AN: I keep getting this feeling I'm doing bad on these chapters _ but maybe I'm overreacting and thinking too much. But anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter! ^^

Chapter 3 Sleepover

When the bright green light disintegrated from Shadow's green Chaos Emerald, all of us appeared on the entrance of my long black driveway, leading up to my pale yellow house. Chelsea and Trevor started freaking out, but in an exciting yet wondrous way.

"Soo this is where you live." Trevor started to nudge me in the shoulder with his right elbow and also raising his eyebrows. I lowered my eyelids when I looked at him, not a perfect time to make me angry. I walked to Shadow.

"Shadow, you need to take me back!" I shouted to him. He looked at me as if I was crazy.

"Go back? You did notice the police and the people surrounding the school? Right?"

I nodded. "Yes, I did. But the gold ring Sonic had given me was there! It slipped off my wrist whenever we were battling and running away from that Egg Giant. When I gave a last look of the portal before we left, I saw three people about to enter through it, and one of them had the ring!"

Sonic overheard the conversation and now was over to me in a sonic second.

"Someone stole your ring?" He asked me seriously. "Are you sure?"

I sadly made another nod.

"This isn't good…" Sonic did a facepalm. "That ring was a power ring. If anyone uses it other than just a keepsake then…well…we'll have problems."

Dylan looked worried. "What kind of problems?"

Sonic looked at him. "Obviously problems that Eggman most likely will do. If anyone randomly steals a glowing gold ring…heh heh…it's likely that they're not going to do anything good with it."

Shadow made a grunt. "Then what are you suggesting that we should do?"

Sonic looked at the black pavement driveway and thought for a few seconds, then raised his head back up again. "Either you or I should go back and enter through the portal, or we can stay here till we open up another portal back to our world."

By hearing their debate, I didn't want Shadow nor Sonic separated. We just saw each other again, and I didn't want either one to just go away to help receive the ring back from those mysterious people. I doubt they even know what they were going by passing through that portal, and I doubt they even know that ring was powerful. But if they knew, they wouldn't know how to use it. I knew it was powerful, only because Sonic told me and just by looking at it. But I didn't know what to do to release that power, and I'm pretty sure I don't want to release it.

Besides, with Sonic here, I don't need the ring as a remembrance anymore. I'll be fine without it for a few days.

"I know what we should do." I interrupted the hedgehogs' conversation while I thought up another suggestion. They both turned their attention to me, along with the rest of my friends. I formed a grin.

"I can't believe I'm letting her do this." I heard Shadow grumble by sitting on one of the two tan-colored couches in my living room. He was watching me, and Dylan sitting on the floor playing Sonic Heroes on two-player mode while Sonic and Trevor sat in-between him, watching us as well. Chelsea was watching us play on the nearest couch to us, cheering me on.

"C'mon Court! I know you can beat him! Show him that you're better!" She shouted.

"Hey! Who's the ultimate Sonic fan here?" Dylan argued with Chelsea, while he kept his eyes glued to the TV screen.

"Hey! Things can change! Now beat him Court!" Chelsea urged me on. I tried my best to get to the goal.

When we all got into my house, my parents were in complete silence when they saw Sonic and Shadow both standing in front of them in real life, not in a video game. They even did the exact same thing when I was testing Sonic to see if he was real or not.

They were also surprised to see three of my friends here as well. We then told them the situation at the school, and what Eggman was planning to do to the world, I asked them if I could go along and help Sonic and Shadow on the journey. This is what happened:

"No." My father said.

"Dad! I've done this before, trust me; I can take care of myself!" I argued back, with my voice raised.

"Courtney, a no is a no. You we're lucky to live whatever what you did on your last so-called 'journey'. But I will not let you out of this house until all this matter clears."

Before I could continue on with my argument, Shadow butted in.

"Excuse me, Courtney's father?" Shadow said in his deep voice, looking up at my father's serious face. "All of this 'matter' won't clear if we don't get as much help as we can get. Your daughter proved to herself and everyone that she isn't helpless and weak. She gave it her all to try to get to her brother, your son, and rescue him. She's quite the strong woman. Without her being with us, we won't be able to finish this 'matter' as quick as possible. So, I suggest you should say yes. If no…let's just say that there will be more than just us discussing normally."

Then, there was an awkward silence.

In the end however, my parents said I can go. My dad had a hard time saying it though, since Shadow was standing by him with crossed arms, making sure he'll make the right decision.

When that was done, everyone of my friends started to call their parents on their cell phones, telling them where they are, and telling them of the incident and what they'll be planning on doing for the next few weeks, or even months.

Dylan's parents agreed…

Then Trevor's…

But Chel's grandparents were the toughest to give in. They wouldn't let her leave.

Thus the whole Shadow thing started again.

Once everyone's parents/grandparents agreed, we decided to change out of our dressy clothes and get dressed to get ready for the fun and relaxation. Dylan and Trevor borrowed some of my dad's clothes, while I let Chelsea borrow a pair of mine.

And this is where we left off. Only a few moments later, I was defeated by Dylan by racing each other in Sonic Heroes. I stared at the TV screen with a blank face, while Dylan just laughed playfully at me.

"I told you, I wasn't going to hold back." He grinned at me, hoping that I won't get angry.

I was. But when I looked at him, it was hard to resist smiling at him. While I continued to look, he made one of those silly faces. I started to laugh till both of us did.

"Rematch." I spoke through my series of giggles, and then we restarted the level again.

"Hey! Court you said that it was going to be my turn next! You liar!" Trevor sprinted off the couch and then pointed at me with an index finger.

"Well I didn't make any promises." I laughed again while I continued to race through Ocean Palace in Sonic Heroes. So far, I was winning. But it all ended when Trevor sat down close to me and started to tickle my sides. I then paused the game, and fought with him for the time being.

Before Shadow or anybody else decided to gang up and hurt on Trevor, my parents walked into the living room and told us that they have to run errands, and also picking up the Chinese food that they've ordered for us not too long ago.

After they left, my two little brothers, Kyle and Ryan, entered the room and decided to join with us and attend the party.

"Can I come with you guys on your next adventure?" Kyle then asked Sonic and Shadow. After he asked, Ryan had said the same thing. Sonic made a little chuckle.

"Sorry guys, but we don't want you guys getting captured by Egghead. It'll be better and safer if you stayed here with your mom and dad." Sonic had told them. Kyle was beginning to get angry.

"But you remember all the stuff I did back then, right? I can beat Eggman's butt with my power! Please let me come!" Kyle begged.

"No, listen to what the Faker said. It's too dangerous for you and your other brother to come along." Shadow said seriously. Kyle stood there with his face reddened with complete anger. With him angry like this, Ryan or I were the next target for taking out on his anger.

Of course, he picked me this time.

"Why is it that you always have the fun? Why you instead of me? I have a greater power than you do! I should deserve to go!" Kyle yelled at me.

Before I gotten the chance to get up and reply back to the argument. Dylan got up and walked up in front and defended me through the whole argument. Once he won, Kyle had run off to his room to be alone and to cool off his temper. Another awkward silence took place.

The silence broke when my parents soon arrived home with our dinner. Once they brought it up, we all scavenged to the kitchen, grabbed plates and utensils, and shoveled Chinese food onto our plates. We all sat and ate in the dining room.

"Thanks for saving me three times in a row in one night." I said to Dylan before I scooped up some fried rice and put it into my mouth. Dylan stopped chewing and swallowed.

"Anytime!" He started chuckling while he stuck his fork into more of his Chinese food. "But you know…you owe me."

"Huh?" I said after swallowing another mouthful. I was too busy enjoying the taste of my favorite food, I didn't quite hear what Dylan or anyone else was saying in the room.

He shook his head while he smiled. "Just nevermind."

"Hey! This stuff is similar to the food I ate in Chun-nan!" Sonic made an outburst after taking his first bite of his Chinese. "How can you get food like this in your world, when it came from ours?"

I stared at him with a blank face for a minute, confused of what he said, and then I laughed.

"Sonic, when you think about it, your world is like ours in a way. It has similar countries and cultures, but different landscapes and places. This is Chinese food, it similar to the food that they have in China. A country in our world." I explained. Sonic was wide-eyed.

"Oh, really? So, did your parents just hopped on a plane and got the Chinese food from China?" He asked again, making sure.

I made a facepalm, and then I looked at Sonic again. I was trying to keep a straight face but I never stopped giving off a smile.

"No Sonic. They got the food from a little Chinese restaurant that they have in our town. It'll take too long, and too much money to go to China and back. We've never excited out of the country that we live in."

"You never visited to any other country in your world?" He said out in surprise. I took my last spoonful of Chinese food that I've had, ate it, and shook my head as a no. Sonic looked at the rest of my friends. "What about you guys?"

They all either shook their heads, like I did, or answered a no.

"Remember Sonic, people in this world don't live the same lives as we do in our world. I can tell that this world is more focused on reality other than fantasy." Shadow explained thoroughly to Sonic. The blue hedgehog made a smirk.

"You know…I'm pretty sure that all of those Harmonic things aren't just located in this place or even the country that you live in. Once we find one of them, we can teleport anywhere in your world to find the rest of them! How about that for an adventure?" Sonic said while he pointed at me. My heart started to race in excitement.

Anywhere in the world…

"Every country in the world!" Chelsea loudly asked Sonic, almost freaking out. Sonic looked almost freighted of her reaction, and then he nodded.

"Oh my gosh! Court! We can go to Japan!" She said shrieking while looking at me, her voice up high.

Dylan touched my left shoulder. "Not if we go to Italy first, right Court?" He looked me while he tilted his head and smiled big.

"Hey Dylan! We made plans for this a long time ago! So Japan first!" Chelsea yelled at Dylan. Yet again, another argument had started.

"Nope. Italy." Dylan said replied to her short and sweet.

"I was friends with her first!"

"Doesn't matter."

"She likes Japan better!"

"Psh! No she doesn't."

"Stop!"

"No, you stop."

The argument went on and on even after we finished dinner, and placed our plates into the kitchen. When we gotten back into the living room, Trevor butted in and told the both of them that he and I are going to Paris, France first. This left him by being hit on the back of his head by a pillow that I grabbed off a nearby couch.

"I was only kidding!" Trevor begged for mercy and tried to shield himself, but I kept hitting him anyway.

"Sure, Trevor…Sure."

Once that was over and done with, all of us played more games on the game consoles that I had, and then talked a little bit with one and other for at least an hour. As the conversations faded away one by one, we all fell asleep. But even through we were sleeping; we were still excited for the adventure that awaited us in the morning.