Chapter 2: Secrets
Amy's POV
I woke up early this morning to get ready for school. The night before, I laid out my new favorite black shoes, some gray sweat pants, and a black tank top. I (very stupidly) cut on my wrist last night, so I put on as many bracelets as I could find. Then I combed out my thick curly hair and put it up in a ponytail, leaving my bangs out to cover up the right side of my face. I had sleep lines from my pillow scrambling up that side of my face so why not? I was going to leave my bangs out anyway. I pulled out an old make-up kit I had lying around and applied eyeliner. I loved this little thing, it's a long felt-tip marker eyeliner that leaves a bold line and doesn't smudge. A marker for your face, who DOESN'T like that? I did a normal winged line and put on some lip gloss. Not too much make-up, not too little. Just the way I like it.
I packed up my school stuff in my black Hello Kitty book-bag. Three notebooks, three pens, a pencil, a highlighter, and a novel (The Hunger Games). I loved that book, I must have read it like thirteen times by now. I also stuck in a black snap-back with a white outline of a rose on the front. Before walking out the door, I stopped and looked in the mirror. I like this new look. Not too girly, I like it... except for my hair. I might dye the tips red this weekend. I nodded at my decision and walked out the door, grabbing an apple before I left and making SURE to lock it when I did. I knew it was Sonic who broke in that day, I found one of his quills in the kitchen. That should never happen again. And who is he to tell me to stop my 'habit'? I can stop anytime I want to... and right now I don't feel like stopping so HA!
I arrived at the bus stop at the corner next to the small coffee shop and pulled out my wallet, going in to buy a French-vanilla iced coffee. My favorite. I paid for my little bottle of heaven, making sure to smile at the cashier, and walked out the door back to the corner. I put my headphones in and blasted music, humming along to Breath – Breaking Benjamin as the school bus pulled up. A few people smiled and waved at me as I walked to my seat in the back of the bus, right across from Shadow just like yesterday. I smiled and nodded at him, which was returned with a slight nod. He's so quiet... I looked out the window and allowed myself to get lost in the music.
…
"You're sitting in my seat, Prick." I heard a high-pitched, very annoying voice say through my music. I looked up to see the blond chick from yesterday. I mentally sighed and took out an earphone. "I'm sorry, I missed what you said there." I said, pretending to be nice.
She folded her arms and shifted her weight to her right foot, raising an eyebrow and rolling her neck in attitude as she repeated, "You're sitting in my seat, PRICK."
"Ah, that's what I thought you said." I laughed softly and stood up slowly, and looked straight into her very soul as I growled through gritted teeth, "Perhaps you weren't paying attention yesterday, but my name is Rose. You and everyone else will call me by that name and if I ever hear someone- especially you- calling me something other than that, you will suffer dire consequences."
"...Okay then ROSE, you're still sitti-" She stopped, horrified, as I reached up to lift a lock of her quills. The class gasped. I grinned "It's a shame that something as simple as getting someone's name wrong could mean losing something as precious as this. Don't you think?" I inquired. She smacked my hand away and sashayed over to her new desk from yesterday, trying in vain to regain her composure. She shakily sat down and glared at me, taking her long nail and going across her neck and then pointing at me. I slouched in my seat and waved at her sweetly, ignoring the whispers and snickers from the rest of the class. A strong hand grabbed my shoulder and turned me around in my desk. Angry blood-red eyes bore into me.
"Do you have a death wish?" He hissed. I shrugged, not really caring to talk about my intentions with death.
"No, but she's mean. I only respect people who respect me. Ever heard of the 'Treat others the way you want to be treated' saying? I was raised on that."
"She is going to make your high-school life a living hell."
"I will make her life outside of school a living hell." I countered, not missing a beat. It scared me a bit though. Honestly, I never thought I'd say something like that. It was so violent...and I liked it. I also MEANT it. If my father ever taught me anything, it was to stand up to people who make a hobby out of making people's lives miserable. Shadow finally let go of my shoulder and a smile gently tugged at the corner of his mouth. "You're crazy."
I laughed and held my hand out to him. "Don't think we've officially met. I'm Rose."
"Shadow." He shook my hand and we faced front again. I frowned as I felt a slight tug on my heart. What was that? I thought as I put my hand on my chest. I glanced at Shadow and my heart was tugged harder. Ow... That rarely happens. Why is it happening again? I hate Sonic now. Maybe it's hatred? I looked at the blue hedgehog across the classroom and the tug transformed to an empty feeling. Nope, hatred feels different. What's going on? I glanced at Shadow again to see him clutching his white chest fur, frowning. He feels it too... I snapped out of it as Coach set a worksheet on my desk. He looked at me worriedly but I smiled and waved him off.
…
Lunch time...Finally. As I held my tray of fruit and yogurt, I wandered outside to the courtyard to sit on the bleachers by the football field. No one sits out here anymore. According to a rumor I overheard, only loners sat out here. Well... I have no friends and it's quiet out here so might as well sit and listen to music in peace. At least nobody is staring at me... I thought as I sat and ate my food.
Shadow's POV
"Where's Amy?" I sighed and looked up at the blue blur tiredly. Shrugging my shoulders and grunting, I returned to my sub and chomped down. "No seriously, where is she?" I whipped around to face him. "How the hell should I know?" I said with a mouth full of food. He put his hands up and backed away. "Word has it that Anita is looking for her."
That made me freeze. I felt a tug on my chest again at her name. Without replying to the Faker, I walked out of the cafeteria, forgetting my half eaten sub completely.
I walked outside and started towards the football field. All the new kids somehow end up retreating back here before they fall into a clique. By the time I got to the bleachers, the tugging on my chest became a harsh yank. I stopped short as I saw curly pink quills, moving slightly in the breeze. The breeze...that was blowing towards me. I caught her scent and breathed it in. It smelled, surprisingly, not of roses. It smelled...fruity. I sniffed. Strawberries... I sniffed again and frowned. Blood covered strawberries? I crept closer to the bleachers and saw...something I regret seeing.
She had taken of her bracelets and set them down carefully on the bench. Creeping closer to her from behind, I could hear her deafeningly loud and violent music. I recognized the band, Korn. I grinned at her tastes in music, but my smile disappeared and was replaced by a frown as I took a gaze at her left arm. There had to be at least fifty cuts going down her forearm. Not counting the ten new ones she made right there before my eyes. It took all my willpower not to snatch the stupid blade away and bring her to my house. I was about to do it too, if it wasn't for the change of wind. She caught my scent and gasped. I sprinted around the corner of the building before she could turn around.
Amy's POV
I felt my heart being yanked as I took in the scent of fresh pine needles. I turned around to see who was spying on me, but I couldn't see anyone. My heart sank as I looked back to my arm. Someone saw me do this...someone caught me. Why is my chest still being yanked?
…
I hurried into my painting class just as the last bell rang. Shadow sat next to me, eying me curiously. I shift uncomfortably. He folds his arms. "You love painting, you're always here early. Why weren't you early today?" I look at him, amused.
"I got here on time, didn't I? And today's my second day at this school. How do you know I love painting?"
He nods his head at a painting hanging up on the wall. "You started that painting yesterday and zoned out. You were completely oblivious to the entire class as they crowded around you and bombarded you with questions and advice. You only snapped out of it when you were finished, then got your stuff and left when the bell rang just as you finished."
I stared at him, dumbfounded, then back at the painting I apparently did in a trance. It was a painting of me, standing on top of a tall building in the city, raising my arms and tilting my head back with my eyes closed. My arms were spread out as if trying to soak in the warm rays of the setting sun. Everyone thought it was beautiful, the teacher even hung it up above the whiteboard. But it wasn't what everyone thought it was.
Shadow stared at me, and this time when I looked at him, he didn't look away. He kept staring. The tugging started in my chest again, this time it kept pulling harder and harder. It continued as he whispered, "Everyone thinks you painted yourself being free and careless, content. Rose... was that the intention?" He gave me a knowing look, but I held my ground.
"Yes. Sometimes I dream that one day I'll be happy and free like that," I nod at my painting. "Sometimes that's all I think about." I look at him, getting lost in his crimson eyes. I mentally scolded myself, that's all you think about? You just gave him a hint! Why do trust him already? You barely know him, Rose! And what's this about getting lost in his eyes? Do you really want to go through with this? What if it's Sonic all over again? I shook my head and looked at my empty canvas. I bit my lip in thought, and slowly let myself slip into another world.
…
Shadow's POV
She's doing it again... how does she just... LET GO like that? I thought as I watched her carefully. She was biting her lip in the sexiest way... I shook my head and tried to focus on my own canvas. I knew how she does it, but I also knew what would happen if I do it. I decided to be brave (not that I wasn't brave already) and let my hands do their own thing.
…
By the time I was finished, the entire class was crowded around Amy and I, genuinely impressed with our work. I looked over at Amy, who was finishing up her painting with one last delicate brush stroke. Her painting was beautifully terrifying.
The scene was a dark alley, in this dark alley was a street fight. A little pink hedgehog was holding out her hands to a dark red one with electric blue eyes. The red hedgehog was giving little Rose her first weapon, a small Piko-Piko Hammer. Behind the red hedgehog was a brown and white wolf, blood trickling down the side of his head. In his hand was a gun, which he had aimed and fired at the back of the red one's head. The bullet was inches away from making impact. My heart dropped as I realized what had happened. My blood boiled as it seemed as if nobody else understood the tragedy. Amy sighed at her finished work and looked over at my canvas. She then looked at me wide-eyed, tears brimming. I turned around, shakily. I knew I shouldn't have let my mind wander.
On my canvas was The Ark. I was in a cylinder of glass, infuriated and scared as I watched my beloved friend get her brains blasted to bits. Her formerly soft blond hair was now disheveled and caked with blood. She was looking at everything with glassy eyes, seeing nothing. A smile was on her face, though. Towering above her was a man with brown hair and cold, soulless eyes. He had a gun in his hand. It was still smoking from the fired shot.
Before anyone could ask, the bell rang. Amy and I looked at each other, grabbed our stuff, and hurried out of the classroom. I followed her to her locker, realizing that painting was the last period of the day. She opened her locker and gathered her stuff. Slinging her backpack over her shoulder, she closed her locker and froze. Then she sighed and looked up at me.
"You smell like pine needles." She stated. I shrugged, a little surprised at her blunt comment. "...You smell of strawberries." I countered. She inched closer to me and got up on her toes to meet me eye to eye.
"Don't mention what you saw to anyone. Don't mention the blood, the paintings, not even me sitting on the bleachers. This is our secret." She whispered, shaking from the effort from staying on her toes. I nodded. "As long as you keep your interpretation of my painting to yourself." She backed away, nodding. I saw tears starting to form in her eyes again before she turned and began her walk to the bus. It took all my willpower not to pull her into a hug and let her breakdown.
"Shadow! Come on, we're gonna be late!" I watched Amy disappear out the doors to the bus loop before turning to join the annoying blue blur and his red echidna friend.
…
I can never enjoy football practice with the two idiots always talking and distracting me. And the stress of this season's games are adding on to my anger. Ever since our star QB was struck and killed by lightning last year, we've been having a rough time getting our team to be successful again. The new QB, Scourge, was complete ass. Aside from all that, there was only one more thing keeping me from getting my head back into the game.
Amy.
Everyone groaned as I dropped yet another pass. I sighed. This was gonna be a long practice.
…
Amy's POV
Why did I feel so lonely? I don't like that. I thought to myself as I headed out the door. I left a few minutes early to make sure I caught the bus to work on time. I blasted 'Down with the Sickness – Disturbed' and sat down at the back of the bus.
I punched in my time card and climbed up the club stairs to Rouge's office. "Yo Rouge." I greeted.
She looked up and smiled. She was leaning back in her chair with her feet on the desk. "Ah, Rose. Glad YOU had the sense to come to work today." She frowned and looked away.
"What do you mean? None of the band members are here?" I questioned.
She shook her head. "They've been missing for a week now. If they don't come the next time I call you guys in then I'm gonna have to let them go."
My heart sank. Those guys were my friends, I loved practicing with them. Rouge saw the broken look on my face and smiled reassuringly. "It'll be fine, you know I own plenty more buildings than just this old club. I'll put you in one of my beauty parlors if push comes to shove, alright?" My face lifted at the sound of that. I've been wanting to do hair and makeup for the longest, Rouge knew that. What's better than getting paid to make someone's face your own art? Pure heaven.
After saying bye to Rouge and leaving the club, I decided it'd be a good time to go home and start dinner early. Yellow rice…again. I don't mind though. Yellow rice is my favorite. I made that and fried some chicken to go with it, and sat on the couch to continue watching the movie I bought earlier, called "Let's be Cops". This movie was hilarious, but I had to pause it because I'd forgot to do my homework. Can't go slacking off now can I?
Towards the end of the movie, I heard a hesitant knock on the door. I knew it was Sonic, so I completely ignored it. The knock came more boldly this time. I rolled my eyes and groaned, hitting the back of my head against the couch before saying "THE FUCKING DOOR IS OPEN."
I heard the door creak open slowly, and a little wave of air blew past my face. Pine needles.