"What did you do?!" Amy demanded, her arms around an unconscious Sonic and pulling his upper body into her lap. Her other guests had followed her into the kitchen, and everyone gathered around her and Sonic. A tear raced down her cheek. Cream's eyes watered.

I stared at Sonic, my trembling hands over my mouth. His stomach was moving up and down, indicating that he was still alive. But would my powers eventually kill him? The last time that my purple-and-black powers injured someone, which was the first time, I accidentally hit a boy's eye, causing his eye to go blind and turn purple and black. The boy could not return to a normal life after the incident. Doctors in our hometown and other parts of the world tried surgery, but none could remove the purple-and-black gunk and fix his eye. To avoid ridicule from our classmates and strangers, he wore an eyepatch. Sadly, many of our classmates were not taught to mind your business. They would steal his eyepatch and either mock him or snap pictures of him. Since that most of the teachers did not interfere, the bullying only got worse. Shortly after, he and his parents moved across the country, and I never saw him again.

The morning that they were leaving, the boy visited our school to see me. He did not stop squeezing my arm even when I begged him to and whispered in my ear. "One day, Alinta, when we meet again, I will have my revenge." He let me go and trotted past me, paying no mind to the kids bullying him.

One minute, we were best friends. I even had a crush on him, and I think that he returned those feelings. The next, I was his mortal enemy. All because of an accident. All because I could not control my powers.

History was repeating itself. Though, Sonic's eye was not as awful as the boy's. A wide, purple-and-black streak went from the top of his eye to the bottom.

When I could no longer hold back the waterworks, I knew that I overstayed my welcome. Although that my legs felt like jello, I managed to run, partly because of adrenaline. I did not know what to say except "I am so sorry." I snatched my purse and pushed past Rouge and Blaze.

"Alinta!" Shadow, Silver, and Rouge yelled in unison.

I threw open the front door and sprinted into the cool night and down the narrow path out of the village. I needed to leave this village - Amy mentioned that it is called Mobius - so nobody else could taste my powers. I would return only when Tails finished building the portal. I needed to be alone.

I tripped on air - only somebody as pitiful as me could do that - but I caught my balance and continued running. "Oof!" I bumped into something...soft...and fell back. Before I met the ground, two hands grabbed my wrists and hoisted me back on my feet.

Take a guess who I had bumped into.

"Alinta, you should not be alone out here," Shadow said, still clutching my left wrist. "There are evil forces out here that you cannot begin to comprehend. As dangerous as or more dangerous than Eggman, the guy who threatened to turn you into a robot." Did I hear worry in his charming voice? I did not call his voice charming!

"I am not in the mood to talk!" I screamed, not caring if I disturbed the village and hoping to get Shadow to back off. Now, I was not only upset. I was also frustrated. "I want to be alone!"

"Alinta—"

"Do not even ask or demand how to help Sonic because I do not know! Now let go..." I started tugging on my arm. "...and leave me alone!"

Shadow neither let go nor left me alone. He stared at me. As if we were having a staring contest, which he would have won. Then he led me off the path and into the forest. "I believe you when you said that you do not know."

"About what?"

He faced me, a bit surprised. "You already forgot?"

After he spoke, I remembered. "Now I remember. When I am nervous, I forget the small things."

"Are you nervous because of what happened to Sonic?"

I stared down at my feet. "Say it like it is. I hurt Sonic. Badly. I am autistic, not stupid."

Crub. I immediately regretted those last five words. I used to say that phrase often to Melaina and our parents. Even after our parents died over two years ago, and Melaina vanished soon after, said phrase remains engraved in my brain.

We stopped in our tracks. "'Autistic'? Is that what you said?"

"Uh...I also said 'stupid.'"

"I know what 'stupid' means. I see Sonic on a daily basis. You could give me a hard time like that you are doing right now and would not be the least bit annoying like Sonic and his friends."

My frustration was long gone. Talking with Shadow was what I needed. I was not as anxious around him as I was around the others - except when I humiliated myself. For some reason, I sensed that he understood me. But why was he throwing his friends under the bus for me, somebody whom he met just this morning? Why was he not screaming at me for injuring Sonic? Likely because he knew that it was an accident. Then why was he not scolding me for misusing my powers?

After my former friend's tragedy, my powers disappeared. At least, I thought so. Why did they return? Why now? Why again in front of people?

"Oh, I would not be giving you a hard time if you just left me alone," I argued. I did not want to be his burden.

"I will take drastic measures if you do not stop complaining."

"Like what?"

"Kissing you."

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]