The Shadow of Winter

Chapter 25

        Agent Shadow arrived to retrieve (Name) at 8:30 in the morning. The girl hardly had time to finish her breakfast when a horn blared from the driveway, disturbing the occupants of the house. "Couldn't he have used the doorbell like a civilized person?" asked Amy, crossing her arms with a harrumph. (Name) sighed and transferred from her seat at the table to her wheelchair, moving toward the front entrance to gather her things. Sonic, Tails, and Amy followed her out the dining room.

        By the time the human had pulled on her winter boot and coat, Shadow stood at the door. He grabbed (Name)'s chair and directed her to the vehicle after carrying it down the porch steps. The youngsters waved goodbye from the house as their new friend was packed away and shut in with the dreary black and red hedgehog. (Name) waved back, noticing that the smile on Sonic's face didn't reach his eyes. He had a longing expression, as if he didn't want her to leave just yet.

        While Shadow pulled out of the driveway, (Name) set her elbow on the armrest and leaned on it, still watching her friends. Tails and Amy turned to go into the house, but Sonic stayed until the vehicle departed the property. (Name) couldn't get the look on his face out of her head, even when the scenery changed to busy snowy streets. "Sonic was acting kind of weird," she said aloud, distracted.

        "What did he say?" Shadow glanced at her, finding her attention captured by the blurred images outside.

        "Nothing bad," answered (Name), "but he stared at me a lot. I don't know why. It was just...weird." She didn't see as Shadow turned and scowled at the road. A yawn left the girl's lips, and she stretched, wincing at the sharp pain in her leg. "What did Child Services say yesterday?" she asked, changing the subject.

        "We don't need to discuss it. It was just some paperwork that needed signing to establish me as your official temporary guardian," said Shadow, his blood red gaze looking forward with determination.

        "Temporary?"

        "Surely, you don't expect to live forever with a grouch like me. You want a real family." The car swerved as Shadow avoided a reckless driver. He growled, honking his horn as the offending driver skidded across the ice and into a ditch, unused to the extreme winter season. "Imbecile," he muttered.

        (Name) clutched at the armrests until the vehicle regained stability, relinquishing the breath she held. Winter was getting to be a real drag, she thought. She hoped it wouldn't be this way next year. With any luck, the weather would warm within the next month, and thaw the frozen ground just as it might thaw Shadow's ice-cold demeanor. "I don't think you're a grouch," she said to the hedgehog, with a hint of a lie. "And you should know how I feel about getting a new 'real' family."

        "When I return to work, I won't have time to give you attention. I live a hard, dangerous life, (Name). There is little time to spare as a G.U.N. agent."

        Creasing her brow, (Name) turned to the concentrated male and caught his eye. Shadow instantly looked back to the road, though he shifted with discomfort and tensed his shoulders. "I don't care if there isn't a lot of time. I just don't want anyone to try and replace my family. With you, it's different."

        Shadow gave her a funny look. "How so?"

        Now, it was (Name)'s turn to shift uncomfortably. She looked out the window, then back to the agent, searching for words. "You're like...a protector. A superhero." Shadow snorted, and she continued. "You have superpowers, don't you? Sonic says you're almost as fast as him, and that you can sometimes shoot lasers from your fingers and teleport, or something. I don't know. Anyway, you don't coddle me like Mom and Dad did—even though they paid more attention to my brother than me—but I know that wherever I am, if I'm in danger, you'll find me."