(Normal POV)
Ah, it felt so goof to be free once more, to unleash and fear. It was so satisfying to see the idiotic mortals cower away from his presence, even in his lesser form. It made everything so much more entertaining.
It had been almost too easy to find her; he only needed to travel once. True, the small piece of the planet on which she dwelled was very different from his usual hunting territory. However, adapting to circumstances and being successful in all endeavors was an art-he was the master.
He knew where she was before he even entered the building called 'Drabloon Lagoon Resort and Spa.' (Such a stupid name. What in 's name was a Drabloon?) He could sense her soul's potent power, pulsing, calling him, urging him to take what was his.
But he couldn't, he couldn't just take it! That was far too easy and it cut the experience too short! No, he would wait for the right time. He would watch her, talk to her, and let her have her last moments.
He was grateful for this decision to moment she graced his all-seeing eyes.
By far, she was one of the fairest of his prey-her strong slender build, her deepened emerald eyes, the subtle grace in her movements...
It was a pity. She could've been the queen of his race, ruling the face of this earth, faithfully by his side. But, it would never be.
If he wanted to rise to his former glory and beyond, she could not exist. Ah well, that was how the world worked.
His world.
******************************************************************
(Amy's POV)
Lately, I'd been more stressed than usual. On top of the daily and nightly pressure, the party was tonight, I had no idea how I'd cope, NaIma was constantly checking to make sure I'd come, the serial killer was possibly less than 3 miles away from here, and to cap it off, Z wouldn't get out of my head.
It took everything I had just to get through the day.
It wasn't like I was obsessed with Z, I had had enough of that to last a life time, no, there was something about him that always caught my attention-the words he spoke that seemed to belong in a different timeline, the things he did, the way he looked at me...
But, the most noticeable thing was how others acted around him. People avoided him like the plague. You could always find Z in a crowd-there was an empty ring around him. They almost seemed...afraid of him. And not only that, Z appeared to enjoy it. It was unnerving.
I jumped when my cell phone started ringing, halting my train of thought. I reached over and picked it up off my bedside table, flipping it open.
"Hello?'
Hey Amy, it.s NaIma. Are you ready?
"Yeah...just about...sorta."
You're not having second thoughts are you?
"For the twentieth time, no I'm not." I chuckled.
Oh, ok! I have May over at my place and were gonna carpool. Are you in?
"No, I'm Amy"...
Kidding! Yeah, I'll be right over.
Oh, I get it! Good one! See ya in a minute!
"Bye."
I hung up and sat back on my bed. I needed a moment. This was going to be my first party in...well a long time. I wasn't sure if this was good idea. I wasn't sure what would happen. I wasn't-
I abruptly stood up. Nobody was sure about the details of the future. I was being stupid.
I looked myself over before leaving the house. NaIma was right, it was pretty nice. I was wearing a red, long-sleeved shirt with a white stripe down the middle. Two more white stripes covered the sleeves, and the collar, cuffs, and hem were black. My pants were a pearly white that faded into denim blue from the thighs down. My accessories were blue stud earrings and my traditional headband. All in all, I didn't look too bad.
I locked the front door and walked through the night. I'd discovered a boardwalk that connected the town and every house together. It was a lot faster than going through the roads that twisted around the forests. I didn't know if anybody else knew about it, but I kept it to myself. (NaIma always wondered how I got around so fast. It was very funny to watch her try to figure it out.)
3 minutes later, I was knocking on NaIma's front door. Through the walls I could hear the pounding of a stereo. There was a pause, then something scrambled down the stairs and the door opened.
"Hi Amy."
"Hello May."
May was a very pretty hedgehog with light red eyes. She worked as a yoga instructor at the resort. She was another good friend who was chucked full of advice and loved to listen, although sometimes you couldn't tell as she always drawing. And, sure enough, her sketch book was under her arm as she gave me a dreamy smile.
"You look lovely Amy, the outfit really suits you." She said as I walked in.
"Thanks May, and you look awesome yourself!"
May was dressed in a tan, dress-like shirt with a dark brown fringe and accented with a green, v-like pattern around her waist. She also wore matching tan bell-bottoms that had that had the same fringe. A green headband circled her head and hoop earrings hung from her ears.
She rubbed the back of her head shyly. "Thank you. C'mon, NaIma's upstairs. She's still getting ready."
Together, we climbed up the stairs, the stereo's song becoming clearer.
The last time I freaked out
I just kept looking down.
I stu-stu-stuttered when,
you asked me what I'm thinkin' about...
As we opened NaIma's bedroom door, a chocolate brown blur whizzed past us muttering "Belt...belt...where is the FREAKIN BELT?!?!"
NaIma's room was chaotic. Clothes had been ripped out from either the closet or the dresser, tried on in multiple combinations, and discarded throughout the room in frustration. It was a miracle if you could get from one side of the room to the next without stepping on something.
'She gets me an outfit four days early, but she waits till the day of to think of one for herself?'
With a resigned sigh, May gave me her sketch book and walked into the middle of NaIma's tornado-stricken room. She held out a hand and stopped NaIma mid-stride.
"NaIma," she said, calmly, "Relax. Breathe."
"But-"
"Breathe. In...and out...in...and out..."
While May was calming NaIma down, I scanned around the room and spotted something red sticking out from behind NaIma's pillow. I crossed the room and pulled out a sequined belt with a heart-shaped buckle.
"Is this what you were looking for?"
NaIma took one look at the belt and almost collapsed with relief.
"Oh thank you! You have no idea how hard I've been looking for that"!
May glanced around at the wreckage of fabric and shoes. "Oddly enough, I think we do."
"Har, har. Ok, Im ready!"
NaIma had on a magenta tank top, an orange mini skirt, and gold boots. She clipped on the belt and we headed down to her car.
I was silent on the way there, trying to keep my anxiety at bay. May and NaIma were chatting about their respective jobs. Why was acupuncture so popular? By the time we reached the resort, the party was really pumping. The windows in the Activity Hall were randomly changing colors and we could distinctly hear a DJ egging on the crowd.
"Ooh, I'm soooo excited!!" NaIma squealed, popping out of the car the moment it stopped. May was a little more composed; she watched NaIma, shaking her head in a bemused sort of way.
"NaIma, calm down." I said, stepping out of the car with my game face on. "You've been to every one of these parties."
"So? That doesn't make them any less fun."
The music got louder as we reached the Activity Hall. The double doors were thrown wide and a black, white and red panda stood beside them, holding a clipboard.
"Names?" he asked when we were close enough.
"Amy Rose, NaIma the Fox, and May the Hedgehog." I rattled off.
"Oookay, have fun."
Just as we stepped inside, I had the strange urge to look behind me. I turned and locked eyes with Z. He stood in the hallway, alone as usual. His mismatched eyes were glinting with an odd light as he gazed at me. His lips curved into a small smirk and he raised an eyebrow. I blinked. His smirk grew.
I was about to say something to him when NaIma grabbed my wrist and pulled me away. I saw her expression-it looked troubled. I quickly glanced back at Z.
He was gone.
The crowd of dancers and the thudding of the music diverted my attention. It was amazing just how many people worked at Drabloon. You never really noticed when you were working.
I saw many familiar faces as we navigated through the crowd. Veronica and Richard were dancing up a storm. They were fennec foxes, so their extra bushy tails awarded them plenty of room. Rico was talking to some buddies-most of which were laughing their heads off. I saw Rico again near the buffet table, and again teaching some of his dance moves out on the dance floor. And naturally, Rico was also up on the stage with Liza, doing his DJ duties.
I wasn't surprised. It was normal to see four Ricos at once. He had the ability to split himself into separate entities and be completely aware of every one. That was one reason he was so popular.
NaIma and I grabbed some drinks-May had disappeared onto the dance floor with an orange cat-and we retreated to a wall. NaIma still looked bothered. She was frowning into her cup of Mountain Dew as if it were telling her something.
"It's not natural." She muttered, "It's not...right."
"What?" I asked.
"Huh? Oh, nothing."
I was about to ask, but then Watermark appeared. He looked nervous, an unnatural emotion for him. "Hey Amy, hi...NaIma." He said, pausing a little on NaIma's name.
Oh...I get it. Watermark had a thing for NaIma. Well, I couldn't say I was surprised.
"Hi Watermark!" NaIma chirped, perking up.
"Hello." I said. NaIma had chosen this moment to take a drink, so I subtly gestured toward her. Watermark grinned sheepishly. He knew I knew.
"Sooo...NaIma," he began, fidgeting with his tail. "Would you, uh..if you want to..."
"Yes?" NaIma leaned forward. Watermark swallowed, losing his nerve as the seconds passed. I rolled my eyes and nudged him in the ribs. Hard.
"Would you like to dance with me?" he blurted out, wincing.
"Oh...y-yeah, I'd love to!" NaIma blushed lightly.
Watermark grinned and offered his arm. NaIma giggled and took it. They headed off to the dance floor as a slow song filtered through the speakers.
When darkness turns to light
it ends tonight
it ends tonight
Just a little insight
To make this right
It's too late to fight
It ends tonight
It ends tonight
I thought I saw the distinctive head of a maroon snake bobbing through the crowd, so I quickly made my way to the back doors that led into the gardens.
'Well, this isn't so bad.' I thought. 'I'd lasted the first 10 minutes.'
However, ten minutes seemed to be enough for me. I started walking through the garden without really knowing where I was going. The night air was cool against my face and the perfume of the flowers around me put me in a calm mood. Why couldn't all nights be like this?
I suddenly became aware of my surroundings. Somehow, I'd ended up near the outskirts of town. Huh? I was standing there, trying to figure out how I got here when I heard yelling, a high pitched scream
...and a deep rumbling growl.
I started running, my hammer held high. Rounding a corner, I saw something massive advancing on a sobbing girl pressed against the alley wall. The 's boyfriend was stirring on the ground, his face and arms y.
I didn't think I just threw my hammer hard and fast. It collided with the thing's shoulder, sending it flying to the end of the alley.
"Go!" I shouted to the , re-wielding my hammer and facing the menace. The ran to her boyfriend and pulled him up. The pair staggered away from the alleyway. The figure rose to its considerable height, and by this time, my eyes were used to the dark, so I got a good look at my opponent.
It was a wolverine. His white fur was accented dark red thorns and long shaggy brown hair. He wore no gloves or shoes; his fingers and toes tipped with sharp claws. Yellow-green eyes with slits for pupils gleamed with rage at me.
I tensed. There was no doubt that this mobian was the serial killer. There was a ring of dried around his mouth. My gut twisted with disgust at the sight. We stared at each other for several seconds before he sprang at me. I whipped my arm back and let fly, initiating the boomerang technique.
Nothing could react that fast. The wolverine deftly caught the hammer by the handle with his mouth, landing on all fours. I saw larger-than-normal canines sinking into the wood. Then, with a jerk, he snapped the handle in half.
Crap.
The pieces had barely hit the ground before he was coming at me again. His hand smacked into the side of my head, sending me to the ground. He was on top of me before I could even gasp in pain. He bared his fangs at me in a feral grin and reared back, preparing to rip out my throat. His teeth plunged down.
And he would've killed me to, if it hadn't had been for the four claws suddenly impaling his neck.
He opened his mouth in a silent scream, his eyes glazed, frozen in shock. dripped from his maw and ruined neck, staining my shirt. The claws were pulled from him, causing him to jerk. The wolverines arms trembled, and then buckled. I shoved the carcass off me, feeling relieved and sick at the same time. I looked up at my potential savior-a white and black hedgehog.
"Oh Z, thank you!" the near brush with made me a little breathless. "I...wasn't...
The rest of my sentence died as I noticed some very important details about my situation.
Z's hand...wasn't a hand anymore. It was larger and twisted into curving talons stained scarlet from piercing the wolverine's flesh.
At the sound of my voice, he turned.
One look. It took one look for me to learn the truth of the saying 'Out of the frying pan and into the fire. His odd eyes were lidded as they bored into mine. Pure flooded my veins with ice; my heart hammered against my chest.
A smile like no other, a smile of absolute evil twisted Z's face. He raised the paw still dripping with blood.
A force grabbed me with a strength I had no hope of breaking and threw me against the wall. My breath hitched. I couldn't even choke out a scream-my throat had closed.
Z slowly walked towards me, his eyes gleaming with triumph. I started shaking, my teeth chattering. He stopped when his face was just inches away from mine. He opened his mouth...
My breathing stopped and I froze. A cold, numb feeling was spreading from the outer most reaches of my body. I couldn't feel my ears, my legs, my arms. Z inhaled and I felt something rise within. No...
My brain was swimming in white fog, my vision was failing. I could hardly feel myself anymore. I was dimly aware of my mouth opening as the numbness claimed my chest and lower neck.
There was a flash of yellow lights and the sound of thunder, but I...couldn't...
All faded into black.
****************************************************************** Elise the Cat: Dance Party!!! -does the Cotton-eyed-Joe- I'm not saying that there'll be only 24 chapters in this story-I highly
doubt that-I just mean that we're halfway through the plot. Still, WHEEEEEEEE! Ok...DISCLAIMERS!!! Amy belongs to Sega. Watermark the Gerbil, Z,
Rico, Liza Manning, Jeb the Panda, Veronica Fenn, Richard the Fennec Fox, and
Thorn the Wolverine belong to me. (Hooly Crap! I have a lot of OCs in
there!!!) NaIma the Fox belongs to
eakoandcompany And May the Hedgehog belongs
to Obelisc. Thanks Guys! Hopefully
they're in character and you like the outfits I picked! X3 Song lyrics by Miley Cyrus
and All American Rejects. Elise the Cat: Please forgive Dg for the evil cliffhanger. The
chapter was already 17 freakin' pages long and she wanted to end it in the
traditional way. Shadow: What the hell?! I'm not in here!!! Oh just chill, you get the
next one all to yourself. Elise the Cat: YAY!!! Shadow:...uh, ok. -All- READ AND REVIEW (please?)
Authors note: WHOOOO-HOOOO!!! Half-way point! Come on, party at my place,
cheese and crumpets for all!
