Hiya! I'm alive and kickin'! Just turned 16.
Sonic: Really? Then happy birthday to you. *thumbs up with a slight grin*
*smiles* Thanks, Blue.
Knuckles: *growls* You dragged me all the way from Angel Island for this kid's birthday? Come on! What if that bat comes for the Master Emerald while I'm gone?
*lowers eyes in annoyance* Way to ruin the moment, Knux.
Sonic: *shakes head* Relax Knucklehead. A little birdie told me that she's busy on a mission.
Knuckles: *grumbles* Why am I here anyway? Shouldn't Tails be instead?
Nope! Two-Tail-Wonder decided to help Vanilla and Cream with Thanksgiving dinner. Speaking of which, I can't keep you two long here. Now it's story time...
Knuckles: *face starts to turn redder* I'm skipping my duty for a f-
Sonic: Uh, Sonic155 doesn't own any of us characters, SEGA does!
Right! On with the story!
Beginnings part 2...
Now usually when you woke up, it'd be from the digital alarm clock on your nightstand. Or maybe from a family member shaking you awake. But in Jake's case...
...it was from a very wet tongue.
The boy's face scrunched up in disgust, and from reflex, his hand shot up and quickly wiped the drool off his face. Wait, drool...?
Jake blinked the last remains of sleep from his eyes, and looked up once he heard loud panting...
A Golden Retriever towered over him, with another drop of drool threatening to slip and land on the boy's face again. Besides that though, the dog's friendly brown eyes were watching him with glee.
Jake smiled tiredly. "Hey there, Shabestan. I see you're the one who woke me up this morning, huh?" as he reached over and ruffled the dog's head. Shabestan barked in response and jumped from the floor onto the Jake's bed, lying down next to his owner not long after. Jake laughed quietly, already placing a hand on the dog's head to start stroking it. He looked over to his brown alarm clock on his nightstand. The red number digits read 7:06 a.m.
Yep, it was morning alright. Which meant a new day in a new state, a new home.
He frowned. Man, that was going to take some time getting used to...
A small yawn interrupted his thoughts, followed by some shifting.
Jake sat up, and let his brown eyes follow the source of the noise. They stopped short and rested on Miles, who was currently rubbing the sleep out of his eyes in his bed not too far away. The boy yawned again.
"Morning bud. Sleep well?" Jake asked as he too yawned. Guess he was still a bit tired. Miles drowsily nodded.
"Yes. What time is it?" he asked tiredly. Jake checked the clock.
"7:08."
All the sleep from Miles' eyes instantly vanished.
"7:08?!" the blonde cried. "Oh, this is bad! I need to get ready immediately!" and quicker than Jake anticipated a person who had just woken in the morning would, Miles jumped out of his bed, and rushed over to his dresser in such speed that would make Mina the Mongoose jealous. He opened up the drawers and grabbed a pair of socks, boxers, and any other garments he would need.
Jake watched with a small hint of amusement. "Is there a reason why you're so determined to get ready so soon?"
After he checked to see if he had everything, Miles hurriedly slammed the drawers shut and started to make his way out the no-longer empty-new room. "Sorry Jake, I can't answer that at the moment! I'll talk to ya at breakfast!" as he rushed out to find the shower.
Jake shook his head, muttering "he had too much sugar last night," before turning back to Shabestan, who tilted his head in a confused matter. He grinned.
"Last one down to the table is a rotten chili dog."
Shabestan barked at the challenge.
Tikal had to stop herself from gasping when she heard that. Last one down to the table is a rotten chili dog? That sounds like something Sonic would say. Well,...if he were active at the moment. She watched as both boy and dog raced out the room, and waited a few minutes before she phased through the window and into the room.
Floating down gently, her feet touched the ground in no time. But she paid no mind to that. She was deep in thought.
"I didn't think Oracle was serious, but apparently he is. And to think when the boy does start the connection..." she sighed quietly to herself.
This was going to take a lot of work to do. Giving humans powers...were they even worthy? It's not that Tikal had anything against humans, not at all really. She was just worried. Humans may be more advanced than most Mobians, but they were delicate no less. Their bones were weaker than that of the average Mobian's. If the enemy were to come here now and simply give a human being a sudden punch to the stomach, their ribs would shatter instantly. It was frightening to know how much power the enemy held in his finger tips. And not to also mention the fact, that not all humans were pure. She's seen some wrong humans in her lifetime.
The echidna shook her head.
No, this wasn't the time to be negative. She had a team to build and a world to save...starting with giving this boy his required spirit and powers...
Skidding to a halt in the kitchen, Jake barely gave his shoulders a stretch before he whipped around to meet Shabestan; the dog just catching up. He grinned.
"Ha! Looks like I when this round...which means I get first helping to breakfast, bud." he said triumphantly.
Shabestan whined and sagged in defeat.
"Be quiet, bro." came a tired voice. Jake faced the kitchen table, only to notice Cody lying his head down. He looked pretty tired. "I'm tryin' to get some sleep here." Okay, he didn't look tired, he was tired. Jake rose an eyebrow.
"Okay, I'll bite. What kept you up last night? Did you even get any sleep?" he asked as he opened the fridge.
Cody yawned."Sure I did. About 3 hours of it." he ignored the questioning look he received from his older brother. "And to answer your first question, bro, dad needed my help with bringing the 2nd couch and TV set in last night. And now, I feel like someone sucked all the life outta me."
"Well," Jake started as he poured himself and Cody some orange juice, "if you're that tired, then why are you up right now?"
"'Cuz." Cody mumbled, but loud enough for Jake to hear.
Jake rose a brow. "'Cuz what?"
"'Cuz mum's havin' me and Miles go to some library."
"But you hate reading..."
"Exactly! But mum thinks it'll help me when we start school next week."
"Well, I for one think this will be a wonderful experience for you!"
Both Jake and Cody watched as Courtney walked in the kitchen in much contained excitement. The girl just couldn't hide the huge smile on her face.
"After all," she started with a little twirl as she made her way to a cabinet, "this will be the perfect opportunity to make some new friends!"
Cody snorted. "Wow sis, what's gotten you in a good mood?"
"Oh, nothing much." Courtney said as she grabbed a granola bar. "It's just the fact that I can finally start over! No longer will I be known as Geeky Courtney, but Courtney the Brilliant!"
"I think her ego's gonna make head pop one day." Jake whispered over to Cody, making the now-awake boy snicker. That was when Courtney finally noticed Jake...and what he was wearing.
Her eyes widened. "Jake!" she cried. "Why are you still in your pj's? You should be in the shower right now!" as her brown eyes scanned over her brother's Sonic pj's disapprovingly.
Jake frowned. "And why should I? I'm not going anywhere."
"Oh yes, you are." Courtney smiled.
Jake looked at her with unease. He didn't like that smile or wherever this was heading. "Wh-what are you talking about? There's no way I'm stepping one foot into a stupid library."
"Who said anything about a library?" Courtney chuckled.
The boy's eyes narrowed. He was starting to get annoyed at this point.
"Then what are you talking about?" he nearly shouted. Like he said before, sisters could be annoying.
Courtney shook her head. "Not so loud. The neighbor's are sleeping. Speaking of neighbors..." she grinned. "Today at 9:30, two nice boys from across the street are going to give you a nice little tour of the neighborhood"
Jake stared in silence. He was processing the fact that he was going to be led around by two strangers without any say to this. He hated when his parents would just throw him into different things without his permission. Would it really hurt to ask him before they just put him in things such as this one?
After a few minutes of silence, the boy spoke.
"What the he-"
"So you must be Jake. Hi. I'm Mathew, and this is my buddy, Rodney."
"H-hello there."
Jake watched both Mathew and Rodney say their greetings and introductions. Lets see, Mathew was almost a foot taller than him and a little older judging from appearance. Black hair, hazel eyes, a black 'Attack on Titan' shirt, red hoodie, black jeans, and black red and black Jordans? Not too bad for wear he guess.
And his little friend looked almost about Miles' height and age. Dirty blonde hair, soft grey eyes, a yellow polo-shirt with a sky blue handkerchief around his neck, a pair of capri jeans, and a pair of yellow Converse...he didn't look bad either.
Jake nodded. "Nice to meet you guys."
"See? You three are already getting along with each other! Isn't that nice?" Courtney asked as took a quick picture on her phone. She couldn't help it. This was the perfect chance for her brother to get some friends. He didn't really have any back in Kentucky...
Jake groaned. "C'mon sis, quit it. Isn't that what mum and dad are supposed to do?"
"Yeah, yeah, alright." the girl said as she placed her phone back in her pocket. "Gosh, can't I have a moment?"
"No."
"Jerk." Courtney muttered under her breath. She couldn't have any fun, could she? "Ahem! Anyway, make sure you're back for dinner."
"Yeah, whatever." Jake waved as walked out the front door. Mathew turned to Courtney with a slight amused look.
"Is he always like this?"
"Yep, but mainly towards me."
Young Emily Baker hummed happily as she swung back and forth on the swing-set in her front-yard. She just couldn't wait for Amelia to come over and have tea with her. And then the two would play hide n seek, and later on, watch Princess and the Frog. It was going to be so much fun!
The girl sighed.
She just wished her cousin could always be happy. It wasn't fair for a wonderful girl like Amelia to go through something as horrible as...that! What did she ever do deserve that?
Emily was interrupted from her thoughts when a sudden voice came.
"Emily!" called the voice.
Said girl lifted her head from the ground, and faced the front door. Mrs. Baker, her mother, was standing there with a concerned look. She wondered why.
"Are you alright, dear?" her mother asked with a bit of concern. "You looked like you were about to break down."
Really? Emily finally noticed how moist her soft brown eyes were. Reaching her hand up, she effortlessly wiped them dry. She didn't know she was about to cry. She must've been thinking about that too much again.
"I-I'm fine, mama." she said after a deep breath. No way was she going to cry right there and now. She had to be a strong 6 yr old for her cousin's sake. Her mother didn't look all that convinced.
"Are you sure?" she asked. She just couldn't help but worry for both her daughter and niece. Both have started to act strangely ever since last week...and she didn't know why exactly. Emily nodded.
"Positive."
Mrs. Baker sighed. It didn't look like she was going to find out the problem any time soon. But still...she would have to say something about it sooner or later.
"Well, if you're sure." she said uneasily. She didn't like this "I'll be fixing lunch if you need me, okay?" a quiet "okay" from her daughter told her it was safe to go back inside. She sighed once more. One way or another, she was going to fix this.
Emily watched her mother retreat in the house, before she hopped off the swing. She didn't feel like playing on the swings anymore. Onto something new...
The chalk on the sidewalk caught her attention.
Emily shrugged. "Why not?" as she walked over.
However, what she wasn't expecting was for someone to actually answer that.
"Cuz'" started a deep, rough voice in an Australian accent that sent chills down Emily's spine, "you're too slow, squirt." and before she knew it, someone had her by the arms and gave her a rough shove to the street.
Emily crashed to the concrete immediately. She cried in pain as she felt a burning sensation starting to appear on her left knee. It must've been scraped or something. With pained tears leaking down her face, the 6 year old pushed herself to her feet. She choked back a sob when her knee stung fiercely.
Harsh barks of laughter caused the injured girl to look from her knee to the side walk. Three boys were laughing like there was no tomorrow. The Hooligan boys.
"Oh man, Nathan! Didja see how she flew like a broken bird? Well didja? Huh, didja?!" the boy with dirty blonde hair pestered in high, yet annoying voice.
"Shut it, Brody." Nathan snapped as he smacked the ten year old at the back of his head. The third boy and the tallest, Cai, chuckled quietly to himself.
If Emily wasn't so hurt right now, she would've ran and gotten her mother. But since they were blocking her from reaching her, and she was in no condition to run, she stood there in the street.
"Y-you guys are so m-mean!" she sniffed. She knew it wasn't right, but these boys deserved her hate! They were always picking on her for no apparent reason! And they were with ...them.
Nathan grinned an ugly grin. He loved picking on poor, defenseless kids. Especially elementary kids like young Emily here. They were like your very own walking punching bags. They were more funner here than in Australia. "Why thank you."
Brody started to bounce excitedly on his feet. "Hey Nathan! Can we go pick on the kids at the park! There's so many things we can steal from them!"
Nathan groaned in annoyance. "If it'll get ya to shut the bloody hell up then fine!"
"Yes!" Brody cheered. "Ice cream here I come!" and he took off before anyone could blink. Both Nathan and Cai shared a glance, before they sighed together. The kid had issues.
Nathan turned back to Emily with one last nasty grin. "We'll catcha later, Galah."
And both boys took off down the sidewalk after their weird friend.
Sniffing and crying slightly, Emily decided to add comfort to her bloody knee and throbbing arm, by rubbing them better. How could anyone be so...so...so heartless? Picking on someone such as herself. She was only six for heaven's sake! Did the words 'nice' and 'good' still exist anymore?
Unfortunately for poor Emily, while she was so caught up in her thoughts... she failed to notice the insane, weaving, FedEx truck coming right at her...
So, how was it?
Sonic: Whoa, hold on! What's with the girl getting treated like crap? And really? A FedEx truck coming for her? Is that really called for?
Oh, stop worrying, will you? As if I'd let an innocent 6 year old die. What do you guys take me for?
Knuckles:...Okay. So, what's Tikal doing in here? And why haven't any of us shown yet?
Sonic, you go and explain it to him. I'm about to leave myself.
Sonic: Yeah, okay. Hope you can keep up, Knucklehead! *dashes off*
Knuckles: And why should I follow him?
He...may have lied about Rouge going on a mission...
Knuckles: *eyes widen* GET BACK HERE! *chases Sonic*
Alright, seeya next time!