The Shadow of Winter

Chapter 13

        Dark eyelids slowly opened, uncovering the blood red irises hidden underneath. Shadow squinted at the morning rays that slipped past the thin curtain covering the hotel window beside the bed. They were a soft yellow, easily allowing the hedgehog's eyes to adjust as he became more awake. Blinking a few times, Shadow turned his gaze from the window to the ceiling, ears slightly twitching at the faint noises coming from outside.

        It was a quiet morning, pleasantly peaceful. The warmth of the light was just enough to relax the usually tense hedgehog, who, at the time, found no need to hurry for once. However, the quiet allowed for the memories of last night to come crashing into his head. Shadow now stared at the ceiling not with pleasant calmness, but with a pang of guilt. He had said hurtful things during his argument with the girl—(Name)—and he remembered the feel of her small, delicate arm being harshly clasped in his hand.

        Maybe he had been treating the girl unfairly, he thought, despite how insufferable she was.

        But was she insufferable? She was doing what anyone else would do, which was to question where they were going and for what reason. As (Name) was still a child, she had little say in what went on, and so she could only be satisfied with answers. Shadow had barely indulged in her need for knowledge, and that may have been why she had acted out during their journey.

        Tilting his head, Shadow eyed the back of the couch that the girl was sleeping on. He sighed through his nose, rolling onto his side away from it. He would have to apologize for what he had said and done last night. There was no doubt that what had happened was wrong, he only needed to find the courage to tell (Name) that. With clenched teeth, Shadow slipped out the photo of his long-lost friend, hoping she would give him strength.

        "I've made mistakes, Maria," he started to whisper. "This whole thing was a mistake. I had expected something impossible from that girl and held her accountable for events out of her control. Somehow, I had managed to believe she would get over the death of her family like I had gotten over mine." Maria's eyes gazed at his own. They had always seemed so happy whenever the hedgehog had looked at her photo, but now he saw they also held sadness deep within them. A sadness Maria had wanted to keep hidden from him.

        "But I haven't gotten over it, and neither will she," growled Shadow, "and I had been ignoring her, neglecting her, borderline abusing her because of my own insecurities. I must right my wrongs, or, at least, try to the best I can. I ask you, Maria, my friend, to give me the courage to do so."

        Shadow held the photograph to his lips, wishing he could hug and kiss and watch as his younger sister-like friend grew into adulthood. She was gone now, deceased at an early age, but her spirit lived on. Maria would want him to stop fawning over her image and instead take care of the children who really needed help and a family. One of those children was right behind him, asleep on the couch. She had no family to go back to, and Shadow understood that feeling all too well.

        Putting Maria back into the cuff of his glove, the striped agent quietly got up from the bed and smoothed the covers into place, his sight directed at the backrest of the hotel couch. The heartbeat within his chest grew quicker as he stepped closer to his slumbering charge. Shadow was not experienced in apologizing—he had never had a true reason for doing so—and the circumstance for why he was apologizing today caused him great shame. He hoped (Name) would forgive him, and even if they didn't end up being the best of friends afterward, at least they would still find trust in one another. When Shadow stood inches from the couch, inches from where (Name) lay, he reached a hand over the backrest to tap on her shoulder.

        But she wasn't there.

        Shadow stared down at the empty cushions, confused. The blanket and pillow (Name) had used when the hedgehog had gone to bed last night were there, but the girl was nowhere to be seen. After scanning the hotel room, he wondered if it was possible (Name) had gone into the bathroom. The morning had been so quiet thus far, there was no way the male wouldn't have heard her moving around. Still, with a tight face, Shadow crossed the room and yanked on the closed bathroom door only to find it empty. He backtracked into the main living space with bristling quills, head snapping toward the entrance to the hotel room. The girl's boots and backpack were missing, and when Shadow tried the doorknob he discovered it unlocked.