Blood Bonds

Part 10 - A Warning

It was mid-day by the time the Head Counselors said their goodbyes to Sonic and the newcomers, and the group headed back to F.V.R., Shadow and Infinite in tow.

"Not gonna listen to Wilkes?" Infinite implored, getting a dismissive look from the dark hedgehog.

"What's he going to do, fire me?" Shadow scoffed, watching Scarlet's black and red quills bounce to her pace as they followed the girls from a few feet away. "I'm the Ultimate Lifeform. I do what I want."

"What an inspiration you are to a former villain." Infinite snickered mockingly, getting a dirty look from the hedgehog.

They caught up with the girls when Scarlet brandished her purple emerald, preparing to make their trip shortened through teleportation. With a bright flash of magenta light, the seven Mobians vanished and materialized in the main lobby of F.V.R.

"Their next classes have already started, otherwise we'd be in the midst of mad crowd." Valorie commented. "Come on, Batty, let's finish that program we were working on." The two girls split from the group.

"There's not much to do other than hang out, so y'all can come with us to our offices." Nutmeg chirped, leading their small group further into the building. She slipped out her phone and began checking it for missed messages, before suddenly slowing her walk.

"What is it, Nutty?" Scarlet asked.

The pink squirrel quickened her pace once more, a tinge of concern and irritation in her voice. "Mr. Slick's been missing his classes. He's waiting outside my office."

"Oh." A hint of fear crept into Scarlet's voice. "Maybe we should hang out... elsewhere, Shads."

"Why? Who's Mr. Slick?"

Right as the Ultimate Lifeform asked the question, they turned the corner to the hallway with the counselors' offices. Standing next to the closed door and accompanied by a G.U.N. soldier was Eclipse, with his arms crossed and a sulk on his face. He glanced up upon hearing their footsteps, and froze, locking eyes with Shadow. Shock had overtaken the hedgehog's face. In the long pause that followed, unspoken words seemed to pass between them. Then Shadow's expression became cold and distant. He turned away coolly, closing his eyes.

"Hm, you're right Scarlet. Let's hang out... elsewhere." The Ultimate Lifeform then strode away briskly, forcing his two friends to catch up.

"Hey-!" Eclipse yelled, jerking forward as though he intended on going after him. The soldier guarding him reached down and gripped the alien's shoulder tightly, pulling him back. "Don't just ignore me!"

"Eclipse, we need to talk." Nutmeg closed the distance between them and unlocked her office door grimly. "Just forget about Shadow, honey, come inside."

"What? No! Wait-!"

The alien's face contorted into a desperate grimace as the soldier pushed him inside the Head Mistress's office and shut the door after him. He spun around and squinted through the narrow window of the door, watching as the guard receded back to their post, and realized that Shadow was long gone. After a moment of hesitation, Eclipse turned back to face the Head Counselor, a mixture of a pout and a glare displayed on his dark face. The squirrel sat at her desk and regarded him worriedly, not out of fear but rather concern for his well-being.

"You wanna tell me why you've been skipping class?"

The Ultimate alien rolled his eyes and rocked back on his spiked heels, arms crossed. "I don't like crowds. Especially not ones consisting of Mobians."

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" She tilted her head.

Eclipse glanced at her with some sheepishness. "I didn't know how to work the phone."