#i remember struggling a long time with the colors on sonic's outfit

[tekatonic]

Someone order old art ? I made these in May 2022 to include in my SWA zine application but never actually posted them. ( that is to say i tried, panicked and then deleted it... )

If anyone wants to give this a more detailed ID than what I put in the alt text, absolutely knock yourself out !

[starsinmylatte]

A Song Among the Stars

Chapter count: 2/?

Rating: Mature 🔞

Relationships: Grand Admiral Thrawn/Original Female Character

Tags:

Space Opera (literally)

Slow Burn

Slow Romance

Other Additional Tags to Be Added

Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con

Never by thrawn

Sexual Tension

Mix of Legends and Canon

Art Enthusiast Thrawn | Mitth'raw'nuruodo

Thrawn | Mitth'raw'nuruodo is protective of his muse

Ballroom Dancing

Imperial Star Destroyers (Star Wars)

Imperial Officers (Star Wars)

Angst and Romance

Canon-Typical Violence

Chiss (Star Wars)

Chiss Ascendancy (Star Wars)

Masquerade

The Empire shows off

Imperial style

Phantom of the Opera AU if you squint

Thrawn finds his muse

Total word count: 5,506

Chapter 1: Overture

Song suggestion: Reflections- Toshifumi Hinata

I lingered in the bath, fully understanding that I was only delaying the inevitable. The warm, aromatic water swirled around me as I began to dread the next few hours. Soon, the handmaidens assigned to prepare me for tonight would arrive to ensure my compliance.

At an earlier point in my life, I would have resisted all of their attempts to shove me into the various gowns, gems, and the absolutely appalling shoes that had been chosen for me. I had actually bitten the first girl that tried to change my outfit forcibly.

The handmaidens were all extremely wary of me after that incident, but, somehow, three of them had managed to become my only true friends on Coruscant. Despite my best intentions to hate everyone, Talle, Kaia, and Ahni were the only ones who bothered to understand my story.

Though each of us was from a different planet, we had all been taken from our homes by the Empire. We all served high-ranking Imperials, but my main role was different. I was a piece of Imperial propaganda. I was painted as the poor girl from the Outer Rim whose singing talent was discovered by the Empire and given a place to shine for the whole galaxy to see.

My train of thought was immediately interrupted by the sound of three very familiar sets of footsteps entering my room and a sing-song voice that rang out, “Oh Lyra! It seems that you’re stuck with us yet again.”

I let out a genuine snort before retaliating. “Kaia, you know nobody else wants to be anywhere near biting distance of me. You’d have to be personally requested by Lady Tarkin before anyone would consider switching jobs with you, and that’s saying something.”

I suddenly shuddered as I remembered my last encounter with her. Thankfully it had been brief, but it had still felt like an eternity. “That woman is so unpleasant.”

The second voice jokingly mused, “I don’t know, sometimes you can be almost as miserable as her. Now come on out of the bath. We have to start getting you ready.”

“Just five more minutes Talle.” I groaned, “I can just feel that tonight will be particularly long.”

Kaia laughed as she poked her head into the refresher and handed me a mug. “Somehow, I knew you’d say that, and that’s why we’re here ten minutes early.” Her eyes sparkled with mischief. “Before you even begin to ask about it, here’s your shig.”

I shot Kaia a friendly scowl before immediately perking up at the mention of my favorite tea. I had always been partial to caf, but there was nothing better than a steaming cup of herbal tea before a performance. The citrusy scent of the behot immediately filled the small room, and holding the warm mug in my hands was instantly comforting. I let out a sigh of pure bliss, “Stars, you are a wonderful friend.”

Kaia winked before exiting the refresher. “Oh, I know.”

As I enjoyed the last few minutes of my bath, the tea brought back memories of my home. Before the Empire had taken me, a cup of shig and a hot bath would have been considerably rare, and the chances of both happening on the same day, even rarer.

Back on Ero, life was more mundane. My father always had quality goods on hand, but as a trader, he couldn’t just let his daughter drink all of his products. There were also no fancy bathtubs because they were a waste of precious drinking water, so almost everyone used sonic showers instead. I could resent the Empire all I wanted to, but there was no denying that I was at least well provided for. Somehow that made me hate my captivity even more.

I gripped my mug as I fought the other memories that tried to resurface. It had gotten easier to push them down as the years passed, but the pain was still there. Flashes of my capture, my time spent held on a Star Destroyer, the captain that had trapped me in his quarters…... The last thing I needed was to slip back into these memories.

Then there was a gentle hand on my shoulder. The sudden presence made me jump, but I saw Ahni’s smiling face when I looked up. Her face was both a comfort and a constant reminder that the Empire had hurt many people besides me. She had a beautiful deep green complexion marred by the scars from her capture that ran across her face and entire body. Ahni rarely spoke, but she was still extraordinarily expressive and always had ways to make her emotions known. Realization flashed across her face before she bent down and hugged me.

We shared an understanding moment of silence before Kaia yelled in from the other room. “Come on, Ly! We have to get you into all this kriffing fabric sometime today. I heard that we managed to get one of the better options, but tonight everything is special, so there’s more to do than usual.”

Stars, I almost forgot, I mentally berated myself. Tonight’s not only the biggest party I’ve been expected to perform at so far, but it’s the kriffing Masquerade too.

I immediately began cursing under my breath in every trade language I knew as I leapt from the bathtub, wrapped a robe around myself, and ran out of the refresher, closely followed by a very amused Ahni.

My apartment was quite lovely for basically being a prison. I had a plush bed with privacy curtains, a small vanity, a bedside table, a closet filled with outfits, and a tiny enclosed balcony. Having a private refresher made it very close to luxury.

I walked over to the vanity and had a seat. I had been prepared for Imperial events far too many times and knew the procedure that was about to happen by heart. I used to protest that I could get ready myself, but preparing for an Imperial ball required way more thought and perfection than anything else and by now, I put my trust in Kaia, Talle, and Ahni.

Tonight demanded absolute perfection.

The Masquerade was a collection and celebration of the Empire’s most significant members, and my role was to be the sparkling gem in the center of everything. I knew my true purpose tonight involved way more than my renowned singing ability. My presence tonight was pure propaganda. I was a message to every person on every planet in the Empire. This could be you. The Empire is generous. If this insignificant girl from the Outer Rim could be here, you could be here too.

I had already been warned about the consequences if I fell short of what was required tonight.

Hours later, the process was finally complete. Talle had powdered, colored, and shaded my face to her precise standards. She had even filled my lips in with a deep red pigment and darkened my eyelashes to complement my icy blue eyes. Not to be outdone, Kaia had coaxed my long blonde hair into an elegant, intricate updo inlaid with black and white quartz.

The dress came last, and it was stunning. When Ahni opened my closet, I almost couldn’t believe my eyes. Whoever had selected it had undoubtedly wanted me to stand out. There would be no shortage of finery tonight, but I was to be resplendent.

Talle was completely astonished for a long moment before she spoke, “I do believe this is the least horrid thing they’ve picked out for you.”

Ahni nodded vigorously in agreement while Kaia and I remained utterly speechless. The dress was breathtaking, even just on the mannequin.

Getting into the dress was a three-person endeavor, but the struggle was utterly worth it. The long, form-fitting black dress perfectly hugged every curve from the floor up before tapering just slightly above my cleavage. There, the material shifted to the left, wrapped behind my neck, and then formed a sleeve that draped down my entire right arm. However, the most remarkable thing about the dress was the fabric. Any and every way that I moved caused the material to shimmer like the thousands of stars twinkling in the night sky.

I was provided a single thick, gold cuff for my left wrist, and even though the hem of the dress would cover them, heeled slippers made out of the same fabric as the dress.

Talle smiled and carefully handed me the final missing piece. “Now, now,” she jested, “you can’t go to a masquerade without this.”

The mask she handed me was so intricately ornate that it easily could have been mistaken for black lace, but it was actually made from a lightweight metal inlaid with dozens of sparkling diamonds. When I put it on, it rested just above my nose to conceal the upper half of my face beautifully.

As Kaia secured the whole thing in my hair with more pins and gemstones, Ahni produced a floor-length mirror from the closet. In my performances on Eros, I had worn dresses that were considered elegant in the Outer Rim, but there was no way they could ever compare to this. For the first time in my life, I was stunned at my appearance. I had never been overly confident, but now I felt absolutely beautiful.

Talle laughed, “Just try not to stop any hearts tonight. The Empire might lose important officers, and then we’d all be in trouble for making you look this good.”

Kaia placed a hand over her mouth to stifle her snickering, and Ahni looked highly amused by the thought.

I just rolled my eyes, “I think their partners would probably get to me first.”

That sent everyone over the edge, and we all laughed to the point of tearing up. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Ahni went over to open it, and two officers decked out in their Imperial best stepped into the room. The shorter officer locked eyes with me and blushed furiously before looking away.

The taller one finally spoke, “Good evening Miss. We will be your escorts for the night. If you wouldn’t mind following us, we have a speeder waiting to take us to the venue.”

I smiled at the officer, “Thank you, I appreciate it. If you wouldn’t mind waiting outside, I’ll finish up and be out in a second.”

He nodded and signaled to the other man. They stepped outside, and I immediately pulled Ahni, Talle, and Kaia into a big hug. “Thank you all for your help and for being my friends; you make this so much more bearable. I’ll see you when I get back tonight.”

After a few seconds, we broke apart and finished our goodbyes. I smiled at my friends one last time before walking out of the room to join the officers.

________________________________________________

Chapter 2: Aria

Orchestra tuning: The Imperial March (Glory of the Empire)

Lyra’s final song: Roméo et Juliette, CG 9 Act 1: “Ah, je veux vivre danse ce rève” sung by Aida Garifullina

*TW* brief Attempted assault/non-con towards the end of the chapter

The officers outside of my door stood so close that I almost ran headfirst into the taller one when I stepped out.

“Apologies, Miss, we thought you’d be a little longer,” the man managed as he smoothly sidestepped me before acknowledging his previous blunder, “It also seems like we’ve forgotten to introduce ourselves.”

He briefly paused to take his place beside his partner before continuing. “My name is Captain Dreycolt, and this is Lieutenant Arkmad. It’s an absolute pleasure to make your acquaintance and we both actually have you to thank for our presence at the Masquerade tonight.”

Arkmad, who was still noticeably red in the face, nodded sagely. “None of the higher-ranking officers wanted to be stuck with a job at the party; however, the rest of us were fighting to even be included. We happened to fall at the perfect place on the pecking order,” he smiled slyly.

I raised a single eyebrow at Arkmad and gave him my most saccharine smile, “Well, I’m glad that this will be an enjoyable job for you, even though you’re stuck with me.”

His face flushed several shades deeper, and he started to stammer. “M-My apologies M-Miss. I n-never meant to imply….”

Dreycolt promptly tapped him on the shoulder to cut him off before turning back to me and smoothly taking my hand. In one fluid motion, he leaned forward, slowly raised it to his lips, and gallantly kissed the top of my hand. He smiled up at me through lowered lashes, “However, any job that is this beautiful couldn’t possibly be so bad.”

Now it was my turn to blush and I prayed the mask hid most of it because Dreycolt was definitely an attractive man. His caramel-colored hair was neatly trimmed with darker eyebrows and eyelashes framing his warm amber eyes. The uniform he wore fit him exceptionally well, and the slight stubble on his chin tickled my hand as he pressed his lips to it. After what felt like an eternity, he released his grip, and my hand returned to my side.

There was no doubt Dreycolt’s distraction from his lieutenant’s blunder had worked as intended. I could tell he knew as much from the slight smile that tugged at the corner of his lips.

“You flatter me, Captain. If all Imperial officers are as pleasant as you, perhaps tonight will be more enjoyable than I expected.”

Of course, all officers aren’t as kind or practiced in flattery, I thought darkly. These two seem bearable enough to talk to, so I’m at least grateful for that. After all, they’ll be keeping me company for most of the night when I’m not on the stage.

His annoyance at the situation briefly flashed in Arkmad’s eyes before he cleared his throat. He did not seem to enjoy being sidelined for his misstep.

“We should be on our way by now,” he chided. “The airspeeder has priority clearance to travel outside of normal traffic lanes, but I don’t want to explain why the Empire’s star performer is late for her practice time with the orchestra.”

He was, of course, right. Dreycolt jokingly bowed and gestured out into the hallway. “Lead the way, Miss.”

With the Captain and Lieutenant flanking me, I walked through the twisting hallways of the building towards the balcony where our airspeeder was docked.

I was still somewhat dreading the Masquerade, but at least the ride would be pleasant and I would even get to see the sky again. It sounded like such a small thing to enjoy, but coming from Ero to Coruscant was a massive shock in so many ways. I could always see the sky and the stars glittering at night in the Outer Rim but Coruscant was a completely different story.

Though my apartment was beautiful, it was nowhere near the skyline. I played an important role, but it was definitely not important enough for me to live among the rich and powerful. The towering buildings above me kept all traces of natural light from finding my little room, and while artificial light was better than living in the dark, it held no comparison to the real thing.

When we reached the airspeeder, Dreycolt jumped into the driver’s seat, and Arkmad helped me into the back before taking his place in the seat beside him. At the press of a button, a smooth, clear dome slid overhead and enclosed the craft.

I couldn’t resist making a joke. “For both your sakes, I’m glad there’s a roof. You would have to deal with my very unhappy hairstylist if her work was ruined.”

Dreycolt let out a deep-chested laugh, and even Arkmad’s stormy facade cracked into a smile before the airspeeder pulled away from the building, and we were finally on our way.

Since I was expected to be at the venue early to rehearse, night had not yet taken over the cityscape. The sky was cloudy as usual, but light still fell to glisten and reflect across the tops of the tallest buildings. The view was absolutely breathtaking.

I all but shoved my face against the clear dome to take in all of the incredible scenes spread out below. Thousands of speeders, taxis, and transports wove around the many buildings, each with a different purpose and destination. I was beyond captivated by all the people and their freedom to go wherever they pleased, whenever they wanted to.

Before I knew it, we had arrived at one of the most palatial homes on the highest level I had ever seen. Dreycolt stopped the speeder at the balcony, although calling it a balcony was a massive understatement, and Arkmad helped me out onto the landing. I had become accustomed to the splendor displayed by the most influential Imperials, but this was on another level entirely.

An enormous garden lay spread out beyond the balcony’s opulent landing pad. The path we walked down extended its way throughout the entirety of the grounds and wrapped around a massive central fountain before it continued up into a set of stairs that I could only guess led to the main ballroom.

Statues depicting the most famous Imperial victories lined both sides of the walkway, which eventually branched off to different garden sections on each side. Upon closer inspection, the central fountain proudly displayed the Imperial Crest carved into stone so dark it could’ve been mistaken for a solid shadow.

Every single hedge, bush, or flower we could see was maintained to standards of perfection that would impress even the Admiralty of the Imperial Navy. The sweet scent of the many exotic flowers lingered in the air, and the sounds of water trickling from the fountain made the garden almost seem peaceful.

Dreycolt let out a low whistle that made both the lieutenant and I jump. Evidently, he had passed the speeder off to another officer while we were distracted. “Stars. I had heard the constant squabbling over who would get to host led to an amazing result, but this is insane.”

Arkmad nodded, “Someone told me the Emperor personally picked the host and venue. I have no idea who was picked, but they certainly did an outstanding job with the preparations.”

“I wish I were able to walk around,” I sighed wistfully. “It’s been years since I’ve been in a real garden.”

Dreycolt smiled, “Well, Miss, perhaps after your performance, we can arrange that.”

The grin that crept across my face was hard to hide as that simple thought became all of the encouragement I needed to get through the night. As the three of us began the walk to the ballroom, I realized that whoever had designed the path had done so with women’s shoes in mind, as it was completely smooth and comfortable to walk on. Kriffing hell, they really thought of it all.

Before long, we reached the top of the stairs and entered the ballroom. I didn’t think anything would outshine the garden, but I was so very very wrong. The garden was the pinnacle of control and order, but the ballroom exuded absolute elegance.

As we reached the top of the stairs, another officer was waiting to announce our arrival, but I was so captivated by my surroundings that I barely heard what he said. Beyond him was the main dance floor. It looked to be made out of the same dark stone as the fountain, but it was polished so thoroughly you could easily see your reflection looking back at you if you looked down. At the far end of the room, a small but wide set of stairs led up to the stage where the orchestra was busily setting up. More stairs just inside the entrance led to the upper floor, which was filled with tables draped in brilliant white cloths for people to sit and enjoy the spectacle of the dancing below them. A massive, crystalline chandelier hung over the ballroom and blood-red sashes decorated the balconies.

There was so much more to see, but, unfortunately, I wasn’t there to spectate.

As I walked up to the stage, I stopped to greet the conductor of the orchestra; Skath Farri was an old friend from the conservatory where I had trained. He was invited to Coruscant for his considerable talents and was never permitted to leave. Now, he conducted the Imperial Orchestra. No one could know our relationship was anything more than professional, or we’d never see each other again.

“Ly! You look gorgeous, my dear.” He greeted me with the usual platonic kiss on the cheek and inconspicuous wink. “Are you ready to shine tonight?”

That was his unique way of checking in on me. He was very aware that I had never entirely given my voice, or heart, to the Empire. I followed orders and sang the songs they wanted, but the emotion that drove my greatest performances was still in the Outer Rim. There was a marked difference between my performances here and Ero, but only someone like Skath would ever notice. I still played my part of the obedient songbird, but I refused to give them all of me.

I smiled back at him. “Just about as ready as I’ll ever be. They sent me a rather impressive list of everything I’m to perform tonight. At the very least, I came prepared.”

Skath just smiled knowingly before he shooed me onto the stage to begin warming up with the orchestra. Time seemed to stop as I rehearsed, but before long, the guests started to arrive and I was sent over to wait in my spot in the backstage wings until it was time to perform.

I could only see the stage, but I heard names, both familiar and not, being announced upon their entrance. The ballroom began to fill with voices as the guests trickled in. All of a sudden, a musical cue played, and the room went deathly silent. A ghostly hologram flickered to life in the center of the stage, and the shadowy form of the Emperor appeared.

“Welcome, my friends. I trust you will all enjoy tonight as a celebration worthy of our great Empire.” He paused for applause before continuing. “Now, it is my wish that you use this time to reflect on the victories that brought us to this moment. I assure you there will be many more in the future.”

The Emperor stood for even more cheering before holding up his hand to silence the crowd. “Now, let my Masquerade begin!”

His hologram flickered slightly before disappearing altogether as the lights dimmed, cuing me to get on stage. I walked out to stand in the center of the stage, and as soon as I reached my place, the lights slowly returned to their former brilliance.

I was no stranger to performing, but having every single Imperial in the room staring at me was enough to give me butterflies in my stomach. Thankfully, before they could settle in, Skath cued the orchestra to begin with a flick of his baton. The opening notes of the first piece, a current favorite on Coruscant, swelled to life, and I began to sing.

Almost immediately, the officers and politicians turned to their spouses or began to venture off in search of a dance partner. The crowded dance floor began to clear slightly, as others had no interest in dancing and were only there to make connections. The first song ended with tremendous applause, and I began the second. You can do this. Just take it one piece at a time.

By now, I was calm enough to enjoy myself and to watch the dancing and it quickly became apparent that everyone in attendance had tried their best to impress. The ladies wore beautiful, elaborate dresses made out of the best materials and representing the latest fashions from every corner of the Empire. Politicians displayed the most richly colored and finely tailored clothing they owned and Imperial officers were in their usual dress uniforms, but no one was seen without a mask.

There were all kinds of masks on display. Some were crafted entirely from gems or precious materials to show off resources from their home planet. Others pulled designs from legendary animals or myths. There were even some covered in exotic feathers or flowers, but every mask was distinctive in its own way.

Hours passed as I continued to sing. Slowly but surely, I made my way through the extensive list of songs on the program until only one remained. The last song required using a specialized instrument, so I retreated to the wings for some water while it was being set up.

Suddenly, Skath appeared and sprinted towards me. He spun me around to face him fully, and I was in shock at how frazzled he looked. Even his voice was strained. “Lyra, you have to trust me. I have no idea who asked for this, but they were important enough to change the final song we planned. Every member of the orchestra was given the new sheet music, and a stand was set out for you.”

“They want me to sight-read a piece on a night as important as this?!” I gasped indignantly at the thought.

Skath’s face was grim. “No. You’ll know it, but you won’t be happy about it. We don’t have any time left, so we’ve got to get back on stage. For what it’s worth….. I’m so sorry.”

My stomach sank. If he was this upset… I had no idea what to expect. However, there was no choice but to walk back to my place on stage and pretend nothing had even happened. With every step, the sinking feeling in my stomach grew.

It was so much worse than I ever could’ve expected. There was no way anyone here besides Skath should know about this song, but here it was in front of me. It was my favorite piece of music and the only one I’d sworn to keep from the Empire forever. The piece that had been the star of my first major performance on Ero after I left the conservatory.

Before I could even finish my thought, the orchestra cued up. The first few notes began, and every single one of them felt like a knife to the heart. My muscle memory kicked in, and before I even knew it, I was singing.

Thoughts flew through my head while I choked my way through the opening verse. What would I do? Do I keep my promise and hold back, or do I seize the chance I was forced into and truly sing from my heart? Memories of Ero, my family, and my friends all returned as the song continued. My voice began to flow over the music as I made it my own. I remembered my father’s smile and how proud he’d been of me for my music.

Courage suddenly coursed through me like liquid fire. I’d show every kriffing Imperial here what a daughter of the Outer Rim was truly capable of! I was wrong to hold back my emotions before. They could take me, bring me to this place, and shove me on a stage, but they could never control my voice. The Empire wanted me to be their emotionless puppet. My voice wasn’t exactly quiet before, but now it rose to fill the entire ballroom. I was going to burn myself into the mind of every Imperial present. Whoever requested this song would not see me subdued; they would see me triumphant. I poured every ounce of bottled-up emotion into my music, and my voice soared. Then, I had sung the final note, and it was all over.

You could’ve heard a code cylinder drop in the ballroom after the orchestra finished. The dancing had all but stopped, and people were leaning over the balcony to watch me. I curtsied, preparing to exit the stage and receive whatever punishment was in store for kriffing up the Masquerade, but then the thunderous applause began.

I kept my curtsy for as long as possible before my knees started to buckle. Everything left in me had gone into the song, and I barely made it into the wings before I collapsed. Fortunately, Captain Dreycolt was there to catch me before I hit the floor.

I smiled weakly at him. “Since the orchestra is taking it from here, now might be a good time for me to get some fresh air.”

He grabbed Arkmad, and together they helped me out one of the side doors into the garden. I didn’t want to be seen in my weakened state, but thankfully the garden was empty. Most people seemed to be still dancing or otherwise occupied. Those that were in the garden didn’t appear to have ventured this far.

Dreycolt stopped and pointed at the hedge maze, “There’s a small sitting area in the middle. The only way in or out is through the maze. Why don’t we take you to it so you can rest? Arkmad and I will stand at the entrance and exit to make sure you aren’t bothered.”

I had no complaints; the idea sounded fantastic. We made our way through the maze until we reached the center. It was small and only had enough room for a bench, but it was paradise to me. Arkmad helped me onto the bench before making his way to the exit. Dreycolt gave me one last worried glance, turned around, and headed back towards the entrance. The crisp night air felt wonderful on my face, and I began to relax. I closed my eyes, took deep breaths, and started to feel normal again.

The sudden sound of footsteps startled me. Assuming it was Dreycolt or Arkmad, I rose to meet them. For the second time that night, I was profoundly incorrect. A cold, sly voice broke the silence as the face that haunted my dreams stepped into the area. “Hello, Lyra. I bet you thought you’d never see me again.”

Icy fear washed over me as I was thrown into complete shock. Standing in front of me was Girerd Bost, the captain that took me from my home and attempted to violate me in every way possible. The starlight shone on his face, illuminating his narrow, glacial eyes and the nasty scar to the right of them. I hissed at him, “Captain Bost, what an unpleasant surprise.” I gestured to his scar, “It’s a real shame that didn’t heal better.”

He had the decency to look hurt by my cutting words as he moved his pale hair to the side and softly traced the scar. “Unfortunately for you, it’s Commodore Bost now.”

Before I could even blink, he lunged at me, grabbed me by the throat, and shoved me down onto the bench. Bost leaned forward and whispered into my ear. “Those two boys waiting for you were certainly brave. They tried to argue with me, but they couldn’t disobey a direct order from a Commodore no matter how much they wanted to.”

He paused briefly to trace his other gloved hand over my face. His touch revolted me and made my skin crawl; he seemed to take pleasure in my discomfort before continuing, “Now, there’s no one nearby to interrupt us…”

At that moment, he made the mistake of stroking my lips. It was my turn to lunge forward, and I bit down on his hand hard. Bost screamed and released my throat to grab his bleeding fingers. I leapt up from the bench and bolted past him, sprinting as fast as possible towards the maze’s entrance and praying that I wouldn’t hit a dead end. He was chasing me by this point, screaming obscenities and threats of what he would do to me. Finally, an opening in the hedges appeared. I glanced behind me to see if Bost was close behind, but as soon as I turned my head, I suddenly collided with a very large, solid thing.

The hedges made it way too dark for me to see, but from the soft grunt I heard during the collision, it was another man. I recoiled backward defensively as Bost rounded the corner. The mysterious man glanced at him, looked back at me, and seemed to judge the situation quickly. He swiftly stepped in front of me to block Bost’s path. At this point, all my dignity flew out the window, and I hid behind his tall figure. I just had to trust fate that I was better off with him than with the Commodore. In contrast to Bost’s loud cursing, the other man’s voice was impossibly soft and collected when he spoke. “Commodore, I believe this woman would like to be left alone.”

Still distracted by his hand, Bost howled, “Just who do you think you…..”. He looked up at the man and abruptly shut his mouth. Before he could re-open it, my unknown hero spoke again. This time his voice had a definite edge, and an unrecognizable accent slightly marred his words.

“I am Grand Admiral Thrawn of the Seventh Fleet. I trust you will have no further issues with me asking you to leave.”

[liamscxtt]

a day in the life ; self para

when: thursday, august 28th

where: literally everywhere

nb: just a brief (long) narrative of what the typical day looks like for liam.

trigger warnings: homelessness, death and drug mentions, drug abuse

5:00am

there’s a moment when you first wake up when everything is just a haze. a moment when you forget who you are, what day it is -- all of your problems just don’t exist, for that moment. the moment only lasted a few seconds before the blaring sound of the alarms coming from the phone bring you back to the brutal aspects of reality. and yet, those were the best five seconds for liam.

groaning, he turned over and tapped on his screen, desperately trying to shut the alarm off; the bright screen burning his already sleep deprived eyes. he probably only got about three hours of sleep, if that. he was used to it at this point, and then there were days like today. days where he wanted to wither into the depths of his own self-loathing. 

he looked out the window to see the sun beginning to rise. a sky painted with shades of blues, purples, and oranges, almost like a messy yet somewhat neatly put together painting made by a middle schooler. there was something beautiful about waking up with the sun, parts of it that brought him peace. his sister loved watching the sunrise - she always went on and on about how sunrises were the true underdog; how mother nature picked it’s most beautiful mixture of colors for the sunrises, all because it took a special person to appreciate the beauty that came from it. he never really understood what she meant, until he was forced to watch the sun rise every single morning. and as always, she was right. sunsets had nothing against sunrises. 

these quiet mornings were the best part of liam’s day. the hours where he felt most connected to his sister and to himself. the hours he felt truly at peace. it was crazy to think that liam’s favorite time of the day was between 5:00am and 6:30am. 

he turned on his car to play youtube on his aux before climbing out of his vehicle. the sweet melody’s of the soft pitched tunes filled his car and the immediate area surrounding it, and a smile creeped on his face as one of her favorite songs began playing in the background. he wasn’t religious, but there was a part of him that truly found strength in knowing that his sister wasn’t far away. 

he rolled up the worn down mattress topper, collected his pillow and blanket in one hand. he broke down his bed as he pushed the backseat of his 2006 ford escape upright and neatly tucked his belongings into his trunk. 

5:30am

he pulled into the vacant parking lot of the soulstice gym. the gym was set to open in a half hour; luckily for him, there weren’t many college students that would dare to wake up at the crack of dawn just to work out. he stuffed everything he needed to get ready for the day into a duffle bag; shower supplies, and a clean outfit. he desperately needed to do laundry, and he needed to get food...but pay day wasn’t until next week. he was gonna have to find cash, and find it quick - maybe he’ll just pick up another shift at the bar. he practically lived at that place now.

his footsteps echoed through as he walked through the empty fitness center; not even the cleaners had arrived for their early morning shift. he quickly hopped into the showers and get ready for the day. lord knows he needed to wash the dirt and sins that painted his skin from the previous nights festivities. he couldn’t even recall what exactly happened, and that was both a blessing and a curse. it was shortly after he turned on all the lights and greeted the early morning cleaners, jimmy and george. 

“good morning, son!” greeted george. 

“mornin’, will.” jimmy greeted shortly after. 

jimmy and george worked closely together, and were usually gone for the day 2pm; and yet, liam knew the guys quite well. 

jimmy is in his early-forties, married with two children. he worked two full time jobs to get his children through school. his son played division II baseball at a school somewhere in the midwest, and is majoring in sports education. he wants to be a gym teacher. his daughter is studying to be a nurse at monarch. she aspires to work in women’s health. jimmy always spoke so highly of them two. 

george is in his mid-sixties, but is still kicking it like he’s twenty. he’s also married with children and even grandchildren, but his story is more tragic. he’s a retired firefighter, who is still working a full time job because his pension wasn’t enough to make ends meet. can’t make ends meet. his only daughter passed away at a young age - drug overdose, he says. his only son is constantly in and out of jail for drug charges - leaving george and his wife to take care and raise their two grandchildren, layla and michael. layla is 14 and is getting ready to start high school. she loves to play volleyball, and apparently is a natural. michael is 9 and is getting ready to start fourth grade. he love cars, spider man, legos, sonic, and baseball cards. he wants to be a youtube gamer when he grows up. liam didn’t know the kid, but he thought he was fucking awesome. 

two completely different stories, and yet liam believed that those two men deserved the world and then some.

“what’s up, guys?” liam greeted with a smile as he filled up his metal water bottle at the nearest filling station. “when are the kids set to go back, george?”

“this coming monday. mikey’s already complaining how he doesn’t need school to be a youtuber. apparently he’s ‘done his research’.” the comment makes both liam and jimmy laugh. 

“tell the little man to put that energy into a sport, or a trade. i need a new mechanic.” jim jested, once again causing the other two to laugh. “what about you, will? getting ready to start the semester back up? gabby is already stressing because some of her professors already posted the syllabus.” 

“shit, i haven’t even gotten my textbooks yet. i might have to join mikey with this whole youtuber plan and hope for the best.” liam said with a nervous chuckle. he almost had completely forgotten about the upcoming semester approaching. 

to quickly divert the question away from him, he spoke once more. “say, george. i found a few baseball cards at the bar the other night. remind me to bring them in for you.” 

“you’ll make that boys entire week. maybe i’ll use that to bribe him to go to school.” 

jimmy just smiled. “you’re a good kid, scotty boy. never change.” 

2:30pm

it had only been a half hour since liam clocked out from his morning job, and he quickly made his way over to the library. the mention of school that morning brought liam into a panic. he grabbed a spot at one of desks in the computer station, powering on the device and pulling out his notebook. luckily enough, most of the textbooks he needed the library had available. leaving his stuff behind, he went to go fetched them. 

he already had mastered the technique of not having his own textbooks. every week, he would go and scan all of the chapters he needed for each and every class. luckily, monarch offered free scanning and printing. he made small talk with the librarian that sat at the desk nearby as he printed out at least three weeks worth of chapters for each of his classes. 

he sat down once more, and took the time to put the pile of papers neatly into his binder. it was time to start planning. 

6:30pm

now it was time to work his night time job, mars bar. he was working with adrian tonight, so he knew it wouldn’t be that bad.

his stomach had been grumbling half way through his shift. he hadn’t eaten anything all day. but he continued to push through. he had to, at least until pay day. he continued to chug water; if his stomach was full of water, his body didn’t have time to remind him that it needed some sort of nutrients. he was a master manipulator when it came to his own body now. 

1:00am

the rounded out the tips that he received from his customers. it was a good night, and luckily enough he would be able to do laundry the next day. his body was tired, though; aching from the lack of sleep and abuse his body endured from the festivities. he felt like he could sleep for an entire month, and then some. 

he drove around for a bit after his shift, a thing he did as he needed to both unwind and find a somewhat safe space to park his car. university police were patrolling the parking lots that night, which immediately told him not to park there. he couldn’t park in greek row - too many people he knew by this point. he was left to park in a nearby park, in a nearby neighborhood. he found himself saying a small prayer that nobody would mess with him that night. 

he lit up a joint once he found his place, feeling the smoke fill his lungs as he listened to the calming music that played on the radio. ed sheeran was playing, a song from his multiply album. it was one of his and his sister’s favorite albums. that’s the one thing they shared in common, their taste in music. but she was more pop in a sense, and he was more edgy. but still, the music brought him comfort.

he got his bed ready; a mattress topper, paired with a pillow and a blanket. he made himself comfortable and looked at his phone, just to see he missed a text from his mother at 10:45pm.

hi honey! spoke with your aunt today, and we’re making plans for christmas. did your father reach out to you? let me know what plans he has set. i’ll arrange my trip around your plans. 

i hope you had a great day! i love you! ❤️

her message was followed by a bitmoji image of her holding a huge heart. and he smiled. 

i haven’t spoken to him all week, but i’ll reach out tomorrow and let you know. i’ll call you tomorrow. love you ❤️

there was a huge part of him that wanted to call her now, that wanted to tell her he had been struggling both physically and mentally...but then he remembered the damage and the financial burden his injury left. it ruined his family. he ruined his family. and just as he was about to press call, he let out a frustrated sigh before locking his phone and tossing it not too far away from him, rolling over to attempt to get some sort of rest.

just to do the same thing. all. over. again.

[bimboamyrose]

Unfamiliar - A Metamy Fanfic (Ch. 3)

hi babes~ thanks to those of you that messaged me your thoughts on the first 2 chapters; it encouraged me to continue. just finished looking over ch 3 and thought i would post here as i still have not received my invite to ao3 (does anyone know how long that’s supposed to take?). enjoy and feel free to leave me your ideas and comments ❤️

Ch. 1-2 + synopsis here

Ch.3 – Jagged

Amy and Cream bustled around the kitchen, picking up after their lunch. Metal sat, watching and listening, occasionally looking back at the small whiteboard with his name on it. He pondered about his past silently; wondered what his relationship with Tails, Amy, and Cream had been. What little he could remember only added to the mystery, but for now their simple goodwill was more than appreciated.

“So Cream, what did you need help with?” Amy asked her.

Cream was drying the last of the dishes and handing them to Amy to stack away in the cupboard. “Oh, thanks for reminding me. Actually, I have some schoolwork I need help with. Mom was having trouble with it, too.” Cream didn’t attend a physical school but worked with a tutor occasionally to complete some remote learning at her mother’s behest.

“What kind of work?”

“Some algebra. I find it sort of confusing.”

Amy squirmed uncomfortably. She hadn’t exactly had a formal education and was more well-versed in language and history than math and science anyway. “Don’t you think this is more of a Tails question?”

“He can be so impatient!” Cream huffed.  “I asked him for help a few weeks ago but he got frustrated with me.”

“I can see that,” Amy sighed. Tails was passionate about his work to a fault. He was good-natured and caring, but a strong teacher he was not. The boy was easily exasperated when others failed to keep up with him and generally preferred to work on his projects alone. “You know he means well, Cream. He doesn’t realize what a weird little genius he is,” she giggled.

“I guess so. But do you think you could help me?” Cream pleaded.

Amy shrugged. “I’ll try. But let’s ask him if we get stuck anyway.”

The girls finished clearing up and sat back at the kitchen table with Cream’s notebooks. Metal watched them read from some worksheets and try to work out some problems. Amy guided her through the first two, challenging Cream to finish the equations.

“Okay, let me check if that’s right…” Amy wasn’t totally sure she knew how to solve it either, but was pleased when the answers matched. “It is! Good job, Cream,” she beamed at her friend.

Seeing this, Metal scraped away at the writing on his whiteboard and followed along as they read the next equation out loud.

Amy cleared her throat. “Okay, write this down. ‘5×2 + 6x = 3, solve for x.’ Hmm. Let’s take a look at your notes and see if we can figure this one out…”

It took Metal a second to solve it, and a few more to write it out on the little white tablet. He chimed at the girls, holding up his work for them to see.

Cream looked up from her notes to examine the whiteboard. “Is that right, Amy?”

“Let me see…. Yeah! That’s the answer.” She turned to Metal with an impressed smile. “You’re like a walking calculator, Metal.”

She said his name. She seemed proud of him. That was a strange feeling- but not a negative one. He chimed again as a sense of enjoyment overtook him.

“I wish I could do that! But I have to show my work and I’m not sure where to start…” Cream returned to her notes, trying to understand the steps to take.  

Amy put down the worksheet. “What did you do first, Metal?”

He searched his recent memory for the calculations and scraped the answer off the whiteboard to make way for his response.

“Hey Cream, doesn’t that look a lot like this?” Amy pointed out a sample in Cream’s notes that used a similar structure to Metal’s.

“Oh, I think you’re right.” Cream wrote down what she understood to be the next step to solving the problem and showed it to him. “Is this how you did the next part?”

Her writing matched his earlier calculations and he nodded. It was impressive that she picked it up that quickly, he thought.

“Look at you, Cream! You already know more than I do,” Amy giggled.

She watched as Cream and Metal completed the problem together, matching up each step of the process. It took her a few minutes, but Cream matched Metal’s work exactly each time, arriving at the correct answer. Amy was incredibly relieved at his help- she wasn’t convinced she’d be able to solve it on her own, much less guide her friend through the process. The three answered a few more questions together over the next hour; Amy mostly reading from the answer key to confirm their responses.

“That was the last problem. Finally, that’s out of the way!” Cream cheered. “You guys are lifesavers.”

“I would’ve been useless after the first two problems,” Amy chuckled. “Maybe I should get a tutor, too.”

“You have Metal; I bet he knows a lot of stuff.” Cream responded, packing away her schoolwork.

“I don’t want to make a habit of it…” Amy trailed off. She noticed how dirty the whiteboard had become. Metal had been wiping his palm over it roughly and left scratch marks and marker smudges on the surface. “I think we should get you a new white board.”

“Don’t worry about it, I have another one at home. Metal can keep it! Also, this might come in handy for erasing.” Cream pulled a small cloth out of the front pocket of her bag and reached over the table to hand it to the robot.

He moved to grab it from her hand but stopped. He noticed how his sharp fingers had damaged the tablet. What if he scratched her, too? Metal outstretched his palm for her to drop it in instead.

Outside, the day had grown dim. It was still early, but the snowfall intensified over the last hour to create a dense veil that darkened the house. Visibility was low. It was a minor snowstorm, but Amy still worried about Cream’s return home.

“Hey Cream, why don’t you stay a while until the snow lightens up?” she suggested.

Cream peered through Amy’s sliding glass door off the side of the living room. “Oh! I didn’t realize it was so snowy out…”

“Why don’t we put on a movie to pass some time?”

“Hmm…” Cream pondered. She wasn’t really in the mood to watch anything. “I have a better idea! Let’s play dress up- like old times!”

Amy groaned. “Don’t you think we’re a little old for that?” It had been at least 3 years since they raided Amy’s closet for an impromptu fashion show. The girls had spent many a rainy day during Cream’s childhood arranging outfits.

“Metal’s never played,” Cream reasoned.

Amy scoffed playfully. “I really don’t think my clothes will suit him.”

Cream pouted in response. Her pleading eyes glistened in the dim light, growing ever wider. Her fist pressed to her round cheek as she made direct eye contact with Amy.

Amy rolled her eyes. “I taught you that trick.”

Cream abandoned her pitiful façade just as quickly, clicking her tongue.

“But, I guess there’s not much else to do,” Amy finished.

A look of glee filled the young rabbit’s eyes. She shot up from the table and twirled its perimeter to stop next to Metal. “Come on, let’s find you something to wear!” She tugged on his arm which failed to budge.

Surprised at the sudden contact, Metal turned his gaze to Cream’s delicate hands around his arm. After a moment, he managed to prop himself up without it, still struggling to balance as she attempted to pull him toward the bedroom.

“Be gentle, Cream. His foot is messed up.”

“Oh, right! Sorry, I’ll go at your pace,” the girl beamed at him. She dragged him slowly across the living room into Amy’s room, detailing what color scarf she thought would suit him, and adding that maybe a hat would look good, too.

Amy chuckled to herself as she took in the unusual sight of a young girl attempting to lug a clunky robot into a makeshift fashion show. She cleared some eraser shavings from the table and soon followed.

 It was as if a tornado had blown through Amy’s closet with the express purpose of littering as many clothes around the room as possible. Amy sighed thinking about how she had two messes to clean up now. Her and Metal Sonic watched from the bed; he sat at the edge while Amy crossed her legs and hugged a large pillow in front of her chest. Cream had tried on just about every dress, every blouse, and each pair of shoes that Amy owned. She’d also managed to amass a pile of silk scarves around Metal Sonic’s neck, insisting that layering was all the rage. Cream completed his ensemble by placing a wide-brimmed straw boater atop his head. He looked a bit like a hat rack.

Amy turned to address Metal. “So, how you holding up?”

Metal didn’t look at her but let out a melodic grunt. Amy wasn’t sure what it meant but his stoic gaze surrounded by dainty accessories made her laugh.

“Amy, do you remember this?” Cream excitedly held up two intertwined clothes hangers housing a long pink tank top and a matching pair of flared joggers.

“Oh, wow- that old thing. I wasn’t sure I still had it.”

“I don’t fit into mine anymore,” Cream complained.

“Try this one on then.”                                    

Cream slipped back into the closet to change and Amy took it as an opportunity to get a head start on picking up. It had stopped snowing and there was only maybe an hour of sunlight left- it was time Cream got back home.

When she emerged wearing the athletic set, Cream spun around and posed. “What do you think?”

“The pants are still a little long, but it looks great on you. Why don’t you keep it?”

The girl’s eyes twinkled. “Really? You’d let me have it?”

Amy shrugged. “It doesn’t fit me anymore anyway.” Five years had passed since she last wore the set and Amy had grown a couple of inches taller in that time. It was enough that the pants now sat atop her ankles awkwardly. “Now get changed to your clothes, you should get home before dark.”

Cream thanked her profusely and disappeared back into the wardrobe for the last time. Amy hung as much as she could on the clothes hangers that were strewn about and laid it all on the edge of the bed.

“Do you mind?” She motioned to the hat on Metal’s head. He looked up momentarily and gently lifted it from around his ears to hand to her. “Let me help you with these.” Amy unraveled each of the silky scarves from around him, being careful not to snag the fabric on his pointed shoulders. It was in vein, however, as one of the corners of a gauzy red handkerchief caught around his left side where the tear from his missing arm was jagged. “Oh, shoot…” Amy lamented softly. Metal realized this and hung his head timidly.

When Cream came out, she held up yet another hanger. “Hey Amy, what’s this?”

A bomber-style jacket hung from the plastic frame. It was made of supple black and white satin and adorned with an embroidered rose emblem over the heart.

“Oh…” Amy turned and examined it. “I thought this would made me look tough, but I could never fill it out right,” she giggled. “I just never really wore it.”

“That’s a shame, it’s so nice.” Cream gazed at the jacket, admiring the floral patch. Then she looked up and caught sight of Metal Sonic, who was still sitting quietly on the bed. “Hey, I bet it would look nice on Metal,” she smiled.

“Oh, Cream, don’t bother him with that…”

She approached Metal anyway, holding up the piece. “Would you like to try it on?”

Metal Sonic took a closer look at the soft jacket. It was padded lightly around the shoulders. He stood up then, holding his hand out to her.

Cream gasped with joy, running around the back of the lanky robot. “Hold your arm back, actually!” She had to stand on the bed to slide it over him completely. “What do you think?”

Metal limped toward the full-length mirror that stood next to the wardrobe. He’d momentarily caught sight of himself in it earlier, but this was the first time he really examined his body. He observed his pointy nose and ears. His long, sharp limbs. The noticeable scratch in the paint at the top of his head and the exposed wires that dragged under his right leg. He was frightening. More than that- he was dangerous. Metal had taken the jacket in the hopes it would obscure some of his edges. The left side of it laid limply past the shoulder, but the jacket fit him otherwise and served to soften his appearance. The girls crowded around him suddenly, singing praises.

“It fits you perfectly, Metal.” remarked Amy.

“You look so cute!” Cream giggled.

Amy reached over to zip the jacket most of the way up for him and smoothed it over his shoulders. “I think you should keep it- if you want to that is.”

They both looked up at him expectantly. The unanticipated praise had moved Metal. A sense of nervous joy overcame him and although his expression couldn’t change, he fixed his gaze on the three of them in the mirror and nodded with unquestionable excitement. Metal then placed a palm gingerly atop Cream’s head as she giggled and cheered.

Amy packed up the muffins she’d promised Cream to take home and walked her to the door. Metal joined Amy in seeing her out, imitating the girl as she waved back at the pair. Once Cream was out of sight, Amy closed the door gently so as not to worsen the crack in the wood. Metal was reminded of his strength then, undertaking that he would continue to act tenderly as long as he was going to be under the care of the kind pink girl and her companions.

Ch. 4 (next) 

[theroadtoindigo-go]

Undesirable Truth, Part 5

               I woke with a gasp and sat straight up, cold sweat beaded on my brow and my eyes wide. I looked around the room in a frenzy. I was in Sonic’s home. The rain had stopped, moonlight was softly pouring in from the window and I could hear the ocean waves crashing in the distance. That dream… It wasn’t just a dream. It was a memory. That was the night I was kidnapped.

That was the night that I lost all my memories and who I was to a monster. As I started to remember it more clearly, my eyes filled with tears. I had wanted to be rescued so much and no help came for me. I remembered how much I screamed for help, as loud as my lungs would let me. Yet no one answered. My heart broke on that terrible night and now it was breaking again. I had counted on Sonic to rescue me and he hadn’t. Now I was a lost soul, so far away from everything I knew, crying in the middle of the night. Alone. Why? Why wasn’t I saved? Was I somehow not worthy of it? Did I do something wrong that warranted my struggle to be ignored? Was this somehow my fault? Did no one care at all? Was I just some nobody that no one noticed was gone all this time? No one cared if I was lost forever?

With the sound of each crashing wave, another sob escaped. It felt like the whole world was against me. All those years I was abandoned to servitude. And I would have easily still been there if I hadn’t acted for myself. How much longer would I have been there if Sonic was never captured? My whole life? The very thought made my stomach churn. As I drew up my knees and buried my face in them, I tried to keep my cries as quiet as possible. I knew that this was something I had to keep to myself, everything that led me here was my unanswered cry for help. The logical part of me knew that it wasn’t Sonic’s fault for not knowing, but my heart was broken all the same.

The morning after, I woke up very late. Sonic had already gone on his way to buy groceries since the fridge was apparently empty aside from the foods that only Tails liked. It was just as well; I didn’t feel like I could face Sonic after last night.

“Good morning!” Tails greeted.

He was as cheerful as ever but I just wasn’t feeling up to matching his liveliness. He tried to ask me what was wrong but I gave him a vague answer. I needed some time away from people to get a grip on myself. I told Tails I was going to go explore the beach and started walking out there. I didn’t really want to be on the beach, but where would I go? Since I was alone, I could go anywhere, but at the same time the wide-open spaces that the world presented were seemingly void if not dangerous. Even though I escaped Eggman’s clutches, it didn’t feel like my life was any less hollow. Nor did I feel free. This life felt the same except instead of being trapped by taking orders, I was now trapped by fear. How could I make something of my life if it was so infringed? My mind went back to what I was crying over last night.

               I was never saved. The very thought brought tears back into my eyes. Why wasn’t I worth saving? Why did I have to suffer under the old man’s boot for so long in order to finally escape out of my own means? Was I really so unremarkable that my plight wasn’t even noticed? These questions spiraled in my mind like flakes of ashes in a bowl of water. Every time a question circled back it was answered with the same response. It was because I wasn’t good enough to be saved. I wasn’t loved enough, I wasn’t smart enough, wasn’t strong enough, wasn’t fast enough, wasn’t valuable enough. I wasn’t enough! And no one cared about me!

               As I stood in the sand, facing the wind, trying not to cry, I heard Amy call for me. I hurriedly dried my eyes and cleared my throat to hide that my demons got the better of me as she approached. I didn’t do a good job.

               “Are you alright?” She asked. She knew I had been crying.

I looked away and sniffled.

“Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?”

It almost sounded like she was scolding me, how old did she think I was? …Actually, how old was I? I knew it was around my twenties or so but that’s all I was told. I really wished I had read that file from the lab, perhaps my age was written in there.

“Well, if you’re not going to tell me I can’t help you.” She sighed, “That’s too bad too, I was hoping we could spend some time together…”

               “What kind of time?” I asked.

“I wanted to go shopping for a party dress but it’s no fun by myself.”

“Shopping again? We did that two days ago already.”

“But you have to get ready for the party too~!”

“Don’t go wasting your money on me… I won’t be going to any parties anyway.”

Amy shook her head; she was adamant about this.

“I know something’s bothering you, so why don’t you tell me?”

I hesitated to say anything but I answered,

“It’s personal, I really don’t wanna get into it.”

She pouted a little.

“Well, at least come along. Even if you don’t want anything, we can have some fun together.”

I knew she was going to try asking me about my problem later but her offer was tempting. I agreed to go.

Now that I knew what to expect, going to the shops were less overwhelming and much more fun. It was nice seeing the shops this time around, there wasn’t the debilitating pressure to just pick something, so I was free to enjoy the things I saw without the commitment of buying or trying anything on. I got to feel new fabrics without having to be interested in wearing them. The world wasn’t so void and scary after all.

Amy pulled me along to a shop that primarily sold party dresses, it made every effort to make its appearance sophisticated and trendy. There were a lot of muted colors with pops of bright colors in a few corners, I suppose in an effort to make each primary color stand out more. I was more than happy to wait while Amy shopped around in here but, the moment she turned her head to look at me I realized that we were not here for her.

               “Oh no!” I protested, “You’ve already done so much for me! I can’t take advantage of you again like this!”

“But you have to like something in here, right? The town is having a spring festival and there’s a dance that you’ll need to dress up for!”

“But I don’t-!”

“We’d all really like you to be there. You’ll love it, trust me!”

They all wanted me to be part of this? I was… wanted. How could I refuse?

               Oddly enough, looking at all the dresses did put my mind at ease a bit. It at least gave my mind something else to focus on other than the events of last night.

               “Hey Amy… How did you and Sonic meet?”

“Hm? Oh, it was a long time ago, he saved me from Metal Sonic when we were just kids. I guess you could say it was love at first sight.” She said with a wistful smile.

Oh, I thought, she was one of the lucky ones.

“…How did he know to save you?”

She blinked.

“What do you mean?”

“Well… you didn’t know each other. So how did he know you were in trouble?”

“Actually, we sort of knew each other… I used to follow him around before then. It was a silly crush thing.” She seemed uncomfortable admitting this so I thought it was best to drop the subject.

I picked up an outfit that I thought would work out for the time being, it was a tight gray dress with a black ribbon around the waist. If I was going to be the kind of person that blends into a crowd I might as well commit to it.

After trying it on and convincing Amy that it was actually a viable option despite the color, we started on our way home. My mood had greatly improved but there was still the lingering doubt.

“I’m glad we found something for you. But one of these days you’re going to have to pick something with color!” Amy teased as we were walking back, but she was still concerned. “Are you finally going to tell me what’s been bothering you?”

“I… It’s nothing.”

“You wouldn’t be this upset for nothing. I haven’t known you for too long but I can tell it’s been on your mind all day.”

“…I just need some time to think about it.”

“All day wasn’t enough for you?”

“I just-! last night… It was just a nightmare, that’s all.”

“Nightmares aren’t nothing. If it’s been bothering you this much then maybe you’ll feel better if you just talked about it?”

“Well, it…”

I couldn’t finish.

“It’s alright, you don’t have to tell me… Maybe when you’re ready we can talk about it, okay?”

“No, you’re right, I think I do need to talk about it. But it’s just hard!” My voice wavered at the end.

“Hey…” She placed her hand on my shoulder and looked me in the eyes, “It’s okay. I know you’ve been through a lot, so I can help you. Okay?”

               I ended up telling her about my nightmare and how it was about my kidnapping. The whole thing that started this mess. I told her about being taken from my home in the middle of the night, and being held prisoner but I skipped over that part about my hope for rescue and the experimentation I endured. She knew immediately what I needed to do.

“You need to tell Sonic about this.”

“Why?”

“He was the one that saved you, right? He- “

“Wrong.”

“What?”

“He didn’t save me, I saved myself…”

“Hmmmm, I’m sensing some bitterness here. You sure you’ve told me everything?”

I reserved my right to remain silent.

               When we reached the house, Sonic and Tails were there waiting for me. I wasn’t sure how to greet Sonic.

               “Hey! Long time, no see!” He said with a bright smile.

I smiled back, but my emotional distress blunted my greeting.

“What’s the matter?” He asked.

Amy was quick to let him know I wasn’t feeling like myself lately (as if I knew what being myself felt like).

“Oh,” Sonic replied, “well I think I know a quick way to cheer you up! How about another adventure?”

I shook my head.

“Hm, that serious, huh?” He asked.

Amy took Sonic aside and they had a small whispering match. No doubt it was about my nightmare. Afterwards, Sonic sheepishly walked back over and asked,

“Do you have a minute? Maybe we should talk.”

We sat together outside on the porch in silence, neither one of us wanted to start. As my mind started thinking for a place to begin, it dug up the old memories of my kidnapping and my heartbreak. He finally broke the silence.

“Amy told me you had a nightmare last night… It was about your kidnapping?”

A wave of grief washed over my heart. I wanted to hide it was much as I could but there wasn’t much I could hide at this point. I knew holding it in was only going to make me hurt more. I told him everything I remembered about my kidnapping. My voice held strong against the tears until I reached the part about the experiment and I couldn’t continue. Before I could stop it, another bout of sorrow surged up from my heart and pushed its way up to the surface. As my face twisted in grief and I hung my head. Sonic put his hand on my shoulder and I turned away to hide my face with my free arm as my held back tears flowed out. I couldn’t stop. All my fears were coming back, I would be alone again just like I was in that lab. Just like I was on that night. I held my face in my hands.

“I know you were counting on me to save you… And I’m sorry I couldn’t.” He admitted. “But you became your own hero, and you saved me in the process. It didn’t matter if you couldn’t remember who you were because your freedom was with you the whole time. You were always free. You just needed to remember that.”

“But no one came for me! No one cared!”

“Sometimes we have to make the first move before someone can help us. I’m sure someone cared about you back then, just like we care about you! Even when you’re all alone, you still have everyone who ever cared for you in your heart. You carry them with you.”

“But what if we had never met? I’d still be there! I would have never learned the truth!”

“I don’t think so. When I met you, I knew you were someone who had her own way of doing things. You were able to find out the truth without my help, all I did was speed things along. That’s all.”

I was able to finally start drying my tears, he was making a lot of sense. He reached back into the quills on his back and handed me the file I had taken from the lab.

“Here. You almost left this behind but I picked it up before we left so you could have it. I’m not sure if you’ve read any of it yet. But I think it might help.”

“Thanks, Sonic… I’m sorry I was so worked up.”

“No worries, I know this is hard for you.”

I opened the file and started to read. Much of what was written were things I had remembered in the nightmare and the life I was living while in the base. There was nothing about my name written anywhere but the latest entry that was dated a week ago listed how old I was. Twenty-five.

“Looks like I turned Twenty-five last week.” I stated.

“Congratulations! We should celebrate!”

               We did in fact celebrate. The whole time Amy had me out shopping, Sonic and Tails were planning a party for me. Something about a naming ceremony. Tails was eager to explain.

“Our culture has a ceremony where kids get to pick their names for the rest of their lives. We usually have it around 15 but you’re a special case. It’s kinda like a birthday but a lot better!”

               “Tails had his last year!” Sonic beamed proudly.

               “Why hold this ceremony for me?” I asked.

“It didn’t seem fair that Eggman stuck you with ‘Cat’ as a name so we thought you might appreciate the chance to change that.” Sonic replied.

I couldn’t stop the grateful smile spreading across my face, “Okay! How does it work?”

Tails explained further.

“Well, first we start by throwing off our old given name by lighting a candle with our old name carved into it and letting the whole thing burn away. While the candle burns, we announce our new name to our friends and family and they are supposed to discuss it.”

“Discuss it?”

“Yeah, they’re supposed to talk to each other to see if the name fits the person. For me it was easy cuz I was already using my adult name anyway. I can thank Sonic for that.” Tails looked to Sonic with a smile.

               “What can I say,” Sonic replied, “I’m good at handing out names.”

“Not for me!” I retorted. “Thanks to you Knuckles won’t call me anything but Tiny!”

Sonic chuckled and shrugged, “Hey, if the name fits…”

“Don’t!” I warned then looked to Tails with urgency, “Can I leave him out of my ceremony?”

Unfortunately, I was not able to leave Sonic out of the ceremony since he helped plan it. I didn’t expect so many people to be here for the party but Sonic had invited all of his friends to come and help me pick my new name. As we were all gathered in his small living room, they had me light the candle with my old name carved into it and start and naming process. To be honest, I had never really thought of an alternative name for myself.

“How about Tempest?” I suggested, with all the anguish and upset feelings I had had storming inside me that day. I thought the name was appropriate.

Everyone in the room collectively grumbled.

“I know three Tempests already, Hon. You need something more unique.” Rouge replied.

“Oh?”

“Yeah, Tempest is a pretty common name.” Amy explained.

“Every new kid on the block wants to call themself Tempest.” Vector added.

“Hm…” I thought a little more.

“I still like ‘Tiny’!” Sonic teased.

“I second that!” Knuckles snickered.

“Don’t! Don’t you start!” I snapped.

The room reverberated with a chuckle. The candle was still burning on. Tails warned me before the ceremony that a new name was supposed to be chosen before the candle reached its end. I was starting to get nervous.

“Let’s try something that fits your personality.” Amy suggested.

I gulped, no one here really knew me and the last thing I wanted was an examination of my personality. In fact, I was already hot under the collar from being the center of attention for so long. I wanted this over with quickly.

“In that case,” Knuckles piped up, “we should call her Loud Mouth.”

“That’s more a name for you!” I sniped back.

There were snickers floating around the room as Knuckles grimaced and looked away red faced.

“I kinda like where Knuckles is going there. You are pretty sassy.” Sonic commented.

I gave him a questioning look. Did I need to challenge him too?

“She does seem to have a fire-cracker spirit.” Espio commented.

“Okay, does Fire-cracker sound like a good name?” Tails asked.

I shook my head.

“No, something smaller than that.” Sonic said with a smirk.

I sent him a glare.

“Spit-fire?” Charmy suggested.

“I don’t want spit in my name!” I replied, “That’s gross!”

“Hm, Cherry bomb…?” someone muttered under their breath.

“Yeah! Cherry Bomb!” Amy exclaimed. “It’s cute and it sounds sassy!”

Everyone seemed to like the name, including myself.

The room was humming with everyone talking, as I thought about the possibility of being called Cherry Bomb for the rest of my life, I wasn’t so sure about it yet.

“Hold on!” Knuckles protested, “I don’t think that name fits her at all!”

“And why is that??” I retorted.

“Because!” Knuckles crossed his arms and grumped, “You have to actually do something to earn a name like that. I got my name from my fighting skills. Sonic got his name from his speed. Where is yours coming from?”

I was at a loss for words and it hurt. Sonic stood up in my defense.

“Actually, she’s done a lot to earn that name.” He said, “When we were still in that base as prisoners, she always had me beat when it came to snarky one-liners. And let’s not forget how often she’s clapped back at you.”

Knuckles glared Sonic down.

“Should I tell everyone about the door incident?”

Amy snickered. She remembered.

Knuckles grumbled and sat back down; he would relent for now it seemed. Sonic looked back toward me.

“Congratulations, Cherry Bomb!”

The candle on my old life burned itself out as the party went on. I got to spend more time with Sonic’s friends and knew with more certainty who I was.

               The next day, I woke up with the weight of all my previous troubles gone. The sun wasn’t shinning, it was actually really overcast, but that didn’t stop my good mood. I hopped out of bed to go out into the world and make a difference for myself, I went outside to catch a sweet ocean breeze until I heard Tails scream.

“Look out!”

Before I could react, Metal Sonic zoomed in and caught me around the waist. It was enough to force the air out of my lungs. Sonic was quick to pursue as Metal carried me away, back toward what I could only assume was Eggman’s base.

               “N-no! NO! Don’t! Don’t let him take me!” I cried in a panic.

I worked so hard to get myself free physically and mentally, to regress now would be the end. I reached out for Sonic who was right behind and closing in. He could almost reach me until Metal threw me forward and turned to deliver a blow to Sonic’s gut using all the momentum that his opponent had built up behind him to do the damage. Sonic was down. I was petrified, I knew running was useless, all I could do was watch in terror was Metal made his way toward me to snatch me up again.

I had nearly resigned to return to my old life until Knuckles swooped in from nowhere and punched the side of Metal’s face. He knocked him down to the ground a few feet back just in time for Sonic to recover. In a matter of seconds, they were both beating Metal to bits. Knuckles’ fist connected with Metal Sonic’s core and that was the end of it. I was safe.

Knuckles dusted off his hands and gave me a snide look.

“Well, that takes care of that. I guess you’re not so much a Cherry Bomb after all.”

“Will you shut up?! How would you like it if something like that came after you?”

He scoffed and flexed his arms, “I could handle it.”

“Oh, sure. You and your last three brain cells.”

“Hey! I saved your life! You should be grateful!”

We glared daggers at each other.

               “You honeymooners ready to go back inside or what? I’ve got an icepack with my name on it and I’m not gonna keep it waiting.” Sonic held his injured stomach with discomfort.

Knuckles grumbled something to himself and started on his way back to the house. I was about to follow but I took one last look back.

As Metal Sonic lay in pieces on the ground, I couldn’t help but feel guilty. Metal was my first friend after losing my memory. But after Sonic arrived, he was pushed to the sidelines because he couldn’t quite compete as far as actual social interaction went. Even so, it was because of Metal that I grew familiar with Sonic, they both shared a lot of mannerisms and that helped me feel more at ease around Sonic because I understood him before I even knew him. And even though Metal was a machine sent here to kill me or at the very least take me back to Eggman, I couldn’t help but feel a fondness as one would in finding an old childhood toy. Metal deserved a second chance just like I did. Maybe he needed someone to remind him that he was already free like I did?

“Guys…”

They turned and looked my way.

“What if I fixed him?”

               “Are you crazy??” Knuckles exclaimed, “We just saved you from that thing and now you want to fix it?”

“Hear me out! I think I can make him good or at least be on our side!”

“No way, Tiny! You’re playing with fire!” He picked me up and started to carry me under his arm like I was a sack of potatoes. No matter how much I squirmed and shouted he wouldn’t let go as he started walking back to the house.

               Later that afternoon, I snuck back to where we had left Metal and I picked up all the pieces I could find and brought it into Tails’ workshop. He was more open to discuss the idea of fixing Metal and turning him into a good boy.

               “Are you sure this is something that can actually be done?” Tails asked as he inspected some of the pieces that I had brought back.

“I think so. When I taught him how to play hide and seek, I wasn’t actually teaching but programing it into him. If we’re patient enough, I think the two of us can rewrite some of his coding.”

“Isn’t that kinda like brainwashing though…?”

I stared at Tails and blinked.

“…Tails… Sweetie… Sass-bucket… He’s a machine. He don’t got no brain to wash!”

Tails pouted at me a bit then pondered the possibilities, “I guess we could try it…”

               A week later, after we had been working on our project in secret, Sonic entered the workshop by himself without any forewarning and was dumbfounded to find both Tails and I working late into the night trying to place Metal Sonic’s head on a mannequin that we had found discarded. We all paused in stunned silence for a few moments while Sonic blinked a few times. Perhaps in an effort to make sure his eyes were working properly.

“Guys…” He questioned, “Why is there an oddly familiar scarecrow in our workshop?”

Tails was slowly losing his nerve. But I was determined.

               “We’re making Metal Sonic a good guy.” I replied.

“Okay…” Sonic subtly nodded and scratched his chin. “And uh… why? Are you doing this?”

“Cuz… we can?”

“Fair enough…” He turned around and walked right back out of the workshop.

Tails and I looked at each other for a second to make sure that really did happen. Afterwards we went right back to working away, we almost got Metal’s head to stick on when Sonic zoomed right back in.

“Wait a minute!”

This startled Tails and he lost his grip on Metal’s head causing it to fall with a loud CLANK.

“Just what do you guys think you’re doing??”

I saw Metal’s eyes flicker on for a second.

“SH!”

“Don’t shush-!”

“SSSSSHSHSHHSHSH!! He’s awake!” I whispered.

Metal blinked, only one of his eyes rolling around, blindly looking around the room. He pinged out P0-L0 as he continued to look. We were all dead silent. I looked over at the pieces of his body left scattered on the worktable. They didn’t move.

“P0-L0” He chimed again until his eyes flickered out and we could all breathe in peace.

“This is exactly what I was afraid of!” Sonic commented. “You sure this is really a good idea?”

“It should be fine!” I reassured, “Tails and I looked into all his parts and found that his optics don’t work so he couldn’t really see us.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about! You’re trying to piece together a killing machine!” He pulled me aside and murmured, “I know you’re kind of attached to him, but Metal’s dangerous.”

“I know that… But we’re only going one piece at a time. We’ll try to get his head right first. Then it’ll work! He deserves a second chance too.”

Sonic looked at Metal and sighed.

“Alright, just don’t go overboard and let him loose. Okay?”

I agreed and Sonic went to bed after grumbling something about how he was too tired for this.

Tails and I worked long hours into the night, reprogramming Metal and getting small pieces to work and respond. By the time we finally went to sleep it was in the early hours of the morning. I sent Tails to bed half an hour before I turned in. After I shut off the light to the workshop, Metal Sonic’s eyes flickered on again. I waited. Metal chimed P0-L0 and waited. Against my better judgement I called out ‘Marco’ then Metal started to play an audio recording.

“I don’t care what it takes for you to bring her back. Even if you have to kill her! Get me my test subject at any cost! I need that data to complete my research, got it?”

Then Metal shut off again. Spooky bastard.

               The afternoon after, I hadn’t even gotten a chance to wake up and Knuckles was already in my face shouting.

“I thought I told you not to play with fire!” He scolded.

I grunted and turned over to go back to sleep. He pulled me back over.

“Oh no you don’t! You don’t get to snuggle up all cozy while I’m talking to you!”

I slapped my hand into his face and pushed him away.

               “Just let her rest, Knucklehead.” Sonic said from the kitchen. “It’ll give us a chance to throw Metal in the dumpster.”

“Don’t you dare!” I said and started to sit up.

“So now Sleeping-Tiny decides to wake up, huh?” Knuckles snorted then walked over to the kitchen to snack.

I stretched out my arms and slowly started to ease out of bed. It took me a while to get ready for the day considering Knuckles was hounding me every chance he got. But once I was fully awake, I set him straight.

               “Listen, tough guy! This is a project Tails and I have been working on for a whole week! If you screw this up, I’ll give you something to really be fussing about!”

“Ha! I’d like to see you try!”

He started on his way toward the workshop but Tails blocked the door.

“Out of the way, Tails!”

“No way! I worked hard on this too! I’m not gonna let it go to waste!”

Knuckles sighed heavily and glared back at me. Checkmate.

“Fine!” He yielded, “But from now on, you don’t work on this thing unless I’m watching over you guys.”

Tails and I groaned.

               Regardless of Knuckles’ presence, Tails and I continued to work. Busying ourselves with reprogramming Metal a bit more. We finally had his software set up that if a certain lyric was hummed or sung, he would automatically shut off. Tails and I recorded our voices several times in order to make sure it would always work. We even brought Sonic in to do that same thing. I didn’t know he had such a good singing voice.

Knuckles only found the whole process silly and refused to record anything. We left him alone as I continued to work on reprogramming Metal and Tails worked on fixing Metal’s busted parts with whatever we had lying around.

               “We need to do something about his optics.” Tails mentioned as he was affixing the broken metal end of a screwdriver to Metal’s left hand as a replacement fingertip.

“Hm… Maybe we could use an old video camera?” I suggested as I was reading through some lines of code trying to pinpoint where I could make the necessary changes.

“Too expensive. I don’t think we have one of those anyway.” Tails replied.

               “Why fix his eyes at all?” Knuckles questioned, “He’ll be safer without them.”

I sent Knuckles a glare.

“We’re giving him a second chance not neutering him!” I remarked.

“Whatever…” Knuckles scoffed, “Just don’t come crying to me if he wakes up and tears you to pieces.”

“If I recall correctly, you came crying to us!”

Knuckles scoffed again.

“Cherry,” Tails said, “what if we settled on a motion detector for Metal’s eyes? It’s not the best but it could work as a good replacement for the time being.”

“Yeah, that should work. It’s probably better than giving him full vision before his reprogrammed.”

“Do you really need to be doing that?” Knuckles asked, “Just erase everything and start over or something.”

“I can’t do that! Eggman has a fail-safe in all his machines that if their programming is deleted the basic stuff is reinstalled and takes over.”

“So basically,” Tails queried, “it goes back to factory settings?”

“Pretty much.”

“But I’ve been watching you go through line after line and it’s driving me nuts!” Knuckles complained.

“Then watch something else!”

               Knuckles grunted and slumped onto the nearest seat to pout. As we continued to work, he fell asleep at one of the worktables. I tried to ignore him but his snoring was just so loud! Even Tails needed to take a break and went outside to spend time with Sonic on the beach. I was in the process of reattaching Metal Sonic’s arm to his torso when Knuckles nearly rattled the windows. I walked over to him and shook his shoulder to wake him up. No luck. After pulling my hand back to go back to work I saw that I had mistakenly left a handprint of oil on him. Then I got a mischievous idea. While he continued to sleep, I drew a mustache, bushy brows and a goatee on his face. I snickered at my art for a moment then went back to work.

               He slept like that for a while, I had finished with Metal’s arm and started getting the motion sensor attached as temporary eyes when Sonic walked in.

“WHO’S READY TO PARTYYYYYYYYYY!”

I jumped in my seat, Knuckles jolted awake and Metal’s eyes flickered on.

“Give us a warning before you charge in here like that! Jeeeez!” I exclaimed.

Sonic shrugged.

“Sorry, I didn’t think it would be so quiet in here.” He saw Knuckles’ face and snickered but didn’t say a word about the beautiful artwork I had left on it. “Anyway, Tails and I are setting up a bonfire on the beach. You wanna join us?”

“Sure, let me just reach a stopping point and we’ll join you.”

Knuckles eyed me with suspicion, somewhat cluing into Sonic’s snicker but not completely catching on. A few minutes later, Tails walked in to tell us we needed to hurry if we wanted any roasted marshmallows. At seeing Knuckles’ face he also started to snicker. He left the room before Knuckles could ask just what was so funny. I continued to work in silence, pretending that I didn’t notice until Knuckles walked over and picked me up by the nape of the neck.

               This was a very odd sensation, everything I was holding in my hands fell out and I couldn’t move my arms or legs. All I could do was hang there as he lifted me up.

“I don’t know why, but everyone around here seems to think something’s funny and I have a sneaking suspicion you’ve got something to do with it!” He said as he glared into my eyes.

I averted mine.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about!” I replied.

“Is that so?”

“Y-yup!”

“What are you hiding from me?!”

“Nothing! I think you’re just imagining things. It’s probably nothing!”

“We’ll see about that!”

He rushed out of the workshop and toward Sonic and Tails who were relaxing around the bonfire. He thrust me out toward them and exclaimed.

“WHAT DID SHE DO?”

Sonic and Tails did their best to hold in their snickers but as soon as Knuckles asked, they were howling with laughter. I knew for sure my goose was cooked. I just hoped he didn’t get any ideas about throwing me into the fire.

“I KNEW IT!” He shouted. “WHAT DID YOU DO?”

               “Go look in a mirror!” Sonic replied between his laughter and gasps for air.

Knuckles promptly dropped me and ran inside to go see what Sonic meant. I started running down the beach to keep him from picking me up again. As I was running, I heard Knuckles shout from the house.

“YOU’RE DEAD-MEAT, TINY!”

I looked back and saw he was chasing after me, fists at the ready. I ran faster and screamed.

“JUST YOU WAIT UNTIL I GET MY HANDS ON YOU!” He bellowed.

He chased me down the beach for what seemed like forever. I was going to run out of track soon, I needed to find a place to hide! I ran into a collection of trees by the beach, they got thicker the further I ran in. Perfect! If I was careful, he’d lose sight of me and I could double back to the house and get back to work. Maybe even find a better hiding place if it came down to it.

               Before I could get too far into the brush he reached out and snagged me again. This time by the arm.

“Draw on my face, will ya? I’ll show you!”

“You deserved it!” I shouted as I tried prying his hand off. “Next time don’t snore!”

He dragged me back to the beach and toward the ocean, he actually seemed like he was having fun. This was a bad sign! He was gonna do something but what?

“That’s big talk from a little fire-cracker!” He teased.

I pulled my arm back and started running again but he grabbed me by the nape of my neck again. Now that I was aware, I tensed up my arms and legs and started squirming so I could move them this time.

“No fair! Let me go!” I shouted and tried to kick him.

He dodged my kick and chuckled.

“Nice try, Tiny! But I won this time!”

I crossed my arms and pouted.

Knuckles seemed to think this was funny.

“Aaaw, is de wittle Chewwy Bomb upset?” He mocked and started to poke my cheek. “Is she sad cuz big stwong Knuckles outsmarted her?”

“If this is what you call outsmarting, I’d hate to see what you call a genius move.” I remarked. “And will you quit jabbing my face? You’re gonna leave a bruise or something!”

Knuckles only laughed.

“Oh, am I being too rough on your poor sensitive cheekies?” He started boring his finger into my cheek with more force.

I had had enough! As he continued to poke my cheek, I turned my head and bit his finger.

“OW!”

               As soon as he dropped me, I bolted for the house leaving him behind to bemoan his injured hand and shout threats at me. I ran past Sonic and Tails and into the workshop. Knuckles was soon behind me but couldn’t find me in the shop anywhere. I stayed as quiet as I could as he searched the workshop for me.

“You can’t hide forever!” He shouted.

I continued to hide where I was, my muscles where aching at all the effort but I was confident he would give up before too long. He looked around one last time, sighed then left the room. I waited until I could hear him washing off his face in the bathroom and finally climbed down from the rafters above the door. He gave up looking for me after that and I could continue to work on re-coding Metal Sonic in silence.

I continued to work late into the night again as my friends told stories and sang songs around the fire. Knuckles had left the door open to the workshop so I could hear all of it from where I was working. I just finished re-coding Metal and rebooted him to get the code working. I set up the laptop I was borrowing to display what Metal Sonic was seeing, it looked like his original optics are were pretty damaged but still working and with the assistance of the motion sensor he at least could see something if it was moving. His eyes flickered on and looked at me. I could see the pixelated, blurry and incomplete image myself in the screen of the laptop. He didn’t seem to recognize me as he chimed ‘P0-L0’ a couple of times. I smiled and leaned in closer so he could get a better look at my face.

“Good Morning, Metal! It’s me! My name is Cherry Bomb!”

.   .   .

Thank you for reading - you can find previous chapters here:

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13241826/1/Undesirable-Truth

[diegest]

2010 V.S. 2019

Age 15 and almost 25

(This is long a messy but I wanted to make some kind of post about it before the year ends.)

I was making a stink face bc my then best-friend was over and said something funny before she took the picture and afterwards we busted out laughing. We were at my then step-dads parents house out in the country walking down to their creek either just getting done swimming in their pool or intending to get in it after going to the creek.

I was most likely a freshmen or sophomore at the time of this picture. (Probably right before sophomore year started...) It was definitely during Summer. I either had a flip Nokia phone or an LG Neon at the time as I upgraded from one to the other. I had my first “job.” I was a veterinary assistant after school for a few hours a day and did some work out there during Summer as well. I wasn’t paid and used my time as a volunteer to play with animals, hold them down for simple procedures, walked dogs, and it helped me gauge whether or not I wanted to actually pursue being a veterinarian. I had competed in track for 6 years in a row by this point and was probably finished with it by the time this picture was taken. (Two Elementary School leagues, all three years of Middle School, freshmen year of High School). I was crushing HARDCORE on my childhood best friend whom I’ve known since the age of 6 but neither of us could handle our feelings for the other and things would become super awkward until we had actually dated 7 years later. I was tan as hell because of track practice, walking to both pools in town, and walking to Sonic with friends during sleepovers.

I was struggling trying to find my identity as a teenager while maintaining being in the middle of my parents joint custody battle and being forced to be 100 miles away from my friends two weekends out of the month. I was a cynical older sister of two step-brothers and did not use my time with them as wisely as I wish I could have, sometimes being a real bitch to them looking back at it. I had no control over my hair color or length and remember desperately wanting to layer it to look like a scene kid despite how naturally thin it is. I had just started dabbling in eye liner (not pictured, as I preferred and still prefer my poolside activities over makeup), wore converse every day I wasn’t wearing flip flops for the season, wore baggy jeans, the same Paramore hoodie daily, and had an extreme creative drive that I miss deeply. I was bullied horribly for my teeth, nose, skin (I had terrible eczema that pool water, cortisone shots, and Summer weather in general helped tremendously with!), height, cup size, fashion, hobbies, having split parents, and then some. My metabolism was extremely high and I was in my athletic prime. I had a touch of internet fame by drawing my own personal characters on deviantArt.com as well as fan art for games and shows I was super into using my first Wacom tablet on my first laptop and to this day still have a folder of fan art created for me on my computer. I was obsessed with cats, rock music, anime, and drawing. I could drive a boat and got both a high five as well as scolded for that time I flipped myself into the water to retrieve my dads hat while we were going full speed over white-caps because I was too impatient for him to circle around and wanted to impress him and the rest of the family. I was for the most part unafraid of most things.

I was secretly extremely depressed and suicidal during the school year to the point I had missed my period for 5 months because of stress alone and I’m certain at the time this picture was taken, I was almost breathing a sigh of relief I was off from school for the summer. I had a close knit group of friends still before it had combust the following school year. I was “working” as a veterinary assistant but also had interests in pursuing being an animator, art director, cartoonist, children’s book illustrator, or graphic designer by this point and my mom encouraged me to pursue whatever I was comfortable with. I wasn’t really boy crazy like my friends were, instead having my heart set on one in particular and probably still having a soft spot for my ex whom I was with for 3 years prior. My bedroom contained my artwork, sports posters, cat posters, band posters, and trophies/medals from my days running track. My friend and I, though not legally allowed to drive, would occasionally sneak to Taco Bell using her parents car if they weren’t home and we never got caught or pulled over for it. My grades were A’s and B’s, though I could not pay attention in History to save my life because I was too preoccupied with doodling on my papers and ignoring this asshole who was two classes above me who had called me ugly but then admitted he liked me at one time because of my attitude?? He’s still an idiot from what I’ve heard only he’s an idiot who knocked up a few women post-high school, is apparently married now, and no surprise to me - is still stuck in that same small town with no goal to go anywhere outside of it.

I was scared of the outside world beyond my small town and had no idea how rough it would get for me. The family issues and my trip to family court had not happened yet. I had yet to become estranged from my family. I was small and awkward as hell. I struggled to hold conversations or make eye contact unless it was with people I felt most familiar with since people were kinda fucking mean. I could argue back but would immediately break down and cry from the interaction at the first chance I’d get. I’d use books, art, and video games for the escapism. Life felt scary and fragile and so very uncertain but at least I had a few individuals in the world whom I loved so much and who I know loved me.

I’m 24 now. I’m now in control over my own hair cut and color. I choose to keep it long as I didn’t even like the way it looked short when I finally chopped it as a teenager. It’s been red, reddish blonde, blonde on top and brown on the bottom, dark brown to blonde ombré, and now platinum blonde with my natural color as a shadow root and I quite like it. I don’t really dabble in makeup unless it’s for an occasion except for covering up my acne as my body decided that having zero acne in my teen years was just too good for me while I was battling eczema instead. I’m not nearly as tan or athletic as I’m forced to be inside at most times. I still love to swim though and I take every opportunity to go to my childhood beach during the Summer when I can in particular. I still don’t consider myself to be family-oriented despite this year really challenging that for me. I have a ton of amazing friends and people who care about me and feel like recently in particular, I’m always busy with someone doing something and making memories as we do whatever.

I have a bachelors in Psychology and a minor in Art, though I did not pursue a masters in art therapy like I had originally intended. I was heavily burnt out from school and my baby brothers worsening medical conditions and the news that he had been in a children’s hospital for quite some time with my family deliberately choosing not to tell me made me choose not to pursue one for the time being. I was working at Dairy Queen while technically sharing a lease with my ex before finding a job at a psychiatric hospital that I loved and getting my own apartment to myself and my cat, whom my ex gave to me as he saw she benefited me more than she benefited him. Though I lost that job, I can now say I have two years of field experience in Psychology and almost 6 months worth in social work and feel like I’m always learning something.

I’m not as creative anymore because the years of crippling depression, anxiety, and being forced to create for school absolutely ruined any creativity I had once had. Though occasionally I’ll have the opportunity to channel that creativity into a video game or quick doodle for a child.

I’ve moved to two cities after moving out of my high-school “home” town (not quite home but a good chunk of my upbringing!) and have every intention of doing it again within the next year after I save up some. I don’t take shit from anyone and have taken after the best parts of my moms personality in my opinion with the added benefit of my dads patience and keen eye. I’m known for making people around me comfortable and able to laugh and decompress and have been fortunate enough to use that power professionally. I would like to go back to mental and behavioral health as I miss the thrill and excitement as well as the camaraderie with fellow staff members in the pursuit of helping individuals. I’m very likely starting a new position in my company as early as next week and have been extremely excited about the pay and hour boost. I’ll be getting my dog in just over two weeks and am excited to start our life journey together. Though I had developed my moms serial-monogamist trait for a while there after my 6 year-long relationship had ended in the pursuit of finding someone to fill that gap, I feel very comfortable lately simply being pursued and wanted without the commitment. I’m addicted to sushi bowls, coffee, and chocolate. My passion is helping others. I feel comfortable in my body enough that I would love to pursue modeling of some sort and have been lucky enough to dabble in that a bit already. I also have a bit of a love for fashion now, though I rarely feel the urge to actually properly plan my outfits unless my goal is to dress to impress or for the sake of photography.

I’ve learned to allow myself to enjoy the things I enjoy without the fear of judgement from others. I still love nerd-culture and have somewhat recently taken an interest in cosplay and want to attend more conventions. I’ve learned that it’s an accomplishment for me to have gotten this far, to have my own place, and that it’s alright that I don’t have everything figured out and not everything has to be figured out right away. I don’t have the same best friend I had 10 years ago, but we’re still in contact and I love my current best friend tremendously though I don’t get to see him often. I’ve learned that my current group of friends may be temporary, but while I’m lucky enough to be around them I’m going to do what I can to make them feel as loved and cherished as possible and make plenty of memories. Ivy and I are doing well and I know we will continue doing well even with Atticus by our side. I value traveling way more and will continue to travel and see new things when I’m able to. Eventually I’ll narrow down a Masters program and go back to school when I feel ready. I might even work alongside my brother at some point as we had talked about working on a project together and I’m pretty excited. This is getting really really long oops

I also just look dope as all hell with blonde hair and have gotten the notoriety of being “that blonde girl who wears the leather jacket” and I’m beyond thrilled about this. I’ve come a long way and I’m proud of myself. It’s hard to believe that lanky, tan, dark haired, greasy-headed kid is me but I think she’s come a long long way and I’m genuinely proud of her for doing so and not ending things when she’s had the opportunity. Here’s to 10 more years of careful and concise progress and glow-ups~

[bthenoise]

Track By Track: Here’s Everything You Need To Know About Wolves At The Gate’s Powerful LP ‘Eclipse’

For nearly ten years now, Ohio post-hardcore outfit Wolves At The Gate have been providing some of the most consistent and thought-provoking heavy music around. From 2012′s scorching debut Captors to today’s fierce eye-opener Eclipse, Wolves At The Gate continue to churn out melodic yet hard-hitting records that make you want to both sing and scream along to.

Take the band’s latest LP, for example. For 13 straight songs, the Solid State signees are able to give listeners a wide range of emotions embodying the perfect balance of heavy and soft. Talking about the motivation behind blending these two contrasting styles together, vocalist/guitarist Stephen Cobucci says it all ties into the album’s name. 

“We named the record Eclipse because of how well it encapsulated the relationship the light and the dark can have,” he says. “An eclipse tells you that it's dark, but it takes truth and faith to know that the sun is still shining. All of this revolves around my walk of faith in believing the truths of the gospel message, seeking to help others find hope and peace in the love of God, as well as how to come to grips with various social/political/personal issues.”   

Giving fans an even further look into the brilliant work of art that is Eclipse, Cobucci sat down with The Noise to explain the meanings behind each and every song on the album. To check out the singer’s honest and open track by track rundown, be sure to look below. Afterward, make sure to pick up a copy of Eclipse here.   

The Cure

We're excited that this is the first track people hear on the new record because it truly captures the wide dynamics sonically and lyrically that we wanted to deliver. Both musically and lyrically it's a roller coaster of darkness, tension, and release. The whole album revolves around the idea of the light being obscured by the darkness and creating a “different reality.” This song is about how when that darkness comes, it creates a different reality that seems so real but is just a lie. This song cries out for help and grace in times of doubt and fear.

Face To Face

“Face To Face” probably went through the most changes to its structure. It was rewritten more times than I can remember. Our guitarist Joey believed in it from the first day he heard it and worked hard to help it get to its final stages. Regardless of all of those changes, the lyrical content remained the same. We so often fear having our weaknesses and flaws revealed, going to great lengths to ensure they are hidden from everyone to see. ... This song is about how I was forced to come to grips with many of my sins and weaknesses in order for me to see that there is forgiveness in the love of God. Even though accepting my own guilt seemed like death to me, it was the very thing that led me to trusting and resting in God's grace.

A Voice In The Violence

This song carries a lot of weight and emotion in it for us as a band. It's so easy to identify with feeling the burden of darkness in our hearts and minds as we wrestle with the sins and addictions that plague us. The lyrics carry a dialogue that goes back and forth between thoughts of falling into despair and then hearing the voice of truth calling me away from running headlong into the things that are killing and destroying me. We so often entertain this love affair with the sins, addictions, and vices that ruin us whether it be mentally, physically, or spiritually. These pursuits are always irrational and cause us to drown out the voice of God. The voice of truth. A voice that carries messages of hope, grace, and mercy. Yet the beauty in all of this comes in the fact that there is no hell too deep for God to pull us out of. It is in these darkest of times that God shows even more grace and love.

Drifter

Songs like this one are so important to us as a band because they've come from real heart-to-heart conversations. We're brothers. We bear each other's burdens. A lot of the time when you just bury away the pain, the hurt, the lies, the emotion, it tears you apart on the inside until it eventually begins to manifest on the outside. As an outsider looking in, I could see how Nick was being torn apart and was stuck spirally down the same road. Numerous songs throughout our career have come from these sorts of situations where Nick just spilled his heart and we were able to build him up in the truth reminding him of the greater love he has in Christ and how all his failure and sin was erased at the cross.

Enemy

We tend to think that the great enemies in our lives are “out there” while ignoring a certain truth that we ourselves tend to be our greatest enemies. The song begins with an arrogant and misguided fight against the "enemy" that is soon realized to be myself. This has been a humbling experience that I have been through many times in my life. I figured it was about time that I cataloged how this progression tends to go for myself and ultimately how my hope of escape from this is in the power of God.

Evil Are The Kings

This was the first song that came out when I started writing for this record and helped set the tone for quality and level I wanted all the other songs to be on. Our guitarist Joey played a big role in helping this song come together in the way that it did. He helped me restructure it in a way that really took advantage of the strengths of the song. In writing this song, I immediately knew what I wanted it to be about. As a society, we have amassed a world of knowledge, but it hasn't moved mankind one step further to making peace, stopping wars, curing racism, etc. If “knowledge is the power” then we are to be considered evil kings. Politics haven't moved the needle of solving any of these issues and all that has been revealed is that while there may be shifts in power and policy the greatest need we all have is for our hearts to be changed.

Eclipse

The music of this song was something I had written a long time ago but was never able to put all the pieces together. While on tour last year I was finally able to get all the pieces to fall together. Our drummer Abishai was critical in helping me structure the format of the song in its early stages. When I sat down to title all of these songs, I realized that an eclipse was the imagery that best encompassed the heart of this song. As I continued to think about this imagery and concept, I realized how it touched all of these songs in one way or another. Songs like this are very personal for me as I use them as outlets to be vulnerable with myself and with our fans for them to be encouraged by the fact that I often have the same doubts and fears that they may have. Yet while also having these same doubts and fears, there are still certain truths that we all can rest upon for peace and comfort.

Response

This song is a response to the Ghandi quote, "I like your Christ, not your Christians." The truth of this statement is not lost on me and to be honest, it grieves me. I can understand why people's view of “American Christianity” puts a bad taste in their mouth and am sadden by the fact that the name of Christ gets dragged through the mud and applied to people and organizations that do not represent what true faith is. When people hear that we are a Christian band, it immediately conjures up all sorts of thoughts, generally negative ones, yet I can understand why. I can see how it is really difficult for some people to separate emotional pain and damage caused by some wearing the name “Christian” from the one they claim to follow, namely Jesus. I say that in the lyrics of the song, “You find a lot of fault in me - I find it hard to disagree with you - I’ll own my crimes - My guilt has shut my mouth.” I'm not here to talk about myself, there isn't much good to say. But I believe in a good Savior. This strikes at the very heart of what we want people to see in our lyrics. Christianity is not about a person's ability to be perfect, but imperfect people trusting in a perfect Savior. Our guitarist Joey summarized the song well by saying, “The presence of hypocrisy does not equal the absence of God.” This song is a call to take your eyes off of messed up people and to take a look for yourself at who Jesus is.

History

I wrote “History” in light of all of the racial tension I see within our culture. I have dear friends that have been on the receiving end of this prejudice [and] it's sad that even after all this time and all we know this still is very present in the heart of our society. It is because we have tended to turn a blind eye to our past that we are ignorant [of] the present issues. Our culture does not have a healthy relationship with this issue and therefore it causes serious strife and conflict. Everyone is fighting for their side of the argument and in that fight there will only be victims. It's a wake-up call that identifying with political parties, the color of your skin, etc. puts you further into bondage and perpetuates this cycle of hatred and violence.

The Sea In Between

This song is an imagery of my salvation. I knew God existed and I knew I was separated from Him. I was on a shore and an endless sea separated us. The sea was a metaphor for my sin and my attempts to live self-righteously. I tried to live a perfect life and make up for all my failure and sin. Every time I navigated those seas, I failed, was destroyed, and was washed back to shore left with nothing. Yet in the goodness of God, Christ came and saved me, trudging through the sea that separated me from Him by dying the death I deserved.

Alone

I remember writing this song really late one night in my studio and how it all came together so quickly. Sometimes a song just seems to fall into place all in one sitting and that was the case for this song. Every piece of it came together that night including the vocals, but to no surprise, I struggled to figure out what to write about. It wasn't until many months after that I was thinking about the idea of how differently we all view this journey of life. For some, it is a terror. For some, joy. And I thought about the fact that however you view the destination of the journey affects how you experience it. If all you have to look forward to [is the] temporal aspects of life, then that can be incredibly bleak for many. And to others it may not seem like that big a deal but nothing we have here can be kept forever. If I can quote one of our older songs called “Morning Star”: I know this is a voyage, it's not my destination. My hope is not in what I can gain out of this life regarding physical things, but that in the fact that all good things I enjoy here are just a shadow of the joy it will be to know God and see Him face to face.

Counterfeit

There are a lot of voices out there vying for our attention. Voices that don't have our best interests in mind. Voices in the media, politics, and sometimes even our own minds that push an agenda based upon lies. This track was written as a sort of fight song against those things to give a voice back to those that desire to push back against those lies. I love how the pace and rhythm of this song perfectly fits the content. Hopefully this song can help give the listener a voice and words to say [and] combat these lies.

Blessings & Curses

It was actually our drummer Abishai who created the core of this song. He wrote a drum groove that he was really into and so he put a simple chord progression down to go with it. He showed it to me while we were on tour and it just clicked with me. As soon as I heard it I knew it needed to be one of our songs and we started working on it right then and there on tour. It has a crazy time signature and then at the end the time signature bounces back and forth, but you'd never know it, which is really cool. This is a song about betrayal, namely my betrayal. It puts me in awe of the fact that all I ever offered God was my betrayal and my curse and yet in return He gives me the blessing of His forgiveness and love.

[cantfakethecake]

Ask meme!

I was tagged by @klickitats to do this...probably about a week ago? Oops. Really though, thank you so much for the tag!

The usual rules: Answer the questions and tag nine people to do the same. 

How old are you?

25

Current job?

Full-time student, for the time being. I had to quit my job at the library a few months back because it clashed with my field work schedule. Said fieldwork fell through thanks to a few kind-of-shady things I won’t get into here, so I’m stuck in get-a-job limbo until I’m assigned a new placement.

What are you talented at?

It’s silly, but I’m great at alphabetizing things? Give me any word, and I can alphabetize the letters in it on the spot. I also have a great memory for tiny personal details - which is great, until I come off as creepy for remembering something someone told me offhandedly two years ago. I can bake like a champ as long as I have a recipe handy. I also tested with a 143 verbal IQ while going through an ADHD evaluation? It hasn’t been useful for much beyond bullshitting papers at light speed, but I’ll include it as long as I’m feeling a little braggy!

What is a big goal you are working towards?

Beyond graduation and a vague “being able to financially support myself”? No idea. I switched my focus/major from “mental health and addiction” to “community/social justice” just a few weeks ago, and this early on? Most of my hopes for future jobs are less “goals” and more “prayers.” If it’s even a little bit less miserably boring than the jobs I’ve had in the past, I’ll take it!

What’s your aesthetic?

Jeans and plaid (usually with Toms), dogs, fresh-baked bread, comic books, coffee mixed with hot chocolate, half-finished coloring book pages, fidget toys.

Do you collect anything?

Not really? Moving from a decent-sized apartment back to my tiny childhood bedroom has made me pretty strict about getting rid of things I don’t absolutely love. I’d rather have a lot of small, unrelated things than one massive collection that takes up my limited space!

(I do have way, way too many books and coffee mugs, but that’s less about collecting and more about Half Price Books being where impulse control goes to die.)

A topic you always talk about?

I mean, right now I get to be a pretentious grad student and get philosophical about social justice issues every day. Other than that, though? Crown me Shit Queen of Garbage Town, but I’m the biggest fucking gossip. I’m always, always here to listen to people rant. I don’t care who we’re talking about. A shared coworker? Your second cousin who I’ll never meet in my lifetime? Don’t care. Just hook up that social IV and start pumping in some Grade-A Salt. (That’s the worst sentence I’ve ever written, and I’m almost sorry.)

Pet peeves?

That thing where you drop a credit card on a smooth surface and you can’t quite get your fingers under it to pick it back up again. I may have been frustrated by this nearly to the point of tears a week or two ago.

Good advice?

Following the lead of everyone else I’ve seen answering this, and directing this at younger-Betsy:

You are not broken. You have a super-fun combo of ADHD and severe anxiety. Prozac is your friend. Talk to someone - maybe sometime before you’re nearly 18? The view from 25 is great, but I’d love to not still be learning some of the social stuff most people figured out in high school.

Your preferences are not shortcomings. Not going to school dances is a valid choice, and you’re not missing out on some universal milestone by staying home. You’re missing a night where you leave homecoming after one hour, because the blaring music and mass of dancing people put you into sensory overload and you started crying in the bathroom. Branching out is good - but in order for it to go well, you need to respect your own likes and limitations. Don’t let people shame you into doing something that hurts.

Don’t stick that packing peanut up your nose. Really, don’t. It’s going to get stuck, and you’re going to hear about it at every holiday dinner for the rest of your life.

On a similar note: You’re three years old, and you’re at a birthday party. You want a piece of cake. I get it. But you also just watched a neighbor kid shove a bunch of those metallic confetti stars into the cake. Don’t eat it. I know - a bunch of kids are already eating, and they’re doing just fine. This is your first chance to learn that the odds are never, ever in your favor. You’re going to swallow a confetti star and choke on it. I promise. Don’t do it. You don’t even like cake.

You do not want a baby. I repeat: YOU DO NOT WANT A BABY. You like the idea of shopping for tiny outfits and picking out names and those half-asleep cuddles you get to enjoy when you’re babysitting. You’re sixteen. You don’t want to commit yourself to years of giving one human being your complete and undivided attention without a break. You don’t even like playing with your DOG for more than 20 minutes at a time. Like, thankfully you’re Ohio’s Least Datable Teen, because holy shit. 25 year old Betsy really likes not being a parent.

“Hi. Do you like Sonic Adventure 2 Battle?” is not an acceptable conversation starter. That is not how you make friends in a middle school class full of strangers. Alternatives include: Anything else. Literally anything else.

You are not set in stone. The world’s perception of you is one of the most malleable things you’ll ever handle. Fake it ‘til you make it, and keep trying when you fuck up - because you’re the only one who’s going to remember that one time you said something colossally stupid. (I mean, you’re going to remember it forever and ever and ever, and still physically cringe when you remember it out of the blue ten years later - but no one else gives a shit! Really! It’s only half bad, and the payoff is so worth it.)

Recommend three songs?

Oh god, I’m awful about getting into new songs. I tend to find a new artist once or twice a year, and listen to them on repeat for a few months. I was getting a bit better about listening to new things on my drive to school - aaand then my car’s stereo died. Nice. My picks are old, and I think I’ve probably recommended them at least five times each by now, but I’ll go with...

Tomorrow is Mine, from Bayonetta 2. My problematic favorite game series forever and always - but god, the music’s catchy.

Tomorrow is a Latter Day, from The Book of Mormon. 

...I’m struggling to come up with a 3rd, so I’m going to fall to the embarrassing garbage that’s actually been stuck in my head for days now. Enjoy.

Tagging: @alistairswaifu, @blondepomeranian, @bronwinning, @dragginage, @theherocomplex, @truck-shepard, and anyone else who wants to do this! I know everyone says that, but I really do mean it. I’m nosy as shit. I’d genuinely love to see it!

[hotel-hazbin]

How would Finn have died if she were a mortal?

                                           Death of Finn

  “Never venture into the woods.” Finn’s father would tell her, tapping away at his computer. Tap-Tap-Tap. Tapping all day and most of the night until Saturday, when he was able to take the weekends off and sleep in. The taps were background noise for Fionna, and whatever activity she was doing. All that tapping left no time for her, so she had to find her own fun.

 Video games kept her busy for a while, but she had played Sonic the Hedgehog to the point her eyes burned. TV never had anything good on anymore, just soap operas about having babies and affairs. She could take apart something again, but after her father replacing the fan for the third time he had forbidden it. The child sat in the windowsill with the family cat, a grey tabby named Bandana Jones, and watched out the windows as cars went by their house and around the corner out of view.

   “Daddy?”

   Tap-Tap-Tap.

    “Yes Finn?”

   “I am going to play outside.”

   Tap-Tap-Tap.

    “Don’t go into the woods.”

    “I won’t daddy.”

    Tap-Tap-Tap

    “I love you Finny.”

  “I love you too.”

Tap-Tap-Tap

And with his blessing, the child left the house with her favorite red raincoat on over her favorite red dress that matched her favorite red bow that was keeping her ginger bangs out of her eyes. Her lucky outfit for a lucky day! It was getting colder out now, but the cold never bothered her. Finn smiled as the fat cat slunk past her before she could close the door. “A nice day for adventure!” She declared, stepping off the porch. Her next door neighbor, a kind lady she called Mrs. Wiser waved from her garden. Finn waved back. She watched as the older woman put down her trowel and made her way inside, taking a break from her work.

A look around the neighborhood revealed lots of kids were out, lots of potential friends to be made! She saw the Holbrook twins playing with their pogs, and the Dawson sisters playing barbies on the porch. Three doors down the Sherman brothers were playing a rather rough game of football in their front lawn while their little sister brushed a toy cats fur. The Applewhite boys were playing Pokemon cards in their driveway, enticing Finn over to watch.

“Hi Finn!” The older brother, Linus, said. He smiled at her warmly.

“Go away.” The younger brother Martin, growled, not bothering to turn away from the game. He ran a hand through his messy blonde hair while he waited for Linus. When his brother refused to put a card down to resume the game, he scowled up at her. “Go away.”

Rudeness never bothered Finn, she simply brushed it under the rug as a bad day. However, Martin was typically mean to her, always giving her dirty looks and on multiple occasions had gotten rough with her. Why, last time he had even shot a BB pellet at her, missing her by mere inches. This rudeness bothered her. It wasn’t rudeness, it was outright dislike. She was sure that one day, perhaps they could be friends, but for now he was glaring at her with such intensity that she felt like she was going to melt in his dark blue gaze. Finn mouthed a word at him, a very bad word that she had heard her father mumble many times when he thought she had been sleeping, a word he used whenever the computer acted up.

His brother noticed this and quickly put another card down, continuing the game. Martin turned his attention back to the pocket monster cards. It wasn’t long before he lost the game and began throwing a fit over it. “YOU CHEATED. YOU CHEATED. FINN DISTRACTED ME SO YOU COULD CHEAT. YOU STUPID IDIOT, YOU MADE ME LOSE.” Martin howled, standing up and pushing Finn. She fell flat on her butt and sat there staring up at the wailing boy. Linus was able to restrain him long enough for her to run to the safety of her yard, locking the gate behind her. Martin began kicking at the cards and ripping them in his tantrum, but Linus did nothing, for his eyes were on something down the street.

There was a tall girl, with long black hair that swept down past her butt. She wore a black fishnet shirt over a black t-shirt. The neighborhood went quiet with her presence, gawking at the odd sight of the new girl. She wasn’t walking alone. A  boy walked alongside her, book bound with rubber bands held tightly in his fist. He was a scrawny thing, with spiked hair in different colors. He was wearing an outfit similar to hers, only his shirt had a red goat head. They walked past Finn’s house and stopped just outside the Holbrook’s house. The sisters just stared at them as their entire pile fell. The newcomers were only mere feet away, no fence to seperate them.

What happened next was a blur, punctuated with a scream. The older sister, Megan, watched in horror as her sister was carried off. She gave chase, soon joined by the Dawson twins and two of the Sherman boys. Front doors flew open as the kids shouted and chased. Parents, some running back inside to call the police, some grabbing their own children and dragging them back inside. Finn watched in silence as the teens jumped into a car at the end of the block with the crying, struggling girl.  She sat on her porch, safely behind a fence, and watched as the car took off. She watched as the Holbrook parents broke down sobbing as they held their remaining child. As the car drove past her house, she could have sworn she saw the driver staring at her.

“Finn!” Her father startled her into a hug from behind. “Oh God.” He carried her inside, fighting back tears as he pressed her head into his shoulder. All this cultist activity lately, he never thought that could happen in his neighborhood. It was because of his own father’s nagging that they even had a fence, the Holbrook’s were literally only one house over. He looked down at the child in his arms, the little girl staring up at him with her bright green eyes. “No more going outside, okay?”

Though dazed, she nodded. The experience had left her in shock, forced her into silence for the rest of the day. For the first time during a weekday, she didn’t hear the tap-tap-tap of the computers keyboard. She sat in the living room window, watching the police come to the Holbrook home, then family, church people, and lastly, men in suits. Finn couldn’t hear what they were saying, even what she could understand made no sense to her. Satanist, cults, sacrificial. The words made no sense to her, and her father wouldn’t tell her what they meant.

“Away from the window, kiddo.” Her father pulled her back and closed the blinds, wrapping her in another hug. “Come eat.”

“Hot Dogs?”

“Yeah, go scrub up first.”

Finn went to wash her hands in the bathroom, happening to look out the window. Bandana Jones was balancing on the shed, he slowly laid down and closed his eyes. She would have to remember to bring him in before bedtime. Though she doubted she would sleep. Especially not alone, she would not be sleeping alone. There was movement in the corner of her eye and she moved the curtains back a bit to see the Holbrooks mother, crying in her own backyard. They made eye contact briefly and Finn quickly backed away from the window. She dried her hands off on her dress and went back to the dining room. Dinner quicker than usually. Normally, there was some sort of conversation but tonight it was oddly quiet. No mentions of work, no mentions of Finn’s adventures today, just quiet. It was excruciating, giving them time to think about today’s events.

After dinner, Finn chose to just go to bed, to try and free herself from the anguish of today. Her dad came in and kissed her goodnight. She laid there for a long time, long enough that she heard her father go to sleep in the next room.Her night light illuminated her small room. She saw the drawings on her wall and the action figures on her dresser. Her stuffed Elmo laid in the cats bed. The cats bed was empty save for the Elmo. She had left Bandana outside.

She climbed out of bed and slid her feet into her slippers, wrapping a blanket around her shoulders. The child debated whether or not to wake her father,he would probably make her leave the cat out there all night if she woke him, a risk she would not want to take. She crept past his door and down the hall, all the way to the kitchen. The broom was laying against the back door, which was unusual since it was supposed to go in the closet. Finn moved it to the side before unlocking the door. She opened it carefully, as not to make it creak. It was colder at night, and the only sounds were the trees rattling as the wind blew them. Pulling the blanket around her shoulders tightly, she walked outside. A sound came from near the shed and crept towards it.

“B-Bandana?” She whispered, stopping a few feet away from the small building. “Bandana, here kitty kitty.” She called again.

“Finn?” The voice came from behind, startling her. Finn turned around to see Mrs. Holbrook, tightly gripping a large flashlight in her hand. “Oh Finn, you frightened me. I thought I saw someone out here.”

“I’m looking for Bandana, he got left out…..H-Have you seen him?” She tilted her head.

“Why yes, he was just in my backyard, here I’ll take you.”

“Thank you so much!” Finn smiled and followed the woman as they left the yard. It wasn’t until they were actually in the Holbrook’s last yard that she stopped. She hadn’t heard Mrs. Holbrook come into the yard, the only noise sha had heard was from the shed. There was a hole in the fence behind it, her father had done that intentionally so in case of emergency, they could get away from the house at both sides. The child noticed the vines on the side of the shed were disturbed. “…….I…..I think I should go back to my yard.”

“No, No, don’t worry.” The woman stepped towards her, reaching into her pocket. “Finn, he’s just over here.”

“I’m gonna go.” Finn turned to run, but found a sharp pain in her side. She screamed out loudly in pain as she saw the blade plunged deeply into her side. “Oh no….Oh no…Oh…….”  Mrs. Holbrook stared down at the knife handle in her hand, then slowly she made eye contact with the child. Finn’s eyes were wide as her dad ran out the house, screaming her name then screaming for help. People were coming out their houses and screaming as they noticed what was happening. The world around Finn turned red as the blade was forcibly pulled out and her body hit the ground. The last thing she saw was her dad’s face, then the old grey tabby in her houses windowsill behind him.

William Ralloway sat in the empty bedroom, staring at his beloved daughters lite brite. Her last project had been a cat, she had been so excited for it. Why hadn’t he played it with her? Why had he spent so much time working? Now she was gone and all he had was her old toys and room. No more laughter to fill these empty halls, no more hearing her stomp around in her red rain boots even when it wasn’t raining, No more Finn. All he had left were memories and pictures. The worst memory was cradling his daughter in his arms as she took her final breaths, the small smile she had on her face when she saw his face one last time before the life left her small body.

“Why did she do it?” Will choked out to the police officer in the doorway.

“Jealous.”

“What was she jealous of?”

“Sir, her daughter got taken and yours was still here. Ella claims that Finn smiled at her not long after it happened, mocking her.  She said her plan was to lure Fionna out and kill her then, but she came out before she could…..Do you know why Fionna went out?”

William thought back to that night. Finn had been fine all night, what had his daughter been doing? His eyes looked at the cats bed, where the Elmo still laid. A large sob broke through his lips and he nodded quickly. “The cat, I think the cat got left out. Finn, oh Finn…..” Will hugged her pillow to his chest. “We have a cat, Bandana Jones….Finn probably went out to find him, she was a good kid like that…..She loved everyone…..She should have woke me up.”

“Sir, can you come down to the station and make a statement?”

“Yeah…..Yeah���.” William nodded, standing up. He took one last look at his daughters room before turning off the light and leaving.