Hey y'all! Been a pretty long time, I know. Since March. Yeah. I'm going to apologize first for the extremely overdo wait but I just graduated and I'm not joking, I have been swamped in work since then and I kept thinking I would have time to finish this chapter and then exams came and I was studying and I was also valedictorian for my graduating class and was busy working on my speech and I was also in the midst of concert season and was practicing piano and blah, blah, blah! I know "excuses" but don't worry I'm back now and hopefully this extra long chapter will make up for it! So here you go and please don't forget to tell me what you thought of it in the reviews! And also, thank you for those of you who have been loyal followers and have actually waited for me to update! Again, thank you for reading as always and enjoy :)

Chapter Twenty: Captivating Me

"Well? Aren't you going to let me in?"

I didn't understand. I stood there in utter shock. This was one encounter I could have never predicted.

"H-how? How did you find us?"

"Us? You siblings still stuck close, huh..."

"What do you want!"

The first emotion I felt was anger. I was aflame inside. My desire to unleash everything I had held in since seeing her was growing and I feared I would soon burst with rage.

"Oh come on... You aren't still angry at me are you? I bet you don't even remember half of it, it was so long ago. Look I know this is long overdue but... I'm sorry. To all of you."

"Get out."

I said it quietly to not show how much hate I was feeling right then. This woman... had no right to apologize.

"What? I came here to make amends. At least let me see Sonia-"
"No. No! You don't get to walk back into our lives and make everything alright! And you don't get to decide when we forgive you!"

"Sweetie, still feeling all of this harbored anger is not good for you. I'm giving you the chance to let it go. I'd take it if I were you."

"Get out of here already! Just get out! I never want to see your face again... Got it?"

I was finished with this idle chat. I had places to get to and a girlfriend to see.

"I understand my presence might be a bit of a surprise but… there is something important that I need to speak to you and your siblings about. I promise, it is of your interest."

I averted my eyes to focus on something other than her face. As much as I hated to admit it, she had piqued my curiosity.

"What could you possibly have to say that would make me or Sonia wanna talk to you?"

My voice was surprisingly even. It was taking all of my restraint to not slam the door in her face right then. I had to keep my cool in case what she was going to reply actually held some value in it. I waited for her response, shifting my weight from foot to foot.

"Just trust me. I would much rather talk to Sonia and Manic at the same time as you. It's something you should hear all together."

Dammit! I don't have time to go back and forth in this conversation. It'll have to wait until another time… Shit that just means I have to see her again…

"I'm actually really busy right now and I have to leave so we're going to have to finish this some other time."

She raised her eyebrows and drew a small smile on her lips that she tried to hide. I pushed past her and closed the door forcefully behind me. I advanced a few paces before coming to a stop and turning around to face her.

"Look, just because I'm being forced to be in your presence again in this lifetime which is already one time too many, doesn't mean that I nor Sonia or Manic forgive what you've done to us. Nothing is forgotten."

"Ah– Alright… I understand."

She then walked right past me and headed for the stairs. The second she stepped next to me, I could smell the familiar scent of the perfume she always wore. The lilac fragrance replaced the air around me and even though she was only there for a brief second, I remembered everything. If I closed my eyes, there was no doubt that I would have been brought back to the past.

I didn't want to relive any old memories and decided against my brain's attempt to force them out of me in the moment, waving away the floral breath that threatened to choke me. I then headed to the elevator but stood in front of it for about two minutes before actually pressing the button, wanting to make sure I wouldn't have another run-in downstairs in the lobby of the building. When I emerged at the bottom, I was holding my breath, praying that she had gone. For the first time that day, luck was on my side and I was able to make it to my car without any further encounters.

I turned on the engine and pulled out my cell phone just before pulling out of my parking space, dialing Sonia's work number. It rang twice.

"Sonic, you better be dying because I am swamped in work right now."

"Well it may not be death but somebody came calling today."

"What are you talking about? I don't have time to decipher your cryptic messages!"

"I just had a rather awkward conversation with someone in the hallway and I thought you should know that she's made it quite clear that she's going to pop up again and soon."

"A woman, you say? Who was it? It wasn't that creepy social worker again, was it?!"

"No, no. In fact, I would have preferred it to be her that showed up uninvited because seeing her face would have been much easier to deal with than seeing Anna's."

There was a long pause and I could only barely hear her small breaths on the other end of the line. I had made the call at 12:43 p.m. It was now 12:45 p.m.

"…Please tell me this is some kind of twisted joke."

" 'Fraid not. Just be glad you weren't greeted with this right when you were leaving the apartment."

"I can't believe this. Why is she even here?"

"I don't know; something about telling us something important that apparently we would find interesting."

"So she didn't tell you what she wants?"

"Nope. She just showed up out of the blue and said that she wanted to apologize."

"Ugh! Alright… I'll – talk to you when I get home but right now I don't feel like dealing with this."

"Okay, just thought I'd warn you now. I don't know where she'll pop up next."

"Yeah, thanks. I have to go back to my work now."

"Alright, bye."

"Bye…"

I ended the call and pulled out of my parking space. I drove to the place where Fiona and I were supposed to meet up and waited in the car thinking. I sat there for a while going over the conversation with the woman that had showed up at my doorstep unannounced. Her little visit had brought with it a cloud that hovered over my head for the rest of the day. There wasn't much I could do at that point except try dealing with it in a reasonable manner which meant that I would eventually have to listen to what she had to say – even if it was the last thing I wanted to do.

With my head swirling around with images of her face; her perfectly straight short hair, her plastic smile, her deceiving hazel eyes and that horrible perfume… I completely lost myself with pictures from my past, remembering things I had locked up in a box and threw away into an abyss of forgetfulness. I was so far gone; I hadn't realized I had been sitting in my car for ten minutes, when I heard a knocking on the side window.

"F-Fiona! Hey."

I got out of the car, locking it behind me and went over to greet her with a hug. She was wearing a black top with blue skinny jeans and black flats. Her hair was down and blowing in the light breeze, her blue eyes dazzling in the bright rays for a few moments before a heavy cloud passed over the sun, casting everything below in dark shadows. She looked up at the sky for a few seconds; my gaze followed.

"Wow, look how dark those clouds are down there. It looks like a storm's coming, don't you think?"

I stared for a while longer before turning my head back to answer.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Maybe. It could clear up before then."

"Well I can only hope. So shall we go inside now?"

Her sweet smile cleared away the thoughts that pulled at my heart and my attention focused on her.

"Sure."

I smiled back at her with the same warmth as she took my hand and led me inside. We chose a seat by the window, where we watched the sun return from behind the cloud. She starting talking about work, telling me about a patient she had in the pediatric ward – a little boy who was recovering from tonsillitis had decided to play a trick on all the doctors and play hide and seek without telling anybody. She said they found him thirty minutes later in the emergency department, sitting in the corner of an empty room. The staff had to order someone to be present in the hall the rest of the day.

I listened to her whole story laughing at the ideas that children get, wondering the entire time why I had let her go in the first place. We each had our pasts and I had already forgotten and forgiven everything. Sometimes, I just made dumb mistakes. I loved staring at her face when she became so enthralled in everything she was saying and seemed so excited that it was a sudden change in mood when she broke out into a coughing fit. I got out of seat to help her but she waved me off and took a sip of her water instead. It died down after a while and she went back to normal, as if nothing had happened at all.

"Uh, sorry. Where was I again? Oh-"

"Whoa, are you sure you're alright? I mean, if you're sick you could've told me and we could've rescheduled."

"No, no. I'm fine. Trust me, I just – swallowed in the wrong direction. I'm not sick."

"Are you positive? Because I'd be happy to take you home and take care of you there if you'd like."

"As lovely as that sounds, like I said before, I'm fine."

"It doesn't seem like it but alright, if you say so."

She carried on with the rest of her story until she broke out into a smaller coughing fit only a few minutes later, though it was visible she was trying to suppress it. This time I got up and went over to her and put hand on her back.

"Alright, now you can't tell me that you're fine. I know you're the doctor but anyone with a single brain cell could tell that you're not okay."

"You're probably right. I must have picked something up from one of my patients. I'm sorry but I should go."

"I'll take you home-"

"No thanks, I drove my car here anyway."

"Well then I'll come over and help you out."

"No, no, really. I just need to rest is all. We'll reschedule for a proper date later this week alright?"

"O-kay… Bye Fiona. It was nice seeing you."

My voice trailed off in the end as she hurried out of the coffee shop. I had no idea why she was suddenly so distant but as she fled the scene, I couldn't help but notice a little green slip of paper fly out of her purse. I picked it up and ran over to her but she was already driving away. I stopped in my tracks and made my way over to my own car and got in. Although it felt a bit like snooping, I couldn't help but glance down at what was written on the slip. Once I saw it, I had to read it over to make sure what I was reading was correctly understood.

From what I could tell, it was an appointment slip from a different hospital with an address quite a ways from the one she worked at. It read "Appt. September 5th 20-, Fox, Fiona with Dr. M. Stevens".

What is this? Could she be considering switching hospitals? Why didn't she talk about any of this with me?

Unable to comprehend why she would keep from telling me something like this, I stared out the window aimlessly, seeing only the dark gray clouds moving in closer, shrouding the sky with its velvety, soot-colored blanket. I began to drive home just as the first few drops fell on my windshield.

xXx

It was only a few hours of passing the time watching more TV than my eyes could handle that I had to pick up Amy from school. I arrived in front of the school building a little early and waited until I heard the bell ring at precisely 3:00 P.M. I observed the front door after a few minutes had passed and high school students starting filing out of the building; those without umbrellas running for the buses or their parents' cars to get out of the rain that had densified since it started a few hours ago. I caught a flash of pink emerging from behind the sea of children and stepped out of the car with an umbrella. I'd forgotten to give one to Amy before she left in the morning and would feel bad if I'd let her get caught up in the storm. I glanced past the rim of the umbrella and saw the outstretched dull, grey sky that didn't give any sign of ceasing any time soon. I then pushed my way through the rush of the crowd until I was standing at the bottom of the staircase leading up to the entrance doors, where Amy was standing with two other girls underneath the little roof on the landing. I walked up the stairs to meet them; Amy seemed a little surprised to see me there.

"Oh, I was just looking for your car!"

"Yeah, it's down the street but y'know, it's raining."

"Yeah, thanks… Oh! This is Cosmo and Cream."

She pointed to each of the girls beside her. They smiled and waved shyly while I greeted them with a nod.

"Hi, I'm Sonic. Nice to meet you two. So Amy, you ready to go?"

Amy gave a curt nod and said her goodbyes before coming under the umbrella and walking with me to the car. When I began to drive off, I noticed her staring worriedly back at her friends still talking to each other on the landing. I turned to look at her face for a few seconds before refocusing on the road ahead.

"So, uh, how did things go today?"

"Oh, um… fine, I guess."

"You guess? Did something happen?"

"Not really. Just a little more anxious today. I have to work on controlling that better."

"Amy, you don't have to do anything. You'll just get used to it over time and the feeling will just disappear. Just take your time."

"Yeah, I guess…"

Again with the guessing… There seems to be something else though.

A few seconds passed before the silence was filled with more conversation. I decided it was better to find out how things were going with her than let her in on Sonia and I's little issue with a certain woman.

"So, what else happened, you know, other than nerves?"

"Well I decided that I would try out for the track team. That's running, right?"

"Hell yeah! That's what I'm talking about! I could show you a thing or two about speed if you want."

I couldn't help but smirk at this. Being fast was always my thing. If there was one thing I knew I was good at, it was running really fast.

"Oh yeah, you told me when I was still in the hospital that you were good at running. Are you really as fast as you think you are?"

"Listen honey. Fast doesn't even begin to describe my speed. I have never and will never lose a race."

"Oh look who's getting cocky! I'm sure you're not as good as you think you are."

"Oh you are so on when we get home! I'll make you eat those words."

"Deal."

We were both laughing at this point and any negative thoughts we were feeling seemed to vanish. It occurred to me then how comfortable two strangers could get within only a few months time. Amy definitely felt like another family member at this point and I was actually finding it hard to remember times when she wasn't around even though I had so many memories from before she came into my life. It's strange the way things work in that sense. So many things can happen that you could never predict; bad or good. People come into your life sometimes or come back into your life when you least expect it.

xXx

We waited for the rain to lighten up a bit before we went outside again once we got home. When it came to only a drizzle, I dragged Amy outside so that I could prove to her that I was not exaggerating one bit on my running skills. We walked to the end of the street where fewer cars passed and I made her stand in a position where she would have full view of all the way down the street and made her time me on her watch. She started setting the timer.

"Ready?"

"I will always be ready for a run."

"Even in the rain?"

"Any time, any place. I'm always down to burn holes in my shoes."

"Alrighty! Then 3,2,1… Go!"

The split second she opened her mouth I dashed all the way down the street to the next boulevard and then sped back all in the same second.

"What are you waiting for? I said go."

"I went and came back; didn't you see me?"

"No! Go again and this time I'm not timing you, I'm just watching!"

"Alright. Fine with me, I could do this all day long…"

"3,2,1… Go!"

Needless to say, her jaw had dropped and her eyes were popping out of her head.

"What's the matter Amy? You look like you've seen a ghost!"

"W-what?! How?...What- what just happened?! How did you do that?!"

"Told you I'm fast, didn't I?"

"Fast? You're like the ultimate life-form!"

Just then a black and crimson blur shot out of nowhere and halted at the other end of the street. It was our neighbor, Shadow. I wasn't a huge fan but I had no idea someone came close to my level of speed. He came walking across the road with a smug look on his face.

"Actually, that would be me. Was my name all through college."

I wasn't impressed with his attitude. Amy just stood there with her mouth hanging open yet again.

"Yeah, I find that hard to believe."

"What you didn't think someone could ever outrun you?"

"Well I meant that you went to college but now that you mention it, no I don't think anyone ever will even match my speed!"

Amy finally snapped out of it and waved her arms in front of our faces.

"Wait, you too? Are you guys mutants or something?"

"Haha! No, just gifted."

"Well I'm not; still not 100% sure on him."

Shadow's face displayed his lack of amusement at my attempt at a light-hearted joke. Perhaps he could sense my own lack of amusement at his presence.

We stared at each other for only a moment before Amy once again spoke out.

"Hey, if you two are gonna continue to argue about this, why don't you just have a race? I'll be the judge."

Shadow raised one eyebrow at Amy and then turned to me and shrugged.

"Why not, Blue? Scared to lose your title?"

"I never said I would back down. You're on!"

Amy turned to face the two of us.

"Okay. So why don't you each run all the way down to the main intersection over there and then back and we'll really see who is the fastest hedgehog out there!"

I turned to Shadow who was now sporting an evil grin.

"Get ready to eat my dust, Blue."

"I think I'll be too busy kicking your ass while you choke on mine!"

Amy waved her arms in front of us.

"Alright already! Just get on with it. 3… 2… 1… Go!"

At the same split second, both Shadow and I rushed forward, seeming like a black and blue blur to any onlookers. It only took mere seconds for us to reach the intersection and back to where Amy waited for us, still in shock at what she was witnessing. I halted in front of her, right where I was standing when we started… but so was Shadow. I turned to Amy, wiping a bead of sweat off of my brow.

"So? Who won? I mean it's so obviously me but I think the slow one here needs it to be said twice."

"Actually Sonic, I'm pretty sure it was a tie! You both are so fast!"

Shadow looked off to the side.

"Yeah, well I did give you a head start."

"Oh really? Because I'm pretty sure we left at the same time; although I did pace myself a bit for your benefit."

"Oh come on you two! Just deal with the fact that you're both the fastest!"

I gave her a questioning glance.

"There can't be two people who are the fastest. That's what the title's for. There is always someone better than you."

"And that person is me."

Shadow added a smug expression to his words. Amy just giggled at our schoolyard bantering. It was the first time I'd seen her so relaxed since the trial. It made me smile internally. The sound of the rain against the pavement continued all around us but nobody else seemed to care.

"If you guys agree to help me train, I'll surely be the fastest on my team!"

Shadow looked confused.

"What team?"

"I signed up for the track team at the school I'm attending!"

"Wait, you're actually going to school? I didn't think you were… ready for that yet. Congratulations, I guess."

"Thanks."

From my peripheral vision, I could see a car pull into the parking lot of our apartment building just down the street. Moments later, a fuchsia hedgehog appeared leaning against a tree by the entrance with her hand on her hip, staring at us and shaking her head.

"ARE YOU GUYS NUTS!? YOU'RE ALL GOING TO GET SICK IF YOU STAY OUT HERE IN THIS RAIN!"

Both Amy and Shadow now looked where I was already staring. I started laughing and walking towards Sonia who now turned away frustratedly, muttering 'Idiots!' under her breath as she made her way inside of the building. I glanced behind me to see Amy and Shadow following slowly behind and quickened my pace a little so that I would be able to catch Sonia alone for a few moments. I walked into the apartment building and saw her waiting for the elevator.

"Hey, Sonia! So? Have you thought of anything yet?"

"Yeah, not really. I'm still stunned that she's back in our lives. That stupid bitch…"

"What are we going to tell Amy?"

"Tell Amy? Why would we want to involve her in this?"

"In case she shows up here when we're not around!"

"We'll just tell her that there's some crazy lady stalking us that she should ignore and not open the door for."

"The walls are thin in this building. She'll talk to her through the door and what do we do when she says 'Hey! I'm actually their mother!'"

"She isn't."

"I know that but she's persuasive enough to make a sixteen-year-old who hasn't exactly experienced liars first hand doubt us."

"Just stick with my plan, Sonic. I don't want to tell her anything."

"You know that's not fair, Sonia! Not to her and not to– "

"I said that's enough! I'm the one with guardianship not you! What I say on this matter goes, got it!?"

Amy opened the glass door just as Sonia had shouted those last words. We both turned around to see her expression go blank when she witnessed the looks of anger and frustration painted on our faces. Shadow nudged her towards the stairwell while muttering something to distract her.

"Why don't we take the stairs and I'll tell you how I got the nickname 'Ultimate Life-form'…"

I thanked him silently in my head for bringing her away from this discussion I thought would be simple. The elevator dinged and the doors opened. We both stepped inside hesitantly.

It was a few moments before either of us spoke. I broke the silence.

"You've never done that before."

"…Done what?"

"Flashed your guardianship power in front of my face. The only reason I don't have it too is because I'm not twenty-one yet."

"There's a reason why they don't let people under that age take care of anyone or have power over them. They don't make the best decisions."

Her words struck me like a venomous snake.

"I get that you're still distraught by Anna's sudden pop-up but you can't take it out on me or all of the arguing is going to start all over again."

"… *sigh* You're right. I'm sorry. I just can't deal with this. I'm up against another member of my office for a new promotion that would probably help out enough to let us move out of this place."

"Really? It seems like we've been here for so long that we'd never leave."

"But now with this…"

She put her face in her hands. I put my hand on her shoulder for comfort. I was just as troubled as she was about our old foster mother, Anna, but she had worse memories.

"For what it's worth, I do think that Amy would understand. It might help her to get through her own situation."

"It's just that… You know what? Maybe we should tell her. But maybe not right now. She looked like she was having fun before and it's rare we get to see her in such a mood so I don't want to put a damper on things for her just yet."

"Maybe it's time we give her her gift?"

"Yeah, perhaps. At dinner. I think she's ready."

Sonia smiled, though I was painfully aware that it was hard for her to break out of the sad emotion she was feeling when she was remembering our childhood. All I could think about was how lucky Manic was to be away from it all.

We emerged from the elevator at our floor to find Amy waiting patiently beside the door.

She has a key, so why didn't she enter yet?

We paused beside her; Sonia fiddled with her own set of keys while Amy looked down at the ground.

"…The reason you guys were arguing downstairs… was it because of me?"

I had never felt pangs of guilt at this intensity before. I had watched her expression transform the minute she heard us yelling. We'd made a promise to make sure she was living in the best environment and we'd just broken that by letting her see us thoughtlessly shouting at one another. I didn't have the heart to tell her that it did have something to with her, but that it was out of her control and that it really had to do with a really disagreeable woman who'd sauntered back into our heads after almost a decade of escape.

"No. It had nothing to do with you at all, so don't you worry about it. Why don't you go inside? Sonia and I have a surprise for you."

Her face instantly lightened at this and she seemed her usual giddy self again. I sighed with relief as she waltzed through the door. We followed.

Amy had gone to her room while I took off my shoes and sat down at the kitchen table. Sonia had started pulling things out of the fridge and cupboards to get supper ready while I just thought over different solutions on how to deal with our unanticipated dilemma.

"What are we gonna do?"

"We'll… deal with it. Like we always have."

"…"

I stayed silent and propped up my head on my hand and stared at the wall blankly. I began to get lost in my own mind when Sonia smacked me on the head with a wooden spoon.

"Go change out of your clothes! You're dripping water all over the carpet."

I'd only noticed then that my clothes were wet from our run in the rain. I guess I'd gotten used to the feeling and didn't realize the water droplets had clung to my shirt and jeans. I got up from the table and walked over to my room and shut the door behind me. As I removed my clothes, I noticed the tiny slip of paper I'd picked up after Fiona dropped it in the coffee shop. I gave it a once-over again.

What could she possibly have to go to another hospital for? I hope that my previous theory was right but somehow, I'm not so sure. Would I be a terrible person if I went snooping around a bit, just to find out?

I had to admit to myself that my curiosity was over-obsessing with the matter, but she had been trying to keep this from me and I knew that if I'd ask her about it at this point, it may only cause trouble for our relationship, and that was something I was not willing to jeopardize. With the determination floating around my mind, I was able to set aside that issue for the time being, deciding that I would go to the hospital myself and do a little investigating in my free time; which was almost all the time this week.

I changed into dry clothing and made my way back to the kitchen. I found Amy sitting on the counter with a very eager grin pasted on her face; it revealed all her pearly white teeth like she was about to attack or something. The more I stared at her the more I couldn't hold back a chuckle. In the moment, she replicated a child waiting to devour a piece of cake.

"So? Where is it? What was the surprise you were talking about? You weren't just kidding around were you…"

Her face had changed into a greedy pout that made her cheeks plump up like a squirrel's. She looked even more like a kid. I turned to Sonia who, sticking out her tongue on the side as she always does when she was focused, pointed to her purse that was hanging off the coat rack by the front door. I walked over to it and rummaged through it until I pulled out a small box that was wrapped in pink paper with a tiny red bow stuck on top of it. Amy's expression was so charged with enthusiasm that she was about to explode with curiosity as I handed her the tiny gift-wrapped present.

"Now. We were going to wait until a bit later to give this to you but we decided that with all that's been going on and with you handling school so well, we'd just give it to you now."

"Can I open it now?"

"By all means, go nuts!"

She tore the paper off of it in just a couple seconds and gave us a better reaction that we could have hoped for; mouth hanging open and green eyes bright and wide. To say the least, she was pleased.

"Is this… a cell phone?"

"Yup. One of your very own. What's a normal teenage girl without a mindless portable communication device at hand?"

Sonia's dull comment went unacknowledged. Amy was still holding the box as delicately as if it was a Faberge egg. She opened so slowly, as if she expected something to pop out.

"So the one we got you is called an iPhone and yes Sonic you can complain all you want about how I'm forcing her to be zombie, bandwagon-hopping consumerist but let's not kid ourselves, it works and has a guaranteed tracking device built into it so it can be located at all times that its turned on."

What she really meant was that Amy could be tracked down at any point in time. Amy had drifted out of focus once more and programmed all her energy into figuring out what she was holding in her hands.

"Um… Where are all the buttons?"

"Oh, it's a touch screen. And there are only two buttons – one to turn it on and off and another for the menu. I'll show you how it works."

I spent the next ten minutes teaching her that technology had advanced greatly in the last few years and that cell phones weren't just for making emergency calls anymore. She said she'd seen commercials and advertisements for similar stuff on TV or the off chance that she was in a mall but she didn't take much interest in them at the time. Now that she had one of her own though… Let's just say, it wasn't put down for much of the evening.

We were getting ready to eat in a few minutes when the telephone rang. I picked up the line and instantly regretted it.

"Hello, Hedgehog residence?"

"Oh good you're home now!"

Crap.

I continued on in a lower tone so that I was barely audible to the people around me so that I was only speaking in a very harsh whisper.

"I thought I told you stay away from us! And how did you get our home number?"

"Oh please, you know I'm resourceful. And I think you knew from the beginning that I wasn't going to leave with just a single order from you. I don't work that way. And plus I told you earlier that I have something important to tell you! Is now a good time to come over? Are both of you there?"

"No. It's not a good time. It'll never be a good time!"

"Oh that's great! I'll be right over! See you soon Sonic!"

"I just told you– "

But she'd already hung up the other line. I hooked up the phone and softly pounded my forehead against the wall. Sonia took notice and pulled me aside, out of earshot for Amy.

"That was her wasn't it?"

"Yeah… She wouldn't listen to me and now she's coming over right now!"

"What!? Shit!"

"What are we gonna do?!"

"I-I… I don't know! Ugh, why now of all times!"

"Well we can't avoid this any further. We have to tell Amy."

"I told you I don't want to involve her, already."

"Well too late for that! She lives here and is already a part of it!"

"A part of what?"

The tiny voice that spoke out from behind us made both me and Sonia freeze in place before slowly turning our heads to face her.

"Uh – um – uhh…"

"How should we put this…"

"Well Amy, I think you should sit down."

She hesitantly took a seat at the table and kept her gaze level with us. I took a seat next to her.

"When Sonia, Manic and I were going through foster care, we ended up at this woman, named Anna's house."

Sonia took the other seat at the table and took the story from there. No one would explain it better than her.

"I was sixteen and Sonic was nine and Manic was only twelve. Although we were only there for eight months, it felt like years. She was very strict when raising us and it was clear that she was only looking after us for the checks she was receiving from the government every month. She was scary for the young ones and was just horrible in my eyes. If we disobeyed her, or did something she didn't agree with, we were locked up in the basement for about five days or more if she felt like it. We would also go the night we were punished without supper and would be given only half a portion for the days we had to stay there. We would also have to sleep on an old cot that was cold and uncomfortable with only a thin, tattered old blanket and no pillow. And when we weren't punished, we had our regular rooms but were locked up after eight o'clock and weren't allowed to come out. She would have these random fits of rage or panic every once in a while – I think she has some sort of illness and that's why she needed all the money.

Anyway, one day, when I grew fed up of dealing with it all, I broke out of the basement by picking the lock on the cellar door and broke into Manic and Sonic's rooms woke them in the dead of night and left with only about fifty bucks that I stole from her purse. I had a part-time job at the time that she would take the paycheck for while we were living there but after we left and found a cheap place of our own, I was able to use that money to support us.

The thing is, it's been over ten years since we've seen her. I got the emancipation I needed and had guardianship over them since then."

I could tell that recounting the story over again had taken a toll on Sonia so I took the reins to explain what happened this afternoon.

"She showed up here earlier today saying that she wanted to apologize and has something important to tell us but I told her to just leave. But that was just her on the phone before and she made it clear that she's coming whether we like it or not and knowing her, she'll just force her way in."

"We just thought we'd fill you in before having the 'pleasure' of meeting her yourself."

Amy sat in silence for a few moments, probably trying to absorb the story we'd just told her. As unpleasant as the memories were, I was glad that I finally got that off my chest. It showed her that she's not the only one who went through something; that she's not alone and that we understand more than she thinks.

"So… she's back? And she's on her way here now?"

"Yeah. Unfortunately. We don't like it either but–"

*Ding*

The doorbell rang for us to let her in the building. Sonia looked at me and stayed motionless in place. I gestured for Amy to stay seated.

"She managed to get in before without us letting her in; this is more of a warning than anything else."

She then nodded and I buzzed the downstairs button. A few minutes later, Anna was at our front door, wearing that same lilac scent as always. She was thinner than she was the last time we'd seen her, with her bones defined and sharp as her tongue; I hadn't noticed earlier. She was much older looking too. Crow's feet and frown lines had set into her features, although the effort to cover them up with makeup was evident. Her hair was shorter and died so that no gray roots were showing. She was silver-gray hedgehog herself but her hair was always black as night, and was currently shoulder-length and pin-straight.

"It's so lovely to see you again Sonic. And thank you for not putting up a- struggle this time. And Sonia, dear, aren't you just as pretty as ever."

"Pfft…"

"Now, I know you guys have every right to be cross with me but I have come here to apologize for my horrendous upbringing techniques. I truly am sorry for any pain that I've caused you."

Anna spoke in a serious and genuine tone but Sonia face had only gone from displeased to almost sickened. I could tell that she thought this was a ruse of some sort.

"Well, Anna, as I told you before, we're not too keen on accepting any apologies from you just yet. And we were actually about to eat so you should probably come back at a different time."

"Oh, well I haven't eaten yet, so… what are we having?"

I could only remain in silence as I watched Sonia's eyes flare up with the desire to obliterate her instantly but her kindly nature refrained her from acting upon these feelings. Surprisingly enough, I observed her while she sighed and muttered out a "Fine".

Anna went directly over to the dinner table where Amy was seated, fiddling with her phone. She looked over at her with slight shock at the tiny person she'd overlooked when she walked in. She stared at her for a while and then turned to face me.

"Oh, Sonic, don't you think she's a bit too young for you, hm?"

"What? Oh, no, no! It's not like that. She lives here. Sonia has guardianship over her."

She seemed only half focused on my reply. She was too preoccupied with what Amy was doing.

"Sweetie, phones shouldn't be visible at the dining table. Put it away."

For some reason, I felt obliged to clear the title that was forming in the woman I called 'mother' for a short period of time's head. I shouldn't care about anything that she thinks of me, but I could tell what she was implying and I didn't like it at all.

"Oh, I understand now. You've become me."

Sonia, who was chopping lettuce in the kitchen stood with her hand gripped around the knife, hovering in the air as her expression darkened and her hold on the sharp object tightened. She was seething, I could tell, and I could completely understand. This woman had decidedly stepped into our lives and was now insulting us by comparing us to how she used to be and possibly still was.

Sonia had begun slowly stepping closer to the table, knife still in hand. She then stopped a few paces away from Anna and held the knife to her face, just centimeters from her skin. Anna's complexion turned white and her face went blank. Amy sat in shock at Sonia's threatening demeanor and tone of voice when she spoke out to Anna.

"No. We are nothing like you. And we never will be. Because we actually possess an ounce of humanity in us! That's the difference between you and me. You were never a mother. And if there is any good left on the planet you will never have the chance. Just spit out what it is that you wanted to be here for and then go and never come back."

Before then, I had thought I'd seen Sonia mad but this wasn't anger at all. This was the brink of insanity. And I would have stood by any decision she made.

"First, I'd like you to lower that knife."

Sonia did so silently, the dark aura still clinging to her very being and haunting her forest green eyes.

"Thank you. What I truly meant to say was that you've become what I wished I could've been. I saw fostering as an easy way to finance my medications for my illness and I knew nothing about parenting and what was worse, that I didn't care to learn. I know it's hard to believe but I did come here to apologize for who I was. I have changed and I have learned from the mistakes I made. And what I've wanted to tell you this entire time was that if you can't take my apology in words, how would a monetary sum sound?"

Sonia looked at her confused.

"Anna, you don't have any money."

"Oh, actually, that's what I was trying to tell you. I had this uncle who recently passed and I was the closest living relative and with no will, all of his assets were given to me. He apparently ran a very successful business during his days and it made him quite wealthy. And you were the first ones I thought of. I know I was horrible before but I've finally found a way to pay you back for enduring me for those tough months when I was at my worst."

Sonia looked skeptical but slightly intrigued.

"How much do you think our forgiveness costs?"

"How does a check for $50 000 sound? Each."

We were all left with our mouths hanging open. I turned to Sonia after a while and couldn't help a small grin escaping.

"Well Sonia? You wanted a new place, right?"

She stood there for a few seconds more, contemplating things in her head.

"Well, to be honest, I forgave you a long time ago. It's just in my nature."

She topped it off with one of her sweet smiles. Anna returned it.

"I'm so happy we've finally come to an agreement. I'll just write the checks out and then be on my way."

Amy was just sitting and silently mouthing out the words "one hundred thousand". I waited for Anna to sign the checks and then with a final goodbye, she was out the door and gone again.

"Oh my God! One hundred thousand dollars!"

"I know… I just… I don't know if it was right."

"Who cares, we had to live with her for eight months, we deserve this!"

"I guess you're right."

She didn't look as happy as she did a few minutes before. She must have felt guilty for taking such a large sum but, we all had to know deep inside that we earned it. It looked like the universe was finally giving back and I for one, intended to accept everything it offered.

Hey there again! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! The next installment shouldn't be too long from now so don't panic! Thank you for sticking around for so long, this story just passed its anniversary about 20 days ago so yay! Happy Birthday! If you've been around since the beginning, I can't tell you enough how much I appreciate each viewer! Please don't forget to review (I'll update faster if you do)!

-DarkRose