Till Death Do Us Part

His Presence

Everyday since that day when Amy felt able to finally get back to work, without a breakdown, she had swore I had seen Shadow on the other side of the street. Was he watching out for her? Anytime she tried to confront him, he was mysteriously gone. Each evening that she took the stroll home, she still felt his gaze. She wasn't sure whether to be creeped out, or what. Amy shook her head, picking up the pace. For once since late last month, I actually looked forward to getting home. Her kids had came home just last week; their house felt normal now. Oh, how relieved Amy had felt when they embraced her the moment she opened the door. While at work, typically Tails watches the kids, or on the rare occasion Rouge or Knuckles will.  In the morning, the kids will be returning to school, she wanted to get as much time with them this evening as she could. Her youngest son Mach will be starting kindergarten, while Lily will be starting 2nd grade. Lily was ecstatic, while her brother was full of butterflies. At the dinner table, I would encourage Mach about school, and remind him he won't be having a full day until the next week. We had pizza at the dinner table, thanks to Tails for ordering for them before I had even gotten home. Once Tails left the house, I started helping the kids with preparing their lunches for the next day. Mach was a lot more pickier than his sister, he hated crust on his sandwiches, while Lily didn't mind. The three soon joined each other on the sofa, watching one of their favorite movies together. Summer days were ending for them, and my heart ached slightly. She was gonna be alone again. Dread started to seep in. Mach was going to be gone more, which was another reason why she was relieved she started working again to bring in some income, and keep herself busy. In her heart though, she will miss these days home alone with her youngest son. She wondered if he felt the same? Once the credits rolled, Amy got them ready for bed. She watched from the doorway as Lily sat on her bed, and set an alarm for herself. Lily sure has matured since Sonic had passed. When she saw her mother, she smiled warmly. They embraced, and Amy kissed her on the head. Their gaze locked with one another, feeling as though they were thinking the same thing. They laid on the bed together, Lily talking about that trip she took, and the accident with the jellyfish stinging Mach. Which, as Tails exclaimed Mach had handled it like a pro. The pair talked about Sonic, remembering those nights he'd be in the bedroom tucking her in. Or perhaps getting Mach fired up, causing him to get too excited to sleep. Neither of them never thought, they'd have to actually miss those moments. Yet, here they were. When Lily fell asleep on her shoulder, Amy carefully moved and tucked her in. Tears stinging her eyes, that she held back earlier.  When she went to check on Mach, he was on the floor playing with some video games. Sternly, she told him to put it away and get to bed. Just like with Lily, Amy lingered in his room and they sat on his bed. Mach rest on her lap, not much was said between the pair, except Amy asking Mach to make sure he didn't forget anything for school. She made a mental note to check his bookbag before she gets to bed. Like many nights before Amy stroked his ear until he had fallen asleep; which it didn't take long. Now that he was tucked in, Amy turned to switch off his bedside lamp and kissed him on the head before leaving. 

The hallway to her bedroom felt like it went on forever, she hesitated Infront of her doorway. So eerily quiet.  Last week, Amy got tired of sleeping on the couch because it was hurting her back now. Now feeling like maybe this would help her sleep, she got rid of the sheets that her and Sonic would sleep on together, and replaced them with fresh new bedding. New pillows and everything. It seemed to help her get to sleep, as well as some music playing to provide more noise to make up for the lack of Sonic's snoring that she oddly missed. She eventually fell asleep around 2 that morning. Amy must have slept hard, because when her alarm went off at 5am that morning, she didn't even move an inch. It wasn't until, 6:30am when Lily came into the bedroom. "Mom?" Her ears twitched, slowly lifting her head, blinking in confusion. Why had her daughter came in her room, at this hour? On a weekend- Oh shit. She gave her daughter an apologetic gaze before pulling the covers off of her body. The frantic hedgehog got her slippers on and quickly made her way into the kitchen, she wanted to make sure they had a good breakfast before school. She prepped some pancakes, with Lily's help, and cut up some fruit, and fixed some glasses of orange juices.  After Mach was rudely waken up by his sister, they sat around the table to enjoy the first meal of the day. To Amy, time flew by and before she knew it she was helping them get their belongings, and head out the door. Since the school was walking distance, the three of them walked along the sidewalk, when they got closer to the school building they saw two rows of cars for drop-off.  Some teachers guided them inside, while a lot of the parents had wished to walk them to the entrance. Lily knew where she was suppose to go, when she saw two of her friends from her previous classroom, she gave Amy a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek... leaving her brother and mom behind. A lady welcomed Amy and Mach inside, while doing so, the young hedgehog gripped his mom's hand tighter. Deep down she wanted to just turn around and take the kids back home, sure it was only gonna be for 6 hours but the loneliness in that house would drive her insane. Mach's kindergarten teacher greeted them warmly, Mach was guided to his desk, while Amy and his teacher had a quick conversation. Soon, Amy wished him a great first day, embraced him tightly. Alongside Amy, other parents said their goodbye's and went on their way. Amy stopped at the end of the curb, quickly texting Tails how the drop-off went. Once she looked up, she noticed a familiar motorcycle in the parking lot. Nah, it couldn't be him. As she inched closer, her curiosity getting the best of her..