Chapter 4 part 2
Bartleby was ashamed of the little bit of jealousy he felt when Sonia spent the tour, holding her brothers' by the arms. It was wrong for him to be jealous. It was only natural that Sonia wanted to walk closely with them. She had enough room in her heart for all of them. He watched as Manic walked over to a poster hanging on the wall.
"Hey! A school play! The Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum…" He said. "Can anyone try out?"
Bartleby laughed. "Of course. You should if you want. I'll introduce you to the drama teacher and you can get a copy of the play."
Manic's eyes light up a bright amber as his medallion flashed in the light. "Awesome! Our sewer was close to a playhouse and I would sneak in. I stole a lot of their costumes and jewelry. It sold well to the ones who wanted to pretend they were more luxurious. And I would sit in the rafters and watch the performances."
"Well, you won't need to steal anymore. I'm also going to offer to help Ferrell find a better life for many of the orphans in our city." He reassured him. "If I have my way, no one will need to steal to survive." The prince looked down, ashamed that it was needed at present.
During the lunch hour, Robotnik met with Lady Wyndermere, Ferrell and the headmaster. He explained the events of the morning. He watched their facial expressions become angry when he revealed Sonic's situation.
"That's how he's kept him ignorant these last several years." Lady Wyndermere said with disgust. "Making sure he could never find out the truth. That poor boy."
Robotnik nodded sympathetically. "In other news, happier news, I want to say I'm impressed, Mr. Palmetto. Manic's education has not suffered one bit for being unable to attend formal schooling. You're a very capable teacher."
Ferrell smiled with pride. "Education is the key to success. I wanted him to learn. I didn't get to go to high school. I was homeless from my teens. When I adopted Manic, I decided he wasn't going to go through life without an education. Even if I couldn't afford to send him to school."
"I have the forms for you to formally adopt him. If you would like to fill them out tonight and have him bring them to me in the morning, I'll file them appropriately." His thoughts returned to the elder son. "Sonic's mother, Valerie Canis… her brother is…"
Lady Wyndermere smiled. "Yes, that's brilliant, Julian. I will invite him to dinner tonight. He and his daughter. Hopefully, they can breakthrough."
Bartleby and Sonia showed her brothers every class the school had to offer, including the wing for those who, like Sonia, were really in college but had to stay in high school with her peers until she was eighteen.
The shop classroom held a wide array of tools and gadgets that Sonic remembered Uncle Chuck using when building the bombs for the reactors and factories. He watched as one of the students worked on cutting a long rod of metal with a lathe.
"Do you like the lathe?" The student asked from behind the lathe. "You can try it if you want."
Sonic nodded and Bartleby brought him some safety equipment. When he took the other student's place, letting him guide him on how to run the machine, he felt himself getting into the work, using the boring head as the lathe spun the metal rod at high speeds.
The mink nodded. "Do you like doing this sort of work, Sonic?" He asked curiously. "Shop class was a favorite for me too."
Sonic nodded. "I could do this all day. It's… strangely relaxing… Watching the metal spin." He said with interest.
"I'll put you down for shop class then. Of course, you'll have several other choices to make but at least this is one that is already made." Bartleby smiled at him then to his future wife. She giggled and kissed his cheek. Her brother would be alright, with time.
AN: Abuse victims rarely understand that they're being abused. That's a trick of the abuser.