Sorry It's been taking so long, but the polls are tied at four. *sigh,* I have had SUCH a busy summer, and the worst of it ain't over yet...Enjoy the long awaited new chapter! I won't tell you who is introduced first. You'll find out.

Nicole (New character)'s POV

I've got to say, whoever came up with the rule "Don't talk to strangers" had NO life. If I never talked to anyone new, I would have no friends, no social life, and wouldn't have gotten into the mess that nearly got me and my friends (and enemies) killed many times. So yeah, NO fun.

It all started for me with a prank invloving my younger brother and a large bottle of ketchup. I told my brother I was sorry, and that I would clean his bathroom, and that it was payment for April fool's day, but apparently May is a little late for revenge from early April is not acceptable. So I headed out for the punishment my parents alway used- "Go outside for a little walk." So, I went out.

I enjoy little peaceful walks sometimes to avoid the chaos of my house. I have two brothers, one older who is always complaining and hogging the TV, and a younger brother who busts into my room for no reason. Once when I asked him why he was in there, he said I had a comfy bed. Go figure. None of us have much in common, and the only thing we do together is argue and fight. One big happy family.

So I was walking along, thinking about what to do when I got home when I got a weird feeling, as if... okay, this sounds really stupid, but it was like something in the nearby plants was calling to me. Yes, I am aware of how weird that sounds. I just had a feeling something interesting was in there. I walked over and spotted a large red gem. I didn't understand why someone would leave a fully cut jewel in an ivy patch, but I took the jewel.

"Hey!" I heard someone yell from behind me. "What are you doing with that?"

I turned around to see a 15 year old boy running up behind me. He had red dreadlocks and a red shirt with a upward facing crescent on it. He also looked very, very angry at the time.

"What, this?" I asked. "Is it yours?"

I paused. "Then why in the world did you leave it in an ivy patch?"

"Rrrrrgghh... AUGH! You're just as bad as Sonic..."

Sonic? I thought. Who is this guy, anyway?

He sighed, trying to calm dow. "Look, just give me the emerald and I'll let you go."

"Emerald?" I asked. "I thought emeralds were green, not red."

"It doesn't matter!" he shouted. "Just hand it over!"

I gripped the so-called emerald tightly. I wasn't sure just who this guy was or why he needed this gem so badly. I also wasn't sure why I needed it, either. So I just ran from there. I'm not a very fast runner, to say the least, so I turned to face him.

"Come back here!" he shouted. "You can't handle the emerald's power!

What is he, crazy? I thought. I had barely enough time to dodge when he flug his fist towrads me. I quickly lept out of the way and struck him on the arm. Hard.

I'm not normaly violent towards perfect strangers, but if it was a fight he wanted, it was a fight he'd get.

He stumbled back a moment, but was soon up on his feet again. This time, he aimed for my leg. I used said leg to kick him in the jaw. He tried to punch again, but I swiftly blocked him and punched him in the leg, sending him flying backwards.

Did I just do that? I wondered. I looked down at the bleeding, unconcious figure below me.

What have I done? I leaned down, brushing my red hair out of the way. The boy was now covered in bruises and scratches that were my doing. A wave of guilt and horror came over me. Was he... dead? Had I killed an inoccent person? No, I'm certainly not strong enough to do that. But then again... in that fight, I felt stronger than I ever have. I had felt the thrill of the fight coursing through my veins. The fighting spirit had taken over me. Was it pent-up rage, or something else?

The boy opened his eyes, erasing my fears and distracting me from my thoughts. I expected pure rage from his violet eyes, (The color was kind of unusual, but there's nothing wrong with that) but I got something a bit different.

"You... beat me." he gasped. "No one's ever beat me before. That's pretty impressive."

"Um... Thank you?" I replied, confused. I've always been told I'm a good fighter, though. I used to take self defence class, but only because the only other sports class open for my age was tennis. (I don't wear tennis skirts.) And now, I'm standing over a bleeding guy I just beat up, and I think he's complimenting me. I'm starting to wonder if I gave him brain damage.

"I'm Nicole," I said warily.

"Nice meeting you. Now, I think-" he tried to get up, only to crash down on the pavement once more. "Ow," he muttered.

"I guess that was my work, huh?" I laughed half-heartedly. "You need help?"

"I'll be- errgg." He clutched his leg as he struggled to get up. Things were not going his way.

"Here," I smiled as I helped him up. "We'll go to my house. My mom is in medical school, she'll help us out. Say, what's your name?"

"Call me Knuckles," he grumbled softly. "Now, let's get to your place. I'm not sure how much longer I can stand."

*Scene change*

A middle aged woman was sitting at her desk, looking unhappy. She had dealt with five students that day, and school had only started an hour ago. Therefore, she was not pleased when a tall man walked in with a young looking boy.

"Principal Stewart?" the man asked.

"What now?" the woman groaned.

"I spotted this child trying to skip class at Phys. Ed." he replied. "Says he's eleven."

The boy was, in truth, NOT eleven. He did not look the part, either. He was a small kid with blond hair and bright blue eyes. His clothing consisted of a light orange shirt and khaki shorts, accompainied by a pair of red and white shoes.

"I am eleven, almost twelve." He lied. "I'm just a little short for my age, and I don't even go to this school."

"Hm, is that so? Where do you go, then?"

"I'm homeschooled." he said quickly. He didn't really go to school, and didn't need to. He was very smart for his age, or any age, really. He could accomplish great things in days that took most people weeks to attempt. He had even built himself a biplane and could fly it with great ease. Very impressive for the tender age of eight.

"Mm-hm. Then where are your parents?"

He paused. His parents, along with the rest of his family, had died years ago. The only thing close to family he had was his best friend. They often refered to each other as brothers, and always looked out for each other. But now, the two were seperated. He had been looking for his "Older brother" when he was caught.

"Out of town," he replied, saying the first thing that poped into his head.

"Well, you need to stay somewhere. We can't just have children running amuck. Not until summer, anyway." She looked at a class schedule. "Put him in class 6-A for now. And what is your name, son?"

He thought a moment. "Miles Prower. My names Is Miles Prower."

Just so you know, I got the idea for Nicloe's ketchup-related prank because I began writing this chapter shortly after being victim to a ketchup related prank. Brothers can be a real pain.

Next chapter: Completley focused on Tails ! YAYNESS!