Smarter Than Me || TMNT 2012 Donatello Fanfiction

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     "Were you there?"

     Ashlee shakes her head. "I was already passed the street. I didn't hear or see anything."

     That was a lie. Ashlee was on the same street the Kraang attempted to invade. Her fight-or-flight instincts caused her to smash the aliens rather than avoid them completely. How idiotic. Of course, Ashlee could never let her parents know.

     Ashlee's mother frowns, watching the TV's local news station. "There's no evidence of Kraang in that area. Nothing was left. It must have been a prank."

     "Unlikely," Ashlee's father chimes in. He walks behind the couch, past the two ladies.

     "How so?"

     "Attacks such as these are rare, but not imaginary. The press simply wants to keep these things under their own control."

     Dr. Wing found all Kraang attacks interesting. In his line of work, their technology proved useful. He firmly believed against media, for they hindered his experiments and falsified his theories.

     He found himself drawn to his private office and closed the doors behind him.

     Ashlee's mother sighs. "You swear nothing happened on your way home?"

     "I heard about it on the way home but I wasn't actually there. I saw some people talking about what happened though."

     "I don't like you walking home by yourself. Do none of your friends stay after school for extracurriculars?"

     A high school student's primary focus is to simply finish high school. Taking extra activities and completing extra credit work was their last priority. Of course, none of Ashlee's friends participated in the extra classes and clubs. The ones that did, however, were not in the same groups as Ashlee.

     "Nothing has happened and nothing ever will happen. It's not late enough and it's only a couple of blocks. I'm fine."

     Parents always had reason to worry, especially in a large city where the most strange occurrences happen. Yet, everything became somewhat normal. No one could prevent what happened in the city or what happened to the people in it. There had been countless witnesses testifying of monsters roaming the city. The first case Ashlee could remember was of an old man, claiming he had a video of some of the mutant monsters. He called them "kung-fu frogs." No one had ever seen the video and he asked for over a million in cash for said video. Strangely enough, he disappeared. Suspicious, but Ashlee hardly believed it.

     "I'm going to head off to bed," Ashlee's mother says. She hugs her daughter tightly. "There's still some tea left in the kettle."

     Ashlee smiles. "Thanks. Goodnight."

     Ashlee's mother enters the office to wish a goodnight's rest upon her father. Just as her mother had promised, there was still warm tea left. Ashlee grabbed a glass, filled it up, and made her way to her room.

     Nights were always relaxing. Ashlee did her best work during the dark hours of the day. During the summer nights, she was able to lounge on her balcony and complete her homework there. The city lights provided enough visibility for Ashlee to do the homework outside, so she did.

     Ashlee sits down on a comforting chair. A small coffee table sits next to it, which is where she sets down her tea. She pulls her backpack next to the legs of her chair and pulls out multiple folders and begins working.

     Ashlee always focused on math and science last. She could easily finish her English and history homework within an appropriate time. However, math and science took much longer and required much more attention.

     When Ashlee finally arrives at the more challenging portion of her homework routine, she frowns.

     She sighs and leans back in her chair. "Well I just don't know how to do this," Ashlee mumbles.

     It's not like she just couldn't do it, however. So, she pushes through; solving each equation, each function, each derivative. She didn't care how wrong it was, only that it was finally done.

     Ashlee stares at the sky. She had never seen stars. She had only ever lived in New York City. She wishes she could see them, but she knew that would mean having to leave, and that is something she could never do. The lights and constant sounds comforted her. She needed it to sleep.

     She closed her eyes, dreaming on the balcony.