Stranger

A newcomer to a place, locality or concept.

"Amy! Get away from there, Hun."

Amy clung tightly to the wire fence. The mettle dug into her hands.

She watched in wonder as the kids on the other side played. They pounced. They ran. They jumped. They fell. All this happened without a care in the World.

Amy cocked her head. Why couldn't she do that?

"Amy," the kindergarten teacher sighed, marching straight over. "What did I tell you? Get away from there."

Amy felt the young woman's hands wrap around her until she was bundled up in her arms.

"Let's get you back inside. I think you've had enough for today."

Amy watched over the teacher's shoulder as the other children continued to play. It seemed like so much fun. When was the last time Amy had fun?

Back into the generic, brick school the two went.

Amy was placed gently so that she sat on an ABC rug in a classroom reserved just for her.

The walls were white and covered in pinned up art that she had made. Well, it wasn't art as much as coloured pictures. She always had to colour in the lines too, which was no fun.

Amy looked up at her teacher and pouted.

"Can I play with the others?"

"What other's," the adult replied. "There's no one else here."

"The one's outside," Amy pointed to the door.

"No, you can't."

"Why not?"

The teacher gave Amy a smile and patted her head.

"Because, sweetheart, you have to learn first."

"Learn what?"

That's where the conversation ended. That's where the conversation always ended. There was never really a clear answer for Amy's isolation, nor were there any clues to justify a social quarantine.

It didn't matter. Amy shrugged it off as always and went over to the toy box to find her favourite doll.

The teacher knelt down in her own spot on the carpet and grinned as Amy skipped back over and sat across from her.

"Who's this?"

The teacher gestured towards the doll in Amy's hand.

"Sarah!"

"I though she was Claire last time."

"Well, now she's Sarah."

A sigh came from the older of the two. "What do we say about inconsistency?"

"It confuses people."

"And when people are confused do they understand you?"

Amy thought about that before shaking her head.

"And how does it make you feel when people don't understand you?"

Another second of pondering passed.

"Angry," she answered.

"No," the teacher said sternly. "Not angry, never angry. Anger doesn't exist. It's a secondary emotion. What do you really feel Amy?"

Amy ground her teeth in thought. She really never understood it when her instructor went off on these lessons about anger. Who'd expect her to get it any ways? She was only a 4-year-old girl.

Amy quickly decided that a shrug would be the best response.

The teacher frowned.

"You'll get it soon, don't worry."

Amy looked back at her doll.

Somehow soon didn't feel soon enough.

"Next!"

"Huh?"

Amy was snatched away from thoughts of home by a lazy, sultry voice belonging to a tall, curvy white bat.

"Next," she repeated, clearly peeved at Amy's lack of concentration.

Amy stepped forwards toward the outdoor orientation stand where the other girl sat.

She tried to lend the girl a bright smile to smooth over the initial bump in her first impression. It did nothing for her.

"What's your name, Pinkie?"

Amy frowned.

It wasn't the name so much as the degrading tone the other student used that unsettled the newcomer.

"Amy Rose," she answered.

"Amy Rose," the bat mused.

Trailing her fingers over various cards on the table in front of her, the bat picked out one that read Amy Rose and was plastered with the pink hedgehog's picture.

"Here you go," she handed Amy her card. "It's your student ID but it's also your library and key card. Bottom line, don't lose it."

Amy flinched away at the intensity in the bat's voice but nodded.

She took the card and opened up the front pocket of her luggage beside her, tucking the ID inside so as not to lose it.

With a hesitant smile and a goodbye Amy went off in the direction that the orientation signs said was the student dormitories.

Dragging her luggage behind her, Amy pushed on through the campus, marvelling at the variety of students around her.

First of all, back in the Piko colonies, genders were separated in schools. So the mere sight of boys passing footballs on the lawn was enough to paint a blush on her muzzle.

Then there was the...interesting mix of students who attended, that earned the boarding school it's name, Union Academy. Teenagers from all three colonies attended. Chaos, Gaia, Piko, they were all here.

It was quite the controversial teaching method at first but now, after running for nearly a decade with an impeccable record for good grades and academic excellence, Union had become the 'it' school.

Amy smiled at the thought. That's right, Union Academy was for the best of the best and she was here. Ha! Screw the negative Nellie's back home. She could do this.

...Or maybe not.

Half way to the dorms and Amy had already encountered the worst enemy of any person who has ever carried luggage: stairs.

Amy gaped.

Why was it that stairs seemed to double in length whenever you had a bag with you?

Taking a step forward she contemplated how to do this.

Her first attempt included dragging the wheeled bag behind her. That didn't work. Too many people were pushing past her, in a rather rude manner, and she kept losing her grip.

Next she tried tucking the long handle back in and just carrying her things. That was problematic too. Amy was a small girl with a very big bag that contained everything she needed to survive for a whole school year.

Letting out a frustrated groan the pink hedgie ended up exactly where she stared, the bottom.

Mulling over the possibility of finding a way around the stairs or searching for a ramp Amy's attention was quickly drawn away from her predicament.

"Need some help?"

The question came from a tall, fit looking boy.

He smiled at her with the kind of sincerity any lost girl would find worthy of a swoon. Amy was not excluded.

"I was just having problems with my bag," Amy admitted, timidly. "Don't worry though. I can handle it."

"No," the boy insisted. "Let me carry it. I'll get it up there for you."

"Well...okay. Thank you."

"No problem."

Amy smiled.

What a gentleman. The people back home were wrong. Boys outside the colony weren't all pigs.

She stepped ahead of her saviour walking up the steps with an easy relief. Getting to the top victoriously Amy turned to the stairs where the boy was carrying her luggage.

Do you know what she saw? Nothing. The boy had ran off with her bags...ID card included.

Amy wasn't the pessimistic type. She never had been. Yet, something about being caught in the dark, alone, in an unfamiliar place, with nowhere to sleep, kind of made her want to curl up and cry.

Amy was perched on the front steps of the girls' dormitory, unable to enter.

Apparently the key card function of the ID didn't just apply to bedrooms. You needed the cards to access dorm buildings and class buildings.

So, Amy basically had to sleep like a hobo until she could sort things out in the morning.

What a wonderful first day.

"Attention staff and students, curfew is in exactly five minutes. Please prepare for all public buildings to be locked down."

Public buildings? Did she mean there were places you didn't need an ID to access.

Amy stood, rushing down the campus path as fast as she could. Maybe she could find a public building in time to find rest there.

Running along, Amy's eyes darted from door-to-door.

Swipe pad. Swipe pad. Swipe pad. Swipe pad. No swipe pad.

Amy looked up to see that the building was labelled as a fitness centre. She could make do with that.

Rushing up to the door, Amy opened it and slid through.

As it closed behind her she heard a click. She tried it again from inside now. It was locked.

Well, at least she was inside and out of the fresh, Autumn chilled night.

Turning back around Amy's eyes searched desperately through the room.

If she squinted she could just make out the silhouette's of a few basic pieces of furniture. There was a desk and chairs lining the walls with a few coffee tables.

This must have been the foyer.

Amy groped around in the dark trying to make her way to the other side of the room, feeling nothing in her way.

Once she reached the back of the foyer she searched for a door knob. Luckily for her, the object of her interest was just a few steps the the left.

She tried this door. It opened with ease.

Amy entered into the next room.

It was lighter in here, she noted. Something illuminated the walls and fitness equipment inside with a bluish, liquid light that gave an underwater feel.

There must be a pool outside, Amy concluded, thinking nothing more of it.

Navigating much better through the lit room, Amy looked around for a comfortable, preferably hidden place for her to rest.

Her eyes roamed from the benches to the safety mats and everywhere in between. Nothing really seemed suitable. But then again, what was she expecting in a gym? A five star bed?

Amy shook her head at her own fickleness. This was no time to be picky.

Anything in here would be better than sleeping outside.

Amy walked on, past the equipment until she came across a double-door closet.

Opening up she saw towels and blankets were piled up. A linen closet, perfect.

Amy perched herself on a pile of towels on the floor.

Lying down she was happy to find that the space was comfortable enough for her when she curled up.

Reaching out she closed the door half way, leaving just enough room for the light to come in and sooth her through sleep.

Sonic had seen girls passed out in closets before.

There was the time when Rouge was whisked away by Knuckles for 7 minutes in Heaven or when Cream ran away from a raging party only to fall asleep after an hour of hiding.

This girl, however, was different. Sonic had no idea what her deal was.

"Hey," he whispered, kneeling beside the girl's sleeping figure. "You okay?"

She let out a moan and shifted in her spot on the pile of towels and blankets.

Sonic frowned.

What was she doing here?

He went over his options his head.

He could wake her up and take her to the office building, have the staff deal with her.

The problem there was then they'd know he and the others snuck into the centre to go swimming.

Sonic reached out one of his fingers and poked the girl's soft cheek.

This time she didn't even stir.

What could he do? Leaving her to sleep in a closet definitely wasn't an option.

Rouge was a dorm leader. Maybe she could set Amy up.

Sonic stood back up, stepping away quietly towards the door.

When he went out the back he was immediately greeted a loud voice.

"Hey Sonic! Where are the towels?"

"Sssssshhhhhh!" Sonic hissed.

He peeked his head back inside the not yet closed door and felt relief wash over him that the girl hadn't woken up.

"What's with you?"

Sonic pointed his words towards a silver hedgehog lazing by the pool.

"Quiet, Silver."

Sonic walked past his friend towards Rouge.

"But the tow-"

"Zip."

The others, Tails, Knuckles and Blaze went on with whatever their conversation was beforehand as Silver sulked and Rouge, lying on a beach chair relaxing raised an eye at Sonic.

"Why the foul mood?"

"There's a girl sleeping in the closet."

Rouge smirked.

"Knuckles!" She called playfully. "I think you whacked Sonic one too many times in the head."

"I'm serious!" Sonic insisted. "Just come on."

Rouge rolled her eyes but trailed Sonic back inside.

Once in he held his finger to his lips, motioning for her to be quiet.

He then side stepped over to the closet door and opened it even more to reveal the dainty little pink hedgehog bundled up within.

"Oh my-"

"Ssh."

Rouge lowered her tone. "What is she doing here?"

Sonic shrugged. "I have no idea."

Rouge stepped over to stand beside Sonic before getting down to the girl's level.

She looked the girl up and down. She was small. It was easy to think that someone could have forcibly stuck her in there. Then again there were no bruises.

Curiously, Rouge narrowed her eyes. For some reason she had the feeling she had seen this girl before.

Rouge brushed some quills away from the girl's face to reveal none other than one of the new students she had given an ID card too as part of her new 'senior dorm leader duties.'

Rouge groaned. What was her name again? She couldn't remember. All she knew was that she called her Pinky.

"She's a newbie," Rouge whispered. "She must have lost her card."

Sonic cocked his head. "And her luggage. Doesn't look like she has anything with her."

The ivory bat looked around.

He was right. No sign of any bags. Now that she thought about it, Pinky had put the card in her luggage. But where would she lose a whole suitcase?

The answer finally hit her.

Scourge.

Rouge sighed. "Alright, then let's go."

"Where we going?"

"You're gonna help me bring her up to my room. C'mon."

Sonic groaned but obeyed.

Carefully, Sonic stepped to Rouge's side, bent down and managed to cradle the girl in his arms.

"Man, she is tiny."

"Probably a Piko," Rouge reasoned. "All the Piko girls are pretty tiny."

"Great, we have another Cream on our hands."

"Or worse, another Vanilla."

"Ugh."

The two walked side-by-side as Rouge guided Sonic out of the fitness centre and over to the girl's dorms.

Okay, guys. This is the first chapter of my new story. I really hope you all like it so far. Review and share your thought, tell me if you want me to continue and criticism is always welcome.

Thanks for reading!