*Whoo hoo! Chapter 2! (Sorry for the bad rhyme) Thanks for deciding to continue on in your reading! It gives me hope that this isn't just some stupid story haha Anyhoo, time to give you some warnings that I think are kinda neccessary: 1) There's a lotta dialogue involved here, so sorry if ya have issues with it. And 2) This chapter isn't exactly what I'd call exciting. I think you'll see why. Well, do the standard review, and proceed without caution!*
"Station Square?" Amira asked. "Is that in Spartanius?"
Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails shot her confused glances.
"Spartanius? What's that?" Tails asked her, his azure eyes reflecting the silent search within his mind for something familiar to him that was comparable.
"That's what we call where I'm from. So, since we're obviously not there, where is 'here'?"
The threesome continued to stare at her, shock joining their increasing confusion.
"Um, this is the Earth," Knuckles remarked, his voice sounding as though he were explaining a simple concept to a young child.
"Earth? I don't think I've heard of that before."
Another moment of silence ensued, accompanied by more surprised glances.
"Seriously?" Sonic inquired. Amira shook her head meekly, looking at him with genuine honesty. "Well then, in that case, lemme show ya a little piece of it." (There, I fixed it, Pure Heart ^^;)
Knuckles flashed Tails an intense, prodding look then; the younger fox returned it with an uncertain, but understanding one of his own. "Uh, Sonic..." Tails started sheepishly.
"What is it?"
"Me and Knuckles, uh..."
"Don't really wanna stick around, and would rather meet up later," Knuckles finished impatiently.
"Oh, okay. Tails, you don't hafta be afraid to ask me that. So, where'll ya be at?"
"Um, we'll be at my workshop in the Mystic Ruins; meet us there when you're done, okay?"
"Sure thing. See ya!" Tails and Knuckles ran off toward the train station then, leaving Amira and Sonic alone.
"So, let's begin, shall we?" Sonic said to her, smiling. He began walking to the left, and Amira followed at his side.
"Well," he started in an exaggerated tour guide voice. Amira could not help but laugh continually as he spoke. "To our left we have a wonderful hotel, complete with a swimming pool, beach access, and a path to get to a real, live casino! You'll also notice some apartments and a road that leads to...somewhere underground! Now if you'll please follow me around the corner, we'll continue with this wonderful tour!" The two of them followed the sidewalk, taking a right turn, passing the train station.
"And this is what gave Station Square its name," he continued, his voice returning to normal. "It's a train station, obviously, and it leads to this place called the Mystic Ruins. When we're done, we'll head there next, if that's alright." Amira nodded. "Good! Now if you'll look to the right, you'll see a street that turns to the left around those buildings. That just leads to city hall and a few stores and restaurants that aren't really that interesting, so we'll skip over that." Sonic motioned for Amira to follow him across the street; she did, and they stopped in front of a small elevator that led up to an enclosed pathway, which in turn connected to another building.
"Why's there an elevator in the middle of the city?" Amira asked innocently.
"Honestly, I don't know why they did that," Sonic replied, chuckling softly to himself at her question. "But this leads to a place called Twinkle Park. It's an amusement park; there're a bunch of rides and stuff there."
"Sounds fun; we'll hafta check it out one of these days."
"Yeah, we should. Everyone else would love that."
Amira gave him a confused look. "Who's 'everyone else'? You mean there're more of you?"
"Mm-hm. I'll hafta introduce you sometime. Anyways, there's one last spot I'd like to show you."
The twosome turned to the right, and paused when they reached the rail that faced the ocean. Amira's features brightened as she gazed upon the sparkling blue water before her, which contrasted perfectly with the yellow, orange, and red sky the slivered sun created. This was a scene that she could only dream about before now. Sonic's eyes locked onto hers, and an admiring smile slowly crawled on his lips as he gazed at the childlike wonderment dancing among the facets of her irises.
"Wow..." she murmured distantly. "This is so beautiful."
His unnoticed grin gently widened. "I thought you'd think so." He turned and gazed out over the expansive water as well. After a minute of silence passed between them, he began a new subject. "So Amira, you said you had powers, right?"
The girl gave him a cautious sideways glance. "Yes."
"Could you tell me what they exactly are? I'm just curious."
Amira let out a sigh, and then turned to face him directly. "Listen, Sonic. I'd tell you, but-" She took a quick look around to assess the amount of other people in the area-in her judgement, too many. "C'mon." Taking his wrist, she pulled Sonic to a quieter corner of the street and explained in a softer tone. "Remember those guys you saw with me when you found me? They're after me, and they won't stop until either I'm eliminated, or they are. So I have to try to keep as low a profile as I can, and if I openly talk about my...'abilities', word can travel that I'm here, and if they find out, I'm done for. I'll tell you as much as I can about me, I promise, but just not now, okay?" Seeing his nod, Amira gave him a relieved smile. "Thank you. It means a lot to me."
"No problem, Amira. I understand."
"Again, thanks. But hey, it's getting late, and I'm sure Tails and—well, at least Tails is getting worried about us."
Sonic flashed a smile at her comment. "You're right; let's go."
The cobalt hedgehog led the way to the train station; they entered the building and climbed up the stairs to get reach the train terminal. As they were about to board the waiting train, one of the security guards standing to the side approached the two of them.
"Excuse me miss," he said to Amira. "I'm not sure you should be riding."
"Excuse me?" she retorted harshly, her eyes bitter. "Since when is it any of your business whether I 'should' be doing anything?"
His pale cheeks flashed scarlet. "Well, I'm sorry, but I just noticed your bandages, and thought that you'd be more suited for a hospital."
Amira glanced at the gauze just below her left shoulder, and and her face softened. "Oh... Thanks, but I'm fine."
"But-"
The girl grunted, frustrated. "You mean I gotta prove it to you? Honestly!" She began pulling off the tape that secured the bandages on her arm and head then. Unseen by the others, Sonic involuntarily winced at her every tug at the tape, predicting the gruesome details of the wounds that were buried beneath the bandages. When the white patches were finally removed, however, there was scarcely any evidence of her injuries; a tiny circular scar on her arm and an even smaller line on her forehead were the only indicators. He could not help but stare at her with wide, shocked eyes.
"You see? I'm fine! Now let us through!" Amira snapped at the young guard, her previous frustration returning.
"Oh, okay. Go ahead," he muttered, slightly dejected. He stepped aside and Amira briskly passed him, storming into an empty train car. Sonic threw the guard an apologetic look and followed the adolescent. Once inside, he found her sitting in one corner of the car, arms and legs crossed and an angry scowl on her face. He silently walked to her and sat to her right.
"What's wrong?" he asked her gently, caution evident.
Amira hesitated for a moment, then took in a deep breath and gazed up at him with solemn eyes. "I'm sorry for snapping off like I did." Her voice held a slightly pensive tone. "It's just that…it always bothered me when people get in my way like that. Like, if its none of their business, they don't need to know, ya know? And then when they won't stop bugging me... But that's really no excuse; I totally overreacted back there. Again, sorry."
"Hey, don't worry about it, Amira," he said, a reassuring smile on his countenance. "I can completely understand where you're comin' from." Sonic reached out and placed his hand gently on her forearm, and Amira managed to lessen the sparks of pink she felt at her cheeks with a grateful smile.
However, the blue male's reciprocating grin soon slid down into a concerned frown, and his voice became disturbingly deep and flat. "You're freezing."
"Sonic, wait, I—"
"There's no time! Who knows how long you've been like this! We've gotta get you back to the hospital!" He began to stand up, but Amira clamped a hand on his shoulder, forcing him back down.
"Wait a minute!" she exclaimed. "I can explain. Ya see, it has to do with my powers. One of them is…ice projection." Sonic's eyes widened. "But that's not possible with a body temperature of 98.6 degrees, is it? I need to be cold."
"Thirty-two degrees…?" he breathed, leaning back against the seat.
"Lower. I'm at around twenty-five."
Confusion tightened his features. "But…how're you alive?"
Amira cast her emerald irises downward, and she bowed her head forward slightly. "…I don't know…"
Just then, the train jolted to life and rumbled gently towards the Mystic Ruins. The two of them sat in a somber silence for several minutes until Sonic spoke up once again, hoping to lighten the atmosphere.
"So, what other powers do you have, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Well," Amira sighed, "as far as I know, I have two power-powers, but there's something else I guess you could consider pretty impressive. I already told you about my ice powers, but I also have super speed."
"Really?" he inquired, delightfully surprised. "So do I!"
"No way!" she said with an astonished smile, lighting the rest of her countenance as she looked at him. "Wow… I've never met anyone with it before. Have you?" Sonic did not give a verbal response; his expression fell into quiet anger. Slowly, he nodded. "Oh, I'm sorry if I-"
"Hey," he interrupted. His voice had suddenly lost its usual warmth. "It's fine. You don't hafta apologize for everything. It's just that who I was thinking of… Well, we're not the best of friends."
"Oh, I understand. Archenemy?"
"You could say that." He scoffed flatly.
"Um…" She hesitated for a brief moment, ultimately choosing to press on. "Can I ask what their name is?"
The sapphire hedgehog drew in a deep breath, then answered in a low, hateful tone. "Shadow. His name is Shadow."
"Shadow…" she repeated thoughtfully.
"Yeah. Look, I don't wanna sound rude, but-"
"You wanna change the subject? I understand. I'd probably want to, too."
"Thanks, really." The corner of his mouth pulled upwards into a small, but genuine grin.
"No problem. Now, we were talking about my powers, weren't we? Ice and speed are my 'supernatural' powers, I guess, but where I'm from, we were taught the martial arts, and I've managed to master all that I was taught."
"Seriously?" Sonic asked, shocked. Amira nodded. "Ya know, you're incredible."
Amira's cheeks became a deep crimson, the hue lingering for a minute. "Thanks," she responded sheepishly.
The train started to slow down then, coming to an eventual halt. Sonic stood up and took Amira's wrist, pulling her up.
"C'mon," he told her. "We're here."
They left the train car and arrived at a wooden platform built at least one hundred feet off the ground. From where she stood, Amira saw a huge rock face before her that stretched the entire length of the area. There were a few caves carved into the rock, leading to other places unknown to her. Towards the right there was a small lake, into which a waterfall flowed. Even further, a small hut was located on top of a tall hill. Amira then felt a tug on her wrist; she looked at Sonic, who was gazing back at her at her with a smile on his face.
"Let's go," he urged gently. He began leading her down the steps, and she closely followed, making their way towards the hut. They walked in silence; their minds were deep in their own widely different thoughts. Amira's had returned to the person Sonic had mentioned on the train, the one who had made him so angry.
Shadow… she repeated in her head. That name rings a bell… But why, I wonder… She knew she heard that name before, but for some reason, she could not associate a face with it. Amira continually pondered this, but she cut her thoughts off when a strange feeling panged in her heart, like she was being watched. When she looked to her left, her sensation was confirmed; Sonic was staring at her, appearing as though his mind was great distances from where they were walking.
"What?" she asked him, her voice slightly edgy.
"I was just thinking." He pointed to the scar on her arm. "That's not normal."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I'm no doctor, but I'm pretty sure wounds like that don't completely heal overnight. So I got to thinking; maybe it's another power of yours."
"Another one?" Amira moaned, putting her hand to her head.
"What's the matter?"
"I just…don't wanna have to deal with any more powers." She spat out the last word.
"But why? I'd think it'd be pretty cool to have your powers-"
"You would think that, wouldn't you!" she quietly snapped at him, the crimson in her eyes flashing for a second, overtaking the green. As the original hue returned to her irises, she realized what had happened, and was quickly overcome with guilt. "I'm sorry," she muttered. "I had no reason to do that, I just…lost control, which someone like me can't afford to do."
"Then…just who are you, Amira?" The hedgette did not answer, and she assumed a blank countenance. "Wait," he began somewhat frantically, the color draining from his features. "I probably just offended you right now, and I didn't mean to, but-"
"No, it's fine, you can ask me that," she interrupted. "It just brought up some…unwanted memories, that's all."
"Oh, but still, I'm sorry for doing that."
"And I said it's fine. You're curious, and I don't blame you; I would be too, it's just…"
"What?"
"Never mind," she answered quickly, and changed the subject. "We're here."
After climbing the stairs carved into the stoney plateau, they arrived at the small hut, which Sonic simply walked inside.
"Hey, is anybody home?" he called out.
"We're over her, Sonic!" Tails' voice carried back.
"C'mon," the blue hedgehog directed to Amira. She was brought through a diminuative kitchen in the front of the hut until the adjoining hallway merged into an even smaller sitting room, scarcely able to house the two plush chairs placed inside it. Both were occupied; one by Tails, the other by a brigh pink hedgette whom Amira did not recognize. As soon as Sonic had entered the room, the youthful girl leaped from her seat and wrapped her arms tightly around him. He stiffened under her embrace.
"Girlfriend?" Amira asked him, finding it difficult to hide her laughs.
"No…" he moaned.
"Then why-"
"I don't know. She got this obsession with me a long time ago and hasn't left me alone since."
"Oh Sonic, it's not an obsession!" the girl sang. "It's love!" The cobalt male rolled his eyes and attempted to squirm free with no success.
"Want some help?" Amira offered.
He threw desperate eyes in her direction. "That'd be nice!"
The adolescent girl laughed to herself and studied them for a brief moment, calculating the best way to approach. She then moved behind the other girl, placed a hand on the back of her neck, and applied a small amount of pressure upon it. The girl let out a tiny shriek and fell to the floor. Tails ran over to help her up, and Sonic gave Amira a grateful look.
"Thanks," he sighed.
"No problem. Who is she?"
Sonic opened his mouth to answer, but the girl cut him off. "I'm Amy," she said, her voice snapping. "And who're you?"
"Um, I'm Amira." She was unnerved by Amy's tone. "Is there something wrong?"
"Oh no, nothing at all; everything's fine!" Amy marched past them then, an furious, dark look on her face.
Amira turned to Sonic, confused. "What'd I do?"
"Don't mind her; she just gets really defensive around girls she doesn't know."
"Why?"
"Well, to put it simply, she thinks she's my girlfriend, and she doesn't want anyone to get in between us."
"But she's not, right?"
"Absolutely not."
"Alright then, glad that's established." A smile passed her lips; it soon faded when she casually scanned the room, noting the red echidna's abscence. "Hey Tails, where's Knuckles at?"
"He left fifteen or so minutes ago," the fox responded. "He said he was sick of waiting around for you guys and just left. That's also when Amy showed up, and once she knew Sonic was coming I couldn't get her to leave." A soft giggle ended his sentence.
Amira gave a half-hearted smile and sadly asked, "So Knuckles hates me, too?"
"Amira, listen to me," Sonic said, turning to face her, his tone somewhat stern. "No one hates you; Knuckles and Amy're just a little mistrusting of people they don't know. In time they'll get nicer, trust me."
"If you say so," she muttered, still unconvinced.
"I know so. Besides, with the way you are, they don't have a reason to hate you." He lightly patted her on the shoulder, and she grinned genuinely. Then he directed his attention to the younger boy. "Hey Tails," he began, "it's kinda late, and I was wonderin' of we could stay here for tonight, then head out to your place tomorrow."
"Sure, that's no problem," Tails said. "I've just gotta figure out where to put you guys. Let's see… Amira, you and Amy could share one of the rooms upstairs, and me and Sonic could share the other one. Does that work?" The other two nodded. "Great. Well, I'm gonna turn in, so I'll see you later then."
"Alright Tails, see ya," the blue male responded. After Tails left the room, Amira let out a yawn, much to her surprise. Sonic laughed softly, and she could not help but join him.
"Let's get you to bed, okay?" he prompted. Obeying her nod, Sonic took her across the hall and up the short flight of stairs, connected to a tiny hallway; there were only two doors located there, and they were spaced within two feet of each other.
"This one's yours." Sonic pointed casually to the door on the right. "Well, good night Amira." He gave her a crooked smile, then walked through the left door.
Amira proceeded into the other room then and found Amy gazing out the open window opposite the entrance. She was confronted by her back, and the pinkette appeared to be unaware of Amira's presence. "Um, hi Amy," the older girl began cautiously. "We sorta got off on the wrong foot, and-"
"Did Sonic come up with you?" Amy asked without turning around. Her voice possessed a sinister tone.
The erratic question surprised her. "What?"
"Did Sonic come up with you?" she repeated with emphasis on every word.
"Yeah; he's in the other room."
"Perfect." Amy turned around and marched out of the room, her features holding a furious expression. Amira sat on the make-shift cot resting on the left side of the room, curious as to what Amy was doing. She soon found out.
"Sonic, how could you?" the young girl's voice shouted from the other side of the wall.
"How could I what?" Sonic snapped back.
"How could you bring her here? Especially knowing how I feel?"
"Amy, what're ya talkin' about?"
"You know exactly what I'm talking about! Bringing her here… It hurts, Sonic! It shows me that you don't care about us at all!"
"Maybe that's 'cause there is no 'us'!"
"What?" Amy's voice became tearful.
"How many times do I hafta tell you? We were never together, Amy! Never have been, never will be! So stop playing this dilusional game with me! I've had it up to here with it, and I can't take it anymore! Ya got it?"
There was ominous silence afterward. A few seconds later, the door slammed; then Amira's own was shoved open by Amy. Tears streaking along her cheeks, she furiously marched towards Amira, who continually inched away from her. "You ruined everything!"
Placing terror to the side, Amira attempted to reason with her. "Whoa, wait a minute! Just calm down-"
"No! I will not calm down! You stole Sonic from me, and no one gets away with it! No one!"
Amy pulled out a large, damaging hammer from behind her and held it in a swinging position. Amira braced herself against the incoming attack, but it never came. Sonic rushed into the room then, grabbed onto Amy's arms and began to pull her towards the door. All the while the hedgette violently protested, struggling to break free.
"Amy, stop it! You don't wanna hurt her!" Sonic shouted to her.
"Don't I?" Amy yanked even harder against him; using her momentum, however, Sonic pulled her back and whipped her around, keeping her still with two hands planted firmly on her shoulders. The two of them stared intensely at each other for a moment, their green eyes seemingly having their own silent conversation. Soon, Amy put her hammer away and nudged against Sonic's grasp. He released her, and she stalked out of the room and down the staircase. The cobalt hedgehog then turned his attention to Amira.
"Are you okay?" he asked, worry evident in his voice. "She didn't hurt you, did she?"
"No, I'm fine, she just shook me up a little, that's all. But Sonic, I think you should go talk to her. Ya know, maybe explain things to her, without all the screaming and insulting. She was obviously upset, and a good talk should make her feel better."
The sapphire male considered this for a minute, then said, "Ya know, you're right. Maybe then she'll finally get it." He walked to the door and paused in the opening. "I'll be back," he promised her; then he left the room and went down the stairs. Amira watched him leave with unexpected sadness, and she soon caught herself anxiously counting the minutes until he returned.
*Uh oh… Looks like somebody's a little jealous… This could get ugly…*
An hour later, Amira saw what she had kept herself awake for; Sonic had finally returned, and was walking up the stairs. He stopped in her doorway and looked around the darkened room, knocking lightly on the open door.
"Amira, are you awake?" he called out in a near-whisper.
"Yeah, I am," she said just as softly.
Sonic's expression became surprised. "Really?" He walked into the room and sat down on the bed next to Amira before continuing. "I thought you wouldda fallen asleep as soon as I left, considering the long day you had. What're ya still doin' up?"
"Couldn't sleep," Amira said, partially lying; her forced consciousness was a choice. "So, how'd things with Amy go?"
"Not too good," he sighed. "I tried to explain things to her, but the entire time she wouldn't stop trying to convince me that we're a couple. Then after I finally finished talkin' she stomped off, and she still looked really ticked."
"Well," Amira started, "you did all you could. I guess you'll just hafta let Amy deal with it on her own."
"Yeah, I guess you're right…" Sonic leaned back against the wall. "But I can't help feelin' like…there's more I gotta say to her, ya know? Like I gotta explain things better, but that's the problem-I explained everything the best I could." Releasing a defeated sigh, he muttered. "Girls… I'll never understand 'em…" They were silent for a moment, then Sonic continued on with eyes focused on her. "Which reminds me-I hardly know anything about you, Amira."
The hedgette looked at him with wide eyes, reluctant to answer his implied question. He wanted to learn more about her past, she knew, but that was dangerous territory, containing information she was unwilling-and unable-to give. "Um, listen Sonic…" Her words faltered, trying to avoid the sensitive subject. "It's kinda late, and I…"
"I understand," Sonic cut in. Amira caught the hint of disappointment in his voice. "You don't hafta say. I was being nosy—"
"No you weren't!" Amira interjected, guilty. "You have a right to know, and I should—"
"Hey, it's okay," he interrupted, placing a hand on Amira's shoulder. He then laughed his low, gentile chuckle. "How many times are we gonna try to reassure each other?"
"I dunno," she replied, smiling, "until we finally convince each other, I guess."
"Probably." He chuckled softly to himself again, then stood up and walked toward the door. He paused in the doorway and faced her in the darkness. "Good night, Amira."
"Good night, Sonic," she whispered back to him. He grinned, then quietly shut her door. Amira settled into her bed and was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Her own soft smile never abandoned her lips.
*Done! Well, I must say, this was not my favorite chapter... I mean, some important details were given and stuff, but in terms of excitement level, I was not giddy. Nope, not one bit. Ah well, not all chapters can be perfect, even though it is me writing 'em ;D And that was my cocky moment for today.
Oh, and by the way, the guard rail I mentioned? Yeah, I own that too heehee There really isn't one in the games, even though considering how close the city is to the ocean (like, practically touching), for safetly purposes there should be one there. But safety was not my concern when I created it; there's a completely different reason for its existance... And now, I said too much again! XD Well, I will see you again in Chapter 3, which I can guarantee is more fun than this one! Adios, mis amigos! (heehee, spanish...)*