The next day of school came sooner than I had planned- or wanted for that

matter. I swung out of bed after silencing my alarm- happy to realize the day was

Friday. I nearly collided into the hedgehog standing in my bathroom- removing

his bandages from a few hours prior.

He grumbled to me and I returned the noise. Even after everything that happened yesterday we still stood on thin ice with each other. His motives to keep me alive were unknown. Reason to kill me were well known.

I turned on the shower and shooed him out of my bathroom and got to my morning routine. He walked back into my bathroom after I had dressed and I was drying my hair. His injured quill looked rather strange- well stranger than normal. He caught my stare and gave me a rather intense "stop staring at me." expression.

Despite the hot air rushing around my head I still received a chill down my

spine.

A few minutes of silence passed and I had finished straightening my hair and

was the end process of applying my makeup. Shadow sat silently on my counter, picking up various products and reading their lables and fiddling with the rings on his wrist. "I'm going to look for the others while you're at school." he spoke up and I jumped from the break in the quiet. "Alright..." I finished my mascara "good luck with that."

"How do I get a hold of you?"

I gave him a questioning look. "Uhm... At 2:20?"

He snorted "Not when- I said how."

"Don't contact me until 2:20. We can't risk having more people see you."

"Pft-" He scoffed "Why the hell does it matter?" he leapt down from my counter and followed me downstairs as I collected up my book bag and supplies.

"Because. It just does."

"A lot of people already saw me- including that boy you where with yesterday." I froze- remembering the look on my boyfriend's face when shadow attacked the theatre. "Fuck that's right." I grabbed my keys and ran out to my car, unlocking it and jumping in. I looked back to shut the door and by the time I had shut it, shadow was in the passenger seat. I jumped and swore under my breath "You always do that." I let out a sigh "You probably screwed up everything." I hissed and spun the key in the ignition and I backed out of my driveway.

"Coming from the person who caused it all." he retorted.

"I didn't start jack shit! How is it my fault for protecting myself?"

"I told you to-" I slammed on the breaks, cutting him off mid sentence and I turned to him, pointing angrily. "Fuck what you tell me to do! You're in my world and staying at my house! I don't care how ultimate you are- you are not in charge here!" I yelled with boiling rage. He silenced with a glare and I continued driving to school.

He was quiet until I was exiting my car in my parking spot "We'll just see who's

in charge, girl." he sneered. "I better not see you face until after 2:20." I hissed and slammed shut the door. After I heard him get out I locked my car and walked away.

I inhaled deeply as I came around the corner inside that opened up to the

cafeteria. It was teaming with teenagers of all ages. I noticed a particular group was missing- my boyfriend and his friends.

I bit my lip and kept walking to drop off my bag in my first class. A pair of arms wrapped around me tightly and I freaked out. Struggling away and giving off a half scream- shoving away a very confused molly.

"Whoa whoa whoa!"

My breath began to slow but my heart kept up the fast pace. "Sorry you scared me." I mumbled. "Yea I could tell- dude, you look rough... Everything ok?"

"I just couldn't sleep very well last night- had some nightmares."

She nodded slowly and we entered the art room "Hey did you hear about the attack on the theatre last night?" I stiffened at the memories flashing by.

"No- what happened?" I asked- putting on the best fake face I could.

"Someone ran in and shot up the place- tossed a grenade or something too- they

have no idea where they went. Freaky, huh?"

"Yea tell me about it..."

As the day drove on my mind wandered about everything that had happened. My classes where long and aggravating and when my boyfriend was a no show in 3rd

period all of my thoughts pinned that it was all my fault. It was so unreal I couldn't take it. I raised my hand and asked to go to the nurse.

After a phone call to my mom I was allowed to go home.

I walked to my car, my senses on high alert. A cold wind hit me and I whipped around- searching around me- ready to run.

Nothing.

My pace quickened and I almost tripped when another breeze swept by. I reached my car and looked about again.

Nothing.

"Just... The weather..." I spoke quietly, putting the car in reverse and driving

away. I noticed a note on the dash. It was from shadow- telling me to meet him up in an abandoned development called Cascadia after I left school.

I pulled up next to the empty sidewalk of the lot number shadow left me with. An empty house missing a few windows and the front door. "Shadow?" I called out loudly.

Silence.

"SHADOW!" I screamed and in a bright light the hedgehog appeared.

"I thought you said-"

"Forget what I said, I'm terrified. Every little thing makes me jump! Any breeze only puts me on higher alert!" I vented "I don't know what to do!"

"Just calm down." He spoke flatly.

"I can't-"

"It's not that hard-"

"I ALMOST DIED YESTERDAY I'M A BIT ON EDGE!" I yelled, voice almost cracking. He let out a scoff "Not so tough, are you now?" I just grumbled and sat on the curb. "Help me..." I spoke softly and he stood near me and cocked a brow "Please... Just... Help me out here..."

The breeze slid across my skin coldly and I released a shiver. I looked over to

him "Did you get a lead on anyone in the time being?" I asked.

He uncrossed his arms "I think knuckles is close..."

I perked up a bit "Really? What gives you the idea?"

He shrugged "I noticed an unusually large mole-hole when I was making a round in your neighborhood..." My hopes shrank slightly "that's it?"

"The hole was about two feet in diameter."

"Oh... I guess that makes for an accurate assumption."

The breeze hit me again and I stood, walking over to my bronco and pulling open the door. I grabbed my coat out of the back seat and slid it on. "So what's your plan?" I asked, turning back to face him again.

His mouth formed into a sort of a squiggled line "I-" he paused and let out a

small breath "At this point all I think I can do is wait." I nodded and a thought hit me.

This is probably the first time we had an actual conversation. There wasn't any

fighting, or injury- sure I yelled at first, but I had good reason...

"When do you think..." I rubbed the back of my cold neck "When do you think

Mephiles will show again?"

He let out a small scoff "Best bet? Not for quite a while- I gave him a pretty

good beating and he needs to recover." For some reason I took a small happiness from remembering how amazing and more or less terrifying it was to watch the fight. I laughed a bit "Yea he barely got a hit on you." my attention perked up again "Oh! how's you're quill?"

He seemed confused by the fact I was caring- I didn't want to hate him. Truly I thought he wouldn't be as big of a jerk as he is...

"It looked... Frozen- this morning."

He touched the quill gently "It's fine."

The breeze pushed my hair off my shoulders and I beginning to tire of being out

in the cold. I cleared my throat- interrupting the awkward silence "Are we done here? Cuz' I...uh... I'm done being out in this weather... So... I'm going to go home..." I backed toward my car in the process of saying this. He didn't even answer me. He just turned and started to walk off- so I took that as a yes.

I hopped in the car and jumped when I saw him in the passenger seat "JIMINY

CRICKETS STOP DOING THAT!"

He cocked an eyebrow "...Jiminy crickets?... Really?"

We shared a solid stare, mine holding a small tinge of annoyance. I looked to the back seat and his eyes followed my glance. Landing on the large axel wrench in the back seat.

"Don't make me hurt you hedgehog." I laughed a bit.

"You couldn't as injure me as much as you would want to." he rubbed his temple "Besides you hit me in the same spot at least seven times within the course of three hours."

I rolled my eyes "Yea and I totally didn't K.O. Your ass either."

"It was a lucky shot."

"You underestimate me."

"You forget that I'm much more powerful, human." he grumbled.

"At least I can put up a fight." I grinned to myself and put the car in drive.

I pulled into the driveway of my house and let out a long sigh. I just stared down my steering wheel- mind processing some thoughts.

"Fuck it." I growled and snapped the car into reverse and spun out of my

driveway. "Where are you going?" he growled, irritated that I couldn't seem to make up my mood.

"I need to take care of a you-related problem." I hummed.

"Wonderful." he sighed sarcastically.