Chapter 6
Shadow awoke late the next morning, yawning and stretching. His shift had ended last night at 6 am and the time on his clock read 11 am. The obsidian hedgehog rubbed his eyes and sighed, "Just once after my shift I'd like to sleep till at least noon…" He lied back down and closed his eyes. After a few minutes of tossing and turning, it was clear that he was not going to be falling asleep anytime soon. Shadow exited his room and listened to the quiet that permeated the air of the house. "Sonic? Knuckles? Tails?" There was no answer. Upon going into the kitchen, Shadow found a note scribbled in Tails' handwriting sitting on the counter.
It read, 'I've gone to the parts shop to get a few things for the machine. Sonic is at work and Knuckles left for the dig on Angel Island again. I should be back later this afternoon. Enjoy the peace and quiet while it lasts! –Tails'
At the last line, Shadow couldn't help but chuckle, "I think I'll do just that." After freshening up and getting some breakfast, Shadow flopped down on the couch, putting his feet up on the coffee table. He sighed contently, smiling to himself at being the only on there to claim the prized footrest. When everyone else was here there was often a lot of pushing and shoving to throw one's feet up on the small wooden table. While most of the furniture in the guys' home was 'well-loved', this poor little coffee table had received the most of this 'love'. Its sturdy oak surface was nicked, scratched, and full of other blemishes from the countless times that shoes were slammed down upon it.
After a little while of sitting and enjoying the peace, Shadow remembered the idea he had last night during his shift. He got and began to pace the house, giving more serious thought. Shadow reached the back of the house where everyone's rooms were located. His room was at the very back and been converted from a video game room. It had taken some doing but the extensive collection of games had been moved into the living room. Shadow had never been much of a decorator, so the walls of his room were most bare except for a few pictures depicting his new life.
On that side, Sonic's room was the next one down the hall. The speedy blue hero had left his door open and inside one could see that his walls were plastered with rock band posters, posters for various clubs that he DJ'ed for, and pictures. It was a little on the messy side with Sonic's various belongings strewn in places, but there seemed to be method to the madness as things that didn't have a home, were grouped together in like piles. Other things, like Sonic's favorite guitar, were tucked away carefully.
Directly across from Sonic's room and next to the bathroom, was Knuckle's bedroom. Knuckles had closed his door but Shadow had seen the inside of the room before. It was cleanest, most organized of all their rooms, Shadow coming in at a close second. Knuckles mostly had shelves on his walls that were lined with various souvenirs from the many digs and treasure hunts he had embarked on. Other than that, the only other noticeable thing in Knuckle's room was a couple of small book shelves filled with tomes about legends, mythology, and archeology.
Last but not least was Tails' room on the other side of Sonic. Tails' door was also cracked open. The walls were mostly dominated by framed blueprints; Tails liked to take his favorite and most successful ideas and hang them in his room for inspiration. Among these was the blueprints for his beloved plane, the Tornado. Next to each blueprint was a photo of the invention itself. It made for an interesting collage and testament to just how creative and ingenious Tails was. The young fox kept his room fairly neat, the bulk of his mess contained to his basement lab.
Having passed by all of the rooms, Shadow now reentered the living room. Once he rounded a small corner, he was in the kitchen and dining room. Still thinking quite hard, he nearly toppled over the scuffed up coffee table as he doubled back into the living for the third time. Having caught himself, Shadow straightened up and folded his arms, staring intensely at the little wooden table. "I could do it. I really could. And I could make a difference too." He said aloud. His ears perked up at the sound of a sputtering engine pull up briefly to the front of the house before puffing away. Shadow stepped out to see that the mail had arrived. It was the usual mix of junk, bills, and magazines as well as the daily paper. Shadow noticed with vague interest that the robbery from yesterday was one of the headlines. The accompanying photo was the mugshots of the two crooks. Shadow smiled as he dropped the mail on the kitchen counter and scribbled out a note, mumbling to himself, "That officer was right: I'm not a cop. Not yet!"
Author's Note: Oh boy Shadow, don't bite off more than you can chew! It seems like a career change is in his near future! Just a heads-up everybody, this story is kinda slow going and just might get stalled along the way. But in any case, please read, review, and most of all, enjoy!