With the new job I got, back in October, it's been hard to concentrate, which is why it took me so long to update, but thanks to my good friend, Insanity Allegra, who has helped me out the whole way through, I've also been able to update much sooner than I would have on my own, so here is my Christmas present to my loyal readers:
After some struggling, Manic had been able to stand on his own two feet again- literally!
He'd been in bed for several days by the time he woke up, so while getting up wasn't exactly learning to walk, all over again, he'd nearly lost his balance a few times before it finally kicked in and he could keep himself upright without assistance. A welcome change from having to wheel himself around like a motorized casket, but everyone else was still cautious, still unsure about his wound healing as quickly as it had, and what caused such, so they all kept an eye on him as he walked himself to the exit.
Down the hallway stood the duck that remembered the first time he'd seen him walk in this same building. As much as Dr Quentin wanted to go home and resume his day off, he preferred to stay and make sure there were no other problems with the boy he'd checked up on since before the first time he'd learned to walk. Watching Manic struggle to take his first steps in almost a week brought back memories of the time he'd seen a smaller green hedgie enter his office and walk toward him with his arms outstretched, as if asking to be held…though, in hindsight, it was probably because baby Manic needed help staying upright. To see it happening all over again made him long for happier days, when Jules and his family all had a spark in their eyes, and a spring in their step that was absent even now, after getting their long lost child back. It was also a stark reminder of how fragile every person was, beneath the brave face they put on.
Slowly catching up with the boy's parents, he turned to see Aleena visibly wounded by the sight in front of her, if the tears were any indication. He noticed she seemed split between helping Manic and letting him find his footing. Placing his hand on her shoulder, the duck whispered to her, "I understand it's hard to watch, but let him find his own strength again, and he'll recover faster."
The lavender hedgehog turned her gaze to him, a mixture of pain and confusion, and asked, "Do you have any idea what it's like to lose a child?"
Knowing it was impossible to fully relate, Horatio gave her his best guess.
"I imagine it's like losing a part of your very soul. It's how I'd feel if I lost one of my kids," he began, "but while I wouldn't want to see them broken, neither would I coddle their every step. Just as a newborn bird will die if it is not allowed to break its own shell, so, too, will a traumatized child never heal if they're continually reminded of what happened to them, rather than what they're capable of."
Aleena silently pondered his words as she returned her attention to her prodigal son who seemed to be struggling to get outside, where Chuck and Jules waited, making sure no stalker was around. She knew the duck was right, but it still pained her to watch her once vibrant son so broken that he couldn't bring himself to walk outside.
Manic vividly recalled trying this a few days earlier, with considerably less success, thanks to significant blood loss, but even that paled next to the chill he felt from remembering how he'd once believed he'd never make it past the front door, that he'd never be free, and at the same time, he'd been afraid to go outside...
"They'll all know how bad you are…"
The warning still haunted him. Robotnik had repeatedly warned him everyone would know what he'd done, what he really was, and other manner of sins that his survival depended on hiding. The man had never explained what was so terrible about him, but after hearing it so many times- and being beaten enough after a few escape attempts- he truly believed going outside was a death sentence, that every random person he met would attack him for…he didn't know why, he just knew they would.
The doors ahead of him were automatic, so they'd open by themselves, once he got close enough, but somehow, that did nothing to ease his anxiety. If anything, it made him feel like he had even less control over what was happening. Walking out Robotnik's front door hadn't been as hard for him, despite the fact that he was dying, at the time, but that was also the reason why he had less difficulty with it. In both cases, he knew he'd be severely punished by whoever caught him outside, but when he first attempted it, he knew he wouldn't be around long enough to worry about it. He could satisfy his innate desire to be free, without the consequences that had been beaten into him. Now…he wasn't sure what to expect. He knew his dad and uncle were just outside, but part of him was sure they'd turn on him, the second he set foot outside. They'd assured him he was safe, but while there was nothing to suggest they'd go back on that promise, neither was there anything to fully convince him they wouldn't.
"You ok, Manic?" he heard Sonia ask him.
The emerald hedgehog turned his focus to his magenta furred sister, who'd been waiting to catch him if he fell, since he first got out of the wheelchair. The concern shown in her eyes, and in everyone else's, was the only thing that gave their assurances any weight. Acting like they cared was one thing, but seeing so much distress in their features, and knowing it was out of fear for his well being, was what made them seem sincere, setting them apart from Robotnik, who acted like what he did was for Manic's benefit, when he clearly couldn't have cared less about that.
It was comforting to know they were behind him, but he was still worried about what was in front of him.
"Will anything…happen if I go outside?" he asked, hesitantly, his ears drooping.
"What do you mean?" Sonia asked, not having a clue what was impeding him, this time.
"Robotnik…" Manic paused, hating the very memory of that man who'd taken away his ability to remember his family, but also a bit embarrassed to admit he was afraid of going outside.
"Robotnik what?" asked Aleena, softly.
"He…told me everyone...would know how bad I was," Manic replied, in a low, quivering voice.
No one said anything, because he'd told them everything they needed to know, and at the same time, no comforting words would suffice. Only deeds.
A moment or two passed, before Sonic got an idea, walked toward his brother, and took his hand.
"We'll do this together," he said.
Catching on, Sonia took Manic's other hand.
"Mom's got your back, we're at your side, and Dad and Uncle Chuck will make sure nobody tries anything outside," she said, firmly.
Feeling slightly more confident, the emerald hedgehog looked back at Aleena, who told him, "I'm right behind you."
Few words, but enough. Ready to put this unfamiliar place behind him and finally go home, Manic took a step forward…then another. His twin siblings held his hands as he neared the final barrier between him and the outside. A thin set of doors made of glass, but they might as well have been concrete slabs with they weight they put on Manic's shoulders just by being there. As he got closer, his pulse jumped when the doors suddenly parted, removing the final barrier between him and the forbidden world outside. He'd gotten close enough that the doors' sensors detected him, and now he was out of excuses for staying inside. He was still afraid to go outside, but the feeling of Sonic and Sonia's hands around his gave him the strength to press forward, like he did when he thought he had nothing left to lose.
"Time to put this behind you and come home," comforted Sonia.
Pondering her words, he thought back on what had previously been home to him. All he remembered was four walls, a hard floor, and a ceiling containing him, with fear as his only companion, when Robotnik wasn't beating him. Now, he was going somewhere different. He wasn't sure what awaited him at the end of the car ride, but he knew he would be accompanied by a brother, a sister, and two parents who cared very deeply for him.
Couldn't hurt to ask, though.
"What will it be like at home?" he asked.
Both siblings thought for a moment before Sonia replied, "It's where you feel like you belong. Not just a place to stay at."
Only Sonic knew what Manic was really asking: What is home? He didn't even remember. Sonia made a good point, but she still hadn't answered his question, leaving it up to him to clear things up.
"It's a big house on the edge of a lake, in a gated neighborhood that no one can sneak into."
Aleena added in, "Plus, Uncle Chuck and a few other officers will keep an eye out for Robotnik."
That held real appeal to the traumatized teenager. At least he'd be somewhere safe, with security, to boot.
"But first, you have to come outside," said Jules, who'd been listening to their conversation, and was now standing in front of the doors.
He was right. Manic had every reason to go with them, and no reason not to, but he'd never make it home if he didn't walk outside. Yet, he still had a problem on his mind.
"They'll all know how bad your are…"
"Will…" he began, "will anyone…be mad at me if they see me outside?"
"Why would they be? Most people in this area don't even know who you are!" said Sonia, incredulously.
Jules walked up to Manic, placed his hands on his shoulders, and told him, "All that bastard was doing was telling you lies to keep you from leaving. I know he didn't want you going outside, and that he would beat you if you did, but everyone back home has been wondering where you were, all this time, and will be thrilled to see you again, alive and well."
"And if anyone does try to hurt you, they'll have me and my buddies to get through," said Chuck, standing outside in a pose that seemed to emphasize the police uniform he was wearing, in case his point wasn't clear enough.
"You got the police force guarding our home. But most importantly, you got me and your father watching over you," spoke Aleena, putting her arms around her son.
"And no one will do more to protect you than your own parents," added Jules, placing his hand on Manic's shoulder, again.
"OR your brother and sister," chimed in Sonic, closing the distance between him and his twin, and giving him a bear hug.
"I won't let anyone touch you!" Sonia said, hugging Manic so tight that he thought he would suffocate.
Uncle Chuck stood outside, watching the warm family moment unfold, and took a calm satisfaction in knowing that 5 years of sleepless nights and distracted work would finally be coming to an end, before snapping everyone back to reality by reminding them that they still needed to get home.
Manic was still nervous, but this time, he had the confidence he needed to face the world he'd been hiding from, for so long.
Emerging from the front doors, at last, Manic felt chilled by the outside air, which was colder than he remembered it being when he left Robotnik's house, but he ignored it, instead focusing on what was ahead of him.
Having watched the entire thing from nearby, Quack basked in the pride he felt swelling within, seeing little Maurice not only surviving, but well on his way to thriving, taking his first steps to putting this all behind him- and all the while, knowing that he himself had played a part in it, and was content to let the rest of the boy's family take the reins. It would now be entirely up to them to get Manic through this.
Chuck knew it was unlikely that Robotnik would come here and attempt anything- certainly not with a uniformed officer standing so close to the boy- but he kept a look out, anyway, mainly to make Manic feel safer, since he'd already been through enough for one lifetime.
Jules stayed ahead of Manic, literally leading by example to show it was safe.
Aleena stayed behind him while his brother and sister flanked him, providing a visible security wall, of sorts. The friendly chatter also helped lighten the mood. In fact, Manic got so caught up in bantering with his siblings that he more or less forgot the seriousness of the moment until his hand was on the handle of the left rear car door. The touch of the handle carried some familiarity to it, and for a moment, he was standing outside a garage on a warm sunny day, pulling the same door open to climb in. Beyond that, he couldn't recall much, but he recognized the piece of his past that had been lost to him.
"Sweetie, is something wrong?" asked Aleena, from behind.
Looking back at her, Manic remembered that sliver of repressed memory, and felt recognition. He'd had evidence that Aleena was his real mother, but now he was beginning to feel that way, too.
Neither spoke, but they seemed to understand each other, all the same. The older woman placed her hand on his cheek, making the green hedgie relax enough that his eyes drooped shut while his free hand found his way to the one on his face.
"You made it all the way to the car!" Aleena whispered, gleefully.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, Manic could almost see a baby green hedgie struggling to walk on his two feet for the first time, with his violet furred mother cheering him on.
"You still gotta get in, though," Jules calmly reminded him.
Snapping out of his nostalgia haze, the green hedgehog turned back to the car door and pulled it open, and hesitated.
"Something wrong?" asked Aleena.
After a moment, Manic replied, "I feel like it should be bigger inside."
He was remembering more. That was a good sign.
"The car hasn't grown smaller, you've just gotten bigger," laughed Chuck.
Sonic and Sonia couldn't help chuckling with him.
Manic shrugged, then climbed in, crawling all the way to the other side, and quickly opened the other door, feeling claustrophobic at the tight, confined space he'd found himself in.
"It was getting tight in there," he told the others after seeing their confused stares.
"That's okay, you can ride with the window down," offered Sonia.
That seemed adequate. Manic sat on the far right side while Sonic sat on the left, leaving Sonia to sit between both brothers, for the first time in half a decade.
The mood in the rest of the car was equally wondrous, full of anticipation for a return to normalcy. Everyone was chatting excitedly about all the things they'd do, once they got home, including Manic, who couldn't help being caught up in the dream like moment, free of the fear and pain he'd grown accustomed to, taking in the undeniable reality that he was in a vehicle moving at high speed, out in the open. No way Robotnik could reach him here. For the first time, he felt total serenity, there in the family car, flying along an open road, the hum of the engine and the happy chatter of his family filling his ears, and the glow of the afternoon sun warming him. He relaxed himself against the car door, enjoying the outside scenery zipping by so fast that he had full confidence no one could reach him in his little mobile haven. That alone was too good to be true, and the more he enjoyed the peace it brought him, the more he drifted away from reality, slowly losing consciousness as his exhaustion from the day's events finally caught up with, and overtook, him. Everything gave way to comfortable darkness, and he lost track of time, as well as space, knowing nothing in the darkness he'd slipped into...
Until he felt something tugging at him.
The first thing he noticed, when he came to, was that he was still in the car, but it was completely dark, and for some reason, he was now laying on the floor of the vehicle. What worried him was that he was alone- save for a figure standing outside in the dark, pulling him out by his foot.
"NO!" he screamed defiantly, clutching at anything he could get his hands on.
Where had Sonic and Sonia gone? Where was his mom and dad?
He couldn't quite make out who the newcomer was, only that it blended in with the darkness, and his hand felt like ice.
It pulled harder this time, but not enough to yank him out, like it could have, as if toying with its victim.
"LET ME GO!" Manic shouted as terror filled him.
He rolled over, now on his stomach, and grabbed one of the front seats, trying desperately to remain in the car, though it was a futile struggle, as his attacker could easily do what he wanted right then and there, but seemed intent on pulling him out into the utter blackness surrounding the tiny vehicle.
Manic didn't know what the dark figure was planning, but every instinct inside of him was telling him to run- yet here he was, cornered like a rat, by a predator that appeared to regard his defiance more as a bad joke than anything else.
Looking at his attacker one more time, Manic recognized quills on the silhouette's head, indicating it was a hedgehog, except they also appeared to be frozen, as if covered in a murky layer of ice, shown by light from an unknown source, and only bright enough to see that kind of detail. Rather fitting that such an appearance chilled him to the bone, but, quite obviously, that didn't help him, and, in fact, weakened his grip on the seat he was holding onto, nearly breaking it, completely.
"Give up," growled the shadowy figure, it's voice masculine, deep, and more annoyed than angry.
However, the threat was thinly veiled; 'give-in-or-it-will-be-painful.'
Then he began to pull harder, now meaning to pry Manic from his makeshift cubby hole.
Panic set in, and the green hedgehog sank his claws into the seat, until it began to rip.
"Let go of me!" he shouted, feeling both fear and anger at having the hope he'd felt now inexplicably ripped from him, again.
The seat was ripping more, he had only seconds before it gave way, and he was torn out of his only means of safety.
"You'll never escape," mocked the Dark.
The sound of tearing reaching his ears, Manic looked back at his would-be kidnapper and thought he saw a smirk lining his shadowy features.
And those eyes…those sickly green eyes...
Then the part of the seat he'd been holding onto finally ripped.
Manic screamed, not for help, as that seemed beyond him, but in despair, because he was now truly beyond all hope. His eyes shut, he continued screaming and flailing about, no longer hoping for an escape, but refusing to give in to his fate, all the same, and did his best to keep the creature's icy hands at bay. In his fear crazed frenzy of self preservation, he heard the demon talking again, but its voice had suddenly grown lighter. What stood out to him, however, was that it was no longer telling him to give in, but to calm down, as if this were some perverse mind game it was playing.
"Manic, wake up!" it said, firmly.
Something about that caught his curiosity, and he opened his eyes to see light again. Daylight coming in through the car windows, once more. He was no longer alone in the car, in the dead of night, but out on the open road, surrounded by the Hedgethorn family, all of them looking very alarmed at his behavior, save for Jules, who was busy pulling the vehicle over.
Upon coming to a stop, Manic undid his belt, tore open the door, and ran outside, wanting to put what felt like a virtual prison behind him, and kept running until he collapsed in the grass, still feeling weak from the whole ordeal, while the recent excitement overwhelmed his nerves and stomach, making him feel nauseous. His head hung limp while he held himself up on all four limbs, like a beast on its last legs, and fought to regain his composure, but it quickly proved a losing battle when he vomited up the soup he'd had earlier, and continued dry heaving until he collapsed from dizziness.
Only in the soft grass, under the afternoon sun, did he feel calm enough to regain his senses. The frantic voices of his family surrounding him were vague murmurs in the wind, and he was too disoriented to comprehend which way was up or down as he was pulled to his knees, into someone's arms, but at least out here, he no longer feared for his life. As long as he was curled up in the arms of someone who cared about him, he felt at peace.
"Maurice…Maurice!" she said.
The green hedgie opened his eyes to see Aleena looking down at him, teary eyed as she hugged him, and he felt as if he were back on that snowy bank she'd picked him up on as a toddler.
"What's gotten into you?" she demanded, her voice quivering.
He thought back to the demonic hedgehog pulling him out of the car and began to wonder if the whole thing had been an all too real nightmare, a machination of his paranoia.
"What did I do?" he croaked.
"You were asleep, and then started freaking out!" Sonia nearly shouted, her eyes heavily watered.
"I think you were having a nightmare," explained Jules, who was knelt down beside Manic and Aleena.
"What do you remember?" asked Sonic, who was both fascinated and unnerved by what he'd witnessed.
Not wanting to revisit the dark reality he'd been trapped in, during his nap, Manic summed up the whole experience as quickly as he could, which made it sound far more mild than it really was, even to him, but there wasn't much more to explain than him being on the floor of an empty car at night with an icy hedgehog with green eyes pulling him out. He didn't expect them to understand the terror he'd experienced, but felt somewhat relieved when he felt five hedgehogs group hugging him tightly.
"I made a promise that I would keep such monsters away from your home," said Uncle Chuck, who'd followed them, "And I aim to keep that promise."
Hearing that brought Manic some comfort, allowing him to relax a bit in their collective embrace.
"If you have anymore nightmares, I'll be there to hug them away," promised Sonia.
"Whatever happened in the past will remain there. We're taking you home where you can, and will start over," said Jules, in a caring, but firm voice.
"And you'll have me to help you along," offered Sonic.
His words gave Manic confidence, as Sonic was the only one who knew about his memory problems. But he still felt shaken by the nightmare, and with the last one he'd had earlier that day now fresh in his mind again, he looked up at Aleena, wanting to see his mother without her turning into a monster. As if sensing that need, she smiled down at him and said, "Let's put all this behind us and go home."
He rested his head on her shoulder, feeling safer than he had all day. It was just like the sledding dream all over again, only this time, it would never end, and there would be no more monsters.
"Stay strong. For all of us," she whispered.
"For you, I will," he sighed, contentedly.
In a minute's time, they were back in the car, again, racing the setting sun home, once more, with Uncle Chuck close behind. After today, they all knew their trials were far from over, but they'd made it through their first one, and would stand together against whatever monsters continued to haunt Manic, who could take solace in knowing he wasn't alone...
Hope this was worth the wait, and don't worry about the next one, I've already started on it, so Merry Christ-mass to all you readers, and a good night. 0:)