This was not Donnie's idea of "fun". He hated the crowded tents, the shoulder touching, the loud noises and strangers constantly invading his personal space. It was sensory hell for the Autistic turtle mutant. It also didn't help that his brothers were dragging him everywhere, as he just got more and more overstimulated. It was getting to the point for the spiny soft shell that noise-cancelling headphones weren't helping anymore.

He needed to get away. He needed to get away from everyone and everything.

So, that's how he ended up somewhere he shouldn't be. But hey, at least it was quiet here. Plus there's no one around. So, there's no way he could get in trouble, right? Right?

Donnie was walking down the worn part of the grass. He heard the bustling crowd in the distance as he walked. It calmed him slightly, to know that he was getting away from everything. He could feel his shoulder muscles loosen and relax as he let out a small sigh. He could actually think here. Finally. He couldn't wait to get back to his lab and work on his projects again.

However, that's when he hears something. Something strange, which was perplexing as this is a circus after all. That got the young inventor curious. What could be making that noise? It sounded almost like singing? But, off in a way. It was weird. But, Donnie felt obliged to follow it. So, he did.

His feet crunched under the dry-ish grass as he followed the noise to a small tent. It looked almost forgotten with how worn down the fabric looked. It was definitely one of the older tents of the circus. But, despite that, Donnie followed the sound inside the tent. The shade offered a bit of comfort from the sun outside.

Donnie walked a few feet in before seeing something almost heard-breaking. There was a small mutant, like Donnie, in the middle of the tent. They sat on the floor with an iron collar around their neck and a chain that dragged on the floor. It was nailed to the floor, preventing them from leaving the tent.