Sunshine
By Leaf the Earth Guardian
Chapter 1
Liquid sun reflected on the surface of calm waters, pink cherry blossoms continuously falling down in like little boats, staying afloat. Over the stone square stepping stones perfectly aligned in the pond stood a black and red male hedgehog, his eyes dark with a twist of crimson, weighing down heavy in regret. I knew it was a bad idea to start off with…Selene is more sensitive than most girls that I've met. He crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes through his reflection, anger burning inside. It's my fault she's hurt herself! I have to do something to gain our friendship back…but what? After all that's happened, I bet she won't even look at me anymore. Shadow made his way over the stepping stones and onto a mossy cement path, surrounded by rocks and sprouting grass.
"Shadow," a high voice echoed from a remote part of the trail, followed by clicking of high heeled shoes. "There you are."
The ruby striped hedgehog stood dead in his tracks, his body growing tense as the girl made herself noticed. She was a sun-golden hedgehog with sky blue eyes, her hair curled and shining with health. Her voice sounded rather familiar, but…it was hard to recall where he'd heard it before. The golden hedgehog was adorned in a blue tank top that matched her eyes and cut off at her golden stomach, and wore navy blue skinny jeans that wrapped around her figure; and, like noted before, she was wearing orange heels.
"Who are you?" Shadow asked, shaken by her sudden appearance.
"Ah, perhaps you may not know," she smiled, her face darkening mischievously. Now she was just about a foot away from the male, her orange perfume overpowering the floral scents of the garden. "I'm Aurora, Selene's sister."
Panicked by this information, Shadow jumped back as he realized that he could have put a bad impression on one of Selene's family members. "I-I'm sorry," he looked down in regret, "About what happened to your sister. How is she doing?"
"Well, if it wasn't for your stupid moves, she wouldn't be in the hospital," Aurora trailed off in rage, but caught herself and backed up into a friendlier position, attempting to stay on subject. "She's doing okay, but I think you should avoid her for now. If she sees you she'll be miserable all over again."
"Ah, okay."
"Why did you dance with Tori anyways?" Aurora questioned curiously.
"I had no other choice," Shadow puffed as he closed his eyes, "She put the pressure all on me, with her little followers threatening me to grant all of her wishes. Only if Selene would understand…"
Selene's eyes opened, her vision first blurry, taking a few blinks to get it straightened and sharp. She was in a white room, with a closed door on the opposite side of her. There was a tube taped around her arm, connected to a bag a quarter full of blood. Her wrists were heavily bandaged, even though there was a slight red at the surface to show it wasn't enough. She had barely recalled what had happened the night before: the dance, Shadow, Tori, and attempting to take her own life away. Her deep indigo eyes shifted to the bag of blood, pondering upon who the kind donor was.
The door flew open, her sister standing in the doorway, her eyes sparkling with joy. "You're okay, Selene!" she chirped, hastening over to her side and hugging her tightly. "I was so worried! Please don't ever do that again!"
"I won't," Selene smiled weakly, overfilled with joy. Not even a hug back could describe how she felt to see her sister again, and how horrible she felt for after all she had done. "Thanks Aurora."
"Not a problem. Do you need anything at the moment?" the blonde hedgehog asked, flushing with cheers.
"Whose blood is that?" Selene pointed at the bag which hung over the side, "And also, I'd like a donut please," she requested politely, sinking down into the covers.
"Sure thing," Aurora gazed at Selene, her face brightening, "I feel pitiful to say this, but, that's Shadow's blood. He decided he owed you something after last night." The hedgehog whipped around and closed the door, leaving the silver one awestruck.
Shadow…but why? He clearly likes Tori; there is absolutely no doubt about that. I don't understand though, why me? Does he really care for me? Selene shifted upward, leaving the warm print that she had been lying on for hours. I don't understand. Her face darted to the door as her sister walked in, a chocolate and rainbow-sprinkled donut resting on a paper plate, getting ready to be devoured. Aurora placed the plate on the covers, watching gladly as Selene munched on it, a satisfied expression on her pale face.
"How long will I have to stay here?" Pink, yellow, and blue sprinkles fell off of Selene's face as she asked, landing on the bed, giving her a slight guilty feeling.
"You'll have to stay here overnight," Aurora frowned, "and…unfortunately mom told me that I have to go home at around 10, so you would be here all by yourself. I hope you don't mind."
"It can't be that bad." Selene lied; for all she could know, doctors can be a bit fearing. Oh well, it wasn't like she could change anything anyways, what's done is done, no matter what her opinion is about it.
"Good to know, I wouldn't want my little sister to panic," Aurora winked, "I'll be back in about an hour. See you later!"
The sun set behind the ocean, the horizon bursting with a ginger color. The coast was empty, atop the cliff edges were long wisps of dark green grass, waving along with the wind. Shadow trotted among the edges, glancing at the fantastic view of the waves crashing against the cliff, tossing a large wall of saltwater upwards. Would the cliff ever give out, or will it always be able to take harsh hits? The black and red furred hedgehog's quills moved at the rate of the wind, the light on them shining in different directions.
"SHADOW!" a voice squealed, followed by the male being tackled down to the ground. "I was wondering where you were! I missed you so much…"
"Get off of me!" Shadow snarled at the girl, who, following his command, forced herself off of him. The hedgehog got up to meet face-to-face to an auburn female fox with dark hair and blonde highlights in them. Her golden eyes sparkled madly from him noticing her. "Oh, it's you."
"I'm glad you noticed," the fox pushed her straightened hair, attempting to make it look more shiny and blinked passionately, her dark brown eye shadows revealing.
"What do you want from me, Tori? You already got your way with the whole dance," Shadow huffed, "and that's it."
"No, it's not. The dance was just a warm up," Tori scoffed, "From now on you're going to be my boyfriend," the brunette giggled insanely.
Shadow's eyes narrowed, disgusted by the bronzed fox's plan. He backed up in antipathy, frowning. "No way," he retorted, "I don't even like you, you're a horrible person! You shouldn't mess with someone's feelings like you did before, especially Selene's."
"So you're implying that you love Selene?" Tori said, her eyes looking at him grotesquely. By now, anger was flushing through her face, as she was preparing to go into full attack mode.
Shadow paused for a moment. I, I mean…I do like her, she's an amazing person…I guess I do love her. But if I tell Tori that, she'd crush poor Selene. "Well, I can't say that-"
"Okay, done, we're officially going out," Tori grasped Shadow's arm, who, in return, kept his face blank as he knew that fighting her would be no use. "And when you're around me, I do not want to hear anything of Selene, okay?" she tapped his pointy black nose and smiled. Shadow coughed, causing her to flinch. "Well, I have to go. See you!"
Thank goodness she's FINALLY GONE.
Selene was resting peacefully under the bleached covers of the hospital bed, her face calmly set down in the fluffy pillow. Almost all the blood in the plastic bag was drained; Selene was slowly recovering but still too weak to go home. Aurora was seated, checking through her phone, every once in a while poking her head up to see if her sister was awake.
"Aurora," Selene whispered, as if she were speaking her very last breath of her life.
"Yes?" Aurora scurried to Selene's side with a concerned face, holding her sister's hand dearly, "What is it?"
"Can I have another donut?" Selene whimpered.
"Oh you," Aurora lowered her eyes in relief, "You got me worried there. Sure thing though!"
Selene gazed out the window as Aurora left. The sky was dark, a few stars shining faintly through but wiped from the sky by the high voltage city lights. What a wonderful sight the city at night was! The urban area was never asleep, the buildings vacant during the day and luminously shining at night. Aurora dashed back in with a donut in hand, immediately pushing it into her sister's hands. "Thanks," Selene responded.
"Wow, the city is so pretty at night, isn't it?" Aurora gaped, pressing her face against the window, making it a bit foggy. "I've always wanted to roam the streets at night. The city lights are so wonderful! I love living here in Selstice City, it's full of beauty!"
"I know," Selene alleged. If only her strict parents allowed her to explore the entire city had to offer instead of trapping her in a villa that some may think is heaven, but for her, opposite. "It's almost ten by the way…"
"Wow, time flies by," Aurora gasped, "I'd better be getting on my way home." The yellow hedgehog made her way to the silver one's bed side and hugged her sister tightly. "Good night, Selene."
"'Night Aurora," Selene hugged tightly, depressed that she would be spending an entire night away from her family, something she had never done before; not even sleepovers or camping trips. Aurora walked to the door, spun around to wave a last good bye, opened the door, switched the light off, and finally shut the door behind her.
It was now utterly shadowed in the hospital room; the only light source was the moon, which was casting a pale shine on the surfaces of the place. Selene moved to the side away from the window, forcing her eyes shut. You can get through this night, Selene. You'll survive… The room itself was muted, not a single sound stirring through to disturb her; yet the awkward silence made the hedgehog panic. This night would be a sleepless one for sure, whether Selene preferred it or not.