Hello, one and all! Welcome back to another chapter of Shadows and Secrets!
In the last chapter, we had a lot of action, and this chapter is a little more laid back. But still, I'm making sure to keep things going!
I don't have any notes for this chapter, but I enjoyed writing this one!
Also, I haven't done this in any of my stories yet, so, ahem…
Thank you to pintobean1, mustardofdoom, demonblaze857, The Suburban Traveller, TheSensationalSpiderDom321, The Girl With Stars, SilverAce06, Kurama The Platinum Zoroark, Infinite's Ruby, Howlingflame345, GuardianDragon98, CyberSmith, jurassicdinocrew and TheStryker190 for following, favoriting and reviewing this story. Thank you so much for all the love and support! You guys keep me going!
Now, onward to the story!
"NO!"
Maria was running.
Heart pounding like her feet against the hard ground. Breath huffing in small clouds as she panted, the world spinning around and beneath her feet.
Where did you go? I'm coming to find you.
Where are you safe? Shouldn't you be afraid?
Maria couldn't breathe. Couldn't speak. The forest was engulfing her, surrounding her, swallowing her in its cold and hopeless embrace.
Just as she rounded a corner, the scene changed. She was in a metallic lab, alone in a large boxed room.
"MARIA!"
Shadow was shouting. It echoed from somewhere, but she couldn't locate the source of his voice.
"SHADOW?! SHADOW!" she screamed, whirling in every direction to no avail.
"There you are," said a voice.
Maria whirled, and a man stepped from the shadows, black coat swirling around him, robots flanking his sides in the air.
Maria stepped back, feeling like she was about to slip, though she met the cold metal of the wall.
"Who are you?" she shouted, or rather, tried to. Her throat was closing out and it came out more like an undignified squeak.
"Why, don't you know?" the man asked. He walked closer, his face slowly coming into focus. He smiled, though it wasn't kind. His teeth looked like they could bite her nose off. "I'm your worst nightmare." the man whispered, the coldness in his voice sending buckets of ice water down her spine and crowding into her mind, into her heart, like worms into an apple.
"MARIA!" Lauren shouted, being dragged from the fog by none other than Shadow. Atlas and Dean followed, being dragged as well.
Maria felt her whole body begin to choke. The man stayed in the same position, the ice water still seeming to run down her spine.
Just as she felt things choking her down, someone yanked her out of the dream.
Maria was laying in her bed, choking for air, her already blurred vision blurred further by the tears that leaked down her face.
"Maria?" came Shadow's worried voice.
He stood by the side of her bed, one hand holding her's, the other holding her glasses. He gasped softly when he saw her tears.
"Hey. Are you okay?" he asked.
"Fine! Fine," Maria said, the second time more of a whisper. Then she broke down, a sob forcing itself out of her throat.
"Maria?" Shadow asked, climbing on the bed and enfolding her in a hug. "Maria, you're shaking. Are you okay?"
"I- I don't-" Maria started, just as the attic door swung down and Lauren came charging up like a flaming rhino, looking askew, but when she saw Maria and Shadow, her face softened.
"I heard screaming. You okay?" she asked, sitting on the side of the bed.
Maria felt her face redden. "I was screaming?"
"Very impressively," Shadow said quietly, still hugging her. Maria submitted easily, sighing.
"Just… just a bad dream."
"Lies." Lauren said, a smile just barely poking at the corners of her mouth.
"I-" Maria tried, but she couldn't, she couldn't speak, and suddenly she was crying a little harder.
Instantly, Lauren joined in the hug, surprising Maria to no end. She stiffened just barely, but Lauren took no notice. Maria felt herself melt into the embraces, burying her face into Lauren's shoulder.
How had she never noticed how lovely her aunt smelled?
How had she never realized how fluffy and gentle Shadow was?
How had she never realized that she was safer here than in her own home?
"Now tell us about this bad dream." Lauren said, still hugging her, but a quiet order lingering in her voice.
"I lost Shadow. I was running to find him. I was being chased. Then I was in a metal box, alone."
Shadow gently wormed his way closer to her.
"Shadow was calling for me, shouting for me somewhere, but I couldn't find him. Then there was this man… he emerged with robots. He had a cruel face and mad eyes and- and-"
Shadow faltered slightly in his cuddles, almost like he recognized what she was saying.
"And when I shouted at him, asking him who he was, he said he was my worst nightmare. And then… and then you were dragged from a fog that just appeared in the box… by Shadow."
Shadow inhaled slightly.
"And then Atlas and Dean too. Then Shadow yanked me out of it."
Lauren was silent for a long moment, before kissing Maria on the head. "First off; you're safe here, Maria. And you too, Shadow."
"Thank you." Shadow whispered.
"Secondly, we're safe. Okay?"
"Okay." Maria muttered.
"And third; Shadow is your brother. He's never going to do anything bad to you."
Maria found Shadow's hand in the hug and squeezed it. He responded with a squeeze of his own.
"Who was this man?" Lauren asked, curious.
"I- I don't know…" Maria muttered. "A bad guy."
"I know who it is." Shadow said quietly, his voice wavering.
Maria pulled herself from the hug, staring at him. "Really? Who?" she asked, accepting the glasses that he offered her.
"I don't have very good memories of when I was being created. But there was this one man; a scientist overseeing my creation, probably. He sounds like what you described. Cruel eyes, dark coat, crazy look to him."
"Th-that's exactly it." Maria stammered. "But I've never even heard that? How could I have dreamed of a similar thing to your memories?"
Lauren shrugged. "Psychic bond?"
"We don't have a-" Maria broke off, looking down at the burn on her hand in the intricate symbol.
"Aha." Lauren declared. "You realize how intelligent your auntie is? She's got the smarts."
"But… but how does a tattoo give me a psychic bond with Shadow?" Maria asked skeptically. "If that's what this is."
"Magic, clearly." Lauren said
"Lauren."
"I'm serious, Maria! Listen, sweetheart, you and Shadow are siblings. When you found him and got that burn, you were bonded somehow. It's possible that the more you bond, the more… er… connected you get. Mentally."
Maria and Shadow both starred at Lauren for a long moment. "That's messed up." Shadow said finally.
"Yeah, kind of. But it makes sense, if you think about it." Maria said quietly.
Your worst nightmare.
You can't run.
Where are you going, orphan? Why are you lying to yourself?
"Maria. Hey." Lauren said sternly. "Look at me."
Maria tilted her head up, meeting her aunt's gaze.
"It's just a dream, hon. You're safe here, okay? I'm not going to let anything happen to you. And, if you want… I won't let your family take you back."
"What-"
"I know how you've been feeling. I can see it in your eyes every single time we do something nice for you, or every time someone brings up your family. They haven't ever taken good care of you. Even though they were supposed to. Even though adopting means doing that."
"Lauren, I-"
"I'm never going to be your mother, but you know what? I'm definitely your aunt. And I'm going to call your mother the first chance I get and tell her you're living with us now, and you're not being neglected anymore."
Shadow relaxed. "Good. She needs you." he said, nodding at Lauren.
Lauren yanked the two into another hug. "We all need a few people."
Maria buried her face into Lauren's shoulder. For once in her life, when the tears came, she didn't try to stop them.
Ow.
Ow.
Ow ow ow ow ow.
Peter hurt.
Really badly.
He'd been suffering on the bike for the last... what, six hours? Seven? Eight? He didn't know. After all, his phone had died long ago.
Right. His new phone. Though he'd darn liked his last phone, Peter knew that Robotnik would be able to track him through it, so he'd traded it out for a less pricey one. Along with his amazing abilities, he'd somehow made it far enough that he was almost to the middle of Wyoming already.
He was surprised at the progress he was making, but he was fueled by fear, pain, and the pounding voices in his head, whispering endlessly, mimicking words and sentences he'd remembered for a long time, some very recently.
You're useless.
You'll never be anything.
Failure.
You're not coming, Peter.
Something told Peter that his parents weren't coming back from Japan. Maybe that was why Stone had looked so tense. Maybe that was why they packed all their clothes.
Maybe that was why his mother's tone was echoing inside his head endlessly, on and on and on.
Peter abruptly slammed on the brakes of the bike, skidding to the side of the road. He leaned the bike on his side and sat down hard, putting his head in his hands and sitting there silently.
"Why, why, why. Why did do this?" he hissed, his wounds hurting like fire, as usual.
Stupid. They're just going to find you and do something horrible. Why did you even do this? Impulsive- that's what you are. And stupid. Did I mention how stupid you were?!
Peter sighed, exhaling a giant huff of air through his nose. "Enough pity time and rest, Peter." he grumbled, standing up and brushing himself off. "Time to get moving again."
After getting on the bike and starting to get going again, Peter went over his plan once he got to Green Hills.
If it had a hotel, he still couldn't go there. His best chance would be to find out where the alien lived, so he could ask to stay there. Who knew, maybe they knew somewhere safe he could stay.
"What a silly notion that I'd be safe anywhere." Peter mumbled. "Or that they'd even care."
He mentally slapped himself. He had to keep a positive mind! He couldn't give up, he couldn't let his thoughts drag him down, he couldn't let Robotnik worm his stupid words inside his head and win.
"Remember that, Peter. Robotnik can't win. You can't let him." Peter growled, focusing on the road ahead of him.
If he wins, this world will fall to complete and utter ruin.
A day passed.
Maria was having a lot of fun with Pokemon. After a few hours of work, she had a good team going, with Shadow and the Shiny Eevee- lovingly named Gin- leading the team.
Along with this was the fact that Maria now had bystanders to watch her play.
Atlas loved Pokemon, and watched her every once and a while, cheering her on as much as she could.
Shadow, like her, was fascinated by Pokemon and the DS in general. He would stare over her shoulder, sometimes resting his head on it as he watched with his wide red eyes.
Right. The red eyes.
They were beginning to turn a little more orange. While that seemed weird, that wasn't the only thing changing about Shadow.
Not only was he beginning to talk more and evolve a little more, but he was picking up on the personalities of Dean, Atlas and Lauren.
Maria couldn't decide if this was good or bad. He picked up on Dean's skills, in cooking and his personality, good natured but kind, a little bit of a jokester.
He also picked up on Atlas and Lauren's hyperactivity, their charm, sweetness, and impatience. Atlas' boldness, Lauren's good advice, and he was even beginning to smell like the Renlows, not like Maria was any different.
It was… nice. For once, Maria was feeling really, truly happy. She felt safe with this family, and as the day went on, the mystery of Gerald Robotnik and Shadow's existence in general faded from Maria's mind.
The same could not be said for Shadow. He couldn't stop thinking about Gerald. Though he'd promised Maria that they would come back to it, he kept having it loop into his head, trying to link the name to his blurred memories, among… other things.
The night that Maria had been screaming in her sleep was perhaps the oddest night yet, considering Shadow had been having a very similar dream to what she described before falling asleep.
Nowhere to run, you monster.
I created you.
I know you, Project Terios.
Nobody knows me!
"WHOO HOO!" Maria shouted, her movements almost knocking Shadow's head off her shoulder.
"What-" Shadow yelped, before seeing that Maria had caught a Pokemon, one that looked pretty dorky.
Why did so many Pokemon look dorky?
"Oh, sorry, bud!" Maria chuckled, gently rubbing a sweet spot she'd found behind Shadow's left ear. Shadow sighed, relaxing slightly.
Dear goodness, he was really acting more and more like a cat, wasn't he?
"Maria! Shadow! Lunch!" Lauren shouted from somewhere in the house.
"Awesome! We're coming, Lauren!" Maria shouted, saving her game and turning off the DS, jumping up from the couch and grinning at Shadow, her short, thick blond hair wisping over her face.
Shadow really loved his sister.
As they walked to the kitchen, Shadow nearly ran into Atlas, who came barreling down the stairs like a wild dog, grinning wildly. He found a smirk slipping onto his face.
"Hey, I was wondering, Maria. When are you gonna introduce Shadow to Sonic?" she asked.
Maria froze like lightning had gone through her system, glancing at Shadow as if gauging his reaction.
Shadow was mostly confused. Who the heck is Sonic?
"Er… I haven't thought about that yet, Atlas." Maria said nervously.
"Who's Sonic?" Shadow interjected.
Maria swallowed. "Why don't we discuss this over some food?"
"Sonic's an alien who lives here in Green Hills with his parents, Tom and Maddie, and his brothers and sister, Tails, Knuckles and Amy. They're aliens as well."
Shadow's eyes were wide and his mouth was begging to drop open. "Really?" he asked. "There's aliens here?"
Maria nodded slightly. "It was Tails who I asked to make you shoes. He's really smart, so he'll make something good for you."
"But- aliens. Like me."
"Well, you almost look exactly like Sonic." Atlas pointed out cheerily, taking a bite of her peanut butter sandwich. "Mmm." she muttered.
"I'm supposed to pick up the shoes tomorrow. And I was kind of worried, because…" Maria trailed off, taking a bite of her turkey sandwich. Shadow took the cue and took a bite out of his own sandwich, made of ham.
"I didn't know what to do. I kind of want to bring you along to meet them, but people might freak you out. And people might get freaked out because of you. Or something."
"Maria," Shadow said, giving her a look. "You know well as I do that you're just worried about my safety."
"YES!" Maria nearly shouted, "Of course I'm worried about your safety! What if this produces something bad?!"
"Like what?" Shadow asked, raising his eyebrows in an almost teasing way.
Maria shot him a look, but she couldn't hold it, letting a chuckle loose. "Okay, okay. You're right. I'm being silly."
"True." Atlas said.
"See, here's the million-dollar question," Lauren commented as she started the dishwasher in the background. "Shadow, do you want to meet them?"
Shadow nodded immediately. "Of course. I'd like to." he said.
"Are you sure?" Maria asked. "Sonic's a little… spirited."
Shadow smirked. "If I can deal with you, I can deal with a hedgehog like me."
Maria frowned, playfully slapping his arm. "How dare you!" she squawked, but she was laughing. "Fine. If you still feel the same way tomorrow morning, we'll find a way to sneak you there with me, okay?"
"Thank you." Shadow said, pleased.
"You're welcome."
The second Peter passed the sign that read Green Hills, Montana, his whole body collapsed.
"OW!" he shouted, sprawling on the road. His body had completely given up, turning to complete jelly.
Peter lay there, panting, until he remembered that he was laying in the middle of a road, where a car could very easily come and run him over. He forced his body to move, his bullet wounds screaming bloody murder as he dragged his bike just behind the sign. He then let himself collapse, panting even harder.
A few days of absolute pain and misery, riding a bike through rain, sun, heat and more. Peter was stiff and in pain, having slept in bursts on the side of the road. Compared to the rich life he was used to, this was a dramatic change.
"Ha… ha ha ha. Look at you now, you idiot." he said out loud.
But that couldn't stop the surge of excitement and pride he felt at actually riding a bike all the way from Nebraska to Montana… with two bullet wounds.
See that, Mom? See that, Dad? I did it. I've done something darn awesome.
"Okaaay," Peter mumbled, forcing himself to sit up. "Your work isn't done, Peter. Remember that."
Or I could sleep?
"No sleeping," Peter hissed. "Find somewhere better."
He wondered if he was very possibly going crazy.
I mean, it's a possibility… considering the mental and physical strain and trauma I've gone through in the last few days, I really wouldn't be surprised.
Now that he was officially in Green Hills, he needed to elaborate more on his plan. He really couldn't do research on the alien Sonic or where he lived, but it was possible that he could ask questions around town. Maybe they knew he existed and maybe he could recieve help.
Peter felt like crying at the thought of shelter. Though he tried to remain strong, saving the world was really darn hard. He'd kinda imagined himself relaxing with higher-ups in the government, being offered a small Medal of Honor, and being offered a scholarship to a programming school of his dreams.
"Ah. Achievin' the dream." Peter mused, letting loose a bitter chuckle
He dragged himself up, groaning in pain. He needed to rewrap his bandages, but he was kind of running out. It turns out that bandages unwravel a bit when you're pedaling like a maniac.
After staggering to his feet, he looked towards the one direction that the road led. He could only guess that it led to the main town and the area surrounding it.
Peter sighed as he slung a leg over the bike, which was a little frazzled already from the last couple of days. "So close. Just hang on for a little longer, Peter."
The entire Renlow family (plus Maria and a recent hedgehog edition) were headed to the Wachowskis.
Assuming the meeting went well, Shadow would soon meet Sonic and his friends, and life would increase in happiness greatly for Maria.
Shadow was being smuggled in the giant cooler bag Lauren had brought, containing some personally made orange juice by her. Though the oranges were bought from a store, Lauen made incredible orange juice. Apparently Amy and Maddie loved it.
Maria held the cooler bag. She rehearsed the lines inside her head, over and over and over in a never ending loops.
"Nervous?" Dean asked, startling Maria from her thoughts.
"Considerably." she responded, swallowing.
"You don't need to. Everything's going to be fine. You too, Shadow." he said, gently rapping a knuckle on the flexible top of the cooler, open enough for Shadow's single eye to be poking out if he needed it to be.
"Hmph. Are we almost there?" Shadow asked, dodging the affection. "It's hot in here. And orangey."
"Now Shadow's gonna smell like orange juice!" Atlas chuckled.
Shadow sighed.
"Don't worry, Shadow. We're almost there. Just another block." Dean said.
"Why didn't we drive?" Shadow exclaimed.
"Because we need exercise. Plus, I didn't know if you liked cars or not." Lauren explained.
Maria had to admit that this was a good point. Shadow had never been in a car before.
They took a left onto the long road that the Wachowskis lived on and finally came to their house.
Knock knock knock. Lauren rapped gently on the door.
They waited.
Maria shifted.
Shadow cursed as the orange juice slammed into him.
Then it opened to Tom's face, which broke into a smile as it settled on the group. "Well hey there, Renlows!" he exclaimed. His eyes fell to Maria and the giant cooler bag. "My, my, Maria. You must have some orange juice in there."
"Uh… yup. Of course." Maria said quickly, a nervous smile flitting across her face as Shadow went dead still.
Tom just barely raised an eyebrow before welcoming all of them in.
"HEY, GUYS!" Sonic shouted, materializing in a blue blur. Tails sat on the stairs and Knuckles waved. Amy could be heard upstairs as she began to come down.
Maddie came in cleaning her hands with a towel, a grin spreading over her face."Hey, everyone!" she exclaimed. "How are you all doing?"
"Great, thank you!" Lauren said, beaming brightly without missing a beat.
Ozzie came trotting in, and Shadow stiffened.
"Oh, hiiiii, Ozzie!" Atlas trilled, slipping off her shoes and petting the excited Golden Retriever, whose tail was fanning back and forth happily as he panted.
"Well, come on in, come on in!" Maddie exclaimed. "Don't want all of you bunching up by the door, do we?"
Lauren chuckled as the family moved in.
"Can I go to the bathroom?" Maria blurted. Maddie had just barely begun nodding before Maria nearly shouted "THANK YOU," and charged towards the bathroom with Shadow swinging wildly in the bag on her arm, muttering curses as the orange juice slammed into him.
She skidded into the bathroom and locked the door, then unzipped the orange juice bag. Immediately, she released a snicker at the sight.
Shadow had ended up under the orange juice, left side pressed against the ground and his face squished against the side of the bag.
"Having fun?" Maria giggled.
"Get me out of here."
Maria chuckled quietly, lifting off the orange juice and then gently circling her arm under Shadow, scooping him up in one arm as she repositioned the orange juice back in the bag.
Shadow glanced around the bathroom. "Hm."
"You remember the plan?" Maria asked, flushing the toilet to give the illusion she'd actually gone to the bathroom. Then she began washing her hands.
"Unfortunately, yes.." Shadow grunted, crossing his arms.
"Oh, stop being so grumpy. It'll be fine." Maria chided, drying her hands and smiling at Shadow. Though he looked grumpy, the disgruntled expression faded into a smirk as he looked at Maria.
"Fine, fine. Whatever you say," he muttered, fixing his gaze on the ground as he fruitlessly attempted to hide his smile.
Maria giggled. "Good luck, bud."
Maddie was a little confused about the fact that Maria had put the orange juice in such a large bag with nothing else in it and the ice packs already completely melted (goodness, Shadow was warm sometimes), but since she didn't know that an alien had been in there not a minute ago, she let the subject go. She put the orange juice in the fridge and the bag was placed by the exit.
While Maria tried to act natural and pretend there was no alien hedgehog constantly on her mind, this was exactly what was going on. She couldn't help but try and keep the current four aliens in her line of sight at almost all times, though that meant her neck was already aching a bit.
Atlas, perhaps sensing Maria's rising anxiety, started up a small game of Simon Says, which kept Sonic and the others happy and engaged. Maria found herself searching for Shadow, but she couldn't find him.
"Hey, Maria, are you okay?" Maddie asked. Every grown-up's gaze turned to her and Maria resisted the urge to hide under the table.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?" Maria rambled. She immediately wanted to tape her mouth shut from sheer embarrassment.
Tom glanced over at her, eyes searching her own in less than a second. He narrowed his slightly before abruptly standing up. "Hey! I have an idea! Who'd like to go play a game of baseball?" he asks, voice a pitch higher than usual. "I mean, I'll be ump, of course. I claim that immediately after last time, Dean."
Sonic immediately shoved his hand in the air, Tails following a moment after. "ME! ME! OOOOH, ME!" he shouted, excited as can be as he jumped up and down.
Amy shrugged. "Might be fun. But the teams would be uneven with Tom as ump."
Maria felt the slightest twinge of her heart. As normal? They've done this before… why am I having a problem with this?
She exhaled slightly, rubbing her temples as the group began to discuss how they could even the teams out.
She had a sudden idea. Maybe this was smart, maybe stupid. Probably stupid. Maria met Lauren's. She blinked at Maria for a moment, before shaking her head slightly. Maria nodded.
Lauren shook her head again. Maria nodded, a little more insistently.
Lauren sighed a little, but relented, nodding in return to Maria's. She met Dean's eyes, who'd caught the silent conversation. He bit back a groan.
Maria clasped her hands and slowly stepped forward, praying that Shadow was nearby, watching, and that she wouldn't make a complete fool of herself.
"Uh… I… may have a solution to the odd number of people."
"What?" Maddie asked, turning to face her along with everyone else. Maria felt her stomach clench, and she calmly placed her hand behind her back, clasping out of view. Some otherworldly calm came over her, and she sighed. Her mind somehow calmed, reaching through her hand. Something… took over her? She wasn't sure.
Shadow, come to me on my command.
Her scarred hand suddenly, in a split second, became burning hot and then faded away just as quickly.
Shadow's voice spoke in her mind, like someone whispering in her ear, but it sounded different. She didn't know how- she couldn't think properly. It felt like her body was a car and someone had momentarily thrown her out of the driver's seat, leaving her to watch for the moment.
Yes, ma'am. I'll be there immediately.
Suddenly, it was like a portal had opened up and she'd been dropped back into the driver's seat, the mental impact jarring her slightly.
"Okay, listen. You need to promise not to… freak out. Please."
Tom raised an eyebrow. "Sorry?"
"Promise to let me explain."
"What are you talking about?" Knuckles asked.
Maria swallowed. She shifted slightly, before opening her mouth. "Buddy?" she called.
There had only been a moment of silence until there was a rustle behind Maria. She didn't turn, but winced at the expressions on the Wachowskis' faces.
Shadow came up to Maria's left, his gaze fixed on Sonic. His arms were crossed, a small glare on his face, almost protective.
"Uh… yeah." Maria mumbled, rubbing her neck. The Wachowskis hadn't moved, the human's eyes as wide as saucers and the alien's bigger than dinner plates.
"Maria…" Maddie finally spoke. "... what… is… that?"
"He's a hedgehog." Atlas explained calmly.
"Holy…" Tom muttered.
"DUDE! THAT IS SO COOL!" Sonic shouted. In a blur of blue, he was right in front of Shadow, startling Maria as she stepped back. Shadow simply leaned back a little, disgust forming on his face.
"You look almost exactly like me, dude! What are you, a faker?"
Suddenly, Shadow raised an eyebrow mockingly. "Fake? I think you're the fake hedgehog around here!" he snapped, poking a finger at Sonic's chest.
A smile spread across Sonic's face at the reaction, and he smirked, clearly beginning to truly and fully start up.
"Really? I think you're fake. But maybe not my fake." Sonic said smugly.
"You're not even good enough to be my fa-"
"I'll make you eat those words!" Sonic shouted, a small frown on his face.
Maria held back a snigger. I figured that they'd begin to fight. Sonic and Shadow were kind of opposites in many factors.
Shadow raised an eyebrow at Sonic's last remark, but the hedgehog had already gone on, talking on a rapid-fire setting.
"Oh boy, oh boy, what's your name, bro? Do you even have a name? Why are you black and red? That's weird dude."
"SHUT UP!" Shadow shouted.
Maddie blinked.
"Hey, that's not nice. Hey, do you like baseball because I know I do-"
Shadow gave Maria a look that clearly read 'Save me!'.
"You have another one." Tom whispered. Everyone went silent as Maria turned her gaze to the adult.
"Yeah."
"How…?"
"I found him in the woods. On a walk."
Maddie gaped.
"Does… he have a name?"
"Clearly. Shadow." Maria said, pointing at the hedgehog. He was still glaring daggers at an oblivious Sonic. The other aliens were silent as Maria recounted the story of finding Shadow, leaving out a few parts, like the possible psychic bond that she'd maybe just used to communicate mentally with her brother.
"So… okay, give me a moment," Tom mumbled, rubbing his head as he thought for a long moment. There was an awkward stretch of silence, before Tom finally spoke. "Okay.. You have an alien hedgehog living with you."
"Yup."
"You found him in the forest."
"Yes."
"And he's your brother."
"Yeah."
Tom shrugged, a smile suddenly spreading across his face. "I have three alien children, I think I can accept that."
A grin suddenly crossed Maria's face, and she laughed, bending over as she exhaled. "Whoo! Thought you were going to outwardly freak out more." she chuckled.
"Honestly? After a few years of this, I've gotten used to it," Tom laughed. He approached Shadow and bent down, extending a hand with a friendly smile. "Hey there, bud. I'm Tom."
After a moment of hesitation, Shadow shook his hand, nodding solemnly with the smallest of smiles. "Shadow."
There was a flurry of introductions, hand shaking, and names flying back and forth in the next three minutes. Once they were done, Amy let out a little laugh. "I think teams are even now."
Sonic smirked, a spark of rivalry in his eyes as he glanced at Shadow. "Yeah. Let's see how the faker runs, eh?"
"BATTER UP!"
Sonic tapped the plate. Shadow swallowed from second base, eyes tracking the hedgehog's movements.
After a quick explanation of baseball, Shadow now had a thick, hot glove on his right hand. There had been a slight tizzy among the group, as Shadow was apparently ambidextrous, which meant he could use both hands. They eventually determined that his left hand was a little more dominant currently, so they put the glove in his less dominant hand and called the discussion done.
Another thing to add to the pile of mysterious things about me. Shadow sighed, slightly disgruntled as he shifted.
The teams were as listed;
Team Renlow: Maria, Shadow, Atlas, Lauren and Dean
Team Wachowski: Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy and Maddie
Tom, true to his word, was the umpire. He apparently liked it.
Shadow met the eyes of Dean, who was their catcher. They were slightly underhand for people to have in the field, but since Shadow and Maria were the quickest, they were told to go back there if they needed to.
Sonic shifted, meeting Atlas' eyes. Any trace of friendship had temporarily been discontinued as the two focused on the game.
Dean flicked between a few signs. Shadow's eyes sharpened, distinguishing the signs. His eyes widened slightly. Why was Dean going for a fast ball?
There was silence for exactly three minutes before Atlas threw a ball.
Instantly, Shadow tensed. The world focused on several things; Sonic's tense body, eyes tracking the ball, the ball soaring through the air, Maria's eyes narrowing with uncanny perception, and then, the crack of a bat against the ball.
The world resumed in a single second, Shadow shouting Maria's name. His sister was already running, eyes tracking the trail of the ball in the air. She vaulted up, glove reaching desperately, but it only grazed the ball and it flew away into the unknown.
"WOO!" Sonic shouted, pumping a fist in the air as he ran around the bases, shooting a grin full of it at Shadow as he ran past.
And the score was 1-0, Wachowskis.
So it went. Score after score, run after run, out after out after ball after ball. Shadow focused every time, gathering information from each batter and memorizing it. He learned their patterns, movements, the way their bodies were tense as they decided to swing, or the relaxation as they decided not to.
Tom's voice rang in his ears after a while. The man took every opportunity to announce if someone was safe or not, which was extremely annoying every single time, especially when Shadow wasn't expecting it.
Soon, they were in the last inning. Dean and Lauren had gotten out, and now Maria, Shadow and Atlas remained.
The Wachowskis were up by two. Two outs. Final inning.
Before Maria went out, she muttered something along the lines of "Just like the movies!", clutching the bat tightly.
"YOU CAN DO THIS, MARIA!" Lauren shouted as Maria stepped up to the plate, eyes narrowing at Tails, who was the pitcher for the Wachowskis.
Shadow remained silent, but smirked a little, silently encouraging Maria onward.
Maria raised her bat, focusing on Tails. Behind her, Knuckles flashed a few signs, but since Shadow didn't know what their signs meant, he didn't know what the plan was.
Tails tensed, and Shadow resisted a groan. He was going for a curveball, the one that always got Maria.
"Grrr…" he muttered. This was it. This was the end of the game. Please, Maria. Please… you can do it. He pleaded silently.
Maria raised her bat.
Tails threw the ball.
Maria tensed. Her whole body readied. Her eyes tracked the ball's movement.
Shadow's eyes widened.
Maria swung.
A crack sounded. Not a loud one, but loud enough. The ball was flying, and Maria was sprinting, straight towards first base.
"AMY!" Sonic bellowed, but the pink hedgehog was too far back, and the baseball thudded to the ground. However, Maria played it smart and stayed on first base.
Atlas was up next. She gared Tails down, the smallest smile on her face.
Shadow couldn't decipher what ball Tails was preparing to throw, as his body stance was different this time. When he threw it, though, he winced, squeezing his hand slightly.
Atlas didn't pay attention, instead swinging all in as usual. But for only the third time, her bat connected with the ball, and it went soaring; a little farther than Maria's, in fact. Sonic jogged towards it, as he had to speed down in the rules, but as he dove forward, he couldn't catch it.
Maria whooped as she ran to second base, and Atlas cheered at the top of her lungs, pumping a fist in the air as she ran to first.
"Hey, guys? Great job and all, but my hand hurts." Tails said. "Might've lightly sprained it."
"Awww, buddy!" Sonic exclaimed, racing over. He gently took Tails' hand in his own, feeling it gently. "Maddie?" he called.
"We're almost done with the game, bud. Would you be fine in the outfield for a bit?" Tom asked, approaching.
Tails nodded. "Yeah."
"I'll take over for you!" Sonic volunteered.
Shadow cursed in his head.
"Hey, Shadow, you're up." Dean muttered, poking him in the back. Shadow sighed, taking a bat and gripping it tightly.
He stepped out onto the plated, feeling the lightest breeze ruffle through his fur.
The world had sharpened. The sky was so pale, tinged just barely with a green tint.
Shadow's heart was beating quickly. So was Sonic's. A single bead of sweat ran down Atlas' face, all the way over at first base.
Shadow lightly tapped the plate with his bat twice, then positioned himself, eyes training onto the blue hedgehog in front of him.
Sonic whirled his arms around, stretching them. Bright emerald green eyes met Shadow's calm reddish orange ones.
Inhale. Exhale.
Huh. Hoo.
A project. A mission. A checkpoint
Soldier. Fight. Soldier.
Wait, wait, wait.
At this moment.
Do you feel it, Terios?
The softest whisper on the breeze, "You can do it, Shadow.". That was Maria.
Reach for that energy.
Don't be afraid.
This is who you are.
Sonic swallowed. Tensed.
And threw the ball.
Instantly, Shadow's gaze sharpened, he inhaled, tensing deeply. His arms were moving, muscles moving his arms along. He was swinging, his gaze narrowing, bolts of yellow lightning just barely crackling around him, for a split second, as the ball connected with the bat in the perfect spot.
Suddenly, the ball was flying. Shadow watched for a moment, silently in awe as it streaked through the air. It was going far, fast and deadly.
Sonic gaped, watching it move.
But Shadow wasn't paying attention anymore. Feet were moving, pounding against the hard, rocky ground. Those human, non-fitting shoes didn't matter anymore. He was in the moment. He was running. He was fast as a flying bird, maybe faster, probably faster, perfectly faster.
BAM
Feet pounded against first base, Shadow letting a smirk spread on his face. Maria was home by now, Atlas at third. There was shouting, but the ball was gone, gone, gone. They could do nothing about it.
BAM
That was second base. But something was wrong. Pounding inside Shadow's ears were the sounds of the bases being hit, along with gunshots.
You escaped, but did you?
You think you can hide?
I created you for a single purpose, Project Terios.
And that was to serve me.
BAM
That was third base. And suddenly Shadow was running home, the world returning to normal as he grinned. Skidding across home, the world erupted in cheers. Maria came running towards him, a beaming smile on her flushed face.
"You did it!" Maria exclaimed, enfolding him in a tight hug. Her heart beat against his, fast and happy as him.
"WOOHOO! YEAH, SHADOW!" Atlas screamed. She jumped up and down, clapping her hand together in celebration.
Lauren and Dean simply smiled, but it was a prideful one.
"Well, well, well." Sonic chuckled, approaching Shadow when Maria released him and stood up. "Seems like the Faker is good at baseball."
Shadow crossed his arms. "Hmph." But after a moment of regarding the other hedgehog, he offered a hand. "Good game."
Sonic looked at the hand for a moment before a wide grin spread across his face, and he shook it, making Shadow smirk. "Good game, Shads."
Shadow made a face. "I vote down on that nickname, Faker."
"Too bad. I think it's gonna stick."
Tails secretly presented Shadow's shoes to Maria. She felt a grin expand on her face as she took them out, inspecting them at every angle. The shoes were awesome; they were the exact coloring Maria had asked for, the perfect size for Shadow's feet, and the right proportions. They were mostly white on the front, with black on the back side and red soles. Black cuffs, red tongues, and two gold rings circling each shoe around the collar area, just below the tongue.
"Wow! Tails, this is awesome! Thank you so much! These are perfect for Shadow!" Maria exclaimed, placing the shoes back in the shoebox Tails had presented the shoes in. She smiled as she closed the box.
Tails flew up in the air with his two tails and grinned at Maria. "Thanks! They were fun to make! They double as roller skates and heelys!"
"Wow, really? I think he'll like that. You're clever." Maria said, grinning at the young fox. He grinned back, looking pleased with the praise.
"Hey, Maria?" Lauren called. "Weren't you going to go shopping for some clothes really quick?"
"Oh! Yeah, thank you for reminding me!" Maria called. She sighed. "Well, I have to go. I might come back if I have enough time."
"Hey, don't rush it." Tails chirped, landing on the ground gracefully. "Thanks for playing baseball with us today!"
Maria smiled. "You're welcome. It was fun."
Tails walked along with Maria to the rest of the house. Maria had the shoebox tucked under one arm.
The two emerged to a full out pillow fight between Atlas, Sonic, Knuckles and Amy. Shadow sat on the couch, eyes a little wide as he watched the fight happen.
"Hey. I gotta go," Maria muttered to him. Shadow turned his gaze to her and sighed.
"Okay. See you back at home?"
"Of course!" Maria said, the smallest of smiles on her face as she reached down to one arm hug him.
"What's in the box?"
"Your shoes. They're a surprise, though, so I'm keeping them until I get home."
"Awww," Shadow grunted, crossing his arms. Maria laughed, turning to leave.
"Pouty man."
"Goofy sister!"
Maria simply chuckled.
Peter walked through the town of Green Hills, eyes searching everywhere.
The main area of the town was small; old-fashioned, small buildings, small number of people. People swerved away from Peter, partly avoiding his crazy looks, partly minding their own business.
Peter was a little on guard being back in civilization. He dearly hoped that Robotnik hadn't hacked into security cameras to scan for his face or something.
He shifted the backpack, feeling like the weight of the whole world was being carried in it. Really, it was. The hard drive in his bag held importance, secrets that Robotnik would no doubt kill for.
Kill for. Suddenly the weight of the situation slammed into him like a truck. He felt the wind get knocked out of him, and he stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, staring at the ground.
I have to hide. Robotnik was going to try to kill him, wasn't he? He would be after him. And Stone… Stone would be after him too. His loyalty to Robotnik remained deeper than his bonds to Peter, he figured.
Oh, no… oh, what have I gotten myself into? This was stupid. Why did I do this? What am I going to do?
Peter was too busy thinking to notice the girl walking towards him, shoebox tucked under one arm, shopping bag in her other hand.
As he thought deeply, the girl kept walking. Gaze trained on the ground. Deep in thought herself.
Suddenly, Peter was knocked to the ground as he collided with her.
"OW!" he shouted, while the girl shouted the same, except higher pitched, along with a muttered curse.
"Oh, jeez. I'm- I'm sorry." Peter stammered, picking up the girl's shoebox, which was taped shut.
"No, no, I'm sorry. I wasn't watching where I was goi-" The girl met Peter's eyes at the same time he met her's. The world stuttered to a stop.
Her eyes are… gorgeous. Peter thought. They were mostly blue, but with an unmistakable green tint to them that was extremely soothing to look at.
She had slightly rosy cheeks, and short, thick, slightly wavy blond hair, pulled back in a short ponytail. Her round glasses looked incredible.
Crap. I like her.
The girl stared at him, her concerned look turning into a slightly suspicious and cautious one. "May I have my shoebox?" she asked, an edge to her voice now.
"Oh! Yeah, sorry. I zone out sometimes." Peter said, an apologetic smile on his face as he handed the shoebox to her.
She smiled, taking it as she stood. She offered Peter a hand up and he took it, groaning slightly at the pain from his wounds.
"I haven't seen you before," the girl commented. "I mean, kinda a jerky move for someone who's staying with relatives, but… where do you live?"
With my uncle. He's an off-the-rails government agent who works for a psychopathic doctor. Maybe you've heard of him?
"Uh…" Suddenly a lightbulb went off over his head. "I'm… actually trying to find my relative's house. I'm staying with them."
"Oh. Really?" the girl asked. Her tone took on a friendlier note. "I might know where they live. I've been here for about two weeks, so…"
"Uh… well, I actually don't know their full name. Really, really distant relative. A… grandfather." he blurted. Dangit, Peter. Knee-deep in lies right now.
"Oh… hmm. Any first name?"
"Uh… starts with a C. Cameron? Chris?"
"Carl?" the girl suggested. "There's a guy in town. Everyone calls him Crazy Carl. He lives in this camper, kinda off in the woods."
"Why Crazy Carl?" Peter asked.
The girl glanced around. "After being in town long enough, I guess you'll find out. We have a bit of an alien thing around here."
"Oh?" Peter asked, interest rising in his voice. "What does that mean?"
"These aliens live with this couple, Maddie and Tom Wachowski. There's fi- er, four of them. Sonic, a hedgehog, Tails, a fox, Knuckles, an echidna, and Amy, another hedgehog."
Peter made a soft pfft noise. "Aliens don't exist."
"I thought that too. But my family is really close friends with them, and I got to meet them. And they're real as can be."
Peter swallowed, trying to hide his excitement. Real aliens. Robotnik hadn't been as crazy as he'd thought after all.
"So… the nickname?"
"Oh! Well, Sonic resided in Green Hills a lot longer than the others, hiding out of sight for around ten years. Carl was the only one who knew of his existence, but since no one believed him, he got the nickname 'Crazy Carl'."
"Well, sounds a lot like the description my, uh, dad gave me. Do you know where he lives, perchance?"
"Yeah! I can give you an address." the girl said. She patted her pockets for a moment, then blushed. "Er, do you have any paper…?"
"Um, maybe?" Peter said. He swung his backpack around with a little difficulty and then found a few Post-It notes shoved to the bottom, a little crumpled.
He offered her the notes along with a small stub of a dull pencil, and the girl shot him a look. "Really?"
He shot an apologetic smile. "All I got."
She sighed and took the stuff, scribbling down an address. Peter watched, slightly entranced by how good her handwriting was.
"Here," she said, handing him a yellow note with an address on it.
"Thanks."
"And here's my phone number for good measure, too." she said, scribbling a phone number on another note and handing it to him.
Peter felt his cheeks heat up. "Um… thank you?"
"In case you want to hang out, or something. I haven't seen many people my age around here before."
Peter felt a small smile appear on his face. "Thanks. I'll text you later."
"I'm Maria. Maria Lawrence. But I'm staying with my family, the Renlows."
"Peter," Peter offered, sticking out his hand. "Peter… Peter Stone."
For a moment, an odd expression came over Maria's face as she heard his last name, an almost confusedly afraid one. But a second later, it was gone, and she shook his hand. Peter's attention went straight to her warm, soft hand.
"Nice to meet you, Peter."
"You too, Maria."
"Well, I've gotta go. My aunt's gonna be worried if I don't get back soon."
"Oh.. okay. I better get to my grandfather's… ahaha… see you later?"
Maria smiled at him. "That would be awesome!"
"Okay then!" Peter squeaked, waving as they parted ways. "Bye!"
Then she was gone.
And if no one noticed Peter pump a fist in the air, euphoria flowing through his veins… he was fine with that.
And with that, chapter 7 of Shadows and Secrets closes. Shadow has been introduced to the Wachowskis, and Peter had arrived at Green Hill and coincidentally met none other than our believed Maria Lawrence, starting a possible friendship that could lead to a good or bad end.
I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Please let me know what you think in the reviews, or if you have any suggestions for me to change in the story! (Like spelling and/or grammar mistakes!)
Review replies!
TheSensationalSpiderDom321: Thank you for all your reviews on my earlier chapter! And your reactions are great.
I tried to apply your advice to this chapter. Tell me if I did good or horrible. You're great at giving me advice and I really appreciate it!
The plot is indeed thickening, my friend, and it's going to get even thicker… but thanks a ton. I love your reactions so much, they sometimes make me think of things in a whole new way!
Appreciate you a ton, my friend! Thank you so much again! :)
jurassicdinocrew: I love how surprised everyone is that Gerald has shown up. Yeah, he's here, and he's playing a big role. Thank you for the review!
TheStryker190: Thanks so much for the compliments, buddy. Thanks for reviewing as well!
That's all from me, folks! I'll see you all next time!
Also, my birthday's on the 29th! Woo-hoo! I'm trying to get a Sonic Forces chapter out, for those who read it, and I'm very close.
Bye! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay happy, and stay cool!
Infinite out,
TheLostEternity