Chapter Twelve

After they had their breakfast at The Anchor, the town's most popular bar and restaurant, the group walked through the town, admiring the rustic buildings and the beautiful mythology of the mermaids. Sonic and Shadow shared a look as a couple of small children ran by them, their faces adorned with mermaid makeup.

Oh if only they knew.

As they walked by Helen's Antiquities, said old woman was out on her walkway, sweeping away any dust, dirt, or trash that could be dragged into her shop. As she did so, she called out her usual greeting to lure in customers.

"Come inside, have a look. The only real mermaid artifacts in town. Come inside, have a look. Maybe buy something while you're at it."

"Oh, mama can we go see?!" Cream asked her mother excitedly.

"Maybe later dear, we don't want to be late for our tour." Vanilla said gently.

As they walked by, Helen lifted her head up and her eyes came into contact with Sonic's. She studied the young hedgehog, noticing the injuries on his head and cheek. Shadow stopped when he noticed that Sonic wasn't following them. He looked back, noticing the old woman looking at them. She looked at Shadow, noticing the injuries on him as well. She looked between the two, her eyes widening a bit. Feeling uncomfortable, Shadow gently took Sonic by the shoulder and guided him away. Once they were far enough, Helen nodded and went back to work.

Shadow sighed and whispered to Sonic. "What was that all about?"

"That's Helen, the friend I told you about last night."

"You mean the one that knows what you are?"

"Yes, and the only reason why she knows is because she's 40% mermaid herself. She could tell I was a Siren just by looking at me."

"Sweet Chaos… those artifacts aren't real are they?"

"No, just imitations. She's not stupid."

Shadow nodded. "Good."

With that said, the group continued walking in silence. It lasted for about another block before Rouge came up to Shadow.

"So hun," She started. "Why don't you tell me what actually went down between you and Big Blue."

"What are you talking about?" Shadow frowned at her. "Nothing went down between us."

"Come on, Shadow. Reef shark. Tripping? You don't expect me to really believe that do you?"

"Believe it, Rouge, that's what happened."

"That bite seems to be a little small for a reef shark."

"Not all reef sharks are big."

"I still don't believe you tripped, Shadow." Rouge frowned. "You don't trip."

"People trip, Rouge, let it go." Shadow hissed.

"Not until you tell me the truth."

Shadow growled and glared at her. "Listen here, bat. What happens between me and Sonic is none of your business. It's between Sonic and I and nobody else, so butt out!"

Rouge's eyes widened and she slightly backed away from him. "Alright, fine. Geez, so touchy."

"Hmmph." Shadow grumbled and turned away, continuing to walk in silence.

Sonic had heard the conversation between the bat and hedgehog. He slightly sighed in relief as Shadow kept his word and didn't tell Rouge what actually happened.

Now he knew for sure that his secret was safe.

Not long after, the group finally made it to the Marine Life Search And Rescue. A class of kids and their teacher were already there, a field trip on a Sunday, which was not uncommon for the center. Sonic smiled when he saw an African American woman, smiling down at the children and wearing the uniform all staff of the building were supposed to wear.

"Maddie Bishop." He whispered to Shadow. "One of the greatest biologists of Marine Life, she and her boyfriend, Ben Pownall."

"How do you know all these people?" Shadow asked in suspicion.

"When I came onto land I knew nothing." Sonic started. "I couldn't walk. I couldn't talk. And I was completely naked. I was lucky that Helen found me when she did. She took me in and taught me everything I needed to know about the surface world. She taught me to walk, speak, and how to dress. It was a slow process so I ended up staying in town for a few years. While I was here, I was able to explore and learn my way around town and learn the names and faces of the locals. Ben and Maddie were part of that."

"Incredible." Shadow whispered in awe.

"The tour is about to begin. We need to stick to the back if we're gonna be able to sneak away."

"Right." Shadow nodded as they all started following Maddie inside.

"This is not a zoo." Maddie started. "This is a research and rescue center for the many marine mammals that inhabit our region. We're able to offer veterinary care, perform surgical procedures, and administer medication."

"What are all the tvs for?" One of the students asked.

"Those are so we can keep an eye on our animals and what they're doing, both in and out of the water." Cream raised her hand and Maddie smiled at her. "Yes?"

"When you were a kid, did you know you wanted to work here?"

"That's a very good question, Cream." Maddie said, chuckling a bit when the little rabbit gasped over the fact she knew her name. But seriously, who could forget any of the friends of the Hero of Mobius? "Actually, it was a couple of years ago. I saw a video of a baby dolphin that had washed ashore. Instead of helping it, the people on the beach passed it around taking their picture with it. Even after it died, they kept taking selfies."

"How awful!" Amy gasped.

Shadow huffed and crossed his arms. "Some people have no sense of morals."

Maddie nodded and continued. "That video made me sad, and I wanted to do something, so I came here to volunteer. Now it's my job."

"And a wonderful job you do, miss." Sonic complimented.

"Thank you." Then the woman smirked. "You might be wondering what our animals like to eat."

She led the group to another room filled with tools meant for feeding the animals. She placed a few pieces of fish into a blender and pressed the button until it was nothing but a puree mess. She took it off the base and presented it.

"Our fish shake." She said. "A delicious blend of herring and cod, with various nutrients mixed in as well."

Sonic stared at the shake that was in Maddie's hand, the smell of it making his mouth water. Shadow turned to Sonic and smirked, noticing a little bit of drool. "Dude, you're drooling."

"I am?" Sonic quickly wiped it away. "Sorry."

"Don't tell me you actually eat that stuff."

"Maybe not in that form, but fresh fish is a delicacy to Sirens."

"Would anyone like a taste?" Maddie joked.

Everybody said no, but Shadow smirked and nudged Sonic forward. "Sonic will try it."

"What, Shadow!" Sonic's eyes widened as everybody stared at him.

"I was joking, but if you really want to." Maddie shrugged, picking up a spoon and scooping some of the mixture.

"No no, that's ok." Sonic shook his head.

"Come on Sonic, I dare you to try it." Knuckles smirked.

"Come on Sonic, don't be a wuss." Tails teased.

"I am not a wuss." Sonic frowned and turned back to Maddie. "I'll try your mixture."

Maddie shrugged and presented the spoonful to the blue hedgehog. He opened his mouth and accepted it, chewing the blended fish and swallowing. The little ones expressed their disgust vocally while Shadow, Knuckles, and Tails laughed.

Sonic shrugged. "It's not that bad. Kinda like pureed sushi."

Maddie and the boys laughed as the kids gagged again. She put the spoon and mixture down before directing the group again. "Ok guys, we're gonna head outside."

The group followed Maddie outside, but Shadow once again stopped when he realized Sonic wasn't following. "Sonic?" He turned back to the blue hedgehog and facepalmed when he saw him drinking the mixture straight from the blender. "Seriously?"

Sonic swallowed the last of it and wiped his mouth before releasing a small burp. "Excuse me. Something so tasty should not go to waste."

"You know Maddie's gonna notice that it's gone, right?"

"Relax, she'll just think that one of the other workers gave it to the sea lions. Speaking of which, we're about to meet them. Stay to the back so we can sneak away once the chaos starts."

"Chaos?"

"You'll see."

Shaking his head with a sigh, Shadow followed Sonic so they could catch up with the group. They arrived just in time to see two sea lions jump onto the dock. Sonic stayed back a bit, waiting for the right moment as Maddie started talking again.

"Once our animals have received the medical care they need, they come out here to recover and prepare for their journey back to the wild." She smiled at the sea lions. "This is Sitka and Hazy."

At the introduction of their names, the two sea lions waved their flippers on command. The group laughed at the sight.

"They're adorable, but not for long." Sonic whispered to Shadow. "Watch this. Get ready to sneak away." With that, Sonic took a deep breath and stepped a little closer to the group, in sight and smell of the sea lions.

Upon the approach, Sitka and Hazy started growling aggressively, causing the group to back up in fear.

"What's going on?" The teacher asked unsurely.

"I'm not sure." Maddie frowned, staring at her sea lions in concern.

Shadow watched with wide eyes as the sea lions continued to roar, their eyes trained and the blue hedgehog. Sonic paled a bit in fear and backed away, back to Shadow, but the marine mammals continued to roar and growl. "Come on, now's our chance. Let's go."

Sonic grabbed Shadow's hand and they quickly snuck away while the rest of the group ran inside while the other workers tried to figure out what had upset Sitka and Hazy.

"What was that all about?!" Shadow demanded once they were far enough away.

"Sea lions hate Sirens!"