The wind whistled around the mountain, over Sally's limp body and through her auburn hair. It shook the saplings growing up from the cracks across the lookout.
Sally still lay on the rock, her eyes closed. Facing the remains of Capital Aero. Her hand stretched out on the rock where the sunlight had passed to shadow.
She did not know how long she had lain there. Sonic had left yesterday… or was it three days ago?
At last, she was not crying anymore.
In fact, she almost didn't feel anything.
There was something. And underlying weight. Something dark and heavy. Every now and then it fluttered into terror.
Sally didn't move. She couldn't. She was waiting.
For them to find her lying there. For when bullets ripped through her chest, like they had her mothers'…
She couldn't open her eyes.
Or…perhaps they would take her to Robotnik himself. She hoped that would not happen. She didn't want to have to move. She didn't want to see anything else ever again.
"Miss Sally?"
The voice sent a fresh wave of irrational terror through her heart. But she still didn't move.
"Miss Sally?"
Someone touched her. Shook her. The movement jarred her blood and muscles and sent life flooding back through her veins. She shivered, catching her breath and closing her eyes tighter.
"Miss Sally, I've been looking for you since Sonic left!" Crème said.
Creme stood over the princess, her combat boots planted on the rock. In one hand she held a bowl of soup. "Miss Sally, you look terrible."
Sally's lips were cracked and her face was still dirty. Sally pulled her arms close to her chest, still shivering. She buried her face against the rock.
"Sonic told me to make sure you ate," Crème said. "And…and you must be thirsty."
The rabbit reached out a small hand and stroked Sally's shoulder. Sally didn't move. She did not uncurl, but she did not flinch either.
The Crème glanced up towards the horizon, her eyes wide. She let out a small gasp and set down the bowl.
She strode forward, to the edge of the lookout and stared down at the view.
Seconds passed. Sally slit open her eyes.
"Oh no…" Crème's voice shook.
The side of Sally's mouth pulled downwards, her eyes dim.
History was full of decimated, burned cities…history was full of slaughtered, dead monarchs. Had she truly believed she could escape their fate?
She was a princess. Of course not.
"M-Miss S-Sally…" Crème said. Her voice trembled. "I—I heard the radio—I was scared—but now I see…" She pinched her lips together. "What…what do you think happened to everyone—Miss Rose?"
Sally did not move. She watched.
"And Bunnie? And Mr. Rotor?" Crème's face began to contort as tears rushed to her eyes. "Oh my goodness. And Mr. Sonic and Mr. Tails—they're all down there in that. It's terrible…it's terrible!"
Sally swallowed.
Crème struggled to get her breath. "Sonic…M-Mr. S-Sonic said he would find them—and they'd be okay. He's right, isn't he, Sally? What about the girls at the school? Where is everyone? What happened to them?"
Sally's lips barely moved. "Sonic is a liar."
Crème didn't say anything. She fisted her small hands, her eyes wide.
"We will all die…" Sally whispered.
Crème turned around. Her eyes were filled with fear. "How? Will they shoot us?"
For the first time, Sally met Crème's eyes and something in her stirred other than the fear or the heaviness. A small sense of connection. Of responsibility for this eleven year old.
She opened her mouth, but she did not respond.
"Sally—we've got to do something for Mr. Sonic!" Crème said. "And Miss Amy!" The terror was still there. "You can do something, right? You're the princess!"
Sally wrapped her arms around herself. The movement hurt.
"Aren't you going to help Mr. Sonic?" Crème darted forward.
Sally closed her eyes. She shivered again, unable to find the words.
Crème knelt down in front of Sally and gazed at the chipmunk. She stared hard, searching her face and her closed eyes.
Sally opened her mouth, trembling. "-Go away," She whispered.
Crème's jaw began to drop. Her eyes began to grow rounder.
And something other than terror began to alight in them…anger.
"Miss Amy is my friend!" Crème roared out at the top of her lungs. In a tone Sally, Sonic, Tails, Bunnie and Amy Rose had never heard before. "If you won't help her and Sonic and Tails and Miss Bunnie and Mr. Rotor, then I will!"
Crème bounded forward, knocking over the bowl of soup as she ran. She darted down to the ladder that lead into the Underground, tears rolling down her cheeks.
The power of Crème's scream had sent Sally's blood tingling and her eyes flying open. Her face paled beneath her fur.
Sally straightened.
"Crème…Crème, stop it."
Crème started down the ladder, disappearing from sight.
"Crème—Crè—Crème it's no use!" Sally dove for the ladder. She could hardly see what she was doing, her limbs fumbled with the rungs.
She was moving—how was she moving?
Crème jumped from the middle of the ladder to the rock below, lifting up her large ears to help her catch her fall. Her combat boots hit the ground and she ran.
Sally followed behind. She jumped near the bottom of the ladder and landed on all fours. She stumbled to the ground.
"Crème!"
In the kitchen of the Underground, Crème pulled on her coat. Her round face was pinched with tears and she hiccupped. She snatched up a simple covered basket and started opening the drawers of their makeshift kitchen. She began pulling out kitchen knives and the rolling pin, and bread and matches. She dumped them into the basket and wiped at her face.
"Crème!" Sally's scream echoed once again throughout the Underground. She had made it back to the bottom floor. "Crème, do you hear me?"
Crème stuck her head out of the kitchen, watching Sally's shadow stagger across the wall of the main chamber. Crème bit her lip, swung the basket onto her shoulder and made a running dash towards the exit tunnels.
From out of nowhere, Sally streaked across the room, wrapped her arms around the eleven year old's waist and hauled her back.
"Stop it!" Crème screamed. The sound ripped through the Underground, ricocheting off the walls. She threw her basket back at Sally and thrashed and kicked. "Stop it, I have to go be with them! Stop it! Let me go! Let me go right now, Miss Sally, they're my friends, I have to go—let go of me! Let go of me!"
"Crème, you have to stay in the Underground!" Sally shouted back, hefting the girl off her feet. "They'll kill you if you leave!"
Crème screamed harder, pushing at Sally's hands. "Noooo! Noooo! Noooo!"
Sobs cracked through Crème's screams. She stopped hitting back at Sally, as if her fists as had suddenly grown too heavy for her. Her eyes were red with tears and she went limp in Sally's arms, wailing.
Sally did not loosen her grip. She held on for all she was worth.
Crème cried. "—I hab to—" Crème choked out. "—I hab to fin' dem—I hab d'bring dem home—"
Sally bowed her head. The two of them sobbed together.
