The Academy

by Sonamyluver718

Amy Rose always knew that she wanted to fight for her country one day. So, it was no surprise when she applied to the Political Defense Academy. The surprise was when she actually got in. As Amy is exposed to the true world of the government, love, and the faces of the traitors in her country, she must decide who to trust and which country she's really fighting for. BEING REVISED.

2. Chapter 2

*Happily sings the Rent movie soundtrack while editing this*

All characters belong to Sega/Archie except my OCs.

Chapter 2

I hadn't felt so much anxiety since my father died. After I'd gotten off the phone with the stranger who'd come by my house, my stomach immediately exploded into a bunch of tiny butterflies. I hadn't thought about the moment when I'd actually be accepted into the academy. All I'd ever daydreamed about was simply being there and following in my father's footsteps. I never thought that I'd feel so nervous about the whole affair; in fact, I thought I would be quite happy. While I did feel some happiness, I was mainly a bit nervous. The thought hadn't occurred to me that I would be moving away from my family and friends or that I would be starting all over – on my own this time. I didn't think about if I had the strength to really endure the education I was about to receive and apply it on the battlefield. All I knew was that I wanted to make my father proud and joining the military seemed like a good place to start.

My mother refused to talk to me over dinner. She kept her eyes down as she stabbed her fork around her plate mercilessly. Although I had gotten used to my mother's silent treatments when she'd zone out, I wasn't used to her being so angry with me. Her tension filled the room as we ate, the silence making it even stronger. I wanted to say something to her but I didn't know what nor did I want to initiate another argument. I just wanted her to look up and at least say that she was proud of me for aspiring to do something good for the world. But I did understand the pain she was experiencing. We may have lost my father years ago but the time didn't heal the wound as nicely as we would have wished.

The next couple of weeks dragged on for me. I tried to cherish the little moments of my life before being shipped off to the secluded area of the Academy. I didn't know where it was or how far away. I'd tried researching the school's location and such but most of the information was confidential. I could understand why since it was technically a government controlled base but I wished they would give some of the admits some insight on what they were getting themselves into. A part of me hated walking blindly into the program, but what other choice did I have? It wasn't as if the president of the school was simply going to hand over information to me alone. Yes, my father may be well known for his service to this country but I doubted having his last name would give me benefits. If anything, it might just pile on the expectations I'd have to somehow hold up.

My last day at the gym was more solemn than I'd expected. All of my students gave me hugs with dry tears in their eyes; some even gave me cards and pictures to take with me when I went away. "Something to remember us by," a girl in my beginner kickboxing class said as she handed me a photo of when I had taken the class on a field trip to a professional kickboxing event. We had all taken a picture in front of the fancy stadium with wide smiles and the children attached to my legs. I hadn't felt any tears in my eyes until that moment. My emotions didn't even give me a minute to thank the girl before the tears began to fall from my eyes. I wasn't sobbing completely but more so tears were just freely falling from my face. I smiled down at the tiny brunette and bent down to her height. She immediately grabbed me into a hug, squeezing me with all the strength her small body held. "I'm going to miss you, Miss Amy," she murmured into my shoulder.

"I'm going to miss you too," I told her. "But don't worry, I'll be back before you know it."

"You promise," she asked as she pulled away to look me in the eyes. I nodded as my smile widened.

"Someone's gotta make sure you all don't mess up your combos." She giggled the slightest bit before giving me another hug. "Just keep your head up, and stay out of trouble, alright?"

"Yes Miss Amy." With that, she finally let go of me and wandered off to where the rest of her class had slowly dispersed off to. I folded the picture up in my hands as I slowly backed away from the children. I overlooked them one last time, taking in their cherub faces, before smiling and turning away. They were good kids. I had no doubt that they would continue doing a good of a job as they had been doing. The only thing I could worry about was the streets grabbing them into situations they had no business being in. Hopefully they were smarter than that.

"There's the newest Academy student," Uncle G yelled as I walked into his office. Scourge was perched on his desk again though his mouth was turned into a small frown. I wanted to question his expression but I already knew the answer. Scourge was making it indirectly clear that while he was supporting my decision, he wasn't exactly endorsing it. I couldn't understand why he felt the way he did though. Uncle G had fought in the army alongside my father; they'd grown up together and followed their dreams together. Scourge and I both grew up wanting to make them proud but for some reason, Scourge avoided all opportunities of the army route of fulfilling that wish. Uncle G used to try to talk him into going into the Academy when he was my age but he refused completely. They'd fought about it multiple times – sometimes in extreme circumstances – before Uncle G finally gave in and just let his son be. Scourge never told me why he felt so strongly towards the school – or the Academy as Uncle G keeps telling to call it. Whenever I asked, he'd always avoid the question. Since I was at a much younger age when it was around time for him to apply, I kept asking him about it and tampering with his patience. He calmly put me down a couple times before he finally just yelled at me to shut up about it. We had been hanging out in his room, playing some army game on his game console, when he'd done it. That was the only time he'd seriously gotten mad at me but even then, his anger only lasted for a moment. He could never stay mad at me for too long.

"Are you excited for tomorrow," Uncle G asked me.

"Kind of," I said with a shrug. "You guys are still coming to help me move in, right?"

"Of course! We wouldn't miss it for the world! Right, Scourge?"

"Yea," his son murmured. He slowly hopped off the desk and straightened up. "Am I walking you home," he asked me.

"Per the usual," I told him. He didn't roll his eyes at me which caused me to raise an eyebrow. He merely walked past me out the office and down the hall. He had murmured a soft "come on" as he passed but that was all the reaction I got out of him.

"Don't mind him," Uncle G told me. "He'll accept it sooner or later."

"I just don't understand why he's acting this way. He's gotten to leave for month-long trips before and I didn't get upset. He knows that I'll be back in the summer and over the holidays. He knows I wouldn't just leave him behind." Uncle G sighed as he ran a hand through his graying green hair.

"Amy, I don't think that's what he's worried about," he said softly.

"Then what is he worried about? I can take care of myself, he of all people should know that."

"It's just hard for him to let go of people he cares about, you of all people should know that," Uncle G mocked me. "You're his best friend; he's used to having you always be there for him and you just physically being there. It's going to be hard on him to accept the fact that you're gone – even if it is for a short period of time." Uncle G sighed. "Look, I know I shouldn't be telling you this but Scourge really does care about you, and he just wants you to be alright out there."

"I will be."

"We don't know that," Uncle G murmured. "Your father told us the same thing and…" He trailed off. "We're all just a little scared, that's all." He nodded towards his open door. "Go on and spend time with Scourge. I know this is going to be the last time for a while so you might as well enjoy it." I nodded before walking out the office.

Scourge was waiting outside, leaning against the exterior wall of the gym. His light blue eyes went to me as I approached him. "Do you wanna get dinner or something," I asked him.

"Sure. Chinese?" I smiled up at him.

"You know it." Scourge cracked the smallest hint of a smile as he dug his phone out of his pocket. He called in for a takeout order as we walked down the street. The sun was starting to get low, sending an amber color across the sky. The color made our worn down town look beautiful. It tinted the cracks in the playground, emphasized the shadows of the kids riding around on bikes, and brought out the dark undertone of Scourge's eyes. I couldn't help but stare up at him as we slowly made our way towards the small Chinese takeout restaurant near my house. While I'd always had a small admiration towards his eyes, I felt small butterflies at the sight of his eyes looking so remorseful. They weren't butterflies of infatuation but instead butterflies of a different emotion. I hated that I was making him so upset. His sadness made me feel more than just guilty for leaving everything behind. But then again, I wasn't technically abandoning anyone; I was just going on to live my life. I wished that everyone else would be able to see it that way.

"Do you wanna come over for a little while," I asked Scourge after he'd paid for our food. His ice blue eyes flicked over to me for a moment before they looked away. "Please," I added.

"Okay," he murmured. I nudged his arm with my own causing him to look back down at me. I hadn't been expecting to get his attention so I didn't exactly have a plan as to what I was going to do. I averted my eyes elsewhere as my townhouse came into view. Scourge seemed to speed up at the sight, almost leaving me in the dust. I stared at him in confusion as I walked on after him. He waited on my stoop for me to catch up. I unlocked the door and led us into the empty house. Scourge made a beeline for the stairs while I scrambled around in the kitchen to put some drinks together for us. Once I finally put together some homemade Shirley Temples, I headed on upstairs.

Scourge was laying on my bed, his long legs crossed over each other. His eyes were staring up at the ceiling where all the photos of us and our students were taped. I flopped down next to him after putting the drinks down on my dresser. We sat in silence for a few minutes, neither one of us sure what to say. I knew tomorrow that I wouldn't exactly be able to tell him the things I would tell him when we were alone. Our parents would be around and so would some of the other students and everything would just be weird. But I didn't exactly know what to say to him. He'd been my best friend my whole life and now…he wasn't going to be around. I knew that we would call each other daily and text but it wasn't going to be the same. As we lay there on the bed, I couldn't help but feel a rock press down on my organs as all the physical aspects of him flashed through my mind. I wouldn't be able to curl up against him when we were watching movies, or lay on top of him when we were watching TV on the couch, or have him hold me when I needed a good hug, or even just lay next to him in silence like we were doing now. I was really going to miss him.

"I don't want you to leave," Scourge said suddenly. I looked up at him to see that his eyes were still fixed up at my photographs. "I know that sounds so selfish but I…" He shook his head. "I can't imagine life without you around."

"Imagine it as if you were four years old again – before I existed," I joked softly.

"I can't," Scourge said, his accented voice getting the hardest I'd ever heard it. He sighed harshly as he sat up. He ran a hand through his hair. "Nor can I feel this way for you. It's not…Jesus, Amy. Why do I feel this way?"

"Feel what way?" I asked as my stomach instinctively dropped.

"As if I'd rather die than let you go," he murmured softly. "I know that it's what you want to do but there are so many other options. You can still go to the state university. It's only twenty minutes away. My dad and I were gonna help your mom get you a car so that you could commute and we could travel and… I just don't see what's at that fancy school that isn't here. I'm here; isn't that enough?"

"It's more than enough," I told him as I sat up and grabbed his hand. He looked over at me as I threw my legs over his. "You have always been more than enough for me, Scourge. You're my best friend, and this is just as hard on me as this is for you. I hate thinking about being up there without you but it's what I have to do." I shrugged my shoulders. "You can always come up there with me. You're still young enough to apply and attend there as a freshman." He shook his head.

"I can't go there."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to be a soldier, Amy. I understand that you do and I respect that but I don't want to be my father. You're not there when he has his flashbacks or when he wakes up in the middle of the night screaming or when he hears something that even remotely reminds him of how it was to fight in the war. I don't want that for myself or for my future children or for you to have to handle."

"But we'll get through it together."

"And have both our kids and spouses deal with our post-traumatization? No thanks." He sighed. "Look, I know you want to fight for what's right in the name of our country and I applaud you for that, I do, but I just…I'm just worried about your mental state. I don't want to see you in the same position that my father is in. If it happens then I'll be there – I'll always be here to comfort you, but it would really hurt to see you in that predicament." I leaned my head down against his shoulder. I, honestly, hadn't even thought of what I was going to have to do or witness as a soldier. I'd never thought about the repercussions of having to kill people and having other people try to kill me. I was so young when my father died that I never even really thought about what the way he acted when he had come home. In my eyes, he'd always seemed fine. He was always smiling, always gentle, always making jokes; he'd seemed to be the same friendly guy he always was. I never worried myself about the long walks he liked to take at night or the way he would occasionally zone out at the dinner table or the unnatural looks of love and appreciation he gave to me and my mother. I never thought he was experiencing some kind of nightmare within his own mind – one he was too ashamed to share with his own family. He probably thought my mother's condition was enough; we didn't need any more complications.

"I'm also afraid that you won't come home one day…" Scourge murmured. I looked up at him to see his eyes filling with slight moisture. His blue topaz orbs met mine as he continued to speak. "I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you and I wasn't there to save you…or to say goodbye." A lone tear that I hadn't noticed had been building in my eye slipped down my cheek. My throat was slowly becoming dry so I couldn't speak. If I could speak, I probably still wouldn't know what to say. Scourge's fears were so realistic and probable that I couldn't even tell him not to worry. There were so many chances – so many risks that I hadn't thought about. I was blinded by my own ambition to follow in my father's footsteps that I neglected the simple thought of my own well being and the emotions of the people around me. My heart ached as the thought of Scourge telling me his reasons sounded selfish flashed through my head. If anyone was being selfish, it was me.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my face in his chest. His arms immediately wrapped around me, holding me tight against him. I wished that I could cry or something – anything to get the ache out of my chest, but I couldn't. All I could do was lay in his arms and wait for the night to pass. We didn't talk much throughout the rest of his time with me. We let the sound of the television make all noise for us as we ate and watched some action movie Scourge had put on. A part of me kept trying to make up some type of apology to him but I knew he would only yell at me if I told him I was sorry. When I was younger, he'd always tell me not to apologize for following my dreams. "They're your own to keep," he used to say when he would push me on the swings when I was a young teen. "No one can take them away from you."

His words rang in my head as he was leaving. He had given me a tight hug and promised that he'd see me bright and early the next day. Once I shut the door, I didn't have time to contemplate how I felt his words went deeper than just me being a soldier. I heard my mother quietly talking in the living room, my father's name sticking out clearly in my ears. The skill of silent feet that he taught me once again came in handy as I snuck up into the dark corner of the living room doorway. My mother was sitting on the couch with a pink photo album in her hand. I recognized the album being the one that she and my father had started when I was born. There were hundreds of pictures of me in the book; my mom was still steadily adding more to the collection whenever she got the chance. From where I was standing, I could see her small hands resting on a family portrait of us that was taken right before my father died. I remembered my mother was at her happiest that day. She woke me up early to do my hair, throw me in a fluffy green dress that matched my eyes, and playfully nag my father over what he was wearing for the photo. "It's like planning for our wedding all over again," my father had said as he shook his head at her. I had giggled at him as my mom hit his arm lightly.

"If I do recall, my bridezilla phase was what made the wedding the most beautiful ceremony in town," she replied as a dreamy look entered her eyes. My father grabbed her by waist and pulled her close against him. She had giggled at his advancement before blushing as he leaned down towards her.

"If I do recall," he mocked her, "I believe you in that white dress was what made the wedding the most beautiful in town." My mother's cheeks turned a deeper shade of red as he kissed her softly. I only smiled up at them as I wondered if one day a man might love me as much as my father loved my mother. I'd stopped wondering after a while since my luck with boys had been terrible. I guessed I was pretty enough for a boy to care for me that way, but the boys who shared the same thought only held cruel intentions behind their deceitful mask.

I blinked out of my thoughts as my mother spoke again. "I know not to worry but I can't help it…she's our little angel." She paused for a moment, her fingers tracing my cherub face in the photo. "You…you will look after her, won't you? I'm not doubting you; I know you'll make sure she's alright. I'm just so worried. She has this picture perfect picture of the Academy in her mind, and she's not realizing what lays beyond the education she'll be getting. What if something happens to her?" She paused as she looked up, her brown eyes captivated by the darkness in front of her. She was frozen for a moment, listening to whatever voice inside of her head. "Yes… I know she's a strong girl; she is your daughter, after all. Just…just promise me that you'll take care of her. If you can't be here with me because you have to be with her then so be it. I'll be alright. I've waited for you so many times before – I'm still waiting now; I can take care of myself until you come back."

I backed away before I could hear any more. More dry tears pricked at my eyes as I made my way upstairs. I'd always known a part of my mother recognized that my father was gone but I didn't think she consciously knew it. After all those times I'd had to snap her out of her own gazes and bring her back into a world where my father wasn't there, I thought she'd lost most of her comprehension of his death. The doctor did once explain to me that she would welcome his presence in her mind as a coping mechanism, but she's been doing it for so years now… I was beginning to think it was more than just a simple coping mechanism. But to hear her openly acknowledge the fact that he was gone would be a big step for her. She was finally starting to recover.

I had trouble sleeping that night, my anxiety eating me up as I tossed and turned in my bed. Ace kept popping his head up to check on me, his blue eyes standing out the darkness. I pet his head each time he did so to let him know that I was alright. I kept trying to tell myself that I was alright but I couldn't help but to worry. Would I make friends there? Were the people going to be nice? How much like normal college would it be like? Would there be potential boyfriends? Would there be parties? Would there be fun clubs? Or was it all serious?

My uncertainty in my decision began to rise as I continued to think about what I was throwing myself into. Was I strong enough to make it in the program? Uncle G had warned me that it wasn't an easy program. I would be tested physically, mentally, and emotionally. To the administrators at the Academy, satisfaction wasn't achieved at the simple ability of being able to fight well. They wanted to know that we were truly loyal to this country and all who lived in it. Uncle G warned me that there would be drills in which they might have random kidnappings and brutal interrogations to make sure I was actually cut out to be a soldier. With our battle with our surrounding countries getting worse, they couldn't afford to lose valuable information – or give it up to our enemies. When he had first told me that, I had told him with enthusiasm that I'd be fine. But now that the thought was becoming a reality, I had to wonder if I really would be. I didn't know what kind of things they would do to me to make sure I wouldn't talk. Plus I wouldn't know that the school was behind it. There were rebels roaming around. What if they actually did kidnap me? Would I really be able to die for my country?

I gave up on sleep after that thought. The idea of dying in general gave me chills. My father had died in the name of his country because he was a brave and noble man. I was barely an adult. Could I really be trusted if my life depended on it?

I got out of my bed before my thoughts could get any darker. I wandered through the darkness to my mother's room. She was sleeping quietly in her bed with her pink hair spread out like a halo around her head. The dim moonlight was shining down over her soft features. I could understand why my father loved her so much. She was a beautiful woman with a pure, youthful heart. I never thought I could imagine how he would be able to leave her behind to face the horrors of war and death. I never thought I would understand how hard it was to leave her warmth and enter the cold midst of the unknown. I never thought I'd want to leave her. I'd grown up with the acceptance that I'd always be there for her – no matter what. My father made me promise countless times to take care of her while he was away. She needs you, his voice echoed in my mind.

"Amy," I heard my mother ask. I blinked out of my thoughts to notice that my mother was now awake, staring at me with her eyebrows pulled together in concern. "Are you alright, honey?" I hadn't noticed my moist cheeks or my blurry eyes when she'd spoken the first time. When her voice rang for a second time, I felt all of my anxiety climax in the form of tears. I kept my straight composure and my nonchalant expression, but for the life of me, I could not control the tears falling out of my eyes. They brought a clamp on my throat with them, inhibiting my ability to speak. I merely shook my head in response to my mother's question. "Oh honey," she said as she hopped out of her bed. Her slender arms wrapped around me not even a moment later, holding me close against her. I sobbed into her as she sat us down on her bed and cradled my head on her chest. "Shh, sweetie," she whispered. "Everything is going to be okay. I know you're scared; trust me baby, I know this is scary for you. It was scary for your father too. But it's going to be okay. You've just got to keep that in mind, okay? You're going to be okay. You're going to be just fine."

I cried in her arms until I fell asleep. She had started humming a lullaby that she used to sing to me when I was younger. The soft tune had always put me to sleep as a child so there was no difference now as a young adult. Plus my mother only sung when she was truly happy. After having her barely talk to me for the past few months, it was nice to know that she was supporting me and that she loved me. I really needed her that night instead of her needing me. It was a nice change to be held and be caressed and be told that everything was going to turn out fine. Usually I was the one doing it to her. While I never minded, I never knew how much I needed it myself.

My mother woke me up the next morning with a nice big breakfast of eggs, bacon, toast, and a huge cinnamon waffle. I ate slowly, enjoying my time with my mother as we talked at the table. Uncle G and Scourge showed up sometime in the middle of our breakfast and my mother made them plates as well. Scourge poked me in the rib as my mother busied herself around the kitchen. "How are you feeling," he asked me.

"I'm okay," I said with a soft shrug. "I could be better."

"There's still time to flick them off and run for the hills, ya know." I smiled at him as his devious smirk turned into a boyish grin.

"And where would we run to? We live in the city. I doubt we'd make it in the middle of nowhere."

"Probably not but there is always the possibility of finding a nice old couple who'd take us in and teach us the ways of farm life." I rolled my eyes.

"I am not eating anything that I had to kill." He raised an eyebrow as his grin fell a bit.

"Keep telling yourself that," he replied.

The rest of the morning went by pretty well. We all finished our breakfast together before the men helped me bring my things downstairs. I tried not to pack much but I failed horribly. I'd practically fit my whole room into a bunch of suitcases and boxes. I wasn't sure when the next time I would be home would be so I decided to play it safe and take almost everything with me just in case. Scourge had gone shopping with me to help me get things for my dorm so they also had to lug that stuff out when the car arrived. I felt bad making them do all the heavy lifting but they wouldn't let me or my mother help. "Let us do our job," Uncle G said as he took a box out of my mother's hands. "You two ladies just sit back and relax."

My mother and I tried to busy ourselves around the house but there wasn't much to do. My mother and I were very on top of our chores in the house so the house was in its cleanest state. I tried to wander around the house, taking in all the memories that each room held. I reminisced over the surprise party for my tenth birthday in the living room, my father and I making my mom a mother's day dinner in the kitchen when I was five, my mother and I playing on the game console when I was seven in the sun room, my father reading to me on his lap in his study, and all the times I'd cried in my room. I felt some tears prick at my eyes as I took a shower and changed into a comfortable yet cute outfit of worn black jean shorts, a long white tank top, black crop vest and black converses. I examined myself in my own mirror for the last time, once again taking in my mother's face and my father's coloration. I tried to relax as I applied some makeup. I had to be confident; I had to feel confident. Yes, I would miss home but I had to start my life. I had to leave if I really wanted to go to the heights my father went to. I had to make him proud in the best way I knew how.

"The car is here," I heard my mother say as she appeared behind me in the mirror.

"Okay," I murmured as I turned around to face her. She smiled warmly at me as she walked towards me. She gently pulled my hair out of the neat ponytail I'd put it in and fluffed my hair out over my shoulder.

"You're gonna do great things," she told me. "And I am very proud of you. I may not like this decision you're making but never think that I'm not supporting you. You're going to be the strongest, fiercest, most beautiful soldier this country has ever seen." I smiled at her. "Just promise me that you'll be careful up there. I can't lose you too… You're all I have."

"I know, mom. I promise I'll be careful." She grabbed me into a tight hug. I squeezed her tightly, inhaling the soft scent of her perfume. "I love you, mom."

"I love you too, Amy. I love you so much." We walked downstairs together, my mother squeezing my hand tightly. I was surprised to see all of my stuff was already gone, the only thing left being my purse. There were two tall men dressed in the same black and red uniform that my father used to wear standing near the door. I almost walked towards them before I noticed my mother had let go of my hand. I looked to her in confusion as her brown eyes went down to the floor.

"You have to come alone, Miss Rose," one of the men near the door said. "Your things have already been transported over to your dorm room; they're currently being set up in the way your mother instructed us to."

"But I was told – "

"Miss Rose, we apologize but our orders were very firm. We were to bring you and only you. The Academy has stopped having the family accompany our students for some time now. It's a safety protocol."

"Oh," I murmured. "May I have a moment then? Alone, please?" The two men looked to each other with raised eyebrows but slowly nodded their heads.

"We'll be in the car when you're ready." With that, they quietly exited the house. My stomach dropped as I turned to face the most important people in my life. Tears immediately pricked at my eyes as my Uncle G enveloped me into a tight bear hug. Some of my tears went into his shirt as I squeezed him.

"You're gonna be alright, kid," he said simply as he pecked a soft kiss at my forehead. He offered me a smile as he began to pull away. "You are your father's kid, after all." I giggled. "Your father would be proud of you." He squeezed my shoulder softly before stepping aside. I looked to Scourge who had a few lone tears falling down his face. He forced a smile at me as he walked towards me. My tears fell faster as he enveloped me into a tight hug. I unintentionally let out a small sob as I tightened my hold on him.

"Don't cry," he told me, his voice muffled in my hair. "We can still call each other and text and video chat. We won't be completely apart."

"But we won't be together," I murmured. "I don't…I don't know what I'm going to do without you." Scourge sighed, slightly pulling away so that he could look me in the eyes. His light blue eyes were so watery but they looked so beautiful sparkling under the summer sun. He gently wiped my tears away, his touch sending my stomach into an even deeper spiral.

"You are Amy Rose – the little girl who kicked me in the cheat spot during our first fight because I threw your doll across the room. If you can take down ten year old asshole me at five years old then you can do anything. You just have to believe in yourself." He brought me back into his chest. "I love you, Amy," he murmured into my hair. "Remember that."

"I love you too," I mumbled into his chest. He pulled away slightly once more to kiss my cheek. He smiled softly before he reluctantly let me go.

I didn't know what to say to my mother as she hugged me. I wanted to tell her that I loved her and I appreciated all that she'd done for me and that I was going to be home soon and that I was going to make her proud. But I didn't say that. Instead I hugged her for a moment before she released me. Tears were falling from her brown eyes but she was smiling as she squeezed my shoulders. "Go live your life, sweetie," she told me softly. "I love you."

"I love you too," I told her. She pecked a soft kiss at my forehead before I smiled and backed away. A part of me wanted to look over all of them together one last time before I left, but I knew I wouldn't be able to pull myself away if I did so. One more look at Scourge's tearful eyes or my mother's solemn smile would be enough to make me stay. I would feel obligated just by the simple thought of all they'd done for me that it was only right for me to stay there with them and make them happy. But I had to be selfish for once. I had to go. I had to move on.

So, I kept my eyes down so I spun around towards the door and practically sprinted outside to where a black Lincoln sat near the curb. The kids sitting outside were gawking at the fancy vehicle before they noticed me heading towards it. Most of them called out my name and waved to me. I forced a smile on my face and returned the waves as one of the uniformed men opened the backseat door. I slid into the leather seats, and the uniformed man closed the door. I let some of my leftover tears fall as I looked back over at my little town house. I could see through the window my mother standing in Uncle G's arms, her small shoulders rocking slightly to the rhythm of her tears. Scourge was standing close by them, his eyes glaring out the window at the car. I wanted to roll the window down to flick him off or stick my tongue out at him – anything to wipe the look off of his face. I hated when I could tell that he was angry but he wouldn't tell me why. He'd never expressed anger towards me or this decision before. Yes, he admitted that he didn't approve but he did support me. So why now did he look so mad?

I wished I had more time to analyze his expression for more clues but the car roared to life. I jumped back to reality as one of the men told me to put my seatbelt on. I complied with their request as the car took off down the road. I watched the city I grew up in fly by as the rock that had been pressing down on my chest during my goodbyes grew in weight. I stuck my headphones in my ears before leaning my head against the window. I listened to "I Can Go the Distance" from the Hercules movie as the remainder of my tears fell. Scourge and I had always loved the song – and the movie. We'd always dreamed about getting out of our run-down town and going somewhere extraordinary like New York City or Los Angeles or Orlando. We didn't care where; as long as it was far away from Philadelphia.

I closed my eyes somewhere along the highway and quietly fell asleep. I was awaken by one of the uniformed men shaking my shoulder softly. I jolted awake at the foreign touch and looked around cautiously. The first thing I saw was a bright green countryside field. The sun was somehow still high in the sky although I was sure we hadn't left until late afternoon that day. The men hadn't woken me up since then; I would have remembered if they did so. They must have continued to drive overnight. I hadn't gotten much sleep so I knew my body was definitely taking advantage of the rest it was receiving. While my muscles were sore from my cramped position, my body overall felt rejuvenated. I stretched out my arms as I hopped out of the car. My eyes wandered around my surroundings, taking in the green scenery. We seemed to be atop a hill that looked over the campus. From there, I could see a bright green field with a huge water fountain in the middle, tall elegant marble buildings, a few glass skyscrapers, and even a few small redbrick cottages. There were various pathways engraved into the ground that led to the buildings as well as farther off into the wooded area behind the buildings. I stood on my toes to get a glance at the small pond and waterfall that was beyond the trees.

"Wow," I murmured. "It's so beautiful."

"Come, Ms. Rose," one of the men said from behind me. "We'll show you to your residence hall." As I turned around, I noticed that we were on a quad of its own buildings. The field seemed to be in the shape of an octagon with a tall redbrick building at each of its edges. In the middle lay a huge field in which there were some students lounging around and socializing. I followed the men as they walked on the cobblestone path around the quad. I examined my surroundings as we walked, my eyes constantly roaming. I admired the bright blue sky, the healthy green grass, the warm air, and the soft smell of pure nature that radiated off of the trees. My nose caught scents of flowers as we walked closer to the building at the point of the octagon. While all the buildings looked the same, they all had different stained glass window portraits at the very top. On the ones we'd passed, I'd seen ones with monkeys and computers, birds and planes, snakes and knives – always an animal with a weapon that could be incorporated with their known personality trait. The sight made me think of Harry Potter and the sorting hat. I wondered if we were all being separated into different houses based on what our concentration of skill was. While it would be pretty cool, I would think it could get a bit messy. I know that I personally wanted to be a combat soldier which meant that if the school was following some sort of housing generalization by skill then everyone around me would also be very much into combat. If there were disputes then the resident assistants would have more to worry about than simply how to break up the fight.

On the building that the men led me into there was a stained glass window of lions fighting against tigers. There were various images of the two animals biting each other, tackling each other, raising their paws at each other, and roaring. The window itself was beautiful with its bright colors of yellow, orange and red. I stood there for a moment as the sun's light twinkled off the sharp roar of the lion as it pinned its fallen foe down to the ground. One of the uniformed men had to call my name once more to get my attention. I hurried towards them as I tried to hide the blush that rushed up my cheeks.

The men didn't give me a chance to analyze the lobby of the building. They shuffled me towards the elevator before I even had time to look at the woman at the front desk. One of the men shoved a small hand bag into my hands. It was a wristlet purse with a floral design above stripes and a small metal heart hanging in the middle. "Inside there is your school ID, a debit card courtesy of your mother, your room key, and your class schedule. There is also a business card for your resident assistant in case you have any questions prior to wing meeting with them in the coming week. The Headmaster's welcome is in two hours, you are expected to be there with your roommate on time. Afterwards there will be dinner at whichever dining hall of your choosing and an all hall social at eight o' clock. Tomorrow your classes will begin. Do you have any other questions?"

"No," I mumbled as I hurried alongside the men as they walked quickly down the hall.

"The dorms are all co-ed as are the halls. Your rooms are apartment style so you will see a kitchen, living room, bathroom, and two separate rooms. It may be likely that your neighbors will be boys since this is the hall of combat students. There is always more boys than girls; it's not a bias, it's just the way things have always been."

"Boys are more aggressive and eager to fight than girls, I'd think everyone knows that," I replied. The man who was talking glanced down at me but continued to speak.

"Your roommate has already arrived. Don't start fights; roommate selection is a tough process that we try our best to accommodate two people who will work well together. If there is a dispute or irreconcilable differences then let your resident assistant know – they will take care of everything for you." We finally stopped in front of a wooden door that had my name and another's on plagues stuck onto it. "Do you have any more questions?"

"Um, you guys mentioned my things before we left-" I started.

"Your belongings have already been set up in your room. Our staff tried their best to arrange it in a decorative way but you may rearrange it to that of your liking if you do not approve."

"Oh okay. Thank you."

"Good luck, Ms. Rose," one of the men said before they finally left me. I stood there for a moment, taking in the spacious marble hallway and the silence that lied in it. Where were the other students? I knew there were some outside but surely there had to be much more of us somewhere. I hesitated in opening the door but when I did, I wasn't disappointed. While the exterior of the dorms seemed to be more in a Victorian era, the interior of our rooms seemed to be very modern. There was white marble on the floor coming in but the beginning of a red carpet started in the living room. I followed the trail to see that our living room was fully furnished with black furniture, a small coffee table, a black fluffy lamp, a medium sized flat screen television, and a television podium with a DVD player and a rack of movies at the bottom. I could spot a few titles I owned and wanted to bring from home along with some others I was familiar with but never watched.

"Hello," I heard a voice say from behind me. I quickly spun around to face my new roommate. She was a gorgeous girl with her wide golden eyes, plump red lips, perfectly bold and arched eyebrows, caramel skin tone, and wild purple curls that fell down to her waist. She was tall for a girl with her long legs and slim torso but she held the curves every girl wanted. Her chest, waist, hips, and thighs formed the perfect hour glass figure that sparked the slightest bit of envy in me.

"Hi," I told her as I smiled. Her golden eyes were examining me carefully, her head tilting the slightest bit as they gazed over my small form. Slowly, a friendly smile came upon her lips.

"So you're the Amy Rose everyone's been raving about," she said, her sharp voice holding a strong Indian accent. I blushed deeply. "Don't worry, chica, it hasn't been bad things. Most of the military kids here just know who your father is and the things he's done for this country. I'd watch your back if I were you – a lot of those kids seem like pricks." My smile grew as I let out a soft laugh. "I'm Blaze," she said as she walked closer. She held her hand out to me as she did so. "It's nice to finally meet you."

"How long have you been here," I asked after I'd shaken her hand. I felt a bit short and inferior standing next to her tall, elegant form. While I wanted to envy her flawless features, I couldn't help but to admire her. She was a beautiful girl with big ambitions I'd think since she was here.

"A couple days," she said with a shrug. "Travel depends on how far away you are from campus. I don't live too far off so they just scooped me up first before going to get the kids who live farther away." She shrugged. "I didn't mind being here early. It's nice when it's quiet." She looked away for a moment as she began to turn. "Come on, let's go check out your room." I followed her down the hall past two other doors to the last door in the very back corner. Blaze leaned her hip against the wall as I dug my key out from my wristlet. "Kinda weird isn't it," she asked. "The way they're just throwing stuff at us and leaving us to figure out the rest."

"Isn't that what adulthood is all about," I replied causing her to smile. I unlocked the door and walked into my new room. The walls were painted a soft lavender to match my floral black, blue, and purple bedspread. There was a desk in the corner next to the window with my pictures taped on the ledge above my laptop. A dresser stood at the foot of my bed against the other side of the room opposite a huge closet. Most of my fragrances, hair things, makeup bags, and feminine products sat atop the dresser. Above my bed was the various collages of pictures that I'd made with my students before I'd left. My heart sunk a bit as I looked over their smiling faces and Scourge's warm eyes. My eyes lingered on the collage I'd made documenting our friendship, my heart sinking lower in my chest.

"Is that your boyfriend," Blaze asked, her eyes set on the same collage I was looking at. My stomach flipped at the sound as my cheeks flushed a deep red. I hadn't been expecting that question. In Philly, everyone knew who Scourge and I were – and that we were nothing more than just friends. We'd never gotten that question before so it felt strange for me to even hear it. Honestly, I'd never taken into consideration how much of a couple we did look like in my photos. In all of them we were either hugging, making funny faces, or smiling with our arms around each other. I'd never thought anything of our poses before – we were just being us.

"No," I replied quickly. "He's my best friend."

"Oh," Blaze said in an almost disappointed tone. "He's cute."

"I guess," I said with a laugh although my stomach tingled at the phrase. "He's old."

"How old?"

"Twenty three."

"That's it," she asked as she raised her eyebrow. "Damn, I must be naïve as hell then if you think he's old." I giggled at her. She smiled at me. "You wanna watch a movie to pass the time. I know we have to go to that stupid headmaster's welcome in a few hours." She rolled her eyes. "Hopefully he's not a bore."

"I wouldn't be surprised if he is. We should watch a movie though."

"Cool," Blaze said as she grabbed my hand and dragged me out my room. We sat out in the living room and pondered over the movies for a good five minutes before we just ended up laying on the floor and telling each other about where we came from. Blaze was born and raised in Baltimore although she held a love for New Jersey that I couldn't quite understand. "It's where all the drama happens," she said as I'd laughed at her. "Plus have you heard a Jersey accent on a boy? It's the sexiest thing I've ever heard."

As we talked, I noticed Blaze begin to get simpler and simpler with her responses. I understood that she didn't want to share everything at that moment but my heart did ache when I'd see her expression fall when she'd talk about certain things such as her family. I wanted to ask her more about what was going on or if things were going okay for her back home. Instead, I just grabbed her hand and gave it a soft squeeze. From the looks of it, Blaze and I were going to be getting along just fine. I suspected that she was going to come around to telling me sooner or later.

She was very attentive to my stories though. She never cut me off and usually responded with more questions. I told her about my job, my training, my friends, my old school, Scourge – she loved hearing about him. "You mean to tell me, you've never thought about dating him," she asked as she raised an eyebrow at me.

"Not really," I said with a shrug although my stomach flipped once more. She shook her head. "Honestly, boys can make me uncomfortable sometimes. I mean, I've always fought against them in my gym but it was never serious. Sometimes I think that I'm more afraid of what they'll do that I don't expect rather than what they're capable of in general."

"So you think a boy might hurt you? Get you alone, butter you up, and take what he wants," Blaze asked, her voice becoming morbid once more.

"Yea," I murmured. "I've never experienced it but I've known people who have and…"

"It's not fun," Blaze said simply. "Been there, done that too many times to count." She sighed as she sat up. "You've just got to be careful; not every guy is as sweet as he seems – it doesn't matter how long you've known them." Her scarlet lips pressed together into a frown as her eyes darted over to the clock. "Come on, it's time to head to this stupid welcome." We both reluctantly got up from the floor and headed out into the hallway. There were more people out this time, all heading in the same direction towards the doors as we were. Blaze grabbed my hand and blended into the crowd by my side. We walked out into the warm sun and down the hill to one of the huge glass buildings that I'd spotted earlier. I wished that I could've seen more of the scenery but my height did not help in seeing over people's shoulder at the grassy fields ahead of us. I mentally pouted but continued on with the crowd.

The glass building was a sparkling silver in the lobby with the front desk, swirled murals, and huge windows. The room we were all shuffled into was even more magnificent. The room itself was nothing but a wide open space surrounding by windows that made up its walls. Silver chairs lined up in rows filled up the entire room but were being occupied quickly by the incoming students. As Blaze pulled me along, I gazed over at the large stage that sat under a large black screen. There was a podium under the screen that held the nations logo of an eagle with its wings outstretched.

Blaze tugged me down to sit next to her when we reached empty seats. There was a handsome Caucasian boy sitting next to Blaze who praised her with his bright blue eyes. He smiled at her as he ran a hand through his blonde curly hair. "Hi," he said, his deep yet gentle voice bellowing from his chest. Blaze looked over at him.

"Hello," she said. The boy's eyes flicked to me.

"Hi," he repeated to me. I smiled and did a small wave. "I'm Miles, but people call me Tails," he said as he turned more openly towards us. "What your names?"

"Amy," I said.

"Blaze," my roommate said as her eyes drifted back to the podium. "We can continue with the pleasantries once Headmaster Needs-to-get-laid finishes talking," she said. Tails and I both snickered at her as we turned our attention to the front as well. Now standing at the podium was what seemed like a tall, muscular man with dark brown hair, piercing gray eyes, and a firm frown. The man didn't seem to be that old, maybe mid-forties, but then again he seemed to be in good shape so that could be making the promise. I faintly recognized his face from my father's pictures. He was one of the boys who was passed out drunk that my father and his friends used to prank. His face was one of the ones who was constantly rewarded with a sharpie tattoo on the forehead. I had to bite down on my lip as the image crossed my mind.

"Good morning recruits," the man said. "As many of you know, my name is Headmaster Laurens. I am the president of this academy and I am glad that I can be the first to welcome you into our prestigious program. I'd like to first thank you for your bravery and your will to fight for our country. I understand that our country has been going through a terrible time in recent years and defending our freedom had not been an easy task." There was a slight ruffle of murmurs around me causing me to glance around. "As most of you know, we have been fighting against outside forces for the past fifteen years. At first, they were just taunting us by hijacking our television broadcasts and hacking into our public databases to send messages of their own. But they soon began to quietly invade our country and turn some of our citizens against us. I wish I could say they were using some type of hypnosis or brainwashing contraption but they're not. Everyone they're recruiting from our country as being recruited by their own will. These traitors or rebels or whichever you wish to call them have never been a serious threat until the past ten years. In the beginning, it was the usual harmless protests and small riots against our government system and the society we've built. Somehow, though, it grew into a full on hatred that now supplies what seems to be a violent revolution that has come to harming innocent people. We have outside forces coming into our country under disguise and causing more damage in addition to the ones our own citizens have done. It won't be long before we'll have to engage into a full-fledged war." Headmaster Laurens sighed. "We don't know why these outside forces are attacking our country and what we stand for but we do know that they are taking things too far. Now that you all are now part of our staff, you should know that there have been threats made against our own president, his family, and other officials. You all already know that they are one of your main priorities in terms of protections. However, you should all be aware that there may be some traitors here at our school. We've come across them before and we're sure there are still more to come. Their goal usually isn't to hurt you but to convert you into believing whatever they do. You all are the new hope for the future of our defenses so of course they're going to try to hit us from within. So be careful on that note.

"Enough with the bad news; back to what you all are here to do. Here at the Political Defense Academy, you will train to become soldiers. This is not your average college program; you will have lessons both inside and outside of a classroom. You will learn history, strategy, and government in your classrooms, and combat and weapons experience outside of it. Your internships will be missions with authorized soldiers. Your homework will be to train and perfect your abilities. You will be put under stress that concerns your well-being rather than your grades. You were all chosen carefully and are expected to be able to handle everything we throw at you. This is a very difficult program, I will admit that, but I believe you all will be soldiers within the next three to four years. Just take everything seriously, think on your feet, and always watch your back."

The recruits around me clapped respectfully as the headmaster gave all of us a soft nod and descended from the podium. As he did so, I noticed his eyes catch mine and widen in surprise. I didn't have time to really look back at him before Blaze was tugging at me. "I'm starving," she said as she tugged me up out my seat. "What's wrong," she asked. I had looked over my shoulder back at the headmaster to see that he was murmuring among some of the uniformed men standing near him, one of their eyes set directly on me. I felt my stomach clench as I forced myself to look away. I forced a smile at my new friend.

"Nothing. Come on," I replied as I began to tug her towards the doors. Tails was waiting at the end of our row along with a blonde girl who was shorter than me. She was pretty though with big brown eyes, slim body, and porcelain skin. Her pink lips were in a nervous frown as her eyes flicked from Tails to Roxanne and I. "Hi," I told her.

"Hi," she said, a soft smile coming upon her lips.

"This is Cream," Tails spoke for her. "She lives across the hall from me. I lost her in the crowd earlier. This is Blaze and Amy; they seem cool." Cream's raised her eyebrows at Tails but shook her head.

"We promise we're not crazy," Blaze said. "Or at least I do; I can't really speak for Amy yet." We all laughed at her and I felt the uneasiness in my stomach begin to fade. As we walked along to one of the dining halls with Tails and Blaze poking fun at the headmaster, I couldn't help but to feel a bit more comfortable in my setting. While I didn't completely know my new friends, I had confidence that they wouldn't be so bad. Tails was lively for a guy, Cream was a bit shy but sweet, and Blaze seemed to be a bit of a wild child in spirit. I managed to learn this as we all sat around a table at lunch and talked adamantly about our impression of the school and our hopes for the future.

"Okay so now to the real question," Blaze said as she waved her glass cup of juice. "Why are all of you here? There's a story behind every soldier apparently." She sipped her juice as she waited for one of us to respond.

"It's a family tradition," Tails said with a shrug. "Every generation of boys in my family goes into the forces; it's just the way of life in my family."

"My parents tried to force me to get married," Cream said as she poked around her salad with a fork. "So, I tried out in an attempt to show them that I wasn't mean to be some quaint little housewife. I wasn't expecting to get in but it happened…and now I'm here."

"My father died in honor of this country so I felt it was only right if I carried on his legacy," I said as all their eyes turned to me. "I've also always been really into combat and fighting and guns – I basically grew up in a boxing gym so I'm really into all this stuff."

"I did it to get away from my family of assholes," Blaze said as she took another sip of her drink. "At least if I die out there, they'll be able to say I was good for something other than fucking everything up." She smiled. "We all have something to prove. I say we kick some ass while we're at it."

"I'll drink to that," Tails said as he raised his glass.

"Same here," I said as I raised my own.

"Just don't get me killed here, guys," Cream said with a smile as she raised hers. As we all clinked our glasses together, I couldn't help but feel as if we were sealing some type of silent promise of friendship. Sure, we all barely knew each other but my father once told me that the greatest friends you have in life are the ones you meet unexpectedly. We were all kind of thrown together with different personalities and different backgrounds – my father used to say that the best adventures came out of the ones who differed the most. I silently hoped as I smiled around the table that one day we'd be making adventures of our own.

We all walked back to the quad of halls together but Cream and Tails lived in the one with the monkeys and computers. They both spared us a friendly goodbye before Tails openly asked if she wanted to hang out in their game room together. She had blushed as she accepted the offer. Blaze and I grinned at her as she looked over her shoulder at us with a wide smile. "Ah, puppy love at its finest," Blaze mused as she watched them go. Her golden eyes then went to me. "We need to get you a boyfriend," she said as we walked into our hall. She turned the corner down to a dark hallway that led down into the recreation rooms.

"What," I asked as I crinkled my eyebrows at her. We walked downstairs into another hallway where we passed various rooms. Some of them had game consoles in them with various televisions so that more than one set of people could play while others held just chairs and tables or table sports such as ping pong, pool, and ice hockey.

"You heard me," Blaze said as she grinned. "We're going to get you a boyfriend. Or at least someone to snuggle up with at night. It'll be fun." I shook my head at her as I let out a laugh. As my head turned, a boy in one of the table game rooms caught my eye. He was leaning down against the pool table, his ruby eyes focused in on the white cue ball he was about to hit. His jet black hair fell into his eyes a bit, accenting both their almond shape and his golden skin. I watched as the muscles in his forearm tenses as he struck the cue ball and hit two different balls into two different holes that lay across come each other. A small smirk came upon the boy's lips as he straightened up his position. My eyes immediately fell down to his toned chest that was almost visible in his v-neck tee, his slim abdomen, and his perfectly sculpted arms. I stopped walking as I felt myself bump into someone. I turned my head around to see that Roxanne was standing in front of me with an eyebrow raised. "Do we have a possible candidate," she asked with a smile.

"What? No. I was just…looking…at something," I stuttered out. Blaze rolled her eyes at me as she tugged us back around and began walking towards the room I'd seen the boy in. "Wait, Blaze, no."

"Yes, Amy. You're not gonna daydream about him for the rest of the night. We are now in college; we go big or we go home. Now let's go." She continued to drag me along. "Besides, it's a social event remember. We're supposed to get to know the people in our hall." We walked into the room to see that there were a few other pool tables in the room that were all occupied. Hip hop music was playing softly through the speakers, setting a relaxing mood. My eyes immediately caught sight of the ruby eyed boy. He was watching another guy who was staring at the arrangement of the balls in pure confusion. The boy's partner was decorated in tattoos around his arms and a lip ring that his tongue was probing at lightly. His hair was an obviously dyed pale white color and his eyes were a stunning hazel color. He wasn't as big in muscle as the first boy but he did have a good amount of muscle attached to him. His eyes flicked to us as we approached them.

"Hey there ladies," he said, his eyes lingering on Blaze. His hazel eyes scanned over her body, lingering over her beautiful facial features. "You wanna join?" Blaze let go of my hand as she took the stick out of the boy's hand. She bumped him out the way with her hip and leaned down against the table. Lip ring boy grinned as his eyes roamed over her bare lower back that was exposed as her shirt riled up. I could see a small tattoo peeking out from her tail bone.

"Solids or stripes," she asked the boy.

"Stripes. Why? What are you doing?"

"Ending the game," Blaze said simply before hitting the cue ball in a similar fashion that the other boy did, sending all four of the remaining striped balls into a hole on either side of the table. The boy with the lip ring let out a whistle while the other raised an impressed eyebrow. I also raised my eyebrows at my roommate. I was already in awe from the first boy getting two balls and now she got four. How the hell did she do that? I stepped closer to her as the boy with the lip ring spoke again.

"Where did you learn to do that, little mama," he asked. I picked up a strong city accent from him – maybe New York or Boston. My mind went back to how Roxanne had mentioned her love of Jersey accents and wondered if his was fitting somewhat of the bill for her.

"I've had my fair share in places I have no business being in," Blaze said slyly as she slowly walked up to him and handed the stick out to the boy. Lip ring boy smiled as he looked down at her.

"You and your friend wanna play," he asked.

"Sure. Boys against girls though, so prepare to lose."

"Oh, if we're playing for keeps then I suggest we put something on the table." Lip ring boy raised an eyebrow as he waited for Blaze to respond. She let out a soft laugh.

"You're cute," she said. "Now be a gentlemen and retrieve the balls so that I can bury you." He chuckled.

"We'll see." His eyes flicked to me. "What's your names?"

"I'm Blaze," my roommate said before grabbing my hand and pulling me up beside her. "This is my roommate Amy."

"Hi," I said as I smiled. I glanced at the black haired boy to see that he was staring at me, his ruby eyes analyzing me. My stomach almost immediately burst into the butterflies that I'd only gotten only a small amount of times. Usually I'd get them around Scourge before pushing the notion of us every being together right back down whatever hole it came from. Other times, I'd get them when I was dating a guy and I actually really liked him…before he decided to screw me over. I'd never felt the sensation when I was just meeting a guy. Sure, I'd think he was cute or something but I'd never felt this.

"I'm Silver," the boy with the lip ring said. "This is my roommate Shadow." The other boy, Shadow, gave us a respectful nod. He glanced at Blaze for a moment before his eyes were back on me. They scrutinized me carefully, rolling over my small figure and my simple outfit. I felt my face begin to burn as blood began to rush up to my cheeks. He blinked as his eyes traveled around my face, his lips tugging at the ends. I looked away as Silver's voice rang out to me.

"Do you know how to play," he asked. He was raising an eyebrow at me, his lips pulled into a sincere smile.

"I know how," I started. "But I suck at it." The memory of Scourge trying to teach me how to play rang in my mind as I said this. I had to be about fifteen when Scourge tricked me into going to an adult lounge with him. All of his older friends were busy that night so he got me a fake ID and dragged me to a small lounge downtown. I remembered he was so close to me as he tried to teach me, his hips flushed against mine and his hand over top of mine. It was one of the first time I'd ever felt somewhat attracted to him. However, I didn't let the emotion get to me. I was still a funny looking teenager who was going through her boy band phase while he was in his third year of college. Like hell if I was going to let myself fall into that hole of disappointment.

"Don't worry; I'll help you out," Blaze said. She shot me an encouraging smile as Silver retrieved the rest of the balls. Shadow helped him set them up in triangle formation on the table, his mouth moving though I couldn't hear the words coming out of them. Silver had turned his head the slightest bit to listen closely and I saw him nod his head. Shadow's eyes then flicked to me, his eyebrow raising as he did so. Our eyes unexpectedly met and I felt my stomach erupt into butterflies again. I was the one who looked away, diverting my attention to Blaze who was calling dibs on the striped balls.

I watched the three of them play for a while. Blaze kept getting me to try and join, but she was on such a roll with beating the boys. I didn't want to ruin that for her. Eventually she left me alone, seeing that I was content with watching from the sidelines. While I usually didn't find pool to be all that entertaining, I did think it was hilarious how much smack talk Blaze and Silver were throwing at each other. They were constantly arguing and bumping each other out of the way during each other's turn. "You tryna' fight, little mama," Silver asked as Blaze nudged him out her way. Blaze had ignored him as she bent down to take her shot.

"Oh please," she said. "I'm already embarrassing you enough; I don't think your ego can take any more." I giggled at her comment before I glanced at Shadow. He was staring at me, his mouth settled into a small frown. I shot him a small smile causing him to look away. My smile dropped as I ran a hand through my pink hair.

"You know what, I am done with your disrespect. Shadow, play my turns for me." Silver threw his stick over to his roommate who caught it effortlessly. "Amy and I are going to get some drinks."

"Bring her back in one piece or I'll kick your ass," Blaze said. Silver smiled deviously at her as he came to my side. I smiled at him as he held his arm out to me. I wrapped my arm around his and he led me out of the room.

"Ever been away from home before," he asked as soon as we were in the hallway. I looked up at him to see that his head was tilted, his hazel eyes staring down at me with concern.

"Not really," I admitted with a shrug. "This is my first time being this far."

"Is it taking a toll on you yet?"

"Yea…and it hasn't even been a full day."

"You'll be okay," Silver promised. "The first few weeks are always hard but they get easier."

"You've been away from your family before?"

"They ship me off every chance they get," he said with a shrug. "I'm used to it now. Where are you from?"

"Philadelphia, you?"

"New York City's finest," he said, his accent growing stronger as he smiled. "Finally another city person I can talk to. Is all this wilderness creeping you out or is it just me?" I giggled.

"I actually kind of like it. It's a very relaxing setting."

"Relaxing yes but we are in the middle of nowhere so I can't help but to get the creepers."

"I understand that," I said with a shrug. "But it'll get easier."

"Yea, I'm hoping so. It probably won't considering this program is potentially going to try and kill us but at least we'll be able to have fun along the way." He paused. "How are you liking your roommate?" I raised an eyebrow up at him as we stopped at a small table with various soda cans atop it at the end of the hallway near the staircase.

"The real question is how are you liking her," I said with a sly smile. Silver let out a laugh, his tongue flicking out to poke at his lip ring. I saw his cheeks flash a soft scarlet even in the dim lighting of the hallway.

"She's definitely interesting," he said. I nodded. "I like her though; she's cool."

"She's really nice."

"To you, she is," Silver said as we began to walk back with sodas for all of us. "So, I noticed you and Shadow keep eyeing each other up." I blushed. "You want me to get my matchmaker face on and get Blaze to chase me around so that the two of you can be left alone?" I laughed.

"No; honestly, I don't think he likes me very much. He's not really saying anything."

"Yea, he's quiet at first. We've both been here for a few days so he's opened up to me a little bit. He's not much of a talker unless you've pissed him off, sparked a conversation he may be interested in, or you're playing a game and he's talking like you won't take him on in a fight. But he's cool. I think he's just laid back." I nodded.

"I see."

"I'll see what I can do, seeing as though he can't keep his eyes off you." Silver wiggled his eyebrows. "Maybe sparks will fly."

"Yea," I murmured. "And hopefully I won't get burned." Silver didn't hear my last comment since Blaze yelled out to him that Shadow could play better than Silver could even on his best day. Shadow had chuckled at her comment before his eyes flicked to me. His small smile faltered a bit as I walked up to him and held out a soda can to him. He took it from me and murmured a soft "Thanks." His voice was deep and smooth with a soft raspy undertone to it. I wanted to call it some type of country accent but I don't think that's what it was. I didn't have time to question it either before Blaze and Silver called us both into their argument.

I stayed down there for another half hour before my weariness began to eat at me. Shadow had brought some chairs for us to sit on while alternated taking turns during the game. Since I was finally getting the chance to relax, my body was starting to shut down again. While I had probably been asleep for quite some time on the way to the campus, I was still pretty tired. My short time there hadn't felt overwhelming at first, but I knew that being on unfamiliar territory was taking a toll on me.

"You look tired; ready to head back upstairs," Blaze asked as I struggled to keep my head up in the chair.

"Yea," I said as I stood up and stretched. "You can stay down here if you want; I can find my way back to the room." Blaze's mouth twitched a little as she shook her head.

"No, no, I'll go back with you. It'll be safer with the two of us walking back together."

"One of us can always accompany you guys back to your rooms," Silver chimed in. We both looked to him to see that while he was shooting us a smile, Shadow was shooting him an annoyed glare. I could practically hear the "I didn't volunteer" comment buzzing around in his head. Blaze rolled her eyes at him.

"Oh please," she said as she set her pool stick on the table. "Nice try. Come on, Amy." She reached out to grab my arm but Silver was closer so he got a hold of me first.

"Wait," he said as I looked over at him. I'd restrained myself from letting my reflexes react to his foreign and sudden touch. If I hadn't then he would've received a nice black eye. However, I knew I wasn't in any danger so it was a bit easier to control myself. Neither of the boys seemed to pose any sort of threat to Blaze and I. They were friendly for the most part – more so on Silver's end rather than Shadow's. "Give me your numbers. We can all hang out or walk to class together sometime. When's your first class," he asked me.

"Combat 110 with Duncan at nine," I responded. He smiled widely, his hazel eyes glittering with joy. He glanced at Shadow who was raising an eyebrow at him.

"Ours too. Maybe in the morning, we can all walk there together if you want. We can show you how to get there since you haven't really been around the campus yet." I smiled as his hand gave my wrist a soft squeeze.

"That'd be great. Thanks." His eyes went to Blaze whose golden eyes were situated on his hand on my wrist. Before he could open his mouth, she told him sharply that her first class started at eight and didn't end till ten. Dante seemed surprised but shrugged his shoulders casually. I did dig out my phone from my pocket for him and let him punch in his number. He gave me a soft hug after he'd given it back and promised he'd text me in the morning. I barely had time to respond before Blaze grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the room.

"What's wrong," I asked as we walked rapidly down the hallway towards the steps. "They seem like nice guys."

"They're okay," she said with a shrug. "But Silver is a little weird, don't you think?"

"You seemed to like him earlier."

"He's cute," she said with a shrug. "But he also looks like his parents let him run wild all his life. And then Shadow kind of scares me. He's so quiet and anti-social. Plus, did you see the scars on that boy? Fucking weird – both of them." I raised an eyebrow at her. I hadn't really been focusing much on their appearances; I was too busy watching the game to really grasp impressions on the two boys. I thought Silver was nice and while Shadow was a little quiet, he seemed okay overall. Maybe he was just as overwhelmed about being in a whole different place as the rest of us and just handling it in a different way.

"Maybe he's just shy," I said with a shrug. "And Silver's nice – he's friendly and approachable under his appearance."

"I guess," Blaze said with a sigh. I waited as she unlocked the door and let us both into our room. She turned as I shut the door behind us. For once, her confident smile was gone and her golden eyes held a sort of shame to them. They widened a bit as her mouth twitched to find the right words. "Look, I don't want to sound like a mom or anything but you should be careful around the boys around here. I've had more than enough of my share of bad experiences and you're too beautiful to get caught up in their drama." She tucked a stray hair behind my ear before wrapping me into a hug. I was surprised at the contact but relaxed in her embrace. I returned the hug, leaning my head onto her shoulder. We stayed in the embrace for a moment before she let go, shot me a soft smile, and retreated off into her room. I wandered off into my own and flopped down onto my bed. I dug my phone from out my pocket before dialing Scourge's number. He answered after the first ring, his voice loud with enthusiasm.

"Hey Amy," he said happily. "How are you? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I said as a smile unconsciously came upon my face. The familiar sound of his voice sent a warm feeling of home down into my stomach. "How are you? How's my mom?"

"She's fine. I'm fine. Ace is fine." I smiled wider. "We all miss you though – and it hasn't even been a week yet. I almost called you earlier to see if you wanted to grab a shake with me before I remembered…" he trailed off as the warm feeling in my stomach turned somber. "How is the campus up there? You like it?" I was thankful he changed the subject. Then I was able to babble to him about my thoughts on the wilderness setting and the nice people I'd met. He listened tentatively though I noticed a hardness in his voice whenever I mentioned a boy's name. Scourge had always been somewhat okay with my boyfriends in the past. He never liked any of them, but he'd never told me what I could and couldn't do with them. He would just always tell me to be careful and to let him know if they did something stupid. All of them hurt me – some unintentionally – so I was always left to cry on Scourge's shoulder. I'd understood that if I got my heart broken here, I wouldn't have Scourge to help me – physically at least. Blaze, however, did seem to have potential of having a good shoulder to cry on when I needed it. From the way she talked about boys earlier, she really seemed to care about my well-being around here. I was almost sure she'd be there for me if I needed her in the future. She seemed loyal.

I talked to Scourge for a few hours before he let me go to sleep. While I was tired, I couldn't seem to get comfortable in my new bed. Ace wasn't there at my feet, I couldn't hear my mother murmuring in her sleep across the hall, and the underlying scent of lavender that lingered in my house couldn't be found. I hadn't realized how much I needed the three to fall asleep. I hadn't realized how much I'd miss it when I was gone. I tossed and turned in my bed for about an hour before my body finally got the rest it needed.

The next morning, I was awaken by the buzzing of my phone. I opened my eyes only to have the sun rays fly right into them. I groaned at the discomfort as I blindly reached out to my nightstand. My hand patted around for a moment before it finally curled around my phone. I tore it off the charger before opening my eyes and looking at it. The alarm I'd set on it was going off but besides that it'd seemed as if I'd gotten a text message from a number I didn't recognize.

Good morning sunshine! It's Silver from last night. If you're still up on taking the offer of us walking to class together then Shadow and I will be waiting in the lobby for you around 8:30. Give me a holla back and let me know.

I smiled at my phone as I rolled onto my back. I composed a text back to accept his offer in which he texted me back almost immediately. He promised they would be waiting for me and that they wouldn't leave. I glanced up at the time to see that I had a good half an hour to get ready. I hauled myself up and padded barefoot into the bathroom. I washed myself up before walking back into my room. I blindly settled on a pair of yoga pants, a sports bra, and a baggy tank top. I tied my hair up into a bouncy ponytail before grabbing my small backpack, snagging a granola bar, and heading out. I carefully navigated my way back down to the lobby along with some of the other students who were milling along. Most of their eyelids hung low from their weariness and their steps were a bit slow as I trailed behind them. I weaved between the small crowds as I entered the lobby, my eyes scanning around for Silver's white hair.

I spotted both of them easily. They were standing near a corner by the door, both of them munching on their own granola bars. I could see Silver's mouth moving between his bites as he tried to engage his roommate in conversation. Shadow seemed a bit distracted as his eyes roamed around the room aimlessly. While he was nodding along to whatever Silver was saying, it was obvious that he wasn't paying too much attention to the topic. His ruby eyes caught hold of me as I walked towards them and he nodded his head in my direction. Silver looked over at me and smiled. "Hey Amy," he yelled enthusiastically. I blushed as I waved back. "You ready for the first day of classes?"

"Honestly no," I admitted. I glanced at Shadow who was staring down at me with his head tilted. "Hi Shadow," I greeted him.

"Hey," he replied, his voice rumbling from his chest. We headed out into the warm sun as Silver continued to babble on.

"I was just telling Shadow about the stories I've heard about Professor Duncan's class from some of the upperclassmen in our hallway," Silver said. I raised an eyebrow. "Apparently, she's some type of army hero from ten years ago. She saved a bunch of troops from a bombing or something. They said she's a super bad ass and a super pain in the ass. So, we could be in for a treat this semester."

"It's a basic level combat class, how bad could it be?"

"Hopefully not too bad. If I could knock the lights out of one of their recruiters, then I shouldn't have any problems. Just as long as she doesn't make me go against the biggest person in class. I'm a little guy, and being quick can only get you so far."

"I hear ya there," I said as I smiled at Silver. He continued to make small talk between the three of us as we walked through the campus. I found my eyes wandering around the beautiful open spaces and the small gardens. There were many students like us walking on the paths to get to class. Some of them were in workout gear similar to ours while others were dressed in jeans, dresses, and even some business wear. I could only imagine what types of careers in the military they were all pursuing.

Our designated building was a tall building made of stone. There was a small lobby with multiple sets of stairs and elevators. I followed the boys towards the stairs and jogged behind them up to what was our classroom. Turns out, our classroom wasn't exactly a classroom. Instead, we found ourselves in a spacious room with windows as walls and mat-carpeted floor. I looked around in awe for a moment before the sound of the teacher's voice caught my attention. "Come in, come in," a soft woman's voice said. I turned my attention to the petite woman standing in the middle of the room. The students were making a semi-circle around her, whispering among themselves. I would have to admit that I was surprised by how small she was. She had to be about my height with curly chestnut hair and soft brown eyes. We made eye contact as her smile widened and she motioned for me to come closer. I stuck close to the boys as we made our way over to the small semi-circle of students. I looked around at the variety of personalities around me. Almost everyone looked different from each other. There were a few small girls like me, a couple muscular athletes, a few scrawny guys, some bulky males, and even some tall curvy females. Somehow I felt a little better knowing I wasn't the only one who had some known advantages and disadvantages in their appearance.

"Settle down, settle down," the woman said as she clapped her hands. "I'd like to welcome you all to the Political Defense Academy and to my class! My name is Marielle Duncan; I am a former combat soldier. I've traveled all over the world defending this country and I'm hoping one day I'll get to see you all doing the same. In this class, I'll mostly be testing your skills. I'll be seeing what you can do well and what you can improve in your skills. Participation is mandatory in this class. I will need all of you to cooperate so that things go smoothly. I have paired you into small groups of four to give you some aspect of teamwork and challenge." I could mentally hear the whole class groan at the thought of groups. I'd highly doubt she'd put anyone who actually knew each other into the same group. My stomach tingled as she started to read off names and point to where she wanted them to sit and talk for a moment while she got the rest together. Silver was called off before Shadow and I. He gave us a soft nudge before he padded off towards his group. I was a bit surprised when Shadow and I's named were called after each other. We walked off together to stand near a perfect Barbie girl and a bulky red head.

"Hi," the Barbie said as her eyes basically turned into hearts at the sight of Shadow. She was a beautiful girl with glossy platinum blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and a perfectly curved body. Almost all the guys in the room were stealing glances at her. However, the red head and Shadow didn't look interested. Then again, Shadow never really looked interested in anyone. "I'm Rouge."

"I'm Knuckles," the red head said simply.

"Shadow," he nodded his head in respect to the guy.

"Amy," I said with a soft smile. Rouge smiled widely.

"I love that name! It's so unique and it fits you so well! You're gorgeous!" I blushed softly at her comment.

"Thanks. You're really pretty too."

"Thank you," she beamed. "I think this class should be fun with the four of us. Right boys?" The boys shared an uneasy look before smirking. Knuckles shook his head at Rouge.

"Sure it will, Rouge." Rouge beamed at him, her eyes sparkling. I glanced at Shadow to see that he was looking around the room. He wasn't really paying us any mind until the teacher came around to us.

"Hey guys, I'm going to give you your first assignment. Shadow stand across from Amy, and Knuckles you do the same with Rouge," she said. The boys raised an eyebrow but complied to her request. "Okay now give each pair some space and then take your shoes off." I'm pretty sure we all raised an eyebrow to that, but once again we followed her orders. I glanced around the room to see that some of the other students were on the floor grappling, each pair a boy and a girl. My stomach writhed at the thought of having to grapple with Shadow. He was going to be so close to me…. My stomach erupted into butterflies as I looked to him to see him giving me a blank stare. "Alright, now I know this is going to sound a little strange, but I do want the two pairs to begin a mock fight. Boys, be gentle with the girls, but do not hold back. You will have to fight girls at some points of battle and girls you will have to learn to maneuver around boys. I start class off this way as a method to establish trust between the groups and to challenge the students' skills. You may start whenever you're ready. Please be careful." With that, she wandered off to another group.

"Alright," Shadow murmured. He and I slowly got into a fighting stance, our eyes inching each other up. I already knew he probably thought I was going to be an easy match. I was so much smaller and less muscular than he. Little did he know that I'd spent my whole life fighting against boys. He was in for a treat. "Ladies first," he taunted, a ghost of a smile on his lips. I briefly returned the smile before doing a fake punch and kicking him right in the rib. He seemed irritated at the contact of my kick. He threw a few punches at me, but I easily danced around them. He was fast, like me. He punched with a strategy to hit when I was least expecting it, but I was too fast for any of them to make contact. He got tired of our little dance, and tackled me onto the ground. I was surprised at first by the feel of his muscles and the cold mat against my back. I almost didn't have time to roll a good distance away from him and get my arm around his neck. He easily pulled me off of him and threw me to the ground. I got my legs around him as he lunged back at me. Our arms wrestled as we rolled around on the floor, trying to pin the other to the ground. Shadow was very strong, but I'd become accustomed to a male's strength. After some time, I was able to firmly pin him to the ground. We were both breathing hard as I held him still, straddling his waist and gripping his wrists. He was staring up at me, his ruby eyes filled with curiosity. I shot him a soft smile as Professor Duncan's voice dismissed the class. As soon as I let him go, he knocked me off of him. I glared at him as he got up, but felt the butterflies flutter as he held his hand out to me. I grabbed it and he tugged me to my feet. He smirked at me before he walked away.

"A good job would be nice," I called after him. He looked back at me.

"You did alright, luna," he said as he put his shoes on. "Just know next time I won't go easy on you." I rolled my eyes at him as a giggle escaped my lips.

"You guys coming or what," Silver asked as he jogged up to us. We both muttered 'yes' as we hurried to put our shoes on. As we walked back out into the hot sun, I couldn't help but to stand closer to the boys and think that I might actually like it up here.

Once again, I apologize if some of the characters seem out of place or a bit
OC but it took me twenty minutes to sort out who was going to be who. Also: I am not a Shadamy fan, and I never will be; Shadow just fit the type of guy my original character was and Sonic fit the other one...and Scourge was just an extra. Sonic will be in the next chapter though!

PLEASE REVIEW!