I own Gabi (I changed the name), Sequin, Jason, Fang and Mariposa. I also own Ginger, a transfer student.
Chapter contains references to suicide, mention of character death, depression, self-harm and violence.
Quinn is owned by VGB.305
The rest are owned by SEGA and Archie. Tangle belongs to IDW. Estyn belongs to Nio Hashiri's Riddles.
XO
Chapter 10: Transferal
Looking for Shadow was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Not only that, but they were running out of time.
"…Ugh! He can't have just vanished!" Espio swore, stopping to catch his breath.
"Cream, seeing as Liza is in your year, any ideas where she is? As long as we get to her before Shadow does, we should be able to calm him down." Before Cream could answer Quinn's question, someone else answered for her.
"Shad? Calm down? You are referring to our resident emo, right?" Turning, the three saw Manic with Sonia.
"Yes, actually."
"Why? Don't tell me he's gone on a rampage." Sonia sighed but Quinn bit his lip.
"…He kind-of has."
"It's because…well…you know that Maria got attacked by Liza?" Cream asked. Sonia looked blank but Manic nodded.
"Yeah, I remember Shadow and you telling me. Why? What's happened?"
No-one answered. Manic guessed instantly.
"O-Oh…oh god no…y-you're really serious, aren't you?"
"Yes, and he's gone after Liza." Espio recounted.
"Just when I thought one near-murderer wasn't enough…" Sonia growled, hands in fists.
"Come on, we need to find either him…or her for that matter."
"I know where Liza might be, going back to Quinn's question." Cream interrupted, trying to turn the conversation back to the original topic. "She might be in the library."
"Library…alright." The group headed there and, after apologizing to Fastidious Beaver, they snuck in and saw the pink chameleon with her head on the desk, eyes closed. They guessed she already knew about Maria's death. Espio sighed.
"I've told her already."
"Let me do the talking." Cream announced. She tapped Liza on the shoulder and she jumped a mile.
"C-Cream! God, don't scare me like that."
"You need to come with us." She grabbed Liza's wrist and dragged her out of the room with the others, escorting her carefully to the playground. If Shadow saw them, at least they would have a few seconds to think of a plan. Liza had her head hung low.
"…We'll do the lecture later. You know Shadow's after you, right?" Sonia asked, her tone sharp. Liza faintly nodded.
"Some seniors were saying something about Shadow going off the deep end…"
"Hell yeah he did!" Manic yelled. "Maria was everything to him!"
Liza cringed. "…I-I-I know that…"
"THEN WHY DID YOU KILL HER!?"
Everyone froze at this. Manic felt his lungs burn. He had never shouted that loud. Liza blinked a little.
"…I…I wasn't trying to…sure, I hurt her…but I never tried to do severe damage…I went too far…"
"Hell yeah you went too far!"
"Manic, mind backing off?" Quinn warned Manic. Manic snorted but did as he was told. After hearing about the confrontation between Quinn and Mephiles the previous Friday, he did not want to get on the hedgehog's bad side. A scream then came from Cream as a flash of lime green shot over the students' heads. They all ducked.
"What the…?" Espio's sentence got cut off when they saw Shadow standing metres from them, two Chaos Spears in his hands. His eyes were crimson slits, almost insane looking. Espio retaliated by drawing two ninja throwing stars from his pocket.
"They're not gonna do much against him, you know." Manic pointed out. Espio chuckled, looking at Manic with determination glinting in his amber eyes.
"Never underestimate the power of a ninja." When Espio looked back to face Shadow, the hedgehog was gone. He felt a presence behind him. "Oh shi…" A punch in the face stopped him finishing his sentence for the second time. All the others gawked. Manic was next to step up.
"Come on Shad, try and calm it a little! This isn't like you at all!" He tried to yell but Shadow ignored him, eying him with little emotion.
It's official…he's snapped…
"What is going on over here?" All but Shadow looked to see one of the teachers, namely Amadeus, walking over, sword in hand (which, for some reason, he carried everywhere). "I will not have brawls in the playground, thank you."
"Finally, someone talks some sense." Cream sarcastically muttered, though no-one heard her. Shadow eyed Amadeus with spite. Amadeus could see he was raving.
"How about you go take a few minutes in the Isolation Room, eh? That should cool you down."
"To hell with that." Shadow finally spoke, his deep voice a snarl and his tone low and feral. "I came here for Liza."
"You should know better than to pick on a first-year, Shadow. I'm surprised at you. Whatever would your sister think?"
That was a bad choice of words. Shadow let out a roar and threw a kick at Amadeus, barely missing.
"MY SISTER'S DEAD, YOU BASTARD! ALL BECAUSE OF HER!" Amadeus recovered from his dodge and looked at Shadow sorrowfully. Tears ran down the junior's cheeks as rage subsided for grief. He glanced at Liza through raging tearful eyes. "…All because of her…I'm alone…she was everything to me…she was probably the best little sister a big brother could ask for…and you killed her…out of spite, out of…out of…out of pure and utter HATRED."
Liza knew nothing she said would help.
Amadeus grabbed a walkie-talkie from his pocket.
"Can I have Zonic on back playground B please?" He spoke and, several minutes later, the hedgehog appeared, armed with a Taser. Manic still thought it uncomfortable that Zonic looked, sounded and was named like his stepbrother. "…Alright…here is how we're gonna do things. Shadow and Liza, I don't really have a full grasp on what is going on but there is some grave accusations flying around which may involve police involvement. While we get all this sorted out, both of you will stay in Isolation. Understand?" Both nodded. "I will also get Nazo to supervise you. I doubt you'll be forced to take physical action against one another with him in the room. Zonic?"
"Yes, sir." He nodded and started escorting the two out of the playground. Amadeus sighed and wiped stressful sweat from his forehead.
"Phew…what a long day. All of you, back to your dormitories."
XO
Quinn had gone back to his tower in low spirits. He went into his room without saying a single word, leaving Guntiver and Ash to exchange nervous looks. It wasn't like Quinn to be this way, though they both had a sneaky suspicion as to why. Guntiver was the first to react, perching on the edge of Quinn's bed.
"Hey, what's the matter?" He gently asked. Quinn only shrugged. He was sitting in a tight ball, the day's events swirling in his head. The arctic wolf moved up so he was sitting next to Quinn and hooked his arm around his friend's shoulders. What Guntiver wasn't expecting was for a few tears to streak his cheeks. This took Ash by surprise as well. Goody two-shoes student genius Quinn…crying? "…Is this about earlier? About Sonic?"
Quinn glanced up at Guntiver after hearing his best friend's name. That set him off fully as he nodded, starting to silently sob. Guntiver hugged him tight, gently shushing Quinn as he wiped his eyes.
"…Feel a bit better?" He asked. A small moan, almost like muffled words linked together, flew out of Quinn's mouth. Guntiver guessed that everything that had happened was just too much for Quinn to take in. Ash, who had only been paying half-attention to the scene in front of him, slipped off his headphones and looked over. He felt torn. Half of him wanted to mock this little sentimental scene but the other half knew that was completely insensitive after what Quinn had had to endure. Eventually, he bit his lip, looked over at Quinn and then under his bed, pulling out his black suitcase. He dug in his bag and threw a small pocket-sized packet of tissues onto Quinn's bed. Surprised by the kind gesture, Quinn nodded a thanks and began using them to mop himself up. Ash nodded back. A small smile crossed the hedgehog's face.
"Thanks Guntiver."
"Hey, I'm your friend, aren't I? Always here to talk to."
"True and…yeah, it is about Sonic…I'm just really worried about him, that's all."
"We're all worried about him...you don't need to feel you're the only one who seems to care because we all do. Right, Ash?" Ash had jumped at the mention of his name.
"Uh, what? Oh, yeah, of course. Sonic's a cool guy and all, at least I think so."
"…The thing about you Ash is that you're never 100% legit in your words. Most of the time, all you do is sprout rubbish." Quinn snarled at him. Ash growled back at him.
"Hey, again, I'm trying to be sentimental!" He had his hands up in innocence. Guntiver sighed and face-palmed.
"You two are never going to get along, will you?"
"To heck with that!" Both Ash and Quinn said in unison, giving each other distinct glares.
"Come on, it's getting late. We best get to sleep. Early assembly, 'member?"
Ash groaned, threw his headphones into his bag with expert accuracy and dove under the covers. Quinn nodded at the suggestion and went into the bathroom to change into his pyjamas, specially made to hide his metallic arm. He glanced at his reflection and where the metal joined with his skin at his shoulder. No-one could ever know. Not after what happened at his old school. It had been the reason he transferred not only schools but cities as well. He had to admit, New Mobotropolis was miles better than Station Square, though that opinion was up for debate. He then flushed the toilet so no-one would ask why he changed in the bathroom and not the main room itself and went out, only to be met with a dark room. He blinked a few times until his vision adjusted to the darkness. He clamoured into his bed and glanced over at the fourth empty bed.
Hope you sleep well, Sonic…and I hope you're alright…
XO
The next day, Ivo had called an assembly at 7:45am, 15 minutes before breakfast. Everyone had groaned and had gone to the hall half-asleep. What they were not expecting was 40 new faces to be standing on the stage, most nervous or confident. Some looked blank. Quinn gulped. He knew all of them: they all had gone to his previous school: Spectre Senior High in Station Square. It was part of a "link-up" system: two schools sharing a unique connection. He noticed Infinite and Gadget standing among the 38 others. Infinite's expression was a mystery but he could see worry in his visible eye. Gadget was bouncing on his heels, obviously eager to get introduced, though he kept one eye on his slung arm. They were in 5 groups of 8: separated by age.
The first group, the first-years, involved a pink hedgehog wearing a Japanese school outfit (Chibi Rose, who suffered from a condition called Chunibyo, or Eighth-Grader Syndrome), two Overlanders girls, one with long flowing blonde hair and one with ginger hair (Aerial and Athena), a grey female lemur (Tangle), a cyan beaver (Justin) and a green armadillo, but not like Mighty and his sister Matilda. This armadillo was a Western armadillo (Arlo). The other two was a grey rabbit (Johnny Lightfoot) and a blue desert rat (Charlie.)
The second years involved Gadget, a dusky brown goat (Belinda), a pink and white furred rabbit (Estyn), a jolly-looking pink cat (Fuchsia), a light brown rabbit with fire for hair (Bunni), a white chicken wearing sunglasses (Sharps), a spirit wearing green and navy as well as scary-looking navy eyes (Void) and a green frog who looking a bit too happy about the situation (Flying Frog).
Quinn looked at his former year-mates. They was a green canary (Tekno), a grey-furred aardvark (Diane), a Seedrian with dark green hair and covered eyes (Starla), a girl who looking identical to Perci (Staci), a red Zeti with chains around his wrists (Zavok), a green cobra (Mordred), a brown dog who smirked in a sinister manner (Sleuth "Doggy" Dawg) and a yellow mink (Bartleby).
The juniors consisted of a brown haired faded red-furred fox (Payback Fox), a black cat wearing a white mask (Phage), a Fiona-lookalike but in posher clothing (Foxy Reynard), a brown-furred long-eared hedgehog wearing a blue outfit (Ginger), a blue emu (Guru Emu), a green-furred Seedrian with horns (Landar), a pink pig (Porky Lewis) and a tall lean purple Zeti (Zazz).
Finally, the seniors involved Infinite with a black-haired red-furred fox (Li Moon), a red-haired chipmunk also dressed in a Japanese outfit and she carried a golden wand of sorts (Sally Moon, also suffering from Chunibyo), a brown koala who had a broken heart tattoo on her left arm (Abby), a pink humanoid-AI with long spiked hair (EVE), a ginger-furred wolf (Lobo), a gorilla dressed in military uniform (Simon) and finally, a blue-furred creature which Quinn had never been able to tell the species of (Cortez).
Ivo tapped the microphone.
"Ahem…students of NMA, I apologise for the early start but we have some new students with us today. I am also happy to announce our attendance is 199! A new record for NMA! As such, I am cancelling all of today's lessons so you can all bond with our new students!" Gasps and claps went up around the hall. Some of the students who happened to like classes only sulked at this news. The highest record of students at NMA stood at 178. "However…as you know, we also have a difficult time ahead of us. Tomorrow, we shall be having a memorial service for one of our departed students: Maria Robotnik. I trust many of you are upset by this, another reason why today is a no-class day. That is all. You are all dismissed."
The hall filtered out slowly as the 40 transfer students merged with the others. Most were friendly, but hostility was already brewing. Infinite and Gadget instantly went up to Quinn.
"Well, welcome to NMA, you guys." He smiled. Gadget squealed.
"Oh, I am getting really excited…!"
"Calm it, will you? You're flashing like mad." To Infinite, his friend's aura was rapidly flashing gold in a quick-fired manner. It was a miracle he didn't get an epileptic seizure from it.
"Oh, sorry…" Gadget apologized, using deep breathing exercises to regulate his excitement.
"So…as insensitive to ask…who's this Maria girl?" Infinite then asked.
"…She was a first year student. She has a brother called Shadow who is in the 4th year. She got attacked by a girl called Liza. Remember Cream at the hospital yesterday?" Two nods. "She's Maria's "learning buddy". It's a thing. Her attacker was another first-year: Liza…but her wounds were so severe that she…" He trailed off. Gadget gulped, cupping his mouth with his unslung hand.
"O-Oh man…t-that's bad. Really bad."
"OK…so there have been two attacks on campus already this year?" Infinite asked to confirm and he got a nod. "…Hmmm…" A tap then went on Quinn's shoulder.
"Hello, Quinn." A slow female voice sounded. Quinn sighed and turned. Standing there, arms crossed, mask half off her face, was Phage. She was a black cat in a dark uniform. Her mask was red and white that hid her cold amber eyes that occasionally glitched. Her tail was long and bushy for a cat and she was quite tall and lean.
"What do you want, Phage?"
"Nothing. I barely recognised you but I did eventually. I guess I haven't updated my memory drive for a while…you've changed so much in 4 months."
"I thought AIs were computers. You automatically back up everything." Infinite mutters.
"Not ALL of them, stupid jackal. Get lost already! I can't stand your face, it makes me wanna shut myself down permanently!" The group around the four fell silent, gasping at the coded cat's harsh words. Infinite had jumped at this, bit his lip and complied, but Gadget chased after him. Quinn gave the cat a glare.
"Hurt him again and you'll regret it Phage." He followed Infinite out of the hall. Infinite was badly shaking and it sounded like he was crying. Gadget was trying to hug him but he kept shaking the young wolf off him. Quinn rested a hand on the jackal's shoulder. "…You…alright?"
"Do I LOOK alright to you!?" He shouted, immediately looking away in shame. "…Sorry, Quinn. Maybe later." He went off in an upset manner, leaving Gadget and Quinn behind.
"W-Why is he like that...?" The wolf whimpered, upset that his friend was upset. Quinn tapped his foot.
"You know why. One comment can set him off. That's what happens when you get bullied for years on end."
"How do you know?" Gadget asked but then glanced at Quinn's right arm. "Because of your ar…"
"Shush!" Quinn used one hand on muffle Gadget's voice before he said anything more. He glanced around and let go after noticing no-one was around. "Don't you dare bring it up! I can't have people knowing, alright? You saw what happened by at SSH."
"…Well, yeah but…"
"No buts and no, I wasn't thinking of myself. I was thinking about Sonic." He thought back to that Monday night, when Sonic had told Quinn everything he hated about himself, about the bullying, about the endless transfers and the lack of faith he had in others because of it. Infinite was almost the same. Maybe they would get along? Gadget then tugged at his trench coat sleeve to get his attention.
"…Anyway, seeing as we've got no lessons, want to give me a tour?"
"Alright."
XO
"Nice trick with those two losers yesterday, Zonic honey."
Zonic cringed as he saw Nikki's form float above him, a devilish grin on her face.
"What do you want?"
"Hehe, nothing in particular, darling. Heard anything on that blue hedgehog yet? I wonder if he's dead…"
"He's not. Whatever plan you had by using Mephiles, it failed, alright?"
"Who said I used him? I never controlled him, I just gave him some…false information…plus he was of the violent type so the opportunity just presented itself to me."
"I'm not listening to you, Nik. I've told you that you're not real, you're just a fragment of the past." He then stopped walking. "Although…I do have a plan that I want to share with you."
"Oh?" Nikki then got serious, floating to the ground and crossed her arms in a defiant manner. "What's up, sweetie?"
"I want to help you move on, alright? I'm…I'm sorry for how I treated you…you were right. You did nothing wrong, all you wanted to do was get the best grades possible and that's OK. I was the one who wronged you and I know my apology doesn't change the fact you killed yourself but still…" He trailed off. Nikki wasn't sure how to react. Part of her rejected the apology but the majority of her believed he was genuine.
"…If only everyone can apologize like that…"
"Then that is the plan. We'll get Zouge's help too. She is an expert in this field. We need apologies from…who exactly?"
"Rosemary, Amadeus, Isabella, Nazo, Tundra, Aki and Luger."
"…Well…I know Luger is in police custody after hurting Julie-Su…Rosemary and Aki are on the council…Tundra is in the office and Amadeus, Nazo and Isabella are teachers…maybe Isabella first?"
"Sounds good, Zonic honey. You lead the way. Oh, there is one more crucial element."
"Nicole." Zonic guessed. Nikki sadly nodded at the mention of her little sister.
"…With her hurting like she is…I can't possibly move on…not with Mindy and Shade treating her like she's a dead fly on their shoe sole…I overheard their plans…they're going to make her life hell…just like my life was…"
"Then we'll save her too. I'm not going to let her go the same way you did. She needs to be happy." Nikki nodded at this, flying rings around Zonic as he started feeling dizzy. "C-Can you not?"
"Oh, sorry Zonic honey!" Nikki cupped her mouth and stopped. Her outfit then changed into a white t-shirt sporting a black skull, black denim shorts and black boots. "I fancy going Goth."
"…Goth? Seriously?"
"Don't you like it…?"
"No, I like it…but it's not the best style for you."
"Whatever. I'm keeping it."
Zonic sighed to himself. Still as stubborn as ever, it seems. That part of her hasn't changed…
XO
"…and another thing, I don't get why you hung around with that Legion bitch in the first place! Oh, I'm wasting my time! First thing you get, get rid of that baby! You hear me!?" Knuckles growled and cut the line off.
"I so wish I didn't have a dad like that…" He muttered to himself, switching the phone off and dumping it in his white and red rucksack. His mother, on the other hand, had actually come along to the hospital. While he had learnt both Julie and the baby were fine, the wound was more severe than it seemed. It would be a while before Julie was fit enough to return to school. Knuckles' mother, Lara-Le, was sitting next to him, sipping a cup of tea shakily.
"I know your father is very…um…open about his hatred of Julie-Su." She began. "You know what I think? I think your commitment to her is very noble, and I think a baby is a wonderful idea."
"You…think so?"
"I know so. I was only young myself when me and Locke had you. I was…around your age actually. I was scared a lot. My parents hated the fact I had fallen in love with a Guardian. I still went on to have a baby and marry him. Even though I'm with Wynmacher now, I and Locke are still connected by you. Julie chose you for a reason: the Soultouch never lies." The Soultouch was a female echidna's sixth sense, allowing them to choose their perfect mate. Julie had latched onto him within seconds of meeting. It had taken him a while to develop any romantic feelings for her but he knew he couldn't let his father's abuse ruin their relationship. Of course, Wynmacher wasn't there. He was looking after Knecapeon Mace, a young toddler who was Knuckles' half-brother.
"HEY, GUARDIAN!"
Knuckles jumped a mile when a dark brown-furred echidna with a metallic eye, metal left arm and had a black tuft of hair on his head stormed towards him.
"K-Kragok…"
"YOU GOT OUR FATHER ARRESTED!? WHY I OUGHTA…!"
Before Kragok could do anything, a female dark pink echidna, his sister Lien-Da to be more precise, held him back by the arms.
"Let me go, Lien! Let me kick his ass all the way to Sunday!"
"Will you just calm it, brother?" Lien calmly asked, giving Knuckles a sorrowful look. "It's not the Guardian's fault so please calm it." Kragok growled and backed off, wrestling his older sister (by around 11 months only) and slumping onto a chair, arms and legs crossed angrily. "Sorry about my brother, Guardian. You…know what he's like."
"Yeah, noticed."
"Oh, you must be Knuckles's mother. My name is Lien. Lien-Da. That's my brother, Kragok. It was our father who hurt Julie…she's our stepsister, y'see."
"Oh, I see! I'm Lara-Le. Pleasure." The two shook hands. "And nice to meet you too, Kragok."
"Oh, piss off, woman. I'm not in the mood."
"Yeeeaaaahhhh…he's a bit of a foul-mouthed idiot."
"Oi! I heard that!"
"Oh, pipe down, will you? I can always deactivate your eye." Kragok growled at the threat but remained silent. Lien sat on the opposite side to Knuckles and eyed him. "Is it true though? Julie's having a baby?"
"Yeah, though both she and the baby are going to be fine. They've gone a gender check too. It's a little girl."
"Awww! That's so cute!"
"I would have thought you would be against it…seeing as it's an interblood."
"It did cross my mind…but Julie deserves to be happy. Me and Kragok have always shunned her, seeing as she was born to father's second wife Mari-Su and we always blamed her for her death…even though it wasn't her fault at all. How could it be? She was only a baby."
"Pffft. You have very poor reasoning skills, sister." Kragok snarled, looking at Knuckles dead in the eye. "You took full advantage of her, so why are you so insistent on having a baby you never wanted? Why not get rid?"
"Because it is what Julie and I want, Kragok. What would you do if you were in my position?!"
Kragok was about to reply but came up with squat. He couldn't think of how he would react if it was the other way around. Knuckles chuckled at the echidna's silence.
"…Yeah. That's what I thought."
"Is it Knuckles?" A nurse asked, coming into the room suddenly. "She's awake." Knuckles nodded and went into the room. Julie was sitting up, looking at her bandaged torso. She smiled when she saw Knuckles.
"Hey, sweetie."
"Hey." He widely smiled and embraced Julie.
"H-Hey now, did I worry you that much?"
"Of course you did."
"Well, well, lookie who it is. Our resident half-sister." Kragok mocked, going into the room in a smug manner.
"K-Kragok…what are you doing here?" Julie fearfully asked. Knuckles guarded her. Kragok's smug smile suddenly turned into a genuine face of worry.
"Why can't I be worried for my sister?"
Julie frowned. It wasn't like Kragok to get so…genuine. Knuckles also got suspicious.
"…I can tell you're faking that look, Kragok."
"Wrong, Guardian. I was going to be all smug like but then…what you said out there made me think. You two deserve this baby, y'know?" The two still look unconvinced. Kragok bit his lip. "Take from that what you will. I'll be out here." He went back out again.
"What a freak."
"Knux, it's customary for Dark Legion members to be cybernized."
"That isn't what I was referring to. He creeps me out." He shook it off and went back to Julie. "But you're alright now, right?"
"Yeah, I'm alright. Did you go see Sonic? I bet you wanted to."
"I tried, but he wouldn't even look at me, let alone talk to me. It freaked me out a bit."
"…Did you ask his mum or dad about it?"
"I got to meet Aleena for the first time, but she went on about him being…what was it…catanotic? No, that's not it…cata…cata…"
"…Catatonic?"
"Yeah, that's the word."
"That's not good…do you even know what that is?" Knuckles nodded. "If he's been like that for 5 days, then that's bad. Really bad."
"I can understand why though."
"Knux, that isn't the point. He's making himself ill. I get that he's going through some tough stuff right now but..." She stopped, sighing. "...I suppose he just needs some more time..."
"Time…yeah, probably." He then hugged Julie again. "I'm just glad YOU'RE alright, I mean…what Luger did…"
"…Is in the past." Julie finished. "Not even that is stopping me having this baby."
"That reminds me, I found out the baby's gender."
"Oh? Tell me!"
"…It's a girl."
Julie then glowed. "…A little girl…I'm having a little girl…" She began crying joyously, giggling. "…She's going to be gorgeous."
"With a mum like you, I bet she will be." Knuckles pecked her cheek and smiled back. "…I know she'll be gorgeous."
XO
Rosy – Sis…I've done it again. I'm freaking out…! [Nervous face]
Amy – Calm down, where are you?
Rosy – Dorm bathroom
Amy – Alright, I'm on my way. Don't do anything until I get there.
Biting her lip, Amy dashed into the junior tower and got to the girls' floor. She went inside of the rooms. Luckily, no-one was around. The bathroom door was slightly ajar.
"…Rosy? You in there?" She called out quietly, fiddling with the handle. A shriek came from inside.
"…Amesie?"
"It's alright, I'm here now. Can I come in?"
There were a few seconds of silence.
"…'Spose so…"
Amy steeled herself and opened the door wide but closed it fully behind her, locking it so none of Rosy's dormmates, namely Sequin, Gabi or Abyss, could get an eyeful. Sitting against the sink was a twin of Amy, but her fur was all matted and she wore an old-fashioned green dress with a white sash as well as blue trainers with white laces. Her wrists were crimson where open wounds laced her pale skin.
"…Oh, Rosy…" Amy cooed, hugging her close. Rosy was bitterly crying as well as whimpering in pain. "It's alright now, I'm here." She grabbed her sister's wrists to stem the bleeding. Next to Rosy was a small penknife with an intricate Chinese helm as well as a fancy-looking holder; the silver surface was stained red. Amy knew Rosy collected knifes…and occasionally used them for reasons not even Rosy could fathom. Needless to say, it meant Rosy was always in a bad place. Amy removed her hands. The three cuts on Rosy's slim right wrist had stopped bleeding. She then grabbed a flannel, made it wet and began gently dabbing the wounds to rub the dried blood from her skin. Rosy occasionally hissed in pain but didn't pull away. Amy remembered what had happened last year: Rosy had gone too far with her habit and she had almost died. After that, Rosy had promised to always let her know when she got consumed by the habit.
"Amesie?" Rosy asked, her head hung low. "…I'm sorry…"
"Hey, don't apologize. You're my sister. Of course I'm gonna help you."
"Should be other way 'round." Rosy continued, tearing up. "…I-I'm the elder girl…I should look after you."
"Forget about that now, eh? It's cool." She examined her work. It looked alright…apart from the clotted cuts. "There we go! Good as new!" She exclaimed, washing the blood from the flannel. After she finished, she helped Rosy back to her feet. "Feeling alright?"
Rosy silently nodded. Amy's heart sank but she hugged Rosy tight. Despite Rosy being 2 years older, Amy was a bit taller, so Rosy's head was pushed against Amy's upper chest.
"We're going to be alright now, you hear?" Amy encouraged. "Whatever it takes."
"…Thanks Amesie." Rosy gratefully smiled, eying the knife on the floor. She hissed at it and nudged it away from her with her foot. Amy bent down, cleaned the edge and slipped it back into its sheath. As they exited the bathroom, Amy placed it back in Rosy's blue and green striped suitcase.
"There. Gone away for the day, eh?" She only got a shrug. "Hey, now, sis! Smile for me, eh? Sister grin!" She pulled Rosy's mouth upwards so she was smiling. "Aaaaannnndddd…stay!"
The smile didn't stay for more than a second. Amy knew Rosy never really smiled: not with many girls in her year bullying her due to her "childish and stupid" nature, which was partly due to the fact Rosy was autistic. Her living hell reminded her of Nicole and how much Shade made her miserable. The school bell then went automatically for end of the last class of the day. Amy glanced at the time: 3:45pm.
"…Want to come to the gardening club with me?"
"…OK."
XO
"…A love potion?"
Merlina had asked the question while looking at Mina in great confusion.
"Yeah, a love potion."
"Why on earth do you want that?"
"Do I need to explain it? You can make one…right?" Her tone got dark. Usually, Merlina wasn't fazed by anyone's reactions but Mina's sudden change in tone and expression slightly freaked her out.
"Well, yes I can make one…but…"
"Great!" Mina took Merlina by the wrists and started swirling her around in some crazy dance. "How long will it take?"
"Provided I get the ingredients by this evening…it should be ready by tomorrow morning."
"If I need to get anything, just say."
"To make a love potion…you need one bird's feather, one tablespoon worth of sugar, a petal from a rose and finally, one confession."
"Easy! I can get the sugar and petal!"
"And I shall go get the feather." The two exited the Magic Clubroom, which no-one ever went to out of fear of Merlina's magic. Mina easily found some sugar in the cookery room and managed to get a tablespoon worth of it before Vanilla came back into the classroom. She snuck into the gardening club and quickly plucked a rose of one of its petals. Prizes in hand, she tiptoed back to the clubroom. Merlina was already there, holding a small orange feather. Mina bit her lip. She knew it belonged to a first-year pheasant…Cinder, was it? "Now…all you need to do is say your confession out aloud. That way, when he drinks it, he will fall in love with whoever says it. We don't want him falling in love with another girl. I must warn you though: the potion only lasts 24 hours and then it will wear off."
"24 hours with my love is better than never." Merlina nodded and drew a fuchsia ring around Mina's feet.
"Alright: say your confession and your confession only. No other words."
Nodding, Mina began speaking. "Ash Mongoose, I have loved you since I saw you. I want you to be mine and mine alone." As she spoke, her words began pink smoke which floated into the potion bubbling in a cauldron. The ring disappeared. "Ow…my throat."
"It's just a side effect. Worry not." She hid a smirk. The potion bubbled and turned a light cyan with pink mist bellowing out of it. "There. This should take around 18 hours to brew. All you must do now, Mina, is leave it all to me."
"You're not half bad, you know, Merlina." She left then, skipping. Merlina darkly chuckled to herself.
"…You know what they say, Mina. Never ever trust a witch."
XO
Isabella jumped when a knock came at her classroom door.
"Come in."
As she saw Zonic, she relaxed.
"Oh, Zonic, it's just you! Come in, come in. What can I do you for?" She began arranging some stuff on her desk. It looked a mess. Zonic then glanced up at Nikki. It seemed Isabella couldn't see her.
"I need to bring up something to you…and you're not going to like it."
"…I-Is it Mina!?" She exclaimed, now panicking. She grabbed hold of Zonic's collar and shook him. "H-Has someone hurt her!? Who!? Who hurt her!?"
"Miss Mongoose, Mina is alright. That isn't why I'm here. Try and relax, alright?" He sternly assured, peeling her hands off his uniform. Isabella sighed.
"S-Sorry, Zonic dear…when it comes to Mina, I get…"
"Paranoid?" Isabella jumped at the suggestion and huffed in denial.
"Heh, me? Paranoid? Nah, never."
"Izzy, you put a tracker on Mina's arm. That's reason enough to suspect paranoia."
"I saw that! It was kind of funny."
She got shut up by a dark glance.
"Um…Zonic? What are you looking at?"
"I'll tell you." He bent in close to her. "You remember Nicola Ellidy, right?"
Isabella badly trembled.
"Y-Yes…I remember her."
"You're not going to believe this but she is still here. Ghost form, mind you, but here nevertheless."
"S-She's here…?"
"She's actually in this room now…though I don't think she's visible to you…"
"Let me fix that, Zonic honey." Nikki clapped her hands. Isabella's face went white. "Hey presto. Hiya, Izzy!"
"B-But…that's impossible…"
"Impossible…? IMPOSSIBLE!?" She raged, flying straight at Isabella so they were almost touching noses. "I'm dead, Isabella Mongoose! I'm a fucking ghost! I don't call that impossible!"
"Nik, chillax, alright?" Nikki glared at Zonic before backing off. She began playing with some headphones.
"…I-Is…that really her?"
"Yep, spunk and all. You 'remember that threat that was made against Mina?"
"Yes…"
"Nik wrote that…to hurt you. She's been directly involved with issues involving other bullies, namely, the Prowers, Tundra, Nazo and Aki, who is on the council." He explained.
"Check it out!" They turned to look at Nikki, only to go pale. She had the headphone jack around her neck.
"What are you doing!?" Zonic screamed, untying the wire from her. "…What are you, crazy?"
"…Awww…was that not realistic enough? I should have made choking noises to go along with it!" She laughed at this. Zonic darkly growled at her, making her stop. Isabella mumbled encouragement to herself and clenched her fists.
"…I have something to say to you Nikki. Zonic, please leave the room." Zonic was about to protest but Nikki gave him the boot by kicking him in the behind.
"Ow! OK, OK! I'm going!" He left the room but listened in.
"So…whattya wanna say?"
"…When you were a student here…I knew about your situation…I was a teacher but I was also a bully. I was jealous of how smart you were and I never gave you any encouragement to excel…I only made you feel stupid…so much so that you…you…y-you-know…" Nikki nodded at this, arms now folded. "…a-and…I want to say how sorry I am…when I heard about your death…I was off work for a whole year…and then that threat to Mina came during the summer…I felt like God wanted me to forever wallow in my sin, but now I have a chance to make things right again. It's too late to change the past…but I can change the future, both for you and Nicole."
"…Izzy…" Nikki murmured, tearing up. Despite her being a ghost, she could still touch real people. She flew towards the mongoose and hugged her. Zonic then re-entered the room.
"…I'm guessing Isabella's forgiven?"
"You betcha. Also, I would remove Mina's tracker. It…she doesn't need it anymore."
"I will the next time I see her."
CLATTER!
All three spun around. Standing in the doorway, a pile of books collapsed at her feet, face white…was Nicole. Her green eyes were tiny in terror as she took a few mini steps back and ran out, screaming. Nikki shook her head.
"…Sis…"
"Come on, let's go after her!"
XO
Going to leave it there. I love cliff-hangers…but I'm ending this at half 10 at night so I'm just ending it lazily, I know.
XO
PAIRINGS:
MINA AND ASH (…Love Potion…?)
JULIE AND KNUCKLES (Still Strong)
XO
NEXT TIME…!
What's going to happen with Nicole and Nikki? Will it be a sweet reunion or a bittersweet truth?
What is Merlina hiding? Is she got something in mind for Mina?
Bow's distant nature to Sonia is finally explained!
The day has arrived...for Maria's farewell service...