The door was ripped open. In front of it was a completely soaked and trembling Silver, who avoided eye contact with his mother and instead looked at the floor.
"Silver!", The female called out relieved and pulled her son into her arms. Carefully, she hugged the trembling hedgehog and immediately felt how cold he was.
"Come in quickly, you're freezing cold!"
As soon as that was said, Lauren pulled him into the house and closed the door behind her. Silver didn't budge.
"I'm so sorry, Silver. If only I had known ..." Lauren sat down next to her son on the couch and gently stroked his head. The hedgehog looked up in surprise.
"What...? What do you mean?" He asked in a hoarse voice, that only came from staying out in the cold for so long.
"Silver... you're being bullied? Is that correct?"
"U-uh ... what? N-n-no, of course not! How did you come up with that?!" Silver stared at his mother in disbelief. How did she know? He had never said a word about it. How could she know that now?
"Shadow told me."
The hedgehog sighed. Of course it was one of his friends. It was clear to him that they, and especially Shadow, would not keep quiet for long. Deep down, Silver was grateful to him, because he knew that he would never have dared tell his parents.
"Silver...is that right?" Lauren repeated, this time a little louder, whereupon the younger one just nodded.
The cat gave her son a pitying look before sliding up to him and putting an arm around him. "Why, didn't you tell us about it?" She asked, dismayed.
Silver was silent. He buried his face in the blanket, he was wrapped in, and remained in that position. He didn't move either when Charlene sat down next to him.
"Silvy..." she whispered, but once again there was no reaction.
"You were scared, weren't you?"
Nothing.
"Is that why you're acting so strange? Are you scared? Is the bullying getting worse?"
Silver was silent, but a war was going on inside his head. Should he just lie and say, that the bullying was actually the cause of his strange behavior?
However...his family would notice if he continued to avoid them. No, lying wasn't the answer here. He had to come out with the truth, even if it meant that his family might not accept him anymore.
He just couldn't hold it in anymore. His heart ached from all the lies he'd told. They stressed him so much, that he had the feeling it would burst if he continued.
"Silver, you have to talk to us. It burdens you- .."
"It's not about the bullying!" Silver suddenly shouted and snuggled deeper into the warm blanket.
He couldn't hold it in anymore. Tears glistened visibly in his eyes.
"Don't cry, Silvy!" Charlene cried, startled when she saw the tears and put her arms around the younger boy. Silver snuggled up, crying against his big sister. He buried his face in her shoulder.
"Shh it's okay..." she whispered and slowly stroked her brother's back.
"Are you feeling better now?" Whispered the cat, as the sobs gradually ceased and a weeping gray hedgehog turned in her grip.
"Y-yes..." Silver replied and wiped his wet eyes with his sleeve. "I-I'm okay..."
That's when Charlene remembered what her brother had said, before he burst into tears. Quietly, without scaring him, she asked again.
"If you're not acting this weird, because of the bullying, then what's the cause...?"
Silver sighed heavily and sat up. But not just to get up and run away. It made no sense now anyway, because he was in too deep. His family wouldn't leave him in peace anymore.
"I-I..." the hedgehog tightened the grip on his blanket. At first he was unable to form a normal sentence. The fear of unacceptance was too big, as irrational as it sounded.
"I...I...I have some kind of power! They were suddenly there and made my life a living hell! I lied at everyone: you, my friends...! I didn't dare to tell you, because I thought you wouldn't want me anymore!"
He said it. Suddenly Silver felt a huge weight drop from his shoulders. Relieved, he let out a shaky breath and waited to see what his family had to say.
When he heard nothing, he looked up anxiously. His parents looked at each other, while Charlene eyed her brother in confusion.
What were they thinking of now?
Did they hate him?
Would they kick him out?
Silver trembled visibly at the thought. At the same time he thought about whether it had been wrong, to have told them. But that changed suddenly when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up immediately.
Lauren smiled warmly at her son. "Would you follow me for a second?" She asked lovingly, whereupon the hedgehog nodded timidly. The cat got up immediately, followed by Marcus. Silver quarreled at first, but did the same.
"Will you stay there, Charlie?" Asked Lauren, whereupon the younger cat nodded.
Without saying anything else, Silver left the living room with his parents. Together they went upstairs. Along the way, Silver wondered why his mother was taking him here. What was she up to?
Lauren opened the bedroom door and went straight to a closet. From there she took out a small box which she gave to her son.
"When we adopted you, we were told that we should give you this box, when you start to develop your powers." she said, whereupon Silver stared at her in amazement.
"W-wait ... d-does that mean you...knew about it...all along?" The hedgehog looked at the black box. "I was so scared for nothing!?"
Lauren shot her son a pitying look. "I'm sorry that you felt, like you had to keep it a secret. Maybe...we should've just told you about it... Then you would not have gone through this hell..." she whispered and lowered her head in shame.
"It's...okay, mom...", answered the gray hedgehog and looked at the box again. "Do you know what's in there?"
"No Silver, we haven't looked yet." Marcus stroked his son's head. "I guess you'll have to find it out yourself."
Without losing a second, Silver jumped up and ran straight to his room. Several thoughts were running through his head.
What was in the box?
Who was it from?
Was it perhaps even from his mother?
Silver stopped immediately when the thought hit him. His mother...
Had she given him this box and its contents? But why only when he developed his powers? And how did she even know that he would have telekinesis one day?
Was it like Shadow?
Has his ability to be genetically inherited? It had to be like that.
Now his curiosity was so big, that he could no longer contain it and went to his room. With the box still in his hands, he sat down on the floor.
Before opening the box, however, he took another deep breath. Although he was curious about what was in it, at the same time fear was seething in him. After all, this box was probably from his mother. His biological mother.
What was hidden in it? Maybe the answer to why she'd given him away? But what did that have to do with his power?
Silver shook his head vigorously before removing the lid and looking at the contents.
"Wow ..." he whispered at the sight.
The first thing that caught his eye were two gold-plated bracelets, with a turquoise engraving in the middle.
"Is that...real gold?" He whispered and picked up a bracelet. But to his astonishment, they were quite light. "So...they're not...?"
Still impressed by the bracelets, the hedgehog put them aside.
Next to the supposed golden bracelets was a pair of gloves, which surprisingly had exactly the same turquoise circles as he did on his palms and on the back of his hand.
"Wow..." Silver whispered again. But that also had to mean that he actually had this box from his mother and that he had inherited his powers.
Wait a moment...
Was that a letter hidden under the gloves?
The hedgehog reached for the envelope with interest. Indeed, there was a letter addressed to him. Who could it be from?
Silver carefully opened the envelope and took out a neatly folded sheet of paper.
Fear rose in him. What did it say?
But thinking about it wouldn't give him any answers either, so he slowly unfolded the piece of paper and began to read through the letter.
Dear Silver,
If you have this letter in your hands, it means that your ability has emerged and you are able to learn to control it. Just remember one thing: it's not as easy as it seems.
/You don't say.../
Since your powers will often activate against your will, I have included special bracelets for you. They'll help you to keep your powers under control, until you can do it on your own.
Always keep in mind that your ability is special. You are one of the few mobians who are endowed with such a power.
/Right ... I've heard that ... /
Accordingly, you now have a great responsibility, but don't be afraid.
I also know that you are tormented by a certain question: why don't I raise you?
I'm sorry Silver, but I couldn't. Giving you away was the hardest decision I ever had to make. But I'm sure that you will end up in a wonderful family, or you're already there. I love you.
Your mother
"M-my mother ...? T-the letter was actually from her...? But why...couldn't she take care of me?", Silver mumbled dismayed and glanced into the envelope. There was something else in there.
The hedgehog curiously took out the object.
It was a photo.
That was him.
As a baby...
Silver had never held a baby photo of himself in his hands before. He didn't even know what he looked like then. "I was so...little...", he whispered overwhelmed and carefully stroked the old photo.
Then his gaze fell on the gloves and the bracelets that lay on the floor next to him.
"So these things will help me keep my powers in check, huh? I should probably wear them then."
Said and done. Silver, pulled the gloves over his hands and then snapped the bracelets around his wrists.
Whatever material the bracelets were made of, it couldn't be gold. They were so light. But the hedgehog decided not to think about it now. Instead, he gathered up the letter and photo and put them safely in the box.
At first he thought about taking the box into the living room, but finally decided against it. Then he left his room and dashed back into the living room, where his family was waiting for him.
"Silvy!" Shouted Charlene and received her brother in a warm hug, which the hedgehog returned with joy.
"Charlie I -..."
"Woah, show me your hands for a sec!" Before Silver could react, Charlene had grabbed his hands and was now staring at the bracelets, overwhelmed.
"Aren't they incredibly heavy?!"
"U-um ... no, not really ..." Silver tried to free his hands from his sister's grip, but he had no chance. So he finally gave up and had to watch the cat marvel at his new gloves.
"Tell me: what kind of powers do you have? You haven't told us that yet!"
Then the gray hedgehog laughed in embarrassment. His gaze wandered to his parents before throwing it back to his sister.
"Do you remember... when I was talking about this presentation...? Um...well... that...that was a lie ..."
Charlene stared at her brother in disbelief. "No, shit? You have telekinesis!? That's so cool, Silver!"
Silver felt his cheeks slowly turn red. But he was just so happy that his family didn't hate him. Not to be accepted by them anymore, that was the worst for the gray hedgehog.
"Now come here, you two. I would like to take a look at Silver's gloves, too."
"Of course, mom.", Answered the hedgehog and sat down next to his mother. Charlene did the same.
"So that was in the box?"
Silver nodded.
"Who is it from?"
Then the gray hedgehog immediately looked at the ground. His mother.
The box was from his biological mother. He still couldn't quite believe it. It felt so unreal, but the letter was definitely real.
Suddenly he wondered who his mother was.
What she looked like.
Her name.
The reason she gave him away...
The longer Silver thought about it, the more his head hurt. His cold didn't help either.
"Silver?" Lauren asked suddenly, what pulled the hedgehog out of his trance. Confused, he looked up.
At first he didn't realize what they'd been talking about before but finally, he realized and he sighed.
"It ...was from my... biological mother. Turns out that my powers were inherited and...these bracelets here... they help me to control my powers.", Silver explained and stared at his hands again.
/My mother.../
Silver woke up with the feeling, that he had to clear everything up today. He had already told his family, now his friends followed.
After recovering from his bad cold, he was finally ready to go to school again. And today, as he had planned, he finally wanted to tell his friends about the powers because he knew that sooner or later he had to do it. At least if he wanted to keep calling the four boys his friends.
"Okay Silver, stay calm. You can do it! Remember: the relationship with your friends depends on you. If you don't finally explain it to them, they may turn away from you, so take your courage and tell them! " he told himself, as he got ready for the day.
Although he was still afraid, he tried to ignore it as well as possible. Finally he left his room in a good mood and sat down on his chair at the kitchen table.
"Morning," he mumbled as he gobbled down his breakfast. It felt like he hadn't eaten in days.
"Take it slow, Silver! You could choke," Lauren admonished her son, who served Charlene her breakfast.
As soon as the cat started to eat, Silver was already done. The hedgehog jumped up from his chair and dashed to the kitchen counter to get his lunch and the water bottle.
"Why are you in such a hurry?", Asked Marcus, who gave his son the wanted things. Silver gave his father a thankful nod, before turning and scurrying to his backpack.
"I want to be there early, so I can apologize to my friends! They were so mad at me because I lied. I don't want to lose them!" Replied the gray hedgehog and put his food in his backpack, before settling it on his back and went to the door.
But before he turned the doorknob, he looked over his shoulder one more time.
"May I leave earlier today ...?" He asked, although this question was now completely unnecessary.
Lauren and Marcus looked at each other before nodding. "You're already all dressed anyway. But: don't forget your bracelets." Lauren said as she sat down at the table.
Silver nodded eagerly and ran back to his room to get his bracelets. As soon as he wore them, he quickly slipped into his shoes, before he pushed open the door, shouted a quick "See you this afternoon" and finally disappeared out of sight.
On the way to school, Silver thought about the best way to talk to his friends. Especially since he didn't even know if they were still angry with him. But he prayed to Chaos, that they would forgive him.
With a way clearer mind now, Silver found his behavior more than just ridiculous. He had tried to avoid his loved ones, only because he hadn't dared to tell them about his powers.
He could only hope now, that his friends would forgive him as quickly as his family did.
Gradually the school came in sight, with his friends in front of the school gate. With a heart as heavy as stone, Silver thought one last time about his apology, before setting off and running towards his friends.
"Guys!" He called. In the next moment, he came to a stop next to Sonic.
"...Hi?" He greeted them embarrassed. He looked around worriedly between the boys, not knowing how they would react now.
"So...you finally decide to come back to school, huh?", Sonic asked mockingly and looked at the younger hedgehog next to him.
"Yeah ..." was all Silver got out before he glanced at the floor.
"I... was sick the last few days and ... because of that, I wasn't in school. Only last Thursday, I actually skipped and..."
"How do we know that you're not lying?" Asked Sonic and crossed his arms. "Tell me. How are you going to prove that?"
Silver sighed. His gaze rose again and he looked the blue hedgehog straight in the eye.
"There's a reason I was so...dismissive..."
Sonic avoided his gaze.
"If it's actually the bullying, then..."
"No-"
"Even if it's the bullying: That is, by no means, a reason to take your frustration out on us! I can understand that you're in a bad mood because of that, but don't let it out on us!", Shadow warned his friend. "Especially since you should thank me for telling your mother, otherwise you still wouldn't know what to do!"
"Shadow!" Tails interrupted, shaking his head disapprovingly. "Screaming at him doesn't help much! I also have the feeling, that he would like to tell us what made him acting so strange, right?" He added and turned his attention to the gray hedgehog .
Silver nodded and immediately noticed how the blush rose in his face. He hated the way everyone had suddenly stared at him.
While trying desperately to find the right words, Sonic just stared at his bracelets.
"What do you have there?" He asked curiously and took the younger hedgie's hand. Immediately he raised it into his field of vision and now revealed his bracelets to the rest of the group.
"Damn, that's sick! Where did you get them!? They must've been extremely expensive!", The blue hedgehog was as happy, as a little child on christmas.
Silver shook his head in embarrassment and withdrew his hand. "I ... don't know where I got them... My parents didn't buy them for me either. Much more ... they were given to me. From my...biological mother ..." he whispered and automatically tensed when he heard no answer.
"But ... that's not the point! Why I've been acting so weird lately is because...I...I...
I have an ability too, just like you guys! "
Nobody said anything. It made Silver even more nervous than he actually was. This silence. This uncomfortable silence drove him insane.
"Chaos, say something! The whole time I was terrified, that you would hate me! I've avoided you, said things that I never thought I would ever say and... and did things I'm not proud of! All because I was so afraid that you wouldn't accept me anymore if I told you!"
Silver stared at the four Mobians in front of him. They stared back just as perplexed, but they said nothing.
"Say something! A word, a sound, anything! You're driving me crazy right now!" He yelled across the schoolyard. He could swear they were being stared at by now, but that was the least of his worries right now.
"Guys!?"
Sonic finally broke out of his trance. He still didn't take his eyes off the younger one, but at least he gave a reaction.
"You... uh ...uh...have ...a power...like us?"
The grey hedgehog nodded.
"Wow..."
"Yes ... that was also my reaction ...", answered Silver and looked at the ground. "Telekinesis..."
Sonic blinked in confusion. "What?"
"I have telekinesis... you...know what it is, right?"
The blue hedgehog nodded. Now the remaining three broke out of their rigidity and examined the hedgehog closely.
"Telekinesis...? Isn't that like...extremely rare?" Knuckles asked, to which Tails nodded eagerly.
"Yes it is! Unlike normal abilities, it does not result through mutation, but is passed on through heredity, like the chaos powers that Shadow possesses. That is why it is so rare! Only one of 3 million Mobians has telekinesis." he explained to his friends, who immediately looked at Silver with wide eyes. Except for Shadow, who held his neutral gaze.
"You're special, Silver."
At this compliment, the gray hedgehog's cheeks instantly turned pink. He had already forgotten how many times this had happened to him today. His eyes fell on his bracelets again. Shadow noticed that. Now he looked there too.
"Do your bracelets have a purpose?" He wanted to know, to which Silver nodded.
"Uh yes... They are supposed to help me control my powers. Why do you ask?"
Shadow looked his friend straight in the eye. "They are extremely valuable, take good care of them."
Silver nodded, but his gaze raised a number of questions. "To what extent 'valuable'?" He asked, whereupon the black hedgehog smiled at him.
"What did you just say? They help you to control your powers, that's why they are so valuable. They were created from a special gold that is supposed to keep heritable powers in check. Unlike abilities that arise through mutations, are heritable powers harder to control and therefore more dangerous. Why do you think I am wearing these rings around my wrists? "
Silver stared bewildered at his friend. He would never have thought that the bracelets were this important. "Oh... g-good to know..."
"I know you, Silver. You tend to react too...emotionally sometimes. Please be careful. Your powers react to this and could get out of control. Then your bracelets won't help either.", Shadow warned him, whereupon everyone stared at him.
"W-what?! Is that dangerous?", Silver gasped in shock and took a step back.
"Not conditionally. It depends on how mentally stable you are at the moment. Just try your best, not to go nuts right away. By the way, nothing will happen as long as your emotional outbursts are contained. They only react to bad emotional pain. So you can cry, when you watch "Titanic" the next time. ", Added Shadow and grinned at his fellows.
Silver's face turned fiery red with shame. He had completely forgotten his horror from earlier.
"Not true..." he mumbled embarrassed and looked away as Sonic started laughing at his friend.
"Titanic!? I would've believe anything, but not that you like this boring movie!" The blue hedgehog grinned. "But not to be mean, Silv."
Silver managed a small smile. "I know, Sonic..." He looked around. "And...as for the tension..."
"Forgive and forget, Silv. I just don't understand, why you didn't want to tell us when we also have powers?", Knuckles interjected.
"Maybe...I was just concerned that you might ...be scared of me..."
"Us and scared of you? Oh please Silv, no. Never. Shadow also has dangerous powers and we hang out with him. Everything is cool, mate.", Sonic laughed and pulled the younger boy up to him. He put an arm around the gray hedgehog and hugged him.
"To be honest...we could never hate you. You are our friend and you will always be. Please don't go mad about it."
Silver looked up into his friends' eyes. "Thank you...that means a lot to me.", He smiled and closed his eyes for a moment.
"Um guys...? I think school has already started!" Tails exclaimed suddenly. Silver immediately opened his eyes again.
The group turned to face the school yard. It was swept empty.
"It's 7:50 am..." Sonic looked at his friends. "We'd better go in quickly!"
As soon as that was said, the friends ran off. Silver, however, stayed put for a moment.
"So special powers...?" He grinned. "I can do anything..." His gaze wandered to his friends. "...as long as I only have you guys..."
Finally he chased across the school yard and after his friends.
Silver knew there was more ahead of him. But he would face it bravely, as long as he only had his loved ones by his side.
=And...the GRAND FINALE!I FINISHED!!!!!! xDIn all seriousness: I would never have dreamed of finishing this book, even though it was just plain translating. At first I thought I couldn't get any further than chapter three! Well, I guess I was wrong! xDSince this is the last chapter, I still have a lot to say! Please read it through, it is IMPORTANT!First of all: Thanks to all readers! 3I know you had to be patient with me, as I sometimes didn't update for weeks/months. To be honest: I felt bad too. : ')Your comments made me really happy. Hearing that you liked (even loved) the story just puts a smile on my face. So thank you very much again! One final comment is definitely allowed and it can be as long as you want it to, so don't be shy. ;)Second thing:There is a sequel! I will start translating it within next week, so be patient! The fic will be titled "I thought you were my friend" and a new original character will be introduced as a main character! :DAgain about the FF:I also packed my own headcannons (made up facts) into it. In addition, the characters were, sometimes a little out of character. I'm so sorry. It just wasn't very easy because I'm writing an AU. I hope you still enjoyed it! :'DI have nothing else to say, so I will just quickly drop another "Thank you" and then leave! Oh and stay healthy and safe! I know the situation is horrible, but if we wear our masks and keep our distance, we can at least help a bit! I love you guys! 3Ohhh and a lil question for you guys: What's your favorite Sonic Song?Mine is "Dreams of an Absolution". :DBye! 3XxSilver_Lea_EngxX