A big thanks to: WitchMiu, ShadowsAngel1, Stormyx, AwesomePancakes707, Poetic Gamer, RealDove-Staar, Chaotic hedgehog, The High School Hero, Wolf star1500, gamerprincess13, Mobius Freak, sugarangel0417, Steve993, DidntMakeDeletingAccountEasy, ShinigamiAkira7, nightRay103, HoneyHoneyBuns, Cosmo7Tails, MindlessGurl2000, Fables-and-FairyTale, soniccore27, MustHaveZelda, Eli Swafford, ToxicWolf1132, EraganShan, Greekolympyus, Fate is me, queenacex, bearvalley3365, finallyexploded, GuestKori, Alphastorm, Kyyurila, CamilionOrgon and Chaotic Reflections! I seriously didn't expect this many reviews on the first chapter! THANK YOU! :'3
WitchMiu - WHOOP WHOOP! :DDD
ShadowsAngel1 - Thank you so much!
Stormyx - Aw, thank you very much! Hmmm, we'll have to wait and see how the plot progresses and when the mean girl comes into the light... ;D
AwesomePancakes707 - I completely agree with you, and don't worry, a lot more time will be devoted to all of the characters, compared to MMG!
Poetic Gamer - Eeek, I'm so glad you like it! Thank you so much!
RealDove-Staar - Haha, I certainly hope so! xD
Chaotic hedgehog - Whooooooo! Well, good news, Tailsmo will get a lot more coverage in this story than MMG! :D Aw, thank you!
The High School Hero - Thank you very much! Hahaha, wow, I'm throwing out the tension right off the bat, unintentionally! Awh, I really hope this story lives up to your expectations!
Wolf star1500 - Thank you so much!
gamerprincess13 - Thank you! :D I'm glad that this story has already got a touch of mystery to it! Aw, thank you!
Mobius Freak - Dun dun dun! Haha, don't worry, I guarantee so much more drama, tension, betrayal and tense moments! Aw, thank you — that's very true, regarding the title, but I decided that I wanted to separate STIL from MMG a little bit, as the atmosphere will change a little bit and the themes are a little more adult, as the series has matured. N'awww, thank you!
sugarangel0417 - Thank you very much! :D
Steve993 - Thank you so much!
DidntMakeDeletingAccountsEasy - Thank you ever so much for your awesome review! Your reviews are strong in my mind as I'm publishing the edits of this story, as I am shamed by my terrible betrayal of university, when I started writing this! Now, as I'm editing this, I'm at university myself and I feel that I have a much better stance to describe uni for these characters, and therefore there's a lot that needs to be changed! But it was you who brought this to my attention, first of all, and I am very grateful for that!
ShinigamiAkira7 - Thank you very much! Aw, haha, I'm glad!
nightRay103 - Thank you! :D
HoneyHoneyBuns - Thank you so much! :3 Ooh, I can't promise any of the old characters emerging at this point, but I wouldn't rule it out!
Cosmo7Tails - Thank you!
MindlessGurl2000 - Aw, thank you so so so much! That is so lovely to hear and it has made my day!
Fables-and-FairyTale - Gahhh, thank you very much!
soniccore27 - That is so sweet and lovely to hear! Thank you ever so much, I really appreciate you taking the time to tell me! :3
MustHaveZelda - THANK YOU! Don't feel bad at all, feel free to write whatever you want! I'd love to hear how your writing is going! :D
Eli Swafford - Don't be silly! Aw, thank you! Haha, I'm honoured!
ToxicWolf1132 - Thank you so much for checking out my Wattpad story, I really, really appreciate it and I'm so glad you're enjoying it! Haha, it'd be interesting to see how Grey handled Amy's situation! xD Thank you!
EraganShan - That's so sweet, thank you! That's the nicest thing to hear, that you're enjoying it! More Knouge to come, don't worry! ;D
Greekolympyus - Thank you very much! And no, I'm not Japanese, I'm actually British :D
Fate is me - XD
queenacex - Thank you! No, you're not being mean at all, constructive criticism is something that I always appreciate and want! You're absolutely right about the Amy and Cream friendship, in comparison to Sonic and Tails, and in my edits I have made an effort to emphasise this even more. Thank you, and no, not at all!
bearvalley3365 - Dun dun dun xD
finallyexploded - Thank you so much for all of your advice and editorial tips. They were extremely helpful and I referred to it a lot when editing Chapter 1! Whilst this chapter does require a lot of character introductions and development, I'm very much working to split up their 'screen' time throughout this story, and rest assured, this perfectness of it will not last long. Thank you for taking the time to review, I really appreciate it!
GuestKori - Thank you very much for your support! I hope things have improved for you; stay strong! *heart* I really hope you enjoy the rest of this story!
Alphastorm - Thank you very much for your support. To be fair, he had some valid opinions and I'm always interested to hear how I can improve, as long as it's constructive criticism!
Kyyurila - Oh wow, thank you!
CamilionOrgon - Your wish is my command! ;D
Chaotic Reflections - I believe I've replied to your review on PM, Chaotic, but as always, you're awesome, I love you and thank you for always encouraging and supporting me! *heart*
Chapter 2: New Faces
(...Sonic's P.O.V...)
I folded my arms and leant against the doorframe, watching as Amy methodically unpacked her suitcase. She'd protested against me carrying her bags up to her room, but I'd stuck to my guns and adamantly lifted them up the stairs.
Knuckles had gotten the worse deal, carrying Rouge's stuff. Her suitcases were considerably heavier than Amy's. The echidna had gotten redder than I'd ever seen him before, by the time he reached her room.
I'd offered to help Amy unpacked, but she'd refused.
"Sonic, you've done so much for me already. I can take it from here," She gave me a quick hug, before carrying on with her unpacking. I shrugged.
"If you're sure," But I teasingly narrowed my eyes, "Or are you tryna hide something from me?"
Amy laughed, "Oh yeah, I've got secret sexy pictures of Shadow in my suitcase."
I raised an eyebrow, "Oh really?"
"I'm kidding, Sonic," She giggled, "Of course I haven't. I like you, you know that."
"Heh. That's good, 'cause I like you too."
"Ugh. Sonic," Knuckles appeared in the hallway, coming out from Rouge's room, and started to make gagging noises, "Since when did you turn into a blue version of Silver?"
"Hey!" Blaze yelled from inside her room, which was next door to Amy's, "Take that back!"
"Oh geez," I sighed, making Amy giggle.
I bounded into the boys' flat, excited to see what everyone was up to. From the kitchen, in the hallway, there was Tails' room, then mine, then Knuckles', then Silver's and finally Shadow's. I stuck my head into Tails' room and saw that he was unpacking a mountain of inventions and electrical devices from his bags. Knuckles hadn't arrived back in the flat, as he was still traipsing up the stairs, with energy low after carrying Rouge's bags. Silver and Shadow were chilling in the kitchen, with the grey hedgehog sitting at the table, whilst Shadow seemingly slept on the sofa.
There was a blue suitcase in the middle of the room. A note was attached to the handle. Confused, I looked at Silver.
"It came for you," He explained, "Some strict accommodation rep came along and told us that this was yours."
"But I didn't leave anything behind. I didn't really bring much," I muttered, frowning.
"Well, read the note and find out who it's from," Silver suggested. I glanced over to find Shadow staring, interestedly.
"Dear Sonic," I read from the note, aloud, "I know you didn't take any cases, but you can't start university without anything at all. You should have everything you need in here. I know you'll be fine. Make us proud and work hard! Love Mum, Sonia and Manic. PS Manic says not to get too side-tracked by Amy."
"Your brother's... got a point..." Knuckles had slumped into the kitchen while I was reading. He was seriously out of breath.
"Shuddup, Knucklehead," I playfully teased, "Manic knows nothing about girls. And I'm not getting side-tracked by Amy!"
"No way. You couldn't spend a day without mentioning her or talking to her," Silver challenged.
I folded my arms, "I so could! I just think that's a bad idea."
"Bad idea 'cause you'd miss her too much?" Knuckles grinned.
"Nah, I don't want to be on the receiving end of her hammer when she realises I'm ignoring her."
Amy had a rather short temper. It was something that I liked about her but, when she lost that temper, her Piko Piko hammer would usually come into play. She'd been given it for her sixteenth birthday and I couldn't say I was entirely glad that she owned such a dangerous weapon.
"Faker's got a point," Shadow piped up, "If Amy found out, she'd come after you lot."
"Okay. Maybe it is a bad idea," Silver agreed.
Knuckles snickered and glanced at the grey hedgehog, "Scared of Amy Rose, Silver?"
"No, I'm scared of the abnormally-large hammer that she carries."
At this point, Tails entered the kitchen and greeted us. He was carrying his self-crafted mini red radio and he turned it on. Pop music blasted from the speakers, and I started to tap my foot in time to the beat, as I unzipped my bag and had a rummage around.
Silver was the first to join in and sing. I couldn't resist, happening to know the lyrics to the song, and half-heartedly started to breakdance next to Silver. Tails giggled, appreciatively, and Knuckles bobbed his head, rhythmically.
Shadow looked like he wanted to sink into the floor. "How am I friends with you?" He quietly asked himself.
As the rap started, Knuckles got into the spirit and spit out a few bars.
"It's funny how all the guys who have girlfriends are singing this love song," Tails noted, but I wasn't going to let him off that easily.
"Well, start singing then, buddy, 'cause you've got Cosmo!" I grinned and tackled him to the floor. He broke into a heap of laughter as I started to tickle his sides.
"Sonic! Stop! I'm not—dating—Cosmo! Let—go!" Tails was hysterical when I finally stopped. He was panting, as he wiped tears from the corners of his eyes.
"That's what you get for teasing, lil' bro," I let up and lifted him to his feet, before continuing to unpack. I pulled out two photo frames and smiled to myself. One had a picture of my whole family: Mum, Manic, Sonia, me and even my dad, who I didn't have many photos off since he'd taken off when me and my siblings were little. The other photograph had a picture of my last birthday, when the gang had thrown me a surprise party. Everyone was there and it was one of my favourite photos.
There was a knock at the door of our flat, and Silver got up and went to answer it.
I placed the photos beside me and rooted through the rest of my stuff. There were sports books, spare shoes, my phone, socks, gloves, quills brushes, toiletries, dry food, cooking utensils...
The Amy doll that Cosmo had made for me.
Cosmo had given it to me on mine and Amy's half-aversary. It was a chibi-style version of Amy, the exact colour of her quills and with a small red dress on the body. Big red boots were sewn onto the feet, giving it more of a cartoon feel. Jade-green buttons symbolised her eyes, making the doll look really cute.
She'd also given Amy a chibi-doll version of me. It was royal-blue, like me, with a big head, pointy ears and a small body. Blue spikes poked out from the back of the head and emerald-green buttons were sewn on as eyes. It even had red running shoes on the feet.
I picked up my Amy doll, wondering if she still had hers. Chuckling to myself, I gave it a quick nod, before heading over to the suitcase to pack it away again. But, before I could put it away, it was snatched out of my hand and I was pushed to the side.
"What the—?"
I grunted, before turning and looking to the stranger who had barged his way into our kitchen, with Silver protesting at their intrusion, in the background. A green hawk was smirking above me, leaning against a hoverboard. Goggles were plastered to his head and he straightened them, before tapping the board and getting close to me. The doll was still in his free hand.
"Who's this loser?" He laughed, turning to his friend, who was a grey albatross. The friend was large and tall, with his own goggles strapped to his head. Knuckles was sizing him up, with clenched fists. The albatross glared back, cracking his knuckles.
"I'm lookin' at 'im," Knuckles growled, stepping to my side. I frowned and stood up, before holding my hand out to the hawk. He tilted his head to one side, as if he were confused about my request.
"I think you'll find that's mine," I told him. He looked at the doll before bursting into laughter. The albatross joined in.
"You hear that, Storm?" The hawk nudged the albatross, "Blue here wants his dolly back."
"Our friend made that," Silver marched over, looking oddly menacing, "So I'd give it back, if I were you."
The hawk smirked and pushed Silver backwards with the tip of his board, "What're you gonna do about it?"
"Do not touch him," Shadow was immediately awake and on his feet. His expression was not to be taken lightly. Tails flew over to us, not wanting to leave us to fight by ourselves.
"Boss, want me to take a few of them out?" The albatross, Storm, jerked his head towards Knuckles, but he waited for the hawk's reply.
The green hawk grinned, "Not yet, Storm. They might be the challenge that I've been waiting for. Are any of you racers?"
Silver slung his arm around my shoulders, "You're looking at the fastest thing alive, right here!"
The hawk's eyes bugged, "You? Blue? The fastest thing alive? Yeah, right!"
"It's true!" Tails defended, outraged, "Sonic's speed is infamous!"
"Sonic the Hedgehog," The hawk jerked his thumb towards himself, "I'm Jet the Hawk. I guess you think you're pretty fast on your feet. But I'm all about the Extreme Gear." Jet tapped his hoverboard as proof.
"Alright," I grinned, rubbing the underneath of my nose, "I'd like to see what your floating board can do. How about a race, then, Jet the Hawk?"
Jet laughed, "I like your attitude, Blue. But we've only just arrived. We don't we give it a while before I publicly humiliate you?"
"You might be right. I wouldn't want everyone to think you're a slow loser on your first day."
Jet shot me a mocking smirk, before he turned on his heel and headed towards the door. However, he stopped in his tracks and held up the doll, inquisitively.
"One last thing," He called, "Who's the girl?"
"My girlfriend," I said, simply. I didn't want Ames to get harassed by this guy because I'd given him her name.
"Hmm. She's kinda cute," Jet tossed it into the air behind him, casually. I sped forward and caught it before it fell onto the floor. Jet huffed in amusement, "You seem pretty smitten."
Without another word, Jet clicked his fingers, as a signal for Storm to follow him out of the room.
"Fuckin' jerk," Knuckles muttered.
I nodded, "You're telling me."
Shadow joined my side and gave me a side-long glance, "Are you going to race him?"
"I guess I'll have to have a think about it," Confidently, I winked at Shadow, "But he'll be no match for me."
"We'll see," Shadow's spine straightened, as he turned to the rest of the guys, "For now, we should head to matriculation."
We all nodded and grabbed anything we needed to take with us. I placed my doll back into my suitcase and smiled. Time to go and see the real Amy.