*knock, knock*

 

Melinda lightly rapped on Miles bedroom door as she opened it a crack and called in inside, “mind if I come in?”

 

“Not at all,” Miles replied

 

The door creaked open and Melinda smiled at him. He was still sitting up in bed and nervously fiddling with his blanket.

 

“I thought that after last night, it might help you sleep if I came in for a little while and tucked you in,” Melinda made her way over to his bed and pulled chair from his desk over with her.

 

“Thanks,” he smiled a little bit

 

“So, you had fun today?” Melinda rolled the chair up next to his bed with it’s back to him and sat down, arm arms resting atop its back and legs loosely straddling it.

 

“Yeah. I was nervous about how it was going to go but the way you didn’t any of it seriously made it less hard and I just enjoyed spending time with you and joking around,” he said.

 

“My favorite part of the day was still the hospital, I hope that doctor pokes around enough that I get to mess with him a little more,” Melinda chuckled.

 

“I still enjoyed the bit with the casket the most,” he said.

 

“Yeah, poor Daniel,” she sighed, “the stone was the hard part for you, wasn’t it?”

 

“Yeah, but I guess picking something nice to go on made me feel better,” he said

 

“I think it’ll be a beautiful stone,” she said.

 

“Yeah,”

 

They both sat in silence for a few seconds before Melinda spoke up

 

“How about a story, a funny one that happened right after I became immortal?” she asked

 

“Like we talked about this morning?” he smiled, “that could be cool,”

 

“Yes,” Melinda thought for a moment, “You see, I had this friend named Sarah that sided with me instead of the villagers and we left together.”

 

“Your only friend back then, right?” he asked.

 

“Exactly,” she nodded, “it came down to us having to camp out in the woods a few miles away the first night after we left, and fending for ourselves, luckily she had somehow snuck some blankets and a knife out of town.

 

Melinda stopped for a moment and looked down at MIles, “this starts a little sad before it it kicks off, so bear with me.”

 

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Sometime in the early 9th century, in the wilds of Europe near what we now call Scotland

 

“Thanks for the clothes,” Melinda stared at the campfire, “I guess it’s a good thing we both wear the same size.”

 

“Yeah,” Sarah laughed

 

Sarah, a beautiful young fox about the same age as Melinda with black fur, long, white hair and bright, lively purple eyes.

 

“Why did you decide to come with me? Neither of us even know what I am or why I came back from the dead,” Melinda asked.

 

“Because you’re my friend, and I know if it something lik this happened to you it must be a miracle and not the devil’s work,” Sarah sat down and placed hand on her shoulder

 

“I’d like to think so, but not even my own father could talk sense into the rest of the village,” Melinda felt tears welling up in her eyes, “I wish I would’ve stayed dead.”

 

“Now don’t talk like that, you’ve been gifted with something for some reason,” Sarah rubbed her shoulder, “and we’ll figure it together, I’ll help you find out everything,”

 

“I just, I wish I could see my family again,” Melinda started crying and leaned on her friend.

 

“I know,” Sarah wrapped her arms around her, “maybe someday.”

 

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Melinda squinted as the morning sun hit her eyes and her ears perked up as noticed a scraping sound behind her. Looking around, she noticed Sarah attempting to sharpen the end of long stick.

 

“What are you doing, exactly?” she asked.

 

“The old fisherman told me some people catch fish this way, with a spear so I’m going to try to catch us a meal in the nearby river,” Sarah said.

 

“I am kind of hungry,” Melinda said, noticing her stomach growling.

 

“Glad you agree, because you’re the only one of us that can cook,” Sarah said.

 

“Wonderful,” Melinda replied, rolling her eyes.

 

“Hey, at least I knew how to start a fire to keep something from eating US,” Sarah chuckled.

 

“How did you learn that, anyway?” Melinda yawned and stretched her arms.

 

“My dad used to take me on his travels into town and we camped out along the way,” Sarah sighed, “something tells me if he was still around, he’d have come with us himself.”

 

“I’m sure he’d proud of you for standing up for us,” Melinda sat down on the log next to her.

 

“Yeah,” Sarah stuck the knife in the ground and felt the point of her makeshift sphere, “I think that’s about as sharp as it’s going to get, ready to go fishing?”

 

“I’m hungry enough I’d even eat your cooking if I had to, what do you think?”

 

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“Okay, this shouldn’t be to hard. Just find a fish and impale it.” Sarah stood barefoot in shallow water, eyes transfixed on it.

 

“If you say so,” Melinda leaned over slightly and stared into the water, “either way, this cold mud feels good on my aching paws.”

 

Sarah raised a finger in a gesture of silence and pointed to the water where something was moving about, “right there, see it?”

 

“Yes,” Melinda whispered.

 

Melinda stared intently at the shadow in the water, stealing the occasional glance and Sarah to watch her eyes following the form. She jumped back slightly and flinched as Sarah furiously jabbed the sphere into the water without warning.

 

“Got you, I got-” Sarah had raised one foot out of the water and the one now firmly planted in the mud began to slip back as she fell forward, “NOT GOOD, NOT GOOD.”

 

Melinda lunged forward to steady her friend, but failed miserably and instead sent both of them toppling over into the water.

 

“COLD!” Melinda gasped.

 

“At I least I caught-,” Sarah’s ears dropped as her eyes landed on the tiny fish, barely six inches long impaled on her spear.

 

“It’s better than nothing?” Melinda placed on hand on her friend’s back, “I’m sure we’ll get better at it.”

 

“Is there even any meat on this thing?” Sarah questioned, poking it.

 

“I’m sure- YIP,” Melinda jumped as she felt something large and slimy swim up her dress, “WHAT THE-”

 

Melinda quickly reached down and felt the tail of a large fish down by her feet.

 

“What’s going on?” Sarah asked.

 

“WHAT DO YOU THINK? IT”S FISH!” Melinda exclaimed.

 

“Catch it!” Sarah cried as she stood up.

 

“How?”

 

“Just hold still,” Sarah reached down and grabbed the fish’s tail, “It’s slippery!”

 

“GET OUT OF THERE, ITS EVEN COLDER THAN THE WATER!”

 

“I’M TRYING!”

 

Sarah pulled the fish out into the water and fell back down and it tried to swim away “NO YOU DON’T,” she tackled the fish and wrapped the arms around it.

 

“Hold on,” Melinda scrambled forward and wrapped her arms around the fish just as it once again slipped from her friend’s grasp.

 

The two young women splashed around for several minutes until Melinda was left sitting in the water holding the now tired out fish against her chest with Sarah helping support it.

 

Melinda looking over and blinked as her eyes meant Sarah’s. Slowly, a smile crept across her across her face as Sarah began to giggle and she let loose her own laughter.

 

“I can’t believe that just happened,” Sarah said.

 

“At least we’re going to eat well today.”

 

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Present Day, Miles’ Bedroom

 

“Oh God, it really swam up your dress?” Miles chuckled.

 

“It was an “interesting” feeling,” Melinda smiled, “and it was also delicious cooked over an open campfire.”

 

“Was it big?” he asked.

 

“At least as long as my legs, I think.” Melinda said.

 

“Sounds like you had fun,” Miles smiled up at his mother, “Sarah sounded cool.”

 

“It’s too bad she was born so much before your time, you would’ve like her.” Melinda felt a tear in her eye.

 

“It must be hard for immortals like you when you care about someone that isn’t,” Miles frowned, “like me or Sonic.”

 

Melinda winched and felt something deep down inside like a stab to the heart. A familiar pain surfaced and she faced a reality she hated to think about.

 

“Mom, I didn’t mean to upset you,” Miles gave her a worried look and took her hand that now fell to her side in his.

 

“No, it’s okay,” she wiped a tear from her eyes and held his hand tightly, “It is hard, but I don’t regret it.”

 

Melinda slipped her hand away and stood up, returning the chair to his desk, stopping and smiling when she saw a plush toy of a fox in an old, leather pilot’s helmet sitting on his dresser. She picked it up and and returned to his bed.

 

The right words were hard for her to find, the right words to voice what she wanted to say without upsetting him or making him fear his own mortality.

 

“I get to watch so many people grow-up and live their lives,” Melinda offered him the toy and he took it.

 

As she knelt down by the bed she pulled him into a hug, “Just like I remember holding you as a little baby and now I’m watching grow up big and strong, not even nine years old and already a hero.”

 

Miles hugged her back and she heard him sniffle.

 

“and I’ll also get to watch you grow up, find someone you love, and maybe even become a father someday,” she gently rubbed his back.

 

“It also means I never have to lose you, right?” he asked.

 

“That’s right, I’ll try my best to always be there for you,” Melinda kissed his head and smiled, “as a bonus: I’ll always look this good so you’ll never have to see your mom get old and wrinkly.”

 

“Mom…” MIles giggled before yawning.

 

“Get some sleep, okay?” Melinda chuckled and lowered her hand to to his blanket as he laid down, “it’s going to be a busy today tomorrow.

 

“Goodnight, I love you, mom.” Miles yawned again and hugged the plushie in his arms.

 

“Goodnight, Kiddo, I love you, to.” Melinda gently kissed his forehead as she pulled the blanket up and watched him curl up under it.