Institute for the Mentally Troubled

Summary: April has psychic powers. Her Dad throws her in a mental institution. There she meets someone who believes he's a giant mutant turtle.

A/N: I make no money off of TMNT.

April had always had a gift. She could see people how they saw themselves. She could see peoples' intentions and she could see peoples' hopes, dreams, and fears. The problem which landed her in the "Institute for Mentally Troubled Youth" is that she couldn't always control it or tell the difference between which reality she lived in. Was the person to her left really a pop star with self-esteem issues? Was the man to her right really blond? Because of her power she was constantly forced to hold two conflicting ideas about people at the same time. People looked like they wore a glamour that she couldn't always see through.

It was worse when she called them out on their lies or told them things about themselves which they hadn't ever told anyone. She didn't know how she knew these things, she just knew. That explanation wasn't enough to keep her Father from throwing her in here. She didn't resent him for it. He was a psychologist first who honestly believed he was doing the right thing. Maybe he did.

The female scrunched up the starchy white sheets with her fingers. Over the years she had learned to control her powers to a certain extent. Keeping them bottled up for too long made them more powerful when they did make themselves known and gave her migraines. She had learned to meditate and find her center of calm. A practice which she made use of more than not in a facility for the "Mentally Troubled." She had to associate with people who lived in dark thoughts, sometimes she worried that she would become lost in them and be unable to find her way back.

April shook her head, trying to force herself out of her dark mood. She knew what would make her feel better. She would go see Donnie! The redhead bounced off her bed and began walking down the hall. Donatello Hamato was her best friend in this place. He came from a line of famous ninjas. All of his brothers had won competitions internationally in martial arts and his father owned a world renowned dojo. Donnie probably would have followed in their footsteps if he didn't see himself as a turtle living in a giant sewer, other people as mutants, and his Father's rival as trying to kill them.

He was her favorite turtle in the whole world. April knew that outside of his mind he wasn't a turtle but a tall, lean muscled brunette male with a gap in-between his two front teeth. April knocked on the door which led to Donatello's room.

"Come in." He yelled. She opened the door and was instantly treated to his reality. The white walls transformed into the brickwork of sewers. The gadgets which had been thrown around his room transformed into more menacing versions of themselves. She only got a glimpse of Donnie as a human before his world overwhelmed hers. He turned to look at her.

"Oh, April, hi" Donnie stuttered. A blush rising to his cheeks.

"Hey, what are you working on?" The female asked as she looked over his shoulder. His blush turned into a look of pride as he explained.

"This is my newest surveillance weapon in the fight against the Kraang. I present to you the "Roach Cam"". It was times like these that she was happy to have Donnie's world wrap around hers. In her reality the roach which sat in his hand would be a large bug with beady eyes that the pesticide men had missed. In his reality it was a sentient being which stood cutely on two legs and waved at her. She waved back to the little creature.

"Cool." Donnie glowed in pride at her words.

It was so easy to get lost in Donnie's world, even knowing that it wasn't reality this world had become second nature to her. She didn't know why but out of everyone April was the only one he saw as human.

"Anything I can do?" She asked as she stood closer to him. He blushed from her proximity.

"No, I think I'm done for today but we can hang out if you like!" He quickly added. He was worried that she would leave.

"That sounds fun." She said with a smile. A smile of relief came over him.

Donnie loved her. She was sure she would see it even if she didn't have psychic powers. He had a crush on her from the first moment he saw her and protected her from the bullies. When April had first come to the facility she was exposed to many more dark realities than she was used to. The sheer force overwhelmed her. She was so paralyzed by their minds that she was almost comatose. She was young then and couldn't control her powers. All of the realities fought for dominance. She was getting lost. It was Donnie who beat all of the bullies away from her. He was put in isolation for weeks because of it but it was enough to snap her out of her trouble and let her find distance.

Donnie was always being put on different medications to control his delusions. He saw most people as mutants that he had an unsteady truce with. He was the one who taught April how to fight and how to meditate. They did have to watch for orderlies for the sparring lessons. Any violence at the facility was grounds for punishment. It was thanks to Donatello that she could defend herself. It was thanks to him she had any control of her psychic abilities at all.

The orderlies thought he was an insane genius who randomly showed fits of violence. Genuis, yes. Violent, no. Donnie only reacted to what he thought needed to be done in his reality. People were rarely allowed to spend time with him but April was the exception. She calmed him down so much that she was given special permission to visit him whenever she liked.

Her re-evaluation was coming up in a year. She knew that she could leave this place at any moment, but she couldn't stomach the idea of leaving Donnie. And he wasn't ready yet, either. He still believed that the reason his family couldn't take him home was because they had found homes in a different dimension which only allowed them to visit at certain times.

It wasn't like she was in any real trouble. They had taken her off medications years ago, but Donnie still hadn't taught her how to do that cool flip kick, and she was sure she could learn more by experimenting with her powers. She needed to learn more. They would only be counted as "youth" for a few more years. There was no second step facility where they would stay together. If she got good enough maybe she could use her powers to snap him out of his delusions. Maybe one day she and Donnie could leave together. What good was having psychic powers if you couldn't save your best friend?

But until then she couldn't bring herself to leave her favorite turtle.