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THE DAY AFTER
7. Family ties.
NOTE: The characters of Miranda, Tyler and Kinoa are the property of Firechidna. Used with permission.
[TAILS, David Macintyre]
This is my house.
"Well, well, well, look who's finally home. Where've you been all night, Gemini?"
This is my brother Tyler. Seventeen.
"Oh no, you're not getting away that easily."
*Headlock.*
He brings the term 'sibling rivalry' to all new levels.
"What took you so long to get home, Gemini? Mom and dad have been worried."
Tyler has been insanely jealous of me ever since I became friends with Sonic, but he doesn't like to show it. The one new thing I learned about my family on returning home that actually stuck was that Tyler had taken up body building.
*Knee.*
"You shouldn't wander off from your family on an occasion like this, Gemini. I was getting bored."
Gemini. Probably the most intelligent connection he'll ever make in his life.
He speaks, but I don't listen as he pushes me head first into the floor.
*Kick.*
I roll over and look up into his grinning fox face. That usual bullying smirk, his stale breath, his hair as unkempt as ever despite that he had it perfect only a few hours ago stares down at me.
"I bet I know where you've been, Gemini," he says, pinning me without much effort. I don't fight it. "You've been visiting the dyke again, haven't you?"
He means Amy, of course. I haven't told the family about my visits with Sonic.
Amy. Another of my friends he wishes he had. Another asset of mine he can be jealous about. Along with just about everything about me.
Tyler. The lesser sibling.
All my life I've had to deal with people like this, and now it's just coming back.
I used to be able to take refuge in what was always so 'wrong' with me.
My tails, for instance. They earned me my nickname 'The Anal Gemini'.
*Punch.*
I used to be able to just wave my tails around,
*Kick.*
leap into the air,
*Knee.*
and ask them if THEY can fly.
Ask them if THEY have my friends, my life.
Ask them if THEY can build war machines.
Ask them if THEY have seen more of the world and had more fun in thirteen years than most people have in their entire lives.
Ask them if THEY will ever be me.
And you know what?
*Punch.*
*Knee.*
*Kick.*
*Slam.*
The answer is always no.
But now I can't do that anymore.
I'm just not so proud to be me anymore.
"Stop now, Ty," a familiar voice peeps from my right.
Miranda, my younger sister. Seven. Much as we get on each other's nerves, I am happy for her intervention right now.
See, Miranda's the only member of the family Tyler will listen to if he doesn't want to. And for as long as I've known her—about five months in all—I have never been able to figure out why. He's the beast, and she's the master.
"Lucky boy," Tyler spits, grinning acidly. He lets go of me and I get up without a word.
"Say thank you," Miranda demands as I walk out of the sweat-stinking room. I look down at the little brown-haired midget.
I want to say 'bite me', or 'suck it', or 'kiss my ass,' or 'fuck YOU'.
"Thanks," I hiss, not in the mood for any more playtime with Tyler. He resumes pumping iron, turning to face his window.
I turn left and put my hand on the door to my bedroom, but suddenly realize how thirsty I am. I turn around and solemnly cross the mahogany walls of the hallway to the second floor landing at the end. I see my other little sister, Kinoa, six, coming up from downstairs with one of her dolls.
"Hi, Kini," I say somewhat darkly as I pass. She smiles her cute little girl smile.
"Hi, Tails."
She's the only one in the family who ever calls me that. And that's probably why she's the only one I get along with. I've only known her for three months. She was born when I wasn't living here. My family and I didn't stay in contact at that point.
I HATE the name Miles. It reminds me too much of where I come from—snooty rich blood.
I reach the big living room that leads to the kitchen.
"MILES!" I hear. Great. I don't stop walking.
"Yes, dad," I say, turning right and walking into the kitchen.
"Miles, where have you been?! Your mother and I have been very worried."
Yeah, I'll bet.
"Went to a friends house," I lie, looking away. I reach into the fridge.
"Why didn't you call us?"
Stuff.
I SHOULD have. There were eight payphones on the way home and I still forgot to alibi.
"I realize you're upset, Miles, but so are we. We don't want to lose you, too."
"Oh, give me a BREAK, dad, you couldn't have been happier to get rid of me when I went to live with Sonic. Or have you already forgotten how you didn't speak to me for a week once I came in the front door?"
He looks cold. I regret it.
"…sorry."
"I know what this is about," he says. Oh, gods, here it comes. "You've been calling on that girlfriend of yours again. Amy Rose."
Sigh.
"Yeah, that's where I've been. You caught me." Better than the alternatives. Argue for an hour or say I saw Sonic.
"Miles, we don't want you dating a girl like that."
I snort loudly. Then openly laugh.
"Oh come on, dad, are you stoned?! She's a lesbian and you know it."
"You could be just saying that."
Pang.
"Dad, trust me, if I was dating a girl like Amy, I wouldn't lie about it."
He seems silent. I guess for once he can relate.
"All right, fine, but we still don't want you associating with types like her. She's dangerous."
She's dangerous. There's no 'could be' or 'she might be', no 'just maybe', no 'kinda', no 'sort of'. Just 'she's dangerous'.
"Dad, there is NOTHING wrong with Amy. She's just having a hard life right now."
"And from what I understand it's because of that friend of yours, Sonic."
"Dad, don't bring Sonic into this. Mistakes were made."
"I'm not going to hear it, Miles," he says, adjusting his coat. "This discussion is over for now, but if you ever go near that girl again, I'll—Miles? Miles, where are you going? WHERE ARE YOU GOING? Come back here!"
**
Amy.
Amyamyamyamyamyamyamyamyamyamyamy…
I need to call her. Now.
I lift up the cordless phone on the dresser. I punch in her number.
Ring…
Ring…
Ring…
R
I
N
G
.
.
.
Finally someone picks up.
"Hello?"
She sounds exhausted.
"Sorry, Amy… did I wake you up?"
Sigh.
"Oh… Jesus, Tails, you scared me."
"Why?"
"…never mind. What do you want?"
I can't say anything for a moment. I swallow. Choke.
"I…"
"Are you crying?"
Damn it.
"…No. No, I am not crying."
"Tails, what do you want?"
"I just… I don't know, Amy. My cousin was murdered. We had his funeral today."
"And?"
….
"And… you know, it's all over the newspa—"
"Tails, please, if you don't have something a little more concise to talk about, could you please hang up and let me get some sleep? Things are getting really hairy over here."
….
God…
Shit.
"Look… Amy, I…I'm worried."
"Why?"
"I… Amy, if anything happens… you know, over the next few weeks, and you can't reach me at home, I want you to try my cousin Kays' apartment. I'll more than likely be there. Here's the number." I tell her.
"Why are you telling me this?"
"…Amy…"
"Tails, are you going to die?"
…
…
…
.
.
.
"…no, Amy. No. I'm not. I'm NOT going to die. I am not gonna die."
"Thank god. I will sleep better knowing that," she says, a little more sarcastically than I'd like.
"Yeah, whatever. Just go back to bed, Amy."
"Thank you." We both hang up.
…
Bitch.
.
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