The Truth: A Sophitz Story

Chapter I

"Should we start?" Fitz said, jolting Sophie out of thought. They were in Sophie's bedroom at the headquarters of the Black Swan. Mr. Forkle had assigned them three different secrets to tell each other as part of their Cognate training. To become Cognates, they had to have complete trust in each other, and so that meant no secrets.

Sophie found this nerve-racking because of her one big secret: That she liked Fitz. So during these secret sharing sessions, she always found herself searching for smaller, less embarrassing secrets.

"Yep, I'm ready," Sophie replied, and she opened her mind to Fitz's thoughts. She found his emotional center and left part of her consciousness there, feeling Fitz sweep his thoughts into her mind.

"You first?" He transmitted.

"Um… sure?" Sophie replied. She thought she knew where he was going with this, and she didn't like it.

"Good, because there is that one secret that you still have to tell me," He said, smiling.

Sophie's skin felt clammy and cold. There would be no Keefe butting in to save her this time. Oh, God. She was panicking

"Y-yes. I'm ready. Okay. Here we go. Fitz. I- That is, I'm- I-"

"Sophie, relax," Fitz said, sending her calming thoughts. "Fitz, I'm just afraid if I tell you this you'll hate me or think I'm, I don't know…" She transmitted, panicky.

"Sophie. Nothing you could ever say would make me hate you. Please, just tell me. Would it help if we did it on the count of three?"

'Yes, okay. Fitz, please promise me you won't hate me?" She asked, desperate.

"Sophie, of course I promise. Just tell the truth and it will be fine. Just the simple truth. Let's do this now." Sophie could feel dread seeping into the pit of her stomach.

"One… Two… Three!"

"The truth is… well… FitzIlikeyou!" Sophie blurted out. "As more than a friend, that is," She added softly, hearing her thoughts echoing through his suddenly silent mind and terrified of his reaction.

She could tell in his emotional centre that he was feeling shocked and surprised, but was that… happiness? And hope?

"Sophie, thank you for telling me this. But… well…"

Sophie stared up at him, fearing what he was about to say.

"I have to go," He blurted, and dashed from the room.

Sophie was left sitting alone on her bed. She flopped backwards and stared at the flowers twining along the canopy as her eyes welled up with tears and then ran over. She didn't know what to do. Was it good shocked or bad shock, what he had been feeling back there, and would he tell Keefe? Sophie wasn't sure if she could endure the teasing Keefe would lay on her and Fitz. Well, maybe not. He had never really laughed when he called them Sophitz. She sighed, and closing her eyes, dozed off with her dreams filled with worries.

Needless to say, dinner was awful. The food was good-purple leaves tasting like chicken and yellow tubers that were a strange yet delicious cross between bananas and blueberries- But the atmosphere hanging over the table was suffocating.

Keefe, who had spent the past two days in his room, only coming out for meals, ate his dinner as fast as possible before heading upstairs.

Fitz, whom every time she looked up from her plate was staring at her, would blush and look away as Sophie turned beet red.

And poor Biana was caught up in the middle. She was staring between Sophie and Fitz, a quizzical and worried expression on her face.

Sophie couldn't take holding in what had happened that afternoon between her and Fitz. On her way upstairs, she brushed past Biana and whispered "Come up to my room when you're done, okay?"

She rushed back up the stairs, accidentally knocking over a shrub sitting in a pot on the landing. She righted it, blushing deeply as she saw Fitz, staring, slip into his room.

She threw open the door to her room to find Biana, already there, sitting on her bed.

"Biana? How did you get up here? I didn't see you."

"I'm a Vanisher, Sophie. But that's not the point." Nervously, Biana tucked a lock of her dark hair behind one ear.

"Oh right. I wanted to talk, and um… nope, that's it." Sophie said awkwardly.

"Oh, okay," Biana replied. "But…" she added as an apparent afterthought, " My price is a makeover!" Biana smiled. "Please?"

"Ugh. Fine,' Sophie replied, disgruntled

"Yay!" Biana squealed, and she rushed away, yelling something about getting the stuff. She returned within moments, panting and clutching compacts, brushes, and bottles in her overflowing arms. She dumped everything on the bed and then turned to Sophie.

"So. What kind of a look are we going for here? Casual, glitzy…. Formal?" She added hopefully.

Sophie sighed. "Formal it is."

Biana clapped her delicate hands together. "Oh, yay! And I have the perfect dress you can borrow. It's red." She rushed off to get it, laying it over the side of Sophie's bed.

"Turn around," She ordered. "I'm going to do your hair now."

Sophie reluctantly turned, and winced as Biana started tugging her hair into what she assumed was an up-do.

"So," Biana said. "What did you want to talk about before?" She asked carefully.

"Boys." Sophie responded, smiling at the overjoyed gasp that escaped Biana's lips.

"You never want to talk about boys! What happened? Do you like someone?"

"Well…" Sophie replied, "Yes. I like Fitz."

Biana was silent.

"I know that he's your brother, and that would be weird, but I like him. Sorry, um…"

"Sophie, I'm not mad, but you're right, it's strange. Well, I don't care if he's my brother. You belong together!" Biana said, making Sophie smile. "You really think so?" She replied. "Well, I like him but I don't know if he likes me. Not anymore that is- Ow!" Sophie yelped, as with a particularly painful tug Biana announced her up-do finished.

"Anyway, as I was saying, I'm not sure if he likes me at all anymore, because during our Cognate training… I had to tell him that I liked him."

"Oh, Sophie!" Biana said, as she maneuvered around to Sophie's front with several compacts and started attacking her face. "That must have been so hard! What was his reaction?"

"I-I don't know. He ran out of the room after I told him," Sophie said miserably.

"WHAT?!" Biana yelled. "Remind me to punch him later! Oh, and drink this and this and this. For your skin. I'm done, by the way. Here's your dress." Biana handed it to her. It was full length, with a skirt that flared out when she twirled. A v-neck and floaty quarter-length sleeves completed the look, and the whole dress shimmed when she moved. Sophie slipped it over her head, feeling the smooth fabric settle on her body like water, and did a small twirl. "Oh, Sophie!" Biana gasped. "You look amazing!" Sophie blushed. "Really? Thanks. Oh, I don't have a mirror in here, can I use yours?"

"Of course!" Biana said, and they walked out together.

Sophie and Biana were about two steps out of her room when Biana halted them. "I haven't given myself a makeover!" She said in shock. "And we have to be together when we see ourselves! Give me a minute," And she rushed back indoors. Sophie was about to follow, when she saw something move. She turned around and there was Fitz, staring at her in awe. "Hey, Biana?" She called. "I'll be just a minute."

'That's fine," She heard the reply. "This could take awhile."

Sophie turned back to face Fitz. 'Um, hi, Sophie," He whispered. "You look… beautiful." She blushed a deep cherry red that might have matched her dress.

"Sophie, could I, um, talk to you out here?" Fitz asked, gesturing to a door that opened into a large rooftop garden, where silvery moonlight filtered through trees full of white blossoms.

"Of course," Sophie replied. Fitz opened the door and motioned her through. As they walked towards a large tree in the center, he began talking.

"First, Sophie, I would like to apologize for how I acted when you told me… well, you know. I was just so shocked, but I know that's no excuse. So I'm really very sorry about that.

"Fitz, that's fine," Sophie said. "I would have been just as shocked if you had told me the same thing." They had reached the tree now, and soft heart-shaped petals rained down upon them like snow. Fitz turned to face her, grabbing a hold of both her hands and twining his fingers in hers.

"No Sophie, it's not fine especially since I want to tell you now… Sophie, I feel the same way." Sophie's heart fluttered. She felt like she was floating. 'Fitz? That's the truth?"

"Yes, Sophie," he said softly, leaning down so close she could see the full moon in his shimmering teal eyes.

"The truth." He murmured, and then he closed the distance between them and his lips were on hers and they were every bit as soft and gentle as she had thought they would be. When they finally broke apart, they stood gazing into each other's eyes for what seemed like it should have been forever, but was really only a moment. Then, holding hands, they started back towards the house.