Well… I'm going to scream with joy! Who is excited about this as much as I am?

For those of you who haven't read 'Miles from Home', I highly recommend you read it first, but it is not completely necessary. It may help you not be too confused though. Also, the last chapter for 'Miles from Home' is a little backstory on this. So I highly recommend that you read that at least.

Everyone else, I am so excited for this! What? I've been looking forward to it since I started thinking about it in the middle of 'Miles from Home.' And now that 'Shattered Thorns' is finished, then let's jump into this! Let me warn you right now: It's...kind of...sort of...longish. And updates will be a little random and once school starts I have no idea when I'll be able to update. Crazy schedule. But let's try and make a good dent in it this summer, shall we?

This story is by written by myself, Oceanera12 (but you can call me Era) and my co-writer/editor HaloEssence111 (or Halo). Hope y'all enjoy.

Now let's get this party started! Speaking of parties… Happy 25th Birthday, Sonic the Hedgehog!

Sonic's POV:

The sun was shining, with blue birds singing in the trees and a gentle breeze flowing through the air. Most people would be out playing games with friends and family in this type of weather. And most people would consider this perfect weather for your birthday...but I'm not most people.

I felt as if the whole world was mocking me. It wasn't that I didn't like my birthday… I mean, I'm sixteen now. I can learn to drive! Then again, maybe not. When you can run at the speed of sound, why learn to drive? But still, sixteen was one of those 'milestone' birthdays everyone is always talking about. Honestly, I never understood why people were excited about sixteen.

Sixteen was when you were officially old enough to hang out with the adults and not feel like a kid, but you still weren't old enough to vote or legally live by yourself or stop going to school. Definitely one of those...in between ages.

Of course, that wasn't the only reason I wasn't feeling the birthday excitement. Two days ago it had been ten years. Ten years since Robotnik had entered and destroyed my life. Ten years since the first home I had ever known had been destroyed. Ten years since I lost everyone who mattered.

It didn't help that I was a triplet, either. I actually wished I had to share my birthday with someone every year, as it was a lot better than annually mourning my dead siblings. It had always been the three of us; Maurice, Sonia, Manic. We got in trouble together, succeeded together, but we didn't escape the horror of that night together. Only I did.

Sonia was always such a…well, she was a girl. I mean, she was my sister. The only girl in a set of triplets. Despite that unfortunate event (to her, at least), she always seemed to stay happy and tried to play with the boys (and she was good at it too- I believe she was the one who came up with the game, 'Evil Alien Creatures with Flamey Swords out to destroy Mobius'). She was the comforting one who always knew what to say to make me and Manic feel better.

Manic always had a knack for finding trouble. He never meant to, but it was like he was born with a magnet for all things risky. It was ridiculous how many times I had to swoop in and save him in some way. He gave our mother the most heart attacks and gray hairs. But despite that, he always knew how to make people laugh. He always knew what to do during a bad situation...such as run for his life or start apologizing profusely.

Sonia and Manic… That was how I came up with my name, you know. Sonic is just the two combined. Of course, most people thought I was always talking about my speed. They never knew that it was actually in honor of my siblings, and I think I'd like to keep it that way.

"Sonic!"

My head snapped up and I squinted across the open field at the yellow fox that had just emerged.

"Sonic! There you are!" Tails flew over and landed in front of me. "What have you been doing all morning?"

"Running," I replied while standing up, "What else?"

"Sonic, do you ever do anything but running?"

"As a matter of fact-"

"Eating chili dogs doesn't count."

I smiled. "You know me too well."

With a small sigh, Tails replied, "Well, you are my brother. I'd hope I know everything about you."

Inside, I flinched. Outside, I smirked, trying to look smug and confident. "Alright. What's up?"

"Well, you'll just have to wait and see." Tails motioned for me to follow him as he started twisting his tails to propel himself in the air. Very reluctantly, I ran after him. I could guess where this was going. It's my birthday… Tails really cares about me… And he's not saying where we're going. I mean you might as well just make a neon flashing sign that says, 'Surprise Party this way!'

I hate surprise parties… Actually, I just hate birthday parties in general. Nothing good ever comes from holding a party about stepping one year closer to the inevitability of death (okay, that was unnecessarily dark. Pretend I didn't say that). First we had the whole...you know what. I'm not going to think about him. Let's just say it involved a very annoying rival that doesn't belong in this dimension. Then we had that really dumb Time Eater Monster thing that kidnapped all my friends and almost turned the whole time line into 'limbo.' And of course I ran into mini-me and mini-Tails.

It's a very long story that I really don't feel like going into right now.

Tails led me back to our house. It was a pretty cool place, with more than enough room for both me and Tails along with any friends that needed to crash at a moment's notice (we had three extra bedrooms plus like four or five couch beds. Including me and Tails, our house could hold about eleven people). We'd lived here since GUN hired us four years ago, and I never want to move.

The fox opened the door and ran inside. All of the lights were off. Mm...I wonder why? But, just like every year, I played along. "Why are the lights off? Tails, did you blow another fuse again? GUN hates it when we do that!"

Tails didn't respond, but I heard a small scuffling noise from the corner.

Three, two, one…

The lights came popping on revealing everyone who had been hiding. "SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY SONIC!"

I grinned. "You guys really shouldn't have. I mean, really. You shouldn't have."

Of course they thought I was joking around, just like every year. Tails had invited everyone again. Vector and Espio were holding Charmy back from the cake, while wishing me a happy birthday. Charmy just ignored everyone and continued flying towards the cake that Cream must have made. Speaking of the rabbit, she was standing next to Amy with her little chao bobbing behind her. Cream was holding up a brightly wrapped present tied with a poufy bow. Over in the corner was a small stack of bags and boxes similarly wrapped. Standing next to the pile, was Rouge and Knuckles having another one of their arguments. Shadow stood in the back of the room, crossing his arms and glaring at the world. Something told me that Rouge had dragged him along...again. Vanilla was holding the already mentioned cake that appeared to be chocolate. And then there was Tails, hovering in the middle of the room, grinning like a maniac.

"Come here, you!" I grabbed Tails out of the air and swept him up into a tight bear hug.

"Hey, stop it, Sonic!" he shouted when I began to noogie him.

Amy stepped forward with a smile, "Happy Birthday, Sonic!" She handed me a rectangular green package.

"Thanks, Amy." I put down Tails and tore open the present. Inside the box was a new pair of red shoes with gold buckles, identical to the ones I was wearing, except for the gold trim on the bottoms.

"They're anti-gravity shoes!" Amy exclaimed. "You're always trying to run up walls and stuff, but this way you can run on ceilings! Aren't they cool?"

"Yeah, they're great! Thanks, Ames!" I grinned, for real this time. I mean, anti-gravity shoes, come on.

The gift-giving continued until Charmy finally reached the cake. Then it became an all out war for a bite of the chocolatey goodness. Well, sort of. Shadow didn't even move, and I just waited until a small chunk landed on my lap while I continued to open the remaining presents. Cream had given me a flower crown...again. I do love her flower crowns. I had a whole box of them under my bed. Rouge gave me girl advice in a notebook (thanks…). Shadow had either a strange sense of humor or thought that I would enjoy a How-to book on making bricks. It made me wonder which clearance bin he picked it up. Oh well, another thing to add to my junk box. Vanilla gave me a homemade sweater while Vector, Espio, and Charmy must have pitched in to buy me a spatula. For some reason I could never understand, Knuckles always gave the best presents. Why and how, I have no idea, but you don't see me complaining.

I tore open Knuckles' gift last. This year it was unusually small, able to fit in an envelope. Maybe he got me cash. I pulled out a one page letter. In the top right corner was an emblem of a steaming chili dog.

"'Dear Mr. Hedgehog, starting next month, you are an official member of the Chili Dog of the Month Club! You will be presented each month with a different variety of chili dog from around the globe.' Wow! Thanks, Knux!"

"Don't mention it," said Knuckles, giving me a light punch in the arm.

See? I told you he gives the best gifts.

The rest of the party was pretty fun, if mostly uneventful. We played a couple of games and watched a movie. Most of the group cleared out around nine thirty, leaving just me and Tails and Knuckles (he didn't have a house in town, so he uses a spare guest room at our house whenever he leaves Angel Island).

"Welp, I'm turning in," said Knuckles, yawning. "G'night Tails, Sonic. Happy birthday."

"Thanks, man." I said. "See ya tomorrow."

"Yup. G'night." Knuckles walked upstairs. I heard the guest room door click shut. Come to think of it, I was getting pretty tired myself.

"I think I'll go to bed, too." I said.

"Wait! Sonic, I almost forgot!" exclaimed Tails. He dashed upstairs and came back down with a flat, rectangular package wrapped in plain brown paper.

"I was saving this until everybody went home," said Tails, handing me the parcel. I tore off the paper, revealing a small, framed photograph of me and Tails- except the two of us were much younger in this picture.

"That's the first photo we took together after we became brothers," said Tails. "I found it in one of our old photo albums we keep in the attic."

I didn't say anything.

"I-it's okay if you don't like it," said Tails nervously, fiddling with his fingers anxiously. "I mean-"

I scooped Tails into a firm embrace. He flinched in surprise at first, but quickly returned the gesture.

"Thanks, buddy." I whispered into his ear.

"Anytime, bro." He smiled and began to climb up the stairs.

My bedroom was on the first floor, so I quietly called after him, "Night, Miles."

"Goodnight," Tails looked over his shoulder, "Happy Birthday, Maurice." Then he vanished up the stairs. Good thing too, then he didn't see me flinch at the name.

I quietly shut the door to my room and put the picture on my bedside table. Staring at the photo for a minute, I sighed. Any picture of my old family had been burned and destroyed and after all of these years, their faces were getting harder and harder to remember.

Happy Birthday to me, I thought, curling under the covers. I turned over, staring out the window into the clear, starry June night.

Happy Birthday to you too, sibs.

*one week earlier*

Sofia's POV:

BRRRRINNNGG…

SLAM.

I pounded my fist on my alarm clock to quiet the blasted thing. Groggily, I sat up and folded the quilt down to the side of the bed. Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I shuffled into the worn-out kitchen. Uncle Charlie was sitting at the splintery wood kitchen table reading the daily paper. I mumbled a nearly inaudible greeting to him as I searched the fridge for something appetizing. Finding nothing, I settled for a glass of orange juice and a piece of flaky toast.

"Morning, sunshine." said Uncle Charlie from behind his newspaper. I grunted in reply, munching on my toast. Seeing the time, I quickly finished my breakfast, then took a lightning-fast shower. I dried off hurriedly and pulled on a random dress from the front of my closet. I blow-dried my quills and set a bedazzled headband on top to keep the hair out of my eyes. Scooping up my backpack, I marched out the front door, slamming it behind me as usual.

Uncle Charlie probably didn't even flinch.

I started to walk to school as I did every morning, but today was different. It was my last day of school. True, I was only fifteen years old (going on sixteen), but since I had taken extra classes and did summer school, I was graduating two years early. Trust me, taking more classes was a lot more fun than sitting at the junk yard all summer praying for people to buy something. With the thought of no more school, ever, my mind actually lightened up a little and an involuntary smile twitched to life on my face. No more heartless teachers… no more jerks in class whispering crude jokes about me behind my back...and best of all, no more of that horrible Bobby Deaken shamelessly flirting with me every chance he got.

Over the past four years, the kids who had spent every waking moment terrorizing me who had slowly drifted away from trying to beat me up and moved on to kids who they could actually hit. I hadn't minded the change, to say the least. Still, no one talked to me or ate lunch with me. But I didn't mind too much. No bullying (well, extreme bullying anyway) helped me focus and finish my work quickly.

The school bell jolted me out of my thoughts and I ran the last few steps up into the high school. Please don't be late, please don't be late, please don't be late, please don't be late…

I was late.

The classes were some of the fastest I've ever sat through. Mostly it was just teachers telling us seniors that they would miss us so much and how lucky we were to have gained the priceless gift of education and all of that jazz. In fact, I'm pretty sure more than half the students didn't show up (then again, graduation was last night. Wasn't much of a point to come.)

And if you're wondering why I went to school, then here's your answer.

"Ah, Sofia! My favorite student," Mr. Phillips gave me a big smile as I walked into the empty sixth period class.

I rolled my eyes, "Am I the only one who showed up today?"

"Well, most people don't like my class so it's not much of a surprise."

"Who doesn't like Mobian History?"

"Most seniors."

We laughed and continued to laugh. That was the one thing I was going to miss. Mr. Phillips was the only teacher who seemed to like my polite yet rebellious nature. He was also the only teacher who didn't think I was a freak…then again, my excuse to the school is that I get really bad headaches and sometimes faint or zone out. He accepted the fact without questioning it. The other teachers just got annoyed to the point of hating my guts.

When the final bell rang, I gave him a hug and handshake. "Thanks for everything, Mr. Phillips. I hope you have a wonderful summer and life."

He nodded sadly, "I will miss your face in my 'dull' class, Sofia. I sure do hope you turn out successful. You sure do have the potential for it."

Without answering, I swung my backpack over my shoulder and left the room with a wave. I walked down the hall to my locker and kicked it open.

"Hey there, beautiful."

I groaned, pulled out my remaining school supplies, and slammed the door shut. Then I turned and started to speed walk down the hall.

Bobby, the annoying little pain-in-the-neck, followed me while calling for me to wait up. I didn't listen, but picked up the pace. When I finally got out of the building, I practically sprinted down the street.

"Oh! I get it! In a hurry to get home! Okay, I'll swing by later, pumpkin."

I yelled back over my shoulder, "Don't you even think about it! And don't call me 'pumpkin'!"

Most boys were freaked out by me… Bobby was just a creepy stalker who was interested in my looks and 'talents' or so he says. Liar. Did he think I had just forgotten all those years of him picking on me with his pack of goons? Apparently so.

Well, the run home was uneventful. Uncle Charlie was out in the yard, sorting through some old car parts. "Hey there, Sofia. How was your last day of school?"

I shrugged and threw my backpack in the front door then joined my Uncle at the pile. "It was okay, I guess. Nothing too crazy…"

"Mmm-hmm, that's nice." Uncle Charlie, who was fiddling around with a rusty old car engine, didn't seem to pay any attention.

Well...now was as good a time as any. "Um… Uncle Charlie?"

"Mmm-hmm?"

I handed him a gas cap that was lying with the fans, "I just graduated High School and...well, I don't think I want to go to college all that much."

"Mmm-hmm…"

"I was thinking of traveling to some city," I paused and narrowed my eyes at him for a moment, "And looking to see if anyone would be willing to take me in at a department store or some sort of fashion barn. Ya know, like as an intern or clerk or something."

"Mmm-hmm…" Uncle Charlie continued sorting through the pile, his mind obviously far away.

Annoyed, I tapped my fingers on the hubcap of some old vehicle that was probably in a ditch somewhere. "And while I'm there, I'm… I'm gonna look for Manic."

"Mmm-hm- Wait, what?" My uncle's head snapped up and he stared at me incredulously.

I threw my arms in the air, "Notice how you don't pay attention to me until the name, 'Matthews' or 'Manic' turns up."

Charlie ignored my comment, "You're planning on leaving?"

"On my birthday, at the latest."

"On your-" he sputtered slightly, "But that's only next week! Why in Mobius would you want to leave our nice, safe town and go out into the dangerous city? You could get hurt, or-or killed! I've heard news reports of girls your age who've been-"

"Uncle Chuck, please!" I interrupted. He flinched at the sound of his real name. "I can always tell when I'm in danger, remember?"

"Don't bring up that curse of yours," he growled, "I thought it had stopped by now. That you had- grown out of it."

"It's random...sometimes I don't have a vision for months...remember?" I rolled my eyes, "Do you really think I can 'grow out' of a psychic ability?"

"It's not psychic! All it is is a curse…" He turned back to the junk pile, "...from that-that night…"

I paused, "Uncle Chuck..."

He flinched. I ignored it.

"I've had dream visions since I was a little girl. I only started having them when I was awake after the...incident."

We were silent for a moment. "Do you miss them?" I whispered softly.

Uncle Charlie grunted and went back to work. "Do you expect me to give you money for your trip?"

And just like that, he had changed the subject. I sighed softly and shook my head.

"Good, because I ain't gonna." He picked up a radiator and threw it on the pile. "Dinner will be in ten."

Without another word, I marched into the house and into my room. After digging through my closet for a few minutes, I finally found my suitcase that I had gotten a year ago at a thrift store. It was a simple pink case that could hold plenty of clothes, among other things. I wasn't planning on leaving until my birthday, but I could still start packing.

"Sofia! Go wash up for dinner!"

I sighed and put down my suitcase. Over in the corner of my tiny bedroom was my bed. Pushed to the side of the wall was another bed of equal size, but it hadn't been slept in in four years.

With luck, I might be able to change that.

*back to June 23rd*

Matthews POV:

'When we last left our hero, the Brave and Attractive Matthews "Maniac" Hedgehog, he was being chased by the dastardly Mitchell Street Meerkats who were out for his blood…'

"Get back here, you little sneak thief!"

'And for no good reason except that the Studly and Awesome Matthews may have swiped one or two teeny tiny hard drives from the evil Meerkat's leader. And it wasn't like they really needed them or anything, either. It only contained the security codes and confidential blueprints that might have belonged to a rival gang of theirs… oh wait, that was my- I mean, the Amazing and Courageous Maniac's gang of awesomeness.'

I smiled and ducked around a corner, jumped up on a dumpster and grabbed the fire escape ladder, pulling myself up and climbing frantically, moving up three rungs at a time.

'As the Handsome and...uh...Clever hedgehog begins to climb to safety,' I glanced down at the meerkats and gave out a yelp. I yanked myself up over the top of the building and pressed myself against the ground as several gun shots rang through the air. 'The villainous meerkats draw their guns and attempt to shoot our brave hero dead.' I HATE guns...

I heard two pieces of metal slide against each other and then a small bang as something hit the cement. 'And apparently they wish to join our Fantastic hedgehog on the roof.' A little annoyed, I rolled away from the side of the building that the gang was currently climbing. When I determined that they wouldn't be able to see me, I stood up and ran across the roof, jumping over the six foot gap to the next building. Unfortunately, I can only jump five and a half feet meaning, I had to grab the edge and hoist myself up without dying. It's harder than it looks.

'When the breathtakingly strong sixteen year old finally lifted himself to safety, he paused to take a breath,' I looked at the building I just jumped from and hit the ground as bullets filled the air where I had just been standing. 'And our beloved hero may be facing his end.'

My brain immediately pushed that happy thought aside. "Nah, I ain't dying on my birthday." I pulled my switch blade out of my boot and flipped it open. I looked down at it and gave a smile, "Sorry about this, Frederick. You were the best knife I'd ever had." After the gunfire ceased for a moment, I jumped up, aimed, and flung the blade.

I had deliberately aimed at the leader's right shin. If there was one thing I knew about the Meerkat gang, they were willing to die, but they were total wimps when it came to very painful wounds. The meerkat let out a shrill scream as his gun clattered to the ground and he grabbed at his leg.

I winced in sympathy, but took advantage of the distraction to duck down the fire escape on the other side of my building. Good thing too. The meerkats started to open fire on me as soon as my head had ducked out of bullet range. Their enraged shouts faded in the distance as I sprinted down the street. Already, I could hear the police sirens moving in.

Pulling my hood up to cover my face, I smiled. 'And that concludes this episode of, 'The Pickpocketing Adventures of Matthews "Maniac" Hedgehog, Thief Extraordinaire. We hope you tune in next time.'

I fingered the two hard drives in my pocket. Yessir, Farrell was going to be happy to see these. He had been so angry at the guy who had lost them, I almost felt bad for the sucker. Almost. When it came to losing information that could make us a bundle, there wasn't much in the way of forgiveness, not in this part of town anyway. But then again, there wasn't much forgiveness in stealing said information back, so it was a nice birthday present to myself that I could close my eyes tonight, knowing that some certain ferrets wouldn't be able to shoot me in my sleep.

My birthday…

I dug my hands deep in my pockets and pulled out the bent and slightly fading photo of my parents and siblings. I traced Sonia with my finger and wondered what she was doing right now. Probably running from bullies or getting in an argument with Uncle Chuck. Part of me felt really bad for just leaving her like that, but I just couldn't take living with our Uncle any longer, and I knew that she would never come with me. In fact, she probably would've tried to stop me. My fingers paused on Maurice. He was probably so disappointed in me, wherever he was. Probably heaven. He wouldn't be in the other place. If anyone in the family was going there, it was going to be me and Uncle Chuck. At that thought, my frown deepened. Maurice had always tried to do what was right...and look at me. I was a petty thief hanging out with a gang who committed Chaos knows how much crime.

Of course, my parents would be disappointed in me too. Dad always told me that my unusual talent for stealing folks blind would get me someplace...I don't think this is what he meant. Mom always told me that stealing was a sin, and that it was wrong for me to take other people's things without asking them first. Mother knows best, right?

One of the cop cars sped past me, snapping me out of my thoughts. I tucked the photo away and smiled grimly. I scaled a chain link fence and kept low as not to be seen. I crawled on my stomach to behind a convenience store. With my face so close to the ground, I found a five dollar bill. I smirked.

"Happy birthday to me."

Ya know, it was by pure accident that this was ready on Sonic's birthday, but I'm happy with the accident.

So just so you know, the chapters for the most part will go in this order: Sonic's POV, Sofia's POV, Matthews POV. Near the end we're going to bring in other characters POV such as Tails, Amy, Rouge, Shadow, and Knuckles. Also, most chapters will only take place in one POV (like the next chapter...although it's in Narrator's POV).

Next chapter is...sort of confusing. So it's mentioned that Manic hates guns, but it isn't explained why. That's what next chapter is about, but it is a flashback to the first week that Manic ran away from. It has already been completely typed, but hasn't been fully edited yet so it will be up sooner than usual, but probably not today. This chapter will also explain why Manic is not a mugger...and something else. You'll see.

Oh man, I am so going to cry.

Please review!