Warnings & Disclaimers

Hello, welcome to the story! Before you begin reading, I highly advise that you read through this section.

Let me start by saying that this is my first fan fiction ever—and possibly will be my only one, depending on a few factors. I've tried to write it in the past, but felt it needed more work. This is a High School/ Boarding School AU, BUT I promise it won't be like the ones you've read on this site before. I read tons of stories like this, and the majority of them are always the same. Fed up with reading the unoriginal content, I decided to try my hand at my own story.

-This is a high school story, and with that comes a range of topics that might potentially discourage someone from reading. Be warned that there will be controversial topics such as but not limited to; abuse, drugs, sex, violence, bullying, self-harm, mental illness, homophobia, suicide, etc. Of course, I will put another warning in the chapters these topics are featured in.

-There will be NO OCs. I personally believe OCs are pointless in a story, and often times they take away from stories that are supposed to be about Sonic and co. (Not that I have anything against people with OCs of course) I personally feel like there are so many characters in the sonic franchise with so many personalities and alignments, that there really is no need for OCs. This will be the very first—or one of the very few stories where every single character featured and named will be a canon character from somewhere in the franchise (TV shows, comics, games)

-This WILL NOT just be centered around game characters. The story will focus on several different characters from throughout all parts of the franchise like Sonic Underground, and the Sonic Archie Comics.

-No pairing will be set in stone. A huge problem with these high school stories is the pairings being permanent. I think it ruined the fun of reading, because you already knew which couples would make it to the end. Warning you now, there will be tons of relationship drama: make-ups, break-ups, hook-ups, cheating etc.

-Pairings won't all be generic. There will be some pairings featured that are very obscure or never really thought of before, but ALL the pairings are subject to change like I've stated before.

-No characters will be bashed, nor will any be glorified. Every character in the series has their flaws. However, no story can entirely avoid OOCness, especially when they throw in characters from different parts of the franchise together. Some character interactions will be completely original because they've never met in canon. Also, for the sake of plot some characters who lacked personality in canon will be given original personalities based on how I perceived their actions in canon. (Example: Saffron Bee offered absolutely nothing to the comics, she had zero personality, only serving as Charmy's girlfriend. So maybe I'd make her an obsessive Charmy fangirl in the story.)

-I want this to be as interactive as possibly, so at the end of every chapter, I might ask you questions like "what would you have done in this situation?" or what your thoughts are on a character's predicament. This is optional of course, I'd just like to know your thoughts. There will also be a ton of references to the games, comics, and TV shows, mention the ones you spot in your review! I'd like to see how many you can catch. :D

-I intend this to have fairly long chapters, just because I have so much content to work with. This story revolves around several characters. This will be a long-running fic (Honestly depending on how motivated I stay.) So following will be the best way to keep up. Again, completely optional. You can help me stay motivated by letting me know you're actually interested in me continuing.

-Lastly, I don't own ANY of the characters mentioned by name in this story, or some of the places mentioned. Credit for what they created goes to Sega of Japan, Sega of America, Archie, Ken Penders, and Karl Bollers respectively. (Please don't sue me Ken. Lol)

Feel free to PM me about any questions you may have.

Now that all that's out of the way, enjoy the story!

Chapter 1: Family Matters

"Finally!" The magenta hedgehog sighed in relief, taking a seat on one of the many large suitcases piled up in the corner of her now vacant bedroom.

Sonia took one last look around the room, making sure she hadn't forgotten anything. The lilac-colored walls were now bare, with a few light square patches where pictures used to hang. The white shelves, were swept clean of the many books, and hair products that used to occupy them. The matching white dresser and nightstands on either side of the bare queen-sized bed had each drawer pulled out and emptied. It's hard to believe this was the same room she had slept in just last night.

"I can't believe summer's already over." She whined, cupping her face with her hands while her elbows were propped up by her knees. She didn't have much of a summer to begin with. Most of it was spent working at her uncle's pizza shop. It took up a great deal of her time, but at least the pay was good. She needed the money to buy a new phone after Sonic had stepped on, and broke her previous one. As much fun as it was to work with her uncle at the shop, she couldn't help but feel like it stole a lot of the time she could have spent with her friends.

Her gloomy thoughts were immediately swept away when her jade-eyes caught sight of the gleaming gem that dangled on the chain around her neck. She twirled it around her fingers, admiring its beauty. It was an over-sized green emerald that glistened even in the dimmest lighting. A truly breathtaking piece of art. It filled the magenta hedgehog's heart with such joy at the thought of how it had come into her possession.

She shook her head in an attempt to repress the blush forming on her pale muzzle, got up, and began to gather her bags. She carried the four, large, purple bags down the stairs with ease. For someone with such a petite frame, she harbored an incredible strength. She set her bags beside the door before scurrying to the living room to see her brothers had already begun saying their goodbyes to their mother.

Sonia walked over and joined them, standing side-by-side with her siblings as their mother made her way to each one to give a personal goodbye. Right now, she was cupping Manic's face in her hands, and trying her hardest at fighting back tears.

"You promise me you'll stay out of trouble?"

"I'll try my best Ma." He chuckled, giving her a wink.

Manic was a bit of a trouble-maker, and wildly known for it. He wasn't exactly an honor student either. He preferred to do his own thing, even when it was the wrong thing. It's a wonder how he made it to junior year without staying back. She kissed him on the forehead before sending him off to go load his bags onto the bus waiting outside. Then, she moved down the line to Tails.

"My sweet baby…" The lavender hedgehog cooed, kneeling down a bit so she was eye-level with the little fox. "I can't believe you're leaving me so soon."

Like Sonia, Tails didn't exactly have a traditional summer of goofing off and relaxing. The majority of it was spent taking extra classes and placement tests—which to him was a summer well spent. Indeed it was, because just a few weeks ago he not only got an acceptance letter to Green Hill Academy, he managed to score high enough to skip an entire grade. Instead of starting out as a freshman, he's going in as a sophomore this year.

"It's not forever Mom." Tails assured her. He felt his heart-strings being more than pulled—they were tearing. He hadn't been away from her since she adopted him. He never even stood overnight at a friend's house before, and now he's off to a boarding school!

"It feels like just yesterday that I brought you home." She sniffled, no longer able to keep her composure.

After the triplets, Aleena was informed that she could no longer bear children. She was content with her three babies for a while, but she always felt like she wasn't complete. The triplets' father was a marine. He was constantly off on duty, occasionally showing up every now and again, but never always there. Once the kids started school she found herself completely alone. Ten years ago, she accidentally stumbled into an orphanage called Metropolis Sanctuary that she had mistook for a daycare. There, she discovered the missing piece of her heart, Tails Prower.

"You've grown up so much. I love you, and I know you'll make me proud." She gave him a kiss on the forehead, then sent him off to load away his bags. Next was Sonic. She embraced him immediately, and didn't release him as they talked.

"My hero." She whispered to him. A childhood nickname.

"Behind every hero is a great mom." He chuckled.

"Please look out for Tails."

"I will."

"And make sure Manic stays away from 'trouble'."

Sonic tensed up at her words a bit, but nodded his head in understanding. She then pulled away, giving him a kiss on the forehead before sending him off like the others. Last but never least, was her only daughter, Sonia. Aleena took hold of her daughter's hands and gave them a squeeze.

"Do I even have to worry about you?" She joked.

"Of course not." Sonia assured her.

Sonia was universally gifted. Intelligent, with a 5.0 grade point average. She was the first student in the region to ever skip a grade after acing the placement exams without taking any extra classes. She chalked it all up to that photographic memory of hers. She'll be returning as a senior this year, while her brothers try surviving junior year without her. Not only is she smart, but she's undeniably beautiful, and if that wasn't enough, she's also a star-athlete. She and Sonic bring home several sports trophies every year. Safe to say, there really was no need for Aleena to worry about this one.

"Just look after your brothers..." She smiled, letting go of her daughter's hand to grab the large emerald hanging off her neck, "and tell Knuckles I said hello."

Sonia's face instantly flushed at the mention of the red echidna's name. Her mother just giggled before kissing her on the forehead to send her off. She sped away as fast as she could to save herself the embarrassment of trying to explain the blushing away.

Aleena stood in the doorway of her colonial-styled home as she watched her four children team up to load the bus. She smiled to herself, thanking Chaos for blessing her with each one of them. With Tails leaving with the triplets to Green Hill Academy, it'll be the first time in years Aleena will find herself all alone again…

Knuckles laid in his full-sized bed, arms propping up his head in replacement of his missing pillow, while he stared at the ceiling of his bedroom, deep in thought. The contents of his entire room were packed away messily in a single black duffle bag that sat beside the door. There wasn't much in there to begin with, but after packing, there was practically nothing left. The room was pretty small, with its only furnishings being the full-size bed, which was now stripped of its linens, and an empty wooden dresser. He lived with his father in a small, two bedroom cabin-styled home secluded just outside the big city of Mobotropolis where most of his friends lived.

At the moment, he was feeling a bit conflicted. He was one of the very few people in the world who despised summer, and couldn't wait to get back to school. Not that he was a big fan of text books—he really wasn't—school just gave him more freedom of choice, and he loved that. His father Locke was a renowned businessman, and the owner of a profound jewelry shop called 'Master Emerald'. Every summer, he'd force Knuckles to work security at the store, and insisted he learn the tricks of the trade to one day take over the family business. Although he had no interest in owning the store one day, and absolutely hated working security every single summer, he didn't have the heart to refuse his father. School was a dream come true for him because it offered him everything summers didn't; freedom to make his own choices, do things that really interested him, and actually socialize with people his age.

Sometimes it felt like his dad cared more about the job than him, or anything for that matter. He honestly couldn't recall his dad being present at any major events of his childhood; not his first day of preschool, none of his football games, not even a single birthday. Locke's workaholic nature is what prompted the divorce between his parents. Eventually, his mother found a man who finally put her first, and had another child—whom Knuckles was never to speak to, or speak of around his father. He felt pressured into putting up with his father's bullshit because he was all the man had left, but as much as Knuckles tried to deny it… he wanted out more than anything.

'Is it wrong? To be this happy about getting away from Dad and that stupid Master Emerald?…' He kept thinking to himself.

1 NEW MESSAGE!

His thoughts were interrupted by the familiar sound of his cellphone, signaling him that he'd just received a text message. He sat up from his comfy position on the bed, and fished out his phone from the pocket of his black cargo shorts. After unlocking the device, he held it up to his face and read the new message.

Sonia: Hey you! Hope you're all packed up. Bus is headin' for your stop right now.

Just the sight of her name on his screen made him smile. He couldn't say this summer was completely uneventful, he did manage to snag the girl he's been pinning after since middle school. He'd saved up all his work money from the past four summers to buy her the most expensive, high-quality gem at his father's store. He closed his eyes and tried to re-imagine the baffled expression on her face once he had got done placing it around her neck and asking her the big question.

Knuckles: Don't worry, I'm all packed up and ready to go.

Sonia: Great! I can't wait to see you. You better come sit with me!

Knuckles: Save me a seat and I just might lol

He tried to play it as cool as possible, but truth be told, he was just as giddy and excited to see her as she was him. She was the only girl who could make him feel so genuinely happy, and she didn't even have to do anything special. There was just something about her that radiated positiveness from him.

HONK, HONK!

He looked out his tiny bedroom window and saw the long silver bus with 'Green Hill Academy 004' scrawled on the side in fancy calligraphy. He hopped out of bed, grabbed his bag, and headed out. He shut off the lights to every room on his way to the front door. Before stepping outside, he turned slightly toward the empty recliner of the dark living room, "Bye Dad…" He called out, knowing he wouldn't get an answer. He was just used to the routine of saying goodbye, even when he knew no one was there, and maybe he held out a bit of hope that one day his father would be there for once. With that, he locked the door behind him and made his way toward the bus.

He tossed his bag in the lower compartment the driver had opened up, then he rushed into the bus and scanned every face until he found that of Sonia the Hedgehog. Upon seeing her, he immediately ran toward her. She got up from her seat, allowing him to pick her up and spin her around. It was like a scene straight out of a sappy romance movie, some people 'awed', while others cooed lovingly.

"I'm so glad to see you." The red echidna told her as he set her down, still holding her by the waist.

She replied by giving him kiss, causing more 'awes' to come from the crowd.

"Get a room!" Sonic blurted out, unable to hide the disgust he felt toward the two, and their romantic reunion.

Sonia glared at him with that 'shut up before I kill you' kind of look before taking the window seat, while guiding Knuckles by the hand to sit next to her.

"See!" She leaned into him, nuzzling into his shoulder, "I saved you a seat."

"Thanks a lot Babe." Knuckles responded, then kissed the top of her head.

"Chaos, I think I'm gonna hurl." Manic grumbled at the sight of the two from the row of seats across the aisle from them.

"I'm just so, so, so, SO EXCITED! It's going to be great! I don't know which outfit I'll wear first. My red bandeau with some high-waisted cutoff jeans? Or maybe my cute pink sundress with the poke-a-dots?-"

"Amy…"

"Or maybe my baby pink petal skirt with an off the shoulder white top! Yeah, that sounds cute. Hmm, maybe I should ask Sonic what he think would look best—"

"Amy!"

"Oh Sonic! I can't wait to finally see him in person! It's been so long since I've visited Mobotropolis! Ugh, why do we have to live in stupid Merica? Oh well, at least now I'm finally going to Green Hill Academy, and I'll finally be able to hang out with my friends all the time, and see Sonic's adorable face up close and maybe even…—"

"AMY!"

"What?" The pink hedgehog snapped out of her compulsive rambling to glare at her cousin who was sitting in the driver's seat.

"I think you should take a second to breathe my Dear Cousin." The teal hedgehog advised.

Amy lived in a lavish modern-style manor in the city of Mercia with her older cousin, Rob O'Hedge, his wife Mari-An the Echidna, and their new born son Jon. Just a few weeks ago, she got an acceptance letter to Green Hill Academy, a boarding school located a few hours away from Merica. Normally the school would provide transportation, but Merica was out of their jurisdiction, so her cousin Rob offered to drive her. She was skeptical about whether his old beat up Honda Civic would make it, but it hasn't given them any trouble so far.

"I'm just so excited! Especially for Sonic." Amy cooed.

"Your main focus should be your studies."

"Yeah, that too." She rolled her eyes, before pulling out her phone and texting away.

Rob couldn't help but worry about his baby cousin. With her bubbly, cute, pink appearance, and cheerful demeanor, you never would have guessed she came from a broken home. He'd never left her side since Child Services placed her in his custody a few years ago. Since then, he's tried his hardest to make her as happy as one could be. He gave her anything she wanted, took her anywhere she wanted to go, and would do anything for her in a heartbeat just to keep her from frowning. To him, he was trying to water a withering little rose back to life, but in reality he was only fueling a dark fire. As a child she was grateful for everything he provided, but now that she's a teenager, she's much more demanding, and has incredibly high 'fairy-tale' like expectations. Although he's tried so hard to give her a better life, the effects of her dark past have been catching up with her, and with the incidents of last year—he wasn't sure if letting her attend the boarding school was such a good idea.

"I must confess, I'm a little worried. With what happened at the last school I just-"

"I DON'T want to talk about it." She immediately cut him off, anger purely audible in her voice, "I NEVER want to talk about."

He instantly dropped the subject. He knew better than to get her upset. The car was silent for a long time, the only sound being the static from the radio, and the constant tapping of buttons on Amy's phone.

Sonic: What bus are you on?

Amy: None of the buses come to Mercia. My cousin is driving me.

Sonic: Oh, that sucks.

Amy: Yeah. Wish I could be riding the bus with you right now.

Sonic and Amy used to be neighbors when she lived in Mobotropolis with her parents a few years ago. They never really talked aside from the typical 'hi' and 'goodbye' thing.

Until one day when he had come to her aid after an altercation between her parents got out of control. After that they became really good friends.

That's when she first began crushing on him too, and even though she's moved away, she still feels exactly the same about him as she did that first day he actually talked to her. She's kept in touch with all of her friends through social media, and went to visit them every now and again. She was so excited to finally be reunited with all of them at once. Although these last few years have been stressful and hectic, she had hope that she could keep it together this year. Hopefully her friends would help her overcome these issues.

"Rob…" Amy piped up, placing her hand on top of his while it rested on the stick shift. "Please don't worry so much. I think I'm going to be okay. I mean it this time." She assured him.

Green Hill Academy was built ten years ago as a present from the wealthy politician Maximillian Acorn, to his wife Alicia Acorn. As their four children began growing up, their mother felt less and less needed, making her fall into a deep depression. Max thought the solution to her problem would be to find her a hobby. She had always loved to care for children, so he built her a boarding school to run.

It certainly did pull her out of her depression like he had hoped, but what he didn't expect was this little hobby turning into an actual career. In less than two years, Alicia had turned Green Hill Academy into a prestige school, being recognized for the last eight years as the number one boarding school in over five districts. Kids came from cities all across the country just to attend.

With her growing success, and the school's renowned recognition, Max had started feeling inadequate. At some point people started to refer to him as simply 'Alicia's husband' rather than call her 'Max's wife' anymore. Being the old fashioned man that he was, he would not tolerate this. They began to argue more and more frequently until finally they filed for divorce eight years ago. Unfortunately, he got custody of two of their four children, and immediately moved them away to Moebius that same year. A city located literally on the other side of the country. Even after the divorce, and loss of her two children, Alicia has continued to run the school accordingly.

Right now, she was sitting at the big wooden desk in her office, going through approved applications to see what new students had been accepted. Her fingers moved swift on the keyboard as years of practice had made her a pro.

"Tails Prower, Julie-Su the Echidna, Cosmo the Seedrian, Cream the Rabbit, Matilda the Armadillo…" Her voice trailed off as she gasped in shock at one of the names on the list.

Just outside, a dirty old yellow taxi had pulled into the school parking lot. Scribed in messy graffiti lettering on the side of the cab were the words 'Moebius TaXXXi Cabz'. The back door swung open, and out stepped an auburn-haired chipmunk girl.

"Sally Acorn…" One of her lost children.