Chapter Revised [x]

(Travis' POV)

It'd only been around twenty minutes since Dad and Grandpa left to search for my sister, and already our mom was assuming the worst. She had curled up into a ball and was breathing heavily through her tears, rocking back and forth.

"She's okay. Nothing happened. She's okay. Nothing happened. She's okay. Nothing happened," Mom chanted in a cracked voice, pressing her jaw against her knees. Her eyes were as wide as plates, and her teeth were grinding together in a nails-on-a-chalkboard sort of way.

I was sitting at the dining table with Emma, since we were too scared to even get close to her when she was like this. I shook my head while drumming my fingers. "Of course she's okay, Mom. Don't be silly. There's nothing you need to worry about. You guys are blowing this way out of proportion!"

Right there, Mom whipped her head around to look at me, with this wild fire in her tear-filled eyes.

"Travis, you just be quiet! I watch the news every damn day! You think I'm not aware of how cruel the world can be? Anything can happen to her! She's a young girl, all alone in a dangerous city at night! So do not tell me I'm blowing this out of proportion! DO NOT!"

I pursed my lips nervously, panning over to Emma. "Sheesh. You're on my side?" I asked her.

She shrugged. "I don't know anymore."

We remained that way for another five minutes. But then, there was the sound of keys being jammed into the lock at the front door, followed by desperate jingling and twisting.

Before Emma and I could fully turn around, my mother jumped off the couch with ninja reflexes, taking slow steps towards the door before it finally swung open. There in the doorframe, stood my grandfather, father, and Rachel, apparently unharmed.

There was water trickling down their clothes after being drenched in the rain. A clash of lightning struck in the distance, adding more dramatic effect to their arrival.

I took a good look at Rachel, and although she didn't appear hurt, one look was enough to make it clear she had been through something. Her eyes were glassy and frightened, like she'd just witnessed something horrifying.

At least she isn't dead, like everyone had thought. But why is she swaying, like she's dazed or something? And more importantly, why doesn't she have any Advil with her?"

After shutting the door, Dad and Grandpa guided her to the couch like a wounded animal, where my mother once again sat down. Well, more like threw herself down. She wrapped her arms around my big sister protectively, kissing the side of her soaked head and thanking the heavens she was safe and sound. I noticed Rachel was shaking a lot. But it wasn't even that cold in here. Maybe she caught something from being in the storm too long.

No, it was beyond illness. Something had definitely happened to her. We could all see it.

"Yo! Where the heck were you?" Emma asked her from behind me. She was curious to know why our sister looked so traumatized. As was I, along with everyone else.

Mom shook her head, keeping her arms closed around her. "Shush, Emma. It's alright. It doesn't matter what happened, I'm just glad that my baby isn't hurt," she sighed through some leftover tears that had mostly fallen from joy.

Suddenly, my Grandpa angrily threw his house keys against an opposite wall. They landed with a loud clank, and then the silver pieces clattered to the floor.

"Don't say that!" he shouted, causing everyone to stop and look at him, including my mother who felt as if he was targeting her. But he wasn't. He was glaring at only one person in the room, and that was Rachel.

He frowned at her while gritting his teeth. His face tightened and his hands curled into fists. "It is NOT alright! What in God's name were you thinking, running out like that? And without telling anyone! Do you know what could've happened had we not found you? And when we did find you, it was very obvious that you were more than lost. My own grand-daughter was walking through a thunderstorm alone, looking barely conscious, and I know there's a reason for that! Did someone attack you? Did anyone lay a hand on you? I want you to tell me what happened right now!"

Rachel's regretful gaze shifted up to meet his. She didn't say a word. It was like she was either too ashamed to tell him anything, or just wanted to keep it a secret. But why would she keep it from us? We were her family, her flesh and blood.

When she didn't answer, his face turned reddened with anger. "Dammit, Rachel! You're not doing this! Answer me right now! Don't you understand that I can't imagine the thought of anyone hurting you! If anyone did hurt you, I can make sure they never see the light of day again! I'm the G.U.N. Commander! Have you forgotten I have that authority!"

After he said that, the silent Rachel suddenly jolted her head up and shot back at him. "Stop it! Just stop it, please! Nobody hurt me, okay? A few guys tried to, but they didn't! Because someone saved me!"

The room became more than quiet. It was dangerously quiet. My mom stopped sobbing, my dad didn't ask questions, all Grandpa did was gape at her, while me and Emma stood there with our mouths hanging. We weren't sure what was more unbelievable: The fact that Rachel wasn't even the slightest bit intimidated by our grandfather when he was this mad, the fact that someone attacked her, or the fact that somebody had also saved her. We all got closer, waiting to hear more answers.

(Shadow's POV)

After I teleported away from the alley, I re-appeared inside the Egg Carrier, just one hall away from the control room where Dr. Eggman resided. As I proceeded with walking in its direction, a thousand thoughts crammed their way into my head.

I wonder if that girl got home safely. Is she going to tell anyone about what she witnessed? She'd be wise not to, more for her sake than my own.

Also, why does she appear so familiar? Better yet, why do I keep caring so much about what happens on her behalf? I almost feel like it's now my job to keep her out of danger.

But it isn't. That's stupid. It's not like I'm going to be seeing her again...in fact I know I won't. But I can't help but ask myself what makes her so different. She's not special or anything. She's just another human.

I heard thunder clash outside, and it brought me back to my senses. "Oh, look who's back!" Dr. Eggman shouted with fake enthusiasm from his chair. I stopped where I was and looked around the control room in confusion.

I was really thinking so hard, I didn't even realize I had come in here. Get a hold of yourself, Shadow.

Dr. Eggman tilted his head to the side. "You're a tad early, you know. Eleven minutes to be exact. I thought you'd take advantage of what little time you had. What, Westopolis didn't have anything that sparked your interest?"

I looked back at him. "Actually, it's quite the opposite. I thought I should let you know I had a small setback upon my arrival."

He raised his eyebrows, sustaining a chuckle. "Oh really? What'd you get yourself into this time?"

"When I was outside Westopolis, I heard this person calling for help. And for some reason, I couldn't bring myself to ignore it and went to check it out. Turns out a young girl was being assaulted by four men. I didn't want to leave her there like that. I got involved and fought them off until they retreated. I know the men didn't see me since I moved so fast, but I'm not entirely sure about her. Either way there's the chance that she'll tell someone about the encounter. It might interfere with our plans."

He sighed. "That was definitely what I was not expecting you to say! So what you're getting across is if the police get in on it and figure out it was you who saved her, they might senf a lookout for you. Well that's...just peachy. Nothing you can't handle, I'm sure. However it will be a nuisance.

That aside, I must say, from what I know about you, it's completely out of your nature to help a human. What brought you to help this one?"

I looked down, unsure of how to answer him. For the first time in years, I found that I was speechless.

"I...think it was the way she was screaming for help. I wanted to see what kind of danger she was in. And it was clearly something she couldn't handle. If I hadn't shown up, who knows what sick crimes those men would have commited. It was satisfying to beat them, I'll admit, which is something I haven't experienced in a while."

My eyes furrowed. "And then the actual victim herself. I can't explain why, but she seemed very familiar. Especially in the eyes."

Dr. Eggman scoffed and added mockery into his voice. "Oh wow, you really came back a changed hedgehog, Shadow. First you save human girls from sexual predators, and now you get lost in their eyes? These sixteen years have been effective on you."

"No. Not like that," I hissed. "She just reminded me of someone I may have known in the past. That's it."

He shrugged. "Huh. Well, that being said. I say we get to devising our plans. Maybe make a few tweaks here and there since you found a girl who looked 'familiar'," he said, putting air quotes around 'familiar', "and now she might go run her mouth to the world that the Ultimate Life Form, Shadow the Hedgehog, has returned. All because you decided to have a heart and save the dear sweet little human from peril.

Needless to say, I wouldn't worry if I were you. That girl probably didn't realize who you are."

I nodded. "Of course she didn't. She's of a different generation than the ones who could even be remotely aware of me. But still."

He smiled. "Alright then. Let's put this all this hubbub behind us. Time to get to work."

(Rachel's POV)

My mind was discombobulated. I was thinking back to the scene in the alley, and my mysterious rescuer.

Who are you? Why did you help me? And why don't you want me to tell anybody that you saved me? These questions played themselves over and over. The curiosity was eating me alive.

Here I was, surrounded by my family, who were all concerned about me and my well-being because they loved me. But instead of feeling cared for, I felt trapped. I had to tell them. They would never trust me again if I kept it a secret. Grandpa was totally irate. I kept hearing him yell words, but somehow his speech sounded slurred to me, as if we were in an underwater cavern. I couldn't process what he was saying at all, due to me being so deep in thought.

That hedgehog wanted me to keep it a secret, but I can't. I simply can't. This is too big of an issue. Love and family overrides any sort of agreement or command. I'm sorry. They deserve to know the truth.

So finally, I came out and said it, to just end all their questions. My entry was less than subtle, though.

"Stop it! Just stop it, please! Nobody hurt me, okay? A few guys tried to, but they didn't! Because someone saved me!" I snapped.

Everyone fell silent and just stared at me. I couldn't bring myself to look at any of them, except my grandpa, whereas it was impossible to avoid his eyes. He seemed angry, relieved, confused, and upset, all at the same time. I then felt something warm and wet running down my face. I brought my hand up and touched the liquid on the side of my cheek with two fingers, then studied them.

Wha-...Water. Is this from the rain outside? Why is it so warm?

But then I realized, it was my own tears. I had started to cry, and hadn't even realized it. Crying was something I rarely did. But who wouldn't do it now if they were in my shoes? This was all overwhelming beyond words.

Grandpa, seeing that I had started to cry, knelt down onto one knee so that our heads were almost level, his a tac lower, so I found myself looking down at him. He placed his hand gently on my shoulder, but despite his soft touch, he was still very serious. "You can tell us what happened, Rachel. Don't be afraid to. We only care so much because we love you."

He then shifted his gaze towards the twins. "You two, please go to the guest-bedroom for now. Give us a moment to talk to your sister alone. We'll call you out when it's over."

They both surprisingly obeyed and left the room, leaving me with my grandfather and parents. I was extremely uncomfortable, and wanted nothing more than to tear away and go somewhere to be left alone. But I had to tell them sooner or later. I took a deep breath.

"Okay. A-After I left the gas station, this car pulled up to me. There were guys inside of it harassing me and asking if I wanted to go somewhere with them. I tried to ignore them and kept walking, but then they all got out at once and grabbed me."

Mom squeaked in horror next to me. It made me pause for a moment. I tried composing myself, not knowing if I could tell this story without breaking down.

"They tied a rag around my mouth, and then took me into an alley way," I stopped and my voice got lower, as more tears started to fall. "One of them started trying to pull my shirt off. I kicked him back. He then took out a knife and went to stab me."

Mom squeaked again, covering her mouth with one hand. I didn't dare turn around and see my father's expression, knowing his was probably not nearly as dainty as my mother's. But even then my grandpa's had to be the worst of all three of them, and I couldn't look away from his. He wore a scowl so terrifying, it could ward off even the bravest man. There were various veins bulging out on the side of his head, and his eyes sharpened at the edges.

"But wait! He never did!" I said quickly. "Nothing happened to me at all! Someone...no...something...came out of the shadows and attacked them all. It happened so fast, I could hardly see what was happening. But he left them bruised and bloodied, and maybe even with broken bones. They all ran away...and before I could say hardly anything, he asked me not to tell anyone that I'd seen him. And then he disappeared...just like that."

The eerie silence dragged on for a few agonizing seconds. I heard a loud POUND behind me, causing me to jump. When I flung around I saw my dad had punched the wall.

He swore loudly. "HOW DARE SOMEONE DO THAT TO MY DAUGHTER! HOW DARE THEY! OH, I'LL KILL THEM!"

He then dropped his raised arm and looked back at me. "I'm so sorry this happened to you, Rachel. I'm sorry I didn't get there sooner. I'll find those men that tried to hurt you. They won't get away with this!" he then punched the wall again, in the same spot.

Normally, my grandpa would've told him something along the lines of: "Watch that wall son, you'll pay for whatever damage you cause it." But instead, he tapped my shoulder once. I turned back around to face him. His face was still hard, but compared to how twisted it was earlier, it looked more sympathetic now.

"Do you have any idea why this mysterious hero of yours didn't want you to tell anyone about him?" he asked, trying to get to the bottom of the situation.

I shook my head sadly. "No. I wish I knew myself. But he never said why."

He got a little closer. "What did he look like?"

I blinked a few times and dipped my head down. "I didn't get a good look at him. He never completely showed himself. But...grandpa."

I'd forgotten to mention one of the most important details.

"He wasn't even human. He was a hedgehog, just like Sonic."

Grandpa frowned in confusion. "...What? A hedgehog you say? Are you sure?"

I nodded. "I'm absolutely positive. He had the shape and form of a large hedgehog. In fact, I mistook him for Sonic at first. But it wasn't him."

"And how do you know that?" he asked.

I fell back into thought. "His eyes...instead of being light green like Sonic's, they were crimson red. The reddest red I've ever seen in my life. Like rubies...like...pools of blood even. His voice was soft, low, in a scary sort of way. And when he disappeared, he used a red jewel that somehow teleported him away from where he stood...and..."

I paused. "Grandpa, are you okay?"

My grandfather's expression had gone from angry, to a look of horror. His eyes were wide and scared. His mouth opened, but no words came out.

My mom stood up and patted him on the back gently, wiping away some of her tears. "D-Dad? Abraham? Is something wrong?" she asked. My father appeared by his side too. He looked shaken as well from everything I'd told them, but still thoroughly concerned. "What's the matter with you?"

Grandpa jumped to his feet quickly, taking a few steps backwards until he collided with the T.V. It came very close to tumbling over, but not quite. His eyes never moved away from mine.

"No..." he breathed in fear. "Impossible...it can't be..."

I got up as well, gaping at my grandfather. He appeared to be slipping into a state of insanity.

"What are you talking about?" my dad questioned him in worry.

Grandpa quivered. For a second, I thought he was going to have a heart attack. But then he stopped, looking down in panic.

"Shadow..." he whispered disbelievingly.

I furrowed my eyebrows at him.

His eyes then broke away, a bead of sweat ran down the side of his face. "Shadow the Hedgehog."

My mom and dad exchanged confused glances. "What? Who's Shadow the…Hedgehog?" my dad asked him.

"Yeah, and why do you look so panicked?" my mom added.

But I wasn't as in the dark. I knew exactly what he meant...

My eyelids widened to the point that I could feel my eyelashes tickling my brow-bone. It felt like every sound in the world had shut off. The only thing I could hear was my pounding heart.

There's no way. There's just no way. He's right, it's not possible. It's not true.

Suddenly, memories entered my mind without warning.

"We went aboard a large vessel known as the Space Colony ARK, also known as the very first space colony in the world. It was housed for scientific testing and experimentation."

"I did become best friends with his granddaughter. Her name was Maria Robotnik."

"Shadow the Hedgehog is our villain. Do you understand? He was a synthetic life-form who was supposed to be immortal, meaning he couldn't die, and not to mention extremely powerful. But he was the very reason everyone I knew and loved was killed aboard the ARK"

"Innocent people died because of him, and then he takes more lives. That's crazy. That's purely evil. So…what happened to him? Where is he now?"

Where is he now?

Where is he now?

The younger me's voice echoed around my skull.

"I hope I never come across the likes of you. If you haven't already, I want you to die."

Fast fowarding to now.

"Hey baby, what are you doing out here all alone? Don't you have a man to take care of you?"

"NO! Somebody help me!"

"It's time you were taught a lesson."

Thunder struck through my vision, mimicking the kind I saw in the alley.

"Son of a bitch! W-W-Who are you?"

"Get out of here. Or I'll kill you all right now."

The red eyes from before flashed before me.

"Don't tell anyone else about this."

I then saw the old picture from my grandfather's wallet. The sepia picture of Maria.

"Chaos control!"

Then the sound of a gunshot.

A bullet hole had gone clean through Maria's chest in the picture, before the image slowly faded into darkness.

A hand flew around the heart-shaped charm of my necklace, or Maria's necklace.

My whole world came crashing down right there. I encountered Shadow the Hedgehog, and had not even known it. What were the odds that something like that would happen? Of all people in the world, it had to be the one creature I loathed. He was the very murderer that brought so many people into misery. The evil that mercilessly tortured the innocent souls of those weaker than him. The very being that deserved to be in Hell. Shadow the Hedgehog.

And he just saved my life.

I collapsed back on the couch, falling onto my side. Everything melted to black. Before I could stop myself, I fell out of consciousness.

(A/N) Clifff hanger. Please leave a review, they motivate me. Tell me what you like and dislike about this story, and I'll try to fix any of the flaws.

Btw, has anyone noticed that Shadow and Rachel are usually doing the same thing at the same time? Whether it's looking out windows, thinking about the same scenes, remembering the same things, and even explaining the story to other people. Even the talk about eyes o.O That wasn't intentional, but maybe the fact that I did that accidently is the sign of a bad author? You be the judge.

But let's keep in mind that their situations are still relatively different.

Oh and whoever is waiting for it, let me go ahead and spoil [even though it already says so in the story's summary -.-] that Shadow will be kidnapping Rachel soon. Okay, thanks for reading! Bye!