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Whoa, I got a quick update! *Does a dance*. Thanks, like usual, for the reviews/poll votes everyone! I'll go take a look at the poll now…Anywho, let's get started quick, eh? Onwards, march!

Chapter twenty-two

Life Goal

Death.

That was how she was feeling right now. Or at least, that's how Kyler would describe her mood. But Rose wasn't Kyler. She was Rose, a pink hedgehog with light purple banes, and with moods constantly changing.

And as she thought on who she was, more tears poured out of her eyelids. Who was she? The question was starting to drive her insane. Literally. Her friends at school were evening starting to notice a difference in the usually bubbly elated thirteen year old. But recently, life had just…gone down-hill. For really no reason at all. When she talked to her mother about it, she'd state that it was hormones. Kyler would only sigh and say that it was a phase and she'd get over it eventually. And Violet, though the second oldest, acted as if she had no clue. She had always been like that, Violet. Always pretending she was still a young and innocent child, even though she had seen so much in her short lifetime.

When Rose thought about her own characterizes…she couldn't come up with anything. Sure, she was usually pretty happy, and she loved drooling over the cute guys, but…still. Day after day, night after night, the question would linger. Like a stalker, the question would peer into her soul whenever the girl was feeling down, whenever the girl was doubtful; was life merely all a fairytale, a dream, something that everyone took too seriously?

And then another question: Her purpose. She knew the whole world pondered the question. Heck, she'd seen books on the topic, their answers usually having something to do with getting a family and a career that paid you enough to retire ten times over. Yet, the answer irked her. Her father didn't have a high paying job. But he had never been one to want more, to want a bigger home or better job, or anything. He seemed happy with where he was, and he wasn't even following the world's purpose.

Sighing, the teenager continued staring out the window, watching the individual rain drops fall steadily to the ground. Why was it that every time she was sad, it was raining? Was it because when it rained it was always dreary looking outside?

She shrugged to herself, really not wanting to think about anything. All she wanted to do, was curl up in her bed and sleep.

'And to know the answers,' she thought to herself, allowing another sigh to escape her lips.

A sudden boom from outside made her shift her gaze slightly, and she watched as her father came to a halt outside and quickly opened the door. Once inside, she turned, aware of her father shaking the rain off of his fur coat, grumbling to himself, for he hated water.

"Man," the blue hedgehog stared, turning to his daughter, shuddering. "I hate rain."

"Then why were you out in it?" Rose muttered, her gaze returning to the window. Sonic shrugged as he walked up towards her.

"Had to go to the store," he answered. He showed her two shopping bags, and the girl raised an eyebrow as she watched him head to the kitchen to put the groceries away. "Where's Mom, Sam, and the boys?"

"Football practice," she stated, putting her head back in her hands and sighing.

"Oh yeah," he mused, as he put the groceries away at sonic-speed. "I knew that."

"Uh-huh."

A silence. And then,

"Bad day at school?"

"It was alright," she lied. Sonic walked back towards her, an apple in his hand as he bit into it. A crunch sound followed, then a swallow, and Sonic blinked as he said,

"Liar."

The girl blushed. Her father had always been able to pick up on her moods. Her mother, not as well, but her Dad…

"So what's up?" Finding a chair, the blue hedgehog reclined against it, and bit into his apple again. His gaze lay only on the pink hedgehog in front of him, showing that all of his attention was on her.

"It's nothing particular," she answered, this time truthfully, as she reclined against her own chair. "Just the school system sayin' I need to find a career an' if I don't I'm doomed to fail at life." She paused, allowing Sonic to say something, but he just continued watching her so she went on. "An' I have no idea what I want to do when I'm older. I just want something that pays enough that I'm happy, but everyone says you need a lot of money to be happy. But every time I look at people with money they don't seem anymore happy than us, and I'm not calling us poor or anything, but we're not exactly wealthy, like livin' in a mansion type wealthy, an'-"

"Whoa, Rose, you're on a runnin' streak!" Sonic cried, chuckling as he held up his hand in a stop-sign motion. Rose blinked in confusion, than closed her agape mouth.

"Whatta mean?" she questioned.

"I mean you would've just kept goin' on and on if I hadn't have stopped ya." The blue hedgehog winked at the girl playfully, and Rose smiled softly before sighing.

"But really, Dad," she started. "I don't know what to think. I don't like how they define happiness, and I don't like being forced to know what I want to do. Dad, I hardly know who I am! How can they expect-?"

"They can't." Sonic's answer was quick and snappy, but when he turned to her he smiled softly. "You're only a kid, an' ya got your whole life basically to find what you wanna do and figure out who you are."

"But then why don't they tell us kids the same?" the girl whined impatiently as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Why don't they take a chill pill?" Sonic laughed out loud.

"'Cause they're adults without a purpose," he replied casually. "They have absolutely no idea what their goal in life should be, so they make up an educated guess an' teach it to the kids who're freakin' out over the expectations. Eventually, most of the kids fall for the trap, and they end up tellin' their kids, which starts a cycle until in the long run no one remembers that the idea of a 'worthy' career with a lot of money doesn't sound like the best goal." The hedgehog paused then, taking a breather, allowing the dumbfounded child to speak.

"So…then what is our goal?" she asked softly, almost afraid to ask in case her father didn't have an answer.

"You are a witness," he stated. "You stand up for the weak, you give to the poor, you help those in need…basically ya live to love. An' no matter what the school system says, a career ain't gonna get you anywhere. One day the rich will learn that themselves. One day someone will wake up and think, 'Huh, I can't take any of my possessions with me when I die…can I?' And when someone important like a politician figures that out…heh. It oughta be fun." Rose blinked, now even more confused.

"So…you don't want me to worry about school?" she tried.

"I don't want you to worry, but I want you to care. There's a difference." Sonic, having finished his apple, laid the apple core down on the nearby table. "Try to excel, but don't get so bummed out that if you fail you're never the same. Grades and money and looks don't make the world go round. But our faith does."

"It should be our number one?"

"Yes. Faith comes first. Do you understand?"

A silence. And then the smallest nod from the girl, and the two smiled at each other.

"Thanks, Dad," she whispered. He winked again.

"Anytime."

For the Christian readers, this might be a good drabble. For those not Christian, this chapter might not have done much, if anything for ya. Sorry. But I got it started and I liked it enough that I had to continue writing it and end up publishing it. xD Hope you guys got something out of it! Thanks for reading.

~Ksonic~