The girl took in the sight of the trash-strewn alley, empty save for herself. The smell of old garbage met her nostrils and she curled her lip in disgust. Stepping around a pile of clumped newspapers, she strode purposefully to the door on the side of the building.

A knot rose in her throat, threatening to burst into a sob. Lifting her chin, she swallowed it down and stood in front of a door. Lifting a hand she couldn't keep from trembling, she brought the side of her fist down on the hardwood surface exactly three times.

She heard someone stir inside and movement on the other side of the wall, but the door didn't open. She wasn't surprised.

At this time of night, a visitor could be anyone and the woman who owned the shop knew that. "Who's there?" The voice was muffled, coming from behind three inches of solid wood.

She pressed her mouth to the door, hoping that would make it more audible. "April?" She tried to go on, to say who she was, but the quick response from inside cut her off.

"How do you know my name?" Her response was quick, but it wasn't afraid. It was more challenging. Very different from the person Casey had told her about, but then this was different.

She searched her mind for something more. Something that would identify her as a friend. "My name's Angel. I'm friends with Casey. I mean, sorta. He helped me get outta a mess once." She took a deep breath, "And I know Raphael." She pressed her face closer and lowered her voice. "You know, the ninja turtle."

There was silence, then the door clicked open. Angel took in the sight of the red haired woman, wearing a yellow T-shirt and jeans, with her hair done in a slightly messy bun.

She could feel suspicion in her gaze as her eyes sifted over her. It didn't surprise her. Angel looked like any other punk kid in the Purple Dragons. Except for a tattoo.

Because she wasn't one. She'd almost been one, but Casey and... and his friends had put a stop to that.

No, no, don't go there, Angel told herself. She didn't want to remember what they'd almost done to Casey. And it had all been her fault.

"Is something wrong?" April asked and Angel realized she'd been standing there for at least a minute.

"I..." She glanced around her. "Look, I don't want to talk out here. I'm not armed. I promise." She held up both her hands.

April let her gaze rest on Angel's uplifted hands and held it there for a moment, as if she were having some sort of inner struggle. Deciding whether or not to really trust her.

Finally, she held the door open wider and stood aside, an invitation for Angel to come in. Angel stepped past her into a cozy well-kept room, filled with various odds and ends.

Its cleanness was something she wasn't used to. Her old apartment was always a mess, no matter how many times her grandma tried to clean it.

"So, um, Angel," April said, hesitating before closing the door. "You said you know the turtles? They never... said anything. And Casey..."

"I get it," Angel said, with a flutter of her hand, cutting April off. "I mean, why would they? The first time we met, I almost got Casey killed." April grimaced slightly and Angel gave her a pleading look. "It was a mistake, but…" April cut her off.

"We really need to talk more. He never tells me any of these things," she said. She gave Angel what she hoped was a friendly smile, but it was hard to seem inviting when someone came to your door at ten at night.

She shut the door and turned to an already sitting Angel. "So, Angel, I don't understand, why did you come to see me?" Angel took a deep breath.

"I need your help." She looked at April with something close to fear in her eyes. "There's... something happened... Casey..."

April felt a jolt of icy cold fear hit her straight in the heart like an arrow.

"Tell me everything."

A/N So I changed the last part of this chapter to better fit the new storyline that is now floating around inside my head. Not really an update, sorry.

This A/N was written before the one in chapter two, so I hope no one gets confused.

I would love to hear anyone's thoughts or ideas on this story. Thanks for reading, anyone who got this far. =)