The Prophecy (Part One) (re-editing)

Chapter 13 - The Start of a New Journey

"I can't believe this! This.... This old man, with them. This stupid old man!"

Valentine had been ranting for an hour straight, ever since all eight of us had squeezed into the five seated convertible. Nobody could guess what in the world she was going on about. When we tried to ask her, she just kept going. The only clue she gave was how she was glaring at the back of Eggman's head.

"Ah! This is so cramped!" She suddenly yelled, standing up in her seat. She was near the window, with Shadow in the middle, and Knuckles on the other side holding Rouge. Amy and I sat on the trunk to get some space, and Tails was laying back in the passenger's seat asleep. By then we were going across the ocean with the car in.. uh, raft mode.. and I was as close to the seats as possible, holding onto Amy for dear life.

Shadow reached up and grabbed Valentine's wrist to keep her steady. "Sit down," He commanded flatly. "I don't think anybody cares enough to go after you if you fall in."

She started jerking to get away, but he held on. Meanwhile, Knuckles looked over his shoulder at me for the fiftieth time. I locked eyes with him, giving him a questioning look. He snorted and offered his hand back to me.

"Congratulations."

I took it for the fun of it and shook it. "Thanks. But what for?"

"I saw you guys on the roof," He said with a smirk and slight nod of the head, as if approval. "Congrats."

I let his hand slowly slip from mine, just staring at him, his words sinking in. Everyone else got quiet and stared at us. "Wh-..what?" I questioned. Then I took a breath. It was time to tell them. "I guess w-we're.. in a...in..." I lost my words, suddenly getting nervous.

Amy pressed her hands to her cheeks in embarrassment. "We're in an official relationship now. Is it so surprising? I've been telling you all he'd marry me.."

Knuckles just raised a brow. "You're getting married? That's news to me."

"Not yet~" Amy cooed, looking up at me dreamily. I just looked away.

"I knew that," Shadow mumbled.

"Me too," Valentine said, nodding.

"Who even are you?" Knuckles questioned suddenly, turning to the eccentric white feline.

"Me? I'm Valentine. How are ya." She sat and extended a hand down to him, reaching over Shadow's lap.

"Knuckles..." He replied, barely taking her hand, which she shook just as vigorously as she did mine.

"I'm Amy's friend," She added with a smile.

"About that," Amy turned around to her, starting to accidentally slide off the trunk. I grabbed her and pulled her back and steadied her, but she didn't even seem to notice. "What exactly were you doing there, again?"

"The Clysta clan is my enemy. They've been trying to steal something from my family since a long time ago. They've always been an evil, power hungry clan. My father defeated the king years ago and sealed him away, along with all his men. He didn't know that the king had a daughter, who was safely with her grandmother halfway across Mobius. That daughter is Lavender. Lavender caught up with me a few years ago and killed my father to seek revenge.." She paused. "So I left to Station Square to live, not knowing what else to do. I'm not some all-powerful warrior like my father. I thought she wouldn't find me, but she did. She came to me with that guy—" She pointed to Eggman. "And told me how he had told her a way that she could unseal her father and his men. And she decided that if she did that, she could no doubt restore her whole kingdom and expand it."