I tightened my eyes some before opening them. I wasn't feeling too good, I was used to getting sick by now but this felt way bad. I slowly opened my eyes and found myself in a bed. At first I thought everything that had happened was just nothing more than a dream. Boy how I was wrong.
I slowly sat up and looked around. That was when I realized that I didn't recognize the room at all. I held my acing head. It felt like someone was pounding on it with a sludge hammer and at the same time, it felt like my skull was trying to bust out of my head.
"Where's an advil when you need one?" I asked.
I put my upper body back down because sitting up made me feel woozy. I pulled the covers up to my chin and curled up tightly. I wasn't even feeling well enough to go back to sleep. So I just focused on the rising and falling of my chest, a way of trying to relax. After a while I just sighed. I wasn't going to be able to get ANY sleep at this rate.
"You think we should give it back?"
I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard that voice!
"Maybe we should check it, just to make sure." Another voice said.
I then noticed a door and it was opened a crack that was where the voices were coming from. I could see someone holding out my backpack!
"There could be something private in there, you guys." An annoyed female voice said. "Like a diary or something. Maybe a locket of love!"
A diary, never! A locket of love, never, never! Those two things just weren't for me. Recording stories that happened to me wasn't my best talent, 1) because nothing EVER happened to me and 2) I was MUCH better at writing made up stories. And I didn't do boyfriends, nothing but trouble. Besides, I wasn't interested in anyone at my school or anyone for that matter. None of the guys I knew were right for me, and they were usually too young for me, heck most of them weren't even teens yet.
My ear twitched when I heard footsteps headed for the door. I lowered myself back down and pretended to be asleep. The footsteps got closer to the bed I could hear them. Someone then sat on the edge of the bed I was on I could feel the weight shift.
"The poor thing, being out there all alone." Someone with a very sweet voice said.
"And escapin' from Robotnik's prison too, that's impressive! And with her bein' so ill" A female with a southern accent said.
"I know." The other said.
I guess the first one was stroking my head cause that's what someone did. I could feel their hand crossing my head nice and slowly but also gently. I couldn't help but smile, it felt so great.
"Think she'll be wakin' up any time soon?" The girl with a southern accent asked.
"Nicole said that she'll be awake by noon tomorrow." The other said.
I opened one my eyes a slit. I could make out a few rough shapes and colors but that was about it.
"You know, she really does look like Sonic." The one rubbing my head said.
"Yeah, but I doubt she's anything like that Suga-hog." The second girl said.
"You might be right, Bunnie." The one on the bed mumbled.
I had, had about enough I wanted to know who these girls were, and why their voices sounded so familiar. I slowly opened both of my eyes and looked around but I didn't sit up.
"Oh, she's awake!"
The first one I noticed was the one on the bed. I could barely keep myself from jumping up but I managed. It was Princess Sally Acorn! I looked and saw that the other one in the room was Bunnie Rabbot, she was even wearing her new vest and hat.
"The poor thing still looks sick though." Bunnie said, placing her robotic hand on my forehead.
"Are you alright?" Sally asked.
"I think so." I said quietly.
"Are you sure we have the right girl?' Bunnie asked. "Ah mean, the one we saw escaped from Robotnik in less then five minutes."
"Yeah, that was me." I said.
"Well, we bandaged up your foot and you should be fine." Sally said.
"Thank you." I said, bowing my head.
"What a sweetie." Bunnie said, rubbing my head.
"Yes, tell me, did you really escape from that prison all on your own?" Sally asked.
"Well, Robotnik sort of helped, he was leading me through some hallways, we passed by the door, and I made a break for it." I said.
"Yes well, we've got some questions for you." Sally said.
"O…Okay." I said.
Sally and Bunnie looked at each other. I guess they didn't expect me to be so polite. They helped me up and led me into another room. Waiting there were Sonic, Tails, Rotor, Antoine, Knuckles, the Chaotix, Dulcy, and the St. John's and their group. I couldn't help but feel nervous, I never really did well in front of a big crowd other then board breaking ceremonies when I got my next belt in martial arts or when I had to sing at school concerts.
I guess Sonic could tell I was nervous, because he gently took my hand and led me to a chair. I took a seat and everyone's eyes rested on me. I flexed all of my muscles to keep me from shivering, I was really shy when it came to this stuff but I usually hid it. After a minute Sally walked over to a computer monitor and pressed a button.
"Who are you?" She asked.
A video of what happened between me, and Robotnik was played and I didn't realize until then how much courage I was showing even though I was scared.
"My name is Shelby Workman, and from what I can tell I'm from a different dimension from your own. From a planet called Earth." I explained.
"If that's true, then how did you get here from this 'Urf' place?" Sonic asked.
I had to giggle.
"'Earth' Sonic is the name of the planet I live on like you guys live on Mobius, and Eggman kidnapped me, I'm not sure how though. I know that travel between zones can't be performed very well here so I'm not sure, I don't know. It's also possible that my world is this world but in the distant past and I traveled through time, not space." I said.
"Really, then how do you know about Sonic?" Rotor asked.
'Oh boy, here it comes.' I thought.
"Well, on Earth, Sonic's part of this big video game series and he's the main character, and there have been toys, TV shows and comic books based off it."
Before I could continue, those in the room let a big, loud, "SAY WHAT?!" that came from everyone. Well, except Sonic.
"Cool, I'm famous." Sonic grinned.
"Yeah, big time." I said. "There once was a vote to see what game that was going to come out by year's end the people were most exited about on SEGA's website, that's the company that makes the Sonic games, and the game people were most exited about was your next one. But then again it was Shadow the Hedgehog which told what he was really meant to do."
"Seriously?" Sonic asked.
"Yeah, it was one huge hit, more then ten-thousand people voted for that one game against nearly twenty other titles." I said.
"Whoa." Sonic said.
"Yeah." I said, nodding my head, I wasn't about to tell them about the favorite character vote.
"How do we know zat she isn't telling lies?" Antione asked.
"What's the matter? Scared I might be working for Egg-belly of Scourge of someone?" I asked him.
"It did come to mind." He said in a low voice.
"Well, I'm not." I said. "And I can prove it too."
"How so?" Sally asked.
"Sonic, you, Tails, Knuckles, Nicole, and Shadow are the only ones who were there when Nicole took you and Shadow into the diary of Professor Gerald to find out what Shadow was meant to do, I can tell you some things that the doctor didn't get the chance to say before you guys had to leave." I said.
"Really?" Sonic asked.
"Yeah, I can also tell you what Shadow was created to do and how." I added.
"Well, you get one chance." Sonic said. "With all the dangerous forces out there-"
"You can't afford to take chances. I know." I said.
"Get started." Sonic said. I closed my eyes and began.
"Shadow was first created to help Maria who had NIDS. Gerald hoped to find a cure in him but there were many barriers he had to break. Desperate, he sought out the aid of Black Doom, the alien who leads the Black Arms and will be arriving as soon as they stop fighting the Xorda."
Before I could continue, Sonic interrupted.
"Okay, I've got a question: How did Black Doom help with Shadow's creation?" He asked.
"That's something I think you should hear when Shadow's around, he needs to know too." I said.
"Oh, you're good." Sonic said.
"Thank you, may I continue?" I asked.
"Of course."
"Now, this is the part you must pay close attention to." I began. "This is what the Black Arms plan on doing: they consider what they're going to do is good but it isn't. They plan on using those who inhabit this planet and use them as a sort of fuel source. What that means is that they plan on feeding everyone on this planet to their larva as food."
At this point the Freedom Fighters looked disgusted.
"That's where Shadow comes in." I continued. "He was to use the Eclipse Cannon to destroy their base, the Black Comet, when it came back fifty years later. But since they haven't showed up thanks to this fight on the Ring Planet, there's no telling when they'll arrive."
I had total serious and nothing else in my voice. If I hadn't had, they probably wouldn't have believed me.
"So, what do they look like?" Sonic asked.
"There's no easy answer." I said. "There are a bunch of different ones that come in different sizes. The worst of them all is Black Doom. If you fight him, the odds of you coming out alive are slim. Only Shadow has any chance at all of beating him."
"And how good are his chances?" Sonic asked.
"I'd have to say 50 percent chances of either losing or winning." I said, crossing my arms over my chest.
"Interesting." Sally said.
"So, what do we do with her?" Knuckles asked.
"Well she's got to go SOMEWHERE!" Tails said. "So I figured she could stay with us!"
"How do we know we can trust her?" Knuckles asked.
"What other choice do we have?" Sally asked. "Besides, we could use her to help us overthrow Eggman."
I thought for a second. I had heard from someone that something EXTREMELY bad was going to happen but I didn't believe it would happen. But still as Wave, the Swallow once said, you can never be too careful. I'd keep my eyes and ears open just incase.
"What do you say, Shell?" Sonic asked but when he did, something in my mind 'clicked'.
'That…nickname…where have I heard it before?' I thought.
"Hey, you okay?" Sonic asked.
"Yeah…just thinking." I said.
"So, you want to come with us or not?" Sonic asked.
"Of course." I said happily. I didn't know it at the time but going to that planet would reveal part of, not only my hero's past, but mine as well and let me tell you, it's a story to remember.