It was two days later. The sun shone in a clear, cold sky, and Spark was packing.
"I don't believe your luck," said Serena, who was sitting in the corner, watching him. "You get to ride on dragonback."
"You'd better believe it!" Spark exclaimed, grabbing a spare headband and examining it. "And I get to go globe-trot, which is what I'd rather do more than anything ..."
"I can't believe how well you two get along," said Serena. "I mean, you robbed him and he wanted to eat you."
"I know," said Spark, sitting back on his heels. "He's a great guy. For a dragon. Did you know that he's addicted to spicy food?"
Serena laughed. "Doesn't surprise me."
He looked at her. "You move slow with Spike, you hear me?"
Serena raised an eyebrow. "Who's leaving the country in ten minutes?"
"Seriously," said Spark. "I'm friends with a dragon, and if I have to have him eat a porcupine for me, I will."
Serena stuck her tongue out at him.
Spark didn't have much more to pack--a coat, extra socks and gloves, and some quill combs. He zipped his backpack and tossed it on his bed. "Well," he said, looking at it, "guess that's everything. All I have to do now is wait for him to pick me up."
Serena got up and hugged him. "I wish you didn't have to go already," she said, choking up. "You just got here!"
"I know," said Spark, releasing her. "But look. We'll probably come back through in a couple of months. Drasyre has his eye on some auctions in Sapphire City that are scheduled for this summer."
Serena smiled and sniffed. "I keep telling myself that. Well, you take care of yourself, okay?"
"I will, 'Rena," he said.
They parted ways at his front door. Serena trotted off toward her own hut, and Spark walked the other way, up the street, whistling. Knothole was quiet this time of morning, for everyone was at school or work. As he walked, he caught sight of a lone figure huddled on a rock on the forest's edge. Pink hair. Amy.
Spark stopped at the foot of the boulder. "Hi," he said.
"Hi," said Amy.
Spark motioned to the boulder. "Mind if I sit down?"
She shrugged, and moved over to make room. Spark sat down beside her, and she gave him a dirty look. "So, you going to make fun of me like everybody else?"
"Make fun of you?" said Spark. "Why?"
"For my choice in dates," said Amy, staring at the ground. "For stealing the Tornado. For everything."
"No," said Spark. "I thought you were brave to do all that."
She looked quizzical. "Brave?"
"Yeah, I know that doesn't mean much," said Spark, "coming from a thief and a coward. At least you had the guts to come home and face the music."
"That wasn't guts," said Amy. "There was nothing else I could do." Her face worked, as if trying to hold back tears. "And Shadow was really, really mean to me."
Spark patted her on the back, and Amy burst into tears. She turned and cried into his shoulder, and Spark held her and let her get it out of her system. After a while she calmed down, and sat sniffing and wiping her eyes. "Thanks," she said. "Why are you being nice to me?"
"Why?" Spark was taken aback. "Uh ... I don't know. You looked upset."
Amy looked around. "Sonic didn't put you up to this?"
"No," said Spark. "C'mon, I'm not THAT big of a cad, am I?"
"I don't know," said Amy, sniffing. "It's just that nobody likes me."
"I know how that feels," said Spark. "I was a bounty hunter for years. You get used to being hated."
Amy stared at him. "You were a bounty hunter?"
"Yep," said Spark, and launched into a tale of one of his adventures in South Mobius.
A silver-furred dog appeared up the street and walked toward them. Spark saw him and broke off. "Oh, there's my ride. I gotta go, Amy." He jumped off the rock.
Amy followed him. "How long will you be gone?"
"Oh, six months to a year," said Spark, dashing into his hut and emerging with his backpack. He slung it over one shoulder.
"Could--could you write to me sometimes?" Amy asked.
Spark looked at her, an insecure young hedgehog, and for an instant his stomach flip-flopped. "She's too young for you," he told himself. "And way too nice." Aloud he said, "Sure, Amy, whenever we're somewhere with a post office."
She watched as Drasyre transformed into his dragon-self, and helped Spark sit on the base of his neck, between the spikes on his backbone. Amy waved as they leaped away into the sky with a blast of wind from the dragon's wings.
"Friend of yours?" asked Drasyre as they cleared the trees.
"Sort of," said Spark. He looked back and waved at the dot of pink now far behind and below them.
"It's not every day you find a girl like that," said Drasyre. "I'll be sure to take you back for visits when we're in the vicinity."
"Okay," said Spark, and couldn't hide his grin.
End