Chapter 8
Sonic's POV
I woke up the next morning to the feeling of a hand on my shoulder, roughly shaking me awake. "WAKE UP!" A voice I soon identified as Samuel's boomed in my ear. I almost jumped out of bed, the sound scared me so much, and for a moment, I couldn't help but wonder if this was what noises like drums and trumpets sounded like to Echo. Samuel, for his part, seemed to have no such sympathy. "Aw," he cooed mockingly, "did I interrupt naptime?"
"No sir." A voice replied firmly, and I spun around to see Echo wearing a pink crop top with black leather pants and sandy brown boots. My jaw almost dropped to the ground. "Good." Samuel replied, sounding as cold as usual. "Then you two can go shopping with Theodore today; we'll be meeting our leader tonight at a place called De Bioscoop, so I would look for something a little more...classy." He looked Echo up and down with a disapproving sneer as he said this, and it made me want to beat him up real good. However, I then noticed Echo seemed to be staring him down, as if she was challenging him to hurt her. Then, as if he had decided against doing so, Samuel left the room and closed the door.
Before I could even wonder what had gotten into her, Echo pulled out her phone and dialed a number. "Bernardo? Gemini?" She said, using the aliases we had agreed on for Shadow and Rouge. "Are you up?" Pause. "Perfect. What about Max, Amber, and Cory?" Pause. This one dragged on for a little bit. "Okay, great. We'll be meeting the leader at a place called De Bioscoop; do you know where that is?" Pause. "On the corner of Straat Van Eiken and Ausfahrt Von Perlen. Yes." Pause. "Well, the place opens at around 11:00, so.. maybe 10:30, just to be safe?" Pause. "Great." Pause. "Absolutely. Oh, and Bernard? You and the others might wanna dress up."
We arrived at De Bioscoop around 10:45 pm-fifteen minutes later than Echo had desired. Shadow and I, of course, had taken full advantage of the opportunity-Shadow somewhat reluctantly-and had dressed to the nines, me in a white tuxedo and Shadow in a black one. Not the most creative ensemble, I know, but hey, why mess with the classics? Knuckles, meanwhile, was wearing a navy blue suit with a white shirt and a black tie, while Tails wore a white button up shirt with black pants. The girls, of course, dressed up as well-Amy wore a black dress with red kitten heels and had even gotten her makeup done, while Rouge wore a plum gown with a plunging neckline and black pumps. The star of the night, however, was definitely Echo; she wore a one strap forest green gown with pink ballet flats. Someone-most likely Rouge-had given her a smoky eye, and she had sakura lipstick. I'll admit it-in my mind, she looked like a goddess.
It was now 11:15, and we had taken up our positions, with me and Echo near Samuel, Emily, and Theodore; Shadow, Knuckles, and Amy in a quieter lounge in the building, and Rouge and Tails up in the rafters. I looked around the place a bit; Echo had told me that De Bioscoop used to be an old movie theatre before it was turned into a nightclub, and the decorations did not disappoint. A classic chandelier hung from each corner of the wide room, while a more modern one hung in the center. Towards the back, a huge screen was heralded on each side by a velvet curtain, and in front of the screen, a DJ spun some tracks on a stage while a go-go dancer danced to the music beside him.
I was interrupted from my gazing by the feeling of Echo squeezing my hand tightly. I looked towards her and a jolt of panic went through me; Echo had a stoic look on her face, but her eyes betrayed the anxiety and nervousness she felt. The music, the lights, the crowds-I could tell it was becoming too much for her; at this rate, the slightest thing could cause a meltdown. I squeezed her hand in return. I'm right here. I wanted to say to her. Everything's gonna be okay.
Shadow's POV
It was quite the party in the lounge, and everyone seemed to be enjoying it. Everyone, that is, except me; I was worried sick about Echo. I knew the main party room would be overwhelming for her; why on Earth did her and Faker have to go in there? Oh yea, right, BECAUSE THAT WAS WHERE HER FATHER WAS MEETING KAISER FADE, AND THEY WERE UNDERCOVER! I sighed. Maybe a drink would soothe my mind. I thought to myself as I turned towards the bartender. What was it the spies in movies ordered again? Ah, yes, now I remembered. "Martini." I told the bartender. "Shaken, not stirred." The bartender nodded and began making the drink, and I smiled. The tuxedo, the martini-it made me feel very refined.
A hand tapped my shoulder, and I turned around to find a gorgeous red hedgehog in a black strapless gown. "Well, hello handsome." She said, her voice having a unique cadence to it. "Hope you don't mind if I join you."
I shook my head. "Not at all." I replied. It might be nice to have some company-Amy was busy waltzing with a very burly leopard, and I had a feeling Knuckles may have had one too many drinks and was now hitting on some poor girl somewhere. The hedgehog sat down and signaled the bartender. "One old fashioned on the rocks, por favor." The bartender nodded and went about his business. The hedgehog then turned her head towards me. "I came to Desremaux from Estamento mainly on business, but I absolutely love the culture and nightlife here, don't you?" She asked.
I shrugged. "Not sure what I think." I replied. "This is my first time in Desremaux." She smiled. "Well, you'll love it here, trust me." At this precise moment, the bartender brought us our drinks. We thanked him and he left. "Oh, yeah," she added, "I'm Isabella Ramirez. And you are?"
I gave a grin and raised my glass slightly. This was a lot more fun than I realized. "Bernardo." I replied before taking a sip. "Bernardo Fernando."
Sonic's POV
I dialed up Rouge quickly. "Gemini, can you hear me?" I asked. It wasn't long until I heard her sultry voice through the phone. "Loud and clear, Atticus." She replied. "Great." I replied. "You and Max keep your eyes out for a guy in his mid-twenties, blond hair, blue eyes, wearing a white suit. This is the guy we're meeting up with, make sure he can find us."
I could almost hear Rouge winking over the phone. "Right on it, pal." She replied, before hanging up the phone. Just then, a man walked on stage with a microphone. "How are we doing tonight, Desremaux?" He shouted to the crowd, who cheered in response. "Alright ladies and gentlemen," the announcer continued, "here all the way from the United Federation, for one night and one night only-GIVE IT UP FOR TABITHA FOX!" This was met with loud, ear piercing shrieks of strange joy as a tan vixen with a fuzzy peach muzzle, brown eyes, and jet black hair wearing a white button up shirt, a black leather jacket, and a plaid skirt stepped on the stage and waved to the crowd. An electric guitar started playing a riff while Tabitha took the mic in her hand.
You wanna play, you wanna stay
You wanna have it all
You started messing with my head
Until I hit a wall
A very drunk man then waltzed up to Echo. "Hey baby," he slurred, "why don't you join me on the floor?" Before Echo could respond, he dragged her towards the dance floor. "Hey!" I shouted, before remembering I was pretending to be her boyfriend. "COME BACK HERE WITH MY GIRLFRIEND!"
Maybe I shoulda known
Maybe I shoulda known
That you would walk, you would walk
Out the door
HEY!
Echo's POV
I was truly scared for my life now. This man had grabbed me, pulled me away from everything that was familiar, and put me into the middle of this crowd. I felt like I couldn't breath, and my skin pricked with pain as he-oh Chaos, is he dragging my butt towards his-
Deep breaths, Echo. I told myself. Deep breaths. Cherry blossoms in the breeze near Mom and Dad's house, waves crashing on the shore of the beach, the smell of the sea-His hands were now moving towards my front, and I could feel every sense of calm and control beginning to shut down and slip away. Oh Chaos, Echo, I told myself, DO NOT HAVE A MELTDOWN!
Said we were done, then met someone
And rubbed it in my face
Cut to the part she broke your heart
And then she ran away
Sonic's POV
Good grief, what entertainment did people find in packing closer together than sardines in a can? "Excuse me," I said as I made my way through the throng of people, "pardon me, gotta get through." I couldn't care less if people thought I was being rude-I had to retrieve Echo, and fast!
I guess you shoulda known
I guess you shoulda known
That I would talk, I would talk
But even if the stars and moon collide
I never want you back into my life
You can take your words and all your lies
Oh, oh, oh
I really don't care
I seemed to have gotten to her just in time, just as this sick man was moving his hands down toward her crotch. "HEY!" I shouted, batting his hands and dragging Echo away. "Touch her like that again, and I'll have you kicked out of this place, capiche?" The man simply glared at me, "Who do you think you are?" He slurred defiantly. "The owner?" I prepared myself to crouch into a spin dash. If it was a fight this asshole wanted, it was a fight he would get.
Even if the stars and moon collide
I never want you back into my life
You can take your words and all your lies
Oh, oh, oh-
Echo's POV
Oh God, this guy won't let me go, and now Sonic's gonna fight him, and-
A loud screeching sound filled the room and pierced my eardrums. I felt as though everything was closing in on me. I couldn't move. I couldn't breath.
I couldn't take it anymore.
Sonic's POV
A loud feedback whine stopped the song-and the dancing-almost immediately. I looked up towards the stage to see what appeared to be Tabitha and two backup singers-a panther and a canary-run towards the back of the stage. From the looks of it, I'd say a member of the band fainted and hit the mic. Shortly after the feedback whine, an equally ear piercing scream filled the room. Like the rest of the room, I turned my head towards the noise... and was heartbroken by what I saw.
Curled into a ball on the floor uttering loud sobs, tears streaming down her face, was Echo.
Disclaimer: Only Echo, Samuel, Emily, Theodore, Kaiser Fade, the BPM, Desremaux, and Estamento are mine. The song belongs to Demi Lovato & Cher Lloyd, and the rest belong to SEGA and Sonic Team.