Kara sat on her bed in her newest foster home, holding her guitar in her hands. She had gotten it on her 8th birthday and was, surprisingly, extremely good at it. As soon as she touched it, she could play it as if she had learned years ago. She tried to write a song when she was 9 and had written one that felt...familiar, to say the least. Currently, that was the exact song she was strumming. Taking a deep breath, Kara began to sing,
"And every night, I lay awake
I find the conclusion
And every night, it just stays the same
I dream of absolution
In the night light, do you see what you dream?
All your troubles; are they all what they seem?
Look around you, then you may realize
All the preachers, all with their lies
And I might know of our future
But then you still control the past
Only you know if you'll be together
Only you know if we shall last
In the night-light, do you still feel your pain?
For the valor you wait; it never came
If you were able, would you go change the past?
To mend a faux paux with one last chance
And I might know of our future
But then you still control the past
Only you know if you'll be together
Tonight"
"That's a good song." A voice said. Kara instantly stopped playing and looked up only to see the owner of the foster home was standing in the doorway of Kara's shared room. The woman was young, early to mid-20s Kara thought, and definitely looked it. Her red hair was short and her blue eyes sparkled with kindness. She wore a white dress with silver lining along the bottom with red heels.
"...Thank you, Ms. Elise." Kara whispered, speaking formally. The woman's name was Elise Solaris and, from Kara's small knowledge of the woman, she had a good heart. She had been orphaned at a young age and when she graduated college a short time ago, she opened a foster home to take care of children who were going through the same thing she had gone through.
"Kara, you've been here a week already. Please, call me Elise." Elise smiled gently. Kara simply tightened her grip on her guitar before she took it off and put it back in its case.
"I have to get to school." The girl simply stated. If there was one thing Elise had learned about Kara in the week she had been there, it was that the girl held a lot of fear that, in turn, caused her to close herself off from the world. Elise and some of the other orphans had tried to speak with her and Kara liked them, she really did, but she didn't want to get too attached. She was leaving in a couple months and besides, she didn't want to hurt anyone.
"Alright, but can you walk Chris, Helen, Danny and Frances to the bus for me? I have some paperwork to fill out for Chris' adoption." Elise requested. Kara simply nodded and picked up her backpack. She ran down the stairs and went to the kitchen. She grabbed an apple before she found the four kids in the living room. Chris, Helen, Danny and Frances were all in middle school and always went to the bus early to talk with the friends they had that weren't in the foster home. Chris was the first to be adopted of the four and was leaving soon to live with his new parents, Nelson and Lindsey Thorndyke. Of course, he was still going to go to Emerald Middle School and hang out with his friends, he just wouldn't live with them.
"Hi Kara." Helen smiled as she saw the older girl walk up to them. Helen was suspected of being adopted several times but she had been confined to a wheelchair her whole life and needed a lot of help from doctors. That was the one thing that kept her in the foster home, but she didn't mind. She liked Elise and everyone else there so she was happy.
Kara simply nodded in greeting to the kids. They had been trying to get her to talk since she arrived, all seeing the sadness and fear in her eyes the instant she walked in the door. They hadn't made much progress but they had cracked her shell slightly. None of them ran when Kara's powers were revealed, not even Frances, who shared a room with the girl.
"Are you walking us to the bus today?" Frances asked her roommate.
"Yeah." Kara nodded.
"Great! Maybe you could tell us a bit more about yourself while we go." Danny grinned. Frances and Danny had been in the foster home the longest and had brought a depressed Chris back to reality when he first came and followed it with Helen. Ever since, the four had been inseperable.
"I don't think so." Kara shook her head.
"But why not?" Chris asked.
"Because...just because." Kara sighed as she played with her hair. Helen took the older girl's hand and whispered,
"You can trust us, Kara. We won't be mean to you." Kara smiled slightly down at the girl but still shook her head.
"Not now, but...if I end up staying here longer than I think I will...I'll tell you." She consented. That caused all four to grin widely. Even Kara herself was smiling slightly. Just then, they reached the bus stop.
"Bye Kara!" The four called as they ran up to the couple friends they had there who were already waiting. Kara waved slightly before she ran towards Station Square High but took a sharp turn into a hidden alley. She waved her hand and teleported to the school. Sighing in relief when she saw no one, the amnesic girl adjusted her guitar case and headed inside the school.
"Look out!" A voice cried as she entered the hallway. Kara turned and her eyes widened just a second before she was knocked to the ground by a green haired boy on what she recognized as Extreme Gear.
"Are you okay?" A voice asked as Kara sat up. Holding her head, the girl groaned in response. When she opened her eyes, she saw a hand in front of her. Looking up, Kara saw that the hand belonged to a girl with long purple hair and blue eyes. She wore a white tank top, white bootcut pants with purple flames along the bottom and red tennis shoes. Around her neck was a simple red orb necklace. Kara simply stared at the girl who held her hand closer to Kara's face. "Aren't you gonna take it?" The girl asked, confused. Fear suddenly shot through Kara as she remembered one of the incidents she had caused, in this case, accidentally freezing a boy right where he stood. She had thawed him out but she swore after that day not to touch another person ever again. Grabbing the boy's hand was what caused the incident, after all. Kara shook her head repeatedly as she stood up and grabbed her guitar case and backpack. "O-kay." The girl said, sounding weirded out. "You're new, right? I haven't seen you around before. I'm Luana Stark but everyone calls me Wave."
"And I'm James Hawkins but everyone calls me-" The boy, who had stood up already, started but Kara quietly finished,
"Jim?" The boy made a face as Wave laughed.
"You read Treasure Island, didn't you?" The boy asked, "Damnit, just because my name's the same doesn't mean my nickname is!" He had said the last sentence to himself, not meaning it in offense to Kara.
"His nickname's Jet." Wave told Kara.
"That's because I'm the fastest one in school!" Jet grinned widely. Kara noticed he had yellow goggles on his forehead and his eyes were blue. He wore a green jersey, jeans and red tennis shoes.
"Most people would say 3rd." Wave quipped.
"What?! Who's faster than me?!" Jet cried angrily. Wave simply looked at her nails as if she was bored before she answered,
"Sonic and Shadow." Jet growled,
"We'll see about that!" Before he could jump on his Extreme Gear again, Wave grabbed his arm.
"What's your name, anyway?" Wave asked Kara.
"M-my name?" Kara stuttered. At the duo's nod, Kara answered, "I'm Kara. Kara Blanchard." As she spoke, though, the girl looked down, as if she was afraid to introduce herself.
"Nice to meet you." Jet nodded, "Can you ride Extreme Gear?"
"I'm...I'm sorry but I...I have to go." Kara said before she ran away. When she sensed Jet and Wave had looked away, she waved her hand and vanished to her locker.
"Wonder what her problem is?" Jet asked Wave.
"Leave her alone. She met us when you crashed into her, which I've told you to stop doing!" Wave scolded, "My dad and I can't keep fixing it every time you wreck it!" Jet simply waved her off as they walked to their own lockers.
Kara walked into her 3rd hour art class and took her usual seat in the back before she looked at the board. The teacher was out for today so they were told to do the substitue assignment, draw something that symbolizes their essence.
Simple enough. Kara nodded as she started to draw a snowflake on the paper in front of her. She was taken by surprise, however, when the seat across from her was filled. Looking up, Kara was met with a blonde haired, brown eyed freshman.
"Hi." The girl smiled, "My name's Claire but my friends call me Cream." Kara simply nodded and continued to draw. "What's your name?" Cream asked after a minute.
"...Kara, Kara Blanchard." Kara finally answered. I thought I was done with this on the first day! I can't make friends, I'll only end up hurting them and then leaving the next day!
"It's nice to meet you Ms. Kara!" Cream grinned happily. Kara was taken aback by the girl's politeness but managed to smile at her slightly. The two continued to draw in silence when Cream asked, "What are you drawing, Ms. Kara?"
"A snowflake..." Kara answered.
"Why?" Cream asked, confused. How could a snowflake symbolize her essence?
"Because...it's unique but at the same time, it's cold and lonely." Kara answered softly.
"But snowflakes group together to become the piles of snow we have in winter." Cream argued, "They shouldn't be lonely." Kara smiled sadly at the girl before asking,
"What're you drawing?"
"A flower, because it's so pretty and sweet!" Cream smiled, "It also has a bunch of friends that it can rely on and is appreciated not just for its beauty." Kara smiled, liking the innocent outlook the girl had on the world. "How long have you been at Station Square?" Cream asked.
"A week now." Kara answered, "I only started school three days ago, though."
"Have you made any friends yet?" Cream asked. Kara shook her head. "Why not?" Cream asked, surprised the amnesic girl hadn't even tried.
"Because...nobody would want to be my friend. Besides, I'll only be here for a few months until I get shipped off...somewhere else." Kara answered. This girl obviously knew nothing about her, how could she reveal everything about herself now?
"Do your parents have jobs that require you to move, Ms. Kara?" Cream asked.
"Um...no, actually...I don't have parents." Kara admitted. Cream gasped, dropping her pencil. This girl had no friends and no parents?! Cream didn't know how she could live a life like that, even for one day.
"I'm so sorry, Ms. Kara." Cream said, reaching over and squeezing the girl's hand though she pulled away as soon as they touched.
"It's okay...they've been gone since I was five." Kara admitted.
"But still, no one should go through life with no parents or even friends!" Cream said strongly. She thought for a minute before she grinned, "Would you like to meet my friends, Ms. Kara? You could have lunch with us!"
"...When do you have lunch?" Kara asked softly. Though she wasn't sure about making friends, she just couldn't say no to this sweet girl. It was impossible!
"After this class." Cream answered.
"...Alright, I'll have lunch with you." Kara consented. Cream grinned before she hugged the girl but Kara pulled away roughly. The two then got back to work with both smiling, Cream widely and Kara softly.
Kara followed Cream outside for lunch, both carrying their bagged lunch. Cream was practically bouncing on her heels as she led Kara towards a big tree where a blue haired boy, blonde haired boy, pink haired girl, orange haired girl and red haired boy were already sitting.
"Hello everyone." Cream grinned as she sat next to the blonde haired boy and Kara beside her. The group turned to Cream and Kara, who felt extremely shy under the spotlight. "Everyone, this is Ms. Kara. Ms. Kara this is Mr. Ryan,-"
"Sonic." The blue haired boy grinned.
"Mr. Tails,-"
"Tails." The blonde haired boy smiled.
"Ms. Amy,-"
"Amy." The pink haired girl waved.
"Ms. Tikal,-"
"Tikal." The orange haired girl nodded with a gentle smile.
"and Mr. Kenneth."
"Knuckles." The red haired boy grunted.
"Nice to meet ya, Kara." Sonic grinned with a wink. Kara shrunk away more, not used to so many people looking at her as if they actually wanted to talk to her.
"Sonic! You're scaring her!" Amy scolded before she stood up and sat down beside Kara. "Don't worry, Kara, there's no need to be shy." Amy smiled.
"You're new, right?" Tails asked.
"Y-yes." Kara nodded, "I...moved here a week ago."
"Where'd you live last?" Tikal asked with the same smile on her face. Kara racked her brain as she tried to remember the last place she had stayed when it hit her.
"Soleanna." She answered, "Sorry...I move so often, I can't always remember where I lived last."
"That's alright." Amy smiled.
"Why do you move so often?" Knuckles asked, sounding interested. Kara looked down and her hands wrapped around her arms.
"I...I..." The girl stumbled.
"Miss me?" The group turned as Rouge approached with a wide smile on her face.
"Ms. Rouge, this is Ms. Kara. Ms. Kara, this is Ms. Rouge." Cream introduced. Rouge stretched out a hand to shake Kara's, saying,
"Nice to meet you, Kara. I'm Rouge." Kara's eyes widened in fear and panic as she shook her head.
"D-don't touch me." She stuttered.
"O...kay." Rouge muttered as she sat down in between Knuckles and Tikal.
"To answer your question, Mr. Kenneth, Ms. Kara's...an orphan." Cream answered.
"I'm sorry I brought it up." Knuckles said, looking down.
"N-no, it's alright..." Kara shook her head as she took a bite of her sandwhich. "You didn't know..." The group fell into an almost awkward silence after that until Sonic said,
"Oh look, here come Silver and Blaze!" The blue blur then stood up and jokingly called, "Vennie! Barbie! Over here!" Kara looked up towards the approaching Silver and Blaze as they groaned. When her eyes landed on Silver, however, something happened to Kara. It was as if she was given an electric shock, only this hurt and left her dizzy. Quickly, the girl stood up and ran back towards the school, fear of that feeling pushing her on.
"Ms. Kara! Wait!" Kara ignored Cream's calls as she raced back to the small band room the teacher allowed her to eat in and began to hyperventilate.
Calm down, Kara...you're okay. She told herself but knew it was the opposite. What did that boy do to me? Kara asked herself. Nobody answered her question as she tried to calm herself down more.
Kara sat in her english class, her last class of the day, waiting for the bell to ring to actually start class. Suddenly, two girls walked up to her.
"Well, if it isn't the ice freak." One girl said. She had shoulder length brown hair and blue eyes. She was wearing a blue vest over a black shirt and an extremely short blue miniskirt.
"Why are you still here? Waiting to cast a curse on us like in that one movie?" The other girl sneered. She had purple hair and bright green eyes, wearing a purple tank top and a short purple and black skirt. Kara remained silent, though she was thinking,
These two do realize that movie was based off an actual book called The Snow Queen, right?
"My cousins told me you froze someone because they were trying to help you! How could anyone trust a monster like you?" The first girl sneered.
Oh, this must be the Sally I heard about. In Kara's last school, she had met a couple of kids who constantly talked about their cousin named Sally Acerbi and her friend Mina Moore. The other girl must be Mina.
"I'm surprised your foster mom hasn't thrown you in the street yet!" Mina laughed. Kara felt herself wanting to freeze the girls where they stood but she wasn't going to. She didn't need an incident after only being in town a week. No matter how much bullying she faced, she would never use her powers against them, unless she was trying to escape.
"Hey, leave her alone!" Kara was surprised when she saw Wave standing up for her.
"What's it to you?" Mina snarled.
"I said, leave her alone." Wave growled, her hands becoming fists. However, Kara sensed this was a facade to get someone's attention.
The teacher's. Kara realized.
"And why should we?" Sally asked, crossing her arms. "She's a freak so she deserves to be talked to this way."
"How many times must I tell you, bitches?! Leave her alone!" Wave yelled getting the teacher's attention successfully.
"Is there a problem here?" Ms. Robinson asked as she approached the four girls.
"Yeah, Ms. Robinson. Wave just came up to us when we were talking to Kara here and started yelling at us when we did nothing wrong." Sally answered innocently. Ms. Robinson's eyes narrowed and Wave beamed triumphantly.
"What?!" Mina asked the beaming girl.
"You both seem to have forgotten that Ms. Vanilla can tell when people are lying." Wave answered. Being somewhat friends with Cream allowed anyone to call her mother Ms. Vanilla, even in school.
"Oh shit." The bullies swore under their breath in unison.
"Indeed." Vanilla said, "Both of you head to the principal's office, I will not tolerate bullying of any sort in my class." The two girls had no choice and obeyed their teacher. "Ms. Kara, are you alright?" Vanilla asked the white haired girl.
"Y-yes, thank you, Ms. Robinson, Wave." Kara nodded.
"Ms. Kara, Claire told me about you earlier today. You can call me Ms. Vanilla." Vanilla smiled before she went back to her desk. Wave sat down beside Kara.
"Thank you, again, Wave." Kara smiled softly at the purple haired teen.
"No prob, I hate those bitches just as much as the next person." Wave grinned at Kara before she leaned closer and whispered, "By the way, I know about your powers." Kara almost literally froze herself over. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Besides, I think your powers are cool, no pun intended." Kara chuckled at that.
"You don't even know the half of it." She muttered, "There's one more power that I've always managed to keep a secret."
"What?" Wave asked. Kara turned her head away.
"I'd...rather not talk about it." She answered.
"I saw you eating lunch with Sonic and the gang. Why'd you run?" Wave asked, "Was it because of Silver?"
"...Yeah...it was." Kara answered, looking at the book she held in her hands. She got it from the library yesterday, mostly because it centered on people like her, people who had magic as it was called in the book. The book was titled Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel: The Alchemyst and although it was old, it reached out to Kara and gave her assurance that she wasn't fully alone.
"Why? Silver's the nicest guy in school." Wave said.
"When I looked at him...something happened to me." Kara explained, feeling she could trust Wave. "It was like...electricity shot through me but it wasn't good. It made me dizzy too and I just had to escape it." Wave thought about it for a minute before she said,
"Maybe...you just have to hang out with Silver to figure the feeling out."
"No way. I can't handle that feeling." Kara said, "Besides...I'll be gone soon anyways."
"Kara..." Wave reached out to touch the girl's shoulder when she cried,
"Don't touch me!" The entire class turned and saw Kara pressing herself against the wall, since that's what was near her seat, almost hyperventilating. Pure fear was glowing in her eyes as Wave tried to give her space. Kara wrapped her arms around herself, her hands gripping her shoulders tightly, and tried to calm herself down. Vanilla approached the girls' desk and asked,
"Ms. Kara...would you like to go see the nurse?" Kara closed her eyes tightly and shook her head.
"I can...calm myself..." She whispered. Everyone simply stared at the girl, from Wave and Vanilla to Sonic, Amy, Silver, Blaze and Jet, who were in the same class. Kara took in several deep calming breaths and let her mind wander. Suddenly, behind her closed eyes, she saw a sunset. It was the most beautiful sunset she had ever seen, and the only one she could remember.
"Isn't it beautiful, Snowflake?" A man asked.
"It really is, Daddy." Kara heard herself answer, though she sounded much younger. Kara opened her eyes, amazed. That was a memory...I remember something besides the fire! When Kara had woken up 10 years ago, all she knew was her name, age, birthday, powers and a fire. From that day on, she was terrified of any kind of fire and she still was.
"Are you okay?" Kara looked up and saw the boy that Sonic and Wave had called Silver standing in front of her along with Wave, Sonic, Amy, Jet, Vanilla and the girl she thought was Blaze.
"Y-yes...I'm alright." Kara whispered as she stared into Silver's golden eyes. Why does he feel so...familiar?
Unknown to Kara, Silver was wondering the same thing.
Kara sat in the band practice room, holding her guitar. She had told Elise she'd be staying after school so she could practice on her own. The woman had agreed, as long as she was home in time for dinner. Strumming the same song as she did that very morning, Kara began to sing,
"And every night, I lay awake
I find the conclusion
And every night, it just stays the same
I dream of absolution
In the night light, do you see what you dream?
All your troubles; are they all what they seem?
Look around you, then you may realize
All the preachers, all with their lies
And I might know of our future
But then you still control the past
Only you know if you'll be together
Only you know if we shall last
In the night light, do you still feel your pain?
For the valor you wait; it never came
If you were able, would you go change the past?
To mend a faux paux with one last chance
And I might know of our future
But then you still control the past
Only you know if you'll be together
Tonight
Cause every night I will save your life
And every night I will be with you
Cause every night I still lay awake
And I dream of an absolution
Cause every night I will make it right
And every night I will come to you
But every night it just stays the same
In my dream of an absolution
In the night light, do you see what you dream?
All your triumph and all you'll ever be
Look around you, then you may realize
Happiness lies trapped in misery
And who knows what of our future
We can all try to change the past
Only you know if you'll be together
Tonight
Cause every night I will save your life
And every night I will be with you
Cause every night I still lay awake
And I dream of an absolution
Cause every night I will make it right
And every night I will come to you
But every night it just stays the same
In my dream of an absolution"
Kara played for a minute before she continued the lyrics she knew upon receiving the guitar.
"Cause every night I will save your life
And every night I will be with you
Cause every night I still lay awake
And I dream of an absolution
Cause every night I will make it right
And every night I will come to you
But every night it just stays the same
In my dream of an absolution
And you'll see (And you'll see)
What you'll be (What you'll be)
And you'll see
All you can (All you can)
And every night (And every night)
And every night (And every night)
And every night (And every night)
I will dream (I will dream)
And you'll see (And you'll see)
That this is my dream (What you'll be)
And you'll see
Every night
I will always dream ('Cause every night)
And every night
And every night
I will dream (I will dream)"
Kara smiled the slightest bit. She knew the lyrics and song had something, anything, to do with her past, yet she couldn't remember. She started to pack up her guitar when a voice said,
"That was a good song." Kara cried out in fear and held her hand out in front of herself in self-defense yet no ice came out, only light pink sparks. Confused, Kara looked up and saw a boy about a year older than her. He had black hair with red streaks and red eyes.
"Who are you?" She demanded, proud she sounded confident.
"Shadow, Shadow Midnight." The boy, Shadow, answered as he put his hands in his jean pockets.
"How did you hear me?" Kara asked next, preparing to summon Starlit Night, her staff, just in case.
"I was in the room behind you and decided to come over and check the noise out." Shadow stated.
"That can't be true...Mr. Stewart told me that these rooms were sound proof." Kara said, confused.
"Except this one." Shadow explained, "This was the last room added in but the construction team forgot to sound proof the back wall, which is near the library. I work there and the school managed to partly sound proof the wall so only someone behind the counter can hear."
"Oh." Kara said, looking down, ashamed.
"What's your name?" Shadow eventually asked after a long period of silence.
"I'm Kara, Kara Blanchard." Kara introduced. Shadow simply nodded.
"I've heard of you." He said. At Kara's wide eyed look, he added, "Sonic told me how you ran at lunch."
"Oh." Kara said, "So, you're friends with Sonic and everybody?"
"No." Shadow stated bluntly, "Sonic is my rival. I'm only in the group because my friend Rouge dragged me to meet them one day and now most of them I can consider...friends, you could say."
"Must be nice." Kara whispered when she checked the time. "I'm sorry, I have to go. But...will I see you tomorrow?" Shadow simply nodded. Kara couldn't help the small smile that spread across her face as she clenched her hands into fists in an attempt to stop her sparking fingers. "Bye." She said before she ran out of the school, hid and teleported to her foster home.
That night, Kara had the same dream she always had. The fire, trying to get her as she ran, desperate to escape. She couldn't think of anything but escaping in that moment as the fire threatened to burn her alive. When it actually happened, she had escaped out a window. But, like every night in her dreams, she tripped over something and the flames got her. Yet...instead of ending there, she saw something else.
"Kara...you'll be alright. We'll make it, I promise." It was a boy's voice, though Kara didn't recognize it. She felt the warmth of the boy surround her and she followed it until he led her to a window and they jumped. "Run Kara...run away and someday...I'll find you..." The boy whispered and, without another thought, Kara took off running, trying to find someone, anyone, that could help. She woke up just as she continued to run in the dream.
Was that...another memory? Or...a dream? Kara wondered but she didn't have the answer.
Hey guys, I'm back! Okay, so I forgot to mention the last pairing will be Jet/Wave, though that isn't a center focus here. Anyways, so Kara's now met most of the gang and will soon form relationships with them. If you've read Snowflakes and Shadows then you'll know why Kara had a freakout when Silver showed up and I will not spoil it here. Though I have a feeling most of you already know by now their relation. Okay, so thanks to grapejuice101 for favoring this story along with all 40 readers. Not a lot but I don't care. And in regards to Kara's foster home, I felt that Elise and the Sonic X kids were the best fit for those roles so I put them there. I always admired Elise's dedication and kindess towards her people so I felt she could have a small role in my story. The kids just seemed to fit because I imagine them trying to help Kara even though she thinks she'll be leaving soon. And yes, the Mr. Stewart Kara mentions is the same one from Sonic X as well because I've got a plan for him. Okay, so I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and that you'll please review! Otherwise I'm not sure if anyone actually likes this story or if the characters are, you know, in character. Later!