Levitating 2: My Universe - A Sonic x Reader

9 « Compass »

Unfamiliar faces kept passing by Y/N's table, but she couldn't have ignored them better. The parasol casted a shadow over her, generating the most perfect place for her to test her equipment and get ready for what was to come. Since waking up, she had been trying to distract herself from the other thing by focusing on the upcoming wedding, which even now was still a couple hours away. But as it just so happened to be, that particular distraction wasn't much better. Every possible negative thought that could pop up in her mind regarding her work was making an appearance, at the forefront the age old question, what if everything I do sucks?

Her hands were quick at work as she played with the settings of her camera, testing which ones worked the best for which lens. Technically she had already found the settings she preferred yesterday, but it seemed the weather today wasn't as clear cut, and instead much more unpredictable. If the sun were to be covered by a cloud she would have to switch the settings to accommodate that, and once it had passed change them back. Also there was the uncertainty about her preferred lens. The 50mm was a good one, great even, but would the shots of the ceremony look better if taken on a 70mm? It was a question she had asked herself for what felt like a million times now which was funny considering most people wouldn't even be able to tell the difference. But she would, and that was all that mattered.

As she once again proceeded to change the lenses—a task she was so familiar with to the point where she could do it on the fly if she needed—her concentration was broken by a voice.

"And what might Y/N be up to?" asked Maddie.

Y/N's grasp on the lens faltered and the 50mm began plummeting down. The girl dove after it, nearly throwing herself off her chair in order to save it. She grunted, her fingers wrapping around the lens just barely before it could touch the ground. She observed the lens from her awkward position, glad it hadn't hit the ground and become an unusable mess. Carefully, she sat back up, lifting the lens and placing it down inside the bag.

Once the lens was safe and secured, she turned around. "Hi mom."

Maddie was standing beside her, and standing just off to the side was Jojo. The girl was holding a small pillow on which lay two golden rings tied together by a white ribbon.

"You wouldn't happen to have seen your dad around somewhere?" said Maddie.

"Considering you're babysitting me, no I haven't," said Y/N, a hint of annoyance in her tone.

Maddie raised her brow. "Babysitting? That's what you're calling it now?"

"Yeah, because that's what it is."

Because of her disappearance —which she had explained with her simply getting lost in the scenery and forgetting the time— Tom and Maddie had decided that she could no longer go off on her own. Now she would have to be in the eyesight of either of her parents, and only allowed to go on her own if she had valid reason. Naturally such babysitting annoyed Y/N, but there wasn't much she could do to fight against it. Rebelling would only cause her more trouble, so she had just chosen to endure it.

"Don't forget it was your own decisions that led to this, young lady," said Maddie.

The girl looked elsewhere, avoiding her mother's gaze and muttered, "I know."

And she really did know. It was something she had realized the moment she had made her return to the island.

As soon as she had retrieved her camera from her home, she had used a second ring in order to return to Hawaii. Her return portal happened to end up in the very same location where she had watched the sunset some hours ago, only now the cliffside was lit by the moon. In the near distance, the hotel awaited her, its white exterior glowing over the surrounding trees.