I'm not super happy with this chapter. I couldn't place my finger on why it bothered me, though. It seemed boring, but I couldn't tell how. It seemed wordy, but I couldn't tell what to cut. Eh, sometimes you just have lemons.
Re-Harakhty: Sorry I missed your review last time. I think I hit "publish" right when you submitted. Good to see a familiar name again, and I'm happy you're liking the story! :D
SAOMNYIC: Glad you liked it! ^0^ Thanks for reviewing!
I may be working on a new Shadaze, as I dearly miss my favorite couple. It's still in the brainstorming phase though, so we'll see how that goes. Anyway, on with the story! Have a good evening!
11: Spring Break I: Long Drives and Loud Songs
The flat fields of the countryside stretched out in every direction from the highway. Amy breathed in deeply for the umpteenth time, relishing the fresh air and sun. Silver had long since stopped complaining about Knuckles' music choice, which was mostly caused by Shadow reaching across the seat to smack him in the back of the head. Espio was finally awake, leaning against the window and watching for sheep out in the fields. Shadow and Blaze had moved up into the middle seat, feeling more sociable now that they'd been on the road for a while.
"Knuckles," Silver drawled, tapping his foot against the back of the passenger seat, "play something fun."
"What kind of fun?" Knuckles asked flatly. His thumb was already hovering over the playlist titles on his mp3 player.
"Something we can sing to! You gotta sing on road trips!"
Knuckles' brows knit and he scrolled faster, "Um.. okay, let's try this." A loud guitar riff galloped through the vehicle, rousing the relaxed passengers. For once, a wide grin spread across Silver's face.
"Yes! Perfect!"
The drums kicked in and Amy perked up, "Hey, I know this song!"
"Then you can sing it!" Silver started flailing to the music. The others all mumbled their pleasure at the song choice. In a matter of moments, a chorus of voices rattled along with the radio.
"Can we forget about the things I said when I was drunk? I didn't mean to call you that..."
Silver stretched almost to standing to hit the high notes as Sonic, Shadow, Vector and Knuckles growled along in the background. Espio, Blaze, and Amy all sang along in the mid section, not quite as enthusiastic as their albino friend. They all leaned close together as the chorus approached then splayed out like a firework of limbs and sound.
"PLEASE TELL ME WHY! My car is in the front yard and I'm sleeping with my clothes on! I came in through the window last night and you're gone..." They all laughed and continued on, Sonic and Silver eventually wove their arms across Amy's shoulders and rocked side to side. She was too caught up in the rush to care, only smiling and singing along with the rest. Vector looked in the rear view mirror, smiling at the happy group of younger adults in the van seats.
"PLEASE TELL ME WHY!" Amy shouted, not caring whether or not she was on key. She caught Blaze and Shadow leaning together and pumping their fists with their eyes closed. For once, they looked completely carefree.
"MY CAR IS IN THE FRONT YARD! AND I'M..."
"SLEEPING WITH MY CLOTHES ON!"
"I CAME IN THROUGH THE WINDOW LAST NIGHT," Sonic, Knuckles and Espio tried to harmonize their yelling, but failed.
The whole van all sang soulfully, "And you're gone, gone... Ah-OOOOO!"
The guitar and drums clashed together and the passengers sang different parts as though they were in a choir, giggling when Sonic's voice cracked during his opera mockery and when Knuckles kept singing after the song had closed out. Amy leaned back in her seat, wiped her tears of laughter away.
"Oh my goodness," she breathed. "That was too much fun."
"Perfect timing, too!" Vector roared from the driver's seat. He lifted a hand to point ahead of them, where a small town lay in the distance. It was built around a train station that looked at least a hundred years old. Just past the town was an exit where the highway turned into a rocky, two-lane road leading into the foothills and, eventually, the mountains. Vector slowed as they entered the town, "I need to stop for gas. Do you guys wanna grab anything from the corner store while I fill up?"
Sonic's half-lidded eyes burst fully open, "Chili dogs!" He pressed himself against the window as they pulled into a rusted, old gas station. As soon as Vector put the van in park, Sonic yanked the door open and sped away. Amy blinked into the bright, late-noon sun, shielding her eyes with a hand. Knuckles opened his door and got out on the other side, stretching. Espio sighed comfortably before unbuckling himself and sliding out after Sonic. Silver crouched and squeezed between the seats and Amy, turning to offer her a hand.
"Care to come along?" His yellow eyes shimmered pleasantly. Amy nodded happily, taking his hand and jumping out of the van. They started to walk away, but she paused to check on Shadow and Blaze. The two had already kicked their feet up onto the row in front of them and they were sharing a hand-held gaming console of some kind.
"You guys comin'?" Amy asked warmly. Shadow waved a hand and Blaze shook her head.
"Nah. We'll be in Knothole soon enough, so we'll just wait till then."
Amy smirked. It was finally starting to sink in just how much the stoic pair seemed to be chained together. They were inseparable. Something about that made her heart warm and fuzzy and she resolved to tease Blaze about it if she could ever work up the nerve.
"Amy, come on!" Silver called from the street corner. She bounded up to him. He linked his arm with hers playfully and then led her down the small main road of the town.
"So, where is this place?" She peered curiously through the windows of all the tiny shops lining the street. Silver shrugged and narrowed his eyes, scanning for signs of Sonic up ahead.
"It's just a blip on the map called Acorn Cut-off, barely a town by population standards. Sonic's been coming here for years, every time there's the slightest hint of a break or vacation. As long as we've known him, anyway." Amy hummed in understanding. They caught up to Sonic inside a tiny general store a block away from the gas station. He was standing at the counter, stroking his chin as he perused the glass case displaying hot dogs spinning on a metal rack. A weary squirrel stood behind the counter. He blinked dryly.
"Have you decided what you want?"
Sonic narrowed his eyes, turning to look at the ancient-looking menu dangling over the counter, "Yeah... I'll have two chili dogs and uh, one of those lemon-lime sodas, I guess." The squirrel pulled two hot dogs from the rack and prepared them. Sonic turned to Amy and Silver, "Oh, hey." He ran his hands through his quills, "You slowpokes have finally caught up."
"Where's Espio?" Amy stood on her tip toes to see over the shop's shelves, "I thought he came after you."
"Nah," Sonic waved a hand in the direction of the street, "he's stopping at the bookstore next door."
"Oh man," Silver suddenly pressed a hand to the glass case, "they have taquitos!" He and Sonic began to fervently discuss various gas-station and corner store foodstuffs. Amy walked deeper into the store, chuckling to herself when she found the souvenir section. It was filled with the usual bizarre statuettes and key-chains that were plastered with unfunny jokes about the town. The snow globes were all filled with artists' renditions of acorns. She moved past the shelf and onto the drinks section, where she grabbed a strawberry milk for herself and some sodas for Shadow, Blaze, Vector and Knuckles. When she reached the front counter again, Sonic and Silver were arguing over whether or not macaroni and cheese from a corner store counted as its own type of food. The squirrel cashier looked distraught. She laughed and placed the her items on the counter with Sonic and Silver's orders.
"I'll pay, this time."
That seemed to catch the two other hedgehogs' attention. Sonic tried to reach around her to swipe his debit card, "Not on my watch, Ames!"
She playfully shoved him away, "Oh, come on... You guys paid for Twinkle Park and all that. I have my allowance this time!" Sonic pouted. Silver threw an arm over his shoulders.
"Hey, she's a grownup. She can treat us if she wants to." He waggled his eyebrows, "We're gonna be treating her later anyway, ya know?" He and Sonic shared a conspiratory chuckle, rubbing their hands together. Amy giggled nervously and grabbed the bag from the cashier before jogging back to the car. Soon, everyone was piled back inside and they were on their way. The van pulled off onto the exit and they were surrounded by towering trees. The road went up... and up... Deep in the foothills, there were breaks between the trees. Amy saw wide, blue rivers rushing through the hills, bordered by rocky shores. The setting sun glinted off the currents.
"So, where exactly is Knothole?" Amy asked.
Knuckles gave a short, booming laugh, "Ha! In the middle of nowhere."
Sonic snorted, "Knuckles, you live on Angel Island. You have no room to talk!"
The echidna frowned, "But Angel Island is in the middle of the ocean. The ocean isn't nowhere!"
Sonic waved a hand at their surroundings, "And neither is West Mobius."
Amy tapped Knuckles' shoulder, "Where's Angel Island? That's a pretty name!"
He puffed out his chest proudly, "It is a pretty name! For a pretty island! It's miles and miles west from the coast. Maybe we can all go there together sometime!"
"Then you're dad will talk our ears off about 'guardianship' and all that..." Blaze muttered under her breath. Shadow stifled a dark chuckle. Amy wondered if she should ask, but Knuckles was already describing his home in vivid detail.
It was six o'clock and they had nearly exhausted Knuckles' extensive music library. Sonic's legs had started bouncing uncontrollably due to his restlessness. Silver was antsy as well, rocking back and forth and humming along with the music. Amy was dozing.
"We're here!" Vector cried happily, startling Amy out of her catnap. She peered through the twilight, observing the new setting. They had just driven into the midst of a small town, though not quite as small as Acorn Cut-off. The buildings were Victorian style, showing their age in a stately manner. The main street was filled with lit shops and groups of pedestrians. Amy thought it all looked nice and homey. The van continued into the residential area and Amy perked up, curious to see what kind of house Sonic lived in. She grew confused when they passed the outskirts of town and kept going.
"Um... wasn't that Knothole?"
"Yeah!" Vector nodded, "But we aren't staying at some boring house! We're going camping!"
"What?" Amy blinked. She suddenly realized why they had all packed so much luggage.
"It's tradition!" The crocodile grinned, showing off his sharp teeth in a friendly manner. They turned off on a dirt road and eventually pulled to a stop on a gravel semi-circle facing a stand of trees. "Okay, everybody grab your bags! You know the drill! Except you, Amy, but I'm sure one of these guys will help you out." He got out and opened the side panel of the van, moving on to open the back. The passengers all exited the vehicle, stretching. Sonic grabbed Amy's bag when she pulled it from the pile.
"I got this, Ames." He flashed her one of those smiles that made her belly feel like jello. She tugged on the strap of her bag.
"N-no, it's fine! I'm a big girl."
He shook his head, "I insist. It's a bit of a walk to the campsite." He moved his face close to hers and winked, "Don't want you getting too tired before the real fun starts." Unable to argue with his green eyes so close, she simply gasped a bit and nodded in agreement. When everyone was loaded up, they trekked up a small trail in the trees. Everyone was chatting amiably, the excitement for the break setting in fully. Butterflies fluttered in Amy's stomach as she felt the mood shift.
This is my first time staying with new people...
A light flickered through the trees in the distance. They continued up the trail until they burst through the trees. They were standing in a circular meadow which extended enough in any direction to house several tents. In the middle of it all was a huge campfire. A couple small tents were already set up beside it. Amy noticed a cute rabbit sitting on a log bench by the campfire wearing an orange romper. She cracked a wide smile when she noticed the group.
"It's Mr. Sonic! And everyone!" She flapped a hand at one of the tents, "Tails, Mr. Sonic is here!" A fox with two tails and wearing goggles popped out of one of the tents, his long, springy bangs bouncing after brushing against the tent door. He examined the new group of people standing in front him and frowned.
"You're late! Cream and I set up ages ago!" He leaned back on his hip and tapped a foot. Sonic threw down his bags and bounded over to the fox, laughing. He gripped him in a loose choke hold and rubbed his knuckles against his head.
"Nice to see ya too, Tails." Sonic snickered as Tails struggled against his hold. "For all you've grown, you haven't gotten any stronger, little bro."
Amy's eyebrows shot up, "Little brother? Really?"
Tails sagged in Sonic's arm and sighed, "Not biological... I'm adopted."
"Oh," Amy winced, "sorry."
Sonic finally released his hold and Tails stood, straightening his goggles, "Don't be. I'm not concerned about it. But I am concerned about my brother being totally terrible at answering his texts!" He whirled on Sonic, jabbing a finger into his chest, "I texted you like fifty times!"
Sonic pulled his phone out, letting out a low whistle, "Try seventy-five. Anyway, Tails, buddy, just sit back and relax. We're all here, now."
Tails sniffed, "You're just glad I saw fit to grace you with my presence." Amy bit her lip, unsure if he was joking or not. Knuckles stomped over and swatted Tails in the head.
"Hey now, when'd you get all mouthy? What happened to the cute kid who used to follow us around everywhere?"
The rabbit, who Amy assumed was the 'Cream' Tails mentioned, skipped over, "Tails has just been looking forward to this trip! He really missed Mr. Sonic!"
Tails' cheeks flushed, "I-I..."
"Aw!" Sonic pulled the fox into a vice-like hug, "I missed you too, little buddy!"
Tails just slumped, "...Whatever."
Cream noticed Amy hovering half-behind Vector. She leaned over whimsically, smiling at the unfamiliar addition to the group, "Hi! We haven't met yet! I'm Cream!" She smiled so brightly her eyes crinkled up. Amy was encouraged at the sight and stepped forward.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Amy Rose."
"What a pretty name!"
Amy giggled nervously, "Oh... um, thank you!"
"I'm starving," Knuckles tossed his bag aside and set down the cooler he was carrying. "Let's get some food going!"
"Yeah," Shadow rumbled, "for once I agree with you." He and Knuckles started rooting through the cooler. Blaze and Espio quietly moved away to one of the tent pads in the circle and started setting up the rest of the shelters.
"O-oh." Amy had gone to the cooler to grab some sort of snack from one of the coolers, but blanched when she lifted the lid. It was chock full of... booze.
"Good call, Amy!" Knuckles, who was walking by, grabbed a beer and continued on his way. The others quickly surrounded her, asking to be handed this-or-that, or reaching next to her and helping themselves. Tails reached for a beer. Amy jolted.
"Hey! Aren't you underage?"
Tails' nose twitched, "N-no! Um... Sonic usually lets me drink anyway!"
Amy tilted her head, considering, "...I don't know... Are you sure?" Tails gulped. Sonic turned, hearing his name. He noticed the beer in Tails' hand and sauntered up, throwing an arm over his shoulders. He took the beer from the spluttering fox's grip.
"Thanks, Tails! Aw man, you know just what I need..." He popped it open, taking a large swig right in front of Tails' blue eyes. Tails threw his head back.
"Ugh! Please, Sonic? I just want one..."
Sonic swished a mouthful around, deliberating. He swallowed and handed the can back, "Just a sip." Tails excitedly tossed the can back and took a big gulp. He started coughing almost immediately, wiping his tongue with a hand and hacking.
"It's... gross! Why on Mobius do you drink that stuff?"
Sonic grabbed the can back, laughing, "Hey, man, you were the one who wanted it so bad you tried to pull a fast one on Ames! Don't think you can sweet-talk your way into tricking her just 'cause she's cute."
Tails flushed pink and extricated himself from Sonic's arm, "F-fine! I'm gonna go talk to Shadow!" He stomped away.
Sonic spun on his heel, "Actually, that's not a half-bad idea."
Tails paused, "What do you mean?"
"Yeah," Amy's brows knit, "what do you mean?"
Sonic grabbed Amy's hand and pulled her towards the campfire, "Amy, you gotta see this. It's time," he pulled a bottle of tequila from the cooler, "for 'Ask Drunk Shadow'."