September 12th 2022 Manic hummed as he worked on his rv

 September 12th 2022

Manic hummed as he worked on his rv. It has been a chill week of traveling. The alarm caught his attention. He left his tools by the engine as he turned off the alarm and picked up his cell. He typed in the number he memorized and pressed dial before walking back to the steps of his rv. 

"Hello!" Came the cherry familiar voice, "Hedgehog residence. Aleena speaking.

"Hey mom," Manic smiled as he got comfortable. "What's up?"

"Manic!" His mom's voice was happy and cheery. It felt comfortable. "Everything is good here. How are you honey?"

"I'm good," Manic tried to keep himself from laughing. He called this time on this day every week. He was sure his mom had recognized the pattern. "How about you?"

“I’m good. I’m about to make breakfast. Have you been eating well?” Aleena spoke warmly. Manic could hear her moving the pans in the background.

“Yeah. I have.” Manic answered as if he always was. It was a lie. He wanted to hear his mom’s voice. But not an angry or worried tone. He wanted to listen to her bubbly talk about happy things. “What are you making today?”

“I’m making some scrambled eggs, sausage links, and maybe some grits or oatmeal. I haven’t decided which yet.” Aleena beamed. “What have you been up to dear?”

“Same old, same old.” Manic tapped his fingers on his leg. “What has been going on over there?” Manic listened happily as his mom told him about shopping, his brother Sonic, the other freedom fighters, his dad, uncle chuck, eggman’s foiled schemes. The same old but with slight differences. He listened to his mom tell him about the past week. He dodged or changed subjects when she asked about him. He didn’t want to talk about himself. Once Aleena was done making breakfast, Manic stretched out on his RV steps. “I gotta go mom. Enjoy your breakfast.” Manic bid his farewells as he stood up. 

“Okay stay safe Manic.” Aleena’s voice was quiet. 

“I will,” Manic assured before hanging up. He liked talking to his mom. Being in her presence was comforting. But Manic couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable. His past as a thief made most of the knothole freedom fighters not trust him. They looked down on him and thought poorly of him. He didn’t like their judgment. He could only let so much slide off his quills like water before it started to get to him.

Then there was dad. Manic always felt uneasy around him. It’s why he avoided him whenever possible. Seeing the robotized man made Manic’s heart ache. He knew it was stupid. But it scared him knowing that his dad would forever be a robian. It also didn’t help that he saw no similarities between them. Dad was a war hero. Willing to disarm bombs to protect his crew. He had honor, accolades, and the air of a leader.

Manic was nothing like that. Manic feared his father being disappointed in him. Sonic was pretty much dad’s clone with an adventurous attitude. 

Manic got along alright with Sonic. The two sharing a love of exploring. A more relaxed attitude. It was nice. Though Manic lacked that daredevil attitude Sonic had. 

Then there was Sonia. Sonia was prim, proper, and perfect. She nagged constantly. Manic knew she loved him. But getting along with her for more than an hour was