Chapter 12
Offerings
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Locke asked, giving him a stern look. "You know how important this is to our family." Knuckles contemplated his motives for more time than he would like to admit. On the one hand, Rouge was everything he had ever dreamed of. She was kind, funny, had similar interests, kept him on his toes and was smoking hot. On the other hand, they had already broken up more times than any other couple at Mobius High. How could he know if the relationship could remain steady for much longer, despite this commitment?
"I am," Knuckles nodded in assurance, finally deciding. With a sign of acceptance, his father left the room and returned a few minutes later with the same mahogany box from the Masteriety jewellers.
"I wish dad was here to see this today," Locke sighed, thinking back to that fateful night when Central City's most illustrious and popular jewellery boutique went up in flames, engulfing the entire building and all the precious gems inside. Locke was only a small child at the time, no older than twelve, but he still had vivid memories of the charred remains of his father.
Fire overwhelmed the building, flames licking the walls. I had been working late in the shop, counting inventory with dad when she had come in, flailing around the golden bangle. Mum took us into the back room to show us something and locked the door. That's when she lit the curtains on fire. It spread so quickly, dad and I didn't know what to do.
"I know, Wu," mum cried viciously. "Su, you don't have to tell me twice. I'm just trying to protect my family."
"Lara-Le, darling, who are you talking to? There's nobody there," dad cried, placing an arm in front of me to shield me.
"He's taken control of the shop. The devil has control of us all," mum raved, a crazed glare in her eyes.
"Lara-Le, snap out of it," dad grabbed her arms, spittle flying at her. She shoved him away with surprising force, jumping backwards.
"You were right, Lah, I might have been too late. The only way to save them is to burn him out," mum bellowed to her side, talking to thin air. Dad rushed over to me.
"Listen, son, we need to escape. Stay close," dad instructed as he took my hand. He ran up to the door and kicked it with the heel of his boot. It barred under his weight but stood standing. The fire had almost completely engulfed the room and began spreading to the rest of the store. With one more mighty kick, dad sent the door flying off the hinges. He grabbed my hand and we sped out of the room, dodging falling flaming debris as the ceiling began to fall. Black smoke snuffed out the oxygen and billowed all around us. Finally, dad and I made it out onto the street.
"Stay here, son, and don't come back in for us," dad warned.
"But dad-" I tried to argue.
"I said stay here," he commanded. "I'm going back in for your mother. I won't be too long." That was the last I saw of him. Minutes later that firemen, police and paramedics arrived and tried to sedate the raging flames. I watched in horror as the building collapsed on itself in a fiery inferno. I begged them to rescue my parents.
Finally, after waiting helplessly, a few firemen returned carrying a woman. It was my mother.
"Did you find dad too?" I asked. I'll never forget the look the firemen exchanged. It was then I knew that they were too late. He perished in that fire, and it was all her fault. After everything was cleared up, my uncle was awarded the insurance money and put it away for my university fund. He took me in and looked after me.
I lived with him through my schooling years and finally went off to university where I met the girl of my dreams. Together we opened up another Jewellers in Central City and named it after my father's store, Masteriety. I remember when I went up to my uncle, telling him that I was going to ask her to marry me. He handed me a gift, and imagine my surprise when I unwrapped it and saw the same golden bangle. No scorch marks present, almost good as new.
"How did you…" I had trailed off.
"Lara-Le never let it go. They had to confiscate it off her when I sent her to the psychiatric ward so I made her a wooden one to satiate her crazy need to hold that thing," my uncle explained.
"But why are you giving it to me?" I asked.
"Your father ordered it as an anniversary gift for your mother. He was so excited, and told me all about it. He had planned to give it to you when you found a girl that you knew was special. Since he's not here anymore, and you think you've found that girl, it's my job to hand it over. He would want you to have it."
I gave it to her as an engagement gift after she said yes and it never left her sight until the day she died.
"Dad?" Knuckles' voice cut though his father's thoughts, snapping him back to reality.
"Sorry, son," Locke replied in a dull tone. "I was just thinking…"
"Thanks dad," Knuckles said as he reached over and grabbed the precious box. Without warning, his father slammed his hand on the box, holding it in place. He looked up at his son and stared intently into his hazel pupils.
"You know how important this was to your grandfather," he began. "And me."
"You have told me the story before dad, I know. You gave it to mum when you knew she was the one. I'm not making a mistake."
"I need to make sure that you are serious about this." Knuckles placed his remaining hand on top of his fathers to console him.
"I have been dwelling on this for about a while and I have concluded that, yes, I do love Rouge. I need to prove that to her or else I'll lose her forever and I know this will show her how serious and committed I am." Knuckles gave his dad a small smile before prying his fingers off the box and taking it, allowing his father to finally relinquish his most valuable treasure after all these years.
"Your mother would have been so proud of you," his father finally replied, using his index finger to wipe away the single, stray tear that began to stain his cheek.
"I know she would have been. I love you dad."
"You too, son."
…
Sonic's head remained on a constant, frantic swivel as his attention moved from one student to the next. His red, bloodshot eyes never making eye contact with anybody because they were quickly cast onto another before the person could get a read on the boy. He kept itching his arm and neck as he walked. Sonic's skin was flushed, his mouth dry. He sped up, slipping through the crowds on the way to his favourite place in recent memory to get away from everybody. With one final check, he slipped into the gymnasium, sprinting to the other end where he pushed his way into the supply closet. He tossed his bag onto the plethora of blue crash mats, piled high in a disorderly fashion as he plonked himself down on some of the foam wedges that were brought out for gymnastic practice.
Sonic reached into the front pocket of his pack and pulled out a small rubber tube, swiftly rolling up his shirt and wrapping it around his upper arm. He tied it off tightly, restricting the blood flow to his extremities. With his other hand, he pulled out the small syringe, positioning it over the exposed skin where his elbow joint was and sticking the needle deep into his popping veins. He sighed in relief as he felt the substance enter his bloodstream and drain from its glass containment. In seconds he was overwhelmed with a surge of euphoria. His eyes began to droop, his breathing slowed as he started to nod off.
Sonic could hear faint footsteps echoing through the gym in the distance. Quickly he removed the tube, rolled down his sleeve and threw the syringe and other evidence back into his pack, zipping it up just as the door was slung open.
"What are you doing here?" a deep, judgemental voice yelled from the small door as it was slammed open.
"Shadow, what are you doing here?" Sonic asked, leaning back against the stacked mats.
"Sonic, c'mon. It's been almost two weeks and I figured out what you have been doing. Why are you doing this to yourself?" Shadow asked, lowering his voice and adopting a soothing, caring tone.
"I'm not doing anything," Sonic protested. "I just come here to chill and escape everything."
"Sonic… don't you remember the talk we had?"
"Talk?" Sonic asked, wracking his brain to find the fleeting memories that seemed to escape him recently.
"Fine, but if I'm right or not, can I at least try to help?" Shadow offered.
"Like you care," Sonic spat back in anger. "You can't judge me!"
"Sonic, I'm not judging you. I'm just here to help," Shadow cooed, grabbing Sonic's pack and removing it from the close proximity. Sonic eyed it suspiciously. Shadow caught his glance and went to open the pack. Sonic quickly pounced, snatching it out of his reach. "Give me the bag, Sonic," Shadow instructed calmly.
"I'll give it to you once you stop ignoring me," Sonic yelled, the substance inside of him beginning to affect his temper, allowing his rage to slowly spiral out of control. "Two weeks! You and Tails have been avoiding me for over two weeks! This is all your fault."
"We are not avoiding you Sonic, we are both worried about you," he repeated.
"I don't need your pity. I'm perfectly fine."
"I've known you for almost three years now and I know the real Sonic. The real Sonic is tougher than this! The Sonic I know wouldn't do this."
"The Sonic you know died," Sonic bellowed, dropping his head in between his palms to avoid looking at Shadow. "And I'm not doing anything," Sonic continued stubbornly.
"The Sonic I know can't die. He can outrun death itself," Shadow replied warmly.
"Just leave, go away now. Or else things won't turn out so well," Sonic threatened, allowing his puffy eyes to settle on Shadow's, daring him to continue. Shadow could see past the façade of anger, brought on by the drug that was clouding his mind. He could see the pain, hurt and loss present behind the fog. Shadow wasn't sure what he was using, but he knew Sonic was on something. It didn't take a genius to see the signs.
"Sonic," Shadow edged closer, ignoring Sonic's warnings. "I still love you. I know that you don't believe me but it's true. I'll never not love you. You will always have a place in my heart, but there is somebody else. Somebody who my heart yearns for more. Somebody who you've already hurt in the past, even though he loved you. All three of us need to move on, Sonic. We can all still be best friends, but Tails and I need to move forward and you need to join us on our journey to the future. You can't keep destroying yourself."
"Get. Out."
"This is not the answer," Shadow cried out.
"I said. Get. Out."
"Sonic, please listen to me!"
"Leave!" Sonic yelled, hurling a small coin from the reaches of his pocket at Shadow. He easily ducked out of the way, letting it clang to the floor.
"I will find help," Shadow whispered as he slipped out of the small room, leaving Sonic to his fury, alone.
…
Rouge waved her farewells to Sally as she turned to start on her path to her next class, books cradled under one arm. A smile was plastered on her face as the sun beamed through the windows and set her features alight with beauty. Yet, as if mirroring the darkness that had descended upon the school, a lone cloud floated in front of the magnificent sun, obscuring its light. Knuckles entered the room, shrouding Rouge's insides with the same darkness.
"What do you want, Red, I'm late for class?" she asked half-heartedly, refusing to make eye contact with him.
"I wanted to apologise," Knuckles said simply. Rouge turned her nose up at him and continued towards her next class, taking his unwanted appearance completely in stride. However, her path was hurriedly blocked by a boy in a purple hoodie.
"Rouge, please hear us out," Espio begged. Rouge, figuring out that the two were in cahoots together, brushed past him. Espio grabbed her arm, spinning her around to face him. She flared her nostrils angrily, trying to wrench her arm free but his grip was persistent.
"What?" she barked in a low, menacing tone as she stared daggers into the Espio's eyes.
"Just hear him out," Espio urged.
"Why do you care? Go ruin somebody else's life."
"Please, Rouge, I just wanted to apologize. I was the one who secretly stalked you on one of your visits to see Shadow under the tree. I knew it was a friendly visit, but I snapped the picture so it looked incriminating so I could use it as blackmail. I was the one who showed it to Knuckles and convinced him that you were cheating on him. I only did it because I was under Fiona's thumb and I truly want to show you repentance. I don't blame you if you don't forgive me, but he deserves forgiveness," Espio finished plainly, pointing towards the slouching boy. Knuckles looked up hopefully as he finally approached.
"Get out of here, now," Rouge warned Espio as he quickly released his grip and sprinted away, trying to avoid Rouge's infamous wrath.
"Rouge I-"
"No, Red. I can't do this anymore," Rouge interrupted him with a sigh. "We can't keep breaking up and getting back together. It's honestly exhausting."
"But Rouge, just give me one more chance," Knuckles begged.
"I… I've got to get to class now. See you around," she turned to leave but Knuckles stopped her.
"Before you go, I need to give you something." Knuckles reached into his bag and pulled out the small, wooden box. He unhinged the latches and pulled open the top, revealing the dazzling item held within. Rouge couldn't help but let out an audible gasp as he eyes laid upon the majestic item.
"F-for… me?" she questioned. Knuckles nodded, taking out the item and putting it on her wrist. Rouge ogled the bangle, crafted from the purest gold and forged at the precise temperature to make it gleam in the light. Small carvings of some form of silver serpents slid their way around the exterior of the bangle. The scales of the serpent were all encrusted with a multitude of small gem stones ranging from topazes to Sapphires to Rubies to amethysts to Diamonds, each more beautiful than the last. Together they combined into a kaleidoscopic rainbow of beauty. Fixed in the open jaws of the serpent sat a large, dazzling giant emerald. It shimmered in the sun's rays, casting a heavenly green glow over its surroundings.
"I-I don't know what to say. It's amazing," Rouge stammered, searching her brain for any words of gratitude but found that her vocabulary had dried up in the presence of the golden, gem encrusted bangle.
"Say you will take me back?" Knuckles replied with a question. "Rouge, I love you. Will you be my girlfriend again?"
"I… I… I can't think. I need to be alone. I'm sorry," she muttered, casting her glance to her feet as she turned and ran as fast as she could from him. Knuckles' head fell to the floor as he watched Rouge escape his grasp yet again.
…
Silver and Blaze roamed the halls hand in hand as Silver opened the classroom door for his girlfriend and her unborn fetus. Blaze graciously accepted his gesture
"Looks like you really are my knight in shining armour," she commented on his chivalrous behaviour as she hobbled through the door. Suddenly, she froze.
"Something wrong?"
"Shit, I brought the wrong text book. Could you please run and get my Chem book?" Blaze asked, kissing Silver on the cheek.
"I'll be right back," Silver. "What's your code?"
"Left seventy-four, right fifty-eight and left thirty-seven," Blaze recited from memory before Silver sped off. He made his way to her locker and opened it up, depositing the text book. However, when he reached to grab the Chemistry book, his hand knocked against her small, black backpack and it fell to the floor with a thud along with the rest of her cluttered locker. As it hit the hard ground, its contents went sliding across the floor. Silver bent down and picked up all her things, frantically stuffing them back into her bag and throwing them onto her locker shelf when his eyes fell upon the empty cardboard casing that had previously contained Blaze's pregnancy test.
He picked it up, inspecting it. As he went to close the lid, he noticed a small lock of pink hair stuck to the cardboard lid. He inspected the hair carefully, a perplexed look crossing his face. It wasn't the lighter colouring as some of her vibrant violet died her. It was the same hair as… Silver froze as shock and horror slowly descended upon his features when he was hit with the realization. One horrid thought crossed through his mind. Somebody had tampered with the test.
Firstly, a wave on depression fell upon Silver. He had grown accustomed to the thought of a son. He was looking forward to raising his own flesh and blood. Somebody he could play video games with, play catch with, teach all the things he knew. Yet the depression quickly subsided as anger gripped Silver, contaminating his entire body. He grabbed the bag and sprinted back towards Blaze, letting the hair fall to the ground.
One month ago…
Amy finished detailing her plan. Espio nodded with a grin. It was the perfect way to get back at Silver and Amy knew it would be sweet revenge for the way Blaze treated her. She recalled some complaints Blaze had made about being late and knew she had to act fast.
Amy skulked down the hallway at night, avoiding the janitor as he did his daily routine. She made her way to Blaze's locker and opened it, noting that the pregnancy test that she had given the Blaze as a joke gift the day before would still be there. She chuckled to herself when she recalled how nervous Blaze had been when Amy suggested the test.
Amy whipped out a small piece of paper which detailed instructions on how to rig the test to be positive as she got to work. All of a sudden, just as she had finished, she heard the faint whistling of the janitor get progressively louder. She hurriedly closed the box, put it back where she found it and slammed the locker closed, sprinting down the hall to avoid detection. Unfortunately, in her haste she neglected to realize the small lock of hair that had shed from her as she closed the lid.
One month ago, Blaze sat on the toilet, unpacking the pregnancy test that Amy had delivered her as a precautionary measure. Blaze was nervous, her hands were shaking as the prospect of a child inside of her rattled her. She was only a teenager and it scared her beyond belief. To steady her shaking hands, she placed the box down and picked up the test, readying herself to do what needed to be done. After discovering that it was positive, she threw the box back into her bag in anger, never getting the chance to see the small lock of hair that still clung to the lid. Never, until Silver had finally discovered it…
…
Blaze seemed to falter slightly when she saw Tails sit on the desk beside her in Chemistry class as if nothing had happened. She shot him a look of displeasure.
"Would you like to borrow my text book?" he offered, trying to show the most genuine smile her could, masking his shaky nerves.
"Tails, why are you sitting next to me?" Blaze asked in the politest way she could, masking her cynicism.
"I always sit next to you," he reminded her.
"Look, I don't think I can forgive you just yet, Tails," she sighed. Tails took a deep breath before speaking again.
"Blaze, I am really sorry that I let my temper get the better of me and hurt you. I can never forgive myself for that, but I am begging you to forgive me. I took your advice on board and last week, Shadow and I confronted Sonic and we let him know the truth. I would have told you sooner but I was too scared of losing you again." Tails let his gaze fall to his shoes mid-way through the sentence but he forced himself to finish his little speech.
"Tails, you will never lose me," Blaze confirmed. "But you have lost my trust. I do forgive you, but if you want my trust again, it will need to be built back up from the ground. I hope you understand," she concluded.
"I do, and I promise you that I can prove that I do really care about you and I hope one day that you can trust me as much as you did before," Tails said, his nerves leaving him. However, before Blaze could say anything else, the door to the Chemistry room flew open and Silver burst into the room.
"Silver, this is highly inappropriate behaviour," the uptight Chemistry teacher shouted in an English tone, adjusting the spectacles that were fixed to her nose in the process.
"Sorry," he called behind him as he grabbed Blaze's arm and whisked her out of the room. She reached for her crutches and barely managed to keep up with him as he hoisted her out of the room.
"What are you doing?" she asked exasperatedly, annoyance clearly audible in her voice. "You could have seriously hurt me."
"Blaze, I think somebody played a trick on you, and I think I know who it was," Silver blabbered frantically.
"What do you mean?"
"Blaze… You're not pregnant!" Sure enough, the following night as Blaze got home, she finally got her period. She didn't know how to feel. Relived? Saddened? All she could really feel was anger. Anger directly squarely at one person. Amy.
…
Fiona raised an eyebrow out of curiosity, watching as Gold, the school secretary, used her master lock to open Cream's locker and slip an expertly sealed envelope inside. Fiona bided her time, waiting until the woman was far enough away before she pounced. Fiona kept her head on a swivel as she pulled a pair of bolt cutters out of her duffle bag.
"These come in handy way too often," she remarked to herself before snapping through the metal attached to the locker and, slowly, the door swung open. Fiona reached inside and pulled out the small, rectangular envelope that had been sealed with fancy red wax. She dug he nail into the wax, breaking it apart until the seal eventually gave way and the envelope opened without resistance.
Inside she read the letter carefully, an annoyed scowl crossed her face as she glossed over the fine print in the letter. Inside was a small note from the secretary of Mobius Academy, the most prestigious university in all of Mobius and one with the most outstanding reputation. Almost all its graduates were experts in their personal, professional fields of study and went on to do amazing things, discovering new elements, advancing space travel or becoming business tycoons. According to the letter that Cream just received, it seems that she had been granted the opportunity for an interview early next semester for her scholarship application.
"Whoops," Fiona said sarcastically, tearing a big rip down the middle of the paper. "What a shame that this got lost in the mail," she cackled, tearing a second rip in the two halves of the paper. Fiona wasn't jealous, but she sure as heck wasn't going to let little miss innocent get to go to somewhere that wouldn't even give her a second glance. Not on her life. Especially because of her father…
Suddenly, without warning, she felt something push hard into her back. She stumbled forward. Fiona threw out her arms and grasped the lockers to steady herself, the paper floating to the ground.
"What the fuck was that for?" Fiona shrieked in anger, cursing aloud.
"These don't belong to you," Jet replied, bending down to scoop up the bits of the letter. Fiona scoffed as she corrected her leather jacket and stormed off, muttering curses under her breath. Jet turned around and saw the small, thankful teenager looking up at him.
"Thank you so much, Jet," Cream thanked him. "But you shouldn't have done that for me."
"It was nothing," Jet remarked in a toneless voice. "Not everyone should have to suffer like me," he said as he reached into his bag and pulled out his pencil case. He unzipped it slowly and took out a small roll of sticky tape. He positioned the four pieces against the firm side of the lockers and taped the letter back to the way it was before it was vandalized.
"Here," Jet said as he handed Cream back the letter of recognition.
"Thanks again, but I wouldn't mess with Fiona, she is bad news," Cream frowned, filled with worry for what Fiona might plan to do against him.
"Don't worry, she can't hurt me more than I already am," Jet replied before strolling down the hallway. He was already gone before Cream could understand his cryptic response. She sighed, looking down at the note before she stowed it away back in her pack and headed off to the cafeteria.
Meanwhile, Jet slipped into the boy's bathroom, locking the stall behind him as he entered it. He sat down on the toilet and rolled up his sleeves to reveal his arm, bruised and scabbed beyond repair. He noted the few remaining patches of un-touched skin with a scowl before grabbing out a small, serrated blade from his bag and adding new wounds to his wrist. He sighed in relief when the electrifying jolts of pain shot up his arm. He relished in the feel of something, anything apart from the emptiness and loneliness that consumed him most hours of the day.
…
"Catch you later," Sally waved as she made her way to her next class of the day, leaving Amy alone to wonder the halls of the desolate school. She felt happier and more enthused than usual today and she couldn't place her finger on it. It might have been something to do with Amy. The two had been spending more and more time together and Amy had really begun to open up her inner most feelings. She finally felt like she had made a true friend.
Sally had been the only person to ever break through her tough outer shell and explore the interior of her mind. Together, they worked on Amy's Sonic obsession and her fixation on other people's love lives.
For the first time since, well ever, she wasn't thinking about Sonic, but was still happy. She wasn't trying to find him or chase him or hug him. For the first time in her life, Amy Rose had moved forward. However, her mood didn't last longer than a few moments when an extremely angry voice bellowed at her from down the hall. She turned to see the silhouettes of two teenagers steadily grow closer until they were close enough for Amy to recognise.
"Hey guys, how are y-"
"Shut up!" Blaze interrupted her maliciously.
"What was that for?" Amy questioned, completely bewildered by the blatant attack for no reason that came from the girl who usually avoided confrontation like the plague.
"We found out your plan," Silver spat.
"How could you do that to me?" Blaze asked.
"What are you talking about?"
"I had my period last night," Blaze snarled.
"And I found one of your hairs in her pregnancy test," Silver added with air quotes. Suddenly Amy remembered what she had done.
"Oh my Chaos, shit, Blaze, Silver, look at me. I'm so, so sorry."
"Save it," Silver turned his head in disgust.
"No really, I didn't mean it," Amy pleaded.
"You didn't mean to purposely make me think I got pregnant?" Blaze yelled, raising her hands above her head for emphasis. "You didn't mean to fake the test?"
"I…I…I," Amy stuttered at a loss for words.
"No, fuck you, Amy. This is unforgivable. You can't go around and do this. I don't give a shit what the fuck happened in your life but you tried to completely ruin ours! What, because Sonic dumped you and we sided with him you can pull this shit?" Silver growled.
"Can't you imagine how that made us feel? You're fucking pathetic," Blaze barked, unable to contain her anger any long.
"I…I…I," Amy repeated, snivelling slightly.
"Don't, Amy. Just go away. In fact, don't ever talk to us again," Blaze remarked, unable to take the passive, friendly approach anymore. She just couldn't believe one of her oldest, closest friends could do this to her for absolutely no reason.
Amy couldn't take this any longer. She felt like a small pebble being stepped on. She felt herself crack down the middle and, in one fluid motion, she collapsed to the floor and began wailing uncontrollably. She finally broke down.
"Spare us the crocodile tears," Silver said.
"I never meant for any of this to happen," Amy gasped between sobs, her face in her hands as she slumped to her knees. Her words were almost impossible to hear, the sound unable to penetrate her palms that hid her face. "Espio just came up to me… he said… you were mean to me… reminded me of when you made Sonic break up with me…" she struggled to continue until she was interrupted again.
"For the last time, we never made Sonic leave you. He left you because he didn't love you that way anymore. He doesn't like you and never will, get over him."
"It wasn't about him. I… Espio… Cream… Tikal… He… She… I… I just wanted all my friends to find love," she burst into tears again. "Oh Chaos, what have I done?"
"Stop," Silver said coldly.
"How could I have been so blind? How could I have been so manipulative and treated all my friends so horribly?" Amy wailed uncontrollably again. She brought her fist up and slammed it into the ground multiple times. "Stupid… stupid… stupid," she repeated over and over, smashing her fist onto the hard ground each time she said the word, ignoring the immense pain that begun shooting up her arm. She had finally lost it. Amy had snapped.
"Amy, stop," Blaze cried out, grabbing her fist. "Don't do this to yourself."
"Why do you care? I did an unforgivable thing to you. I was so blinded by the idea of love that I turned it into something the complete opposite. I don't deserve compassion," she broke her hand free and continued to punch the ground. "I gave you the hope of life just to take it away. Slipped things in your food to hold off the period so you would take the test I fixed…"
"Amy," Silver finally spoke up, anger dissipating from his voice and replaced with pity. "You did something wrong. Something horrible. That doesn't mean we hate you forever. Sure, we're incredibly mad, but you can still mend out friendship."
"It will take a long time, and complete trust and dedication, but if you work at it, you can repair all the severed friendships. Sonic, Tails, Shadow, Rouge, Knuckles, Tikal, Cream, Jet, Sally, Silver and I… we are all still your friends… sort of. We will still support you, but only if you start to change," Blaze added, kneeling beside her.
"You… you really forgive me?" Amy looked up through her tears.
"No," Silver said plainly. "We neither forgive, nor trust you."
"But we can in the future if you change and prove to us that you really do want to be friends," Blaze interjected.
"I…I will. I'll prove to you all that I'm not this love crazed monster!" Amy bellowed through more gasps and tears. "I'm so, so sorry," she said as Silver and Blaze finally turned to leave her in her stupor.
"Did we do the right thing, honey?" Blaze asked, looking up to her silver boyfriend for guidance.
"I don't know," he replied honestly, shaking his head. "But that girl definitely needed a reality check."
"Can we really forgive her for what she did to not only us, but the others too?"
"No," Silver concluded bitterly.
…
Shadow snuck through the trees, keeping to the shadows that were shrouding the ground from the tall trees and thick foliage that grew overhead. Shadow ducked under bushes, weaved between hedges and jumped over logs until he finally broke clear of the thickest parts of the forest to stand alone in the familiar field that smelled of succulent apples. He walked cautiously, not wanting to be interrupted by any more photographers in training. Finally, when he was sure that he was alone, he stretched out along the ground, leaning his back against the tree before he closed his eyes and enjoyed a quick nap.
Moments later, the wind picked up around him, causing frantic gusts to billow around the field, pulling out some of the more fragile flowers. Shadow peeked through one of his eyelids when the warm stream of sunlight was obstructed by a strange machine high in the air. He quickly shook himself awake, his reflexes on high alert as he saw three ropes fling out of the helicopter hovering above, followed by three men dressed in an unrecognisable uniform.
Shadow jumped to his feet, alert as he began to be attacked by these mysterious invaders. One of the men ran up to him and punched him in the gut. Shadow, taken slightly off guard, recovered swiftly and delivered an extraordinarily strong uppercut to the man's jaw, causing him to topple over on the ground. The second of the trio, annoyed, began to open fire with a rifle that Shadow noticed was filled with tranquilizer darts.
All of a sudden his instincts took over. Shadow dived to the ground, narrowly avoiding the first barrage of darts that whizzed over his head. He quickly rolled over to his back and jumped up, cartwheeling out of the way of a second round of three darts. Shadow, taking his opportunity while his opponent was reloading, galloped into a sprint and, with his shoulder taking more of the force, collided with the man sending them both to the ground.
While on top of the stranger, Shadow balled his hands into a fist and delivered a savage punch to the man's face, breaking his nose and causing him to also fall unconscious. Shadow's eyes grew wide as he looked at his blood covered hands, devastated and surprised by what he had just done. His mind flashed back to when he was a younger kid at the orphanage, standing over an unconscious boy with blood on his knuckles. Back then he surprised himself. Back then he fled to the streets. He wasn't going to flee this time.
"You're such a freak," they taunted me.
"Freak, Freak, Freak," they mocked over and over. The orphanage was hell, and every time I was adopted I didn't last a month before I was discarded back to this dilapidated building. I was like the other kids, and they knew it. I was an outcast among outcasts. I was a freak, and every time they saw me they reminded me. This time, I finally snapped.
I dove on him as he mocked me in the small playground at the back of the collapsing building. I delivered a savage barrage of punches to his face. I bruised his cheeks, blackened his eyes and broke his nose. Blood spurted from it as the boy fell out of consciousness but that didn't stop me.
"Shadow. Shadow that's enough," our mistress called as she rushed over to me. It was only then my brain registered what was happening. I sat on top of the unconscious boy, my knuckles drenched in his blood. I couldn't believe what had come over me. "Get off him you horrid creature," she scolded me.
I couldn't face them anymore. I couldn't face her anymore. I couldn't face any of it. The rejection, the orphanage, the kids, anything. I ran. I ran away and never looked back. I ran away from it as they screamed in terror.
Freak. Freak. Freak. They taunted, clapping. Clapping... Clapping?
Shadow whipped his head around when he heard some slow clapping from behind him, tugging him from his thoughts. He narrowed his eyes when he saw the final of the three assailants. However, this one seemed different from the others. He seemed older, with more defined facial features coupled with a head of grey hair. His skin was completely covered from neck to toe in a grey suit, with a red and blue streak up the pant leg, finished off with a pair of black boots and white gloves.
"That was an excellent display, Shadow," the man applauded, taking a step forward.
"Who are you?" Shadow spoke in a toneless voice.
"We've been watching you for quite some time, Shadow, and I must say that I am quite impressed." Shadow looked back towards the two unconscious men and confusion swirled around in his brain. Shadow knew he was fit, fast and strong but he never thought he would be able to do the things that he did. It was as if his instincts took over.
"How did I do that?"
"Do you not remember?"
"I can't remember anything before my eighth birthday, but you should know that if you really have been following me. Now, I'll ask again, who are you?" Shadow repeated himself, getting fed up with this mysterious man. He tried to keep a cool head, showing no weakness despite the thousand questions and doubts slamming into his brain.
"I am the commander of a little organisation called G.U.N, or, Guardian Units of Nations," the commander bowed.
"So, you're, what, a spy?"
"That's one way to think about it. We have decided to give you a proposition, but not after a small test, which you passed with flying colours," he gestured to the two unconscious men.
"What?"
"We would like you to join our cause to protect Mobius from invaders, threats and people who wish to harm us. We would like you to become a G.U.N agent. What do you say?" he addressed Shadow with the utmost of courtesy, making the offer even more enticing to him. Shadow had always felt strange. Felt like he was different from everyone else and upon seeing what his subconscious mind could do when in peril confirmed his fears.
"Do you know why I can't remember anything before my eighth birthday?" Shadow asked. The commander shrugged, his face emotionless. Shadow grunted. "And what would happen if I accepted?" Shadow asked.
"We would give you to the end of the semester and then you would come train with us. You wouldn't complete your senior year at school or continue living where you currently reside," he spoke with no hint of hesitation, confirming to Shadow that there would be no bargaining with this man. Shadow thought back to his friends, flashing through each and every one, staying an extra-long time on Rouge, Tails and eventually stopping on Sonic. An agitated and impatient cough served as his cue to respond.
"Can I have some time to think about it?" Shadow asked finally.
"You have till the end of the month," the commander said as he began to retreat. "Oh, and Shadow."
"Yes?"
"Your father would be very proud of you."
"You… knew my father?" Shadow's eyes widened in shock but before he could get an answer, the commander had disappeared.
…
Sally walked down the hallways, dodging past the hustle and bustle of the lunch time rush as all students tried to make their way to get the hottest and freshest food.
"Hey Sally, wanna go have lunch together?" Tikal asked, making her way through the river of students. "It feels like it has been aaaaages," Tikal emphasised.
"Yeah, I know, I'm totes down," Sally smiled as the two began to join the crowd. However, though the noise of chatting students, Sally picked up the faint sound of crying coming from the bathroom as they passed by it. "Uh… sorry Tikal, I forgot that I had to do something for Sonic at lunch today. Rain check?"
"Sure," Tikal sighed, waving goodbye before continuing off but didn't get much further before she felt a tug on her arm and found herself being dragged out of the hallway and into a small, secluded room. Meanwhile, Sally pushed open the bathroom door and tiptoed in, allowing the door to silently close behind her.
"Hello?" she called out. The sobs instantly subsided but the source of the sadness didn't emerge from the stall they hid in. "Who is in here?" After still no answer, curiosity and care took over. Sally began to slide through the bathroom, pushing against all the stalls to see who was inside. Eventually, she came to the final stall and saw a familiar pair of red shoes.
"Amy?" Sally questioned, but this time, she heard a response.
"Please go away."
"Amy, it's me, Sally." No answer again. "I just want to help." Ultimately, after moments of waiting, Sally saw the door creak open slightly and Amy's drained and pale face peered through. She looked like a wreck. Her eyes were red and puffy, her hair a mess and she had black streaks down her cheeks from where the tears had made her mascara run.
"I wish you didn't have to find me like this," she sniffed. Sally grabbed Amy's hand and led her to the sink, tearing off a paper towel and wetting it with the gentle flow of warm water from the tap. She looked at Amy and began to wash away the horrendous lines of mascara.
"What happened?" Sally asked.
"The old me. That's what happened," Amy wailed but when Sally gave back a look of confusion she decided to continue. "After Sonic broke up with me I became obsessed with helping all of my friends find love. In doing so I got a little carried away and did a horrible thing to Blaze and Silver and now they hate me. I'm fucking pathetic," Amy concluded, breaking down into another sad fit. Sally sighed, a feeling of dread falling across her heart as she felt the fresh, warm tears pitter-patter against the back of her hands.
"Amy, come on, cheer up. You're not pathetic."
"Then how come I did that to them?"
"What did you do?"
"I tricked Blaze into thinking she's pregnant by tampering with her pregnancy test and slipping things into her food to screw up her menstrual cycle…"
"Whoa… okay, that's bad," Sally admitted.
"See, I'm a mess."
"Look, that's pretty bad but you were depressed and in a bad state after Sonic dumped you. But you moved on, remember? That was the old you. Your friends will get to know the new you, like I do, and they will forgive you. Trust me," Sally smiled, lifting Amy's face so it was barely inches away from her.
"Th-Thank you," Amy sniffed once more before throwing her hands around Sally and bringing her into a warm hug. Instantly, Amy's fears and sadness dissipated into the air, being replaced by this new, warm feeling. "You really are the best friend any girl could ask for…"
…
"What are you doing?" Tikal yelled, wrenching her hand free from whoever was stealing her away from the hallway and took a defensive step back. "Espio, I know you said you wouldn't give up, but this isn't okay."
"Hmm, interesting. What makes you think I'm Espio?" Rouge questioned, stepping out from the shadows to reveal herself, a smirk on her face.
"Oh, sorry Rouge, I thought you were Espio," Tikal sighed.
"Yeah, that's kind of why I came to talk to you. Espio came up to me and apologised about taking that picture of me and Shadow and I wanted to know if you knew anything about that," Rouge cooed with a wink, but something was lacking in her mockery.
"He… He really did that?" Tikal asked, looking off into the distance as she thought about Espio trying to redeem himself. "Because of me?"
"Yeah, so, is there a thing going on between you and him?"
"No, but he is trying to ask me out," Tikal laughed but it turned to a gasp of awe when her eyes fell upon the emerald bangle that Rouge was wearing around her wrist. "Where did you get that? It's beautiful."
"Oh, this? Yeah. Knuckles gave it to me and asked if we could start over again… for the fourth time," Rouge sighed.
"You guys haven't had the smoothest sailing, have you?"
"I guess not. I just… I don't know what to do. You were with him for a long time, did he ever do this for you?"
"No, never," Tikal mentioned, looking down slightly. "He must really think you are something special."
"I don't know. You should see some of the stupid things that he does."
"That's Knuckles for you. He can be so thick headed and stubborn, but he has a loveable charm about him."
"Yeah," Rouge sighed, her eyes straining on the magnificent present that Knuckles had delivered to her. "I just don't know what to do."
"I think you are very lucky, but you need to ask yourself, do you love him?"
"Do you love Espio?" Rouge fired back, not used to getting girl advice. Her first instinct was to turn the embarrassing or emotional topic back at whoever asked to shield herself from her insecurities but felt a sudden tinge of guilt when she saw Tikal's reaction.
"No, I don't. But… maybe I should give him a chance?" Tikal asked.
"I wouldn't," Rouge scoffed. "He might be doing small things but unless he does a big gesture, I wouldn't even give him the time of day."
"Big gesture? Like that bangle?"
"Y-yeah… like this."
"So, Rouge, do you love him?" Tikal asked again.
"I don't know if I do," Rouge sighed, glancing down at Tikal. Both girls searched the other one's face to find the answers they were desperately seeking but when they came up empty handed, another round of long sighs filled the small room.
"Sorry for pulling you aside. I'll see you round," Rouge finally broke the silence as she opened the door. "Good luck."
"You too, Rouge"
