DISCLAIMER: "Sonic the Hedgehog" and most other characters and situations in the following story are copyrighted trademarks of Sega Incorporated, Archie Comics and/or DIC Productions. Permission to reproduce this specific material may be granted by the author so long as you email first. (c)2007 native_pangean@fsmail.net. Bookshire Draftwood (c) David Pitstone.

Chapter 2: Revelations and Secrets

***To the reader: I have made as much of an effort as I can not to let this story become bland and domestic, but in this chapter I've been unable to do much else, as a lot of situations that the story depends on further in need the background information in this chapter. Please, bear with me. It's the shortest chapter and it gets more entertaining after this one, I promise!***

Antoine blearily opened his eyes and half-focused on the wall a couple of inches from his nose while he lazily got his bearings. Two seconds later he remembered who was sleeping on the floor next to him and he turned over in bed to see her in daylight. Velvet was awake and curled up under the sheets. Her fur shone golden in the summer light. Her eyes glinted greyish blue and they smiled at eachother. "Deed you to be zleepeeng well?" He asked, stifling a yawn.

"Well enough," she replied, making it clear she wasn't so sure. Velvet had snatched a few moments of sleep here and there, but the truth was, Antoine's hut was far too small to sleep two people, especially with her stuff taking up half the space. She'd been curled up like this for ages, because if she stretched a limb out in any direction she'd hit something, which had a tendency to wake a girl up. Now she wondered if she'd be stuck in foetal position forever.

Finally she stretched and winced as her joints protested, and stood up. "Well," she said, "I could murder a spot of breakfast. Couldn't you?"

Snively walked into Robotnik's office and stood in front of his dictator, holding a pile of reports in one hand.

"Well, Snively? Have you sent it?" He asked, his fingers interlocked over his belly.

"Affirmative, sir. The bait is ready and waiting in the rubbish dump."

"Very good, Snively," Robotnik hissed under his breath, smirking at the ingenuity of his plan. Snively just gazed into the middle distance and grinned.

Back in Knothole, Antoine was showing Velvet around the village. Before long they wound up by the river and followed it along, talking all the way.

The river ran more or less straight through Knothole, providing all of the villagers with drinking and washing water, before snaking away and widening into a delta, the bank on the Knothole side steepening into a high wall - a classic place to talk in private. This was where the siblings found themselves. A fallen tree log lay by the water's edge and the pair sat. They fell into silence and looked out to the water for a while.

"What do you remember about Maman?" Antoine blurted after a brief silence.

"Enough," Velvet began. "Mum and dad were both fighters by nature. Mum was a solitary type. A few years ago I'd have said they hated eachother, but I think I know better now. They wouldn't have stayed together if that hadn't been what they both wanted." She gazed out at the rippling water as she talked, but could see Antoine looking at her out of the corner of her eye. She continued: "She had a sharp look about her - narrow eyes, close-cut hair, skinny figure. I remember her taking medicine. Every morning. But I don't remember what it was. I never looked. I don't think I'd have dared."

"You do not be knowing what was wrong wiz 'er?"

Velvet huffed and was about to say something spiteful but then thought better of it. Why overblow the difficulty of those years? "I don't. Physically she looked healthy. Maybe that's why she had such a fighting spirit. Something internal..."

"'Ow did she die?"

Antoine had been looked after by Princess Sally's minder, Rosie, often. That had been one of the family priveleges he had enjoyed as the son of the Captain of the Guard. He had been in her care when the coup took place, so had never known what had happened to his mother. Velvet remembered this and put a comforting hand on his.

"She died trying to protect me," Velvet began with an uncharacteristically hard edge to her voice, before her throat closed with sobs. Antoine looked worried and cuddled her. She buried her face in his shoulder and sobbed.

"Eet ees alraght, eet ees alraght," he said softly, although he sounded uncomfortable and uncertain. He mumbled quietly to her as she regained her composure. Eventually she sat up, wiped her tears away and continued.

"As you know, I was 10 at the time, which was why I wasn't with Rosie like you were. I was with her when Robotnik struck. We were in Mobotropolis. War machines started to fly overhead and robots ran in the streets with laser guns. Mum was shot. She was hurt badly, but managed to order me to hide, so I did. There was a log store with a hinged roof only a short distance away, so I climbed into that and watched through a crack in the wood as she was shot a second time. The robots caught up with her." she gulped, a gorge in her throat. "It wasn't pretty."

At this news Antoine sighed and looked at the ground. He seemed to try to make that the extent of his emotional reaction, but the terrible news was too much. His shoulders shook and tears coursed down his cheeks. He hugged himself, wiped his eyes, muttered, "Non... non!" to himself, looked away from Velvet. He seemed not to know how to react. Quietly, his elder sister put her arm around his shoulders and wept silently with him. They stayed like that for a long time.

Eventually the pair fell silent and sat watching the tiny fish playing in the shallows. Eventually Antoine sighed.

"We 'ave lost so much," he simpered. "Eet ees too much," and put his face in his hands.

"But we've gained something, too," Velvet murmered. "We have eachother, Tony." Antoine looked at her and nodded sadly. It seemed to be all she could say. Perhaps that was enough for now. She forced a smile. "So," she said more lightly, the better to change the subject, "Are you attached?"

"Oui," he said happily, apparently just as keen to move his thoughts on. "I am shin over nose in love wiz ze Princess!"

Velvet sat stock-still for a moment. Shin over nose? But it was supposed to be head over h- oh, never mind. She made an approving sound. "Good choice. She's sweet. Is it serious?"

Antoine's hesitation was tangible, and, when he hadn't replied after a few seconds it became clear to Velvet that the situation wasn't simple. Eventually he said, "She iz not in love wiz me. She iz in love wiz somebody else." He looked miserable.

"Who?"

Antoine huffed. "Sonique."

Suddenly it all became clear. The friction she had detected several times in that conversation last night, Sally's obvious fancy for Sonic (and, she realised, not for Antoine), the glances, the peculiar silences after some of her questions, Bunnie's - Sally's closest female friend's - silent communication. Ah, she thought. That made sense.

"Well," she said philosophically, "I suppose that's the way it goes. Love's like that sometimes."

"...Et tu?" Antoine asked in return. Velvet waggled her head.

"My love life has been as smooth as a disused mountain path. The less said, the better," she grinned, although if the old scars from her past showed as much as she felt them in that moment, Antoine could probably see. Antoine looked as if he felt sorry for her. "Oh, don't worry about me. Failed love makes you stronger," she said, the lightness of her tone belying the message she sought to relay. I think you need to get over Sally, sweetheart.

TWO DAYS LATER

Sally and Rotor eyed the clean lines of the plan sheet critically, trying to find a solution to the obvious design flaw. Sally's ears flicked as she heard Antoine and his sister approaching from a distance. Antoine and Velvet had been talking almost constantly for the last three days and the Freedom Fighters, generally, had left them to it. On the evening of the first day after his sister's arrival Antoine had appeared distant and introspective, and the group correctly guessed that they had talked about their family, about the coyotes' collective losses. By yesterday, however, they had both appeared more lively. But they still had plenty to talk about, and she looked up to listen to their conversation:

"You're joking! Really?" Velvet asked, and leaned back to look again at the stump of Antoine's virtually non-existant tail.

"Mais, oui," Antoine confirmed sadly. He had just told Velvet how he had lost his tail and now, in sympathy with his story, she was grimacing at the thought of the unexpected amputation.

"That must've been horrible," she concluded, shivering with horror. He nodded.

"But eet is worst when eet eetchez. Ze tail is not zere, and I cannot be scratching. But eet was to be stopping eventually."

"Some battle scar. Remind me never to mess with Robotnik, then," she concluded. They found themselves at the communal meeting table where Sally and Rotor were perched, poring over a half-drawn plan and debating what to add to it. Sally looked up as they approached.

"Hi guys!" she called. "Did you sleep well?"

"I feel like a giraffe that's slept in a matchbox," she said with a half-smile, but gave Antoine a kind look nonetheless. "Would any of you happen to know if any huts are empty here?"

Unfortunately, Sally explained, the village was pretty much full. She'd keep her ear to the ground in case anybody had a spare room, but she couldn't promise anything.

"I've got a room," Rotor offered. Sally turned to him.

"And where do you have a spare inch?" Sally asked with a tone of companionable scorn.

"Middle floor!" he smiled. "I can just tidy it a little, and if you don't mind sharing a room with a few bits of junk, Velvet, you're welcome!"

Velvet gave a grateful sigh, and turned to her brother. "You wouldn't mind if I did, would you? Your floor is nice... but there's not quite enough of it, if you know what I mean." Antoine looked slightly put out, but Sally couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh, let her go, Antoine!" Antoine folded his arms and sighed in a derogatory way.

"Alright," he said stiffly. "I would like not to be sleeping in my boots in any case!"

"You could have put them on my head," Velvet smiled. Then she turned to Rotor. "Now: rent?"

Velvet looked around the room with delight: she had a bed, a closet and a fantastic view of the river. She lifted her holdall onto the bed, turned around and looked at Rotor. "Thank you, Rotor, it's fantastic!"

"The back of the bottom floor is my bedroom, but you can have free run of everywhere else - the porch and the top level."

"Excellent! Thank you," she said. "And you're sure you only want half the housework and meals in return for all of this?"

"I don't need anything else," Rotor admitted happily. "Although... if you can get hold of any transistors or maybe a photoconductor or two, or a C-type circuitboard or better..." he mused to himself jokingly.

"Oh, get back in yer box!" Velvet laughed. "The house'll be spotless. So, what do you want for dinner tonight?"

Rotor shrugged. "I've got the stuff in for a pizza, that's about it. But I'm cookin'."

"Are you bollocks, I do a fantastic pizza. Put your feet up tonight, boss!" Rotor laughed and put his hands up.

"Fine by me," he confirmed, and they walked down the stairs together.

"Oh, and by the way, did Tony really have Robotnik cowering against the wall before he had his tail cut off?"

She saw the set of Rotor's shoulders shake with an involuntary laugh, heard the diplomatic pause before he replied, "Uh, no..."

"Ah."

2 WEEKS LATER

Rotor walked up the stairs of his home toward Velvet's room, from which he could hear music.

Rotor was shy with girls. When they had first talked two weeks ago when she had arrived in Knothole, he had been embarrassed when she had complimented his ability to find her. At the time he had been grateful that it had been night and that the coloured, flickering firelight had covered the fact that he was blushing.

But they had hit it off very well. Perhaps it was because Velvet was older, but she was good at making conversation, at filling the silences between her and Rotor, so he hadn't felt shy since. That was why he had invited her to share a room of his home. And since she had moved in? Their friendship had grown, and he enjoyed her cheerful and easy way. He knocked on her door and pushed on it when he got the call to come in. Velvet lay on her front on the bed, reading posters she'd gathered for local parties and clubs. She looked up at him.

"Hey," he greeted. "You ready to come down and eat?" In answer, she vaulted off the bed, switched off the music player and followed Rotor downstairs.

"I wasn't playing that too loud this time, was I?" she asked. Rotor shook his head.

"Nuh-uh. So are you going to one of those parties?"

Velvet waggled her head. "Perhaps. The Boiler Room looks good, I might have a pop at it this evening."

Velvet gave herself a final check in the mirror - the long dress she'd chosen for tonight looked brilliant. She grabbed her coat, trotted down the stairs, said goodbye to Rotor with a promise she'd be back by noon tomorrow and set off into the night.

As she passed by Antoine's hut, he leaned out the window and called a few words to her. She nodded and replied, and waved to him as she left.

THE NEXT MORNING

Antoine was by the river, finishing his laundry when Velvet walked by.

"Morning," she said drowsily. He looked up at her and shook his head.

"You were to be staying out all of ze night? I 'ave no understanding!"

Velvet laughed. "Oh, come on, Tony, it's just a bit of fun!"

"Fun? Pah! Dancing badly and leestening to zis big musique? I zeenk a young lady should show delicacy." he insisted.

"Oh, I'll show 'delicacy' all day if you want me to!" she chided. "But give me some good, loud beats any day of the week!"

"Humph!" Antoine sulked. "And look at you. You are tired, you are a mess. I bet you are not even to be fed. When was ze last time you were eating, eh?"

Velvet rolled her eyes. "Yesterday evening. And yes, I'm ravenous, if I'm honest, so I'm going to-"

"Sacre bleu!" exclaimed Antoine in surprise. "You are to be coming wiz me immediately!" and with that, he guided her to his hut to fix up something to eat, while she began to wonder whether she really was the eldest after all.

Velvet wiped the last piece of bread around the bowl and bit into it. Say what you like about Antoine, he made an amazing soup. "Thanks again for that, Tony," she said between mouthfuls. "You really don't need to worry so much about me, though! It's only a few hours dancing!" Antoine grudgingly accepted that this was the case.

"Now you must to be getting some sleep," he ordered, taking the bowl from her. Velvet gulped down the final piece of bread, grabbed her coat and gave Antoine a peck on the cheek.

"Thanks for the meal! I'll see you tonight!" she said, and headed off in the direction of her home.

Antoine watched her leave and sighed. "You are so very leetle like a lady should be, my sister. But if you must be a rebel, you must be a reb-"

It was then that he noticed something had fallen out of the pocket of Velvet's coat. He walked over to his bed and picked it up. It was half a ticket, from the place she had just been to. He was about to throw it away when he noticed the name of the venue and he stopped dead in his tracks.

The place she had been to had not been called 'The Boiler Room'.

It had been called 'Iniquity'.

TO BE CONTINUED...