Novus Umbra Seclorum: Ch. 1

May 6, 2011
<Sonic's POV>
*RIIIIIIIIING*
...ugh...it can't possibly be morning already... I fumbled my hand around blindly, looking to hit the snooze button on my alarm clock.  A few seconds later, success.  I let my arm hang off the side of the bed.  Just five more minutes...five more minutes...  A short while later, I opened my eyes again and looked at the clock.  It was forty-five minutes later, and only fifteen minutes before work started!  That got me up and moving.  Having no time for a shower, or breakfast, I hosed myself down with as much deodorant and body spray as I could find and grabbed a piece of toast for the road.

As I hopped in the car and tore out of the driveway, an image of my boss came to mind.  I've been working for this courier service for the past five years, and it was tolerable until about six months ago, when my previous halfway-decent boss got promoted and was replaced by a total scumbag who cracks down on me for seemingly no reason.  Suddenly I slammed on my brakes, mere feet from the car in front of me.  I looked up...a three-car pileup had brought the traffic on the freeway to a standstill.  Could this day get any better?

I finally got to the office an hour later.  Waiting for me in my office was my boss with his all-too-familiar stern facial expression.  "You're late again, Sonic.  That's three times in the last two weeks.  I don't care what kind of personal problems you may have...I expect you to leave them at the door and be here, on time, every workday with a smile on your face.  That's all I ask.  Now if you show up late one more time, you're fired!"  I have a feeling he gets on my case so much just because I'm one of the only anthros who works at this firm, and the only one who actually delivers packages, but I don't know for sure.  He handed me my daily list of parcels to deliver, which seemed twice as long as normal.  Or maybe I just wasn't in the mood to work today.  In any case, within a few minutes I was out the door again with the parcel list in hand.

I drove to the first location with a package to pick up.  OK, Sonic, you can do this, don't screw this up.  A knock on the door and a forced friendly greeting later, I had the package loaded in the trunk of my car.  Off I went to the recipient on the other side of downtown, fighting surface-street traffic the whole way, which naturally added to my stress.  OK, that's one down, 38 to go.  As the hours ticked by, I could feel my mood sliding, and by the time I got to the last few deliveries I didn't even bother to say anything.  I know I should've cared, but I didn't.  I should probably quit this job and look for something else, but I don't know what else I'm remotely suited for.  I guess I'm just frustrated that my life didn't turn out anything like I planned.

By the end of the day, you could've slapped me in the face and not disturbed me from my trance.  I opened my front door to find the house messy, as always.  The trash can was overflowing and there were dishes in the sink from three days ago, and I couldn't even tell you the last time I ran a load of laundry.  I plopped myself down on the couch with a can of soda and whatever I could scrounge up in the fridge.  Maybe some TV will take my mind off work.  But as luck would have it, on came a TV commercial advertising the courier service I work for.  I swear, the powers that be are mocking me.  I flipped through channels and finally found something I could at least tolerate, and just let myself zone out.  I don't even remember falling asleep.

---

May 27, 2011
<Tails' POV>
Hey, soul sister, ain't that Mr. Mister on the radio, stereo, the way you move ain't fair, you know...
I opened my eyes and sat up in bed.  Shutting off my alarm clock radio, I looked out the window.  The bright sunlight on my face told me one thing: it was gonna be a good day.  I stood up, yawned and stretched, and walked off to the bathroom.  A quick shower and a bowl of cereal later, I was on my way to work.

Arriving at work a short time later, I unlocked the overhead garage door with my keys and I headed inside.  Miles Ahead Auto Repair is open for another day of business.  Keeping my customers happy is my number-one priority, 'cause a business is only as good as its least-satisfied customer.  And sure enough, it wasn't ten minutes after I arrived that the phone started ringing.  "Hello, Miles Ahead Auto Repair, Tails speaking..."  It turned out to be Patrick, this really nice rabbit guy who's been a customer of mine for years, and he was just dropping off his car for another oil change.  I've never asked him what he does for a living, but he's gotta have some kind of driving job, 'cause he's here seemingly every four weeks with another 3,000 miles on his car.  He arrived a few minutes later with the car, and said he'd be back later to pick it up.  In the past, I would have offered him a ride to wherever it was he needed to go, but now I automatically know his wife would be here shortly to pick him up.  Elevating the front of the car slightly with some jacks, I slid underneath on my mechanic's creeper.  These things obviously weren't designed for those of us with big bushy tails (I've gotten a tail caught in the wheels once...that hurt big time), but I made do.

Finishing the oil change, I stood up and saw a human I'd never seen before, definitely not one of my regular customers.  I apologized for not noticing him sooner, and he said he'd just arrived anyway.  He looked like he'd been sweating profusely, a lot more than the weather outside would suggest, and he explained that he had to push his truck several blocks to the shop.  Apparently it'd been having multiple problems in recent months and today the transmission simply gave out, which, given the truck's age and rough shape, didn't surprise me.  I told him he may have to leave the truck overnight depending on the severity of the problem, and he said that he'd pay any amount just to have it done as soon as possible.  So I dropped everything else I was working on and took to the truck.  Opening up the hood, I took a look inside and realized just how bad the problem was.  This is gonna take me a while...  But I eventually did get it done, even though it took me the rest of the day.

By the end of the day, I was covered head to toe in automotive grease and grime.  If you'd never seen me before in your life, you never would've guessed my fur color was normally a vibrant tangerine.  But hey, that's what I get from an honest day's work.  It's a badge of honor for all the hard work and self-sacrifice I've made over time, and I wear it proudly.  As I closed up shop and headed out back to retrieve my own car, I couldn't help but glance at my project car, the one I've been working on, piecemeal, for the past few years.  Finding parts for this thing has been a challenge like no other, but soon enough, that restored '57 Chevy Bel Air will be mine.

The only disadvantage of having my own auto shop like this is that it leaves me so tired at the end of the day, and I rarely have the energy to do much of anything after that.  More often than I'd care to admit, the only thing that stands between me and a deep slumber is a pumice-soap scrub-down in the bathtub.  That's probably why the closest thing I have to friends are my regular customers.  It'd be nice to just relax and take a break from it all sometime and actually enjoy life.

---

September 2, 2011
<Knuckles' POV>
I opened my eyes and stared up at the ceiling for a moment before glancing at my bedside clock.  Five-fifteen in the morning.  It's a wonder why I even bought this clock -- my body just wants to wake itself up at the crack of dawn.  It's what years of self-discipline does to you.  After a shower, I laid down a meditation mat in front of my bedroom window and spent some time there, watching the sun rise.  Normally I prefer my meditation in darkness to better isolate myself from the world, but I've been feeling troubled lately for some inexplicable reason and I find solace in the consistency of a sunrise.

In my opinion, the key to having sound mind is to take one's troubles and make something productive out of them, and having sound body means giving it the energy to do so.  That's why my breakfast each morning consists of only a small bowl of rice and a glass of chilled rice wine.  After having consumed that, I started walking from my house in the suburbs (complete with a Zen garden out back that I arranged myself) to my mixed-martial-arts dojo in town, several miles away.  Light foot traffic allowed me to get to work a little earlier than normal today, which left me with even more time to practice the techniques I'd be teaching that day.  After all, nothing looks worse for a martial arts master than to be ill-prepared for a lesson.

Time must've slipped away from me, though, because it wasn't long at all before the students for my morning beginner judo class started trickling in.  (I chose judo, the "gentlest" of the martial arts, for the morning class because these beginners aren't yet disciplined enough for something more hardcore at this time of day.)  Once everyone was present, I began my instruction, continuing my explanation/demonstration of proper defensive stance that I started last time.  The students, a mix of human and non-human, emulated as best as they could.  (I can always tell which ones are the beginners because they've got that naive eagerness in their eyes.  It reminds me a little bit of myself when I first adopted this lifestyle years ago.)  Years of teaching have taught me that humans tend to be less agile than their non-human counterparts, which can be mildly frustrating at times, but I realize that I have to work with what I've got, not what I wish I had.  Besides, it's through no fault of their own.

Once the class finished several hours later, I took a short break to allow my mind to switch gears.  Discipline may be a common point among all martial arts, but the mindset one needs to approach them, isn't.  Shortly thereafter began my afternoon taekwondo class, which really energizes me not just because of the different fighting style, but also because these students are much more experienced.  Today's lesson was about how to execute a head kick to deliver the most possible impact.  The naive eagerness of beginners was gone from these students; all you could see in their eyes was unwavering, focused attention.

By the end of the day I was completely exhausted but if you looked at me you'd never know.  I almost didn't feel like walking back home, to be honest.  Usually I'm not that tired, and I think it's because of that latent trouble in my mind.  But I did get home eventually, to a neat and tidy house, as always (a cluttered house indicates a cluttered mind).  I like to unwind by reading the daily newspaper, so I sat down on my couch with paper in hand and read the day's news.  On the front page was a big article about the upcoming presidential election.  I rolled my eyes.  I never cared much for politics because I think it's too superficial, too polarizing, and too focused on the here-and-now.  So I flipped to the back page for the weather: clear and sunny skies the next few days, but there's a big thunderstorm looming off the coast that looks like it's heading our way.

As the sun set, I headed into my bedroom and picked up the kung-fu novel on my nightstand that I've been reading as of late.  I knocked out a chapter or two before getting on my knees for a nightly prayer and then going to bed.

---

November 18, 2011
<Amy's POV>
*BEEP BEEP BEEP*
Hmm, morning already?  I opened my eyes and sat up.  Sitting on the edge of my bed for a minute to wipe the sleep from my eyes, I remembered, Today is a new day.  A new day means new opportunities.  I walked over to my computer and turned it on.  Please let there be good news...  I got laid off from my job as a secretary eight months ago, and there hasn't been a day since then when I haven't been searching for work.  Yesterday alone I submitted over two dozen job applications, both online and in person.  With luck, I'll get a response of some kind.  But when I logged into my email account, it was empty.  Bummer.

I looked up at my calendar and felt a glimmer of hope when I saw today's date circled in red -- I had an interview at noon for a receptionist position at a prestigious law firm downtown.  Wanting to clear my mind of the pre-interview jitters, I drew a bathtub of warm water and soaked in it for a while, then got dressed in a pantsuit I haven't worn in years.  Good thing it still fit.  As I looked at myself in the mirror, I thought, You can do this, Amy.  Just keep a positive attitude and that job will be yours.

I arrived at the firm thirty minutes before the interview (first impressions start with how prompt you are to the interview, after all), with that same can-do message repeating in my head.  But when I checked in and explained my business for being there, I was instructed to wait in a room with the other applicants, and my face fell upon discovering dozens of other women, human and non-human, vying for the same position.  It took an hour and a half just to be called into the interview, and based on the tone of his voice and the type of questions he asked, it was obvious that the interviewer was tired of interviewing applicants by the time it was my turn.  But I remained friendly, polite and professional -- no sense in not giving this interview my all.

I left the building, not quite sure of how well I did, and looked around for some place to eat.  I wasn't familiar with this side of town, but fortunately there was a shopping mall a few blocks away with a food court.  As I nibbled on some shrimp fried rice, I kept thinking about my search for work and how fruitless it's been.  This was my first interview at all in four weeks, and the most appealing one since June.  When did it get so hard to find a job?  Where did all these other people come from?  It took me only a few weeks to find my last job...it couldn't be something I'm not doing right this time, is it?  As the questions swirled around in my mind, the world seemed to fade from view as I began to lose hope in finding work.  It took a janitor, who was wiping down tables in the food court, to bring me to my senses again.

I headed home and checked my answering machine for messages.  It was too soon to have heard any response about my interview today, but maybe there was a response from some other job I'd applied for recently.  Nothing there, so I checked my email.  Maybe I'm being a little too impatient, but hey, if you were in my shoes you'd understand.  Lo and behold, there was a job-related email in my inbox.  I quickly opened it, hoping it was a request for an interview.

We have reviewed the details of your application, Ms. Amy Rose, and despite your qualifications, we have found other candidates that more closely meet our needs at this time.

My heart felt like someone had ripped it out of my chest and stomped it on the floor.

Before long, I was sitting on the couch in my underwear, eating ice cream out of the carton, mindlessly watching TV.  Do what you want with me, world...I just don't care anymore.  Suddenly the evening news came on, with triumphant fanfare.  The top story tonight was on the results of today's presidential election.  The evening news has been talking about nothing but politics for months now, and I was glad to see it was finally over.  I took a small bit of comfort in remembering that politicians have to work hard at securing a job too (or at least, the honest ones do).  In a surprising upset, a dark-horse candidate, a human named Dr. Ivo Robotnik, surged in the polls at the last minute and won the election by fractions of a percentage point.  I've never been interested in politics, but maybe this unknown guy will make a few changes for the better in government.  Maybe make it easier for people like me to find work.

After a little bit more TV watching, I peeled myself off the couch and put on my favorite pair of pajamas, these cute pink ones with red stripes going down the sides and little hearts on the legs and belly that I got as a gift last year.  I checked my email one more time -- nothing there, of course -- and climbed into bed.