-Chapter XXIV- Keep Your Friends Close...
-Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
-27 First Seed
-3:30 A.M.
-Nicholas
"Hey Nick." Sonic said in a whisper.
I looked up from the blue square helmet the Max had left for me to see the blue hedgehog awake in his cot. "What are-" I began in a normal voice, stopped by Sonic's finger raised to his mouth, then pointing to Tails, asleep. "what are you doing still awake?" I asked in a whisper.
He shrugged in the candlelight, "I don't really know, I was just thinking, is all."
"What about?"
"Well, I've been curious...how'd you get that scar on your neck?"
I felt the thick scar tissue on the left side of my neck. I had completely forgotten about it, after all that I had been through. "I was shot. By an arrow."
He looked surprised. "Oh, wow." he whispered with wide eyes. "Who did that to you?"
My mind flooded with memories of the night Max was killed, shot by the mysterious arrow that pierced through the side of his own neck, directly into mine. Though mine was luckily just graced by the sharp point, Max's was a much more fatal wound. I drew a deep breath, and looked at him with sadness in my heart that I so desperately pushed aside. "I don't know." I said, my eyes darting to the ground to hide my pained soul. "But I do know...when I find the bastard who killed my friend..." I moved the helm to my right hand and unsheathed my sword, "he'll be one man I won't have a second thought about killing."
Silence fell between us as I examined my sword, glinting in the deep, dim light of the torches in their sconces along the walls of the cabin. "Ya know..." Sonic said quietly, "I've lost a few friends myself."
"Oh yeah?"
He nodded. "How long ago was it?"
I shrugged, "maybe...a week? A week and a half, I think? A fortnight, at most."
He offered a sympathetic smile, "I'm sorry."
"About what?"
"I know how hard it is to lose someone you love and care for so deeply. To just think that...you'll never see them again...it's hard to come to reality with."
"Yeah, I know exactly what you mean...he was...he was really the only friend I ever had, other than...well, she doesn't matter..." I sighed, "He was a great friend...and practically my father, and it's just...strange, expecting him to be there, thinking he'll comment on something that you do, or..." I trailed off, my mind muddled. I thought about Max and how he keeps reappearing, though...in my mind, it seemed.
"I know what you mean, Nick." Sonic said quietly. "I know exactly what I mean..."
"How many have you lost?" I asked.
He shrugged, "I dunno, maybe...four or five, but one or two that I was really close to." He fell silent. "How about you?"
"Only the one."
"Ah..."
I began to speak again, but was abruptly stopped when Saria began to thrash about where she lied. "Saria?"
"Saria!" Sonic yelled. She still was freaking about.
I ran over to her and bent over her, trying to restrain her. I then noticed Rayman beginning to the same. "Sonic, get to Rayman!"
At this point everyone was up except for the two. "What's going on?" Crash asked.
"I don't know! Just...get back to Rayman, I'm going to try to get some sense into Saria." I turned back to her, pinning her to the ground. "Dammit Saria wake up you're fine!" Still she struggled.
"Rayman, snap out of it!" Sonic called out.
The cabin was in a restless commotion as they crowded around with their small number. I grunted, and at last she finally stayed still. I angrily snorted, despite the worried look I wore, as I stood over her. "Saria!" I yelled as loudly as I could. I guess it finally got to her because she finally burst out of it in a cold sweat. She frantically looked about, realizing she was back in reality, and looked over to Rayman, who now was awake as well with a similar expression. "Are you all right?"
"Uh..." she mumbled before turning back to the upper deck, then to me. "I think...so..." she turned back to Rayman again.