Chapter 21: Omen

It was Sunday night, and the woods behind the Rose household were dark and deep, and foreboding. It seemed later than it actually was, darker than the spring-like month should be right now. Amy was asleep in her bed, but only barely. She kept waking up, because she couldn't sleep. Tomorrow, she would be married! She ran over to the closet, nearly tripping over the mess her husband-to-be had made out of searching through bags and boxes--or had that been the twins? Whisper had been looking for supplies to make a project; no doubt it was Sonic who had taught her how to pick the lock on the bedroom door—and peeked inside at the glorious white wedding dress, his skillfully behind a mound of other clothes.

Amy Rose (soon to be Amy Hedgehog, the name itself appealed as a wild, reckless adventure did to her husband, and seemed fitting for her,) smoothed her fingers over yards of delicate white lace and silk like the inside of seashells. The whole dress was white, but the shadows made by the moonlight coming through the window seemed to make it glisten with magical luster. She sighed dreamily, clutching the fabric excitedly in her fist. Tomorrow, tomorrow! She could barely wait! Ame wasn't going to school tomorrow and neither was Rio. Rouge would be down for the ceremonial dressing…would she bring Rio? Whisper might have to go with her father to the bachelor party. Maybe her presence would make Sonic worry about something other than the bridal march.

Amy giggled excitedly to herself, and then smiled warmly at the thought of seeing Sonic on the alter, he leaning gently in for their first official kiss as husband and wife…the suspense was absolutely breathtaking! The smile stayed on her face as she crawled back into bed, rolling over and trying to go back to sleep. Being a wife-to-be is harder than raising these kids! She thought, amused, as she drifted off into the bliss of what marital sex might bring…would Sonic be wilder than he had before? She remembered a calmness to his wild manner in bed before…would this change? She hoped so. She hoped Sonic would be a true wild creature, untouched by civilization, this time around.

The twins couldn't sleep either, but for different reasons entirely. Whisper sighed, and looked at her brother. "Ame? I have to tell you something."

His sister's unnaturally nervous tone of voice caused Ame to wake up from his fantasies of kissing Rio like daddy kissed mommy. "What is it, Wisp?" He wondered, almost annoyed at being interrupted.

"I…I sense something…bad. Really bad. And it's gonna happen because mommy and daddy are getting married." Whisper's whole body was trembling. Even the tips of her long, magnificent quills of cobalt hue shook with violent ferocity, as if she had a high fever.

"What do you sense?" Ame crawled across his bed towards his sister and put a strong hand on her shoulder. His voice was soft and reassuring, sounding like their father. That fact, in and of itself, made Whisper want to burst into tears. Like her mother, she frequently was swept away by her emotions.

Whisper swallowed down her sobs as best she could, but the tears came fresh and fast down her periwinkle cheeks. "I…We…Ame…" Her emerald eyes gazed deep into her brother's of sea-green hue. "I sense great changes ahead for us."

Ame lifted his sister from her bed and placed her on his lap. He bent his forehead forward against hers. "Tell me." He whispered.

Whisper nodded. Her mind's voice could not be bound by tears. She closed her eyes and began the connection, showing her brother what she had seen in a dream.

The misty air in the bar hung low over the patrons smoking and laughing loudly, drinking more than a few customary drinks and dancing wildly around the place. You could hear the bartender's steady voice ring out strong the name of some drink: "Red Feather Sands, strong, dark variety!"

A light cobalt arm attached to a tight-fitting white glove accepted the drink and slipped a few bills into the gray hand of the bartender. "Thank you, Jackson." The voice sounded hauntingly familiar, and yet strangely new. The hand now became two as the wine glass full of dark reddish-orange stuff the color of a phoenix's flame was lifted to a pair of lips unseen. There was a reflection in the drink of emerald green eyes and cobalt fur.

Suddenly, an uproar in the far end of the bar caused the one who was giving the vision to start and look around curiously for the source of the commotion. A circle of drunk men, of all races and all ages were pounding on the table as a young woman, about the age of sixteen, walked into the room like a waitress, balancing a tray of shot glasses held high with one bare pink hand.

The whole of the young woman's body was a light, girly pink. She was a hedgehog, with short quills cut to a bob and three obtrusive bangs she would push out of the way with her free hand. Her chest was peach-colored, and she was near-naked, only wearing a bra and a short tennis skirt, both night black in color. All over her body there was written in Sharpie words and prices, what looked like how much you had to pay to touch where, as men called out body parts and the young woman charged them. Her breasts were impressive for her age, but nothing like Mrs. Echidna's.

"Gimme your boobs, sweet thing," ranted a drunken dark green echidna.

"Gimme two hundred, and you can touch." Came the saucy reply of the young woman. Her eyes were cobalt blue.

The eyes seeing the vision seemed slapped mentally by the voice of the young girl. "Ruthie…" the voice mused. "Ruthie!"

Suddenly, a blur of color, a wave of speed, and all was still. Cold night air stirred the fur of the one seeing the vision. The young pink whore with the blue eyes brushed herself off. "What's the big shit, bitch?!" She snarled, a new coldness in the deep blue eyes. "Just because we're the same sex doesn't mean you get me free, doll face. That'll be ten dollars for touching the arm, plus a five dollar service charge. I can't leave the bar in this weather, damn you!" The pink whore, shivering, froze in her insults. She cocked her head in curiosity. "Whisper in the Wind? Is that you?"

Tears blurred the vision of 'Whisper in the Wind'. "Yes of course it's me, Ruth. Who else would it be? Dad?" She chuckled uneasily.

"Why are you here?" The one called Ruth asked, gentler now, but angry still.

"I came to have a drink, but now I'm getting you out of here. You know, they don't serve Red Feather Sands the way I like it in most bars nowadays." She reached out for Ruth's arm, but the pink girl jerked away.

"I don't need your sympathy!" Snapped Ruth, drawing her red and green hammer from out of the blue. 'Whisper in the Wind' backed off instantly. "I NEVER needed ANYTHING from you! Understand?! You took Jazz AND Fortune from me! You KNEW that car was coming, and you weren't FAST ENOUGH to save Jazz! Poor Fortune never had a chance! You're no sister of mine, bitch! Now GET OUT and leave me alone before I get my thugs on you! Those boys will do ANYTHING to sleep with me, INCLUDING beating up another woman! OUT!"

"But Ruthie, I could help you…!"

"OUT!" Shrieked Ruthie, and it seemed that the piercing cry of the scream interrupted the vision.

The abrupt end to the vision sent the twins to their respective beds, and against their walls with a soft thud. Whisper was crying. The twins heard their father two rooms away.

"Hold on, Knux. I heard something in the twins' room." WHOOSH! The door opened abruptly. Their father, not one bit out of breath though his chest was heaving, took up the doorway with his strong, protective stance. "Is everything all right in here? I was talking to Mr. Echidna, and I heard…" This is when he noticed Whisper's tears. "Whisper! Is everything all right?" He moved to comfort her, but Ame stopped him.

"Whisper is fine, dad. She had a bad dream, but she's okay now."

Sonic seemed suspicious, but was more keen to not keep Knuckles waiting. "You're sure?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Everything's okay, daddy." Ame reassured him, nodding with conviction as he leapt agilely to Whisper's bed and gave her a hug. "We're fine here." What was that vision, Vitesse?

"All right." Sonic turned from the doorway and closed it behind him. "Get some rest, you two."

"Night, dad!"

When the twins were alone, Whisper looked up at her brother. "I'm not sure." She said nervously, her voice still roped with tears. "It all has something to do with procreation."

"Huh?"

"How mommy and daddy created us."

"Oh."