A week went by, and nothing changed. Sonic spent most of his time on
the edge of Knothole village, by the creek and on the bridge. During this
time, he had met the other children of the village. Antoine and Rotor.
Antoine annoyed him the most out of the gang, because he was a "snobby
'fraidy-cat." He didn't really have an opinion on Rotor, for they had only
spoken once and exchanged few words.
The children had mainly avoided him since his second day. It was made clear that making conversation with this hedgehog would only result in sarcastic remarks and built up anger. The girls had tried to invite them to play with him a few times, but it was clear he had no intentions of wanting to be with them. Rotor had voulenteered to show him his mini lab, but that also didn't intrest Sonic. Antoine hadn't really made any efforts to connect with him, except for once when he offered to share part of his lunch.
Sonic sat on the edge of the bridge, throwing stones into the water. He had tried to skip a few, but he clearly was too impatient to figure out exactly how to do that. Suddenly a thin rock skipped through the water 4 times before sinking, and he turned to see who had thrown it. Sally smugly smiled behind him, taking a new approach to making any sort of connection with him.
"Show off."
"I could show you how."
"I can figure it out myself."
He picked up another rock and tossed it, but it sunk to the bottom immediatly. He picked another one up, only to have this one fall at an even shorter distance.
"You want me to show you how?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"'Cause I can figure it out myself!!!"
He picked up a small thin rock and paused. Casually, she picked up another one and pretended not to notice him watching her. Her hand went back a bit, and she tossed it straight out. This time it skipped 5 times. He stared back at the water and tried to do the same thing. Tossing it with all his might, it sunk to the bottom again.
"Your throwing it too hard."
"Did I ask you?!"
"If you throw it gentally it'll grace the water gentally like it's suppost to."
"I didn't ask you."
He picked up another rock, this time he didn't toss it so hard. It sunk to the bottom.
"You need to get your hand back a bit father and toss it a bit straighter."
"Shut up! I don't need your help! Why won't you leave me alone?"
She didn't reply, and waited for him to pick up another rock. He tossed it, and it skipped once.
"See? I think you did need my help."
"I figured it out myself."
"Suuuuureeee." She laughed.
He glared at her, "What do you want?"
"Oh, so this is your creek now?"
"If you wanted to be at the creek, then why don't you go down there."
"Fine." She stomped off down the banks upstream. Sonic sat back down on the bridge and then purposely tossed a rock straight down in annoyance, enjoying it's large splash which symbolized it's failure to skip. Suddenly, from up the creek, he heard yelling.
"Oh WOW! This is so cool!!!"
He raised an eyebrow but didn't bother to get up. If she thought that he cared about whatever stupid thing she had found....
"This is ausome! I've never seen one before!"
He turned his head a bit and looked upstream. He saw Sally crouching near the water and looking into the water. Stupid girl, he thought. She probably found a rock and thinks it's cool.
As she stared in fascination, he gave himself an excuse to get up and look. I can proove her wrong when I see what it is, he thought. He walked up behind her and she didn't acknowledge his presence, running her hand through the water. In the water, something shined brightly. Sonic squinted but didn't get any closer to the water. The shine got alittle bit brighter and curiosity was getting the best of him. He kneeled next to her nonchalontly then and looked. The shiny object rose from the water, and a sparkling gold ring emerged. Sally grabbed it and beamed, "A power ring!"
He raised an eyebrow, "A power ring?"
"You know. They're suppost to enhance the ability of whoever uses the ring, but noone really knows how to use it."
He snatched it out of her hand and looked at it, "It's just a dumb ol' ring. How could it do anything like that."
"Don't know, noones ever figured it out. Julayla's told us though, so maybe someday someone will figure it out. You can keep it, if you want."
His glare went away as he looked at the shiny present. He shoved it back into her hands and got up, "Don't want it." He headed back for the bridge. She sighed and ran after him, "Why do you have to be so mean? I was only trying to be nice."
"Your only being nice 'cause Julayla made you be nice. I heard her talking to all of you guy's last night. I don't want anyone's fake friendship."
"I only came to be your friend because I wanted to be your friend. I know it must be---"
"---hard for me, all the stuff I've had to go through, loosing my mother and father and my home. Really, I don't want to hear it out of you too. Just leave me alone." He left the bridge and headed for his room and she clenched her fists at her side. She was a child, and his stubborness confused her. She walked to the other side of the village where she found Bunni skipping rope, and Antoine playing marbles with Rotor.
"Hey you guys---"
"Shhh, I'm t'inking," Antoine said as he got his marble ready. He shot it and it clear missed the one he aimed for, shooting off down the road. He let out an annoyed sigh and ran after it. Sally sweatdropped and then sat down, taking a small comptuer out of her pocket. She was about to open a game up on it as a voice came from it, "Lunch is in 10 minutes, Princess." Sally sighed, "Alright Nicole, just one game---"
"From the readings of your current location, you have no time for a game. Lunch is in 10 minutes." Sally shut the computer and put it back in her pocket, annoyed. "Come on you guys, you know how Julayla gets if we're late." Bunni put her rope down, Rotor left the marbles there and Antoine dropped the one he retrieved in his pocket.
"How are t'ings going with zee hedgehog?" asked Antoine.
"Bad. I think it's clear he hates our guts." replied Sally.
"Aw, come on. He ain't a bad kid, I met him before his mom got roboticized, and he seemed nice. He's just sad." Bunni said.
"Well he better come around soon or Julayla is gonna get mad at him," Rotor added.
Walking across the empty village, the children continued to talk. They were the only ones that inhabited this village. It was a place that even the robots couldn't find, and kept the children safe from harm.
On the otherside of the village, only a few huts away from the lunch area, Sonic sat in his room. He was drawing a picture with the crayons Julayla had brought him a day ago. She had left them at his door with some paper and he showed no intrest in them, but he had grabbed them when she left. The materials to make crayons were pretty rare, and he had only used them once before. He tried to use as many colours as he could in the drawing, knowing it might be a few months before he could use them again. He was drawing a picture of his mother, and had been working on it for awhile. He had started over a few times, and had only recently decided this would be this one he kept. Sonic wasn't really the artist type, because he didn't have the patience to make the lines straight, colour within them, or bother spending more than 5 minutes on the drawing. Still, he was trying hard on this picture.
"Lunch, Sonic," a soft voice said.
"I don't want lunch."
"What's that?"
Sonic looked over angerily as Julayla walked over to him and he covered the drawing with his arms, "I don't want you to see it."
"Why not?"
"'Cause I don't! Why don't you bother someone else?"
She sighed. All she wanted was him to give in a little, and see that acting like that wasn't nescessary. Her tone changed, "Sonic, lunch is in 5 minutes. You will be at your seat in 5 minutes or you will be punished."
"Fine."
She walked out, leaving him to his drawing.
Entering the lunch hut, she saw the other children taking their seats. The table was a large wooden one and could sit 20 people, but they all sat next to each other. "Early are we?" They each nodded and she smiled. Julayla went into the kitchen and got their lunchs, 4 sandwhichs. One with peanut butter, cut into two neat squares. One with peanut butter and jelly, one with cheese, and one with tuna. She set the plates down in front of them, and made another trip to get their glasses of milk. They all dug in hungerily. Lunch was the only meal they got a day, because food wasn't abundent in the village. Still, it made lunch taste all the better and be much more enjoyable.
Sonic walked in 10 minutes late and sat as far away from everyone else as he could. Julayla got up from her own lunch and went to the kitchen, coming back with a peanut butter and jelly sandwhich for him too, and a cup of milk. He didn't touch it until she sat back down and everyone had stopped looking at him.
Bunni scooted her chair over to him and smiled, "I'll trade ya a triangle of cheese for a triangle of pb n' j" He looked at her like and his expression skewed as he thought about it. All the other kids looked at her like she was either an idiot, or a brave sacrafice. Sonic took another bite out of his sandwhich and gave no reply as Bunni didn't mind waiting for the answer. He paused and then picked up his other half and gave it to her. Smiling, she gave him the half she promised and continued to have lunch beside him. Sally, Rotor and Antoine all exchanged looks.
The rest of the lunch was conducted in silence, Rotor finishing first, then Antoine, and then Bunni. Each was allowed to leave as soon as they finished, and it left Sally and Sonic to exchange an akward silence. Sally looked up to Julayla and somehow, Julayla just knew to get up and find something to busy herself with in the kitchen. Paying no attention, Sonic finished his other half of sandwhich slowly. She gave a half smile and tried to copy what Bunni did. Getting up, she sat next to him. He scooted over a chair and glared at his plate, "What?"
"Geez, you eat slow. Slower than any of the other guys. You always like that?"
"....Like what?"
"Slow."
"If I want to be. If I eat slow it mean's you'll all leave me alone."
"Or your just not talented." She gave him a sly smile.
He glared at her, "FYI, I can probably go faster than you ever IMAGINED. I just eat slow so I can avoid you."
"Oh can you? Care to proove it?"
He stood up, leaving the last bit of his lunch and stormed outside as she followed. He looked at her as he crouched to the ground, "watch this." He began to charge and his feet became a blur, and he sped off through the village. Covering the entire circumference of the village, he came back to the starting point within 30 seconds. Her mouth hung open and her eyes were wide when he returned.
"How ...how did you do that?!"
Smugly, he grinned, "I'm the fastest thing on Mobious, if you didn't know."
"Oh is that so?" She laughed.
"Yeah. And someday I'll be even faster than that."
The children had mainly avoided him since his second day. It was made clear that making conversation with this hedgehog would only result in sarcastic remarks and built up anger. The girls had tried to invite them to play with him a few times, but it was clear he had no intentions of wanting to be with them. Rotor had voulenteered to show him his mini lab, but that also didn't intrest Sonic. Antoine hadn't really made any efforts to connect with him, except for once when he offered to share part of his lunch.
Sonic sat on the edge of the bridge, throwing stones into the water. He had tried to skip a few, but he clearly was too impatient to figure out exactly how to do that. Suddenly a thin rock skipped through the water 4 times before sinking, and he turned to see who had thrown it. Sally smugly smiled behind him, taking a new approach to making any sort of connection with him.
"Show off."
"I could show you how."
"I can figure it out myself."
He picked up another rock and tossed it, but it sunk to the bottom immediatly. He picked another one up, only to have this one fall at an even shorter distance.
"You want me to show you how?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"'Cause I can figure it out myself!!!"
He picked up a small thin rock and paused. Casually, she picked up another one and pretended not to notice him watching her. Her hand went back a bit, and she tossed it straight out. This time it skipped 5 times. He stared back at the water and tried to do the same thing. Tossing it with all his might, it sunk to the bottom again.
"Your throwing it too hard."
"Did I ask you?!"
"If you throw it gentally it'll grace the water gentally like it's suppost to."
"I didn't ask you."
He picked up another rock, this time he didn't toss it so hard. It sunk to the bottom.
"You need to get your hand back a bit father and toss it a bit straighter."
"Shut up! I don't need your help! Why won't you leave me alone?"
She didn't reply, and waited for him to pick up another rock. He tossed it, and it skipped once.
"See? I think you did need my help."
"I figured it out myself."
"Suuuuureeee." She laughed.
He glared at her, "What do you want?"
"Oh, so this is your creek now?"
"If you wanted to be at the creek, then why don't you go down there."
"Fine." She stomped off down the banks upstream. Sonic sat back down on the bridge and then purposely tossed a rock straight down in annoyance, enjoying it's large splash which symbolized it's failure to skip. Suddenly, from up the creek, he heard yelling.
"Oh WOW! This is so cool!!!"
He raised an eyebrow but didn't bother to get up. If she thought that he cared about whatever stupid thing she had found....
"This is ausome! I've never seen one before!"
He turned his head a bit and looked upstream. He saw Sally crouching near the water and looking into the water. Stupid girl, he thought. She probably found a rock and thinks it's cool.
As she stared in fascination, he gave himself an excuse to get up and look. I can proove her wrong when I see what it is, he thought. He walked up behind her and she didn't acknowledge his presence, running her hand through the water. In the water, something shined brightly. Sonic squinted but didn't get any closer to the water. The shine got alittle bit brighter and curiosity was getting the best of him. He kneeled next to her nonchalontly then and looked. The shiny object rose from the water, and a sparkling gold ring emerged. Sally grabbed it and beamed, "A power ring!"
He raised an eyebrow, "A power ring?"
"You know. They're suppost to enhance the ability of whoever uses the ring, but noone really knows how to use it."
He snatched it out of her hand and looked at it, "It's just a dumb ol' ring. How could it do anything like that."
"Don't know, noones ever figured it out. Julayla's told us though, so maybe someday someone will figure it out. You can keep it, if you want."
His glare went away as he looked at the shiny present. He shoved it back into her hands and got up, "Don't want it." He headed back for the bridge. She sighed and ran after him, "Why do you have to be so mean? I was only trying to be nice."
"Your only being nice 'cause Julayla made you be nice. I heard her talking to all of you guy's last night. I don't want anyone's fake friendship."
"I only came to be your friend because I wanted to be your friend. I know it must be---"
"---hard for me, all the stuff I've had to go through, loosing my mother and father and my home. Really, I don't want to hear it out of you too. Just leave me alone." He left the bridge and headed for his room and she clenched her fists at her side. She was a child, and his stubborness confused her. She walked to the other side of the village where she found Bunni skipping rope, and Antoine playing marbles with Rotor.
"Hey you guys---"
"Shhh, I'm t'inking," Antoine said as he got his marble ready. He shot it and it clear missed the one he aimed for, shooting off down the road. He let out an annoyed sigh and ran after it. Sally sweatdropped and then sat down, taking a small comptuer out of her pocket. She was about to open a game up on it as a voice came from it, "Lunch is in 10 minutes, Princess." Sally sighed, "Alright Nicole, just one game---"
"From the readings of your current location, you have no time for a game. Lunch is in 10 minutes." Sally shut the computer and put it back in her pocket, annoyed. "Come on you guys, you know how Julayla gets if we're late." Bunni put her rope down, Rotor left the marbles there and Antoine dropped the one he retrieved in his pocket.
"How are t'ings going with zee hedgehog?" asked Antoine.
"Bad. I think it's clear he hates our guts." replied Sally.
"Aw, come on. He ain't a bad kid, I met him before his mom got roboticized, and he seemed nice. He's just sad." Bunni said.
"Well he better come around soon or Julayla is gonna get mad at him," Rotor added.
Walking across the empty village, the children continued to talk. They were the only ones that inhabited this village. It was a place that even the robots couldn't find, and kept the children safe from harm.
On the otherside of the village, only a few huts away from the lunch area, Sonic sat in his room. He was drawing a picture with the crayons Julayla had brought him a day ago. She had left them at his door with some paper and he showed no intrest in them, but he had grabbed them when she left. The materials to make crayons were pretty rare, and he had only used them once before. He tried to use as many colours as he could in the drawing, knowing it might be a few months before he could use them again. He was drawing a picture of his mother, and had been working on it for awhile. He had started over a few times, and had only recently decided this would be this one he kept. Sonic wasn't really the artist type, because he didn't have the patience to make the lines straight, colour within them, or bother spending more than 5 minutes on the drawing. Still, he was trying hard on this picture.
"Lunch, Sonic," a soft voice said.
"I don't want lunch."
"What's that?"
Sonic looked over angerily as Julayla walked over to him and he covered the drawing with his arms, "I don't want you to see it."
"Why not?"
"'Cause I don't! Why don't you bother someone else?"
She sighed. All she wanted was him to give in a little, and see that acting like that wasn't nescessary. Her tone changed, "Sonic, lunch is in 5 minutes. You will be at your seat in 5 minutes or you will be punished."
"Fine."
She walked out, leaving him to his drawing.
Entering the lunch hut, she saw the other children taking their seats. The table was a large wooden one and could sit 20 people, but they all sat next to each other. "Early are we?" They each nodded and she smiled. Julayla went into the kitchen and got their lunchs, 4 sandwhichs. One with peanut butter, cut into two neat squares. One with peanut butter and jelly, one with cheese, and one with tuna. She set the plates down in front of them, and made another trip to get their glasses of milk. They all dug in hungerily. Lunch was the only meal they got a day, because food wasn't abundent in the village. Still, it made lunch taste all the better and be much more enjoyable.
Sonic walked in 10 minutes late and sat as far away from everyone else as he could. Julayla got up from her own lunch and went to the kitchen, coming back with a peanut butter and jelly sandwhich for him too, and a cup of milk. He didn't touch it until she sat back down and everyone had stopped looking at him.
Bunni scooted her chair over to him and smiled, "I'll trade ya a triangle of cheese for a triangle of pb n' j" He looked at her like and his expression skewed as he thought about it. All the other kids looked at her like she was either an idiot, or a brave sacrafice. Sonic took another bite out of his sandwhich and gave no reply as Bunni didn't mind waiting for the answer. He paused and then picked up his other half and gave it to her. Smiling, she gave him the half she promised and continued to have lunch beside him. Sally, Rotor and Antoine all exchanged looks.
The rest of the lunch was conducted in silence, Rotor finishing first, then Antoine, and then Bunni. Each was allowed to leave as soon as they finished, and it left Sally and Sonic to exchange an akward silence. Sally looked up to Julayla and somehow, Julayla just knew to get up and find something to busy herself with in the kitchen. Paying no attention, Sonic finished his other half of sandwhich slowly. She gave a half smile and tried to copy what Bunni did. Getting up, she sat next to him. He scooted over a chair and glared at his plate, "What?"
"Geez, you eat slow. Slower than any of the other guys. You always like that?"
"....Like what?"
"Slow."
"If I want to be. If I eat slow it mean's you'll all leave me alone."
"Or your just not talented." She gave him a sly smile.
He glared at her, "FYI, I can probably go faster than you ever IMAGINED. I just eat slow so I can avoid you."
"Oh can you? Care to proove it?"
He stood up, leaving the last bit of his lunch and stormed outside as she followed. He looked at her as he crouched to the ground, "watch this." He began to charge and his feet became a blur, and he sped off through the village. Covering the entire circumference of the village, he came back to the starting point within 30 seconds. Her mouth hung open and her eyes were wide when he returned.
"How ...how did you do that?!"
Smugly, he grinned, "I'm the fastest thing on Mobious, if you didn't know."
"Oh is that so?" She laughed.
"Yeah. And someday I'll be even faster than that."