"You're afraid? Of what?"
Silver paused immediately. He didn't just say that, right?
Startled, he pulled the covers over his head and stayed like that.
"Silver, you can tell me... I'm so worried about you..."
Lauren pulled the covers off the young boy and looked at him worriedly. In doing so, she stroked his head.
Silver, however, gave no answer. He hugged his teddy bear and said nothing.
"Silver... please, I beg you... Finally talk to us.", Lauren tried again, but the answer was again only silence.
The cat sighed and got up. Finally she went to the door and opened it. Before she left the room, however, she whispered something.
"Rest up. And Silver? You can always talk to us. If something bothers you, you can turn to us. Please don't be afraid. I love you."
With that she disappeared from the room and closed the door behind her.
Silver sighed deeply before turning around in his bed and looking at the ceiling. He wanted to finally tell her, but he still was too afraid to do so.
The hedgehog was just so afraid of not being accepted. It has always been a part of his life.
Due to his shy and introverted nature, he had always had problems interacting with other mobians. This also made him insecure and often thought about what the others thought of him.
Back in the orphanage, he had always been on his own. He hadn't had anyone to play with, but for some reason, that was okay with him.
The hedgehog had never needed other mobians to keep himself busy. He felt like he didn't need friends. Sitting alone in a corner and playing, that was his real happiness back then.
However, his mind was significantly turned around when a certain mobian came into his life. The two had met at the first day of elementary school and from that day on, it became a deep friendship.
When Silver layed there thinking about this boy, he realized how much he missed him. He'd never seen him again after moving to Emerald Town.
At first, the two of them had seen each other at school every day, but that finally changed when Silver went to his new school. Thus, the two lost contact with each other.
The hedgehog was afraid that his friend would not remember him at all. But...was it really that easy to forget?
Silver would have continued with his train of thought, if the ringing of his phone hadn't pulled him out of his thoughts.
The hedgehog took his phone and looked to see who had texted him.
On the screen, "Sonic" lit up.
Without thinking too much, Silver clicked on the message and read it through.
Sonic: Hey, are you coming today or are you skipping school again?
Oh shit. It was clear that his friends would be getting notice of this. Especially since yesterday morning, where he involuntarily ran into Sonic and Shadow.
When he thought of Shadow like that, he noticed that he had also received some messages from the black hedgehog. And that already since yesterday.
Without answering Sonic's WhatsApp, he switched to Shadows Chat and read the messages there.
Shadow: Hey Silver.
Shadow: You weren't even at school today. But you know that yourself. -.-
Shadow: What's wrong with you?
Shadow: So you really don't want to answer me?
/Oh... I think Shadow is pissed off... / Silver thought to himself as he reread the message.
At that moment he received a second WhatsApp from Sonic.
Since Silver knew that the blue hedgehog would not rest until he replied, he switched the chat again and looked at the second message.
Sonic: Silver, just answer me. -.-
/ Now, even Sonic is mad at me. Great.../
Immediately the gray hedgehog typed in his answer truthfully.
Silver: I'm sick, so I'm staying home.
Sonic: And I am the guardian of the Master Emerald. -.-
Silver: I really am sick!
Sonic: Oh, save your lies and just tell me the truth.
Sonic: Because it's annoying as fuck.
Silver: I really am sick!
Silver: Ugh, go to hell!
The gray hedgehog flopped his phone on the bedside table and turned angrily around in bed. Now he had already turned his friends against him.
Silver wasn't sure, how much longer he could hold on.
It was a loud noise that ripped him out of his dream.
At first Silver couldn't make out what was making the noise, but gradually he realized it.
The vacuum cleaner.
Was his mother at home?
She had to be at home, who else would be vacuuming?
Since he couldn't fall asleep anyway because of the loud noises, Silver finally got up.
He didn't feel bad, maybe a little tired. So he went to the door and peeked out. The noise seemed to be coming from the lower floor.
Yawning, Silver stepped out the door and crept downstairs. He thought that watching some TV would distract him a little from his situation, so he carefully walked into the living room, where he collapsed on the couch.
Finally he turned on the TV and zapped through the programs until he finally got upset about the lousy TV program and turned on Netflix instead.
There he quickly found his favorite film and decided to watch it for the tenth time.
Lauren turned off the vacuum cleaner and was puzzled when she heard the closest TV. But since she could already guess who was sitting in front of the TV, she simply put away the vacuum cleaner and went down the stairs to check on her son.
Silver was lying on the sofa, cuddling with a pillow, watching the movie he had chosen, with interest.
At first Lauren wasn't sure if she should sit down beside him, but overcame this hurdle and sat next to her son on the couch.
Silver didn't care to look up. His gaze continued to fixate on the television, while he snuggled up against the pillow that he was holding in his arms.
"Silver", Lauren finally said, but the gray hedgehog ignored her. He didn't want to talk to her now, he just wanted to watch the movie in peace.
"Silver", the cat repeated, but again there was no movement.
So Lauren grabbed the remote control and switched off the TV. The hedgehog's gaze shot immediately in the direction of his mother. He narrowed his eyes in exasperation and murred.
"We have to talk, Silver. It's not okay, that you carry your problems around with you all the time. That's not good for you.", Lauren said and looked at her son intently.
The latter, in turn, turned his head and got up. Ready to leave the living room, but someone stopped him.
The hedgehog growled angrily when his mother grabbed his hand, preventing him from going anywhere.
"Not a chance, young man, you stay here. I haven't grounded you for no reason.", She said with a sharp tone and pulled the hedgehog back onto the couch.
"You remember that you skipped school yesterday. So: why?"
Lauren eyed her son intently, but the hedgehog sat silently next to her. He didn't have the nerve, to talk about it now. Especially since the fear was still there and he wouldn't even dare to start a conversation.
"Silver, you have to start talking to us!"
Again no answer.
The cat sighed. "You have become unbearable."
Silver's ears twitched.
What had his mother just said? He had become unbearable?
"Oh..." was all Silver managed before jumping up and running out of the living room.
Lauren watched him go, but she didn't move. "Just tell me what's bothering you. I'm sure, that your father and I can help you. You don't have to isolate yourself from everyone else."
But Silver didn't hear that anymore. He had already stormed into his room and slammed the door. Weeping, he threw himself on his bed and pulled the covers over his head again, as he had done yesterday.
He had become unbearable. That's what his mother said to him. He got on his mother's nerves with his stupid behavior.
Despite all these thoughts, he just couldn't bring himself to tell her. And so, the newfound courage, which lasted only a few seconds, was thrown out the window again.
That afternoon, his friends didn't come to see him either.
Silver's heart ached at the thought. He had pushed his friends away and now he had to pay the price. He'd lost them, he was sure of that. Why else should they stop coming to see him or text him?
His phone had been lying on the bedside table since this morning and Silver hadn't even thought of picking it up. It was pointless anyway.
/ I think, I'm just in their way, right? They don't even care about me anymore... / thought the hedgehog sadly as he snuggled into his blanket.
Charlene had long been home, but Silver hadn't thought it was necessary to get up and say hello.
Even if the words his sister had said yesterday still rang in his head.
"I could never hate you."
She could never, never in her life, hate him. But did she mean that the same way, she'd said it? Silver wasn't sure.
Even when his mother called him for dinner, the hedgehog remained silent in his bed. He had lost his appetite entirely, even though his stomach began to ache with hunger.
"Silver, please come downstairs. You have to eat something." His mother's voice whispered as she pushed the door open.
"Not hungry..." muttered the hedgehog. At the same time, his hunger and stress-related stomach ache made him wince.
"Silver, come down with me, please. It can't go on like this!" Lauren pleaded and pulled the blanket from her son's body. However, Silver remained lying there and didn't move either.
"Silver, now move and come down with me. This is going too far.", Warned the female and pulled the younger one into a sitting position.
"I told you that I'm not hungry!" He growled and threw his pillow at the cat in front of him. "Just understand that, damn it!"
Lauren gave her son a distraught look but turned away and walked to the door. "Okay, then don't. Your food is in the kitchen in case you change your mind." Finally she stepped outside and closed the door behind her.
Silver growled again and got up to get his pillow.
Suddenly, he heard the ringing of his phone. Did he have a message? From whom and above all: why?
Being too curious, he ran to his bedside table and picked up his phone. Finally he looked to see who the message was from.
Sonic: I suppose you won't come today?
Come? Where should he go? Did he have an appointment with his friends and just forgot?
Finally it hit him like a truck: It was Friday! The day they always had a sleepover over at Sonics house! He had completely forgotten that!
At first the hedgehog wanted to answer something, but he let it go when he read the next message Sonic had sent him.
Sonic: Why am I asking anyway? Of course you won't come.
With a heavy heart, Silver lowered his phone and stared at the floor. Were his "friends" so angry with him, that they no longer wanted to spend time with him?
At this thought, the gray hedgehog burst into tears.
Had he finally screwed it up?
Did they really hate him?
Did they ever want to see him again?
Silver knew that everything could get better, if he just told everyone about his power, but he couldn't. It was like he had a block deep inside him that was preventing him from telling it. Just like a dam held up the water, Silver was held back by this blockage and he couldn't fight it.
/They'll hate me if I tell them. I know that... / he thought. At the same time, an idea occurred to him. An incredibly stupid idea.
/ Before they throw me out, I'd better go myself... /
=I know what you're thinking now ...Why the hell is Silver running away now?I honestly have no idea why. Please ask past me about that, because I have no clue. xDTo the chapter:I'm escalating completely. What am I doing to the cinnamon roll? xDSilver is so scared that he can no longer think clearly. Oof, this fic is stupid. Forgive my dumb ass. xDThank you for reading and have a great day! 3XxSilver_Lea_EngxX