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Manic sat on his bed, texting Jade, when another message came in.

This one was from his dealer and he was none too happy that Manic hadn't paid his debts yet.

Manic gulped. "How do I handle this, bro?"

“What?” Sonic asked. He looked over Manic's shoulder. “Is Royal your dealer? How can you owe him that much?"

"It's expensive, bro." Manic replied. "What do I do? He's told me he'd kill me before if I didn't get him his money."

Sonic’ eyes widened. "How much money do you have?"

"None." Manic said.

Sonic took the phone and looked at the text. "Wait, the name's familiar. Is he a teal hedgehog with long spines, kinda like yours?"

"How'd you know?" Manic asked.

Sonic sighed. "Uncle Chuck is right." He replied. "Manic, that guy's our dad."

Manic looked at Sonic incredulously. "I've been buying drugs from Dad for two years and didn't know? He didn't recognize me?"

"Why should he?" Sonic asked. "He didn't stick around for our births or to even know we're triplets or anything. Though he kinda looks like you from the pictures I've seen, so I don't know why he never questioned it."

Manic groaned. "Now I know why you sound like him. Do you think he'd care if he knew the truth?"

"No, he knew about me and he didn't care." Sonic said. "That's why Uncle Chuck told me not to look him up."

Aleena walked in. "Boys, can you-"

"Ma, I just found out Dad's my dealer and I owe him money." Manic said hurriedly. "Do you really think he'd kill me?"

Aleena froze for a minute.

"Mom?" Sonic asked.

"Let me see what we can do." Aleena replied. "Do not tell him where you live."

Sonic waited for Aleena to leave the room. "How did you ever pay your debts before?" He asked. "Did you steal?"

"First off, I never steal from my family." Manic replied. "Foster families don't count. None of mine ever cared, except for one. I was told that by the next to last family."

"What else happened?" Sonic asked.

Manic pulled his knees to his chest.

"I won't tell anyone if that's what you want." Sonic said, sitting beside Manic.

"I've been beaten before." Manic replied. "No one believed me that this family had this strange warrior culture. The family said my foster brother and I were playing too rough and I was just being a difficult kid. My foster brother wasn't named Knuckles out of irony."

Sonic sat down on his bed. "Is that all?"

Manic tensed up.

"You can tell me later." Sonic asked. "Let's see what Mom's doing about it."

Manic got up and followed Sonic into the kitchen.

“How much do you owe him, Manic?” Aleena asked.

Manic rubbed the back of his neck. “Three hundred.”

Sonia handed Manic a stack of cash. “This is a one time thing to get him off your back. If you buy more, I will personally haul you to jail or rehab by your spines.”

“Thanks, sis.” Manic replied. “Don't worry; I learned my lesson.”

Uncle Chuck got up. “I'll go with you two.”

Aleena bit her lip. “I appreciate it, Uncle Chuck, but I took self defense classes and have a concealed weapons permit.” She said, “I need to talk to Manic alone anyway.”
*
Aleena walked with Manic to face his dad.

Manic wondered why he never noticed the resemblance before.

He and Royal were almost identical to each other.

"Aleena?" Royal asked. "It's been a while, huh?"

"Eighteen years." Aleena said. She motioned to Manic. "About as long as he's been alive."

Royal looked at Manic. “You got in touch with Uncle Chuck.” He said. “So much for this one turning out ‘better’.”

“He's not the one Uncle Chuck adopted.” Aleena replied.

Royal furrowed his brow. “Just how many brats do you have?”

“Three.” Aleena replied. “I would say something about you calling my babies brats, but I learned a long time ago that you never cared about them or me.”

Manic hung his head.

Aleena shoved the money at Royal. “Take it and stay away from him. He's quitting.”

“Fine with me.” Royal said. He started to walk away.

“Dad?” Manic asked. “That's it? You don't have anything to say to me?”

Aleena gently nudged Manic's arm.

Royal turned around. “You're obviously not buying and your mom will call the cops on me if I try to sell you anything.” He replied. “I told her I don't want kids. She wouldn't listen to reason when I tried to get her to end the-”

“I should've known.” Manic said, turning around. He stormed off to the car.

Aleena glanced at Manic. “Oh, good, it's nice to see Manic's more like me.”

Aleena caught up to Manic in the car.

"Manic, I'm sorry." Aleena said.

Manic wiped his eyes. “You did want me, right?” He asked softly. “You just couldn't keep me, was that it?”

Aleena nodded. “I regretted listening to everyone about what they thought was best. I couldn't take care of you and I thought someone else could do a better job.”

Manic settled in his seat as Aleena drove away.

“I wish I could've kept you three.” Aleena said. “It's haunted me for years. I still remember you staring up at me when I had to give you up.”

“So why didn't you force Dad to support us?” Manic asked.

“When I told him I was pregnant, his only response was to give me a stack of money and tell me to ‘end it’.” Aleena replied. “I told him I didn't need him and to keep his money. I only called and asked him to pay child support after you were born because my family wouldn't help me with you while I worked and went to school. I told him that I'd take him to court if I had to. He threatened our lives and I couldn't prove it, so I was too scared to try that.”

Manic slumped in his seat. “I can't believe that psycho is my dad.”

“If it helps, you didn't turn out to be anything like him.” Aleena said. “Neither did Sonia and Sonic.”

“It does, I guess.” Manic replied.
*
Sonic woke up and saw Manic, laying on his bed and listening to music.

"What're you listening to?" Sonic asked.

"My demons by Fight the Fury." Manic replied.

Sonic listened to the song for a minute. "It's kinda weird, bro."

"It's metaphoric; the demons are the painful memories of abuse." Manic said. “Yes, that's what it means. I can show you the interview.”

"You don't think you might be reliving it by listening to that?" Sonic asked.

"No, it's usually already bothering me when I play it." Manic replied. "It helps me get it out of my system. That's why it was written."

Sonic sat up. "What exactly happened to you?"

Manic didn't answer.

"Let's try it this way." Sonic said. "I'll ask a question and all you have to do is say yes or no."

Manic sighed and paused his music. "I'll simplify it. Any kind of abuse you can think of happened to me."

Sonic gasped softly.

"Now you know why I freaked out when we first reunited." Manic said. "Sonia should be a lot more grateful. I know now that Ma couldn't help it, but I did blame her for a while. I kinda figured Dad was a stereotypical, sleazy male hedgehog.”

"I won't push you, but if you ever want to tell me about it, I'm here." Sonic said. "I'll believe you."

Manic grinned weakly. “Thanks, bro.”
*
Sonic waited all day to be able to tell Sonia what he finally found out. He finally got his chance near dinner time when Manic was dyeing his spines and taking a shower.

Sonic pulled Sonia aside as soon as the shower turned on.

“What?” Sonia asked as Sonic led her to the living room. “Did he open up to you?”

"I won't give you details because I don't know any." Sonic said. "All he said was that he was abused in his foster homes in every way you could think of."

Sonia blinked back tears. “I don't want to hear more than that.”

Sonic looked toward the bathroom. “Should we ask him if wants to help make dinner?”

Sonia checked her watch. “He may want to talk to Jade when she gets off work whenever he gets out of the bathroom.”

“We’ll handle it then.” Sonic said. He got a pizza pan out of the cabinet. “Why are we making pizza anyway?”

“Because Manic wanted this or sushi.” Sonia replied. “We only had stuff to make pizza.”

Sonic got a pizza crust out of the freezer and put it on the pan as he hummed some tune. “Let’s get the story straight.” He sang. “You were a poison.”

Sonia stopped spreading tomato sauce on the pizza and gave Sonic a look.

Sonic finally looked up to meet Sonia’s puzzled look. “You… flood….” He trailed off. He groaned. “Manic.”

“What were you singing?” Sonia asked.

“I don't know.” Sonic replied. “Manic's headphones come off during the night or he has it turned up so loud you can hear it even when he has them on. He says it helps his anxiety and that's the only reason why I haven't complained.”

“Aww, that's sweet, bro.” Sonia said, spreading pepperoni on the pizza.

“I prefer his emo music to him crying and talking in his sleep.” Sonic said. “He must have some awful nightmares.”

Sonia checked her watch. “Oh, Knux texted me,” She said. “I guess Manic won't be too long.”

“Why does he have your phone if Mom added his phone to her account?” Sonic asked.

“Because he wanted to watch cartoons while he dyed his spines and he still has that flip phone.” Sonia replied.

“The heck?!” Manic screamed.

Sonia and Sonic looked up.

Manic, with dark green and dripping wet spines, marched in. “You're dating that jerk now?”

“Knuckles is a nice guy.” Sonia said, folding her arms.

“You didn't have to fight him in a gladiator pit either.” Manic retorted.

Sonic furrowed his brow.

“Yeah, I know.” Manic said. “I shouldn't have mentioned the gladiator pit because that made me sound less believable to my caseworker.”

Sonia took her phone from Manic. “No, I believe it.” She replied. “He was probably doing what he was told, Manic. I'll talk to him about it.”
*
The siblings gathered at the table for dinner.

They set aside a couple of slices for Aleena and Uncle Chuck since the former was working late and the latter was having dinner with old friends.

Sonic took a slice of pizza and put it on his plate.

“So I get to pick the movie for movie night.” Sonia said.

“Please don't say Titanic.” Manic muttered.

“Hey, we watched Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles with you.” Sonia protested. She set a slice of pizza on her plate. “I didn't want to watch that. It's only fair.”

“Fine.” Manic muttered. He set two slices of pizza on his plate. “You win.”

“So who was your case worker, bro?” Sonic asked.

Manic swallowed his bite of pizza. “I don't remember his name.” He replied. “I usually called him Ickis or Gooey Louie because I'd swear no one would say he didn't sound like Ickis on Aaahh!!! Real Monsters and that he didn't look like that stupid board game character.”

Sonic furrowed his brow, then started laughing. “I know who you're talking about.”

Manic and Sonic were doubled over laughing.

Sonia rolled her eyes. “That's not funny, boys. I was laughed at in middle school because everyone said I sounded like Urkel on Family Matters.”

“You didn't deserve it though, sis.” Manic said. “Ickis did because I reported all the abuse to him and he never believed me.”

“I figured he was like that.” Sonic asked. “I didn't know any kid who liked him.”

“So who was your caseworker, bro?” Manic asked.

“Miss Bunnie.” Sonic replied.

“Ah, I begged to get her as my case worker.” Manic said. “I never got a chance to speak to her.”

“I’m sure she would've helped you.” Sonic replied. “Who'd you get, Sonia?”

“Mr. Antoine.” Sonia said.

Manic spit out his root beer as he started laughing.

Sonia and Sonic gagged.

“What's so funny?” Sonia asked.

“Did you have a crush on that dude?” Manic asked. “I mean, snooty rich guys seem to be your type.”

Sonia shook her head. “Grow up, you two.”

“You're not denying it.” Sonic said, grinning. “You loved him, huh?”

“Yeah, I bet you had written his last name on all of your notebooks in school.” Manic added. “Mrs. Sonia… whatever his last name is.”

Sonia groaned. “That’s it. I'm eating my dinner in the living room.” She said, getting up.

She picked up her plate and cup of water, then headed to the living room.

Manic smirked. “I love aggravating her.”

Sonic leaned back in his chair so he could see into the living room. “So you want us to watch the movie with you?”

“Only if you stay on your phones.” Sonia replied.

“Eh, I'd rather play a board game.” Manic said.

Sonia got up and headed back into the kitchen. “Sounds fun.” She replied. “I brought Monopoly.”

“That takes forever.” Sonic said. “How about Clue?”

Sonia and Manic shrugged.

Sonic raced out of the room and brought the game back to the table.