Salene's Flood
Prologue: The Lost Princess
A royal advisor ran up the steps leading to the palace of the queen of Avalon. She ran into the throne room and knelt at the queen's feet, a look of anguish on her usually smiling face.
"Your Highness!" She cried, falling to her knees in front of the throne. "I'm afraid I have some devastating news!"
"Speak, friend Prudence" the queen said quietly. She had always been a quiet talker, preferring to whisper than shout.
"The Crown Princess has disappeared!" Prudence wailed, hysterical with grief. Whatever the queen had been expecting, this certainly wasn't it. She paled, stood up, and for the first and last time in her life, she began to shout orders.
"GUARDS! COME TO THE THRONE ROOM IMMEDIATELY!" Guards came running from all over the palace to hear their orders.
The queen had sat back down, but she was still pale. The general of her army appeared beside her, concern on his face.
"Guards, the Crown Princess-my daughter-has disappeared. Find her. Search the grounds, the greenhouse. Hell, even search the training facility for all I care. Just find her!"
The guards searched for months, but they never found the tiny three-week-old baby. The queen mourned for her daughter, as well as the nine other princes and princesses for their sister, none of them never realizing she was closer than they thought…
Chapter 1: Discovery in the Auditorium
"Move it, freak!" Salene Woolf looked up at her insulter and matched his glare with one her own. His name was Maxwell Stewart and he was a part of Lori Dean's little entourage.
"Make me, jerk!" She shot back. Before he could push her out of her chair, she grabbed his arm and twisted it as hard as she could, which was kinda hard, because she was pretty strong for a girl her age.
"OW!" He yelled, jerking his arm away from her. He rubbed his wrist where it had received the most abuse. He stared at her warily as she stood up halfway from chair and spoke.
"That was a warning, Stewart," she said, her voice full of venom. "Next time, I won't just twist your arm. I'll break it."
Max nodded dumbly, staring at her in shock as he walked towards the back wall, stumbling as he went. Salene turned towards the front of the room where the whole school was watching Lori Dean give her presentation on "Dissection: Is it Good or Bad". After ten minutes of hearing Dean drone on about the pros and cons of dissecting a bat, Salene fell asleep.
…...
Salene woke up in the auditorium alone. She sat there a few minutes, pondering whether or not she should try and find a way out or just explore the huge building. She decided to just explore.
Getting out of her chair, she ran down the aisle towards the stage. Climbing up onto it, Salene walked to the podium and grabbed the mike lying there. Then she began to sing this song:
Somebody, hurry and find me
I wanna be found
Please remind me
Why I where this crown
There's a reason why
I know that now;
But I'd rather die
Than have to bow.
Who am I?
Tell me now!
Don't make me cry,
Don't make me bow!
Just help me out
I'm begging you please,
To scream it loud
For our release.
That's as far as she got, because she tripped over a lever on the floor and fell into the hole that opened up behind it. Screaming, she fell through the dark… and landed.
Salene looked around her, amazed that there was light. Looking towards the wall, she saw a light switch. She walked towards it and flipped it on.
Looking around her, she realized that she was in a basement. Stacked in piles around her were clothes, clothes, and more clothes. Out of the corner of eye, she saw a strange-looking lever sticking out of the wall. Carefully, she made her way to it. Then she pulled it. After waiting a few minutes, nothing happened.
Looking at the ceiling, she saw that it was very low, just above the top of her head. Reaching up, Salene pulled herself up onto the stage. Rolling over, she pulled the lever that closed the hole.
Then, she ran out of the auditorium and into the hallway, where she was greeted with pandemonium.
Chapter 2: The Hatch
Students were running up and down the halls screaming and crying. Others just sat, frozen in terror. Whatever they were doing, they kept staring at the same thing. A hatch had opened in the ceiling with a ladder descending from it. Jolene Jacobs, Salene's best friend, came running up to her, a horrified look on her face.
"Jo, what's wrong," Salene asked, helping her friend stay standing as she keeled over, out of breath. "What happened?"
"That hatch opened and-and-and," Jolene began, panting, "and I think I'm going to be sick. That's how scared I am right now."
"Here," Salene said, helping Jo over to a chair. "Sit down and put your head between your legs. It'll make you feel better."
After a few minutes, Jolene raised her head and said, "I feel better now."
"Good," Salene said, relieved. "Now, what's wrong?"
"The hatch opened and that fell in," Jo said, pointing to something on the lying on the floor. Salene glanced at it and gasped.
"Why it's a baby bird," she breathed. She walked over to it and picked it up. "The poor thing. It must have fell out of the nest when it tried to fly."
She looked at the ladder for a moment, then began to climb. Behind her, she could hear the students and teachers whispering.
"What's she doing?"
"Is she crazy?"
"Someone should stop her before she gets hurt."
Those and more followed Salene as she climbed up the ladder. She climbed for thirty minutes before she finally reached the top. Cautiously, she looked out, cradling the baby bird so it wouldn't get hurt. Then she gasped. It was beautiful. She had spent her whole life hearing about how the Upper Lands, or Earth, had been a big scary place, with monsters at every twist and turn and strange, wild beasts, the strangest of these being something called a platypus.
As she looked out the hatch, she didn't see monsters or beasts. Instead, she saw water. Clear, blue water, everywhere the eye could see. She threw away her fears and watched in amazement as her hair blew back in the wind. The Upper Lands
weren't scary. They were beautiful. The bird wriggled around in her hands, trying to fly away. She opened her hands and watched in wonder as it spread its wings and flew. Turning around, she saw a huge light in the sky. It was so bright, that she had to squint to see it. It looked like ball of fire in the sky.
She descended from the ladder, going faster than she had when she'd been climbing up it. Mainly, because she wasn't scared anymore. When she reached the bottom, she saw that the students had gathered around the ladder.
"Well, what did you see," Lori Dean asked impatiently.
"Water," Salene answered, smiling. "Water all around me, covering the school, the ground, everything! There was a breeze. And I saw the sun!"
"Did you see any monsters," Dean asked excitedly. "Or a platypus?"
"No, there aren't any," Salene said, rolling her eyes.
"Yeah, right," Dean said. "You're just saying that to prove you weren't scared."
"No I'm not," Salene yelled, angrily. "It's true!"
"Okay, whatever you say," Dean said, absentmindedly. "Come on guys. Let's go." They all walked off, except for Max, who leaned forward and whispered, "I believe you," in Salene's ear. The he kissed her cheek and ran after Dean.
The whole time, Salene stood still in shock. When he turned the corner, she put her hand to the cheek he'd kissed and smiled.
Chapter 3: Max's New Room
Salene spent the rest of the day in a daze, sometimes absentmindedly rubbing cheek. She was cheerfully unaware of all the rumors that were being spread about her. She was also unaware of the dirty looks Dean kept throwing her way.
By nightfall, her buzz had all but disappeared. As she pulled her mat out from under the stage in the gym, where she had always slept, she thought about Max and his beautiful reddish-brown eyes. She discovered that she always kinda liked him, even when he had been being mean to her.
"Hey, Salene." Salene gasped and jumped at the sound of Max's voice, which made her hit her head against the stage.
Rubbing her head, she turned and glared at the boy who had surprised her. "Yeah? What do you want?"
"Well, I was going ask you if you would be willing to share the gym with me, but obviously you won't be, so I'll be leaving." Max grinned at her sheepishly and began to walk off.
Salene rolled her eyes and called after him, "Have you ever heard the saying, "Appearances can be deceiving"?"
He turned around and said, "Yeah. So?"
"Just because I'm giving you the stink eye, it doesn't mean you can't stay," Salene said, grinning.
Max grinned back and walked back over to her. "You don't happen to have another mat under there, do you?"
"As a matter of fact, I do," Salene said, winking at him. "Come on over and take a load off." She reached back under the stage and pulled out a mat big enough to hold two people.
"You don't need your mat at all," Max said, grinning at her. "That one's big enough to hold the both of us."
"You sure about that, stud," Salene asked, raising her eyebrows at him.
"Oh, come on," Max said, ignoring her comment. "It's not like anybody's going to care. They never check the gym anyways."
"That's what you think," Salene muttered under her breath.
"Anyways, even if they did, they couldn't do anything about it," Max said. Seeing her puzzled look he continued. "My dad owns the school. So they couldn't expel me even if they wanted to. He would have them fired before you could say "ABC"."
"Oh." She was still a little confused, but she didn't put her mat up.
Max sobered when she still didn't move. Sitting down beside her, he tilted her chin up, gently, so she would look at him. "You're not scared of getting in trouble, are you," he asked, smiling gently. "You're scared of me, aren't you?"
Salene nodded slightly and said, "Of course I am! You're the living shadow, for goodness sake!
"The living what," he asked, puzzled.
"It's just something me and my best friend made up to call you," Salene said, embarrassed. In her head, she thought, please don't blush, please don't blush, please don't blush.
"Why," Max asked, grinning. "Don't get embarrassed. I like it."
"We call you that, because of the way you follow Lori Dean around," Salene admitted, starting to blush. "You're like her shadow. Hence, the Living Shadow."
"Cool!" He crowed, grinning even more widely now. "It makes me feel like a superhero or something."
"Hah! You mean supervillian , don't you," Salene teased, giggling. Instead of laughing with her, Max became serious. Salene laid her hand on his arm, concerned, and asked, "Max, is something wrong?"
"Nah," he said, sighing. "I'm fine." Salene raised an eyebrow, disagreeing. "I'm fine!"
Salene was still skeptical, but she let it pass. "Whatever. But back to your earlier comment, you are not superhero material."
"What do you mean," Max asked, frowning.
"For one thing, you're too short," Salene said, grinning. "Everybody knows that a superhero is tall and a supervillian is short. Furthermore, the Living Shadow sounds like the codename for a supervillian. So, hah!"
"Come on. That's the weakest excuse in the book," Max protested.
"It is not!"
"Yes it is!"
"Oh, yeah?"
"Yeah! Wolverine was short! Yet he was a hero!"
This went on for an hour or two. They laughed and cut up, acting like a pair hooligans, never even noticing the time. Finally, at ten o'clock, they both started to yawn. So, they both started to get ready for bed. Salene pushed her mat back under the stage and they both climbed onto the bigger mat. But before she had even closed her eyes, Max leaned over and kissed her. On the lips. Then he turned over and fell asleep. Salene stayed awake for a few more minutes before falling asleep. While she slept, she had strange dream that only had Max's eyes.
Chapter 4: The Unexpected Visitor
Salene woke up at midnight, while Max was still asleep. She felt the urge to go to the hatch and climb up it to the top.
As quietly as she could, Salene climbed off the mat and left the gym. Walking down the hallway, she got to the hatch and climbed to the top.
Looking at the sky, Salene saw that it had darkened and that there were tiny pinpricks of light all around. There was also a giant light in the sky.
"The moon," Salene breathed, staring at the night sky in awe. "And the tiny lights must be the stars." All her life, she heard stories about how, for one week each month, the moon would be full and the stars would shine bright enough for people traveling at night to see their way in the dark. Those had just been stories though. Salene's eyes pricked with tears as she stared at night sky. It was so beautiful. It was even more beautiful than the sky during the day.
Suddenly, there was a large gust of wind. Salene heard a loud yelling coming from behind her and turned around. There was a large shape tumbling through the air towards her. Salene couldn't make out what it was, so, when it was near enough, she reached out and grabbed it. She pulled it to her and began to climb down the ladder.
Reaching the bottom, she jumped off the ladder and ran towards the auditorium. Running down the aisle, she leaped onto the stage, and pulled the lever. Then she jumped down into the hole and set her catch on the floor. She ran towards the wall and turned on the lights.
She turned back around and nearly jumped out of her skin. Standing in front of her, blinking its eyes in the sudden light, was a large white bat. It wore a strange jumpsuit, gloves, and high heels. Its head came to her chest (without the heels). Its eyes were a light blue.
"Is this even possible?" Salene murmured to herself.
"Is what possible?" Salene gasped as the bat looked at her and asked the question. Its voice sounded feminine.
"You can talk?" She asked the bat. The bat looked puzzled for a moment.
"Yes, I can talk." The bat slowly approached her and Salene stood her ground, getting the feeling that she wasn't in danger. "My name is Rouge the Bat. I am an agent of GUN and a jewel thief on the side."
"I'm Salene Woolf." Salene smiled as she shook Rouge's hand. "I'm a student here at BCS. It's really nice meeting you."
"It was nice meeting you too." Rouge smiled at Salene. "You are so polite. It's a nice change."
"Where did you come from?" Salene sat down on the floor in front of Rouge.
"I come from a different planet called Mobius. Me and sixteen others came here from there, searching for these." Rouge reached into her pocket and pulled out a large gem. It was green and shaped like a diamond. "It's called a Chaos Emerald. There are seven of these and each one holds enormous power. We're searching for them so that we can use their power to get us home."
"Can I see it?" Salene gestured at the Chaos Emerald. Rouge nodded and placed the gem in the human's outstretched hand.
As soon as the emerald touched Salene's hand, it began to glow and Salene felt herself float towards the ceiling. She tried to let go of the Chaos Emerald, but realized she couldn't. Swirls of light circled her as she hovered in the air. There was a brilliant flash of light and Salene's back arched as sudden pain shot through her body. It was worse than anything she'd ever experienced, but she couldn't scream. So she remained silent as her bones broke and reshaped themselves, as her body shrunk to fit them. She remained silent as the skin and muscle on the small of her back and on the spot just a few inches above her crack ripped apart and something popped out of each hole.
As her body changed shape, Salene heard the sound of a cat yowling and realized where it was coming from. Her. Those sounds were coming from her. The realization hit her like a punch in the gut. The Emerald was transforming her into a Mobian. A vision came to her and tears flowed down her face.
Finally, the transformation was complete and the pain died away. Salene began to slowly sink to the ground again and the Chaos Emerald stopped glowing. When her feet touched the ground, Salene swayed on the spot for a bit, before she fell. The last thing she saw before her eyes closed was Rouge staring at her in shock. Then, her world turned black.
Chapter 5: New Friends
"You're very lucky we arrived to save you, Rouge. If we hadn't, you and your friend there would have been on the dissection table."
"We're lucky you found us at all. How did you find us?
"I felt the Chaos Emerald's power being used on a large scale. We followed your trail and found that hatch."
"Thank you for saving us. Why do you think the Chaos Emerald reacted that way when she held it? We've had hundreds of humans hold the Emeralds and that never happened to them."
"I don't know. Maybe it's because- I think she's waking up."
. . .
Salene groaned and sat up. Looking around, she saw that she wasn't in the basement of BCS anymore. She reached back and rubbed her head, trying to remember what had happened the night before. Where was Rouge? Thinking Rouge's name brought the memories of last night's events back full force. The emerald had caused Salene to transform. But into what?
Just then, the door opened and light flooded the room. Rouge walked through the door. She was followed by a red echidna, who flipped on the lights. Salene blinked at the sudden brightness, looking down until her eyes grew accustomed to the light.
"You feel alright Salene?" Rouge walked up to the bed and sat on the edge of it.
"Yes." Salene looked towards the echidna quizzically. He noticed the look and stepped forward.
"Hello Salene." He shook her offered hand and smiled gently at her. "I am Knuckles the Echidna, Guardian of the Master Emerald."
"It's a pleasure meeting you Knuckles." Salene smiled back at him, slightly shy.
"For me, it's an honor meeting you." Knuckles bowed low to the ground. "I never thought I'd see a wolfcat face-to-face."
"Wolfcat? I became a wolfcat?" Salene looked from Rouge to Knuckles to Rouge again.
"You were aware of the transformation?" Knuckles looked at Salene closely as she nodded. "And you know what a wolfcat is?"
"Yes. The wolfcat is a legend here on Earth. It's said that they were typically creatures of good, but because they were normally nocturnal, humans hunted them down out of fear and spite." Salene mentally patted herself on the back for remembering Mrs. Burnham's mythology test. It was the only test she'd ever aced in that class.
"You're right." Knuckles looked impressed with her. "C'mon, let's introduce you to the others."
They helped Salene to her feet, then Knuckles turned away. Salene looked down at herself and saw that she had no clothes on. Rouge went to a closet and pulled out a pair of black, leather pants and a tube top, also black leather. She tossed them towards Salene, who caught them with ease. Salene pulled on the top and had to have a little help with the pants (she discovered she had a long, fluffy cat tail).
"I'm ready." Salene looked down shyly as Knuckles and Rouge turned towards her. Rouge placed an arm around Salene's shoulders and gave her a small hug.
"You look terrific." Rouge ruffled Salene's hair. "Oh my God, you have hair. That's rare among Mobians."
"C'mon, let's go." Knuckles walked out the room and the girls followed him.
"Where are we?" Salene shied away as a human walked by them. The hallway they were walking down was long and there were doors on each side. They stepped into an elevator at the end of the hall and Rouge pressed the highest number, which were thirty.
"This is G.U.N. HQ." Rouge explained, turning to Salene. "It's the tallest building in Station Square."
"Oh." Salene was silent for a few minutes, jumping slightly when the elevator dinged and the doors opened. She followed Rouge and Knuckles into a large sitting room, staring in shock. Every person in the room was a Mobian! The room grew quiet as they walked into the room. Everyone was staring at Salene.
"As you were." Knuckles said, leading Rouge and Salene to an empty couch. "You two sit here." He left the room and conversations picked back up.
Salene watched as Rouge stood up and walked towards a black hedgehog. He had red streaks on his spines and there was a white tuft of fur on his chest. His eyes were red. He wore white gloves that each had a thick, gold band circling the wrist. On his feet were strange-looking sneakers.
"Hello." Salene turned and saw a blue hedgehog and a pink hedgehog standing behind her. It was the pink one who'd spoken.
"Hi, I'm Salene." Salene scooted over and the pink hedgehog sat down beside her.
"I'm Amy Rose and he's Sonic." Salene shook Amy Rose's hand, then Sonic's.
"So, is it true?" Sonic sat on the floor in front of the two girls.
"Is what true?" Salene looked at him, puzzled slightly.
"That you were human, and got transformed into a Mobian." There was an impatient look on Sonic's face as he said it.
"Sonic the Hedgehog! That's rude! Maybe she didn't want to think about that!" Amy glared at the cyan hedgehog.
"It's quite alright." Salene laughed at Sonic's shameful expression. "And, yes. It's true."
"What was it like? You know, the transformation? What was it like?" Sonic asked, never looking away from her face.
"Painful." Salene looked away when she said it and saw that everyone was looking at them. "Extremely painful. I don't remember ever having to endure such pain, but when it was happening, I got the feeling that I had. And the scary thing about the transformation? I couldn't scream.
"As it was happening, a voice was yelling my name and another. Raksha. It yelled both names at me, over and over. Near the end, I felt myself leave the place I was at. I opened my eyes and I saw a castle surrounded by hundreds of Mobians. The sky was red and there was a black cloud swirling in the sky above the castle. As I watched, the clouds took on the shape of a face. It looked at me and began to speak in a different language. I understood every word it spoke.
"It said, "You see what I've done to your precious kingdom, Princess? I can do much worse to it. And I will if you don't return in three months' time. If you don't, I will devastate the kingdom of Avalon and you won't have a home to return to". When he said that, I felt such anger. Then before returned, it called me by a new name." Salene looked down at her feet and took a deep breath. Then she looked back up and said the Name. "He called me Maria of the Damned."
Sonic and Amy both stared at her in shock. Salene gave a nervous smile.
"Wow. I'm amazed you were able to tell us that at all," Amy said, squeezing Salene's hand. "He called you Maria of the Damned?" Salene nodded. "Ouch. That's really hurt your ego." Salene snorted in amusement. "No, really! Maria of the Damned? That's not right."
"I'll say." Salene looked up and saw the black hedgehog Rouge had been talking to earlier standing in front of her. "Maria of the Damned?"
"Well, Sonic and I will take our leave." Amy stood up and grabbed Sonic's wrist. She promptly dragged him away.
"Now care to explain what you meant?" The black hedgehog kept standing in front of her.
"No." Salene told the truth. "Well, not here anyways. First, tell me your name."
"Shadow, the Ultimate Life Form, at your service." Shadow smirked. "And you are Salene Woolf."
Chapter 6: Truths
He grabbed her hand and the room disappeared and another one appeared. There was a mirror on the wall beside the door. In the middle of the room was a metal table with a chair on either side. He'd brought her to an interrogation room.
Shadow sat in the chair that faced the mirror and gestured for her to take the other. Salene slowly walked towards it and slowly sat down in it.
"Now, care to explain what you meant by Maria of the Damned?" Shadow looked, no, glared at her. "Who is she?"
"I don't know." Salene looked away so he wouldn't see her tears. "But I have the feeling that she's me." Salene couldn't stop the tears from falling, nor could she keep her voice from trembling. "All I know is that the Shade called me that." Horror filled Salene's mind as what she said played through her mind. "Oh my God. That's what the cloud was. It wasn't a cloud. It was a Shade."
"What are you talking about?" Shadow had an annoyed expression on his face.
"It wasn't Maria of the Damned. It was Maria of the Dead." Salene continued, ignoring Shadow completely. That would mean that I would have to be dead. But then I wouldn't be here, and since I am here, that would mean…" Salene gasped in shock as the truth came to her mind. "OH MY GOD! I'M IMMORTAL!"
"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?" Shadow was fed up with her ignoring him.
"I wasn't ever from here!" Salene explained excitedly. "I was never supposed to be human! That's why the Chaos Emerald reacted the way it did! It knew I wasn't human, so it was merely correcting what it saw as an error! The Shade did not realize this, so that's why it called it me that! I must have lived a life as a girl named Maria who supposedly died young. But she never did actually die. She couldn't. So when she got killed, her soul was sent to another body. Mine."
"Wait. Wait. Wait." Shadow watched her carefully. "Are you saying that you lived the life of a girl named Maria?" Salene nodded earnestly. "And that she died young?" Again, she nodded. "Mary, Mother of the Almighty Jesus Christ, you were Maria Robotnik, my first friend after my creation." Salene saw tears in his eyes as he quickly ducked his head. His shoulders shook, showing that he was sobbing silently. "That was over fifty years ago."
Salene got up and walked around the table towards him. When she was right in front of him, she leaned forward and gave him a hug. He stiffened up a bit, but didn't push her away. After a few minutes, he hugged her back. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the red Chaos Emerald.
"Salene, you remember what you said happened during the transformation," Shadow asked carefully. Salene nodded slowly, looking up at him. He handed the Emerald to her. "Here, take this." Salene did, not sure why. "Now, imagine the room upstairs and empty your mind of all other thoughts." Salene was aware of Shadow holding her hand and quickly stopped her thoughts from going in that direction. "Now, I want you to say Chaos Control."
"Chaos Control!" Salene felt her feet leave the ground for a few minutes and opened her eyes when they touched sturdy ground again. They were back in the room they had left earlier. There was no else in there. "Wow." A thought came to her mind, but she kept it to herself. "I could go anywhere in the world with that. I could go to Paris!" Shadow laughed.
Chapter 7: The Disappearance
Salene woke up at midnight and climbed out of bed. She quickly got dressed and grabbed the Emerald that Shadow had given her. This one was royal blue. Grabbing a piece of paper, she wrote a note. Then she imagined the castle she'd seen and Chaos Controlled from the room.
. . .
Shadow jerked awake as a burst of blue shot through his door. "What the hell?" He glared at Sonic who merely handed him a note. "What is this?"
"Just read it. It hasn't been opened, mainly because it has your name on the front." Sonic leaned against the doorframe. "Salene's disappeared. We found that note on her pillow."
Shadow dreaded what the note would say, but he opened it anyways. It read:
Shadow,
I'm sorry for having to leave, but I had to. It had nothing to do with any of you. I felt the urge to grab the Emerald you gave me and go home. Not BCS. That never was home to me. I left for Avalon. If I'm not back in ten days, take the Chaos Emerald you have and think the word Avalon. It might bring you there. Once again, I'm sorry.
Salene
Shadow folded the note and put it away. Then he lay back down and waited until Sonic left. He wasn't long in waiting. The Blue Blur left almost immediately.
. . .
Salene stared down at the Shade from her vantage point in the tower. In front of him were nine figures. Each one held a sword. Looking behind her, Salene saw a sword lying on top of a skeleton. She grabbed it, not even noticing when the skeleton's eyes opened slightly. She was already out the window and sliding down the tiled roof. She turned a flip in midair and landed in a crouch in front of the nine figures. Looking up, she grinned at the Shade.
"Hello," she said, standing up. "I believe you've been expecting me."
"Well, well, well. If it isn't the lost princess come home at last." The Shade gave a cruel chuckle and shot a blast of energy at her. Salene reacted instinctively, raising the sword up and blocking the attack. "Ooh, you're pretty good, for an untrained knave. I'll let you and your siblings go, and in ten days come back and duel with me. I want to give you a chance to train."
Salene lowered her sword slowly and gestured for the others to follow her. Then she jumped over the edge, listening as the others jumped after her. She landed on her feet, as did the others. Then, together they ran into the woods.
. . .
Salene leaned her body against a tree, panting for breath. She looked at the others and jolted in shock. They each looked like one of her friends back on Earth.
"So you're our missing sister, Raksha." The one who looked like Shadow asked. Salene nodded. "In case you have forgotten, I am Dusk."
"I'm Echo." A Sonic look-alike stepped forward and hugged her tightly.
"I'm Star." She was hugged by an Amy Rose look-alike.
"I'm Doom." A Mephiles look-alike ran forward and kissed her cheek.
"The name's Fia." A Fiona clone squeezed her hands gently.
"Bane." The one who looked like Scourge clapped her on the back.
"Ro's the name." Rouge's clone stepped forward and kissed her on the forehead.
"Jax." A clone of Silver stepped up and hugged her shyly.
"Flame." Blaze's look-alike slung her arm around Salene's shoulders.
"It's good to see y'all again, even if I don't remember seeing you before." Salene felt her eyes wetten with tears. "I wish I did." Her family hugged her. "Dusk, you said my name was Raksha?" Dusk nodded. "And it always will be."
Chapter 8: And the Days Go By.
Shadow watched as Sonic zipped around the room, thinking about Salene and her note. Why did she leave?
Day 1: (Shadow) Sonic jumped over the couch and landed on a sleeping Scourge. He yelped as the green hedgehog grabbed him by the leg and threw him into Shadow, who pushed the cyan hedgehog away.
Day 1: (Raksha) Raksha blocked her brother's attack and kicked Dusk's feet out from under him, causing him to yelp. He hit the ground, but only for a minute. His sword had gone flying and had landed stuck in the trunk of a tree. Raksha grinned and swiped at him with her sword. He dodged and kicked it straight out of her hands and into the air. Before he had grabbed it, Raksha had pulled herself into a ball and shot at him, Sonic Style. He flew back and hit the tree trunk. While he was down, Raksha grabbed her sword and raced forward. She pressed her sword gently against his throat.
Day 2: (Shadow) Rouge sat beside Knuckles, her head leaning against his shoulder. Shadow smiled and ducked as Sonic flew through the air towards the fence, landing on it saddle style. Shadow winced and closed his eyes. He wasn't the only one. All the males in the room did.
Day 2: (Raksha) Echo dived at his sister, his sword in attack position. Raksha merely backflipped away, watching as Echo landed on a tree branch the wrong way. She hissed as he fell sideways off the branch.
Day 3: (Shadow) Amy Rose chased Sonic around the room, her hammer at the ready. Everyone in the room cheered when she managed to hit him, even Shadow.
Day 3: (Raksha) Raksha dodged low-hanging branches and jumped over logs as Star chased her along the forest floor. At the last moment Raksha turned around and met her head on. Their swords clashed together over and over before Raksha caught Star in the chest with her foot. Star flew back, turning a somersault in midair, and landing on her feet. Before she could even raise her sword, Raksha had knocked it out of her hands and pressed her own sword against Star's neck.
Day 4: (Shadow) Mephiles stood on the balcony beside his sister, Venus, a pink cat demon. He grabbed Sonic as he walked by and whispered something in his ear. The rest of the day, Sonic stayed away from him.
Day 4: (Raksha) Doom attacked Raksha, hitting his sword against hers as hard as possible. As he did, Raksha pushed up with her sword and met his. Doom had not expected this and flinched when she did it, causing him to lose his sword. Raksha pressed the tip of her sword against neck.
Day 10: (Shadow) Shadow grabbed his red Chaos Emerald and went into the sitting room.
"Sonic, Knuckles, Scourge, Mephiles, Silver, Rouge, Fiona, Amy, and Blaze we're going to get Salene back."
Day 10: (Raksha) Raksha woke up her siblings and grabbed her sword.
"Guys, it's time." Her siblings and her group-hugged, each of them trying not to cry. There was a flash of light and the royal siblings turned around. Directly behind them were Shadow, Sonic, Knuckles, Silver, Amy Rose, Scourge, Fiona, Blaze, Mephiles, and Rouge.
Raksha's siblings positioned themselves between her and Shadow's group. Raksha took this chance and ran towards the castle and the Shade, thinking of nothing but the duel. She didn't reach the castle. The Shade met her on the pathway in his Mobian form. He looked exactly Tails Prower.
"I see you're already awake." The Shade said smiling at her. "Pity. I wanted to kill you in your sleep, along with your siblings, of course.
"You'll stay away from my family, you'll stay away from Avalon, and you'll stay away from ME!" Giving a loud battle cry, Raksha attacked. The Shade easily blocked the attack and disarmed her. He threw the sword ahead of him and behind Raksha. She abruptly turned and ran towards it. She heard a surprised yell and saw her friends and her family. She saw her sword stuck in a tree and jumped for it. Wings popped out of back and literally flew towards her sword. She landed on a branch above it and jumped towards it. She caught the handle and used her body weight to pull it out of the trunk.
She landed on her feet and grinned. Then, she sobered and her eyes took on a dangerous look. "Come get me, you asshole." It worked. She heard the sound of the Shade running. She gave a loud battle cry and growled. Raksha rushed at him and their swords clashed together. They exchanged blows, their eyes never leaving they're opponent's. She managed to knock him back and chuckled. She blocked his attack and kicked his feet out from under him. She stabbed down and caught him straight in the heart. Dusk stepped forward and also stabbed the Shade in the heart. All of Raksha's siblings came forward and stuck their swords in his heart. The Shade turned to dust, as did his sword.
"Now he's dead. It takes fourteen swords in the heart to kill a Shade." Dusk smiled at Raksha. "I'm proud of you sister. And I know for fact Mother is too." He gestured behind her and Raksha turned around. There on the path was a beautiful, white Echidna. The Echidna stepped towards Raksha and Raksha stepped towards her. Dusk walked towards the Echidna, as did the rest of Raksha's siblings. She followed, unsure of what to do. Dusk grabbed her hand and pulled her forward. "Mother, this is-"
"Raksha!" The echidna wrapped her in a hug and Raksha hugged her back. "My daughter. My beautiful daughter." Bane rubbed Raksha's back comfortingly. The queen slapped his hand away. "Bane, don't ruin the moment for me or you'll be training for three more years."
"You wouldn't!" Bane looked horrified.
"She would." Raksha said, turning to her brother.
"How would you know?" Bane asked, a little annoyed.
"Well, she is our mother." Raksha said matter of factly. Everyone laughed. Raksha remembered the others and left the group. She walked over to Shadow and the others and stopped in front of the former.
"So I guess you'll be going home now, won't you?" Raksha looked up at him, silently begging him to stay.
"I guess we will." Shadow also had plea in his eyes, begging her to come with him. "You belong here. We don't. I'll miss you Salene."
"That's not my name." Raksha said, smiling.
"Huh?" Shadow stared at her in surprise.
"That's not my name." Raksha repeated, giggling.
"Well, what is it?" Shadow asked.
"Raksha." Raksha said, grinning. "It means demon in Hindu."
"Raksha." Shadow said, working the word through his mind. "I like it. It suits you, especially when you're fighting."
"Goodbye Shadow. I'm gonna miss you." Raksha turned and began to walk away. Before she had taken two steps, Shadow grabbed her arm. "Wha-" Shadow kissed her.
Chapter 9: Decisions, Decisions
Raksha stood frozen as Shadow kissed her. She finally reached up and cupped his cheek and kissed him back. They pulled apart and she pressed her face against his chest, bursting into tears. Shadow held her against him and let her sob. He knew this would be the last time he would hold her, so he let her cry. When she finally stopped, he tilted her head up and smiled down at her.
"Shads, it's time to go." Sonic interrupted their revelry. "The girls are getting anxious." Rouge came forward and hugged Raksha goodbye. Before he left, Shadow leaned down and whispered something in Raksha's ear.
. . .
"I'll be waiting." Those were the words Shadow whispered in her ear before he left. Now, Raksha sat on her bed, pondering what he meant. She was in the room that had been reserved for her since the day she was born. They had arrived at the castle an hour before and she had just managed to get to her room.
"Raksha? Can I come in?"
"Yes, Mother." Raksha stood up respectfully as Nephthys, her mother, came in.
"Oh sit back down. I hate all that respect stuff. It gets old after a while." Raksha giggled slightly. "Now that's more like it. I like to see my family smile. It's become such a rare thing."
"It's so strange. I grew up being kicked around and looked down upon. I guess I've grown so used to being treated that way that I don't really smile much anymore." Raksha pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.
"That's not the reason you're so down is it?" Nephthys looked her eldest daughter in the eye. "It's that hedgehog who kissed you, isn't it?"
Raksha sighed. "Yes." Her mother scooted closer. "I love him and can't be with him. All because I'm the Crown Princess!"
"I had to make this same exact choice with your father. Like that hedgehog, I came from Mobius. I didn't know that your father was the Crown Prince. I didn't know that his children would be part of a prophesy. All I knew was that I loved your father."
"Wait. You're from Mobius?" Raksha sat up even more, shocked. "But you're the queen!"
"Even so, I am queen only by marriage. You, on the other hand, are queen by birth." Nephthys sighed. "I just want you to make the right choice. I gave up a $10.5 billion inheritance to be with your father. My family is still looking for me."
"Do think they'll take your daughter instead?" Raksha had a sly grin on her face.
"They might. Why?" Nephthys threw her daughter a suspicious glance."
"Oh no reason really. I just thought that they would take me in seeing that I am family." Raksha smiled innocently up at her mother.
"No! My family is not the type to hand their money out to someone who claims to be their family. You have to earn it." Nephthys sighed. "Are you sure that you want to do that?"
Raksha smiled and took her mother's hand in hers. "Mother, I've been having to earn my keep my entire life. I think I'd be able to handle this."
"If you're sure then…" Nephthys smiled and nodded her approval. "But you cannot tell them the truth about any of this. Understand?"
"Yes Mother." Raksha leaned forward and gave her mother a hug.
To Be Continued…