Hey Guys! Guess who got a real grown-up job as a music teacher! I'm excited, anyway.

What this means for you, however: well, you can already see how little I can update. Two jobs and tutoring on top of everything else means no time to write and even less to read. I'm sorry I'll be even less able to read your stories, but I hope you'll still find time to read mine! I'm definitely not giving up. Send me a review or PM with a personal ask if you want some constructive criticism, and I'll squeeze it in; and as always, every review you leave helps me write faster!

For now, I'm here with a lovely soulmate AU! So, I was inspired to write this after reading a lovely Percabeth soulmate story (like, 6 months ago, otherwise known as the last time I had time to browse an archive) where the first color you saw was your soulmate's eyes, and while I'd love to do one of those for Sophitz, this one just wanted to be written first. I guess they're human in this, and I think they understand (and speak, possibly) their language instinctively, even though they can't hear it.

Don't ever let anyone tell you that math is the worst part of school. Math is quiet and logical; and if you work hard enough on it you can get it. No, the worst part of school is is walking by the band room. You see, the only people who are in band are those who have already found their soulmates. It's just a big mishmosh of people "being together" and hearing things. It's positively disgusting.

Well, it seems so when you haven't found your soulmate, anyway.

Sophie wrinkled her nose as they walked by a large group of band kids on the way to orientation. She'd just moved, and it was her first day at Dex's school, but it was still school, still the same.

"Hey watch it!" Dex, Sophie's cousin, made angry signs as two of the band kids, murmuring to each other, walked right into him.

"Stupid lovebirds." He jerked his fingers as he signed. "They have no excuse for walking into me. They can hear me coming!"

"And you can see," Sophie pointed out. Dex only scoffed. He had his nose in his newest invention, and wasn't paying much attention to the world around him.

Dex loved gadgets. His latest triumph was a device that translated speech into writing and displayed it holographically. It still had a few bugs to work out, though, and he spent nearly all his time on it.

A gentle touch on her shoulder made Sophie turn.

"Sophie!" Linh signed, although her mouth moved, too. Sophie and Dex, unlike most kids, didn't bother speaking aloud as well as signing. They didn't need to and they didn't want to give into society that way. Well, Dex didn't anyway.

With Tam and Linh, though, it was different. Tam and Linh had always been able to hear. That was because they were both twins and soulmates- platonic soulmates, of course. It was an extremely rare phenomenon, and made them stand out from the other kids a lot- even among the hearing. So they hung out with Dex, the other misfit. Sophie liked them, and since being Dex's cousin was social suicide already, she didn't care that they would probably be her only friends.

The foursome made their way to the atrium, where large screens were set up around the room so students could read the principal's address. Sophie tried not to get too embarrassed when her picture flashed up on the screen, along with instructions for the other students to be kind and friendly, and a spotlight found her in the crowd.

It was a relief to finally go to class. She was dwelling on the horribleness that had been orientation, and didn't realize Dex was talking to her until he was nearly finished.

Sophie frowned. "What?"

Dex rolled his eyes. "Spaced out again, did you?"

Sophie made a hand gesture that was sort of the equivalent of I dunno. She had a photographic memory, and usually could get away wth spacing out. This time, though, she was drawing a blank on what he'd said.

"Sorry, what were you saying?" Sophie signed.

"Just that everyone will forget about you soon enough," he said.

"Gee, thanks."

"You know what I mean." Dex flexed his fingers exasperatedly. "Here's your first class."

At lunch, Sophie picked her way through the cafeteria toward Dex. She tried to ignore the curious looks, but when one boy glanced up, she stumbled. His eyes were a striking teal that made her heart skip a beat. He smiled, and she forgot how to walk.

Dex appeared at her elbow, yanking her (literally) back into the moment. He steered her through the line, and she tried her best to navigate the unrecognizable food choices. They'd plopped down at an empty table and started eating by the time Linh and Tam arrived.

Linh had a folder of music under her arm. Somehow, she was balancing her lunch tray and the music, but Sophie still felt a pang in her stomach that wasn't totally from the gross food. Of course, she shouldn't have been surprised that Tam and Linh were in the band, but it still hurt a little.

"Can you believe they called an emergency rehearsal for this afternoon?" Tam complained. "Too many of those moony kids didn't practice, and we're way behind for our next concert. We'll be stuck in there who knows how long." He wrinkled his nose, but Sophie had a hard time feeling sorry for him. Boo hoo for having to spend an extra afternoon making beautiful sounds.

"We'll wait for you," Dex said.

Linh pulled a reed from her mouth and placed it in her case. You don't have to, she spoke aloud, annunciating carefully so they could read her lips.

"Nah," Dex waved. "It'll be fine. I can finish showing Sophie the ropes. Plus, then I can use the tech lab undisturbed. I need some of the equipment for my invention."

"You're allowed to do that?" Sophie tilted her head in surprise.

Dex smirked. "Well, they've never said no."

That was how Sophie found herself sitting alone on a bench in the hall long after school was out. Dex had shown her around as promised, but his heart was in the tech lab, and she'd let him go. She watched for a while, but it was too confusing to follow her cousin's mind and fingers, so she'd gone out to wait.

She was texting her parents to let them know what was going on when a tall blond boy walked up to her bench.

Hey new girl Sophie, I'm Keefe, rhymes with thief, he said. At least, that's what Sophie thought he said. He'd spoken aloud, without signing, and was holding out his hand as if he wanted her to shake it.

Sophie blinked at it. "Do you always introduce yourself that way?" she asked, signing pointedly, lips pursed.

Keefe shrugged. "You never know when you're going to meet the one." He winked, rather flirtatiously for someone who'd just found out he was definitely not talking to his soulmate, Sophie thought.

She raised an eyebrow. "So, what are you doing here after hours?"

"I'm waiting for my friend. He's with his little sister in a remedial studies class." Keefe nodded down the hall in the same direction as the band room. "But I could ask you the same thing.

Sophie was torn between asking what remedial studies was and knowing it was really none of her business. She went with ignoring that part. "I'm waiting for Tam, Linh, and Dex."

Keefe rolled his eyes. "You've been captured by the l-a-m-e-o-s?" He finger spelled the word.

"That's not a word, and Dex is my cousin."

"AH! Social doom!" Keefe ejaculated, which is hard to do with your hands. "Well, never fear, I will save you. You are now one of the cool kids." He plopped down on the bench beside her and draped an arm over her shoulder.

Sophie, feeling a slight burst of panic bloom in her chest from the unwanted contact, tried to shrug away, but Keefe's arm was heavy. Desperate to get his hands away from her, she asked the first thing that came to her mind.

"What's remedial studies?"

Keefe removed his limb slowly and reluctantly. "Biana's deaf," he explained. "She has special classes to help her adjust to that."

"We're all deaf." Sophie gave him a flat look.

"No." Keefe twitched his head. "I mean she's physiologically deaf. Permanently deaf."

"You mean…" Sophie let that sink in. "She'll never hear her soulmate's voice?"

Keefe didn't answer. They sat in stillness for several minutes, until the hall vibrated with the clatter of feet.

"There's the band kids," Keefe guessed. "Fitz and Biana should be with them."

"F-I…" Sophie started to ask a question, but her hands froze midway through spelling. Blood rushed through her head, and then her heart stopped.

A deep throated laugh echoed through the hallway. A beautiful, strong sound.

It wasn't at all what Sophie had imagined. It was so much more than she ever could have dreamed. A rolling chuckle that penetrated to her very soul and exploded into tingles from head to toe. Her blood boiled, jumpstarting her heart again with a painful, glorious jolt.

No, the voice said- it was using words now! I haven't seen that one, but I'll definitely check it out.

The group rounded the corner. Sophie scanned the faces desperately, trying to identify the speaker. Suddenly, her eyes collided with two familiar, laughing teal orbs. The chuckle died away, as the teal eyes met hers, and the laughter left them, replaced with a searching intensity that turned her stomach to jelly.

Beside her, Keefe was shaking her arm, signing her name. Finally, he waved a hand in front of her face. "Foster! Hey!" he signed, and she finally looked toward him.

"Sorry, just spaced out," she said, moving her hands carefully to avoid the dizziness still buzzing through her mind.

"Yeah, right. Anyway, I want you to meet my friends, Fitz and Biana."

The kids had reached the bench by now. Most slapped their friends on the back and kept walking, but Tam, Linh, the teal-eyed boy, and a girl who had to be his sister stopped.

"Hey guys, this is my new friend, Sophie," Keefe addressed the strangers.

Hello, Sophie. The way the boy - Fitz - spoke the word made Sophie melt all over again. He seemed to have a slight accent, based on his mouth movements, but Sophie barely registered it in that first glorious moment.

Biana waved, snapping Sophie to the present. She waved back, then signed to Fitz "What was your name again?"

Fitz's smile was only slightly less dazzling than the beautiful laugh that parted it. Fitz. He finger spelled it, but Sophie just replayed the sound over and over. This, she decided, must be what music sounded like. "I know it's unusual," Fitz was saying. "But I'm stuck with it now."

Just then, Dex came barreling out of the tech lab. "Sorry Sophie," he began as soon as he had her attention. He nearly plowed into Fitz and Biana before he saw them. Instantly, his fingers stiffened, and he scowled.

"I'm ready to leave whenever," he signed coldly.

Bewildered by the sudden change in her usually cheerful cousin, Sophie stood. "I'd better go," she said. "It was nice to meet you." She managed to smile pleasantly at Biana before following Dex down the hall.

"What was that about?" she asked when they were out of sight.

"F-I-T-Z V-A-C-K-E-R," Dex threw scorn into every letter. "That uppety, too good for this world golden boy. He's everything wrong with society. I'm sorry you had to be stuck with him."

Sophie's heart sank just a tiny bit. Was her soulmate really so shallow and unpleasant? "It wasn't a big deal, Dex, we just said hi. He didn't seem so bad."

"That's where he get's you. He pretends to be so awesome, then stabs you in the back. He even insists on perfecting his dad's posh accent, even though no one can hear it!"

"I don't know…" Sophie had to believe there was more to him than that, she had to.

"Oh! No, no you can't!" Dex stopped short, face filled with outrage and disgust. "You can't like him! It's those stupid eyes. All the girls love them. Please, Sophie, don't be so shallow."

Sophie forced a smile. "I won't," she promised. She'd just have to find out more about him. At least she hadn't spoken to him yet.

Sophie tried to keep her cool over the next few days. She kept running into Fitz, because Keefe had adopted her as promised. He seemed nice, not anything like Dex had said. Perhaps he was a little patronizing, but it seemed more out of awkwardness than snootiness. Biana was rude at first, until Sophie assured her that her deafness didn't matter in the least, and agreed that Keefe had no tact in the matter.

Trouble struck when Fitz introduced himself to Dex. Dex wouldn't acknowledge him, so Sophie stepped in.

"FItz, this is D-E-X," she spelled.

"D-E-D?" Fitz replied in confusion. Dex turned purple.

"No!" Sophie could feel the blush creeping up her cheeks. She carefully respelled.

"Ded? Seriously?" Dex huffed when Fitz had walked away.

"Dex." Sophie sighed. "I might not have been clear. The letters are similar."

"Don't defend him," snapped Dex.

At home, Sophie practiced speaking. It had been months since she'd even tried making the sounds, and it felt alien on her tongue. She stood in front of her mirror for hours, but finally, she knew she'd need to ask for help.

"Mom," she signed, trundling down the stairs to find her mother, Edaline at the bottom, "can you help me? I want to work on my talking."

Edaline gave her daughter a knowing look. "Does this mean…"

"Mom. I just want to practice, you know? For some day."

Edaline dropped it for the present, and followed Sophie to her room. They worked until it was time to make dinner, then Edaline suggested that Sophie talk to her while she was cooking.

"So tell me about the boy," Edaline said, just before thrusting her hands into a bowl of meatloaf mixture.

Sophie choked. "I said…" She remembered to speak and tried again. I said I just wanted practice.

Edaline glanced up so Sophie could see her mouth. Now, all of a sudden?

Sophie moaned. It was getting more natural to use her voice, even without thinking. She hoped she wouldn't slip up and use it in Fitz's hearing until she was sure about him.

Ok, maybe I did meet someone, but I'm not ready to make the commitment yet, Sophie admitted. I mean, it's the rest of my life we're talking about here.

Does he know? Edaline had to stomp on the creaky floor before Sophie looked up to read her lips.

Not yet. I just can't tell him yet.

Edaline smiled sympathetically. She shaped the meat into a loaf and set it on a pan. As she washed her hands, she meet Sophie's eyes seriously. Don't wait too long, Sophie. The longer you keep it from him, the less he'll want to trust you when he does find out.

Sophie played with her hair idly. What was it like with Jolie?

Jolie was Edaline and Grady's first daughter. She'd died in a terrible fire before Sophie was adopted, even before she'd been born, and they rarely mentioned her. But Sophie wanted to know about her, wanted to feel a connection with her not-quite-sister.

Edaline stopped mid-drying. After a long moment, she sighed and hung up the towel. "With Jolie, it was a special case" she began, switching back to sign. "She met her soulmate when she was six years old. They were everything to each other for all that time. But Brant was from a poor family, and they were bullied all their lives for their connection. Jolie never once wavered in her love. It only made it harder when she died."

Edaline was close to tears. Sophie bit her lip, wishing there was something she could say to make it better. There wasn't, though, so she just went for a hug instead, holding her mother as tightly as she could as Edaline clutched her, navigating memories neither of them wanted to relive.

Exactly one week after the fateful meeting, Sophie nearly had a heart attack when a bus honked it's horn in the road, and she heard the sound. She fell back onto the curb, panting. Dex, walking beside her, barely looked up.

"Trip again? Honestly Sophie." He spared his fingers from his invention with obvious reluctance, but helped her up. Sophie tried to stay alert the rest of the way to school, but there she was in for an even bigger shock. A dim roar pervaded her senses as she waded through the packed atrium. She began to realize it was crowd noise just as the principal's address came crackling over the loudspeaker. The sound of the principal's voice was very muted, as if her ears couldn't pick up those frequencies yet. Sophie remembered that you heard in the frequencies of your soulmate's voice first, and once that happened your range quickly expanded. Sophie couldn't hide it for much longer, but she still wasn't sure about Fitz.

She watched him that afternoon. He was patiently helping his sister with her remedial studies homework. She seemed frustrated, and he had so much patience that it touched Sophie's heart. She thought about all the other things she'd noticed in the past week: he was always a perfect gentleman- almost too perfect, as if he was trying extra hard. Not that that was a bad thing, but Dex's suspicions kept nagging in the back of her mind. She heard all about Fitz's weird taste in movies, and even eavesdropped on a conversation about how he'd adopted Keefe when the boy had skipped a grade and been teased too much by the older kids.

It was after school, when she was traipsing through the hall in search of a dropped notebook when she heard her first real music. The sound emanated from a practice room in the band section, and Sophie couldn't help but peek inside. The player had his back to her, but Sophie recognized the instrument- long and brown… a bassoon, she thought. The notes were beautiful, like a cascade of raw emotion. It made her smile, and suddenly she wanted to play that; to make that beautiful sound— music!, too.

The next day, she and Dex were hanging out with the twins. Usually, the twins practicing their music went unnoticed by the cousins, but today, Sophie could just hear the sweet notes. Looking up, she felt drawn to the shining black and silver instruments, sparkling in a ray of afternoon sunlight that shone through the window. She stood and wandered over.

"What instruments are those?" she asked. "They're so beautiful in the sunlight."

Linh smiled. "This is a f-l-u-t-e," she said, after setting it down. "The sound reminds me of water, and it's beautiful."

"Water has a sound?" Sophie tilted her head. She had yet to hear this phenomenon.

Linh laughed, and Sophie caught a snippet of the sound. It sounded just like the flute, she thought.

"Water makes sound when it is flowing, or falling," Linh explained. "You'll understand some day."

Sophie tried to keep the blush from her face, and turned to Tam's sleek black piece. It's silver levers were all the more fascinating for the darkness surrounding them.

Tam rested the bottom of the instrument on his knee, sucking on the top as he signed. "It's a c-l-a-r-i-n-e-t."

"Don't you play something that looks like this, too?" Sophie asked, turning back to Linh.

"I play the english horn, too," Linh explained. "They look very similar, but sound different. It's really hard to describe; sorry Sophie."

"It's ok." Sophie gently traced her finger over the gleaming levers.

"I also play the drums," Tam offered. "Orchestral only, though. Snare and timpani."

"And I play the bells, chimes, and gong," Linh said. "But percussion is mostly boring work."

So many things one person could play, Sophie thought. So many things she was itching to try. She couldn't pretend for much longer.

By the end of two weeks at the new school, Sophie had nearly forgotten the real reason she'd moved, and changed schools. She felt safe and happy here, and only the nightmares reminded her.

She and Dex were at the park, in a secluded grove. The trees made a thick ceiling over them, and a brook bubbled past, making a sound that reminded Sophie of Linh. Keefe, Fitz and Biana were coming to meet them in half an hour, but for now they were just enjoying the fresh air and each other's company. Sophie leaned on Dex's shoulder and breathed contentedly.

The peace was interrupted when three figures in dark clothes burst from the underbrush. Sophie heard them too late, and by the time she was able to react, her arms were pinned behind her.

We only wanted the girl, growled a terrifying voice behind her.

It's too late, the boy's seen us now, another voice answered.

A cloth was pressed to her face. Sophie smelled the sweet scent of chloroform. She kicked and thrashed, but it was no use. The world around her faded away.

When she awoke, she was tied to a chair. Not having the use of her hands was worse than being gagged- which, incidentally, she wasn't.

In her desperation, it took Sophie longer than it should have to figure out where she was. There was a utility shack not far from the grove. It was usually padlocked, but clearly the kidnappers had found their way in.

The door swung open. The man that strode in made Sophie's stomach turn. Burn scars covered his face and hands, the only visible parts of him. The maniacal light in his eyes was enough to send chills down the bravest spine. He smiled at Sophie, stretching the scars horribly.

"Comfortable, dear," he signed with dripping scorn.

"Y-o-u," Sophie flicked, using the one hand that was just free enough to allow fingerspelling. "What do you want?"

"What do I want?" The dark laughter that emanated from the mangled lips made Sophie wish she still couldn't hear, but when his terrible eyes leveled at her, she saw anguish. "Indeed, that is the question."

"Why me?" The two words seemed inadequate to convey all she wanted to ask, but Sophie's hand was tired with the effort of spelling from such a compromised position.

Another black-clad man entered the shack and closed the door. He walked behind Sophie, and she smelled heat- fire, perhaps, drift through the room.

"I want compensation," the scarred man said. "Revenge, if you will."

"R-" Sophie decided not to spell the whole word. "For what? On who?"

"On your parents," snapped the man. "For replacing her."

Replacing? Her? Sophie quelled the panicked confusion and waited.

"You don't know who I am," the man sneered. "I am Brant."

Sophie felt her eyes widen, her jaw drop a little. The reaction pleased him.

"Yes, child." He grinned, and gestured to the scars on his face. "You don't think I wear these for fun, do you?"

"Why have you chased me all this time?" Sophie tried to appear demanding, despite her restraints.

"Because." Brant clenched his fists. "After Jolie died, and left me like this, they just moved on. They replaced her. How could they?!" Brant knocked over a can on a nearby shelf.

The restraints weren't well tied. Sophie began to work her arms free, allowing for slightly more fluid signing. "They didn't just replace her." she insisted. "They mourned her for years. But when they had the chance to save me after I was orphaned, they took it. They did a good thing. I'm sorry about Jolie, but it was a terrible accident that happened long before I was born. It wasn't my fault."

"You look like her!" White-hot rage blazed from Brant's face. "You took her home! She deserved to live, but instead she died so you could pilfer all that was hers! Well, if she couldn't escape the flames, you won't either."

Brant leapt forward, re-tying Sophie's bonds so tightly that her wrists began to bleed. From behind her, the other man emerged, holding a burning stick. As it came into focus, Sophie noticed that it had a center of glowing metal. She began to squirm. Brant grabbed the stick, and leaned over her.

The plan sprang into her head, fully formed of desperation. Sophie didn't know how much time had gone by, or if this would work, but she had to try. Heart pounding, she filled her lungs.

Fitz! she screamed. Fitz, help me! I've been kidnapped! I'm in the shack in the woods. I need help!

The sound of her own voice calmed her, as if it were a promise that she wasn't helpless in their clutches. But there was one tiny detail that Sophie hadn't quite accounted for.

Brant's head snapped up. Shut up! He growled aloud. Shut up shut up! Of course he could hear. He'd spent years with his soulmate before she'd died. He plunged the poker onto her arm. A ragged scream tore from Sophie's lips, grinding her throat. Her body didn't know what to do with that much volume, either producing or hearing it, and she was silenced for a moment.

From a corner behind Sophie, a sudden rustling caught her attention. Dex, despite bound hands, pounced toward their attackers. It was a desperate, last-option move, and he paid for it. Brant swung the poker hard, catching Dex full-force in the stomach. The boy crumpled, his shirt smoldering.

Dex, Sophie gasped, shaken out of her stupor. Fitz! she tried again. I'm sorry! I'm sorry I didn't tell you before, but I was afraid. But I need you now. They're hurting us! Please!

Gag her! Brant howled, but the other man didn't seem to understand. Brant roared in frustration and snatched at the nearest suitable thing. It turned out to be the chloroform-soaked cloth. He shoved it into Sophie's mouth, but she couldn't let herself pass out. She spat it into his face.

Brant's huge, rough hand came at her so suddenly, she hardly knew what hit her. The sting from his slap was only the beginning as he clamped his palm over her face, smothering her completely. The poker burned into her arm again, and this time she couldn't scream at all.

Although Sophie had avoided unconsciousness, she hadn't escaped the chloroform's effects completely. The world seemed to dissipate. She felt as if she were floating through time, on a wave of pain and sickly sweet smells. Her head became light. She couldn't remember what her plan had been, or how long she'd been there.

She felt surprise when the door opened and three figures burst in, but she had no clue whether to feel panic or relief. Distantly, she noticed that Brant and his accomplice were surprised as well. Vaguely, she watched as the three newcomers fought and knocked out the kidnappers. She saw one grab Dex, holding him gently as they untied his hands.

Then, someone was untying her, too. Someone was wrapping strong, gentle arms around her, easing her to the ground, resting her head on their shoulder and burying their face in her hair. Someone was shaking all around her, and she didn't know if it was her trembling or them, if it was from fright or sobs.

After a few minutes, someone started rubbing her back, in slow circles just the way she liked best. Sophie snuggled closer as her head began to clear. She began to be aware of the scent clinging to he rescuer's shirt. She took a sharp breath as recognition flooded her nose.

She looked up, trying to stay close, but needing to see his face. Bright teal eyes stared down at her.

Fitz? she whispered, hardly daring to believe.

Fitz's whole face changed as she spoke the word, and his grip tightened slightly. Sophie, he gasped, and the sound was still the most beautiful thing in the universe.

Fitz, she croaked, suddenly feeling the pain in her throat and on her arms, but focusing on the more pressing issue. I'm so sorry I never told you. I was so scared I…

Sophie. Fitz seemed to be tasting the word in a new way. I understand.

You do?

Fitz smiled. I've suspected for a while. And honestly? It scared me, too. In my family, finding your soulmate is a stressful thing, because they have to measure up.

And… Sophie swallowed, do I?

Fitz engulfed her again, pressing his face back into her hair. You're perfect, he whispered. Perfect for me.

The sound of footsteps on the wooden floor made Sophie stiffen and turn toward the sound. Keefe stood in the doorway, hogtying the kidnappers. He had a smug smile on his face.

You're welcome, he said aloud, making Sophie tilt her head. She extricated her hands from Fitz's lap, wincing as she tried to move her arms. "Thanks." She smiled painfully.

I mean, Keefe continued, pulling out a pocket knife and cutting off the end of the rope he'd used, I was the one who knew there was a utility shack hiding in here.

Sophie rolled her eyes. She knew Keefe was mostly teasing, but there was also a tinge of pain in his voice. After all, he'd really seemed to like her, and now to find out she was his best friend's soulmate? It had to feel like a slap. Still, she couldn't let Fitz's efforts go un-praised.

"Well, thank you. I'm pretty sure Fitz was the one who heard me calling, though." She leaned against Fitz to punctuate her words, and her arm brushed against him. She hissed in pain.

Suddenly, both boys seemed to notice the oozing burns on her arms, the bleeding chafes on her wrists, and the swelling bruises on her face.

Sophie! Fitz was instantly a hovering mess of worry. We've got to get you to a doctor.

Dex too. Sophie twisted toward her cousin. Biana was kneeling over him, a dainty handkerchief pressed over his stomach. It was quickly turning red.

Fitz scooped Sophie up. I'll take you right away.

"Can you move Dex?" Sophie signed to Biana. The girl shrugged, then hoisted the boy awkwardly up, slinging his arm over her shoulder.

They all looked at Keefe. "I'll stay," he said, face a mask. "Keep an eye on these guys until the police get here. You go on."

Fitz smiled in thanks. He snuggled Sophie closer and turned to go. Biana kicked Dex's shins in an effort to get him walking. The boy gasped silently and lurched awake, starting so that his eyes met Biana's. They regarded each other for a long second.

"Ok, ok," Keefe grumbled, shoving them out the door.

Sophie felt lightheaded but happy as she rested on her pillows. It was a week since the kidnapping, and life had shifted into a pleasant rhythm. She'd been lucky enough to have no permanent damage from the attack. Fitz came by every day to talk to her, and Biana brought news of Dex, who she visited almost as often.

Feeling well this morning? Edaline came into Sophie's room, holding a tray of breakfast. She opened the blinds, letting the warm morning light stream in the window.

Yes, mom. Sophie smiled. Even though her hands were healed by now, Sophie had gotten used to speaking aloud more than signing in the last week.

I'm so glad you and Fitz have worked everything out, Edaline said. She set the tray down.

MOM. Sophie blushed. Not everything. But we're figuring it out.

And you're happy? Edaline sat down and smoothed the blankets.

And I'm happy.

Sophie had scarcely eaten her breakfast when the door burst open. Fitz burst in, dreadfully out of breath.

Sophie! he shrieked.

Sophie looked up in alarm. Fitz? What's wrong?

He collapsed on the bed, gasping. Sound- cat- meow- hiss- HEARD!

It took Sophie a minute to decipher the fragments, squashed as they were between wheezes.

You heard a cat meowing? And hissing?

Fitz nodded, speechless but beaming.

Isn't it magical? Sophie felt a warm feeling of pride and joy swelling inside her.

Yes! Fitz laughed. But you know what's even more magical?

His teal eyes bored into her brown ones. They seemed to embody his beautiful accent, as if the accent itself was that perfect teal color. Her very soul melted and her mouth went dry, knowing exactly what he was going to say. Knowing, because she felt it, too.

Your voice.