It was a beautiful day in the Mobian capitol, or at least, it was for Anne. The sky was a clear blue and dotted perfectly with fluffy white clouds. The wind ran through the trees, going here… going there…gently settling in the spacious backyard of the prominent Prower family.
There Anne stood, in the middle of large trees and budding flowers, eyes closed to the world. One… two… three… She counted the wind rustling in her bangs. Four, five, six. Her voice had been soft and slow at first; then became a little louder, a little faster. Now she paused, drawing in a breath, patiently waiting one intolerably long second before-
"7, 8, 9, 10, ready or not here I come!" She shot out like a bullet, her pink eyes bright with excitement. Anne started her search frantic and scattered, as any other three-year-old would, but after hours of frustrations, the search became much more thorough. She noticed things that other small children would have paid no minds.
Some crushed leaves here, a snapped twig there, a broken branch on a flower bush that had been perfectly intact the day before; all were clues to finding what she sought. These fragmented pieces of information slowly began to show her a path. Anne smiled excitedly; only just barely able to contain a squeal of delight. She had found her brother.
It seemed only fair to sneak up and scare to scare Miles after he had put her through so much trouble, and Anne decided that this could be best accomplished by sneaking up behind him yelling in his ear as she possibly could.
"Boo!" she cried.
"Aah!"
Though Miles had been initially startled, he hadn't really conveyed the terror that Anne had been hoping for. Slightly disappointed, she plopped down next to him in his hiding place, a small hole by the roots of a tree surrounded by bushes. As she did so, Anne noticed the Lapcomp, her brother's latest project; and, scattered on the ground, the assorted tools required to complete the invention.
Miles Prower was a genius. Anne loved how her brother would always ask how, why, or why not; and then, because there was no one to tell him, figure out the answers himself. But she was hurt that Miles had deliberately deceived her, broken-hearted by how he had hidden in a manner that went beyond a child's game.
Unable to look at her brother, Anne fixed her eyes on a nearby pile of assorted screws.
"Miles why…," she said, struggling to keep her voice from breaking, "when did you do this."
"Do what?" replied Miles.
"Do all of this." Anne motioned, referring to the hiding place that her brother had constructed.
"Oh, it's pretty cool huh? I did it during your nap today. It was the only time when wouldn't be around, so I…" Miles continued on, oblivious to the discomfort of his sister, describing exactly how he had done this to her.
"But you promised," Anne cried, unable to control herself as a single tear was shed down her check.
"Annie, hey don't cry… I know I promised that I'd play with you, but I really wanted to work on my new invention. I figured that this way we could both get what we wanted. Please don't be upset, I kept my promise.
Anne wiped the tear of her check. Smiling she said:
"At least I won," she said, cheering up.
"You won?" Miles asked.
"Yes I did," said Anne in an impishly firm voice, "I found you."
"Aah... but you have to tag me."
"That's not part of the rules!"
Running away Miles called back:
"It is now!"
Anne chased after her brother, screaming all the while about how Miles couldn't just keep making up rules. Her indignation only grew when Miles started flying in short bursts. Anne yelled at him about how he shouldn't fly 'cause she wasn't big enough yet. Years later Anne couldn't remember if she ever caught her brother, if she ever 'won', but that's not what's important about that day. That day was peaceful and happy; perfect even with its flaws. That day was one of the best in her life.
But that was only the calm before the storm. Before Anne knew how to recognize the signs, knew that her parents' ever increasing work schedule was something to be concerned about. As the world around her tried to ready itself, she sat calm in the eye of the storm. But that wouldn't last. That was before Robotnik invaded Mobius's Capitol. Before he wrenched everything Anne held dear away from her. That was before her world fell to the chaos and despair of reality.
There's one thing that you should know before you hear anything else about Anne Prower.
She loved her brother very much.
