Chapter 6 - Down for the Count

Down and Out. Rock Bottom. Those were the words that came to Ekyts mind. He should have known Rouge was playing him. He was depressed, but he held onto the anger instead. He busted a record number of thieves. But he took no satisfaction in it. He wasnt vicious. Unless provoked.





He walked around, leaving his chao in the garden to play with the other chao.





His aimless walk ended when he hit the corner of Otis and Rockview. He had heard that there was a gang around here.





He entered their turf . What he didnt realize was that he had already tangled with them before. That time outside the casino with Violet. What did that hedgehog have against him? He didnt have long to figure that out.





The ten thugs from before, plus countless others, surrounded him. He stood his ground, straight up, staring straight ahead. Slowly, he put his hands into fists. The gang charged. Ekyt fought back, handling the gang as best he could. Then the unexpected happened.





Shadow fought beside him. What do you want? Ekyt asked him. Im evening the odds. They jumped my girlfriend. That hedgehog is yours? What exactly does she have against me? Youre human. That distracted Ekyt enough to were a wave of goons piled on.





Think of Rouge. She betrayed you. Left you in the dust. Youre alone& With a yell prompted by rage, the goons went flying in all directions. He fought back with a viciousness that surprised even Shadow. The gang ran for it, leaving a piece of paper in their wake. Ekyt picked it up. The Hornets? What kind of name is that? He gave the paper to Shadow. Thanks for the help. He said to Shadow. He extended his hand.





Shadow shook. We have a lot in common Shadow. Both our pasts haunt us. Ekyt shook his head. Well, say hi to Violet for me. He climbed up a fire escape and disappeared into the night.





Shadow nodded, then skated away. What did he mean, both our pasts haunt us? What happened to him? It has to be more than Rouge&





Shadow told Violet (Violet_Rose) what happened. Humans. Who needs them? was her response. She hadnt forgiven the entire race for her parents being killed. (Check out her fan fic and Bios) Shadow raised an eyebrow. This one is different He said something about his past being like mine. I dont think he likes humans either. Violet almost had sympathy for him, but she remembered her past again and said Hes human. I dont trust him. Its gonna take a lot more that him helping me out once to get me to trust him. Shadow shrugged, then sat down, weary from fighting off hundreds of goons. The guys that attacked you call themselves the Hornets. Theyre easy pickings. But watch yourself Violet. I can handle those idiots Shadow. She smashed a bottle with her hammer. When there are more than a hundred of them, it gets a little tricky. Hmm. Good point.





Ekyt stood up on the roof across from the Thorndyke mansion. He thought back past Rouge, to being bullied. His head hitting lockers, gym floors. He closed his eyes. Sonic chose that instant to appear. Whats up? Sonic asked. Just thinking. About my past. A tear actually trickled down his eye. About Rouge. Sonic put a hand on his shoulder. You should come inside. Its cold out here. Tell us a little about yourself. Theres nothing to tell. Everyone has a story. I bet you do too. So they did go inside. Ekyt stood by the window. Amy and Cream decided to make him feel more welcome. Mister, would you like something to drink? Cream asked. Chao! Cheese said. Ekyt petted the little chao, but shook his head. Thanks for the offer, but Im okay. Amy broke in. No youre not. Youre standing by a window, looking lost. Youve got something going through your head. Its more than just that stupid bat. Spill it! Amy suddenly realized how ferocious she sounded. Sorry about that. She sat down like nothing happened.





Ekyt turned. You want to know my story? Okay. He said, his voice seemingly deeper than usual. I was bullied my whole life. Not just by people though. By something else. For years, everyone around me though I was just being a bad kid. They never stopped to think that something else might be wrong. I was polite. But things started to change. I became tired easily, whereas before I had led a life full of activity. My grades in school dropped off, though my I.Q. told everyone I was wasting my potential. At this point he stopped and put a hand to his head, then shook it firmly as if answering himself. Somewhere along the line I had lost my confidence. I became chronically anxious. Then, with the stress mounting, I became violent. A loose cannon. Even those who had bullied me were afraid. I didnt want it, I didnt ask for it. It choose me. The anxiety ate me up. It left no room for other emotions. Only slight feelings of love from my parents. But I was empty. A shell. And the hits kept coming. Three grandparents died. Death in school. I couldnt escape. At some point, I even gave up. Im still trying to climb out of the pit I was in. He stopped to catch his breath, then continued.





Then it happened. I was walking out of the bathroom when I got attacked by one of my worst bullies. He went to punch me, but I ducked and kicked him. I left him lying. He would be okay. He taunted me some more, until I finally attacked. I charged across the hall and slammed into him, holding him there. Calling him the names he called me. I thought it was over. But I was wrong. The bullying continued. Eventually, my mind gave in to the stress and the anxiety worsened.





And if you think that was it&Sorry, wrong. Its been ten years now. Ten years of pain. Ten years of suffering, of not fitting in& Ten years of being alone, a slave to myself.





The group sat in stunned silence. But things began to look up. I came here. I found myself as a vigilante, had a girlfriend& his voice trailed off. Had a girlfriend. He shook his head. No I didnt. I had a slave master. She wanted me to do her bidding. She didnt care for me. I learned my lesson. Im through with trust.





Now hold on! Thats waaayyyy past uncool! Sonic said. I just cant trust anyone. Throughout this whole thing, Amy had been watching. She had an idea how to snag Sonic. She just needed this guys help&

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