Chapter 8: The Statement
The next morning, Bokkun had convinced Sonic to go outside and get some sunlight. The blue hedgehog refused to go out until the little robot agreed to go out with him. Now the two were sitting on the yellow-white sand, staring out into the blue ocean, with a blanket wrapped snugly over Sonic's shoulders.
The hedgehog took a deep breath through his nose and let it out through his mouth, closing his eyes in bliss as the sunlight bathed over him. Bokkun looked at him and smiled.
"Looks like you're enjoying yourself."
Sonic said nothing and only nodded in affirmance.
"Oh come on, you were doing so well, don't go silent on me now."
"I'm not, I'm just… enjoying the peace." Sonic sighed.
Bokkun nodded. "Right. Of course. Sorry."
"It's ok. It's not your fault."
"Sonic?"
The blue hedgehog twitched his ear and turned toward the voice. Behind him, all his friends stood, looking at him with hope in their eyes. The only one that was missing was Sticks.
"Hey." He said to them.
"You're talking." Amy smiled, kneeling down beside him.
"Just a little."
"Still, a little is better than nothing." Amy chuckled, wrapping her arms around him in a hug. The blue hedgehog flinched at the touch, making her pull back. "Sorry, I…"
"No, it's ok, I… I'm just still a little sensitive."
"Totally understandable." Tails nodded, sitting beside him. "Bokkun told us you were starting to talk again."
"... Yeah." Sonic gave a small smile. He looked up at his friends. "Where's Sticks?"
The hedgehog, fox, and echidna looked at each other. "She'll be here soon." Amy assured him. "She's bringing somebody."
"Who?" Sonic frowned curiously.
"Just somebody for you to talk to."
"If it's a therapist you can forget it. I-I don't need therapy." He looked back out to the ocean. "Chaos that's the last thing I need."
"It's not a therapist." Tails shook his head.
"Then what is it?"
"Sonic?"
Everybody turned to see Sticks approaching them, but she wasn't alone.
"O-Officer Beaver?" Sonic blinked unsurely. "What are you doing here?"
"Official police business." The beaver said. "I'd like to ask you a few questions."
"About what?"
The officer looked at the rest of the group, who nodded at him to continue. "About the… the incident that happened about a week ago."
"There was no incident."
"You don't really expect us to believe that, do you?" Tails frowned.
"Now, now, now, let me do the talking." Officer Beaver assured the fox before looking back at the blue hedgehog. "Now Sonic, what do you mean by that?"
"I mean exactly that. There was no incident. I was not raped."
"I never said you were."
Sonic stayed silent and looked back at the ocean. He knew he had just given himself away by saying that.
"Sonic." The cop said. "I'm here to help. Can you tell me what happened?"
"... You can't help me."
"How do you know?"
"... Because if you do, you'll be putting yourself in danger." Sonic said. "I was told that… that if I told anyone what happened… they would be killed… I'm not about to put anyone in danger for my well being."
"Sonic, we put ourselves in danger all the time." Tails frowned. "What difference does this make?"
Sonic looked up at him, the hurt, fear, and sense of lost and defeat clear to anyone who looked into those emerald orbs. "Because this is a fight you cannot win. Think about it. I'm the fastest thing alive… or at least I thought I was. If I couldn't fight back… what makes you think you can?"
Everybody was silent after that. Nobody had any idea how to respond to that. Sonic sighed and nodded.
"That's what I thought."
With that, he stood up and went back inside, his love and longing for the outdoors diminishing after that encounter.
He could only hope that Diaspheria hadn't seen that.