, let’s take these two out” Raph said as he turned his head towards his older brother. Leo smiled and nodded as he stood up. “You take care of the car closest to us. Mikey will help me with the one that’s further ahead.” Raph nodded as Leo turned towards Mikey. “Alright Mikey, you’ve been practicing with that dart device, right?” “You know it bro! My aim has improved a lot!” “I’m going to go get it set up on top the van, so make sure that you’re ready to fire, got it?” “Let’s do this!” “That device is in a box on the bottom shelf in the back” Donnie cut in as he nodded his head towards the back of the van. “You’re good to go Raph, keep your phone on you so we can communicate” Leo said. “Don’t worry, I got this. Be back soon.” Raph said as he made sure his shell cell was safely fastened in the pouch on his chest strap. He then walked towards the back of the van, threw open the doors, and swung himself onto the top of the van. Once he was able to maintain his balance, he ran across the top of the van and leaped off of it and onto the car in front of him. His weight caused the roof of the car to cave in some and made the car swerve a bit. Raph waited another minute or so until the car was close to an alley. He then shoved his arm through the roof and grabbed ahold of the steering wheel, turning the car into the alley where it crashed into a dumpster.

Meanwhile, Leo and Mikey were getting ready for their chance to attack as well. Leo was starting up a device that was about the height of a 29 inch flat screen television, but it was thicker like a microwave. At the front of the device was a nozzle that could be moved with a controller as to where to aim the darts that were inside the device. Donnie had made the device in case they would ever need to attack an enemy from a far off distance (he had been working on it ever since he was a kid, but he could only find so many materials). Leo would get the device in position, and Mikey had been practicing how to use the controller to set up the nozzle in the perfect direction to shoot the darts. “You ready?” Leo asked as he turned towards Mikey. “Let’s do this bro!” Mikey cheered. And with that, Leo swung himself up onto the roof of the car the same way Raph recently had. Once he was able to maintain his balance, he called down to Mikey, who then helped swing and toss the device up to Leo on the roof. Leo crouched down and laid on his chest as he slowly crawled forward on the top of the truck, trying to get as close as he could to the front of the vehicle so that the nozzle would have a clear shot when it needed to be fired. “Alright Mikey, whenever you’re ready” Leo said into his shell cell which was fastened to a holder on his chest strap. “Just a few more seconds…” Mikey said as he looked down at the controller. On the controller were a few joy sticks that controlled the direction and things of that such for the nozzle’s aim, and also a screen that was connected to a camera on the device that allowed Mikey to see what direction and also what object he would be shooting at. He tried his best to get a clear and solid aim and then *schwoop.* Mikey pressed the button and a dart came flying out from the nozzle and pierced its way into the enemy cars tire. The car swerved some and then crashed into a wall.

Donnie slowed the truck down as they creeped up to where the car had crashed. “We need to start picking up the pace guys. I’m sure that someone will have called the cops by now. Let’s start tying them up Mikey” Leo said after he had returned to the inside of the car and was now putting the device and its controller back where he had found them. “Wait!” Donnie called out. “There’s movement behind us!” “Wait, what? We took out both cars!” Mikey called as he and Leo both looked out the open back doors. “Raph, where are you?” Leo said as he spoke into his shell cell. “I’m up on a rooftop about a street away from where you are. I see some guys getting onto motorcycles!” “They must have hid back while we chased their men in the cars, I’m sure those guys are hiding whatever they went to steal” Leo said with a serious and intense tone. “Wait…whoa no way!” “Raph what’s wrong?” “Where the hell did she get that?!” “No way…” Donnie mumbled. “She’s not riding it…” “WHAT?!” Leo hollered. Before anyone could answer him, he heard the revving of the motorcycles from way down the other end of the street. There were three motorcycles driving away from them, but there was one coming down the street that was heading in their direction. He couldn’t see the face of the person who was heading in their direction because they had a helmet on, but he knew that body size and the slim yet muscular figure that was riding the bike, that and he had seen the same navy blue form fitting track pants and navy blue and maroon sweatshirt earlier that day. “How did Sam get that?” Leo groaned. “No time to talk! Hold on tight!” Donnie called out as he hit the gas and made a U-turn as quickly as he could. As they sped down the roadway, they saw Sam on her motorcycle as she sped towards the robbers. She grabbed what looked like one of her tonfa from the pocket on the side of the backpack she was wearing and swung in out to hit the driver of the opposing motorcycle head on. One of the other two motorcycles (the driver seemed to have a small suitcase tucked in front of him) turned around and sped down a separate roadway, but the other one still drove towards Sam. This time she would be attacking with her left arm, but in this position it was a bit difficult, especially since she had never driven a motorcycle before and barely knew how to maintain control of the vehicle alone. She knew she wouldn’t be able to land a solid hit, so instead she tilted the bike back as both she and it slid forward. She was able to angle the vehicle so that it would slide diagonally some and then collide with the oncoming motorcycle, and as it did, she continued to slide forward. She smiled under her helmet as she mentally thanked herself for wearing the gloves, knee pads, and elbow pads that she was wearing. She didn’t care what teasing might come from the others later, right now these protections were really helping her out, even though the slide was still very uncomfortable and put an incredible amount of pressure on her knees and arms.  

Once she had come to a complete stop, she heard a thud come from behind her and she quickly turned over, but it was just Raph who had climbed down and leaped off at the midway point of the building behind her. “Slick, very slick” he teased as he held his hand out to her. “Yeah whatever, I did what I had to…plus that’s also all I could really do” she said as she was pulled off the ground. “Regardless, it worked” Raph said with a smile as he turned away. Sam looked in the same direction that Raph had and to her surprise Leo and Mikey had somehow run past her and were already tying and piling up the robbers they had just stopped. “Where’s Donnie?” she asked. “Chasing the last guy, hopefully the last” Leo responded. “Heh, did you have a nice trip?” Mikey asked as he walked back over. Sam squinted her eyes at him. “I didn’t trip…I thought the ground needed a hug...” “And how did that go?” “Not well, our relationship is really rocky” she replied as the two laughed at how stupid their jokes were. “Guys,” Leo cut in, “Donnie said the guy is circling around, so he’ll be passing by soon.” “I’m using the new ride” Raph said as he walked the motorcycle over to where they were standing. “Fine. Mikey, Sam, let’s go.” Sam shrugged her shoulders. “Lead the way fearless leader.” Raph walked the vehicle back some so that it was hiding in the shadows along the side of the building. This way, if he needed to move quickly, the other biker wouldn’t see him coming. Leo led the way up the building by grabbing onto the beams of the metal stairways along the outside of the building and swinging himself up to the next set above until within a few seconds he reached the roof of the building. He sensed movement behind him and assumed that it was Mikey who was trailing behind, and he also assumed that Sam was probably on his back and holding onto his shoulders, but it was both of them that had moved up the side of the building the same way that he had. He was a bit shocked and wondered if there was anything that Sam couldn’t do. She continued to prove that she could do pretty much anything when she ran over to the opposite ledge and said “I see the truck, let’s go!” and then ran along the ledge of the roof, dived forward, and tucked and rolled onto the top of the truck. Mikey wasn’t far behind her since he wanted to make sure he was close by in case something were to go wrong. Then, Leo followed behind the other two, and once he safely landed on the top of the truck, he crawled over to pull open the doors. He then made sure that everyone was safely inside before slamming them shut behind him. “Leo!” Donnie called out, “while chasing this guy I was able to connect to whatever station he’s using with whatever device he has up there to communicate with an outside source. A helicopter will be here any minute to pick him up. He has a suitcase with the latest prototypes of the new heart rate monitors. We need to act quickly.” Leo paused as he tried to come up with a quick plan. “Mikey, you think you can take another shot?” “What if he drops them?” Sam asked. “Some people might really need those devices to monitor whatever heart condition they may have…” “What are you thinking?” Leo asked. “I’ve seen you guys practice with that device back there, you aim and Mikey shoots. That means you need someone to run up and catch that suitcase. Once that dart kicks in, and depending on which type of darts Donnie supplied, those chemicals will knock that guy out fast.” “What do you have to say about that Raph?” Leo asked as he looked down at his shell cell on his chest strap. “Whatever you do, I got your back down here Sam.” Everyone else in the truck nodded towards one another, and they quickly worked together to form a plan. Minutes later, Leo pushed open the back doors and helped Sam get settled on the roof of the vehicle, and then he also climbed up with the device tucked under his arm. He turned his head to confirm that the revving he heard behind him was Raph. Once he saw that it was his brother who was trailing behind them, he then crawled forward and started to get the device set up in place. He then turned to make sure that Sam was still alright. He saw that her platform was still suctioned cupped to the roof and that the thick lanyard was connected by the snap hooks to both her nylon webbing chest harness and the suction cupped platform. As Leo continued to get the device set up, he heard a helicopter get closer and closer to where they were driving. The next thing he knew, it was over top of the biker, and a harness was being lowered by a thick lanyard cable. The motorcyclist carefully stood up on his bike and jumped, hooking his right arm through one of the two loops of the harness, and he clung on to this lanyard cable as best as he could as he was slowly lifted off the ground, the suitcase tucked under his left arm. “Mikey, you have one shot! Raph, get ready on the side!” Leo called out. Within a couple seconds, a dart was shot from the device, and it pierced the shoulder of the man in the air. Just like Sam predicted, the suitcase slowly started to slip out from under the man’s arm. Sam stood up and took a few steps back. Once she saw that Raph was beside the truck, she then ran forward (making sure to unhook her harness of course) and leaped as far forward as she could. Donnie slammed on the breaks so that the sudden motion would send Sam flying even further forward. This plan worked, and Sam was able to grab onto the falling suitcase. As she then fell back down to the earth, Raph sped up as fast as he could so that he could try to catch her. This sort of worked, but Sam only had one arm available to try and grab onto Raph, so she slipped a bit and fell to his right some. Luckily she was wearing her knee pads and used them to skid across the concrete for a few seconds, her left arm around Raph and her right clinging onto the suitcase. Raph was able to grab onto her and quickly pulled her back up. As she was pulled up, she swung her left leg around so that she was now sitting behind Raph.

The helicopter flew off with the man still dangling in the air, and everyone could finally catch their breath. Raph turned the motorcycle around and rode back towards where the truck had stopped. He parked the vehicle and helped Sam off. “You both okay?” Leo asked as he walked around from the back of the truck. “Ugh, that put butterflies in my stomach” Mikey complained. “You been eating caterpillars?” Sam teased. Mikey playfully shoved her shoulder. “Jerk, don’t make fun of me for being worried.” “What were you worried about? Raph had my back!” she said as she faced Raph with a huge smile. He gave her a more serious look in return. “I’d agree, if you knew how to fall correctly.” “I’m sorry, but what bullshit is this?” she asked. “You fell to the side, how do you fall to the side? How did you not fall straight down?” “I did fall straight down! I only had one free arm! So I couldn’t hold on very well and then slid to the slide!” “Then you need to learn how to grab onto people better” he mocked as Sam rolled her eyes in return. “So,” he began, “how much longer until you were going to let me see this?” he asked as he looked back at the motorcycle behind him. “A few more days. I was painting it today…and of course I let it slide across the ground…” “How long have you had it?” “I dunno, hey Donnie! When did I first show this to you?” Donnie walked past the front of the truck after exiting from the driver’s seat. “Umm, it’s been a little more than a couple of weeks I believe.” “Wait, you did this?” Leo asked as he looked at Sam. “Well, I mean Donnie and Mikey-” “NOPE!” Mikey said as he wrapped his arm around Sam’s shoulder and covered her mouth with his hand. “She’ll never admit it, but this was all her idea and she did 99% of the work!” Donnie nodded with a smile. “He’s right, she helped find a lot of the parts and she’s been working hard on it. I was just an aide on this one.” Raph nodded and raised his eyebrows in surprise, while Leo shook his head and smiled. “Is there anything you can’t do? Anything you’re afraid of?” Leo asked. Sam finally was able to rip Mikey’s hand from her mouth. “NOTHING-” “Heights, bugs, the dark-” “I’m not afraid of the dark!...I get nervous when I hear creepy noises when it’s pitch black…or if the lights go out and I don’t know why…” “So you’re afraid of heights?” Donnie asked in a mocking tone. “Only when it’s a straight drop down, as in there’s nothing ANYWHERE to land on or grab onto. Whatever I’m walking on or hanging from also determines how scared I am.” “Ahh, got it. And bugs?” “AS LONG AS THEY’RE NOWHERE NEAR ME THEN I’M GOOD! I’LL BE CALM!” “Secrets out! We know how to mess with Sam now” Raph said as he nudged Leo’s shoulder. The two brother’s laughed as they walked towards the motorcycle and towards the passenger’s seat of the truck. “Wait, what do you mean?” Sam asked, failing to stay calm as she feared of what those two might do now that they knew what freaked her out more than anything. “Tell me what that means!” she shouted as she climbed up the side and hung onto the door handle on the outside of the passenger door. “Nothing Sam, nothing at all” Leo replied as he locked the door and Donnie slowly began to pull away. Sam heard the motorcycle start up and as she jumped down from the side door she stood and turned toward Raph. “What does that mean?!” “Nothing Sam” Raph replied as he rode past her and ahead of the truck. The truck then followed behind the motorcycle, and Mikey threw open the back doors and held his hand out. “Come on Sam!” Sam quickly jogged over and grabbed his hand as he pulled her into the back of the truck. After he closed the doors, Mikey pulled Sam back and whispered in her ear. She hoped to hear something like ‘don’t worry, they would never do anything like that to you,’ but it made her even happier when he whispered “don’t worry, do you think I’d ever let them do something like that to you?” Sam turned towards him and put her fist out. “Cowabunga” she whispered. He returned the gesture and whispered “Booyakasha.”

 *Friday June 20th, Later in the Evening*

“We got here earlier than expected” Donnie said as he led the way across the walkways hidden within the ceiling. “She said that depending on how many or if any stoppages occur that it can change the starting time of their games, so I wanted to make sure we got here a few minutes earlier in case the game started sooner than expected” Leo said as he followed behind. “You see her team yet Mikey?” “I’m looking, but I don’t see anyone that matches the team pictures.”

All day Sam had been practicing with her soccer team for a club tournament game that they would be playing that night. It was a smaller tournament that only included local club teams, which meant that the location was much closer to home than most of the teams tournaments. Tonight was the last night for this tournament, (the tournament had gone on for a few weekends rather than having multiple games in one day) and knowing this, the guys decided that they would surprise her by watching her play. The night before Mikey had asked about where the game was being played, but Sam never would have guessed that they’d come and watch her. Once he had the info he needed, Mikey talked to Donnie who then coordinated the best underground route that would allow them to sneak into the arena. Though the tournament was small, the indoor arena was not. There were tons and tons of rooms that could be used for games and practices for multiple different sports, so it was difficult for the guys to figure out which field Sam was playing on.

“Hey, I see some teams over here, any of them look familiar?” Raph asked as he looked down at a field where two female teams were about to play each other. Mikey took a quick glance and snickered. “Nope, not them” he said as he quickly turned away. “Dude you didn’t even look!” Raph snapped. “Trust me I know.” Mikey walked further down the walkway they were on when finally he spotted Sam. “Found her!” The other three brother’s walked over towards Mikey and looked at the field below. “Mikey, these are boy’s teams! Why would Sam be down there?” Raph barked. “Because I have the coolest best friend ever” Mikey replied with a cunning smile. “He’s right, there she is Raph!” Donnie said as he pointed to a person in the bottom right corner of the field. Raph was astonished, but also curious as he stared at the girl in her new look. Her hair was pulled back in a pony-tail and her bangs were pushed back with a headband as she wore her black and red uniform, a zig zag going down the entire outfit so that one entire half of the outfit was red and the other black.

Just then, a whistle tweeted, and the game began. Sam slowly started moving forward towards the yellow and blue bearing players on the opposing team. Even though she was on defense she was constantly moving around to different parts of the field. A few minutes after the game started, one of her teammates dropped the ball back down the field to the halfway line on her side of the field. Sam ran to the ball and slowly but steadily started to dribble the ball, looking for any open teammates. She saw that no one was open, but with one quick chop she could run down the middle. She ran up to the opposing player, quickly chopped the ball, and dribbled down towards the goal. Within seconds there was someone running right next to her, so she quickly pulled the ball back and passed to some open space near the right wing. As soon as the ball left her foot, her teammate darted towards the open space and took a shot. The ball was shot just a little too high and it bounced off the top of the board. “Ahhh, just a little lower and she would have had another assist!” Mikey cried. Just then the goalie threw the ball back down the field and Sam sprinted to get back. There was already someone covering her position, but Sam went to aide him. She helped corner in the opposing player until he lost his footing on the ball. The red and black bearing player quickly passed the ball to Sam ran back a few steps, and when Sam got the ball she quickly bounced it off the wall around the opposing player and back to her teammate who ran the ball back up field. “She’s fast, I’m surprised she’s a defender” Leo said. “There’s a few reasons,” Mikey replied, “one of the original reasons was that no one ever wanted to play defense because that’s not the scoring position, so she got tons of playing time in the position that no one wanted. The other reason is because of something her coach told her.” “And that something would be?” “He said that scouts don’t always look for the players that score the goals, but rather they look for the players who are able to set up the people who do score. They look for people who can get the ball to that perfect spot so that the forwards can get their goals. He told her that you truly look your best when you’re making someone else look good.” “Heh, so she’s looking for the best strategy even when it comes to sports” Donnie chuckled.

At the 20 minute mark, the opposing team scored a goal, and at the 40 minute mark, Sam’s team scored a goal. By half time the game was still tied at 1-1. The fast pace of the game continued as soon as the second half started. Sam kept pushing up more and more. There were multiple times where she had to sprint back in order to mark her opposing player and prevent them from scoring, but she always made it back just in time to block their shot, or to stick with them long enough to make them drop the ball back down to the other half of the field. Around the 25 minute mark of the second half, Sam blocked a shot taken from an opposing player, sending the ball into the air above the two of them. They both crouched down, but Sam was able to jumper higher than the boy, and she won the head ball and was able to send it to one of her teammates nearby. “Dang, she sure can keep up with these guys” Raph said in amazement. “She has to, she’s not allowed to play on the girls team” Mikey responded. “Wait, what?” “Yeah, apparently she started getting to rough when playing other girls, and she showed me video clips of other club teams around the country. Girls teams can have some tough and rude players, but she was going overboard even with them, so they recommended her play for a boys team.”

Just then, Sam was moving around from open space to open space on the field. She waited for her teammate to take a shot on goal, and continued to run forward even after he did so. The shot was just a hair to high, but after the ball had quickly bounced off the top board of the goal, Sam was already sprinting towards the goal. She quickly ran up and kicked the ball towards the bottom left corner of the goal while the goalie was still in the air from trying to block that last shot. The buzzard sounded from her scoring the goal and people cheered from the stands. “THAT’S MY BEST FRIEND!” Mikey shouted. “Geez she’s fast!” Donnie exclaimed with a smile on his face. The game continued on, and the boys were constantly amazed at how Sam was able to hold her all. She was able to sprint to the ball and catch up with anyone on the field, and not only that, but she had incredible speed when it came to her footwork with the ball as well. She was great at improvising in the moment and just moving the ball around in whatever way she needed to. She was also very aggressive and anytime a boy pushed her, she would push back twice as hard. She wasn’t perfect of course and there were times where she was beat to the ball or when the opposing person was able to cut around her, but the majority of the time the plays were in her favor. By the 40 minute mark the other team had scored once again and the score was tied 2-2. By this point in the game, Sam was playing the sweeper position rather than a defensive wing like she had been the rest of the game. “Why are they keeping her so far back? She should be up by the other goal!” Raph complained. “I agree, she’s fast enough to dribble around these guys, and she’s been making great short and quick passes when enclosed in crowded spaces like the opposing team’s penalty box is right now” Leo added. “Yeah but you have to remember, her mindset is to do whatever it takes to make sure that the ball is staying down at the other end of the field. So while her other 4 teammates are up at the other half of the field, if the ball gets pushed back to her, she can quickly just get it back up to the other half of the field. They constantly practice scenarios like this, especially her and that guy up their named Thomas” Mikey replied as he pointed to a tall boy with brown eyes and short brown hair. “He’s usually the main forward who always stays on the upper half of the field unless a penalty kick is being taken against his team.” Right after Mikey said this, an opposing player had cut around the upper defender who was much further up the field and was quickly dribbling towards the goal. Sam ran at an angle so that it would be harder for him to cut around her. As he kept trying to move the ball in a different direction, Sam was bouncing on her feet and moving quickly so that every time he went to move to the side or diagonally, she was always there to block the shot. She did this long enough for the second defender to come over and aide her in the same way that she had earlier, except this time she was about two steps ahead and closer towards the other goal. She carefully made a short pass off the wall to her assisting defender, who then made another short diagonal pass to some open space beside her. She quickly got the ball, made one quick cut around the offender who had raced back to her spot, and then kicked the ball high into the air. It soared all the way down to the other end of the field to where Thomas was standing. It bounced once and Thomas took a shot. The kick was hard and solid and the ball moved so quickly that those watching could barely even see it. Within that split second, the ball slammed against the wall and the third and final goal was made. The stands roared with applause at the incredible goal that was scored, but the players on both teams were quickly getting back in position. Just as quickly as the goal was scored, the blue and yellow team were sprinting down towards the red and black bearing team’s goal. All 5 players from both teams were right on top of each other in the small space. Sam was marking the player who currently had the ball, and it was obvious that he was not happy that his team was losing. Full of anger and frustration, he got his elbow and jabbed Sam in the stomach. She took a step back and held her stomach, but quickly tried to get back in position after realizing what this one step had just done. The boy took a shot, but luckily the ball went flying into the net above. People were booing since the ref hadn’t blown his whistle, but Sam was able to get her revenge. As soon as that same player got the ball seconds later, she tailed him. She nodded to her other teammates and they understood what she was doing with that simple gesture. One of the offensive players began playing more defensively, and Sam continued to tail the opposing player. Even when he didn’t have the ball, she continued to mark him all over the field. Every time one of his teammates went to pass to him, she was right there to block his shots or to kick the ball away from him. With 30 seconds left, she intercepted another pass sent to him and began to dribble the ball towards the opposing goal. Once again, the male player attacked her, only this time he obviously pushed her down. Sam slid across the turf and once again there were tons of boo’s coming from the stands. “OH COME ON!” Leo shouted! “GEEZ REF! DO YOUR JOB!” Raph exclaimed. “Mikey, is this happening because of why I think it is?” Donnie asked. “If it’s a gender thing then yes. She told me that this happens at least once a game, since the refs know they’ll get criticized if they constantly give her pk’s because people will assume it’s because she’s a girl. So even if guys purposefully push her or trip her, the ref’s won’t do a thing about it. She said that one time, there was this guy who looked at the ref to make sure he wasn’t looking, and then he elbowed her in the nose.” “SERIOUSLY?!” Raph shouted. He paused afterward, realizing how defensive he sounded and realizing how concerned he had grown for the girl’s safety and well-being.  

Just then the final buzzard sounded and the game was over. Player’s wearing black and red ran over to Sam and started circling around her. They patted her on the back and her gave daps, treating her like she was one of the guys. “THAT’S MY SISTER! WOO!” shouted a voice from the stands. The turtles looked over at the Asian man standing and cheering from the stands. “Who’s that?” Leo asked. “Jay, Sam’s older adopted brother” Mikey replied. Jay exited the stands and waited for Sam to walk over. He was standing with some other young teens as he waited for his sister to arrive from the other side of the building. “Are they siblings?” Raph asked in confusion. “Yes, but not Sam’s. They’re all related to other players on the team. They’re with Jay because they’re all the younger siblings of people who have older siblings that Jay is also friends with.” “She sure does tell you everything, doesn’t she Mikey?” Donnie asked with a laugh. “Well duh, that’s why we’re best friend’s bruh! I know almost all the main details of her home life.” “Almost? Why Michelangelo, I thought you would know everything by now. You know, since you’re her BEST FRIEND and all,” Leo mocked as he smiled at his younger brother. Mikey smiled back at his brother, but his expression had softened. “She tells me a lot, and I do the same to her, but I can tell that there are still some serious details she hasn’t told me yet.” “Like how she only talks about Jay in the present tense?” Donnie asked. “What?” “You haven’t noticed that? Whenever she talks about her parents or her other siblings, she always uses the past tense, but she uses the present tense when talking about Jay.” The other three brother’s took a moment to stop and think about what Donnie had just said, and the more they thought about it, the more they realized he was right. “Regardless, I don’t want her to feel like she has to explain herself. I want her to talk about her personal life when she’s ready” Mikey said with a sincere smile. “Awww, well aren’t you the perfect gentleman?” Raph said as he threw an arm around Mikey’s shoulder. The youngest rolled his eyes as all four of them laughed. “Hey, what’s April doing here?” Leo asked. Off in the distance, Sam and some of the other boys had caught up to Jay and the other teens, and next to them was April who was chatting away with the group. “Huh, I wonder if there’s going to be a news segment about the soccer team” Donnie added. “Either way, I’m taking a picture and sending it to Sam!” Mikey said. He took the picture, sent the message, and waited. A few seconds later, he saw Sam’s shocked face as she turned towards where they were hiding. Mikey crouched down and quickly waved his hand in a spot where it would momentarily be seen. A large smile grew on his face when he saw that Sam had the exact same expression on her face after seeing that he was there. Her smile then grew even larger when she saw three more hands quickly wave to her, letting her know that all four of the brother’s had come and watched her play. “Alright, let’s go. Until Donnie finishes fixing the small police scanner, we don’t know if the city needs us or not” Leo stated. The brother’s began to head out, wondering what it was that Sam and April were talking about, but knowing that they would eventually know once the two joined back up with them the next day.

*Sam POV after the Game*

“I told you all those practice plays would be worth it!” Thomas exclaimed as he walked next to Sam. The two walked with their group as the team dispersed and walked around the field and over towards where their family members were waiting for them. “Oh I knew they would! You’re telling this to the wrong person, Kyle is the one wanted to keep ending our practices early!” she said as she playfully glared at the boy she was accusing. “HEY! I only wanted to end practices early when I knew we could get free food! I swear every time there was a restaurant with some type of free give away, you two wanted to extend our practice time.” “God all you think about is food” Ken chuckled as he threw his arm around his friends shoulder, playfully wrestling with him as they walked. “Well, now you should be happy that we didn’t stop to eat” she said as she shot the two dorks a huge smile. “See, what we should really be talking about is how amazing my first goal was, which lead to our increase in stamina” Ryan said. Ryan was mixed and had light brown skin with a short haircut and brown eyes. “Oh my god, I’ve never met someone as cocky as you” Nathan said as he rolled his eyes. Nathan had short brown hair and brown eyes. He had some light facial hair and had visible muscles even through his uniform. “It’s called confidence! And I need it if I want scouts to look at me!” “Then in that case, I’ve never met someone as confident as you” Aaron said with a smirk. He was the cousin to Nathan and had similar physical features. “Are you kidding me? We just won another tournament! We’re going to have scouts all over us!” Key said with a huge smile. “Psh, easy for you to say that. If you don’t get scouted for this sport then you have a million other sports you can be scouted for” Ryan said, rolling his eyes.   “Dude, I only play a few” Key said. “Let’s count,” Sam cut in, “there’s soccer, basketball, lacrosse, football, and baseball.” “Don’t forget wrestling!” Kris added. “Oh right, and wrestling” she said as she gave Key a mocking smile. “Okay, okay. But you guys know soccer is my favorite out of all of them. So I want to impress the soccer scouts as much as you guys.” “Don’t worry. As long as we all play the way we did tonight, then we’re all going to be living the dream as professional athletes” Kris ey, what’s April  said.

By then, they had made their way over to where Jay was standing. “Hey Jay, I totally didn’t know you were here and screaming the whole time” Sam teased as she gave her older brother a hug. “Does anything hurt? Are you alright?” “Yes Jay, I’m not crying and I’m walking on my own. I’m perfectly fine.” “Once again you were incredible out their Sam, way to show that girls can keep up with the guys” said Grace. “That’s why you should join the track team. Wink, wink. Nudge, nudge” said Clay. Thomas, Clay, and Grace were triplets and born in that order. Each of them had the same short brown colored haircut, but Thomas and Grace both had brown eyes while Clay had blue. “Oh hush up! How about you do something besides just run!” Thomas teased. “I do more than run…I also do long jump” Clay said, followed by his brother playfully hitting him. “So, did my stupid brother steal your spotlight again?” Angel asked. “I said it was confidence! Stop making me sound like a bad person!” Ryan exclaimed. Angel was the year younger sister to Ryan, meaning she was the same age as Sam. Angel had the same light brown skin as Ryan, and also had black and brown hair with brown eyes.

“Excuse me,” a voice cut in, “but you guys are players from the winning team right?” “April! What’s up?” Sam said with a smile. “You know her?” Jay asked. “Oh yeah. I don’t know if you two have met, but she works with Irma. Not too long ago Kris and I walked to their work building and April was kind enough to give me a ride to a friend’s house. They were actually friends of hers as well.” “Oh…really?” Jay asked. At that time, Sam had gotten a text message, so she didn’t notice the worry in her brother’s voice, or that her friends were all faking their calm and collected expressions at hearing that Sam was friends with friends of April’s. Jay lent his hand out to April. “Jay Allan Park, nice to meet you” he said, fixing his expression so that April didn’t sense his distrust in her. “April O’Neil, news reporter for Channel 6 News. It’s nice to meet you.” “Oh sorry, I didn’t mean to act so clueless. I’ve seen you on t.v. before. I’m surprised to see you here though, since you’re usually covering the latest and most serious news stories.” “Well I do that, and I’m doing that now. I don’t know if any of you know this, but tons of people are talking about this team and are excited to see you in the tournament coming up this summer to see if you’ll be the team to represent New York in the states cup.” “We know” Sam cut in. “And we’re hoping to impress tons of scouts when we fight for our state spot” she said with a huge smile. April gave her a funny look. “You’re much cheerier than you were a second ago.” “Haha, it’s nothing. I just found out that our friends were here tonight” Sam said, a huge smile still on her face. “Really? Were they in the stands?” Jay asked, masking his concern. “Yeah, but they had to leave quickly, so I didn’t get a chance to see where they were sitting. Anyway, is there any way we can help you out April?” “Yes! If you guys are okay, would you mind if I interviewed any or possibly all of you? I’d love to ask you some questions about both this game and the summer tournament.” Sam turned towards the group standing behind her. Each of them smiled and nodded, resulting in a very happy April. “Thank you so much to all of you! Please just give me one minute to get my cameraman and we’ll start getting everything set up!” April walked off, and her and another man (Sam recognized that the man was Vern) began setting up a camera.

Throughout the entire interview, Sam was never able to detect that Jay and their friends were fighting to keep their cool in front of April. They were all shocked to hear that Sam was friends with people that April knew, and they really wanted to ask Sam questions about this friendship. After the interview, they all walked with Jay to the nearest bus stop, thoughts circling through their minds about who exactly it was that Sam was friends with all this time. By now, through word of mouth from different friends and siblings, they knew that Sam was starting to go back to how she used to be and that this was because she had made a new friend. Now it had come out that she had made new friends, which was news to everyone, and they so badly wanted to ask her who these friends were and how she met them. However, they knew there would be consequences if they tried to dive deeper into the subject, especially if she was friends with who they feared she might be, so for now they all stayed calm and collected and acted like they all normally would, hopping that word of this wouldn’t reach ‘him.’