Moonlight Mutation (A TMNT Fanfic)

Chapter 2: Mutants Like Me

Destiny grasps the lid of her chosen pizza, hyper aware of every noise the cardboard makes. She takes a deep breath and flips the lid open, rejoicing silently at her luck. It's a meat lover's pizza, her absolute favourite.

She grabs a slice and gobbles it down, not having a care in the world about her manners or how fast she's chewing. One slice is finished and she is quick to scarf down another, then a third goes down the hatch. As she reaches for a fourth helping, there's the shuffling of footsteps outside. Immediately, all her relaxation and happiness at the warm meal is going and her tail is curling around her body.

"Leo! What are you doing?" a voice asks. There's a sharpness to his voice that makes him sound very harsh, even though the question he's asking doesn't require any type of annoyance.

"Didn't you see her?" a second voice, one that's smoother than the previous one, responds.

"Who?" a third inputs.

"There was a girl...or, she looked like a girl."

"Oh! The one who took the pizza?" a fourth voice guesses. "The one who was twisting and turning and was all like 'Rah!' 'HYAH!' 'NYAAAAAA!'" There's a pause. "That girl?"

"Quiet, Mikey!" the third voice scolds. "Do you want to be caught?"

"It wasn't that loud, Donnie."

"Guys, ssh!" the voice belonging to "Leo" orders. "To answer your question, Mikey, yes. That's her."

Destiny's breath hitches in her throat and she closes the pizza box. Shoving it closer to her backpack, she searches for an escape route. These people can't find her; they just can't. The last thing she wants is to see their horrified expressions when she's discovered. Her quick search for an escape comes up empty, making her curse herself for not thinking of making a second exit.

"Remind me why this matters? Some girl snagged food, so what?" the second voice snaps. "Leo, we need to find what Shredder's up to. You know he's—"

"Wait...do you smell that?" Mikey asks. "It's pizza..."

"If you would get your head out of your stomach and focus, maybe we could actually get something done. Leo, Donnie, help me out here. You know trying to find some random girl isn't going to do us any good."

"Woah Raph, you're taking charge!" There's a loud laugh and the sound of skin hitting skin. "What next, are you gonna take Leo's job?"

"No way, Mikey. Raph's just cranky because he didn't have a nap after training." Leo's voice is teasing, as if he's speaking to a small child.

"Aw, Raph, you need to take better care of yourself," Mikey says, tone soft and caring. "Sleep is good for the soul, bro."

Another sound of something being smacked. "Stop touching me, and I don't take naps! I'm not five!"

"Naps are said to improve mood, alertness, and performance," Donnie cuts in. "They aren't just for children. Most adults—"

"No one asked for a lesson, brainiac."

"Well excuse me, but I felt the need to clarify that you needing naps is nothing to be ashamed of!"

Destiny scrunches her eyes shut and claps her hands over her pointed ears, muffling the voices outside. She pleads silently that they would go away, that their conversation is making them forget that they ever saw her.