A/N: Surprise! I know you weren't expecting an update only three weeks after my last one, but I really had a head for this story. However, this chapter is shorter than my others. After my edit, it just barely made it into the 15,000-word club. Before, I don't think it was even at 14,500. (EDIT: It's over 17,000 now.)
If you're reading my other stories, Super Mario Bros: The Novelized Comic and Logical Mario are on hold until I finish If Bowser Ran Nintendo, which only has one or two chapters to go. Also, this story now officially has more than 100,000 words, more than SMB:TNC. (EDIT: Both stories are on indefinite hiatus since I am more interested in Sonic than Mario now.)
Who noticed the Sonic movie references I put in the last chapter? I actually had the speed gun in the chapter before I heard about the trailers on CinemaCon, which is before the actual trailer dropped. Did I predict the trailer…? The latte is also a subtle references. Those aren't in a trailer now, but I have a feeling they'll be in the second trailer coming maybe July or August, after Sonic is redesigned. I wasn't able to fit a Gangsta's Paradise or child in the bag reference, either. It's better not to force it, you know? Also the two math problems last chapter: the answers are 20 and 8. Congratulations, John, for getting them both right! I'd add a cookie emoji, but I've never seen an emoji in a story before, so…
Anyway, this is the chapter that Matt first appears in. I know a lot of you have been eager to meet him since the beginning of this story (Especially you, Green Seer. I missed you last chapter!), and now you will finally get your chance to meet him!
This was surprisingly not as difficult to write as I thought it would be. The same goes with "The Last Resort" and "Unfair Ball". It's one of my favorites, not only because they made a great episode without Eggman, but it takes place nearly entirely at home sweet home. This is also the reason why "The Castafiore Emerald" is my favorite Tintin story.
Backlog Update: I've just begun the plot for "The Last Resort". I am nearly halfway done the synopsis for "Fly Spy". I am now halfway done the plot for "Heads Up, Tails!"
Also, since I got an incredible NINE reviews after the last chapter, I'm not going to quote the individual reviews here because I know you're all eager to get right to the story. I'll still reply to them, though. Also, I may only have a few thousand views for this story, but I also have about thirty reviews, favorites, and follows each! Thank you, guys!
I want to thank Lovely Rainbow123, gwencarson126, elizaveta2000kuz, mattTheWriter072, .22, stardust902, OfficeGuy, SuperSpeedster623, LeonZero, jr121531, foxchick1, and Shredder8 for favoriting and following since my last chapter!
With that being said, let's get on to the reviews and what matters most: the story!
GuardianDragon98
Like I said, the last chapter was difficult to rewrite. I added the brainwashing past as a means to remove the children's free will. Otherwise, Eggman could just watch them all get up and leave, and I couldn't have that if I were to follow the original episode's story.
Indeed, Sonic is a true hero. One aspect a lot of the episodes don't have is shrapnel. They only focus on the big ol' explosion, even in space or underwater. I always factor in the shrapnel.
Side note: I was originally going to have Sonic read Eggman's note to Chris, but I decided against it. Why have Sonic worry Chris even more? And that makes Sonic an even bigger hero.
I'm actually really looking forward to rewriting "A Dastardly Deed" and "Countdown to Chaos". I have so many ideas for them both. And yeah, I probably will go into detail on that scene with Super Sonic taking all those hits, but it may be for a slightly different, but related reason. Nothing too far-fetched though. But I can't wait for those episodes nonetheless.
DragonessNehamee
Thanks! I try my hardest to make sure Chris is at his best. For best results, don't imagine him voiced by Suzanne Goldish.
I loved writing that last scene. I dreamt of those two last scenes for a while, and I think both are great. Protective Sonic for the win indeed!
Guest
Congratulations, you got both problems correct! Now all you need to do is… GET OUT WHILE YOU…
Not really. :P But I do enjoy adding the occasional challenge, or fun fact in these stories.
Ryu the Weredragon
Thanks for the warning. Matt will replace Chris only for the Metarex Saga. Aside from that, he will be his own character.
I've once seen a now-abandoned rewrite in which Chris was a girl. Then there's Sophia X. Some readers reading this story may also be reading Chaos on Earth, but if you want my opinion, Sophia is almost a Mary Sue who shares just about all of her scenes with Sonic. Additionally, all the dialogue is almost line-for-line. The story has moved to the Sonic X category, where there are fewer stories. I still don't understand how it has over 400 reviews. The author doesn't even care for Sonic as far as I know.
Slander aside, Matt is going to be quite different than Chris. Matt doesn't flaunt his age or independence, and he is more prone to getting angry than Chris is, among some other changes.
So far, I don't think you anything to worry about. But the moment you see Matt become a Mary Sue, let me know and I'll change it.
I guess one reason I don't go into bash mode with this is because I like Chris. He 's a misunderstood character who shouldn't be hated on.
Side note: You're actually the fourth person with "dragon" in their name to review this story. Small world much?
D.J. Scales
Thanks! And sure, feel free to suggest some ideas! If I like them, I'll see if in can implement them into the story.
Alexandria Prime
Thanks! Matt isn't quite a brother, but he is Chris' cousin who is like an older brother to him.
79003car
Thank you very much! I've read numerous so-called Sonic X rewrites and none of them were done right. That's one of the reasons I decided to write this.
Well… I never did consider having BOTH Chris AND Matt in the Metarex Saga. The reason I picked Matt for the Metarex Saga is because I don't want to age Chris; therefore, he would be too young to face the dangers of space. But maybe I could have him first appear in Galactic Gumshoes, in which he was accidentally inside the spaceship sent to Mobius, the one the Chaotix use. If Chris appeared, I'll definitely have Matt and Chris there for each other. But thing seems to be: Matt could steal scenes away from Chris and vice versa. You know what! I'll keep giving it some thought. For the record, I'm keeping the shoe inventions, they're cool, but I don't think that Matt/Chris should make them all by themselves. Maybe with Tails' help, probably. But not alone. (EDIT: Matt is not going to appear in the Metatex Saga.)
Spin Dashes and Homing Attacks are cool, but yeah, the Blue Blur needs more variety. I've already made arrangements for this next chapter. (EDIT: Fixed!)
I don't know where I could have dedicated training scenes, but I'll definitely reference them. Chris needs all the protection he can get.
Franco Almiron
Thanks!
No, sorry; I'm not a Super Smash Bros. person. But I do like the story idea. It would be great for someone else to write, but not me.
jr121531
Thanks! I'm flattered! And yes, here's another chapter for you. Don't worry, I'm not giving up on this story anytime soon.
You're not weird at all; I'm perfectly safe and healthy here… But only because Eggman is just a video game character.
…Or is he?
Disclaimer: Partying hard may result in overexertion. Partying hardly will work as a doable remedy. Somehow, the title doesn't work for the episode. There is no Hardly in the Party.
Chapter 7
Episode 7
Chris' Cousin Appears! The Thorndykes' Giant Reunion Party
Chris' Family
Thorndyke Mansion – Fri September 3; 7:25 AM – Chris' POV
It was finally here – the day that my cousin Matt was coming down from Minneapolis for a visit.
That was the first thought in my head as I awoke that beautiful Friday morning. Matt was finally coming! I was finally going to see him again for the first time in four years! He was the son of my father's older brother, and even though he used to live in a different house than me, he was like an older brother to me. Even though he was busy with high school back then, we still had time to hang out. He was eighteen when he went off to college, which made me wonder just how much he had grown since I last saw him.
I pulled back the covers, only to notice the silhouette of a figure outside. Actually, two of them. It took me a moment to figure out that it was Cream outside on the balcony, whispering something to Sonic. I had almost forgotten that she had been sleeping in my room last night.
Cream had a nightmare last night, and she somehow wandered into the house without being caught. She had been looking for someone to comfort her. I didn't know how she didn't trigger the security alarms. Perhaps Mr. Tanaka had forgotten to set them.
Cream had been looking around for Grandpa, who spent last night sleeping in the house instead of out in the lab as he usually did. But instead of finding him, she ran into me instead. It was a good thing I was just coming back from a bathroom trip when she entered the house; otherwise, chances would have been really high that she would have been caught.
Sonic had no idea she was gone, and apparently Tails and Amy did not notice her disappearance either. I had found myself wondering why she didn't tell any of them, but I assumed she didn't want to wake them up because she wanted to be polite.
When she told me she had a nightmare, I was more than happy to invite her and Cheese into my room to stay for the night. They accepted my offer, and that was when I had to try and find a place for her to sleep. It was quite difficult, especially since there was only one bed in the room, and I didn't want her to sleep on the floor. However, it was a full-size bed, and it was wide enough to comfortable fit all three of us. So after I made sure they were tucked in, we went to sleep shortly afterward.
I understood that there was a thing about boys and girls sleeping in the same room together, but I was left with little choice, and my heart was too pure to turn them away. Besides, we were both innocent.
When Cream finished telling Sonic whatever it was she wanted to tell him, he gave a quick nod, said something back in a hushed tone that I couldn't pick up, leaped off the balcony, and ran off before I could process what had just happened. I wanted to know what she was saying, but I decided it was best not to pry.
Just then Cream opened the door and stepped back into the room, with Cheese floating right beside her as usual. When she saw me, she looked a bit surprised to see that I was already awake, but she smiled brightly anyway.
"Good morning, Mr. Chris!" she greeted.
"Chao chao!" added Cheese.
"Good morning, Cream," I responded as Cheese floated around me, making Chao sounds, or whatever they were called on Mobius. "Um.. D-Did you go back to sleep last night?"
Cream nodded. "I did! Thank you for letting us sleep with you, Mr. Chris."
"You're welcome," I smiled. "Um… I need to start getting ready for school now, so… c-could you please… uh, stay here until I come back? Or actually, maybe you should wait for Sonic or Tails to come take you back to the lab."
"But Mr. Chris," she pleaded, glancing at the floor, "the lab is really boring."
"Yeah, I know," I sympathized. "I'm sorry, but… I'm really hoping it's not gonna be for much longer. I think pretty soon you're gonna be free to go wherever you want."
Cream looked back up at me. "Do you promise?"
Oh, boy… this was not a question I could answer easily.
"Y-yeah," I lied. "I promise."
"Okay, Chris," came the small bunny's satisfied answer.
I grabbed my school clothes from off the dresser and headed into the bathroom to change. Normally I changed in the bedroom, but since Cream and Cheese were staying in my room, I had to make a change of plans. I was really hoping that Ella and Mr. Tanaka wouldn't find out they were there. I didn't want them knowing about anyone else either. I didn't want them knowing about their existence if that was possible, but then I realized that was a bit of a stretch.
Of course they would know they existed. It was very much possible that they saw the news. And I didn't know if it was a coincidence, but Ella actually thought I had a fever on the day I came home from Silver Valley, and Mr. Tanaka looked a bit more alert than usual.
There was nothing I could do to prevent them from learning my friends existed at all, so the next best thing was making sure they didn't find out they were living in our house of all places. I was so incredibly lucky that they were able to hold out for two whole weeks, but I knew that my luck could change on a dime, just like that. There was a chance that Ella and Mr. Tanaka wouldn't take it too well at all. There was a chance that I could receive federal punishment for hiding aliens. They could be captured, and Grandpa could go to jail. This would not end well.
After I finished dressing for school, brushing my teeth, and getting ready for the day, I walked back to my room to get my backpack… except I had forgotten it was still at school from yesterday. I would have to carry my stuff in something else.
As soon as I opened the door again, I saw that Cream was looking very alert, until she relaxed a bit when she saw that it was just me. I gave her and Cheese a half smile.
"S-Sorry, Cream, but… I don't want this either. But… it has to be this way for now."
"I know, Mr. Chris," she responded with a hint of sadness.
I picked up another bag that I had brought in last night. Before I left my room, I turned back and looked at Cream.
"Um… if anyone you don't know comes in here, you both gotta hide fast, okay?" I couldn't risk bearing the consequences of their discovery.
"Okay, Mr. Chris," she nodded.
"Chao!" agreed Cheese.
"Okay, I'll see you around like 3:30. Bye for now!"
"Bye-bye!" Cream called after me.
"Chao-chao!" Cheese echoed, waving one of his stubby little arms. I couldn't resist a smile and a small chuckle as I closed the door.
I rushed downstairs, feeling glad that I was able to sneak some food to Cream and Cheese before I left. I didn't want them to go hungry while I was gone.
And then I remembered that Mom and Dad were still here. That was the first time they stayed overnight in a little over two years.
I headed toward the kitchen for breakfast before school. I had to be very careful what I said to anyone in my family, especially since my parents were here now.
I wandered into the dining room and set my bag down on the table near my place. I sat down and turned to see Mom coming out of the kitchen. She smiled the moment she saw me.
"Good morning, sweetheart!" she greeted. I stood up, and we hugged. "How did you sleep?"
"I think I slept pretty well," I answered. That was a complete lie. I still felt very tired, and I was up almost all night because of everything that happened yesterday. I hoped I could make it through school today.
"Is Dad here?" I asked.
Mom looked disappointed. "Chris, I'm sorry, but your father had to fly out early this morning because he had an urgent business call. He told me to say goodbye for him. Oh Chris… I hope you're not too disappointed."
"I-It's okay, I guess…" I shrugged. But on the inside, I was not okay. He had to leave again, and I barely got any real quality time with him. But at least I got to see him for a total of over six hours for the first time in eight months. This made me wonder when I would see him again. It would probably be another four months at best.
"Breakfast will be ready in a few," Mom announced as she returned to the kitchen. I had personal experience with her cooking, and I honestly had to admit, I had tasted better food. I couldn't blame her, because she was a paid professional actress, and she probably had the majority of her meals made for her, so she wasn't used to cooking her own meals.
But what she lacked in cooking skills, she more than made up for in her taste in gifts. On the day we found the first Chaos Emerald, Mom's gifts arrived by mail, just as she had promised. I got a bunch of LEGO sets, mostly Ninjago and Star Wars, as well as a $100 Walmart gift card. To top it off, I also got my favorite cotton candy, which, of course, I shared with my new Mobian friends.
Just then Ella entered the room, and we exchanged hugs and good mornings as well. As soon as she walked into the kitchen, I felt a strange sense of relief. At least I would get some semblance of breakfast. I didn't want to say that my mom was a bad cook, but… she was kind of rusty.
Mom emerged from the kitchen, apparently fine with not cooking for now.
"Are you excited to see your cousin tonight?" she asked.
"Yeah!" I replied.
Suddenly Mom's face lit up. "Chris, I have to tell you, I was talking with your father last night, and we want to throw a party for Matt when he gets here. We'll have lots of food ready, and we can even invite your Uncle Sam to come too! What do you think?"
"Yeah, that sounds good!" I agreed. However, I realized this would complicate things with my friends, especially Cream, who was still in my room. But I was never one to turn down a party, and if I said no, this would make Mom suspicious.
A few minutes later, Ella returned with pancakes and orange juice for breakfast. I was so happy that Ella was my maid because her homemade pancakes were the absolute best.
Glancing at my watch, I saw that I would still have a little time before school. However, I didn't know if I could concentrate for the whole several hours I would be away due to the excitement of my cousin coming by. And yet I knew I had to focus on school, as well as make sure my friends stayed out of sight of Mom, and eventually Uncle Sam. I really hoped it wouldn't be more than a cakewalk.
How wrong I was…
Chuck's lab – Fri September 3; 9:40 AM – Third-person POV
It was no longer necessary for Chris to tell Tails and Amy to stay hidden in the lab because they already knew to do that. However, on most days, he still found time to visit them before school. Sadly, today was not most days.
Last night Chuck had slept in the house, and this morning Sonic was out on his morning run, so Tails and Amy basically had the lab to themselves. Amy was lying on the bed, reading one of the Lord of the Rings books, and Tails was sitting in Chuck's seat, idly playing with his Miles Electric. He recently made it compatible with Earth's charger plugs, and he was enjoying the new upgrades he gave it.
However, Amy's mind was drifting. Sonic ran off a bit earlier than usual for his morning run, and he left without telling anyone. Even stranger, Cream disappeared, and Amy thought she might have gone inside. It was possible that she had another nightmare, but she wondered why she didn't wake her up.
"I don't think it's gonna be too much longer that we have to hide from everybody," Tails mused, breaking the silence.
"Yeah, I hope so," Amy replied without looking up from her book. "It's sooo boring being forced to stay up here all day and all night."
"Yeah, I agree," echoed Tails. "But on the bright side, Eggman hasn't appeared today, so maybe Chris can finally have a break from danger for a little while."
"But still, it's only been one day," Amy said. "I really hope he's gonna have a better time at school today, 'cuz yesterday… that was really bad…"
Just then their ears perked up at the sound of humming from outside.
"Umm… is that Cream?" Amy asked.
Tails stood up. "W-Wait, hold on, I thought Chris told her not to go outside where people can see her," he said in dismay as he walked over to the window. Amy got off the bed and joined her friend.
"Yeah, didn't Chris say anything about that?" asked Amy.
"I hope so…" Tails said.
"And… the worst part is we can't even call her, 'cuz we're gonna get spotted too," she lamented. Tails slowly nodded.
Sure enough, Cream wasn't in the bedroom where she was supposed to be. Instead, she was out in the mansion's beautiful, spacious garden, picking several daisies.
"Oh… Oh, I think I know what she's doing…" Amy remarked.
"What is it?" Tails asked, before he let out a small gasp. "Oh wait, I think it's flower crowns! Am I right?"
Amy smiled. "Yeah."
"But… I don't know who she's making them for, because the only people she knows here are Chris and Chuck."
"If that's true, then Chris is sure gonna be one lucky kid." She smiled. "You know, I don't think Cream made any flower crowns since… the Phantom War."
"That long?" Tails was astonished.
Amy nodded. "Yeah," she answered. "I'm really grateful for Blaze taking her to the Sol Dimension during the war." She paused, a look of regret forming. "I still wish she could take Miss Vanilla as well…"
"It's okay, Amy," Tails reassured. "She made it through the war, and what's past is past."
Tails continued to watch Cream happily picking flowers below them. He wanted to change the subject to something considerably less harrowing and gloomy.
"I noticed that Cream hasn't been crying as much lately about her mom…" Tails remarked.
"Yeah… I think she got that out of her system for the most part last week," Amy responded. "But still… I don't want her to be without her mom anymore…"
"Me neither…" Tails said as he rested his head upon his hands and watched Cream.
"She needs this right now," Amy said. "I think she's found her happy place."
"I agree, Amy," Tails replied.
Oakview Elementary – Cafeteria – Fri September 3; 11:52 AM – Chris' POV
Over the past several days, I was really getting to know Danny and Frances better. I learned that one of the reasons Danny was obsessed with Splatoon and anything Nintendo was because his uncle worked there. I also found out that both of Frances' parents were scientists, which was cool, and it explained how Frances was doing really well in her science exams.
And then there was another girl I met whose name was Helen. She had beautiful blond hair, and she rode in an electric wheelchair. We had met in a Carl's Jr. last Tuesday, and I was pleasantly surprised to find out that she went to my class too. She too was new to the school, and she thought she had recognized me there.
She had been visiting her grandparents in Arizona for the past two days, which was why she wasn't in class then. But she was back today, and I had since introduced her to Danny and Frances. Now, the four of us were sharing a table in the cafeteria.
"So, um… I heard about what happened here yesterday," Helen spoke.
"Yeah…" Danny slowly nodded. "Good thing you weren't here."
"I think I heard that one of the aliens saved you guys," Helen said. "I forgot his name, but… wasn't he…"
"Oh, his name was Sonic the Hedgehog," Frances answered almost dreamily.
"Hey Chris, you still up for some Splatoon at my place later?" Danny asked.
"Sadly, not this time…" I responded. "My mom is gonna have a party tonight because my cousin's coming for a visit. He just finished his last year of college."
"Oh cool," Danny remarked.
"Yeah," I nodded. "And she also invited my Uncle Sam Speed as well."
"No way…" Frances tried to refrain herself from squealing. "Sam Speed's your uncle?!"
"Y-yeah…"
"That's so cool! Do you know he stopped a car thief who stole our car last week?"
As much as I wanted to invite Danny, Frances, and Helen to the party as well, I knew I couldn't because of everything that rested on my shoulders. I couldn't let them see my other friends at home just yet. Technically they had already seen Sonic, but this was different.
To think that the welfare of the nation depended on my silence…
Thorndyke Mansion – Fri September 3; 10:02 AM – Third-person POV
Flapping her large ears, Cream flew back up to Chris' balcony. She had picked several daisies from the garden, content that no one had seen her.
She hopped up on the bed and laid the flowers in her lap before counting them. Cheese hovered nearby, studying them as well.
"Chao chao…" he noted. Cream looked up at him and nodded.
"You're right, Cheese," she replied, wiggling her tiny nose slightly. "I don't have enough flowers."
The small rabbit hopped back down from the bed and carefully hid the flowers under it, hoping Chris wouldn't look there when he got back home. Then she and Cheese headed back out onto the balcony before flying back down to the garden. Cream was glad the garden was close to the balcony. That way, she wouldn't have to walk through the entire house to get there.
However, just as she was about to pick more daisies, she caught sight of movement from inside the house.
"Chao chao!" Cheese exclaimed, urged Cream to hide.
"I know, Cheese… I want to see what's happening in there first…" Cream answered as she carefully crept up to the window. Peering inside, she saw Chris' mother hanging decorations in a room that she could only assume was the living room.
The way the decorations were being hung, Cream assumed that the family was going to have a party today. And if that was the case, she wanted to help out. She loved parties, especially if there was cake involved.
After another moment of watching in interest, Cream returned to the garden to continue picking flowers. She had completely forgotten about having to stay hidden. She really wanted to help out with setting up the party. However, Cheese looked on, knowing this wasn't such a good idea…
Oakview Elementary – Fri September 3; 3:10 PM – Chris' POV
After yesterday, for once, I was actually glad to be back in school today.
Yesterday after we were warped out of our class, I heard that the police showed up. All the other classes ended early as the police conducted a thorough investigation of the entire school. After I was brought home, Sonic reported the missing class to Grandpa, who spoke with the police. That's how I learned that Mr. Stewart was okay.
The police concluded that it was safe to reopen school today, confirming the danger was officially over. A few of the children, including Danny, were interviewed about the scenario for the local news. I was somewhat surprised to find I was not interviewed. After all, I was the one Sonic was staying with, and I was the reason Eggman attacked yesterday. Maybe the government had other ideas, but I didn't want to think too much about it.
Today, I was finally done school for the day, and it went off without a hitch, except for the fact that I got an A- on my science test. I usually got straight As, but it was possible I was too excited for Matt's arrival for me to focus.
I walked toward my locker to pick up my backpack, hoping the whole time that nothing really changed at home.
"Hey Chris, can I talk to you for a sec?" Mr. Stewart called from behind me. I turned to face him, wondering what he wanted to talk to me about.
"You mind if I drop by your house later today? Since I'm still new here, I want to get to know all my students better and chat with their parents."
"Um… O-Okay…" I faltered. Of all the things I could have expected, I was not expecting this to be one of them.
"And, uh, this is gonna sound like a big coincidence, and I never want to eavesdrop on you guys or anything, but did I hear you say something about a party earlier?" he asked out of the blue.
"Uh… y-yeah…" I hesitatingly answered. Mr. Stewart smiled a little to try to ease the mounting tension.
"And is it true your mom's gonna be there?" I had a feeling I knew where this was going.
"Y-Yeah… She's hosting the party. Why?"
To be completely honest, I really didn't want Mr. Stewart to come. First and foremost, he could easily see one or more of the aliens. If Sonic was going to be away, then I probably wouldn't be too much of a problem, at least until he returned. Tails and Amy were probably still in the lab, and I didn't think they would leave if they knew he was there. However, it was Cream I was worried about most. She could easily leave the room and be seen by anyone. If anyone saw an alien in our house, then I was sure that after they had a lengthy panic attack, they would sound the alarm and bring the government running. That was not something I was going to risk at any cost.
"Cool beans," Mr. Stewart nodded. "Is 4:00 okay with you?"
"I think so…" I replied.
"And, uh, what time does the party start?" Mr. Stewart inquired.
"Six."
"Okay, cool," he nodded. "That'll work. And hey, maybe if I'm lucky, I just might be able to meet your mom in person." I could hear his inner fanboy coming out of him. "And even get an autograph!"
"Maybe," I replied.
"Okay, see you later." With that, my teacher walked away, leaving my head spinning.
How would I be able to get through this? Could I get through this? Just when my stress levels couldn't get any higher…
Thorndyke Mansion – Fri September 3; 3:38 PM – Chris' POV
I got off my bike just inside the front gates and ran toward the front door. I had to walk to school today because of everything that happened yesterday. My bike had been left there after I was teleported away. I was glad to finally get it back.
Finding the doors already unlocked for me, I pushed both of them open and entered the house. The doors were always left unlocked so I could easily go inside after school. Mr. Tanaka, who was standing in the foyer, nodded at me.
"Welcome home, Master Chris," he greeted.
"Thanks," I replied, just as I saw Mom emerging from the living room with open arms.
"Welcome back, Chris!" she exclaimed as we hugged. "How was school?"
"It was pretty good," I replied. "And Mr. Stewart said he wants to come over today."
Mom looked confused, and her head tilted slightly to one side. "Who's Mr. Stewart?"
"He's my teacher," I replied as I took off my backpack. "He said he's a really big fan of your movies."
"Wow, for real?" Mom replied almost excitedly. "What time is he coming?"
"Around… 4:00," I recalled. "Um… Is that okay?"
Mom glanced at her watch. "Well, it's… 3:40. Oh, this means I need to get ready right now. You get dressed too, 'cuz it looks like Mr. Stewart's going to be an early bird."
Just then I saw Grandpa appear at the top of the stairs. As he started to walk down them, I noticed the four-piece suit he was wearing. It was a bit too tight for him, because he was straining at the collar around his neck.
"I don't think I saw you wear that since the last time Mom and Dad came," I recalled.
"Yeah, there's a reason for that," Grandpa said. "How do they even make collars this tight for my size? I really gotta have it loosened one of these days. Anyway… did I hear your teacher's coming over today?"
"You sure did, Dad," Mom answered, using her affectionate title for him even though Grandpa was Mom's father-in-law. She hurried up the stairs at a brisk pace. "Oh dear… I forgot what all is in my wardrobe… it's seriously been that long. What am I gonna wear?"
After she disappeared upstairs, I started toward the stairs as well.
"Hey Grandpa? Is it okay if you can please tell Tails and Amy about Mr. Stewart and Uncle Sam?"
"I'm on it," Grandpa nodded. But as he started toward the living room, he stopped.
"What is it?" I inquired.
"Chris, what are Cream and Cheese doing in the living room?" he asked in a low voice.
I looked, and sure enough, there they were, attempting to drape garland over the chandelier, a task that Mom must have abandoned.
I realized that they most likely got out of my room when I was in school, and even after I told them not to leave on their own! I was going to be in so much trouble!
I ran back down the stairs and toward the living room, but Grandpa turned back to me.
"Shouldn't you be changing now?" he asked. "I can handle this."
"Yeah, but I gotta take care of this first," I hastily replied, not slowing down as I entered the living room. Even in my haste, Cream and Cheese didn't even know I was there.
"Guys, what are you doing in here?" I hissed, causing them to quickly look in my direction. Judging by their wide eyes, they were a bit started by my sudden appearance. I ran over and gently but quickly pulled them behind the couch, hoping no one had seen me just now. Cream was surprised and confused by everything.
"Why are you not in your room?" I asked. "Everybody's gonna see you!"
"I'm sorry, Chris," Cream apologized sincerely. "It's just that I really want to help you with the party."
I sighed, trying to find the right words to explain her situation.
"Y-Yeah but... I-If anyone who is not me or Grandpa sees you or any of your friends… I think they're gonna call the police, and then the government is gonna take you away just like at Area 99, and then on top of that, they might even arrest us-"
I stopped. Maybe I was going too far with this. I tried a gentler tone instead.
"Um… p-please try to hide until you can go back home, okay?"
"But your bedroom is so boring, Mr. Chris," Cream tried to explain, "and I really wanted to help you decorate. Besides, you said I could be in your room until you came back, and now you're back."
"Chao chao chao…" Cheese agreed.
There was no way I could argue with her logic. She had exploited a loophole in my instructions that I hadn't been aware of.
Just then I saw a motion from the other living room entrance.
"Get down!" I hastily told her.
Cream scooped up Cheese and ducked behind the couch at the exact moment Ella entered the living room. I tried to act casual, but I didn't think I could do anything to hide the evidence of my pounding heart, though.
Ella was reciting her to-do list out loud. "Cleanup's almost done, baking's almost done, the pie should be ready any minute now…"
And then she noticed me. It was time to act casual.
"Welcome back, Chris! Your cousin just called," she announced. "He is at the airport now, and he said he will be here within the hour."
She noticed my almost pale face. "What's wrong?" she asked.
Ella wouldn't buy any amount of phony excuses either, so… this was going to be difficult.
"I-I just realized… I'm actually running out of time. I gotta get dressed right now."
To my joy, Ella bought the white lie, and she nodded and left. That was a close one.
I turned back to Cream, who was starting to curiously poke her head out from behind the couch.
"Hey Cream, can you go back to the lab?" I asked. "It's just I don't want anyone seeing you."
"But I don't want to go, Mr. Chris," she protested. "I don't wanna hide from everybody anymore. It's so boring!"
And just when things could not have gotten any worse… they did.
Cheese was starting to flap his fairy-like wings and he was fluttering above the couch… at the exact moment Mr. Tanaka walked in… and noticed Cheese.
Their cover was blown.
I was sunk.
"There is no need to hide from me any longer, Miss Cream and Master Cheese," Tanaka said, taking me completely by surprise. Cream and Cheese started to come out from behind the couch.
"…You found out…" I was in awe. How did he know about them? How did he know their names?
"Indeed I have, Master Chris," he explained. "I have learned of the existence of our new guests through social media, and I have heard you and the professor say their names." He paused for a moment. "In all truth, I have wanted to formally meet them for some time now."
This was a huge development. If Tanaka knew all along, how come he didn't say anything?
"Wait… you knew all along…?" I repeated.
"That is correct, Master Chris."
"Um… C-Can you please do me a favor?"
"Certainly. What is your request?"
"Um… I-Is it okay if you can please not tell Ella about this for now? I think she's the only one who doesn't know about them."
Tanaka looked puzzled. "But why wouldn't we tell her? She is part of the family after all."
I thought for a moment. There wasn't any logical reason for me to not tell her… Except I immediately thought of one.
"I don't know… I guess it's… I don't feel ready yet…" That was a lame defense, but it was all I had now.
Tanaka bowed. "As you wish, Master Chris," he stated. That went off a lot better than I thought…
I turned around to leave, only to find that-
"W-Wait, they're gone!"
Sure enough, Cream and Cheese were no longer in the living room where I had left them. I thought that maybe they went back up to my room where I told them to stay in the first place, but I dismissed that thought because Mom was upstairs and she could have easily seen them.
"Can you look for them? I gotta go get dressed."
"Of course, Master Chris," Tanaka agreed before leaving. I left the room and headed upstairs, hoping to run into Cream and Cheese along the way before anyone else did.
Thorndyke Mansion - Kitchen – Fri September 3; 3:42 PM – Third-person POV
Now that she was finally done cleaning the house, Ella stepped back into the kitchen. She had an awful lot of work to be done on such short notice, and it was pushing her to the limit. She was just in time to finish with the pie and mashed potatoes. She was glad she was skilled at multitasking.
The party was set to begin at six that night and continue for a few hours afterward. It was almost four now. There was still a lot to do in the kitchen, and Ella knew Matt's favorite triple chocolate cake wouldn't bake itself.
She turned on the mixer and inserted it into the cake batter she had prepared earlier. She hoped it would not take too long to bake. Fortunately, all the cooling was about halfway done. This was the busiest she had been since last year's Christmas party.
Not even thirty seconds into her task, she heard Lindsey calling her from the stairs.
"Ella! Ella!"
"Yes?"
"I can't find my green Versace anywhere!"
"It's not in the closet where it usually is?"
"No, it's not! I checked three times!" Lindsey called back, beginning to sound desperate. Her green dress was one of her favorite party dresses, even though she had literally around a hundred different dresses and gowns to choose from.
"I'm coming!" Ella shouted back before returning to her work.
About a minute later, she quickly finished with the cake batter and turned off the mixer before leaving the room. Not even five seconds later, Cream and Cheese appeared in the other entrance to the kitchen. They were mindblown at how much food the party was going to have.
"Oh Cheese, look at all this food!" squealed Cream.
"Chao chao!" Cheese backflipped in midair in his excitement.
It was true, Cream had been to a few parties in her lifetime, including one in which she helped to celebrate Sonic's 25-year anniversary of being Mobius' number 1 hero. But she had never seen this much food in one place before! From the looks of things, there would be cake, pie, ice cream, meatloaf, lasagna, salad - and that was just the beginning.
But Cream knew they couldn't stay in the kitchen for long.
"We need to go, Cheese," Cream reminded her Chao, who nodded. But as they walked toward the other side of the kitchen, Cheese accidentally bumped the bag of flour off the counter, causing it to cascade onto the floor. Now there was flour all over the floor, and the cloud it caused even spread some flour onto the back of Cream's orange dress. She turned around to see Cheese looking guilty at the mess he accidentally made.
"It's okay, Cheese," Cream comforted. "Accidents happen. Now we just need to clean up the mess."
"Chao…" Cheese replied as he followed Cream toward the lower cabinets. Cream opened cabinet after cabinet until she found what she was looking for - a dustpan and broom. Once she found them, she picked them up and approached the spilled flour. She was just about to get to work when she heard footsteps.
"We need to go, Cheese!" Cream realized.
She quickly set down the dustpan and broom and ran from the room. Fortunately, she did not track flour anywhere, as she wasn't close enough to the spilled flour to do so.
They left right as Ella stepped back into the kitchen mere seconds later. As soon as she saw the spilled sugar, she gasped. Even stranger, she found a dustpan and broom next to the mess.
She thought it was either an intruder in the house, or maybe just fate toying with her. Either way, she sighed and bent down to sweep up the flour.
Thorndyke Mansion – Fri September 3; 3:48 PM – Chris' POV
I finished buttoning up my suit and straightening my clip-on tie, since I didn't know how to tie a real tie by myself. I hadn't worn this suit since Professor Pell's son's wedding back in March, and I was so glad it still fit me.
I left the room and made a beeline for the stairs. I was a little surprised Mom still didn't come out of her room the whole time I was upstairs. But then again, she was often thorough and took a long time when it came to preparing for any kind of event.
The bad thing was, I didn't see Cream at all the whole time I was upstairs. That was a very bad thing.
My newfound determination made me nearly run down the stairs. I made sure I was fast enough so that I could descend quickly, but slow enough so that I wouldn't fall. There had been a couple times a few years ago when I had accidentally slipped on the marble stairs. Of course, sliding down the banister was out of the question; my parents and guardians unanimously forbade that.
Once I reached the bottom of the stairs, I started to hear commotion coming from the kitchen. I couldn't tell what was being said, but something happened in there. I really hoped a certain pair of runaways weren't involved in whatever it was…
I ran into the kitchen, only to find that there was flour spilled all over the floor! I stopped just in time to avoid slipping on it. I had a feeling I knew exactly what had caused this spill.
"Stay back, Chris. Don't come any closer," warned Ella from the other side of the spill. Tanaka was also present with a broom and mop on hand.
"What happened?" I asked.
Ella shook her head. "I don't know," she replied. "I found the mess like this when I came in. I don't know how it happened. I know I didn't do it."
"I can help you if you want," I volunteered as I walked over to the broom closet just outside the kitchen and pulled out another broom.
"You're too kind, but we can take care of this, Chris," Ella assured me. "I don't want you soiling your suit before Matt comes."
"Okay, you're right," I nodded before stepping out of the room.
I couldn't help but notice that Tanaka didn't look very surprised to see the spilled flour now that I let him in on my secret - or rather, he let me in on his secret that he knew about my secret.
Looking back, it was a good thing I didn't help them right then. Since there wasn't much else for me to do, I decided to use my time to search the house for Cream and Cheese.
Thorndyke Mansion – Fri September 3; 3:50 PM – Third-person POV
Lindsey had just finished changing into her favorite green party dress. She walked toward the bedroom door and opened it. Only then did she realize she was forgetting something.
Leaving the door ajar, she walked over to her vanity and sat down on the plush stool in front of it. She was in such a hurry to be ready for the party that she had forgotten to put on her makeup. She was usually good at remembering it, but today was a special day, and she had so much on her mind. There was still so much to be done to prepare for Matt's arrival, and not much time at all.
It didn't take very long for her to apply her lipstick, but just as she opened her container of mascara, her cell phone rang.
"Interruptions…" she muttered to herself as she removed her phone from her purse. She hoped the caller wasn't who she thought it was…
But it was.
Sighing, Lindsey pressed the button to answer the call from Director Tim Shaw.
"Hello?" she spoke.
"Lindsey, I'm so sorry, I hate to cut your down time short-" She knew it. "-but we just got an opening concerning your role in Christmas Among the Maples."
"What's that?" Lindsey asked.
"Well… to put it shortly, there's been an unexpected change of plans at the very last minute, and Missy Albinoni was just reassigned to Ravenhunt. You've been asked to fill in for her."
Lindsey was astonished. Missy was another famous actress, and Director Shaw wanted her to fill in for her.
"We need you to fly out to Los Angeles as soon as possible."
Lindsey thought for a moment. "I'm sorry, Director, but I'm having a party for my nephew; he's coming back from college. Can't this wait for a few days?"
"I wish our schedule was that flexible, Miss Fair," Director Shaw replied with regret. "We tried to give you a longer break, we really did… but Christmas Among the Maples has a tight schedule. We're gonna need you to fly out to the press conference tomorrow night at the Four Seasons Hotel in L.A., and we also need you to be available to shoot first thing tomorrow morning if we're going to meet our December 15 deadline."
Lindsey's head was swirling with decisions. She could either go out to the press conference, or she could stay and be there for Matt. She loved him dearly, but she also loved the movie business. Her schedule wasn't very flexible in general, which left her with one decision and one decision only.
"Okay… I'll be there for the press conference tomorrow night. What time is it at?"
"6 PM."
"Okay, I'm on my way," she answered.
Lindsey slowly hung up the phone and buried her face in her hands. All composure she had on the phone had left her in this one instant. She had stress involving her career directly in the past, including a missed birthday or two, but it was nothing like today. Yet she refused to quit her job because she loved acting.
"I hate this… I hate having to leave my family…" she spoke aloud, being the openly emotional person she was. "I hate it! I can't see Matt after almost five years… and not only that… but I can't even stay to be with my own son!" She began to weep as the stress gradually released itself. "Both of you… will you ever forgive me…?"
As Lindsey cried, tears threaten to leak from Cream and Cheese's eyes as well. They had listened to the whole thing from the doorway of the bedroom. It sounded to them like Chris' mother loved him so much that she didn't want to go back to work just so she could be with him. And even though Cream had never met Matt, it sounded like he was very dear to her too.
Cream wanted nothing more than to go in and comfort her, but she knew of her situation that no human except for Chris and Chuck could see her. So she and Cheese left, hoping for the best for the Thorndyke family.
Thorndyke Mansion – Fri September 3; 3:57 PM – Third-person POV
Minutes later, after telling Ella and Tanaka about her latest development, Tanaka was loading Lindsey's luggage into the trunk of the limo. She hated that she had to go so soon. She had looked all over the house for Chris, hoping she would be able to say goodbye to him. But her son was nowhere to be found, and time was really short, so she asked Ella to search for him. Lindsey needed to leave as soon as possible so she could get to Los Angeles.
Just then Ella appeared in the doorway, and she looked like she was the bringer of bad news.
"I am so sorry, Mrs. Thorndyke," she reported. "I couldn't find Chris anywhere."
Lindsey put her phone away and walked up to Ella.
"Ella, the next time you see him… please tell him I'm sorry I couldn't be there for him… and please also apologize to Matt, Mr. Stewart, and Sam…" She struggled to hold in her tears when saying this. This was a very difficult time for her.
"I will…" Ella replied as she gently pulled Lindsey into a hug. After a moment, they pulled apart.
"Now you have a safe trip, okay?" Ella said.
"I sure will," Lindsey replied as she walked toward the passenger door of the limo. But just as she was about to step in, she caught sight of a rental car pulling up in the driveway.
She knew exactly who was inside.
Lindsey ran over to the driver's door of the car just as it was opening. Out stepped Matt Thorndyke, her handsome nephew. The 22-year-old was tall, a good six-foot-two, and had blue eyes and dark brown hair, almost black. He was wearing a polo shirt and blue jeans.
"Oh Matthew, my darling nephew, you're home!" Lindsey exclaimed as she hugged Matt, who chuckled.
"It's really good to be back, Aunt Lindsey. I actually missed it here."
After shaking hands with Tanaka and hugging Ella, Matt walked over to the trunk of his car to fetch his suitcase.
"So how are things in Minneapolis?" Lindsey asked.
"Pretty good so far," Matt replied as he pulled his suitcase out of the car and closed the hatch. "I just got my Master's in electronics, and… I'm kinda looking to get a full-time job very soon." He was sincere, but he also looked a bit nervous when he said that.
Lindsey nodded. "I'm sorry, I hate to break our reunion short, Matt, but I really need to get to the airport. I have a last-minute change of plans, and there's a press conference tomorrow in LA. Ella will help you get settled in." She kissed him on the cheek. "I love you lots."
"Love you too, Aunt Lindsey," Matt called, waving. "Take care out there!"
As Lindsey returned the wave and stepped inside the limo, Matt followed Ella into the house, and she shut the door behind them.
"You're just in time for a surprise party," announced Ella. "Mrs. Thorndyke wanted to make this party just for you."
"Ah, thank you," Matt replied. "You guys are the best." He looked around the otherwise empty lobby. "Uh, is Chris here?"
Ella shrugged. "I have no idea," she replied. "I've been looking around for him myself. I know he will turn up eventually." She smiled, gesturing to the stairs. "Go ahead and make yourself comfortable. The party starts at six."
"Sure thing," Matt grinned before picking up his suitcase and heading for the stairs.
Thorndyke Mansion – Fri September 3; 3:58 PM – Chris' POV
Cream and Cheese were nowhere to be found!
I had to have searched all 11,000 square feet of the entire house for the missing kids, but there was no sign of them anywhere! My stress levels were way through the roof. This was so frustrating!
I returned to the living room and ran out the side door toward Grandpa's lab, the only place left that I knew they could have gone. As I ran, I caught sight of Matt who had just stepped out of his car. Fortunately, he didn't see me, though.
Bad time, Matt… Bad time… I thought.
As much as I wanted to say hi to him, I had to make sure Cream and Cheese were hidden away safely. If Matt saw them, I would have so much explaining to do.
I reached the garage, threw open the door, and ran up the stairs in what must have been record time. I pushed the trap door open and looked around, hoping with all my might that I would see Cream and Cheese, any sign at all. But all I got were blank stares from Tails, Amy, and Grandpa, the sole occupants of the lab.
"Uh, guys, um… Did you guys see Cream or Cheese anywhere?" I asked desperately.
Tails shrugged. "Weren't they in your room?" he asked.
Now I was getting flustered. "Well, y-yeah, but now I can't find them, and Matt just came, and-"
"Hey hey, it's okay, it's okay, calm down, Chris, deep breaths," urged Grandpa as he rose from his chair. "We'll get the situation under control. Panicking is not gonna help anything."
Tails and Amy nodded in agreement. Grandpa turned to them.
"Amy, Tails… We're gonna do something that may be very risky for you."
"Yeah…?" asked Tails.
"Okay… The three of us are going to go back through the house and do a more thorough search for Cream and Cheese. And you, Chris, I think you should go say hi to Matt, maybe stall him a bit if you can."
"Okay," I responded as I carefully descended the stairs. I didn't want to have another mishap like yesterday, especially not on a day like today.
Once I reached the bottom, I sprinted out of the garage and through the yard as fast as I could. The house felt too far away for me. The longer Cream and Cheese remained missing, the more angst and dread filled me. What if Matt had already discovered them? What if he brought everyone running? I couldn't have that happen. I wouldn't.
I burst through the living room door and dashed toward the lobby, finding Matt just starting to go up the stairs. Ella was there too, and she was surprised to see my sudden return. I think she might have said "There you are, Chris" under her breath. I took it as a sign that I was gone for too long.
"Hi Matt!" I exclaimed as I ran toward my cousin. I didn't sound as enthusiastic as I probably would have been if this whole missing Mobian situation wasn't going on. And it felt really weird trying to stall my cousin whom I hadn't seen in four years. I hoped he wouldn't know the difference.
However, he didn't notice the difference. He turned around and smiled as we exchanged a hug.
This all seemed awkward, as I knew he was here before he even saw me, and especially since he had no idea my new friends were staying here. I wanted it to stay that way.
"Well, heya, Chris!" Matt greeted. "Whoa, you… you've really grown since I last saw you. How are you doing?"
"Pretty good," I answered. "How was college?"
"Pretty good on my end as well," he answered. "I finished all four years in electronics. It was kinda tough in some parts, but I'm glad it's finally done."
"That's good," I said.
"All right, I'll go get ready upstairs," Matt said as he started up the stairs. "And maybe chill for a little bit. I got some down time before the party."
But sadly, he didn't get to chill, because the doorbell rang, causing my anxiety to act up again. It had to be either Sam Speed or Mr. Stewart. Or worse, it was Cream and Cheese forgetting we had the side door and wanted to be let in through the front door…
Matt paused from halfway up the stairs, and I decided that I would get the door myself. If it was Cream and Cheese, I figured I could deal with them myself without the extra help of Matt and Ella.
I unlocked and opened both of the large oak doors.
"H-H-Hi, M-Mr. Stewart," I tried to be as hospitable-sounding as possible as my teacher stepped inside. He was holding a bouquet of roses in his left hand, and shook my hand with his right.
"Hey Chris, how's it going?" he replied as he looked around the foyer, impressed at its size. I figured he had never been in a house quite like Thorndyke Mansion before.
"I-It's going good… Th-This is my cousin Matt," I introduced. Mr. Stewart turned to my cousin, who was walking back down the stairs to shake hands with him.
"Hey Matt, how's it going?" Mr. Stewart greeted.
"Pretty good. I had a long day, but… it's good to be back here."
"Yeah… I hope you didn't catch a red eye, 'cuz those can be the worst."
"Yeah…"
With that, Mr. Stewart turned toward the living room, and Ella, who had been standing by, followed him in. Matt was already going up the stairs once again.
With nothing much to do, I followed Ella and Mr. Stewart into the living room as well. I wanted to make sure my friends weren't in there, especially since Grandpa was going to take Tails and Amy to check the house again.
"So I was told Lindsey Fair would be here?" Mr. Stewart asked as he set the roses down on the coffee table and sank into a loveseat.
Ella shook her head slightly. "I'm sorry, you just missed her."
What?!
"Oh… Okay," Mr. Stewart said, looking up.
"She had to leave because there was a change of plans in her schedule. She has a press conference in Los Angeles tomorrow."
"Oh, well, that's a shame," he sighed. "I was kinda hoping she'd be here, 'cuz, well… I'm actually a really big fan of her, and I brought these roses for her. What do you want me to do with them?"
Ella walked over and picked up the flowers. "I'll go get a vase for them," she announced. "That was very thoughtful of you."
Ella left the room with the roses. That left just me and Mr. Stewart, who pulled his phone from his jeans pocket and glanced at it.
"Hey, that's a nice suit you're wearing, Chris," he commented dryly.
"Thanks," I replied, taking a seat on the couch on the other side of the coffee table. Its back was to the window. I hoped that a little small talk would ease my mind and distract Mr. Stewart for a while.
Mr. Stewart took the bait. "Y'know, I knew someone who…"
As he began talking about a friend of his, Grandpa entered the room. He was looking around, and I immediately knew what, or rather who, he was searching for. I couldn't believe they were giving us so much trouble.
A moment later, Mr. Stewart noticed Grandpa's persistence. "You seem to be looking for something," he said.
"Ah, it's my car keys," he smoothly lied. "Second time this week I misplaced them. I think my age is finally catching up to me." I smiled. Grandpa dodged a huge bullet.
"Hey, don't sweat it," Mr. Stewart replied without looking up from his phone. "It can happen to anybody. Need any help?"
Grandpa shook his head. "No, no, I got this. Maybe I left them in the dining room somewhere…"
Mr. Stewart nodded before Grandpa left the room. That was a very close one. I really didn't want Amy or Tails to enter the room either without knowing that Grandpa was already there. Most likely neither of them knew that Matt was upstairs, and since he was up there, that meant he could easily see Cream and Cheese and I wouldn't be there to stop them. That was a risk I had to take.
A minute later, Ella returned with the roses and set them down on the coffee table. To my horror, Cream picked that exact moment to emerge from behind the curtain in the window behind me. She was holding Cheese, and they suddenly froze upon seeing us, like they knew they did a bad thing.
I was shocked that they were there the whole time and I didn't even know about it. I looked back to see that Ella's jaw was figuratively dropping to floor level. She found out, and there was nothing I could do to make her and Mr. Stewart forget what they were seeing.
The secret was out.
While I was really panicking on the inside, I tried to remain as calm on the outside as possible. It didn't stop me from visibly sweating, though.
I got off the couch and took Cream by the hand.
"Wh-what are you doing, Mr. Chris?" Cream asked, confused at the sudden action.
Ella was even more surprised at the soft high-pitched voice coming from what she thought was a "stuffed animal". Then she got serious.
"Chris… why is a stuffed animal talking? H-How does it know you? Christopher… Is there something you're hiding from me?"
I didn't answer right away. I didn't know how to answer. The secret was out, and I was already in trouble. Throwing a glance over at Mr. Stewart, I saw that his eyebrows rose for the slightest moment, but his phone was to us, so I took it he only heard the commotion.
"Well? I'm waiting for an answer," Ella demanded, her hands on her hips.
"You guys got room for one more?" came the voice of Uncle Sam from the foyer, providing the perfect distraction.
"A-Act like a s-stuffed animal…" I whispered to Cream, who complied with a little hesitance.
"What a day…" sighed Ella as she left the room to go see my uncle. I hoped his arrival would ease some of the skyrocketing tension.
I tried to hide Cream behind the side of the couch as Ella came back into the room with my uncle right behind her.
"So I hear you guys are having a party or something tonight?" Uncle Sam asked.
"You're a little early," Ella answered. A check of the clock in the living room showed it was only 4:15. I knew she was being polite, because Uncle Sam usually showed up outlandishly early.
"This is Chris' teacher Mr. Stewart," she introduced. "Mr. Stewart, this is Chris' uncle Sam." Mr. Stewart sat up a little to shake hands with my uncle.
"Hey, I think I heard about you," Mr. Stewart commented. "Is it true you really change your name like every couple days? Is that for real?"
"Oh yeah, it's for real," Uncle Sam nodded without hesitation. "Right now I'm the Noble of Sonic Speed, but only for a limited time. I got a whole list of names on the rundown, and sometimes, I even kinda forget what I'm called now and what I already used."
He leaned against the arm of the couch. "Back like two weeks ago, I had like the biggest case ever. I mean like, THE biggest case. Made the news and everything. Back then I was the Highway Star. And when I busted a carjacker a couple days ago, I was the Tornado of Station Square. And when I stopped a drug bust in a high-speed chase last week, I was the Stormcaller Speed King. You name it, that was me."
I was kinda hoping Uncle Sam would go off on one of his spiels to distract all of us, especially Ella. So far, it was working.
"But why all the nicknames? I've always wanted to know," Mr. Stewart asked with a tone of curiosity.
"Hey, it's just all like, part of the reason I love speed and anything fast," my uncle answered. "I never try and use the same nicknames twice. And I also came up with them so that like no one can keep up with me. And so far, no one can."
He started speaking faster as well. I had a hard time keeping up with him, like I usually did.
"And I don't just stop at driving. I do everything fast! I like fall in love quickly, but I also fall out of love quickly, 'cuz marriage is just gonna slow me down. And I also like fall asleep quickly, but I also wake up pretty quickly, and early too. I always beat rush hour, and I'm pretty sure I also beat the nurses to the operation room when I was born!"
Mr. Stewart threw a look at me like he was asking me if this guy was seriously for real. I shrugged and nodded. It was like all those Chuck Norris jokes I heard about, but they were centered on him instead.
"But that one time… That one time when I had like the biggest case ever…" he said in a more serious tone. "I finally met someone who was way faster than me. And I mean like, WAY faster than me. And the weird thing is, I don't think this guy is even from this planet!"
I didn't even need to guess who my uncle was talking about. Mr. Stewart raised an eyebrow, but didn't look up from his phone.
"Uh, what did he look like?" he asked. "'Cuz I might have heard of him."
"Okay, it kinda looks like a hedgehog, okay? At least that's what all the news reports are saying. And it had like these long quill things going down its back, and it was only wearing like… white gloves and red shoes. And it's like really impossible how fast it went. And the thing even made a sonic boom. In fact, I had to get my whole windshield replaced after that night, and believe me, they don't come cheap. I saw the guy with my own eyes. I think I saw his name was like Sonic? I gotta say, it actually like fits him. Anywho, I saw him on the news a couple times after that. I heard he even saved like a whole class from some nutjob named Eggman. You guys know anything about this?"
"Yeah," I responded. I really hoped that Ella wouldn't be worried that I was the one Eggman was after.
"In fact, I think it was like your-"
He caught sight of something out the window, and I followed his gaze. I saw Sonic in plain view of everyone in the room. He was waving to Cream, who also saw him. Before he leaped out of sight, I caught sight of a bouquet of flowers in his hand.
"That's him!" Uncle Sam practically screamed, pointing to the window. By the time Ella looked, Sonic was gone, much to my relief. Strangely, Mr. Stewart showed very little surprise, and he was holding his phone up to the window like he was taking a picture. I hoped Sonic was too fast for him.
Uncle Sam was still in shock. "That was him!" he exclaimed. "That was him! Sonic! Did anyone else see him just now?!" I nodded. I didn't want to lie, but rather I wanted to pretend he didn't live here.
"No, I didn't," Ella answered. "But this sounds like it could be related to the talking animal I heard before you arrived." She threw a glance at Cream, who was still confused at what was going on.
"Really?" Uncle Sam said, and Ella nodded. The Noble of Sonic Speed crossed his arms. "Well, that just goes to prove I'm not crazy. Like, I may doubt alien life quickly, but I also believe quickly." Then he changed the subject. "Hey, where's your mother?" he asked me. "Wasn't she gonna host the party?"
Suddenly I became very bitter, something that wasn't common in me. I had been silent about Mom's sudden departure. It had been in the back of my mind this whole time, but now it made its way to the surface all at once, and before I knew it, I found myself voicing my opinion.
"Yeah, but she left again because of her movies. And Mr. Stewart really wanted to see her, but... A-A-And this time I didn't even get to say goodbye! Why can't she just stay here for like a whole week?! Why does she always have to go no matter what?! Does she even love me?!"
The room was left completely stunned. As I stood there panting after my outburst, I was surprised at my own words.
"That… sounds like my sister all right," Sam responded after a moment's hesitation.
I immediately began to regret what I said as I watched as something suddenly snap inside Cream. She broke free of me, pushing me back with a force I didn't know she had in her.
"Mr. Chris! How can you say such a thing about your mother?!" she exclaimed with a level of anger I had never seen in her before. "Your mama loves you very much, and… and she was looking all over for you because she wanted to say goodbye to you! You should be lucky you even have a mother on the same planet as you, and… and… I-I can't even see my own mother!"
At the prospect of being separated from her mother by a whole dimension, Cream burst into tears. She ran out the living room door, with Cheese following and also in tears.
The room was stunned into silence. No one knew whether to act surprised that Cream could talk, or angry at me for talking down about my mom. After Cream snapped, my guilt piled up higher. I hadn't even thought about her own mother, and that made me feel even worse.
And then it hit me with the extent of my frustration as well. It was because she had to leave again, and this time, I couldn't even get a chance to say goodbye. Twelve years of not having true quality time with my mom, and today was the straw that broke the camel's back.
Ella finally found her voice a moment later.
"Chris, I… that… was not a good thing to say about your mother."
Before anyone could say anything else, though, Tails and Amy ran through the room, causing Ella to yelp. They almost backtracked, as if they knew they shouldn't have been out in the open, but they reconsidered and ran to the other side anyway. They too ran out the side door after Cream.
"C'mon, hurry," I could hear Tails say between breaths.
Grandpa was just about to follow them when we all heard a sigh from Ella. Turning to look at her, we saw that she looked light-headed. The sight of several aliens in her house must have quickly overwhelmed her. And before I knew it, she had fainted and slumped onto the cough.
"What happened?" Sam asked.
Grandpa gently laid her down on the couch. "She fainted… I think it's probably because she's not used to seeing the aliens."
"Is she gonna be okay…?" I asked in worry.
"Yeah, she'll be all right," Grandpa responded as he turned to the rest of the room. "Just give her a few minutes. I think too much happened at once and it overwhelmed her."
Mr. Stewart stood up and put his phone back in his pocket.
"Well, uh, that escalated quickly," he commented as he started to leave the room. "I think I saw all I needed to see here. Not to mention it got… kinda awkward, no offense."
"I'm so sorry about that," Grandpa said. "I-I can explain, but-"
"Hey, I don't mean to pry… but are they living here or something?"
"I…" Grandpa sighed. "Yeah, they are. But… for the sake of our safety, can I trust you to not tell anyone about this? And I mean absolutely no one, because frankly, I'm worried about what would happen if anyone found out."
"I know," Mr. Stewart replied. "And yeah, I can keep that secret for you."
"Thank you," Grandpa said. "In the meantime, we can hang out here until the party starts."
"I can't," he replied. "I wish I could, though. Lindsey's kind of the whole reason I came over. And besides, I do have homework to grade and my curriculum to review for tomorrow. Just give me a call next time she's over." With that, he left the room. A moment later, we heard the front door open and close.
Sam stretched. "Y'know, I should probably be going too," he said. "I come quickly, but I also leave quickly. It's kinda my nature."
"Wait, don't you wanna say hi to Matt?" Grandpa invited.
Sam was surprised. "Oh, he's here now?"
"Yes," answered Grandpa. "He came just as Lindsey was leaving."
"Gotcha," Uncle Sam nodded. "So that explains why I saw another car in the driveway. Makes sense. But like… how did he not hear any of this just now?"
We heard footsteps on the stairs in the distance, and a moment later Matt reentered the room. He was still dressed in the same clothes as before. He must have immediately sensed the awkward silence in the room, because he was frowning.
"Um Why do I feel like I missed something…?" he asked after a moment.
Grandpa turned and walked toward the doorway, but before he left, he turned back to us.
"I'll be right back; I just need to take of something. Hold that thought, Matt. We'll explain everything in just a bit. And Chris, I'm gonna need you to come with me."
As Matt and Uncle Sam reunited and began talking about one of their Need for Speed games, I followed Grandpa out of the room and into the foyer. I felt so relieved to be out of that tense room.
"Let's step outside for a bit," Grandpa told me. "We need to talk about what's going on."
"O-O-Okay…" I said as I followed him out the door. I was so scared then, and I was so worried that Mr. Stewart or Uncle Sam or even Matt would snitch on us about my new friends living with us.
Grandpa closed the door behind us and stepped out onto the spacious porch. He looked at me in the eye.
"Chris, I think we held out as long as we could, maybe even too long," he told me. "There's not really any more point in hiding the aliens from everyone. I mean, they already saw most of them anyway.
I fidgeted with my fingers as Grandpa leaned against one of the marble columns supporting the awning above us.
"You can only hold your breath for so long, right. At some point, you're gonna have to let it out whether you like it or now. Do you know what I'm saying?"
I slowly nodded. I didn't want any unnecessary drama at all, but at this point, everyone had seen too much.
"You know it's going to be easier on everyone in the long run," pressed Grandpa. "Besides, Ella has already seen pretty much everyone today. I don't see any reason to hide them from her any more."
I thought for a moment, deeper about this situation than I ever had before. No one had called the cops on us yet after two weeks. That was a good sign. Maybe since Ella, Matt, and Sam were all family, they could promise to keep this a secret. Maybe it was better off if we introduced my Mobian friends to them. After all, a friend of a friend was a friend.
"O-Okay…" I relented, wondering what the worst was that could happen.
"I mean, what's the worst that could happen?" Grandpa happen. "Chris, I promise, everything's going to be okay. Now why don't you head back inside while I get everyone together for a meet and greet."
"Okay," I nodded before stepping back inside, shutting the doors behind me. I still felt a bit nervous at what could happen, but Grandpa felt so confident about it.
I walked back into the living room, where I saw that Ella was waking up, and Matt was looking even more confused than ever.
"Look, can someone please tell me what's going on here?" Matt asked, starting to get a little impatient.
"Y-Yeah… I think Grandpa just needs a few minutes first," I told my cousin.
Ela was holding a cloth to her sweating forehead. "Perhaps I've been working too hard lately… But… They could not have been real…" she sighed.
"Hey, say what you want, but I know what I saw in the window," Sam countered.
"Wait, what did you see in the window?" Matt asked.
Sam cocked a brow. "You legit don't know about the alien?"
"No, I just got here," Matt replied. "But if you're talking about the one on the news, then I think that might be the same one…?"
"You know the one. It's got shoes and gloves and it's blue? You know what I'm talking about?"
"Yeah, but… wait, are you saying you legit saw it in the window?"
"Yeah, man! That's what I'm trying to tell you!"
Matt blinked in surprise. "Whoa… I guessed I missed a lot…"
Five minutes later, the front door opened, and I could hear several pairs of footsteps. Grandpa stepped into view and stood in the doorway. He cleared his throat.
"Okay, can I have your attention everyone?" he called. When all heads turned to him, he started his speech:
"Okay… I know this is- all of this is really unexpected… but I feel like I owe you all an apology… and a proper explanation. So, um… if you noticed us acting a bit strange over the past two weeks, it's because we're having visitors here, and, um… they're not exactly from this world, which is why we're been trying to be on the down-low about this. And, uh… we didn't want to tell anyone about them because… well, we're pretty paranoid about all of this, especially Chris. We don't really want the government to get involved in our business over this, and… we've kind of grown close to them like friends and we don't want to see them being taken away.
Ella nodded. She was beginning to understand.
"Again, I want to thank you for putting up with our strange shenanigans," Grandpa continued. "We tried really hard to hide them from you, but… we can only keep them secret for so long, so… I think it's officially time for us to show them to you, and you can meet you. And to answer an unasked question, yes, these are the same aliens that came here a couple weeks ago."
"Wait, for real?!" Matt gasped!
"Yes, Matt, for real. Just wait here and I'll go bring them in for you," Grandpa said before he stepped out of the room.
"How did Professor Thorndyke and Chris keep them a secret from us for two whole weeks?" Ella wondered.
Just outside the room, I could hear Grandpa say "Okay, you can come out now" to my friends. The next moment, Sonic, Tails, Amy, Cream, and Cheese entered the room together, with Grandpa right behind them.
However, the moment I saw Cream, I felt another wave of guilt wash over me. How could I have said such a bad thing about my mother in front of her? They seemed to have gotten over it for the most part, to the point where I couldn't tell that they were ever crying. But that didn't matter. I was a monster, and I had to make things right.
"Um… H-H-Hi…" Tails shyly waved. "M-My name's Miles Prower… b-but everyone calls me Tails," the fox introduced himself.
"I'm Amy Rose, and I'm Sonic's girlfriend," Amy said next. Sonic rolled his eyes.
"My name is Cream, and this is my Chao friend Cheese." They gave an adorable wave, earning an "awww!" from Ella.
"And I'm Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog. Also known as the Fastest Thing Alive, if you fancy nicknames, Highway Star."
"Hey, that's… that's like old school, man. I go by the Noble of Sonic Speed tonight. But hey, if you're feeling formal, just call me Sam Speed."
"Yeah, Sure thing, Sam," Sonic replied as he shook my uncle's hand. "I gotta hand it to ya, you were like… way cool during that chase when we first met. I had a good time back there."
"Yeah," Sam laughed. "That was like one of my best nights ever. But please, you gotta watch it with the sonic booms from now on, all right? You actually broke my windshield."
"Sorry about that," Sonic shrugged. "I just got a thing about being held prisoner by people I don't know. But I figured you were just doing your job, so… yeah, I'll let it slide."
As they were speaking, Cream approached Ella, who smiled upon seeing her. The maid carefully scooped her up and sat her on her lap.
"I'm sorry for spilling the flour in the kitchen earlier," Cream apologized. "It was an accident… Um, what's your name?"
"You can call me Ella," she answered, gently stroking Cream. "And it's okay, dear. Accidents happen."
Meanwhile, Uncle Sam was glancing at Tails, marveling at the fact that…
"…Whoa… You actually have two tails…" Sam whispered in awe. Tails shrugged, rubbing behind his head nervously. "Does this mean you're like a mutant-"
"Sam," Sonic gently chided, and shook his head. Uncle Sam looked confused, but he shrugged.
"May I ask a question?" Ella spoke. "There was a sound I noticed a few times in the last two weeks, and it sounded like a loud motor. Um… was that one of your inventions backfiring?"
Grandpa chuckled. "Well… you'll have to talk Tails about that one."
Ella turned to look at the fox, who blushed slightly.
"Well… that was actually my plane you heard," he replied.
"Your plane…? repeated Ella.
"Yup," Tails replied. "I built it all by myself."
"Whoa, for real?!" exclaimed Matt. "'Cuz when I saw it, I thought it was Grandpa's!"
"Nope, that's all me!" Tails replied. looking flattered and blushing a bit.
"And Ella, now you know why I didn't want you or Mr. Tanaka going out in the garage," Grandpa said. "I didn't want you to see the Tornado because… we were a bit paranoid. So that's why I said I was workijg on a secret project, and that would cover the engine sounds as well."
"Oh, you should have told me about all this sooner, Professor," Ella responded. "That way, you wouldn't have had old Ella going crazy about the house being haunted."
Tails chuckled at this.
Amy turned to Matt. "Oh, and, um… I don't think you ever told us your name," she pointed out.
"Oh yeah, sorry about that," the young adult realized. "I'm Chris' cousin Matt."
"Oh, So you're Matt," Tails said. "Chris told us about you."
Matt grinned. "I guess good news travels fast," he quipped as he looked around the living room.
Cream seemed to notice a twinge of sadness in his eyes, but before she could say anything about it, Ella spoke up.
"Okay… Ever since the beginning, I always wanted to know how you came here," Ella said. "I saw you on TV, and I have been dying to know ever since then."
"Oh yeah, it's quite a story," Sonic responded, "but since you guys are having a party tonight, and long stories are kinda not my thing, I'll just cut to the chase. So basically, we're all from another planet called Mobius, and Dr. Eggman- well, first, you guys know about him, right?"
Ella, Sam, and Matt nodded.
"Okay, cool. So Eggman accidentally sent all of us here, and himself too, and we've been trying to get together seven powerful gemstones called the Chaos Emeralds, so we can all go back home."
"Yeah… so far, we have one," Tails added. "It's not gonna be easy to find the other six. They could be in literally any part of the world."
"And of course, Eggman's after them too," Amy said. "He basically wants to take over the world."
"Hey, I know you guys can do it," Matt said. "'Cuz I saw the way you beat Eggman on TV."
"So give it to me straight," Uncle Sam said. "What are these Chaos Emeralds really like? Like… why do you guys want them so badly?"
After my friends gave my uncle a brief description of the Chaos Emeralds, he was left scratching his head skeptically.
Sam, however, looked skeptical. "Huh… that's a lot to chew… Like, I wanna believe you guys, but they sound like they're too good to be true. I mean, don't get me wrong, I saw the news report on the gemstone last Monday, but… is it really that powerful?"
"Oh yeah they are," Sonic answered. "But lately it's been causing a bit more… chaos… than it should. I can bring it to you guys for a little show-and-tell!" With that, Sonic ran off toward the garage.
Ella carefully lifted Cream and Cheese off her lap and stood up. "Okay… I think it's time to finish getting everything ready for the party," she announced. "Good thing I made a lot of food… as usual!"
Thorndyke Mansion – Fri September 3; 5:56 PM – Third-person POV
The party was only minutes away. Cream and Cheese were in the kitchen, helping their new friend Ella with the finishing touches of the food. Right now, they were helping to decorate the cake.
"I'm so happy you don't have to hide from me anymore," Ella spoke with joy. "I really hope you can go back to your real home as soon as possible."
"Me too… and I know we will," Cream responded. "My friends are very good at finding the Chaos Emeralds."
"Chao!" Cheese agreed after decorating his side of the cake.
"I heard what you said earlier… and… your mother must miss you terribly," Ella sympathized.
"Don't worry, Miss Ella," Cream comforted. "I'll be okay because I have many wonderful friends who are there for me." She smiled sweetly at Ella. "Thank you for letting us live here."
Needless to say, Cream and Cheese had taken an immediate liking to Ella. She was a very motherly figure who made them feel right at home.
After another minute, Ella fetched several plates from the cabinet and handed them to Cream. "Here, why don't you take these into the dining room," she said.
She also gave some smaller bread plates to Cheese, and they took them to the dining room, where Amy and Tanaka were setting the table.
"Ella's right," Amy commented. "I'm glad we don't have to hide either."
Cream smiled as she and Cheese placed the plates on the table. "Yeah… Miss Ella is really nice," she complimented.
"I know," Amy responded as she poured the water. "And Sam and Matt are pretty cool too. I just hope we get to know them a little bit better before they go."
"Yeah, me too… But we can know everybody better now that we can be in the house," Cream responded.
Meanwhile, Chuck, Tails, and Matt were sitting in the living room, chatting about Matt's college, as well as Tails' skills in mechanics.
"So you legit built that plane from scratch," Matt said, beyond amazed at what he had heard.
"Yup," Tails answered. "And, um… I don't like to brag, but I do have another plane back home, and I even built a spaceship that we used during the Phantom War."
"The Phantom War? What's that?" Matt queried.
Tails was a little confused that Matt questioned the war over the fact that he himself built a massive ship that was longer than three football fields put end to end.
"It's a long story… but Eggman actually took over the world… and he has a powerful ally who used a ruby to create fake versions of our enemies."
"Whoa, really?" Matt asked, to which Tails nodded. "Is he still around?"
"Not that I know of…" thought Tails. "We haven't seen him since the end of the war."
"I meant to ask this earlier, Matt," Chuck spoke, "but how long do you think you'll stay here before you have to go back?"
"Um… I think at least through Sunday night," he answered. "I plan on seeing my mom tomorrow… It's gonna be the first time in almost four years."
For the second time, Tails noticed something off about Matt's expression, but he didn't get a chance to question it because Matt was changing the subject.
"I've been thinking, it's kinda strange that no one's broken in here just to see you guys yet," he commented.
"Yeah, why is that?" Tails seconded.
"Well, maybe no one knows you live here yet," speculated Chuck. "And even if they did, we have a top-notch security system, so I can pretty much guarantee you that no one's going to break in to see you any time soon."
"That's good," Tails said as he leaned back in his seat on the couch.
Elsewhere, Sonic was going into further detail about the Chaos Emeralds with Sam, who was idly turning the green Chaos Emerald over in his hands.
"So when you get all seven of these things, you can pretty much go all Goku on your enemies?"
Sonic scratched his head. "I guess… Depends on who Goku is."
Sam smiled. "Oh, you don't know what you're missin' out on. He's the main hero of the Dragon Ball series. You're gonna love it."
"Yeah, I might check it out one of these days," Sonic replied. "Anyway, the Chaos Emeralds can be used for both good and evil. They can reflect on positive emotions like love, joy, and kindness, but they can also be used by evil, and they usually rely on anger, hate, and sadness."
"Oh wow," Sam commented. "And, uh, did I hear you say earlier that they can be used to power machines and stuff? 'Cuz I'm thinking maybe my car could use a few upgrades-"
"Good luck on that, pal," Sonic said. "No offense to you, but humans on my planet were barely able to figure out the Chaos Emeralds in detail."
Before Sonic could go into explaining Chaos Control, he noticed the absence of a certain someone.
"Hold on, be right back," Sonic said before sprinting up the stairs at a speed that forced Sam to hug a wall to avoid being blown over.
"Little blue showoff…" muttered Sam.
Once Sonic reached the top of the stairs, he walked down the hallway and paused in front of a door that was left ajar. He recalled from memory that this was Chris' room, back when he sneaked him downstairs.
Sonic knocked gently. "Can I come in?" he whispered.
"Y-Yeah…" came Chris' quiet voice from within.
Sonic slowly pushed the door open and crept into the room. He saw Chris sitting on his bed, idly fiddling with one of his LEGO models.
"What'cha doing away from all the action, buddy?" Sonic softly asked.
Chris didn't look up at his hedgehog friend. "I… I'm a monster…" he admitted.
"Oh…?" Sonic cocked a brow. "What makes you say that?"
"I hurt Cream's feelings…" Chris admitted.
Sonic leaned against Chris' bedpost. "How so?" he asked.
"I… I complained about my mom again… and… she actually got angry at me… and she misses her mom…" Chris sighed. "I feel like I ruined our friendship…"
Sonic gently smiled, which both surprised Chris and seemed to ease his mind a bit.
"You know she can't stay mad at you," he spoke, "especially when you've been nothing but good to her. Besides, she's really quick to forgive people. You'll see."
A moment later, Cream bounded through the doorway into the room, with Cheese right behind her. True to Sonic's word, Cream was back to beeing her happy cheerful self. However, Chris still felt the need to make things right with her.
"Cream…" he started. "I…"
"It's okay, Mr. Chris," Cream responded. Before he knew it, she and Cheese had laid a beautiful crown of flowers upon his head. Chris glanced up at it.
"What is this?" Chris asked with intrigue.
"It's a flower crown," Cream responded, a beaming smile on her face. "It means you're one of my bestest friends!"
"Chao chao!" Cheese echoed.
Chris was in awe. Not only did Cream and Cheese fully forgive him, but he even had something tangible to remember that they were really great friends now!
"I'm wondering, where did you get these flowers?" Chris asked. "Because I don't remember this kind out in the garden."
"Mr. Sonic went out of his way to get some from a beautiful valley," she proudly explained.
"Yup. Peace Park," nodded Sonic. "I've been there before. It's a really beautiful place. Tons of flowers everywhere."
"Thank you, Mr. Sonic!" said Cream. "Now I wanna go give Miss Ella her flower crown too!"
With that, she skipped out of the room, with Cheese following right behind her. Sonic sat down next to Chris and wrapped his arm around his shoulder. There was a big smile on his face as well.
"Way to go, Chris!" he congratulated softly. "That means you're a true friend of hers."
"R-Really?" I asked.
"You bet! Cream only gives flower crowns to people she thinks are her true friends, like you."
Chris beamed. "So does this mean you also got a flower crown too?"
"Yep," Sonic responded. "So did Tails, Amy, and even Knuckles. We need more people like her around here."
Hopping off the bed, Sonic walked over to the door and held it open for Chris.
"Ready for the party, Chris?"
Chris nodded and followed Sonic to the door. "Yeah, I think I am now," he said.
"You did a good job keepin' us under wraps for two whole weeks," he congratulated. "But I'm glad we can just relax a bit and not hide from anyone anymore."
"Me too," said Chris.
As they left the room together, Chris felt like a huge burden was lifted off his shoulders. Not only was he still friends with Cream, but she and all of his friends were finally revealed to the rest of his family without any trouble.
The secret was out.
A/N: And that concludes the seventh chapter! This was a fast and fun one to write. even though I kinda like controlling Eggman.
Differences with the original episode:
- I gave a real purpose to the party. Instead of Lindsey throwing it for no reason, she is now hosting it because Matt is returning for a visit.
- The inclusion of Matt alone is a huge difference.
- Instead of looking at Piet Mondrian paintings, Mr. Stewart is looking at his phone, as it is more natural.
- People no longer panic out of nowhere.
- Mr. Tanaka is removed from the climax; because Lindsey arrived by helicopter in the previous episode, he is driving her to the airport.
- Sam Speed ends up staying for the party after all.
- I greatly extended the scene where the Mobians are being introduced to everyone, as well as the ending scene of the episode.
I am now betareading two stories, one of which is written by one of my newer followers: D. J. Scales. I have one more slot open for betareading if you would like to enlist my services. In return, I'm looking for someone to betaread this story as well, so it can be even better - preferably someone who is good with detailed scenes. (EDIT: I already have a betareader for this story!)
I tried my hardest to make sure Matt doesn't become a Mary Sue. He will not appear frequently at first, and he may not seem like much, but he will get his chance to show his true colors. Sometimes he feels like a self-insert, but he's different from me in a couple ways. In fact, I originally created him as a self-insert for another purpose, but it's way too early in the story to discuss that.
Please let me know if anyone is OOC or if there are plot points that need discussing; every little bit helps. And keep the reviews coming, even though I'm not really the guy who treats reviews like food! (EDIT: I kind of HAVE become that person now XD)
I want to thank The Green Seer and Animation Adventures for pointing out a few glaring errors, including a Mary Sue moment involving Matt, as well as Chuck dominating the conversation when he was introducing Sonic and his friends. During that correction, I had changed the conversation between Sonic and Sam, as well as fixed a few typos.
The next chapter in the backlog was really fun to write. I also wrote an all-new scene that wasn't there in the original, so you're in for a treat!
Next time is Satellite Swindle, where Tails is pushed to his limits when Eggman sends a robot to wreak havoc just out of his plane's reach! Don't miss it!
