Hello! Bet you weren't expecting this so soon. Well, don't get used to it because I can't promise I'll be doing updates as frequently as this, but I'll try my best...

Thank you for the reviews, they make my day and motivate me when I see them.

If I have no other update to post by next week, I might post a new story. I have plenty in a folder that are just sitting there, so... let me know if you'd like me to upload some new stuff if I'm stuck, or if you'd rather just wait for an update to an already existing story.

Sorry for the long intro, please enjoy the new chapter!

Chapter Three

"Hi."

The voice snapped Maurice out of his thoughts. That was a lot closer to him than the others. He looked up and noticed that two mobians had taken the empty seats beside him. The one closest to him was a yellow fox, the one further away was of a species he had never seen before. He was red. Maurice waved hesitantly at them.

The red-furred one chuckled, "We noticed that you were over here by yourself, so we came to introduce ourselves. I'm Knuckles. The fox is Miles."

"But my friends call me Tails." The fox added with a smile, "Which means you can too, if you like."

Maurice just stared at them for a moment. They wanted to be friends with him? Is that what the fox – Miles – had meant?

"I'm Maurice." He muttered.

"Nice to meet you, Maurice." Miles beamed at him while behind him Knuckles nodded his agreement.

"Nice to meet you too." He returned with a slight, forced smile.

He hadn't wanted to make friends here, but he'd at least try to be friendly. He wasn't an asshole.

"So, Maurice, what do you like to do for fun?" Miles asked him.

He looked at him puzzled, "For… fun?" He asked.

"You know, what do you enjoy?" Knuckles clarified.

Maurice replied after a brief moment of thought. "… I like running."

"You a sporty type?" Knuckles asked, confusing Maurice more.

"I'm… not sure what that means, so no?"

Miles and Knuckles exchanged a look. Then they both turned towards him and smiled. It was an understanding smile that made him realise that they were actually willing to take it slow and explain things for him that he did not know. He would be a little annoyed at this if they had sent him a sympathetic look, but they hadn't. They weren't going to drown him in their condolences, but they would still be patient and help him. That made him genuinely smile. He didn't want people to feel sorry for him, he just wanted people to be patient with him. That's all he wanted.

"It means someone who likes to play sports a lot." Miles explained.

"Oh… well… I haven't played many sports really. So I suppose no, I'm not a sporty person." Maurice realised that he sincerely wanted to speak to them, "What about you two? What do you like to do?" He asked, actually interested now.

Miles was the first to respond, "I enjoy tinkering with things. I just love inventing! It's so fun!"

Miles was so enthusiastic. Knuckles behind him simply rolled his eyes with a smile. Maurice supposed that Knuckles was used to Miles getting really passionate about technology. He actually allowed himself to chuckle.

"My Uncle is an inventor."

Miles gasped, "He is?!"

Maurice nodded, "He's made tones of cool stuff. He's just started working at a robotics lab around here actually."

"Wait, Emerald Robotics? That's so cool!"

Maurice chuckled, he'd never seen someone so excited about robotics before, aside from his Uncle.

"What about you, Knuckles?" Maurice asked, noticing that he seemed to be sliding out of his chair in exaggerated boredom.

"Me? Oh, I like some sports, I suppose. I like playing video games though. Seems to be the only thing Tails and I really agree on." He snickered.

"I've never played a video game before, are they fun?" He asked.

"Well, depends on what game you play, of course, but yeah. They're mostly fun." Tails responded.

The bell went right after Miles had finished speaking, startling Maurice terribly who still was not used to it yet. Knuckles and Miles looked at him in concern.

"You alright?" Knuckles asked.

"Yeah… sorry." Maurice replied sheepishly.

"You not used to the bell yet?" Maurice shook his head, "Don't worry; it still makes us jump from time to time." Knuckles chuckled.

"It… does?"

"Oh yeah, definitely. Sometimes when I'm really focused it'll get me. And this guy here zones out a lot." Miles laughed.

They were trying to reassure him. Whether they were being truthful or not, he didn't know. But he actually… liked their reassurance. It made him feel better.

"We'd usually have to go to lesson right now, but thankfully we have LMT all morning, so we don't have to go nowhere." Knuckles sighed happily, leaning back on his chair.

"Don't lean in your chair, Knuckles." Miles scolded, "You could fall and hurt yourself."

Knuckles sent Miles a mock-glare before settling all four legs on the chair firmly on the ground again, "Fine…" He mumbled, annoyed.

Shadow made his way over to the three mobians engrossed in conversation. He hadn't been listening to them, but he kept an eye on the three and smiled when he noticed that they'd gotten Maurice to laugh. Maybe the kid would be fine.

"Miles, Knuckles?" He called as he stepped up to their desks.

"Yeah?" They responded in sync.

"Would you two like to show Maurice around school? He'll need someone to follow for the moment until he gets used to the layout. I noticed that you've all been talking."

"Of course!" Miles responded first before Knuckles could say anything, causing him to shake his head, amused.

"Yeah, we'd love to." Knuckles laughed, "Would you like that Maurice?" He asked the quieter of the three.

Maurice grinned, "I would, actually."

Mr Shadow was glad that Maurice seemed content about spending the day with these two. He knew they'd be helpful and understanding with him because that's just how they were. He was also pleased to see that Maurice didn't look as tense or as antsy as he had been earlier. Instead, he was more relaxed, if just a bit tensed still, and he was actually smiling. It wasn't wistful or forced, it was a genuine smile.

"Maurice is going to need some time to adjust to the school." He informed the fox and echidna, "Do you two have History today?"

Miles looked over his timetable for a moment, "Yeah we do. It's next lesson actually… why?" He asked, looking a little concerned.

He turned to Maurice, "Miss Rouge and I wanted to inform you that if you'd prefer, you can skip your History lessons. We can find something else for you to do instead."

Maurice shook his head, "No, I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Mhm." He replied.

He didn't look like he was bothered at all, but Shadow found it hard to tell what he was really thinking. Judging by what he'd already seen, he didn't have a lot of confidence in those lessons going well…

"Well, if at any point you feel like you can't handle the lessons, you can always leave. We've already informed the teacher you'll be having, so just raise your hand and you may go to Miss Rouge's office, ok?"

He nodded, "Ok."

"Miles, Knuckles, can I speak to you two outside for a moment?"

The two nodded and followed him outside. He caught the look on Maurice's face briefly; he knew they were talking about him but, just like Rouge said, it felt easier to do it this way.

"Can you two keep an eye on Maurice today?" He asked.

Knuckles and Miles exchanged a look before nodding, "We will. Can we ask why though?" Miles replied.

Shadow sighed, "He came here from Mobotropolis, and Miss Rouge and I are not sure what he may have experienced there or how badly he may have been effected." He explained, "I'm assuming I don't have to tell you two why we're so concerned about that?"

While official documentation had not been released to the public, it was generally understood that Mobotropolis was not a pleasant place to be. Consumed in war for the past 16 years, it's hard not to imagine what kinds of things Maurice may have seen. G.U.N. had some information on the area, but not even they knew much. G.U.N. themselves currently didn't even know who was fighting against who, whether the war was within different groups of the city or an outside power. However, they were currently attempting to run negotiations with the Princess (Queen?) of Mobotropolis who was somehow still alive after all this time. Her parents were presumably dead, but no one knew for sure. They were hoping to get some insight into the war once negotiations were final.

"Not at all, we understand." Knuckles said, looking at Tails with a serious expression, "We'll both keep a good eye on him. If we notice that something is bothering him, would it be ok if we leave the room with him, to make sure he's ok?"

Shadow, admittedly, hadn't thought about that. Of course it would be sensible to make sure someone was with him, for multiple reasons.

"Of course. You two may go back inside now." He glanced at his watch, "The bell will be going soon."

They were talking about him, that was obvious. It was also really annoying. Mr Shadow was probably telling his new friends how he was likely to have a panic attack or whatever and then they'll be less keen on being his friends. Or worse – they'd be sympathetic and worry and fuss over him and act as though they needed to be careful around him. That… that would be infinitely more frustrating.

He glared at the desk again as if it had insulted him. He'd show them. He was perfectly fine and he'd prove it. He'd sit through that History lesson with no problem and then maybe they'd all see that he was fine and didn't need to be treated like he wasn't. He forced his glare to soften out into more of a blank expression seconds before the door opened back up.

'Impeccable timing, as always.' he praised himself, refraining from letting the smirk creep up on his face – no need to act like a crazy person.

With a rush of relief, he noticed there was no pity or concern evident on his new friends' faces. Good, he didn't want their pity, but now he realised that he very much wanted their friendship. Besides, the more they treated him normally, the easier it would be to slip back into his regular self. He felt the threat of a frown tugging at his lips. Regular self. Why did that sound… wrong? He'd always been paranoid it's just that here – surrounded by people who felt so different than him – here it felt wrong. But, he'd also never been this jumpy, and he was paranoid back in Robotropolis for good reason. He shook his head. It wasn't paranoia; he was just careful.

No, it was not the same thing.

"Hey bud, you alright?"

He looked over to see Knuckles looking at him. He was sitting in the seat Miles was in before. He didn't exactly look concerned, but Maurice could tell that he was. He had to give him credit for not showing it though.

He took a deep breath and forced his voice level, "I'm fine." He even risked a smile, which must have worked because Knuckles returned it.

As Miles walked over from Mr Shadow's desk, the bell went again. He didn't think it was possible, but he may have just jumped more than last time. But it didn't matter, he'd get used to the bell eventually. He could prove he was fine. History? Piece of cake.

Something told him that cake had been dropped on the floor and was left to rot in the sun.

His fist was clenched so hard he could feel his claws digging into his palm, drawing blood. Remaining impassive and calm was getting harder. He couldn't even take in the words being said by the teacher at the front of the classroom. It was getting hard to breathe; was the air thicker in here? He felt like his chest was on fire. Against his will, his breathing picked up. His vision blurred. He blinked his eyes rapidly, trying desperately to see the desk three inches from his face. He couldn't. His eyes would not focus. It was too hot in this room.

When his vision finally cleared, all he could see was blood. On the desk. On the walls. On the face of the teacher. Wasn't the teacher a cat before? Then why was she a rabbit now…? Someone touched his shoulder and he felt himself flinch. He vaguely had the sense of walking somewhere, bloodied walls going by him in a swirling, sickening blur.

It wasn't until he felt cool air on his face that he could hear the screaming. No… not the screaming… his screaming.

Shadow was ordinarily thankful that he had a free period to mark work, knowing that if he didn't do it in the week it would pile up and eat into his weekend even more than it already would. Thankfully, since it was the start of a new school year, he didn't need to worry about marking anything as of yet. Instead, he was brushing up on the things he would be teaching his students this year. He sighed when he heard a knock at his door. Slightly annoyed, though masking it on his face, he called, "Come in" thankful in the knowledge that it wasn't Rouge. She would have barged in whether he had a class or not.

All frustration he may have had was immediately wiped away when Knuckles stepped into his classroom, looking worried.

"What is it, Knuckles?" He rose from his desk.

"Maurice he… I think he had a panic attack. Tails is with him out in the courtyard. I think Miss Ebony already sent an email to Miss Rouge…" He looked troubled, "Sir, he was screaming."

Shadow frowned, "Thank you for telling me, knuckles. I want you to go back to class." Knuckles looked like he was about to protest, so he added, "I promise to fill you in on what happens."

Still looking hesitant, the red echidna nodded and opened the door. He held it for Shadow who walked the opposite direction to get to the courtyard. He got there before Rouge, predictably, since his classroom was a lot closer to the courtyard than her office, and quickly found the two students. Maurice was up against the wall of the building, head resting on his arms which were folded on top of his knees. Miles sat beside him, hand raised as if to put it on his shoulder, but it hovered there as though he didn't dare touch him. When Shadow walked up to them, Maurice didn't react, but Miles looked up at him with a helpless expression. He stood slowly when Shadow beckoned him out of earshot of Maurice, he looked pretty dead to the world anyway.

"What happened?" He already knew Maurice had a panic attack from Knuckles, but he wanted to know exactly what had happened.

Miles glanced at Maurice, "Miss Ebony was talking about The Station Square Conflict from years ago… Maurice seemed fine at first, a little twitchy, but fine… then Miss mentioned the body count of the riots and… I don't know, Maurice just started hyperventilating." Miles looked upset to be recounting it, but he continued anyway, and Shadow automatically tried the same gesture Miles was indecisive about doing with Maurice before, "I tried calling his name but he didn't respond. He mumbled something… I'm not sure what it was. He was looking at the desk at the time and it was muffled. I saw him glance at the teacher. He froze and then… he… he started to scream." Miles' eyes were filling with tears, "I touched his arm and he freaked out. He kept trying to push me away when I was bringing him out here, I don't think he knew where he was."

'That explains why he was hesitant to comfort him.' Shadow thought.

"He hasn't moved from that position since." Miles mumbled just as Rouge stepped out of the main building.

When Rouge made her way over to Maurice, Shadow told Miles the same thing he told Knuckles, "Go back to class, we'll handle this. I'll tell you later."

Rouge first sat down next to Maurice, much like Miles. Shadow informed her quietly that it might not be a good idea to touch him right now. She nodded in understanding.

"Maurice, Hun?"

Maurice's ear twitched and he shifted slightly to look up at Rouge with one eye. He looked more focused now than what Miles had described but his eyes were red. He'd been crying, obviously, and now he just looked like he wanted to disappear. Rouge held out a hand to him, but he just looked at it.

"Come on. Let's get you to my office. We'll call your uncle." She smiled reassuringly, but Maurice just looked more miserable – he did take her hand this time though.

He didn't look at either of them as they walked him to the office. He kept his arms folded and eyes on the floor. To Shadow, he just looked angry. Embarrassed, frustrated, angry… but not upset. Not as though he just had an attack and was still troubled, but more annoyed at himself for having it in the first place. Shadow frowned. That wasn't healthy, not at all. It was possibly part of the reason why he had the attack – he seemingly wouldn't allow himself to be upset…

Now, he sat with him in Rouge's office while she called his uncle. He could tell by looking at the disgruntled hedgehog that he didn't want to talk, so Shadow was content with sitting in silence. He was sitting on the windowsill, so he glanced through the crack in the curtain in search of a distraction.

The white bat stepped back into the room, "Your uncle said he'd be here in a few minutes. I think he was already leaving the second he recognised the school's number."

Maurice nodded absently. Rouge shot Shadow a concerned look and sat behind her desk. All three of them sat there in silence for what felt like an eternity until a knock on the door announced the arrival of Maurice's uncle. Shadow, being closer to the door, got up to open it for him and was met with an older hedgehog of a much lighter blue than Maurice. He had a white moustache with matching, bushy eyebrows over his light blue eyes. He had red shoes similar to his nephew but with several yellow straps in the place of Maurice's white ones, sans the buckles. He looked concerned, but also as if he had expected the call.

Maurice turned around in his chair, "Sorry Unc, I know you're busy…" he murmured.

Charles shook his head, "Never too busy for you, Sonny-boy."

"But it's stupid!" He snapped, startling Rouge and Shadow who were used to Maurice being really quiet, "You shouldn't even have to be here!"

Charles put a hand on his nephew's shoulder, "Remember what I taught you? Never be afraid t-"

"To admit defeat." Maurice sighed, "I know."

"And let others help." Charles added, "Why don't you go wait outside while I talk to your teachers?"

The two exchanged some elaborate handshake that Shadow couldn't even follow. Shadow was too busy processing the twos' exchange anyway. Then, Maurice picked up his bag and left the room. Charles turned to them with an apologetic look.

"Sorry about this." He said, "I'd say we'll try again next week but…" he looked towards the door and chuckled almost sadly, "Knowing my nephew, he'll want to try again tomorrow. He's a stubborn kid. Always has been."

"We noticed." Shadow began, "He was determined to go to that History lesson, even though we told him he could skip it."

Charles sighed, "That sounds about right. I do suggest not letting him attend any more though, for now."

"Of course." Rouge responded.

"He's going to be mad at himself." Charles suddenly muttered, mostly to himself, "If I had my way, I'd keep him home for the next week, but I know he won't like that. Theoretically, I'd stay home with him, even if it meant losing my job. But in practice, I can't do that. We need the money and he'd fight me tooth and nail until I went anyway." He smiled then turned to them, "I will try my best to make him stay home tomorrow though."

Rouge frowned, "Will there be anyone with him?" She asked.

Charles shook his head, "He's used to be alone. He'll probably want to be by himself tomorrow anyway. He likes the quiet and he won't be happy about being forced to stay home." After a brief pause, "He might try to come in anyway…" He shook his head, "I'll think of something for him to do at home instead to try and prevent that. I'm sorry again about all this, he'll be in again by Wednesday."

Charles shook both of their hands, apologised again, and left with his nephew in tow. Rouge and Shadow looked out of the window and watched the two. Charles put an arm around the younger hedgehog who shrugged him off and stepped away from him. From this distance, they could just about see his quills bristling. His uncle said something. It looked like Maurice snapped something back. Then his uncle gently grabbed him by the shoulders and said something else. Maurice looked down as his ears flattened and his uncle pulled him into a hug, rubbing circles on his back. After a moment, they pulled apart but Charles kept one hand on his nephew's back, guiding him away from the school.

Rouge and Shadow exchanged a look of concern, wondering to themselves about what had just happened between the two family members.