Tails awoke with a start. Something had a firm grip on his shoulder and his mouth, muffling the kit's cries for help.
"Shh, Tails!" the voice whispered desperately.
Tails waved a hand frantically and a bag laying on the table flew across the room.
A light flipped on and the pressure was gone. Tails sat up, gasping. He twisted and stared at the intruder pinned against the door. Landon stood in front of the attacker, a single finger inches from their neck. Landon's eyes shone an electric blue that matched the glow outlining his fingers.
"Who are you?" he growled, narrowing his eyes.
The intruder grabbed their throat. They coughed and gasped, sputtering incoherent words. Tails watched Landon wearily. He opened his mouth to suggest his roommate back off when the intruder spoke.
"A… Ava… Ava."
The boys exchanged looks of surprise. Landon released the girl and took a step back. Ava slumped against the door, leaning on her knees as she regained control of her breathing. Tails stepped forward, grabbing Ava's shoulder.
"Are you okay?" he asked, eyes wide with concern.
"Sorry," Landon mumbled. He shuffled back a few feet, sheepish and embarrassed.
"It's okay; I'm fine," Ava responded. She pushed past them and fought the urge to smile at Landon Prescott apologizing to her! She never thought she'd see the day.
"What are you doing?" he demanded.
Ava was sheepish. "Uh, I was wondering if you wanted to come to the kitchen with me. I wanna make muffins."
Landon stared. "You mean you broke into our room at-" He looked at the clock on his desk. "-at five in the morning just to cook and gossip? I take back my apology."
"The invitation was for Tails," Ava argued. "We have a day off today and I don't know, I'm craving muffins."
Tails pursed his lips. "I'm persuaded; let's go."
"Seriously?" Landon asked, switching his disbelief to his roommate.
"You can come with us if you want," Ava offered without even really thinking. She got like that sometimes, being in close proximity like they were in that moment. After she suggested it, she immediately felt stupid. Why would he want to hangout with them? A seventh grader with sixth graders? He's way too cool for them.
Landon studied her face, hesitant. He could hear her heart beating quicker than normal. What's her deal? "Uh, are you okay?"
"Yeah," Ava confirmed, nodding slowly. Why is he asking me that? Unless he… Her eyes widened. Spirit types can hear heartbeats. HE CAN HEAR MY HEARTBEAT. OMG. This is what every main character in YA novels fear!
Stuttering, Ava continued, "Of-Of course I'm okay! I'm… I'm cool! Like ice. I'm ice cold. I…"
The boys stared at her. The color from her cheeks flushed.
"Okay!" she clapped, hurriedly walking to the exit. "Let's get going! Those brownies aren't going to make themselves!" The cool air outside their room was a breath of fresh air. She took two steps down the hall before glancing over her shoulder. A part of her doubted Landon would actually come with them. She was convinced she'd scared him off with whatever that was. 'I'm ice cold?' What was I thinking?
To her relief and glee, Landon was right behind Tails, pulling the door shut with a quiet click.
"Ready?" Ava whispered.
Tails smiled. "Lead the way!"
•••••
The kitchen was guarded only by a heavy wooden door located just before the cafeteria entrance. Tails and Landon kept watch as Ava worked on the lock. She pretended to mess with the door for a moment before using her skeleton key.
"Let's go," she whispered, slipping inside.
"How'd you do that?" Landon asked. He and Tails followed close behind and Landon shut the door.
Ava walked to the back of the kitchen and turned on a lantern hanging by the back door. It wasn't gas powered like she had been expecting. Good thing, too. She wasn't a Fire type for a reason.
"I've got mad skills! Okay, so the mix should be over here."
Landon pushed himself on a metal counter. Tails hopped up next to him. They sat in silence for a moment, kicking their legs and listening to Ava rummage through cabinets.
"How'd you do that thing back in the room?" Tails asked. He spoke softly and it was loud enough to fill the kitchen. "I didn't think Spirit types could do that."
Landon explained, "I tapped into the Throat chakra and used it as a physical attack. There are layers in every type's power."
Tails was intrigued. "How'd you learn to do that?"
Landon didn't look at him. "Living on the streets requires some kind of defense."
The younger fox frowned. He began to respond when Ava announced, "I found the muffin mix!"
"Great," Landon yawned.
Ava smiled sheepishly. "You guys wouldn't happen to know how to make this, would you?"
Landon raised an eyebrow. "Just read the box."
Tails pushed off the table. "I can do it."
"You can?" Ava asked, surprised. "I was expecting this to be a learning experience for all of us."
Tails walked behind the table. He tore open the box and dumped the mix into a bowl. "My friend Amy bakes all the time," he explained, walking to the fridge. "When I was younger and Sonic stuck me with her, she taught me a few things."
"Why'd Sonic stick you with her?" Landon asked.
"Who's Sonic?" Ava said, unsure. She racked her brain for information. Had Tails mentioned this Sonic person before? Surely, if Landon knew.
Tails sat a carton of eggs on the table and looked at her. He narrowed his eyes and scrunched his brows. "Sonic the Hedgehog? Save the world like five times or more? I told you about him Monday."
"Oh right, right! Him! I remember him." Ava laughed, averting her eyes to the floor. She scratched her wrist anxiously. Her hunch had been right; she didn't miss school Monday. How could Tails have been with her if she was sick? He couldn't get to the seventh floor, so she must've met him at some point.
Tails narrowed his eyes, confused. She was acting weird again. Was she hiding something? He chose not to comment on it for now and returned to the muffins.
"Um yeah," he continued, opening the egg carton, "I'd have to stay with Amy when Sonic and our friend Knuckles would go and fight bad guys and stuff."
"What kinda bad guys?" Landon asked, curious.
"Mostly Dr. Eggman. He's this evil genius human who is shaped like an egg. His real name is Robotnik, but you know." Tails shrugged, smirking.
Ava's eyes widened. Why does Tails know Eggman? And why is he saying Eggman is a bad guy? Lorelei said she was visiting a friend! Is she really friends with a villain?!
"Your home sounds cool," Landon said. "A lot funner than around here, that's for sure."
Tails shrugged. "Depends on the day. Sometimes we're trying to save a robot civilization in the sky and others we're making chili." He looked toward the stove. "Will someone go turn that on 375?"
Neither of his friends moved. Tails glanced away from the instructions and sighed. "You press the Bake button, then type in the numbers. Geez, I thought you guys were supposed to be elite?"
"We don't have home economic classes," Landon defended as Ava rushed to the stove.
"And I don't know about him, but I was never allowed near the kitchen growing up." Ava leaned over the stove and pressed a few buttons.
Landon shrugged. "I didn't have a kitchen growing up."
Ava rocked back on her heels and glanced at Tails over her shoulder. The pair made eye contact and she knew they both felt something along the lines of pity. That was at least what was running through her mind in that moment. Ava didn't know much about Landon's childhood. Well, she didn't know any. Landon kept to himself for the most part, only ever speaking around his friends. Ava couldn't recall any moment he opened up about his life at home.
Landon glanced between them. "Don't pity me," he snapped. "I don't need it."
"We aren't pitying you," Tails reassured. He turned and searched the drawers for a spoon.
"Yeah," Ava agreed, offering him a smile. He watched her for a moment and looked away, the corners of his lips twitching a bit.
"Well good," he said, crossing his arms over his chest, "because I had enough of that growing up. The townsfolk always looked at me like they felt sorry for me. The bakery always gave me free food which was fine, I guess, but I hated it. I always thought that there was nothing special about me, so why were they staring? Just a kid on the streets, nothing to see here."
Tails finally found a spoon in the last drawer beside the stove. He returned to his bowl of mix and began to stir the contents. "When I was younger," he began, watching the egg yolks blend with the muffin powder, "I was on the streets a lot. I couldn't remember having a family, so I didn't really feel sad or angry. I was just lonely a lot." He shrugged and looked at his friends.
"People are either really kind or really rude to homeless kids. Being homeless was the least of my worry, though." He gestured sheepishly to the twin tails behind him. "If people care if you're homeless, they really care if you've got a birth defect."
Ava shook her head. "That's not a birth defect! It's…" She stumbled, mind blank. It wasn't normal, even in their civilization. Not at his age, at least. That didn't mean it was a defect, though. "It's unique."
Tails sighed. "That's what Sonic says."
"He's right."
"He thinks so, too," Tails joked.
Ava nudged his shoulder. "A kitsune grows another tail after one hundred years of life. That means you're wise beyond your years."
Tails chuckled. "I've heard that before, too."
"Have you heard that you're great at making muffins?"
"… No."
"Well, you are."
"I haven't even made them yet!"
"I don't care!" Ava snickered. "They could be terrible and they'll be better than anything I could ever make. Therefore, you're great at it."
Tails laughed. He lifted the spoon and gently tapped it against the sides of the bowl. Then, handed it to Ava. "Here, try this and tell me if you still believe that."
Landon watched Ava dip her finger in the batter. He watched Tails wait patiently for a reaction, grinning. He watched the interaction altogether with awe. Foxes of their type shouldn't be able to get along so well, yet there they were. The support, the jokes, the reassurance, it was all things he'd never expect to occur between two polar opposites.
Ava licked the batter from her finger. "It's good!" she praised. "Let's hurry and bake them; I'm starving."
"Okay," Tails laughed. "We need to find a pan first."
"On it!"
Landon shook his head as he and Tails watched Ava begin rummaging through the cabinets. The older fox looked at Tails and asked, "How are you two so close?"
Tails looked back at him. "What do you mean? We're friends."
"Yeah, but you're a Wind type and she's an Earth type."
Ava groaned. "Ugh, don't tell me you believe in that phony bologna too." She threw a look of disbelief over her shoulder.
"It's not ph…" Landon furrowed his brows. "'Phony bologna,' it's simple facts and research. Opposite types are not typically friends. They usually steer clear of each other, actually. You two are just… Odd."
Ava found a muffin pan and walked back to the table. She met Landon's eye and deadpanned, "Thanks Landon, that really puts a smile on my face." He held her gaze and wow, she could really get lost in those gray eyes of his. They're shiny, like silver. So pretty.
"No, not like… Actually yeah, that is what I mean. You're a rare pair."
Ava smiled. "I will take pride in that."
"You guys can help with this part," Tails said, drawing the attention back to the cooking. "Find a spoon or something and help me fill the cups."
"Awesome!" Ava cheered, turning and searching for spoons.
Landon kicked off the counter and followed. He watched her with amusement, a tiny smile pulling at his lips. She was less irritating than he originally thought. Don't tell anyone he said that, though.
•••••
At five AM, the muffins were finished and the three had packed them away into bags for later. Ava and Tails cleaned the dishes and returned them to their rightful places. Landon kept a lookout as they slipped out of the kitchen and down the hall.
Tails took a deep breath as they stepped back into the cold morning air. A light snow fall was just beginning as the kids raced down the front steps. The campus was dim and silent. It was eerie, much like walking through a ghost town.
"This place is creepy at night," Ava commented. She gazed at the dorm buildings, tall and wide blocks of darkness gazing down on them.
"Little bit," Landon agreed. He savored the warmth radiating off the muffins and pressed the bag to his chest.
The group split at the entrances of their dorms. Ava waved in a quiet goodbye before jogging to her building. Landon and Tails walked toward the boys' building briskly, eager to escape the cold.
"That was kinda fun," Landon admitted after a few moments, "what we did today. It was interesting." Tails grinned. Landon continued,
"And these muffins look awesome."
"Thanks, hope they taste good," Tails laughed. "You're right though, this was fun. We should do it again."
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Landon quickly argued. "My friends still hate Ava and they're not the biggest fans of you."
Tails sighed. He shrugged and pulled open the front door. "It's up to you of course, but I really think you need new friends."
Landon held the door open and watched his roommate carry on to the room. The older chewed on his lip, letting the door shut behind him. There was a nagging feeling in his head, swearing that Tails was right. That he had more fun in the past two hours than he ever had hanging out with Brody and the others. But there was another feeling in his head that warned what breaking from his group would mean. Brody and Mason were the first friends Landon made. He couldn't just leave them like that.
He was a few steps behind Tails walking into the room. Tails sat on his bed, binder on his lap as he unbagged his muffins. Landon climbed on his own bed and followed his roommate's actions.
Tails took one bite into his muffin, chewed, swallowed, and looked at Landon. He sighed, "We didn't grab milk."
•••••
At 8:55, Tails lingered at his locker. Here he was again, going to be late to class. Again. All he had to do was wait five minutes… Again. This time though, he'd actually wait the full five minutes. He declared in his mind as he walked to school that he would win the waiting game. Sonic would be proud of his determination. Maybe not for the reason but, you know, it's the thought that counts.
Tails glanced at the clock again. 8:56. Ugh.
"Hey noob!" Blaine called from down the hall. Tails jumped and turned around. Surely he can't be talking to me, why would he? I'm nobody to him.
Tails, unfortunately, was wrong. Blaine was headed straight for him. The bully smirked at the younger's discomfort.
"What're you doing standing out here like a dork? Shouldn't you be in class, front seat, kissing the teacher's ass?" Blaine asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
"I, um, I don't want to go to class yet." Tails raised his chin to meet Blaine's eyes. He pressed himself against the locker and held Blaine's gaze. This was another game he swore he'd be better at playing.
However, this game was not something he'd be winning anytime soon. Tails could only withstand Blaine's harsh glare for a solid five seconds before the younger looked away.
"Is that so?" Blaine smirked. "Neither do I. How about we go get into some trouble, hm? Since you're so cool now."
Oh great, he remembered yesterday. Tails was hoping the brute would forget.
"Sure," Tails answered uncertainly. He peeked around Blaine at his classroom, door standing wide open like an arm beckoning him to safety. He could still make it if he wanted. He could fly over Blaine and land in the protection of his teacher and classmates and Ava. It's right there.
Blaine slung an arm around Tails' shoulders. "Perfect." He had a mischievous grin painted on his lips, one that made Tails nervous.
Anxiously, Tails dragged his fingers over the communicator on his wrist. It wouldn't get him out of trouble, but the idea of talking to one of his friends from back home later made his nerves ease a little bit.
As they walked down the hall, Tails stole one last glance at the classroom. He caught sight of Ava just inside the doorway. She argued with Charles about something. Tails wanted to be in there.
No. Tails took a deep breath. He knew acting more rebellious would potentially draw Blaine's attention. He's fought armies of robots, a band of zetis, Eggman himself. Tails could handle some middle school bully, just like Sonic said.
And if anything went wrong, Tails can fly. Not even Blaine could catch the kit in the air. Tails smiled a little at that reassurance. No matter how things went, he could count on his tails to get him out of trouble. At least that's one thing they're good for.
•••••
Landon stepped into the Spirit type classroom at nine AM. It was empty except for his teacher Alma. She sat on a mat in the center of the room, eyes closed and legs bent over each other. Landon crept in slowly, unsure of what to do because he knew interrupting a meditation was rude, but he needed to talk to her.
"May I help you?" she asked without opening her eyes.
Landon grabbed at the strap of his bag awkwardly. "Morning," he greeted. "I have some questions."
"And I may have some answers. Take a seat, Landon." She opened her eyes and smiled at her student as he tore his bag off and sat in front of her. "What's on your mind?"
"I've heard that Spirit types whose chakras are balanced are the most powerful of their kind. Is that true?"
Alma nodded. "Balanced chakras certainly help in a more concentrated power, but the true strength comes from within."
"So, do you think you could help me balance my chakras?"
"I can, yes, but not if you only seek balance to obtain power." She gave him a stern look. "That's not how this works."
"I know," Landon said. That bit in his room was an accident. The first time he performed such a thing was an accident. He didn't know how it happened, he just honed in on the most vulnerable part and attacked. Landon could've killed Ava. He nearly killed the first guy. Maybe if he got control on his power and learned more about the chakras, attacks like that would never happen again.
Alma continued, "Finding balance is not an easy task, Landon. You will need to dig deep and come to terms with past struggles both internal and external. Are you ready for that?"
He nodded. How hard can it be?
"Yes," he confirmed.
Alma smiled and held her hands out. "Wonderful. Let's begin then, shall we?"
Landon stared at her hands for a moment.
Inhale, exhale.
He grabbed her hands.
Helllllooooooo! I'm baaackk!
I totally didn't intend for the wait to be this long. I thought I could squeeze in time to write these past weeks, but guess not :/ Everything's been crazy. I graduated high school. That's right. YA GIRL IS A HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE.
Sorry, got a little excited. Anyway! I'm out for the summer, and I've got so many things coming for this story. So many great, fun, action-packed things. This was kind of a little filler. I didn't mean for the chapter to go this way, actually. It's just that it's three AM and I was anxious to update already!
The next few chapters will be more entertaining and important to the plot. I don't know if it'll be the next chapter, or the one after that, but some big things are gonna happen. Like, Society of the Blind Eye level big things. It's crazy. I can't wait for you guys to see. (Also, if you caught that reference, you're awesome and I love you. If you didn't catch that reference, you're still awesome and I still love you).
Also [again] to everyone who responded to the Mobius Queen thing: Thank you bunches! I didn't really think of Sonic Boom as it's own separate little universe. Like, well, I don't really know what I thought… I'm just gonna say it's the government's fault (like everything else amiright hehehe ignore me).
Cleary, I have stayed up too long and am getting a bit slap happy. I will go now; sorry for the super long A/N. Hope you guys have a rocking' day! Don't forget to tell me what you thought in the reviews! :)
