22. Break
Molly – April 2, 2036, 4:30 P.M.
"Have you found Sasha yet?" I asked Beth, who was searching over the bushes.
"Still found no sign of her. I swear it's like she can turn invisible, I betcha!" She answered.
Two chao flew over to us from behind the climbing wall from the playground, and another from the woods nearby. I turned to them, "What about you, Ani? Clove? Did you two have any luck?" They both shook their heads no.
"Should we call this round quits and give her the win?" Beth suggested. "We've been searching forever! She's too good at this game."
I didn't like Beth's idea, but she was right. Knowing Sasha, she was probably sneaking around us like usual, moving from one hiding place to another; I will never know how she can be so quiet and stealthy.
"Okay, it has been way too long… Sasha, we give up! You can come out now!" We heard the rustling of leaves above us, and Sasha jumped down from a tree branch.
"I was wondering when you were gonna make the call out. None of you can ever find me!" The teal cat giggled.
"Clove and I definitely checked up there! You keep changing where you hide!" I complained.
"Hey, it's not against the rules. I think you guys need to step up your game," She defended herself innocently. "Anyway, who wants to be it this time?"
"I haven't gone yet. I'll be it." Beth said.
"Okay. Be sure to count to 30!" And so the shrew went behind a tree while the rest of us each ran and searched for a place to hide. I entered the play cabin, shut the door and window shutters, and went underneath the table, using the chairs as extra cover. It was a bit tight, but I thought I was well hidden from sight.
"Ready or not, here I come!" Beth called out, and the round began. I sat perfectly still and tried to be as quiet as possible, allowing myself only to breathe slowly. Nothing happened for the first two minutes, but soon enough I heard Sasha cry out in disappointment after being caught first; I just giggled to myself thinking that she had gotten what she deserved for being so overconfident.
A chair was pushed into the table and rammed me in the arm. I yelped, "Ow! Who did that?"
I peeked out and saw a hedgehog around my age staring back at me. She was wearing a green and yellow dress and had pink hair and fur like Beth. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't see you there!" She uttered.
"It's alright. I supposed to be hidden after all," I told her.
"Are you okay? I hope I didn't hurt you too badly," She kneeled down at my level. I gaped at her weirdly and thought, How did she get in so quietly? I would have surely heard the door creak or see sunlight flooding in as she entered. I didn't even hear any footsteps.
"I'm fine. You didn't hit me that hard." I assured her.
"That's good to hear, then." She sighed in relief. "Hey, is it okay if I stay inside here for a while? I'm trying to get away from a couple of kids who won't stop picking on me."
"Sure. You can sit under here next to me if you'd like."
"Thank you. My name is Rosy, by the way."
"I'm Molly. Nice to meet you," I scooted over and the girl sat beside me underneath the table.
"So why are you hiding here in the first place?" Rosy asked.
"I'm playing hide-n-seek with my friends. We started a new round a few minutes ago." I answered.
"Oh, I see. How many are you playing with?"
"Four. Two of them go to my school, and the other two are chao my friend Sasha likes to bring along from the reserve nearby when we play."
"Chao?" Rosy uttered as if she's never heard of them before.
"Yeah. You know, those cute, little round things that fly around?" I described.
She fidgeted awkwardly. "I know what they are… it's just…"
"Do you not like them?"
"Uh, not really… I think they're… um… nosy. Not the kind of animal I'd like to be around."
"Well, you don't need to worry about the ones my friends and I are with. They're really cuddly and friendly."
"Thanks, but I'm just not good with chao like other people."
The wind blew, and I felt a cool breeze around me. It caught me by surprise and I thought someone had opened up the cabin and let the air in.
Are they finally here? I wondered and peeked out again to check. However, the door and shutters were still closed and didn't seem like they had moved.
"Is something wrong?" Rosy looked up curiously.
"Oh, it's nothing. I thought my friends were finally coming." I shrugged it off and sat back down. "By the way, who were the kids that were picking on you earlier, Rosy?"
"They're a couple of boys from my neighborhood who like to tease and mess around with me and some other kids." She explained.
I rolled my eyes and groaned, "Sounds pretty typical of most boys. They must be real trouble."
"It could be worse. I mean, they're not always bad or hurtful. Still, they can go a little too far sometimes. Have you ever had to deal with kids like that?"
I nodded, "I have, but much worse. Some of the boys at my school are just rotten. They never leave me and my friends alone."
"Is it hard avoiding them?"
"You bet it is. I got into a pretty big fight with them only a week ago, and the school called our parents about it."
Rosy gave me a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry to hear that."
I mumbled, "I wish I could make them stop for good… I don't want to keep fighting if it won't change anything."
The air felt even chillier, and I started to curl up. Why is it becoming so cold in here?
"I understand. Things won't get any better that way," She agreed. "And I know just how you can solve the issue."
I turned my head towards her and uttered, "How so? What should I do?"
Rosy smiled at me and looked me in the eye. Though I wasn't sure why, there was something unnerving about the way she was gazing at me. It appeared innocent but also felt suspiciously leery. And right before I could say another word, I felt something cold and pointed against my stomach—
The cabin door burst open and in came Sasha, who almost immediately spotted me under the table and exulted, I found you, Molly!"
I nearly jumped. "Geez, you don't have to be so loud! You scared the daylights out of me!"
"Sorry…" She giggled as Beth and the chao arrived.
"So this is where she was hiding? I don't know why we didn't check inside this shed sooner!" Beth scratched her head.
"Well, we found her now, and that's all that matters. Hm? Molly, who's that with you?"
Rosy and I got up from under the table. "Guys, this is Rosy. We just met each other during this round." I introduced her to the group.
"Hi, everyone. It's nice to meet you all," Rosy greeted.
Sasha bubbled, "Nice to meet you, too! I'm Sasha. This is Beth, and these two—" She was going to point towards Ani and Clove, but the two chao were hiding behind Beth for some reason. Both were glancing over her shoulder with uneasy expressions on their faces.
"Oh, come on guys… don't be shy!" Sasha tittered. Beth tried moving aside so Rosy could see them, but Ani and Clove kept hiding behind her back.
"It's alright, you two. There's nothing to be scared of, I betcha!" Beth encouraged them, too, but they then whimpered and flew behind me.
"Ani, Clove… Rosy isn't going to hurt you. Just say hi to her." I turned to face the two but realized that they weren't just a little nervous but seemed frightened; they were trembling and looked like the end of the world was near.
"What's the matter?" I tried asking, but they continued eyeing Rosy fearfully. Everyone else took notice of their behavior as well.
"What's wrong? What's gotten into you two?" Beth asked, but neither chao responded. "You're making all of us worried."
Rosy approached the chao and me. "Um, is everything okay? Am I bothering—"
But the second she started walking towards us, Ani and Clove squealed and dashed away.
"Hey! Don't fly away! Where are you two going?" Sasha cried out and chased after them.
What was that all about?
…
Sasha couldn't catch up to the chao and came back less than a minute later. She apologized to Rosy for Ani and Clove's behavior, saying that they had never acted like that before.
"Those two usually like to meet new people." She added. "I don't know why they got scared all of sudden when they saw you."
"It's okay. I'm not into chao that much, anyway," Rosy replied. "Where do you think they went?"
"Probably back at the reserve they live at. I don't know where else they'd fly off to on their own."
Afterwards, we just decided to continue hanging out with Rosy for the rest of the day. She was very friendly and playful, and we really enjoyed having her around— Ani and Clove normally would have loved to be with someone like her, and it baffled me that they were instead crazy afraid of her. We stayed at the playground for another half-hour before it was time for us to go home. Rosy walked with me, saying her house was in the same direction as mine.
"How long has Station Square been your home, Rosy?" I questioned.
"I've lived in this town all my life. My house isn't far from the playground." She answered.
"Then how come Sasha, Beth and I have never seen you before? We all live here, too, but today's the first time we've met you. You don't even go to our school even though it's closeby."
"My parents are really strict about when I can leave the house, and they homeschool me. I got special permission from today, though."
I stared at her with concern. "That sounds rough. Does that mean you can't always get to make friends or see them?"
"It's not so bad. My parents' friends visit my house from time to time, and sometimes they bring their kids with them." She explained. "I play with them every time they come over. It's fun being with them."
"What do you do when you're alone? Do you play with your mom and dad?"
"Usually, yes."
My curiosity grew about Rosy as we talked. It was interesting to me that a girl like her could find a lot of things to do at her home without having many friends besides her parents. I'd probably get bored easily if I was in her situation; I rarely get to spend time with my mom anymore, so I'm glad that she lets me outside to play with all my friends from school.
"Do you want to see my house?" Rosy asked. "It'll only be a few moments. I just want to show you where I live and introduce you to my mom and dad."
"Sure! We're both heading in the same direction, so I might as well." We zipped past several blocks until we arrived at 3 Palm Street where there was a small pink house. It had a narrow garden filled with roses in front that was split by a white brick walkway leading up to the front door. I complimented that her house was pretty, to which she thanked me for it.
"Oh look who's here!" A boy yelled at us.
We turned our heads to where we heard the voice and saw a grey jaguar, a pale-green mongoose, and a crimson wolf approaching us. I immediately knew we were in trouble.
"Molly, do you know these kids?" Rosy eyed the gang cautiously.
"That's Nicki, one of my classmates," I pointed at the jaguar. "The others are Jay the mongoose and Vail the wolf. They're always up to no good."
Nicki eyed us down, taking on an arrogant stance. "What business do you have on my turf? You know you're not welcome here."
"Stop acting like you own the entire neighborhood, Nicki! I was just going to visit my new friend's house." I said.
He moved his attention to Rosy. "Who are you supposed to be? I don't think I've seen you around here before."
"I… I'm Rosy. I live here." The pink hedgehog meekly answered, pointing at her house.
"What? Liar. I don't remember anyone ever living in that house." Jay interjected.
"Forget the new girl, Jay. We're here for Molly. She and I have unfinished business to take care of," Nicki told him before turning back to me. "I'm going to make you pay for getting us in trouble with the principal last week."
"You're still going on about that? You were bullying Sasha! You should have seen it coming!"
"It's not my fault she's such a crybaby! And plus if she wasn't so pushy and annoying, we wouldn't have had to deal with her in the first place."
I clenched my fist and gritted my teeth. Worried, Rosy inched towards me and whispered, "Let's just ignore them and go inside."
Not wanting this to escalate, I whispered back to her, "Okay" and started backing off. Nicki stomped his foot before we could move another muscle, his smirk turning into a scowl. "Don't think you can't get away from this, Molly!"
I tried telling him off, "Just leave us alone already!"
But Nicki kept stomping towards me. "Not until I say it's over, we won't!"
There was no stopping him now. I could take him on, but I didn't want to get violent with him and stir up more trouble after what happened that day. Still, I had to act fast. So when Nicki moved in to tackle me, I swiftly positioned myself to block him— until Rosy unexpectedly grabbed his wrist and stopped him in his tracks.
"What the—" Nicki blurted before Rosy twisted his wrist violently, making a snapping sound that made everyone else wince. No sooner did he cry out in pain than she shoved him onto the pavement. She glared at him as he writhed and blubbered on the ground and grumbled, "Don't get in my way…"
"R-Rosy?" I stammered dumbfoundedly. "D-did you just—"
Rosy ignored me and continued to beat Nicki down by kicking and stomping on him as he curled and feebly defended himself.
"Rosy, stop! That's going too far!" I pleaded and reached for her arm to pull her away from Nicki. But my hand felt extremely cold upon grabbing onto her, making me gasp and flinch off of her instantly. She was so cold, in fact, that my palm began stinging as if I had frostbite!
Yet, the most eerie part was when I glanced back up at Rosy and saw that her appearance seemed to have changed. It was subtle but noticeable— her peach skin turned deathly pale; her pink fur looked dirty and significantly washed out; and her vibrant emerald eyes were now a dull, emotionless gray.
Rosy eventually stopped, but only when Jay and Vail dragged Nicki away from her and got him back up. "Jeez, she's crazy! Let's just go!" Vail quavered, and then the three of them ran off.
"Good riddance," Rosy mumbled. "Now that they're gone, let's go in…"
But I quickly turned around and ran off, too. I dashed all the way home and did not look back once the entire time.
…
"Stop playing with your food and finish up, Molly." My mom woke me from my daze and I found myself sitting at the dining table, the phone ringing in the background.
"Oh, um… I will, Mom," I murmured and continued eating my dinner.
"Are you alright? You've been awfully quiet since you came home." She questioned.
"It's nothing. I'm just tired." I dared not to tell her what had happened earlier.
After I was done with my food, Mom got up to answer the call while I went to go watch TV on the living room sofa. Or at least I tried to.
I couldn't get my mind off Rosy and what she did. Not even a bully like Nicki deserved to be treated with that much cruelty, and he would never go that far himself. How could a person be so needlessly violent?
No, not a person… She's a monster. I went back to how her appearance somehow changed suddenly when she went all psycho. The others didn't seem to have noticed (or cared) it, but I sure did. And that coldness… how unnaturally cold her arm felt when I touched it…
I think I know why Ani and Clove were so terrified by Rosy now. I can't tell for sure, but they must have seen what I saw first.
"Molly," Mom walked in front of me and shut off the TV. I looked up at her and realized that she was furious. "What were you doing outside today?"
I struggled to answer her. "I was just playing with Sasha and Beth at the playground."
"I got a call from a parent of one of your classmates saying that you and another girl attacked her son today— the same boy you got into a fight last week, in fact!" She was angrier than I'd ever seen.
"Mom… Nicki tried to attack us first…" I tried to explain.
"And it wasn't regular fighting; he got a broken wrist and bruises all over his stomach!" She paid no attention to what I had to say. "What on earth was going through your head?"
"It wasn't me, it was the other girl. I tried to stop her, I swear!"
"Oh stop it, Molly! I am tired of hearing you make excuses! You fight with someone at your school one day and only a week later you fight him again, but this time with someone else on your side. And when you come home, you keep quiet about it the whole time. Now what does that tell me?"
I grew more and more frustrated as she kept yelling at me. "Mom…"
"I've gone through this numerous times with you, and you still haven't shown a hint of improvement! What's the matter with you?" She continued to vent, not giving me a chance to speak. "Why do you keep repeating the same mistake over and over? You'll end up just like your father if you keep up!"
That was when I couldn't take it anymore and exploded, "Dad never did anything wrong and neither have I! And it wasn't his fault that he had to—"
"DON'T YOU DARE TALK BACK, YOU LITTLE SHIT!" Mom smacked me so hard it knocked me down on the floor.
I gaped at her in total shock. "M-mom…?"
Then she grasped my arm tightly, stormed upstairs into my room, and threw me down onto the floor again. "I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANOTHER WORD FROM YOU TONIGHT!" She screamed before slamming the door behind her.
I slowly sat up and curled up beside my bed. Tears were now flowing from my eyes as my cheek stung from being hit so hard, and I started sobbing quietly.
Uncle Sonic was wrong. Mom can't stand me at all. I thought. I don't want to be here anymore. I can't.
