She's back!
*Cue expensive dance number*
I'm back!
*End of expensive dance number*
First off, I want to thank everyone for reading, and building up the fan base for this story so far. Really, it is you guys who inspire me to write.
So thanks.
I know it's been forever, and maybe you want to know how my senior went and all that fabulous jazz but I don't want to keep you guys up any longer. So just know that I am grateful to have an audience, and that I enjoy working on this story, even though my random updates don't always convey this. Okay?
Let's do this.
Disclaimer: I do not own SEGA or any of their characters. If I did, I probably wouldn't change voice actors so frequently...
Chapter 7: Out On the Main Streets (Part 1)
RING!
RING!
An abrupt ringing pierced through Amy's ears as she bolted awake. Gasping for air and extending herself upright, she desperately ripped out the headphones in her ears like a plug in a wall.
She would have screamed, fallen off of her mattress in a fit due to this unconventional wake-up tactic, but it took her a while to realize what was happening.
Or where she was, for that matter.
Still gasping silently, Amy let her eyes scan over the absolute black environment, her only source of light the dim blue hum of morning soaking through the lining of the window sill. When a yawn erupted from her throat, she proceeded to shut off her alarm clock with a much gentler click of her index finger. She then began to soothe her throbbing ears as she stared into the thick dark obis.
Why am I wearing headphones in the first place?
Rubbing night's inevitable crust from her eyes, she sat there perplexed. As quick as the alarm clock had woken her up, her realization came quickly.
Shadow.
She had to rise up early, at 5:55 a.m to get up before him. To make sure that she was transformed before him. Naturally any alarm clock could have woken him up. So if she connected it to her headphones- yes it was all coming to her now- there wouldn't be a disturbance to him.
Just hearing loss for her.
Amy made a mental note to reduce the volume next time before lightly jumping to her feet, her plaid flannel pajamas skimming the ground.
The bathroom door was perpendicular to her bed, just five simple strides away. However, the now crimson female couldn't help herself from turning toward Shadow's direction. His bed was farther into the room, in front of the only window. The same light trying to protrude from the outside was somewhat successful at outlining Shadow's sleeping form even in the darkness.
He was a silent sleeper; it was almost as if he were dead. The way his body was still, and unmoving underneath his sheets was a little unnerving. That was until he released a lazy yawn before shifting into another position.
What do ya know? Amy amused before turning her direction to the bathroom, Shadow is alive.
But cold at that, Amy thought as she shut the door behind her, flicking on the light. She squinted at her reflection in the over-illuminated space.
She pathetically supported her upper body on the cool bronze-textured countertop. The 5:55a.m wake up call was too early for her. Especially considering the fact that school started at 8:15.
She rose up and blinked her eyes rapidly in an effort to become more alert. This however, only gave her sight of her appearance.
Look at her.
Look at him.
Ugh, she couldn't tell anymore.
Aside from the slight outlining of her figure that her baggy pajamas could never fully camouflage, Amy's self was lost, but she wasn't convinced that this Mercury character she was trying to portray was completely present either.
Her quills were in distorted, flailing in every possible direction -probably from all of the tossing and turning it took to actually fall asleep, let alone wake up this early.
Bags hung from underneath her eyes with utmost distinction- this was not a good look for the first day.
Nevertheless, Amy began to strip down, preparing to take a shower. She gazed at her body through the mirror. It was still the same, but just red. The color had completely engulfed her original pink hue.
But is this worth it? She began to question as the water spurred in the shower. She released a sigh before stepping in.
Day one, and this whole mission seemed impossible.
Going to school with guys.
Living with a guy.
Being a guy.
The last one seemed to be especially problematic as she now had to betray her beloved rosemary-mint body wash for the dreaded, over powering musk of male soap. A grimace colored her complexion before she lathered the thick (color-safe) liquid on her body.
Ugh.
Though she had to give credit to Cream, she thought out all of the little kinks. It just couldn't be denied that the rabbit girl really got a kick out of the whole thing...
When Amy finished, she relaxed a bit in her naked form. After all, she would never be this exposed. It would never be this easy to tell that she was a girl. She had the chemically altered crimson fur. In a few minutes she would have her uniform on. The gauze.
She'd become Mercury, and then she would belong here. It was as foolproof as that, Amy gave herself a consolatory smile.
But a sudden thud on the door did little to reassure her.
Note to self, stop thinking things are foolproof!
Amy turned to the door in silence before another knock was heard.
"Get out," Shadow authoritatively commanded.
What the? Amy didn't know what to be more irritated about.
The fact that she hadn't even been in the bathroom for 10 minutes or Shadow's tone. Who did he think he was?
The second option was the clear winner, but getting into a confrontation with Shadow (nude, mind you) probably wasn't the best route to take.
She had already started one high school on a bad foot. That is, if a bad foot equaled a bitch's tyranny. It wasn't in her best interest to do it here. At least not on the first day.
"Almost done,"Amy spoke out with her teen, male, boy voice. She winced at the displeasing sound as she slipped on her black trousers. She sounded like a pre-pubescent man child. I'll work on that a bit more.
"Hurry up," Shadow simply replied as Amy huffed in door's direction. See how long it would take him to put on a gauze. A gauze that she feared as she finished tightening, was slowly pressing her chest into oblivion...
She threw on her button up blazer and scanned her appearance, smoothing out her quills until she, or the more important he was presentable. She took a deep breath before turning the golden door knob.
The sunlight had finally peered through the room and the thick opaqueness was loosing it's dimming quality. Shadow however- in his black form- seemed to emerge from nowhere as if he were darkness itself.
Amy gave a slight wave before shifting from the doorway. "Good morning," Amy spoke lightly, regaining the essence of her male, Mercury voice.
Shadow brushed past her, shutting the door behind him.
Amy crossed her arms and huffed. Jackass. She took another deep breath before staring at the clock. 6:15. She threw her backpack over shoulders and headed for the door. Sure, school didn't start for two hours, but anywhere but this dorm room was a more tempting option.
With one foot already out of the door, Amy felt her spirits rising like the dawning sun.
Now if only she didn't have to go back to that room.
Amy was quickly adjusting to her loafers as her steps were no longer clumsy and performed with little dismay.
It was to her advantage that she was a quick learner, but a little birdie (try twin-tailed fox) told her that adjusting to Augustine wouldn't be half as easy.
At last, Amy stepped down to the ground floor. Jade orbs scanned the room cautiously. She didn't expect anyone to be down here so early, but on her first day, when an unaccustomed amount of unwanted attention was already on her, she couldn't afford to let her guard down.
Walking into a darkened room, Amy found the light switch.
The room turned out to be a lounge as the subdued hallway led her to a room filled with two chocolate brown, contemporary sofas parallel to each other, a rather large flat screen hanging proudly on a refined, but somehow sporty blue wall perpendicular to them, champagne colored viewing chairs cluttered around the room, sport and video game posters plastered on every bit of wall.
Somehow, the air still contained a hidden aroma of sophistication and scholarly cultivation. It was just obvious that boys had seized the space as theirs, preventing the room from reaching its full uncluttered potential.
Boys and all of their chaotic glory.
Amy cracked a smile as she wrestled through the chairs, descending on the sofa in a soft plump.
Taking in the quiet tranquility of the room, she decided to relax on the sofa until the boys started to dominate the space.
That would give her what? An hour or so until they came down? After all, she was pretty sure that boys didn't have to struggle with the morning beauty rituals females deemed necessary.
But how would she kill the next hour and a half? She retreated to her backpack, pulling out her new student folder that she somehow still hadn't looked through.
Plucking open the folder, she examined her schedule closely. Like the principal had reassured her, the schedule was essentially the same as before, just alternate hours. Amy's eyes scanned the list as she was presented with an alternative former schedule:
AP History
AP Calculus
Philharmonic Orchestra
Lunch
AP Physics
AP English
Technology Lab
Technology Lab? The last class on the list left her slightly dazed. She had never heard of such a thing. But in a technologically advancing society, it did seem more practical than Home Ec.
She tucked the folder back into her backpack as she settled into the plushy sofa. Cracking open one of her AP English reads, Invisible Man, which she was actually was enjoying, she was to unwind on the sofa in comfort. Why not take advantage of the quiet environment? There was no shame in relaxing here. Especially since she was always restless in Avalon.
And she needed, desperately needed, for that to change here.
Sipping from an oversized, stainless steel container of coffee was non other than Avalon's favorite pyrotechnic feline, Blaze the Cat.
Located in the front of Avalon's gilded gates, in the shelter of her SUV sheered the color of gold, the cat's emotional and mental states acted to pale almost unnaturally in comparison.
After Amy's sudden disappearing act, Blaze obligated her mornings, her glum golden orbs skimmed over the car's analogue clock-very early mornings- to locate and return Amy back to Avalon.
To put it simply, Blaze's mornings-ESSENTIALLY HER LIFE- had been reduced to an Amy search.
One that each passing day seemed to turn even more doubtful.
Consisting of her treading the town, searching practically everywhere in a cautious and vigilant manner, she was surprised that she hadn't gotten any results whatsoever.
And then there were the flyers. Blaze's eyes fell to a dwindling stack of "Missing: Amy Rose" flyers resting on the passengers seat. Placed in parts of Avalon, the town, local markets, and teen hangouts, Blaze had placed the posters in every corner of the public eye.
However, they too, had proven to be useless.
"But why?" Blaze slammed her fist down on the dashboard, her eyes nitid with sudden burning fury. "Why is this so hard?"
As she took one handout from the stack, her passionate, but sullen eyes bore into Amy's. A recent yearbook picture of the rose hedgehog was plastered below prominent black lettering on a white background. Even though Blaze had not spoken to Amy in several days, Amy's detached smile spoke for her.
Amy was wretched. And it showed every second that she trailed the halls as a numb puppet of Sally's oppression.
But Sally's oppression did break Amy little by little, until finally she broke.
But couldn't she have gotten help before it escalated that far? Blaze thought to herself, miserably taking another self-pitying swig of her cold, depressing coffee. She slammed the cup down, bowing her head in shame. Who would have? I should have intervened...I was the only one who would have.
And apparently the principal was aware of this too.
After Amy's disappearance, he put her responsible for finding Amy. That or forfeiting her position as school secretary and serving part of Amy's suspension.
She looked straight ahead, focusing on nothing, yet something particular all the same.
It wasn't the principal's demand that brought her out here every morning.
She needed to ensure that Amy was safe. That was what she was worried about.
But at the same time, it was completely ridiculous that she was being punished for Sally's actions.
Blaze was enraged, feeling the frigid coffee begin to boil in her mouth. Maybe that was how Amy felt. Blaze stopped herself. Who was she kidding?
That was exactly how Amy felt.
That Friday would never cascade away, and until Blaze knew that Amy was safe, she would do this, redeeming herself as the friend she never completely was.
Amy.
She could have helped her so much. She could have made Amy's unbearable high school experience into one with immeasurable joy. Even if that meant forfeiting her own popular status.
Blaze closed her eyes. All because she was too worried about her reputation. From being directly bullied in her younger years, she let the same bullying come indirectly by not following her heart.
"Reputation," she sighed, her eyes flicking toward the campus gates. "Where am I at now?"
What was an opulent reputation if she couldn't live with herself?
Blaze could feel a sharp shock stun her body. What if Amy could no longer live with herself? Literally?
Blaze shook her head frantically. That would never happen. Amy wasn't the suicidal-type. She wouldn't.
Again, it was not like they were best friends. And at the tragically defeated state she left Avalon it's not like that wasn't a reasonable possibility. Would she?
Revving the engine, Blaze could feel more motivation being fueled into her cause.
If anything happened to Amy-She couldn't even finish that thought.
Maybe she'd burn Avalon to the ground. In Amy's honor. Starting with torching Sally to a crisp. After all, Sally was always going on about how crucial it was for her to be hot.
Try literally on fire.
As Blaze continued her search, the idea amused her. But mental jokes alone couldn't bring the true ease of finding Amy.
It didn't matter so much where Amy was, so long as she was safe. And that was what Blaze had to ensure.
"Wake up."
"Huh?" Amy subconsciously mumbled, the presence of sleep not yet gone. She shifted further into the couch, clinging onto her unconsciousness.
"Wake up," an unknown student repeated above her, this time shaking Amy's shoulders, which as a result forced her upright. "You're going to be late," he said firmly. He swiftly glanced at his watch. "I'm going to be late."
"For what?" Amy managed to respond with her eyes closed, sleep's dominance now beginning to lose its strength.
"Class," he simply stated. Like the reaction to touching a hot burner, Amy jolted up, catching sight of the student, a magenta colored chameleon.
"What?" Amy uttered, before making note of the femininity in her voice. "How come no one woke me?" she questioned desperately as she rushed to her feet, haphazardly gathering her materials and quickly placing her backpack over her shoulders all the while feeling panic consume her.
She had what? Ten minutes to get to class on a foreign campus?
She placed her hand over her mouth, fighting the urge to give an exasperated sigh or grunt- she didn't know what guys did when they were overwhelmed.
So much for not being restless here.
The student's golden eyes met Mercury's as she tried to calm herself down. "I suppose that is why I am here," the student replied, shrugging his shoulders, obviously not deterred by the time-crunched situation.
Just then Amy realized the imbecility behind her words.
How come no one woke me?
She was the new kid. Of course no one would wake her. In any one else's shoes she probably would have overlooked the sleeping boy too.
"Feel fortunate," the chameleon continued, "you know what they say, let a sleeping dog-" his sharp eyes scanned over Mercury, accessing his species. "hedgehog, lie."
Amy somewhat nodded as the tenseness in her face began to subside. "Thanks anyways," Amy smiled genuinely, as the chameleon bowed his head slightly. "Mercury," Amy said calmly.
"Espio,"Amy smiled.
"So, do you do any under cover work?" Amy felt herself question as Espio raised a brow.
"Hm?" he said before his eyes fell on his watch again.
"Well the definition of espionage is the act or practice of spying. The name Espio made me think of that word, so I guess I just jumped to conclusions..."Amy stated, scratching her quills. Espio looked down at the crimson hedgehog, blinking his eyes. He didn't wake up an idiot.
"I suppose so..." Espio considered. " I must admit that I had never made the connection. I mean, I have been trained in many forms of martial arts, but I wouldn't go as far as saying I'm a ninja," he asserted as Mercury nodded.
"It's getting late," Espio finally said, heading toward the front door, "you have five minutes. I would recommend that you start leaving."
With that, the chameleon took a jujitsu stance and performed a few quick gestures with his fingers that looked as if he were replicating some sort of ancient japanese art. A shroud of swirling leaves covered his form as he disappeared in the air.
What the hell? Amy stood dumbfounded until she realized that she couldn't afford to waste anymore time.
The same feelings of dread and panic began to course through her veins as she burst through the door leading to the outside, confronted by a near empty campus.
That meant almost everyone were in their respective hallways, or in their respective classes, not about to face the punishments of being late.
Like she would if she didn't get a move on.
Twirling around in circles to see where she was suppose to go, Amy gave up and began sprinting.
Why couldn't I have superpowers?
Espio, some guy she just met disappeared before her eyes. Sonic and Shadow had super speed. Rouge could fly. Knuckles could glide and had incredible strength. Tails was a super genius. Blaze and Silver had psychokinetic and psychokinetic abilities, and Sally could probably buy superpowers if she wanted to.
She had a hammer.
She sighed to herself as she continued, fighting to keep motivated. They would never be in this situation.
Running for their lives to avoid the humiliation and punishment of being tardy. On the first day.
Her shoes clanked against the pavement at a rapid pace as she desperately tried to get on class on time. In front of her, she could see a building arising from the horizon. Plastered along the brick wall of the establishment, dull grey lettering confirmed that somehow she going the right way. Covington History Hall.
History was her first hour.
With her blind instinct confirming that she was on tract, Amy could feel herself speeding up, her jittering anxiety subsiding. She didn't even care that her heart was on fire, feeling the blood boiling from the back of her throat.
Prying the door open, she couldn't stop her pace as she tried to remember the classroom number. She didn't have time to dive into her folder to search. Slamming her eyes shut, she tried to force the thought to come to her. No avail.
Too bad Scourge didn't do a more thorough job of helping her to actually remember where her classrooms were instead of educating her on all of the Avalon girls he had slept with...
Nice guy, she considered as she could feel her energy draining from her as she continued to run aimlessly, but a total man whore.
Then, she stopped.
Taking in her surroundings, she saw two cherry colored doors opposite of each other, with glass windows aligning the sides of them so that she could see her new school mates in uniform. The two doors were cracked open slightly, and not everyone was in their seats, so that gave her the indication that class had not yet started. But based on the utter emptiness of the hallways, she had roughly 20 seconds or so until the bell would ring.
And she thought she was making progress.
Amy immediately turned her head to the right. On the glass window, the class hours that the teacher taught were written on paper, then taped on.
First Period- AP Geography
She shook her head. That wasn't it. Turning to the other classroom, luckily the teacher had done the same thing.
Scanning the paper desperately, her eyes relaxed when she knew this was it.
First Period- AP History
Opening the door wider for entry, the moment Amy set one foot in, the bell rang. Amy slouched her head down in defeat as the teacher stopped her in her tracks.
"You're late," Amy heard a female voice state. Amy rose her head up, cocking a brow.
Another female teacher? Amy sighed to herself. She thought that boys would be the ones to expose her. Now after only being presented by female faculty workers on her first few days here, she wasn't so sure.
"I'm sorry," Amy said, remembering to use her new voice. Part of her was somewhat annoyed. Technically, she was in the classroom on time. Any laid back teacher would have let it go. Especially considering the fact that she was a new student.
This wasn't the welcoming committee she was expecting.
"No excuses, just make sure this doesn't happen again..." her deep blue orbs bore into Amy's. "And your name?"
Amy gulped, making sure to get it right on the first try, "Mercury the Hedgehog."
The teacher, a rather slender cow the color of honey, lead her to the front of the classroom as a nervous Amy tried not to stumble over her oversized loafers. Cream...
"Class, we have a new student," she said with authority in her voice. Although Amy wasn't looking at anyone in particular, she could tell that the class was being attentive. The new student was always a spectacle.
Oh great, Amy thought as she gave an internal eye roll, the attention that I don't want.
"Mercury the Hedgehog. Please make him feel welcome," she presented. But the amount of command in her voice told Amy that that please was an order that they must abide to.
Amy could feel herself relax slightly, although she never strayed her eyes off of the poster listing Mobian Presidents at the back of the room.
"However..." the teacher, Mrs. Cowdry began, "even though you are a new student, I do not take tardiness lightly," Amy turned to the teacher now, scared to hear what she would say next.
"Mr. Hedgehog, you will have to complete a four paged, single spaced report on how this-" Mrs. Cowdry strutted over to her desk in her black stilettos that didn't seem very appropriate for her job, or who she was surrounded by on a daily basis for that matter. A tight fitting pencil skirt and a fitted blouse that accentuated her bust also didn't help either. She handed Amy a packet on political cartoons that appeared to be some response to a historical event.
"-relates to the Business Enterprise Rebellion using three primary sources, due tomorrow morning ten minutes before class. If you even think about being late again, Mr. Mercury, I will have you removed from this class and placed into remedial history," she spat at hedgehog's face as Amy blinked rapidly, unable to process everything this maniacal teacher demanding.
Mrs. Cowdry then proceeded toward a large Promethean board plastered on the wall. Effortlessly clicking a button to turn it on, her eyes darted at Amy's, who was still frozen in the center of the room.
"Do you have any questions?" the teacher asked sharply, as Amy slowly shook her head. "Then you may sit down," she said, motioning a hand toward the desks. Slowly, Amy plopped down on a random empty desk. Absorbing the blows the teacher had thrown onto her, Amy brought out a pen and paper to prepare to take notes.
"Glad you made it," Espio said from behind her as Amy turned around to face him. She gave a weak smile. "Now you see why I had to teleport here," he humored, looking over to see if the teacher could overhear his conversation. He lowered his tone. "She's a pretty sight, but an utter monster." he joked with a pun as Amy fought the urge to laugh. In an effort to refrain from laughing, she started coughing loudly.
The teacher turned toward Mercury in disgust. "Get a hold of yourself, young man," she said, before focusing on the attention of the board. There was a collective group of snickering as Amy continued to feel moritfied.
"Now," the teacher started, commanding silence from the room once more, as somehow Amy's coughing ceased.
"The Feminist movement," she said as she finished writing it on the board. "We're starting the first chapter of it today, so bring out your laptops and log onto your online textbooks," Amy began to brighten up. She had remembered her laptop. Opening her grey backpack, she frowned.
It wasn't there.
Amy closed her eyes, releasing another sigh. But it was just there! She didn't remember bringing it out in the lobby. But she did remember taking it out in the dorm. She slapped her hand to her forehead. If it wasn't for Shadow's presence making me want to rush out...
"Young man," the teacher barked, "So you forgot your laptop, didn't you? Why it seems like you like to have all the attention," she teased in the snarky way teachers teased when irritated.
Amy gave a mental scoff. Only because you give it to me.
The cow teacher motioned her hand, beckoning Mercury forward. "Come up here," Amy rose up quickly, leaving her caution and timidness at her desk.
This teacher was a bitch. Amy had a feeling that there was no way to please her, and she was not going to give Mrs. Cowdry the satisfaction of seeing her or him quiver underneath her presence.
"Yes?" Amy said, transforming into Mercury as she came to the front of the class room. The teacher gave a snotty grin.
"I want you to verbally state what lead to the Mobius Feminist Movement, the women involved, the date it started and ended, the treaties passed, and show an example of how the actions of then have impacted women today," she listed, the glow in her eyes confirming that she was quiet proud of this punishment she had conjured up.
Well the joke was on her. Avalon practically required everyone to know the feminist movement like the back of their hand. Avalon was previously an all-girls school, and back in the day, the two schools stood side by side. Augustine's Academy of Young Men and Avalon's Academy for Young Ladies.
Mrs. Cowdry was messing with the wrong hedgehog.
Amy gave a small smirk, before turning her attention toward the class. She could see their faces, some of them wincing at the magnitude of information that they wouldn't be able to answer, and the others in tickled enjoyment, eager to see how this would all end.
"Sure thing," Amy nodded. "The Mobius Feminist Movement started on September 1, 1897 after Clara Posseum, an inteligent housewife in the town of Niterous was raped and shot in the head after refusing to educate the men of the town in reading and writing because they refused to give jobs to the local women of the town specifically stating that as men they were above women and that women should be confined to household roles. Some of the young women she educated acted in revolt, protesting the injustice that fell upon Mrs. Clara. Nora Ferret and Chandra Rabbit led these women for six years, igniting nonviolent protest throughout Mobius and promoting the Equal Rights Bill to be passed at the Capitol. After social and political unrest, President Leopard Johnson finally passed the bill in the second year of his second term on October 4, 1903. The bill, also informally known as Clara's Law, promised that women will not be discriminated in the workplace and will not be denied jobs for sole the fact that they are female. The feminist movement officially ended two months later on December 5, 1903."
Amy took a deep a breath before turning to her teacher who looked unnaturally surprised at Mercury's intellect.
"As for you, being able to teach a group of young men such as ourselves, conveys that you are a prime example of how the feminist movement still has a powerful effect today," Amy finished as she could feel the class staring in awe. "So is that enough? I mean, I could go on-"
"That won't be necessary," Mrs. Cowdry sighed in defeat.
With that, Amy heard some of the boys in the back wowing at Mercury with nods and thumbs ups of approval. Mrs. Cowdry shook her head, trying to regain her ascendance over the classroom, but Mercury had stolen the show.
"Thank you, Mr. Hedgehog," she said rather smudgily. "Now. Sit. Down."
"I'd be delighted to," Amy smiled before taking a seat. Receiving a few whispered congrats, words of approval, and even a small bow from Espio, Amy beamed.
Maybe this won't be so bad after all.
So what did'ya think?
I know, not the most action-packed chapter, but just you wait. Something big will happen, and it's just around
the corner.
Also, I know my writing is a bit lengthy with detail, but I wanted to specifically write about her first day. And there's still part two...
Point is, expect more concise chapters in the future.
So please review, and don't be afraid to leave some constructive criticism. It's been a while since I've worked on this story, and as the readers only you can give me indicate on what's working or what isn't. If you feel that you have a specific comment on plot, or structure, also feel free to PM me. I've got the story pretty figured out as to where I want it to go, but again, I write for you. So please, please review!
Chapter 8 should be updated on Monday (or maybe sooner...) :P
Oh, and catch a glimpse of my other story, Sleeping. Once the CR hits the ground running, I'll try to update that.
Again, it feels good coming back, and thanks for your support.
~Rave
