The streets are still pretty empty as it is still early in the day. The only sounds he can hear are the store owners opening up their shops and the almost silent whirring noise from his board. He swerves around any people that are on the street. He can feel their eyes on him. He isn’t surprised by this anymore. It not often they see a blue hedgehog riding a hoverboard after all.
His house is at the end of the road. It is the biggest house in town, his mother made sure of that. Though is it very expensive looking, it’s just as old-looking as all the other houses. He can see the moving van parked in the driveway still. That fact makes him a little bit upset.
‘So she’s still here huh…’
He starts to slow down his board as he gets closer to the house. His mother is standing outside talking to his sister. He catches onto the end of their conversation.
“-are you sure you’ll be alright taking care of him?” There was a hint of worry in her tone. She runs a hand through her hair-like dark violet quills and smooths a hand over her pale blue dress.
“We’ll be fine, mother. Manic is here too and Uncle is just down the street. We’ll ask him if we need any help.” Sonia, Sonic’s older sister by twelve years, says a bit exasperated.
“I know, its just…” She trails off as she looks to the side, noticing her youngest son standing in the driveway. “Oh, Sonic, there you are. Did you come to say good-bye to mommy?”
Sonic shakes his head. He doesn’t even want to get near her. He just stares at her, eyes wide, an unknown expression gracing his features.
Sonia, noticing the tense atmosphere between her mother and younger sibling, walks over to Sonic, placing a hand on his shoulder.
“Sonic, why don’t you go inside?” Manic made breakfast.” She tilts her head in the direction of the front door as if that will prompt the blue hedgehog to leave faster.
“Yeah, okay.” Sonic mumbles barely loud enough to hear, before solemnly going inside.
There was a beat of silence after his form disappears from view. Sonia looks back at her mother as she hears a quiet sob.
“My poor baby.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.
On the inside Sonia was angry. How dare she think she has the right to be upset? To feel sorry for herself? After everything she’s done?
“I think it would be best if you left now, mother.” The magenta hedgehog says, trying to keep her tone under control.
Aleena looks up at her in shock. “Sonia, I-”
“Aleena, please leave.” Sonia’s voice left no room for argument.
Aleena sighs and without another word, she gets into the moving van and it pulls out of the driveway. Sonia watches it until it turns the corner and disappears down the street.
Sonia lets out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. She goes inside and locks the door.
In the kitchen, she sees Sonic sitting at the table, poking at his eggs but not eating. Manic, her twin brother was in the fridge, most likely taking inventory for when he went shopping later.
“What’s the matter, not hungry?” Sonia asks, after noticing the saddened look the blue hedgehog’s face.
Sonic glances up at her before looking down at his plate. He drops his fork and places his hands in his lap. “Not really.” His voice is quiet. “...M-may I leave the table?”
It hurts Sonia’s heart to have to see her younger brother like this, so drawn into himself and scared. He always looks so small and vulnerable. She misses the happy kid she used to know. Always cheerful and having a reason to be excited. Brightening everyone’s day just by being around them.
“Of course Sonic, you don’t have to ask…”
Sonic doesn’t look up from his lap. “Oh, I forgot, sorry…” He scoots off the chair, leaving the kitchen. The twins listen as his footsteps ascended up the stairs. They do nothing until they can hear a door close upstairs.
Manic and Sonia share a look. The former running a hand through his messy bangs. “Damn it.” He closes the fridge and crosses his arms with a frown as Sonia clears the table. “What are we going to do, Sonia?”
Sonia sighs, putting Sonic’s leftover in the fridge. Hopefully, he’ll want to eat later. “There’s not much we can do, Manic. What’s done is done. All we can do is help him through it…” She stares in the direction their younger brother went.
He was laying on his back on the bed, staring a the ceiling.
The ceiling was stark white and flawless. Blank and empty, just like he wishes his mind was. He turns his head away to look at the leftmost wall. It was also white. There was a poster tacked to it though. It was a poster of is favorite Extreme Gear rider, Neon-X.
They were the one that inspired him to want to ride in the first place. His…. mother, didn’t want him to do that, she never let him do much of anything he wanted to. The only reason he is able to ride is that his Uncle Chuck has an Extreme Gear Shop.
His mother doesn’t really get along with Uncle Chuck…
Sonic shakes his head, He doesn’t want to think about his mother right now. He sits up on his bed, wincing as he puts weight on his hurt wrist. He pulls off his glove, the one with the large cuffs. There’s a dark, angry-looking bruise around his wrist, obvious against his pale fur. It was the most recent one… and hopefully the last.
She… was so mad at him that day. He doesn’t even remember what he did wrong. It seemed like he was always doing something wrong or something she doesn’t like. Or maybe she just really likes to hurt him. He doesn’t recall her ever being nice to him if it wasn’t to keep up appearances…
He felt something warm and wet sliding down his cheeks. He pulls his legs up to his chest, wrapping his arms around himself. He buries his face in his arms, trying to cover is sobs.
There a soft knock on his door. “Sonic?” It’s Manic.
The blue hedgehog quickly wipes his eyes free of tears. “Y-yeah?” His voice sounds shaky.
“Are you okay? Do you want to talk?”
Sonic doesn’t want his brother to see him like this. Doesn’t want to talk, he’ll ask questions he doesn’t want to answer.
“No thank you, I want to be alone right now, please.”
He hears Manic’s quiet sigh. “Alright, just call if you need anything, okay?”
“Okay…”
He waits until he hears Manic’s footsteps move further from the door. He gets up and goes to the window, opening it and stepping out onto the roof. He goes to the edge of the roof and sits, swinging his legs back and forth. He sits in silence for a while, just enjoying the sounds of outside.
“Hey, Sonic!”
Sonic looks down at the exclamation and spots Knuckles’ bright red fur amongst a sea of green.
“Knuckles? What are you doing here?” He’s a little surprised but also happy to see one of his friends.
“Amy wants to have a study group or something, to help you catch up.”
Sonic smiles. Amy was always so thoughtful. “Alright, be down in a sec.” Knuckles gives him a thumbs up and goes around to the front door. Sonic gets up and climbs back through the window into his room. He closes the window and goes downstairs to tell his siblings he was going to go study with his friends.
