The window was open, the breeze drifting inside, the curtains swaying gently, long silky wings that enveloped the both of them, long black silhouettes that were sitting on her bed, one human-shaped, and one the shape of a tall and quilly hedgehog, that was alive and hearing everything Schiza had to say about her life. It was a cool, brisk night, with many lights illuminating the outside, the golden orbs of the streetlights glowing for the cars that couldn't hear them, couldn't see them, especially a stuffed animal that used to been a toy, but was now a living creature. Schiza thought that it was a miracle, one last final bout the old God gave before he fell to the shadows, and she thought she couldn't be happier. She stopped crying as Sonic held her, his big hands not at all intimidating to her. They weren't there to hurt her. They were there to give her comfort, and peace.

"Yeah, you told me before about your parents. They seem to have real issues if they think hurting their own child would be okay," he said as he tucked Schiza inside his body, nodding slightly.

"I…really do hate them, Sonic. My mom was never like this until she got married to my dad. Things then changed and just got pretty bad." She looked down on her knees. "My dad threatens and hurts my mom and she takes out her anger on me. I was crying so bad because she got out the belt and began to whip me because the nurse in my school thinks something is wrong. I know she's trying to help, but I feel like she's making things even worse," she whispered, her voice very soft and afraid.

"Well, she's concerned, and I'm sure if she finds out what's going on she can help you…"

"But Sonic!" She would've exclaimed it loudly if it wasn't for her mother, who would probably come back upstairs and punish her again if she heard her. So she made her voice barely above a whisper again. "If she finds out, my parents will kill me! They're so mean and evil that I'm sure that once they find out they'll stab me and probably put me in a dumpster somewhere! You know they'll do it!"

"I'll make sure they won't hurt you." Sonic let Schiza go, and he jumped off the bed, examining her appearance. While he was very concerned, he couldn't help but shake his head and make a few clicking noises with his tongue, to show that he disapproved of what her parents were doing to her. "But I don't blame her for getting concerned over what you look like. You're a mess."

"I know, but I don't really think it's my fault. My mom and dad don't let me go to the bathroom very often unless I really need to go, but even then, they look over me and it's really embarrassing. They always want me to go to my room, only go to the kitchen if there's food ready, only go to the bathroom if I really need to go…they don't let me go anywhere in the house by myself because they think I'll mess up the place. The only time I can is when I come back from school and they're not there. My mom says that she doesn't want to deal with me anymore so she sticks me in my room and makes me read Bible verses."

"That's definitely messed up." Sonic began to look at the window, with the curtains billowing in the wind. There was a screen behind it, but the breeze could still escape through, but Sonic still had thoughts of ripping the screen open and escaping from this Godforsaken place. "Hey, have you ever thought about busting this screen open and going out?"

"Sonic, I don't think we should do that…"

"Well, you probably have seen it all in movies and stuff, but have you ever thought of using your bed sheet as a rope and…"

"I can't do that Sonic!" She made sure her voice wasn't audible to her mother again, before she spoke in a quiet tone again. "I can't run away! What if they find me and they kill me?"

"They won't," he firmly said. "I know they won't. Trust me. I'll make sure they get what for if they ever lay a finger on you."

"It's not a good idea! It's really late anyways. I don't want to go out there at night."

"Good point." He continued to cluck with his tongue, thinking of a plan. "Maybe we can do it in the morning. Just play hooky from school for one day. What do you think?"

She didn't want to skip school. It was one of the only things that she actually looked forward to. But she thought more about what would happen if she just ran away, into the deepest, outer trenches of the woods, where her parents could never find her. She could live there with just Sonic, and escape to the library when her parents were too busy at work or didn't had time looking for their daughter they claimed to love so much, and live her life in nature, reading books. It was one of the things she wished for since she was young.

"Well...are we planning to live out there in the woods?"

"Why would you say that? We're just going to play hooky for one day, and around the time school's over, we can come back here so you don't get in trouble. I know you like school, but come on, we all need a break once in a while from there. I mean, you told me that sometimes the other children make fun of you and you get stressed from schoolwork. Let's take a break!"

Although she wished to live inside the school and she always talked about how she liked keeping her mind busy with academics, she forgot that every day wasn't always a godsend from her house. Some of the other children would laugh at her for her dirty and disheveled appearance. Call her "Schiza the Skeleton" and "Schiza the Mop" for her skin-and-bones thinness and her hair that always looked like a mop. She remembered once that another girl pushed her into the mud, saying that it didn't mattered that she pushed her because she looked like she had mud all over her anyways. Many of the other girls also always complained about her smell and also called her "Schiza the Skunk".

She even remembered, for some reason that she still to this day cannot understand, a girl from the 3rd or 4th grade pulled a cruel joke on her. She gave her a present, and when she opened it, it was a bar of soap. "Go take a bath and use it, you skunk!" she sneered before laughing about it with her friends. She actually got so angry that she threw the bar back at her, but it just barely missed hitting her in the face. Despite her clear anger, the girl continued to laugh at her as she ran down the hall.

"Well…okay Sonic, if it's just for one day. Do you think they'll find out I'm not in school?"

"We'll just make it look like we're getting ready tomorrow, and then we can do whatever we want. Your parents won't know."

She suddenly yawned loudly, trying to cover her mouth. She was tired. It's been long since she had a proper nap without worrying about her parents. But she felt safe with Sonic. She felt like he would protect her and make her feel at right with her bed again. "It's a good idea you get some sleep since tomorrow is going to be a big day," Sonic replied.

"Yeah, you're right…I should've asked you before, but why do you just want to spend a day with me? And how come you're real? Did God answer my prayer?"

"Well," he began. "To be honest Schiza, I'm really not too sure on that answer. But there's something I want to show you, and it's very important."

"What is it?" she asked, with her brown eyes looking expectantly at him.

"I can't tell you just yet. It's…supposed to be a surprise for you. But it's something that'll take the load off, trust me. I can't tell you how I'm real either, because…I don't know."

"You really don't know? So you just suddenly became real?"

"I don't know, it's honestly as big as a mystery as to why your parents are so cruel to you when I know you're a beautiful girl who deserves so much better in this world. But it would be a good idea if you get some rest. No more questions until sunrise," he winked, teasing in good spirits.

"Okay then…" she whispered, as she lied down on her bed. She was about to reach for her blankets until Sonic put them over her body, tucking her in tightly, his eyes looking deep into her brown eyes, curious but yet excited. But she would have to try to sleep as much as she could before Sonic could give her this gift, the gift of escape. "Good night Schiza. Sweet dreams."

"You too, Sonic. Goodnight."

When she looked back at him, he was completely stiff and unmoving. He only sat, his eyes no longer looking at her but just at the drifting curtains. He was a toy again, his body no longer alive.

She looked at him, wanting to find the answer as to how he became alive to her so much that her mind couldn't stop to think about it through the night, but her tiredness soon overwhelmed her.

She quickly went to sleep.