Sonic X 1: Returning

CHAPTER 2: Welcome?

"My patients is growing thin," Shadow growled. "So I'll ask you one more time; who are you?"

I was frozen stiff. I had always admired Shadow; I thought of him as brave and loyal, and always ready to fight for what was right. But now that I was meeting him in the flesh, I could see why people were slightly nervous around him. That, and don't most people freeze when their hurt and is confronted by a large black hedgehog?

"Shadow, can't you see you're scaring the poor thing?" Said a female's voice. I turn to see Rouge the Bat. She walked over and knelt so were looking at each other face to face. "Don't worry about him, hon. He's all bark and no bite. Do you have a name?"

I slowly took a steadying breath to calm myself down and offer a small smile at both of them. "Emily." I answer. "I'm Emily."

"You see, Shads," Rouge said standing and looking at Shadow. "You don't have to be so gruff with her."

"What's going on out here?"

We turn to see the blue legend himself standing in the doorway of the shop with his other friends behind him.

"Shadow scared this poor girl half to death." Rouge said with a casual shrug.

"You startled me, that's all," Shadow replied. "I don't like it when people are watching me."

"That's alright," I reply. "You startled me, I heard you guys out here and came to investigate."

It was now when Sonic noticed my crutches on the ground. "Oh, here," He said, picking them up and giving them to me.

"Thanks," I said as I used my crutches to hoist myself up and stand upright with my injured leg slightly lifted.

"Now, let us introduce ourselves," Sonic said. "I'm Sonic the hedgehog, this is my pal Miles Prower."

"You can just call me Tails," Tails said coming forward and letting me shake his hand.

"I'm Amy Rose," Said Amy as she came up and curtsied. "Pleasure to meet you,"

"You too," I said, shaking her hand.

"My name is Cream and this is my very good friend, Cheese." Cream said, smiling innocently.

"I'm called Rouge the Bat," Rouge said. "And you've already met Shadow."

Shadow just nodded. I smile at him warmly, I was usually shy when I first meet someone, and so I stay quiet.

"Wait!" Tails said turning around and running back into the shop. "Knuckles is passed out!"

We all rush into the barn to see my most favorite character, Knuckles the Echidna, passed out on the floor. His whole body was quivering from fatigue, which only made me wonder what had happened.

Sonic, Shadow and Tails walked up to Knuckles and looked him over. "It took a lot out of him trying to get the Master Emerald under control," Tails said. "I think all he needs is rest."

"If you guys don't mind," I said, getting their attention. "I have a room upstairs. He can use my bed until he wakes up."

Sonic smiled. "Thanks, Em. Shadow, could you help me lift him?"

The two picked up Knuckles and put his arms over their shoulders so he hung limply between them. They took him upstairs and quickly found my bed. The rest of us followed them, me coming last because of my foot.

When I managed to get up there, I found that they had already put Knuckles on my bed and were looking around. Tails was looking at my books and took out my novel on the Middle Ages. Amy, Cream and Rouge were looking at my amazingly large closet in admiration (It ran the length of the barn and it slopped sharply with the roof, looking like Polly's "Smugglers Cave" from C.S. Lewis' The Magicians Nephew). Sonic was admiring my acoustic guitar, I didn't play it much since I only knew two songs and there was a string missing, the thing wasn't really much to look at. Shadow was looking at a picture of me standing with my horse, Isabelle. I got the picture for my eighteenth birthday; it was made out of leather and the image was done with a laser. I was training a horse in Indiana at the time, I almost cried when I opened it. My grandfather had framed it in Sypris wood.