Shadows POV

Maria and I were walking into the laboratory after she gave me a tour of the ARK. We walked in talking and giggling at the weird joke Maria had made. I didn't understand but laughed anyway. Professor Gerald came over to us and crossed his arms.

"Where were you? Both of you for that matter," he said in a serious and unhappy tone. Maria and I looked up to him and smiled like little angels.

"I was showing Shadow around the ARK grandpa," Maria said with the innocent looking smile still plastered on her face.

The Professor gave a grunt and a skeptical look before turning around and heading back to his work. I gave a huff and looked over to Maria. She still had the smile on her face and a slight look of amusement in her eyes. I giggled at her look. She faced me and said, "What you laughing at buster?"

I eased my laughing and replied with a smirk, "Nothin' "

She gave a pouty face and crossed her arms pretending to be offended. She failed horribly and started to giggle that made me laugh along with her.

"Shadow, I need you over here so you can get a check up," the Professor said/yelled from a table that was next to him as he wrote something down on a piece of paper.

"Your check up shouldn't take to long. So I'll be waiting outside in the hall for you Shads, Maria said to me before she turned around and walked out the door.

' 'Shads?' ' I thought.

I smiled at the nickname I was given. But that smile didn't last long as the Professor yelled at me for just standing there instead of coming over to get my check up. I quickly walk over not wanting to get yelled at again and sat on the metal table.

---Time Skip---

They had been checking me for about an hour or so now and I was tired of being poked at and asked questions.

'So much not taking that long...'

"You can go now Shadow," one of the scientists said while writing something on their clipboard.

I gave a sigh/groan of relief and annoyance and jumped off the table. I walked over to the door to leave and as the door opened, I saw Maria leaning against the wall opposite of the doorway. I smiled lightly and went up to her and saw that her eyes were closed. I smiled more and gently shook her. Her eyes snapped open before they squeezed shut again. She slowly blinked her eyes and lifted her head. She had a smile on her face once more when she saw me in front of her.

"About time," she said.

"You seem tired," I replied softly.

Maria let out a small chuckle like huff and stretched her arms back. "You wanna come stay in my room. I have an extra bed, closet, and dresser for you. And all the cloths would be there already."

I thought about her offering. Once I made my decision, I said, "Sure."

Maria smiled lightly before taking my wrist and starting to lead the way to her room.

---Time Skip---

We had walked down a few corridors before we made it to Maria's room. We walked in and I took a look around.

She had two beds that faced each other on opposite sides of the room. Her side was easy to tell because she had a blue bed spread on her bed while the other had plain gray. There were mirrors next to each of the beds on the far side of the room and next to them was a dresser each.

I walked farther into the room and sat on the edge of my bed. I look over at Maria's side to see a desk near her dresser with a lamp on it. On the desk looked to be some papers with colors that formed some figures of some sort.

"Nice room," I said as Maria went to her dresser and pulled out some pj's to wear. She sets her pjs on her bed before going over to mine. I watch her and notice the drawings that were on her walls. While I admired them, Maria got me some of my own pj's out and set them on the bed next to me.

I look at her and give her a small 'Thanks' before taking my cloths and going to the bathroom to change.

Once me and Maria get our pjs on we tuck ourselves in and Maria turns off the light.

"Night Shadow," I hear Maria whisper to me through the darkness.

"Night Maria," I say more quietly as to not disturb her rest.

I lay on my back and look up to the ceiling. After a while of staring up, I slowly start to close my eyes for some rest and into the land of dreamless slumber...