Chapter 4:

Ivy came into Shade's room the next morning around five o' clock and expected to find her sleeping, but no, she had music on playing from an iPod connected to a stereo that had definately not been there the night before. The same with the bookshelf. It was full of mostly fiction books. "What are you reading Shade? And could you read me some of your favorite parts in it?" "Alright, the book is called Taming the Tiger Within.

Excerpt number 1:

Inside every one of us is a garden, and every practitioner has to go back to their garden and take care of it. Maybe in the past, you left it untended for a long time. You should know exactly what is going on in your own garden, and try to put everything in order. Restore the beauty; restore the harmony in your garden. If it is well tended, many people can enjoy your garden. With the energy of mindfulness, you can look into the garbage and say, "I am not afraid. I am capable of transforming the garbage back into love."

Excerpt number 2:

Compassion is a beautiful flower born of understanding. When you get angry with someone, practice breathing in and out mindfully. Look deeply into the situation to see the true nature of your own and the other person's suffering, and you will be liberated..."

"Wow, you read that?" "Yes." "Wow." "It's not anything special." "You don't call that special?" "No." "Oh boy, is that why your always so calm?" "Yes." "Wow, do you think I can tell the others?" "What?!" "Yeah why not? We can invite Team Chaotix over to meet you, we don't know them, but it would be nice to finally meet them. And Espio is supposed to like meditating. He and you will get along well!" "Don't tell the others in full extent about what I do, just tell them I was meditating." "Oh alright." "Thank you." Ivy called Team Chaotix as she'd said she would and they arrived around ten o' clock. "Sorry we're late. Charmy wanted to get an ice cream cone." Apologized Vector while glaring at Charmy who didn't notice and continued eating his ice cream cone. "That's quite alright." Said Ivy letting them in. "This is the gang, Sniper, my brother, Vivid, Tralska, Chaos, Iflip, Ball, Cookie (Espio's blush went unnoticed because of his scale colour) and this is the newest edition to the gang who I met yesterday. Shade! And she says she's been stuck in a tube for twenty years!" Team Chaotix's attention immediately switched to Shade who was looking fixedly at the wall. "What's wrong Shade? Come on! If you could take down twenty guys who could beat me up with a needed two month recovery time in ten minutes you can get through an introduction, or were you anti-social where you came from?" "I was not anti-social..." "Then come on." Ivy pulled Shade up and sighing, Shade held out her hand, when she shook Espio's hand they where momentarily in each others mind for some reason causing Espio to recoil. She had just said in his mind, "Sometimes these people don't understand me, I'd rather be meditating!" At the same time he had been thinking how much he'd rather be doing meditation. After the introductions were done Vector started talking to Vivid and Tralska, Charmy started to play monopoly with Ivy and Ball, and Espio and Shade went out onto the patio. "Why where you in my head?" "I don't know, it must have been from that experiment." "What...?" "I told those guys inside that I wouldn't tell them yet and I'm not going to tell you." "Alright." They stood in silence for a few minutes before Shade broke it, "You like to meditate?" "Yes. But I don't get to very often because of Charmy." "Come up to my room, we can meditate there." Espio's blush this time was very obvious. "I couldn't..." "You can and you will, it's not like I'm going to force you to do anything you don't want to, we'd only be meditating." "Alright." The only way the others knew about her and Espio meditating together was because Charmy caught sight of them and started to chant:

"Espio and Shade sitting in a tree

K.I.S.S.I.N.G.

First comes love, then comes marriage,

Then comes a baby in a baby carriage."

"It isn't like that you fuzzy bit of slime, we're only meditating together since you take it upon yourself to interrupt him all the time." Shade then turned on her heel and went up the stairs with Espio following her, Charmy was so shocked by her reply that he was actually quiet and didn't notice that Ivy and Ball where winning until it was too late. "We won!" "NOOOOO!" Shade smiled to herself, "Serves him right." Once inside the room Shade closed the door and locked it, then she set out two cushions near the wall and lined up meditation candles, she somehow knew the kind of meditation Espio used. But he could feel a different kind of energy from his own coming from her when she meditated, it was kind of like she was feeling good and was doing something she liked to do while meditating, little did he know that when she meditated she wished for everyone in the world to be happy and it made her feel wonderful to imagine a world where everyone was happy.

Author note: This might have been lame... if you think otherwise, by all means let me know with reviews, if you agree, I give you my most hearty consent to flame me all you want as long as you use no vulgar language. Thank you very much for reading this story so far.