It was 9 p.m. Amy was at her house, watching TV. She was wearing a tight black tank top and striped pajama pants. She hadn't done much since the party. Luckily her parents, who were now in their bed, sleeping, never found out where she actually went. Since they were sleeping when she got home, they assumed she'd gotten home when she was supposed to.
Amy got up and went to the refrigerator for a yogurt. She picked a strawberry flavored and almost sat down when she heard a knock on the door. Who could be here at this time of night, she wondered? She was tempted to run upstairs and go to bed, not answering the door at all. But she didn't. She quickly fixed her blond hair as she made her way to the door. The person there completely shocked her.
It was Matthew.
Matthew had remembered the address she gave him. It was a long walk from his house to hers, but he made it. He looked at Amy with a tired and hopeless expression, because he was tired and hopeless. Without a word, they embraced each other and locked lips. But Amy pulled away as she tasted his breath.
Matthew cleared his throat. "Um, hey," he said.
"Hey," she said back. "What happened to you? Why are you wearing… that?" she asked, pointing out his black unitard.
"It… It's a long story," he said. "I… I just…"
"Come inside," Amy said, taking his hand.
He walked in the house with her. "I, uh… Can… can I have something to eat? Please?"
"What happened to you?" Amy asked again.
It was then that Matthew was faced with a touch decision. He could tell Amy what really happened to him, or he could lie. The last thing he wanted was for her to find out he was the dreaded Shadow The Hedgehog. If he lied, what would he say? He covered his face with his hands, on the brink of crying. "I don't if I can…" he said.
"Just tell me," she said soothingly, coming to side and wrapping her arms around him.
He knew he had enough evidence to lie. His mom was gone, his house was empty, and he was on his own. He took a deep breath and avoided eye contact with Amy as he told her his made-up story:
"Okay… These guys… they broke into my house… They drugged me. They… They… My mom…"
"You don't have to tell me any more," she whispered, running her fingers through his grimy black hair.
"When I woke up," he continued, "I was in this—" he motioned at his unitard—"and I was on the side of the road." He was crying now. "I haven't eaten or brushed my teeth or anything since then."
"Shhh… You can stay here," Amy said, trying to look in his eyes. "I'll get you something to eat. Stay here."
As she left for the kitchen, Matthew realized he hadn't lied at all; he only left out the hedgehog part. His house had been broken into. He had been drugged. He didn't exactly wake up on the side of a road, but he did wake up close to one. These things made him feel better. But did they take his mom? He was sure of it. Next time she saw G.U.N., he would flatten them until they gave her back to him. He sat down on the couch, still teary eyed.
All negative thoughts about Matthew had been erased from Amy's mind. She thought he moved away, but it was much worse. His life had been taken away from him, and now he was all alone. No one deserved that, especially Matthew. The criminals of Westopolis had gone too far. Who knows what they were doing his mother? Rape? Torture? Death?
She returned with a leftover pork chop. She set the plate on the coffee table in front of him, but he only stared at it. Finally, something edible…
"Go ahead," Amy said. Matthew quickly grabbed it and greedily scarfed it down, not bothering to cut it up and eat it slowly. Amy sat by his side and pulled him into a loving hug.
"Are you going to be okay?" she asked him.
"…I don't know," he replied truthfully.
"Well, you can stay here, with me, for as long as you want. Mom and Dad will understand."
"Thank you," he said in an appreciative yet shaky tone. "Thank you so much." He rested his head on her shoulder and cried on it.
"Do you need anything else?" she asked. Without waiting for an answer, she said, "Why don't you get in the shower, and I'll get some of my dad's clothes for you?"
"You... You sure?"
"I'm sure."
"What if they don't understand? What if they-"
"They will," she assured him, dragging her fingers along his back.
A sigh of relaxation escaped his lips. "Okay, I guess I'll go, then. Where's the bathroom?"
"Down the hall, to the left."
"Okay." Matthew got up and headed to the bathroom. It was very nice and modern. There were two sinks, and the shower was huge. Matthew closed the door and stripped. He stepped in the shower and turned it on, letting the warm water wash over him. It felt so good. He couldn't even remember his last shower. It was at his house, and that's all he knew. The Roses' showerhead was quite large. It felt like it was raining on him. He just stood there, starting to fall asleep standing up. Soon his vision got cloudy from all the steam. He didn't realize how hot it was getting. He looked at the clock in the bathroom and cursed, realizing he'd been in there for over an hour. He quickly washed his hair and his body and got out. Some socks, a T-shirt, some pajama pants, and some underwear were waiting for him on the sink counter. A new toothbrush and toothpaste were there also. The unitard was gone. He put on the clothes and brushed his teeth for five minutes wanting them to be as clean as possible.
Amy was on the couch, waiting for him. She'd gotten a pillow and a blanket for him. She smiled when she saw him. He tried to smile back but couldn't.
"Ahem," a voice said. Matthew looked to see Amy's parents standing there. They didn't look too happy.
"We'll let you stay just for tonight," Amy's dad said. "Do you have any family?"
"Yeah," Matthew said, trying his best to be polite. "My grandpa, in Central City."
Amy spoke up. "I'll take him," she said before her parents could say anything.
"Good," said her father. With that, he walked off to bed.
"I'm sorry for your loss, dear," her mother said before she followed her husband. "No one should go through what you're going through."
"Thank you," said Matthew. After she'd left, he sat down by Amy. "So… I'll sleep here tonight?"
"Well, actually," Amy said, "I was thinking, you know, after awhile, when my parents are asleep, you could sleep in my room with me."
Matthew furrowed his brow. "With you? Am I allowed to do that?"
"Well… no. But you don't want to sleep on this small couch, do you?"
"I guess not… I don't know…"
"We won't do anything… weird, if that's what you're wondering."
Matthew nodded his head. "Well… Alright."
When it was midnight, Amy took Matthew to her room. It wasn't as girly as he thought it'd be. There was a desk, a closet, a mirror in the corner, and king-sized bed. Amy took his hand and practically threw him onto the bed. She crawled on beside him and got under the covers. Matthew figured he should do the same.
"This is, um… a nice bed," he said awkwardly. He spoke in a whisper.
"Thank you," she whispered back, pressing her body against his side and wrapping her arms around him. They lay there in a long silence.
"I'm scared, Amy," Matthew said, breaking the silence.
"I know you are," she said. "And I'm scared for you."
"Do you think my mom's… dead?"
"Amy hesitated. "You have to hope for the better," she said. "Soon things will be back to normal. I promise."
Matthew almost laughed. She didn't know what happened to him. She didn't know about Shadow The Hedgehog. Things could never get back to normal.
She kissed his cheek while caressing the other. "Get some rest, Matt. Tomorrow we'll go to Central and meet your grandpa or whoever."
While Amy was sleeping, Matthew just lied there. It felt like hundreds of things were going through his mind. G.U.N., Maria, Gerald, Shadow, Amy... Now the desire of finding out more of who he was was poking at him.
When Amy woke up, Matthew was gone.