Chapter 3

Shadow

The alien quartet ran through a forest in Green Hills. Shadow watched as blue, yellow, and red weaved in and out of the blanket of trees. He struggled to keep up with not only Sonic, but also Tails and Knuckles, and he hated it. His legs felt sore, as though weights had been attached and were rubbing against his skin. He was still recovering from the explosion.

It was Saturday morning, and Shadow had been staying with Tom and Maddie for two days now. Sonic and his friends had wanted to get some exercise, and Shadow agreed. He didn't want to be stuck in the house for a third day, even if he should have been recovering instead.

He slowed down and stopped to catch his breath. A blue, yellow, and red light zipped past him. When would his strength return?

"Shadow, what's wrong?" Sonic asked as he zipped right back to him, hands on hips.

Shadow breathed heavily, and his vision lost focus for a second. "I must be injured from the explosion."

Sonic looked him up and down. "Yeah, you don't look so good. Maybe we should go back home. Maddie can make you some chicken noodle soup, and we can put on another movie or something.

Shadow didn't like being idle for long. "No, I've sat enough. Let's keep going."

"The best warriors know how to rest," Knuckles said, also making his way back.

"Knuckles is right, Shadow," Tails said. "You might be injuring yourself even more."

Shadow growled. "I said I'm fine!"

"You're big, scary voice isn't going to work on us, buddy," Sonic said, wagging a finger at him. "If you try to keep going, we're going to carry you back."

Shadow curled his fists. It appeared that he was outvoted.

"How about we walk back?" Tails asked.

"Yeah, we can take in the scenery that way," Sonic said, smiling.

Shadow reluctantly followed. He needed to get stronger.

Shadow defeatedly walked back to the couch in the living room and plopped down. Tom and Maddie were in the kitchen. The other aliens followed him to the couch, and he found himself sandwiched between them.

"Excuse me, I'd like some personal space," Shadow announced.

The others chuckled and Knuckles moved over to a chair. With the biggest alien gone, there was much more room.

Sonic turned on the TV and started surfing through the channels. "What are you guys in the mood for?"

"Are there any action movies?" Knuckles asked. "Tom said that something called Die Hard plays around the holidays."

"What if we watched a nature documentary," Tails suggested.

"Tails, I think you're going to have to watch those on your own time," Sonic said. "What about you, Shadow?"

Shadow inwardly groaned. It hadn't even been three full days, and he was bored. "I don't know. I think I want to see the news."

"Hm, I'm not sure if that's a good idea," Sonic said.

"Why's that?" Shadow asked, enunciating his words.

"Well, recent events are still being talked about, and you don't need to see that," Tails said, rubbing the back of his head.

"We've been trying to keep you away from the news," Knuckles said.

Shadow felt his face heat with embarrassment at the thought of his misdeeds, and what he'd nearly done. If only he could go back in time and stop his past self from going too far. He could only imagine the fear and devastation that he'd caused. He needed to know what was happening and if there was anything else he could do.

"I want to see what they're saying," Shadow decided.

"No. That's not a good idea," Knuckles said firmly.

"It's for your own good," Sonic assured with a nervous laugh. He was trying to lighten the mood.

"I don't need to be coddled," Shadow gritted out. "I need to know what's happening. It's my responsibility to make sure Earth is safe."

"Shadow, that's enough," Tom said, coming up behind the couch. He looked down at the red and black hedgehog, and Shadow met his gaze. "The others are right. I don't want you watching the news and getting stressed out while you're trying to recover. All you need to know is that everything is okay right now. You helped save the world at the last minute, and it all worked out."

Shadow frowned and was about to protest again, but then decided to let the situation go. He was in no position to demand things as a guest. But if everything was okay, what were they hiding from him?

Shadow was laying in the yard, looking up at the stars. It was something he'd done every night since he got to Green Hills. The town had a good view of the sky.

Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails had gone to bed some time ago. It was almost midnight.

Shadow heard the sound of a door creaking open and then closing. Soft footsteps came toward him. "Do you want to be alone?" Maddie asked hesitantly.

Shadow glanced at her. "Do what you want."

Maddie threw down a blanket and sat down with her legs crossed. She looked up at the sky. "What are we looking for?"

"Nothing in particular," he said quietly.

"You've done this every night since you've been here," she pressed.

He didn't reply.

"Hm," she mumbled. "Why not talk to me? Maybe I can help."

Shadow closed his eyes for a second. "I used to look at the stars with Maria."

"Ah, I see. Sonic told me that you guys talked about how a star's light doesn't go away even though the star itself is gone."

He felt his stomach tighten. "That's right. Her light keeps shining, but I have to say, the absence of the star is still painful. It's just not the same. What I would do to see her again."

She looked at him intently. "I wish I could make you feel better, Shadow. I know that you're hurting."

"Mhm," he grumbled.

"But I also know that Maria wouldn't want you to be miserable. She would want you to be happy and enjoy your life."

He shook his head slowly. "You don't understand. I don't know how to do that."

"I think that it will just take time, but you don't have to do it alone. We'll be with you every step of the way."

Shadow considered her and then looked back up at the stars.

Ever since I first played Sonic Adventure 2 when I was a kid, Shadow and Maria's story was very important to me. I wished that Maria could be saved. I think that we all wanted a friend like Shadow—loyal to a fault.

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