OW! My chest!
Not enough sunscreen, princess?
Don't say it, Bee-boy!
Just keep it dry and you'll be fine. In the meanwhile, you have a chapter to write- is that a burn? Like an actual burn?
Who else would get a sunburn then the next day would burn themselves on a stove?
Oh my gosh... wow. Just wow.
Ah, shut up. We don't own Sonic the Hedgehog or any related characters.
Memoirs of a Forgotten Family
Chapter XXV: School
Maria Robotnik Jr stared blankly at the reflective surface in the bathroom.
Unlike her normal chosen attire of simple overalls, her father had decided on a plain white shirt and a plaited skirt with suspenders. Thankfully, her sneakers remained untouched but the change irked her. So what if she was going to school today? It didn't mean she had to dress up all fancy, did it?
"Maia!" Her ears flattened at the sound of her father's call, "It's time to go!"
With a sigh, the young fox hopped down from the bathroom sink and crept down to where her father was waiting. Shadow was leaning against a wall, eyes closed. For a brief moment, he looked as though he'd fallen asleep. Then his eyes snapped open, connecting with Maia's baby blue's.
"Ready to go?" He asked, almost rhetorically. Maia nodded, and they were off, Shadow scooping her up and racing off. The ride, in total, was almost a minute. It took almost an equal amount of time for Maia to reorient herself after a sudden stop from dizzying speeds.
When she finally did, her eyes fell on the building behind them. It was a simple, one-story brick building with a flag pole and a large sign reading 'Emerald Elementary'. Simply looking at it, the building seemed like every other school building she'd seen on television. The only difference? This was real.
Maia felt herself instinctively calm down at the feel of her father's hand on her head, "It'll be alright, Maia," The young girl smiled, embracing her father closer, "Remember, if anything happens," He pulled back to look her in the eye as he spoke, "Vector's school is just down the street and I placed an F7 comm-unit in your backpack," He hugged her close again, "You ready, Maia?"
"Yes, Dad," Maia sniffled, then turned and walked into the building. Behind her, she could hear Shadow's footsteps as he followed behind her. She didn't dare turn around, though; instead, she continued forward, holding her head high in an attempt to show bravery. Eventually, she stopped outside a door covered in colorful artwork, handmade by the students of last year. Above the doorway, in carefully cut out construction paper were the words 'Welcome New Students!'. Maia gulped, but reached up and turned the handle anyways.
Inside the room were children, all around Maia's age, running around and playing. The teacher, a young robin, glanced over and smiled at the last student to enter, "Hello, there. You must be Maria, right?"
The girl opened her mouth to reply, only to find it suddenly gone dry. Numbly, she nodded, only to feel her father's hand on her shoulder once again, "She prefers to be called Maia, actually," He stepped in front of her to shake the teacher's hand, "I'm her father. Should anything happen, Maia knows how to contact me," The young kit grinned, thinking back to the comm-unit Shadow had placed in her backpack. As far as she knew, it was the only way to be sure to contact him.
The robin nodded, "Rest assured, sir, I'll take good care of your daughter," She then frowned, "Aren't you the hedgehog who held up that store all those years ago?"
"...no. I have no idea what you're talking about," Shadow rushed over to Maia, kissing her quickly on the head, "Behave. I'll meet you outside at 1400 hours, okay?"
Maia mock-saluted, grinning ear-to-ear. Shadow took the time to let her see him smile before rushing out the door at mach speeds. The robin gasped, steadying herself with a nearby chair, then smiled politely down at the little fox.
"My name is Miss Carmello. Please, explore. Class doesn't start for another minute or so."
Maia nodded, glancing around the room until her baby blue's spotted familiar green feathers and widened. The young kit ran over, grinning, "Bean!"
Said bird whirled around, gasping at the sight of his friend, "Maia!"
The two met up and smiled at each other, before a call from Miss Carmello to sit down at one of the provided tables. Quickly the two raced and sat next to each other, listening absentmindedly as the teacher calmed the students and attempted to explain how attendance worked. Maia, who already had this process explained to her by Vector, just calmly whispered to Bean about the possible activities of the day.
Miss Carmello then called Maia's full name, and she stuck her hand up in response. The robin checked her off the list and moved on. At this, Maia frowned, almost disappointed. This was school? The thing that had her Dad so worked up for the last week? It was... mediocre, at best.
Then the teacher announced their first lesson of the year: numbers. And Maia groaned.
The hours passed, and two o'clock didn't come soon enough for the young kitsune's liking. Granted, lunch break and recess offered a reprieve from the quickly repetitive schedule, but she quickly realized that kindergarten was NOT the ideal place for her intelligence.
Thankfully, though, she had Bean, who seemed to be genuinely learning from the lessons offered. The young bird had freaked when Maia had asked him whether or not she should ask to be advanced a grade, citing that school wouldn't be any fun without her. So Maia pledged to put up with the too easy work and the boredom. She'd discovered drawing shortly after lunch, and by the time the bell rang she had a small comic plotted out.
Shadow had waited for her outside. Maia waved goodbye to Bean -who was walking away hand-in-hand with his mother, who was grinning ear-to-ear and glancing nervously at Shadow- and walked away from the classroom with her father.
"So, how was your first day?" Shadow asked. Maia considered, for a brief moment, telling the truth, but then thought again of poor Bean. The boy wouldn't survive without her! So she steeled herself, looked her father in the eyes, and smiled.
"It went fine, Dad," She then pouted, "But I missed you."
As she'd expected, Shadow picked her up, looking her in the eyes, "I missed you too, Maia, but you need to attend school. It's the law and, more importantly, you'll be provided with an education."
It took all of Maia's strength not to giggle right there and then, "I know, Daddy," She then made a face, "But do I have to wear another skirt?"
Shadow laughed, "Not if you don't want to, Maia."
Hey. Coco would say bye before you left, but she's kinda... dealin' with something...
UGH. I. HATE. THE. SUN.
Remember, kids, always wear sunscreen! Cause apparently sunburns itch...
I'll make you itch, you giant pest! (Grabs flyswatter)
MEH! BYE GUYS! (Flees for life)
And now a moment with MidnightBell: The great dark beast looked up from the lunar surface, the Earthlight casting it's shadow over the dusty land it called home. It wondered what was on the great blue and green world that hung in the sky. As it walked to the edge of yet another crater, it stood up on it's hind legs, trying to reach the planet that always felt just out of it's grasp. The creature returned it's forelegs to the ground, wondering if there was someone up on that world who was looking back at it, trying to reach it's land. It swore that one day it would meet with this other being, knowing both worlds as more than another light in the sky.