They both went together. Sonic was the one to lead, saying he didn't need the car to walk to the orphanage downtown. Amy ended up having to hitch a ride up on his back. It has been a silent week between the two ever since that Christmas night, and Amy soon agreed to try and see if she wanted to adopt.
Sonic smiled proudly at this, despite how his wife might back out of it. Not a word passed his lips, though, during the whole trip down to the wooden home that sat between two alleyways. Despite its location, the orphanage was pretty safe for children; human and animal-like.
A nun sat outside of the home upon the steps leading up to the front door as she watched children run around, giggling and laughing and playing—something all kids do—but she still smiled, even though she wasn't playing herself. She only noticed the couple once Sonic stepped over, glancing around.
A few humans stumbled over to him, eyes widened in awe at this hero they played video games of and read comics about. Twins got excited over him, keeping him in the middle of the small circle forming. The blur soon gave up his own jacket to the twins, chuckling heartily like it was nothing.
Amy was left alone with the nun with deep blue eyes.
Truth was, the hedgehog was jealous of this human...jealous that she had pretty eyes and a nice smile, but she said nothing of it, and tried to look sincere.
"They're really active," was the first thing the young woman said, smiling gleefully.
Amy nodded in agreement, watching a child zip past her to meet Sonic.
"But they're all sweet children," the human continued sweetly.
"Yeah...sure." The nun fell silent, watching Amy politely as she soon brushed the back of her skirts.
"Well, you can head inside," she said, her voice lacking emotion now, "Sister Livi will give you a tour around the orphanage, if you'd like." Amy nodded absentmindedly, soon turning on heel before giving Sonic and the children one last glance then heading inside.
A few children ran past in excitement, only very few stopping to wave and smile to Amy. She gave very few smiles in return as she walked upstairs in silence.
There weren't as many children as she thought there was going to be, and it made her feel a bit more at ease. It would be easier to choose, easier to think and watch...but it was still the same...and it felt like she was trying to replace her dead child.
Continuing to walk at a sluggish trudge, Amy glanced in each room, finding the beds empty as well as the classes, except for a few nuns or children making up a test. She soon stepped inside a bright room, the walls a white and all of the beds made with care, but she couldn't help but try to smooth out the creases in one mattress, only to find that the lump underneath the sheets was solid.
Amy, looking around for any being nearby, soon brought her eyes to the bump that protruded from under the bed before uncovering it from the sheets. It was a journal...or a diary of some kind.
It looked quite old, but the binding was sturdy, and the cover remained untainted and clean. Amy thought of it more like a novel than some sort of diary.
Flipping to the first page in curiosity, Amy tried to decipher the writing scribbled down onto the paper. It was foreign to her, and she knew it wasn't Latin whatsoever. Amy soon tilted the book to the side in attempt to try and understand this language, only to see a movement in the corner of her eye.
"Oh, I'm so sorry," she stuttered, shutting the book quickly as she stared at the boy standing at the doorway, his violet eyes watching her every movement carefully. This boy was a mongoose, his fur being an off-white, but his shaggy hair covering most of his face in clumps of black. He looked about nine or so...maybe a few years older than most kids in the orphanage.
He stepped over to Amy, his jaw set as he looked up at her. She handed the book to him after hesitating for a tense moment.
"I don't know what it means either," the boy explained softly, setting it back down on the mattress before pulling the blankets over it again. "But it's pretty interesting." Amy watched this boy, confused at how he acted, yet relieved that he wouldn't tattle or throw a fit about her looking through his personal belongings.
"I...like to read," was all Amy could manage to say. The boy's eyes flickered up to her and he said nothing for a moment, as if trying to process all of this. He soon nodded.
"I, as well." He stood upright, tilting his head to the side innocently before extending a hand out to the female in front of himself. "I'm Jesse."
"A-Amy." The hedgehog couldn't keep the stutter out from her voice, and it seemed to stay, but she tried not to look embarrassed about it. She shook his hand uneasily, soon releasing it politely.
This boy wore a buttoned-down, long-sleeved shirt and tan slacks that were a bit too big on him. He was adorable, yet so serious and mature all the same. Amy didn't know whether to pinch his cheek and compliment on how she wanted to eat him up, or treat him like a man her own age.
Before she could say anything more, a flash of blue appeared in the doorway and Sonic watched, soon smiling softly. He stepped over to Jesse, kneeling down to reach his height a bit better before pinching his cheek playfully.
"Aw. Aren't you just adorable?" The boy watched him for a moment, eyes narrowed. Amy was glad she chose to treat him like an adult. Sonic, to her surprise, chuckled softly before standing upright. Jesse said nothing more, walking out from the room at a quick pace when Sister Livi—an older nun of the orphanage—stepped upstairs and to the bedroom.
"He's a very...quiet child. Keeps to himself." Amy sat in the chair in front of the desk, feeling like she was stuck in the doctor's office, waiting for him to say if she was pregnant or not. This tore a larger hole in her heart, but she said nothing, relying on Sonic to do all the important talking. Sonic stood, fidgeting and sometimes pacing back and fourth as he listened.
"The only trouble we have with him is getting him to work in groups and share his projects with the other children," the nun continued, her gnarled fingers quickly flipping through files. "We have no information on his parents though. He never talks about them."
Amy set her jaw, continuing to listen. She liked Jesse, even though she knew he was too mature for her to handle, and it was the same with Sonic. But they found that this was the right thing to do and that Jesse would be a good addition to the family.
Sister Livi's dark eyes flickered over to the couple. She looked a bit troubled, but she tried to hide her worry as she continued to speak, handing paperwork and pens to Sonic and Amy.