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As they reached sunset, the crew still came up empty handed on finding their unwanted guest. The only good news that seemed to come up was that Shadow was well enough to leave the medical room. Shelby soon found him looking off the side of the ship and to the setting sun.
"What are you doing up here?" She asked.
Shadow just turned to look at her.
"Just thinking." He said.
Shelby slowly watched up his side.
"Any luck on finding the attacker?" Shadow asked.
"Sorry, no." Shelby answered.
The sun continued it's slow, decent as the two hedgehogs continued to watch.
Shelby: "Every morning, very night, you watch over me, like the sun in the sky. Every morning and every night, do you promise me you'll be my guardian light?"
Shadow looked over at her in shock! She was singing! He didn't know she could do that and let her continue.
Shelby: "Promise that we'll stay for the sunset and when the moon shines through the darkness, we can find the path that leads us home. And on the way you'll (maybe) sing me a song. Promise you always will be there hold my hand if ever I'm real scared, help me stand up tall if I fall down, make me laugh away, on my bluest days. How could you promise you always would be there? Why'd you have to go away somewhere? Every morning into every night, do you watch over me like the sun in the sky? Am I all alone? I'm standing in your light. I wish that I could (maybe) sing you a song…tonight. You promised me we'd stay for the sunset."
Shadow was just flabbergasted. That song seemed to come from an angel in his ears.
"Where'd you get that?" He asked.
"I wrote it for my friend, Icy. Her father died and I wrote it for her because he was really close to her." She explained.
"Oh." Shadow said.
There was a sudden splash. The two looked out to the ocean and saw something jumping in and out of the water.
"Dolphins!" Shelby happily said.
"Dolphins?" Shadow asked.
"Yeah, let them come to the boat on their own." She said.
One of them started swimming towards the boat. It jumped out of the water and did a single flip.
"Whoa!" Shadow said.
"Cool!" Shelby agreed.
"Thanks." A young voice said.
"Who said that?" Shadow asked.
Shelby just shrugged.
"I did!" The voice said.
"Who's there?" Shadow demanded.
"Down here!"
"Shadow, I think it's the dolphin." Shelby said, pointing.
"What?"
The two looked over the edge of the railing to get a better look.
"Are you the one talking?" Shadow asked, pointing at him.
All it did was make a bunch of clicks.
"Not gonna work like that, Shadow. Let me try." Shelby said. "Okay pal, one click means yes, two clicks means no, got it?"
The dolphin just let out a single click. She turned to Shadow.
"Okay, you were right." He said.
"So, were you the one talking to us?" She asked him.
The dolphin clicked once.
"What I tell ya?" She asked Shadow.
He just rolled his eyes.
"How were you talking to us like that?" She asked the dolphin.
"A mermaid taught me." He said. "She called telepa…telepath…"
"Telepathy?" Shelby asked.
"That's it!" He said. "I'm Pebble, who are you?"
"I'm Shelby and this is Shadow."
"Nice to meet you!" Pebble said. "What are you two doing all the way out here?"
"We're going to Castaway Kay." Shelby said.
"Castaway Kay? Why would you ever want to go there?" He asked.
"Queen Aleena needs us there." Shelby said.
"Okay, but if you ask me, you want to stay as far away from that island as possible." Pebble said. "I guess I'll be seeing you around if you survive?"
"Okay, I guess." Shelby said.
With that, Pebble dove under the water and vanished.
"What was that all about?" Shadow asked.
"Beats me." Shelby shrugged.
"Here he comes again." Shadow said, pointing to a fin going through the water.
"Uh, Shadow, I don't think that's him." She said.
"What do you mean?" Shadow asked, not noticing that the fin was right under him.
"LOOK OUT!" Shelby cried and pulled him back from the railing, just as a large creature snapped at where he had just been. "Grey Sharks, I've messed with them before, they live around Castaway Kay."
"That thing looked just like a dolphin." Shadow said, holding his beating heart.
"Easy mix ups." Shelby said. "I can tell the difference because a shark's fin is sharper at the tip."
"I think I get it." Shadow said, finally getting up.
"Yeah, the Grey Sharks are known for being able to jump out of the water like that. They're not to be fooled around with." She said, getting up herself. "That must be why Pebble took off. He must have known the shark was coming and made a break for it."
"Makes sense to me." Shadow said.
"Come on, those things are known for trying more then once." Shelby said, walking towards the door that, lead below deck.
"I'm right behind you." Shadow said.
As the two went below deck, a shadowy figure watched from the crow's nest.
"They make Rolf sick." He grumbled. "They-who-are-evil shall not fool Rolf. Blue spiked girl is easily fooled by the black one's trickery. Rolf shall put an end to them."
Below deck…"So this Sarrow guy left her a bunch of flowers?" Sonic asked Manic.
"Yep, I'm starting to wonder if this guy has anything to do Shadow's attack yesterday." The green hedgehog said.
"Good question." Sonic said, tapping his chin.
"What I want to know right now is why in the world someone would attack Shadow." Manic went on. "I mean I know he has a temper but I don't think anyone would hold a grudge against that."
"Think somebody onboard could be a bot?" Sonic asked.
"Possibly." The youngest of the siblings said.
"Well, I know that Garin was in quarters at the time of the attack with Jacques and Talaka, the eds were in Double D's quarters, Nova, Tune, Topaz, Knuckles, and the kids from Earth were with us when we were practicing, and Shelby was the one who saved Shadow." Sonic said. "So that leaves just about everyone else on board."
"Wait, what about Rolf?" Manic asked.
"What about him?" Sonic asked.
"He wasn't with us when we were practicing, he's on the list!" Manic said.
"I think he said something about smelling his spuds in the kitchen." Sonic said.
"What does that mean?" Manic asked.
"You've got me." Sonic shrugged.
"Still, he's on the list, there's something I don't like about him, I've been getting some seriously bad vibes from that guy since Nova showed up and when Shadow showed, they just got worse." The drummer said, twirling one of his drumsticks. "I think he's got something to hide and he's not telling us what."
"Well, maybe we can use our medallions to get the truth out of him." Sonic suggested.
"Maybe." The drummer said, twirling both sticks now.
"Maybe Topaz knows someone and we can ask them to get the truth out of him?" Sonic guessed.
"Sonic, by that time, we'll be back on dry land." Manic said.
"That's my point." The blue hedgehog said.
"Oh, funny." Manic said with a ton of sarcasm.
"I thought so." Sonic shrugged.
"Let's just find the guy so we can get moving, if Mom wanted us on that island, it HAS to be important." Manic said.
"I know, I know, I just hate being around so much water for so long." Sonic said.
"Don't tell me you're still scared of Moby Deep?" Manic asked. "Everyone now knows that he's not a sea monster but a HUGE whale!"
"I know, I know, but I still can't swim." Sonic said.
Ever since they had met Moby Deep, Sonic wasn't quite as freaked out about being near water as he once had been, but he still couldn't swim, the former sea monster in legends turned to whales, now that he was revealed. But either way, Sonic couldn't stand being near water.
"Bro, you need a vacation." Manic said.
"Duh, we haven't had one since we stopped Robotnik from melting the polar icecaps!" Sonic snapped. "And that was months ago!"
"Chill, bro." Mainc said.
"That better not be a pun." Sonic warned.
"Hey, you know I'm just kidding." Manic said in defense.
"Well, it's not funny." Sonic growled.
"I thought so." Manic shrugged.
"Manic, just shut up." Sonic said, getting very annoyed with his little brother.
"But I…" Manic stopped when he saw the look on Sonic's face.
"Shutting up now." The drummer said.
Sonic just shook his head in disbelieve. Manic was impossible sometimes. He wondered if Shelby knew anyone like him, maybe she could help him out here.
"Guys!" Sonia cried, running up to her brothers, the eds following close behind.
"S'up guys?" Manic asked.
"We're almost at the island." Double D said. "If the winds hold up, we should get there in about twenty four hours, if not a little over."
"And when we get there, I will get a chance to fight the evil pirate king, Hook Scar!" Ed cried.
"His name is Scar Blade, Ed." Sonia said.
"I don't think we'll be encountering him." Manic said. "No one's seen him since Garin beat him."
"You sure?" Eddy asked.
"I know these things, dude." Manic said, pointing at himself.
"If you say so." Eddy said. "The others are already getting some shut eye."
"Well we are going to wake up rather early, Eddy." Double D said with a shrug. "It makes sense."
"You guys better get some sleep." Sonic said. "We're used to late nights. We'll keep an eye on things here."
"Very well then." Double D said.
The three boys quickly headed down the hall and into their rooms. As they did, the three hedgehogs saw Topaz coming down the stairs with a yawn.
"Topaz?" Sonia asked. "What are you doing up?"
"I was just checking on Shelby." The young fox said. "She and Shadow are in the medical room doctor says Shadow still needs to sleep there if any problems came up during the night."
"Guess it makes sense." Sonic said.
"Shelby hasn't taken her eyes off of him all evening, never thought that I'd see her with anyone, especially after what happened to Icy." Topaz said.
"Icy?" Sonia asked.
"She's a friend of ours'. Something happened a while ago and I never thought I'd see Shelby with someone after it." Topaz explained.
"What happened, exactly?" Manic asked.
"I don't think I'm the one to tell you that story. You'll have to ask Shelby, she's the only one of us that I know who has any actual details on what happened. I just know that it was almost as bad as being turned into a robot." Topaz said and opened the door to her room.
"Can you tell us anything about it?" Sonia asked.
"Let's just say that after that, Icy was never the same again." Topaz said and went into her room.
"What was that all about?" Sonic asked.
"Sonic, it's none of our business. We should just leave it to them." Sonia said.
"If you say so." Sonic shrugged.
"Now that's better." Sonia said, placing her hands on her hips.
"I still think that she's acting like an S-A-P." Manic whispered Sonic.
"You're right, she is being a 'Spiny Annoying Princess'." Sonic laughed.
"I heard that!" Sonia yelled.
"Oops, royal mad at twelve o'clock." Manic said.
"RUN!" Sonic said in a laughing tone and took off, with Manic at his heels.
Sonic! Manic! Get back here!" Sonia cried, and took off after her brothers.
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Well, that's that for now. R&R please (I only got one review for the last chapter, again!)