-*Author's Note*-

~4Ever-Foxfire

Hey, everyone! IT'S FINALLY HERE! My new(first) story! I can't wait to tell you guys how excited I am about this fanfic. Are you excited? No? Well, I surely am!

So... I'm sorry, so this is addressed to you if you are shipping someone. The thing is, I don't do ships. Not at all. I guess I want to focus on the plot more than the characters' love relationships, and, well, ahem*coughs* I might kind of want all the boys to like Sophie a bit, at least a little. I mean, I JUST CAN'T SERIOUSLY IMAGINE HOW A BOY COULD CHOOSE SOMEONE OVER OUR WONDERFUL, BEAUTIFUL SOPHIE?! I do think that, with Sophie's crush on Fitz and the way Keefe so obviously likes Sophie like Biana likes Keefe, I wouldn't hate it if Shannon Messenger decides to choose girlfriend-boyfriend relationships. BUT I don't like the way Fitz stares at Linh every time she uses her amazing powers. I like Linh, but, well, OH FITZ WHY DON'T YOU HAVE SOME SENSE AND GET TO LIKE SOPHIE?!

O-okay,*laughs nervously* Sorry for that outburst. Well, you get the point. I don't really think the kissy-kissy thing if my type, and I definitely don't need Dex choosing Biana over Sophie or all the things that mean that Sophie is chosen over, like, when the story isn't even done yet. So if you're not looking for what my fanfic has to offer, you don't need to read my fanfic.

In this fanfic, the time setting is when Sophie and her friends are residing in the Silver Towers in their later Foxfire years...

Anyway, if I'm correct we really need to get this story going- so, INTRODUCING...

Prologue - FLASHBACK

"Yes!" He shouted as he held up the corked bottle. "Finally, the seurm. It's done."

"What is?" His assistant asked as he walked out of the side room.

He scowled. "Useless apprentice. Don't you see that this is the very solution to our problems?" He took a step forward and held the bottle up to the light. It shone with bright red firelight. "We don't need some upstart Neverseen to help us! This will be our ultimate goal."

His assistant gasped.

He scowled once again.

"What do you mean?" His assistant whispered, his eyes fixed on the glowing bottle.

"The Solution To All Problems." He said softly, his lips curling into a wicked smile. "The Council thinks that we do not know of its intentions. They think that we are... blind." He smiled again. "Who's the blind one, now? Eh?"

The assistant nodded. But then he frowned."What side?"

"You are even more dimwitted than I thought." He scowled yet again. "This will make sure that they will fail."

"Really?" His assistant glanced doubtfully at the fiery bottle.

"Yes. Really." His lips once again curled into an insane smile. "Behold the firelight."

-1-

"Sophie?" It was dawn when Sophie heard someone calling her. Rubbing her eyes, she stumbled out of bed and found herself face to face with her roommate.

"Ahh!" Sophie gasped, sliding onto the bed again. "Laieen! Why are you in here? Or- is it- how did you know-"

"Why?" Laieen smirked as she plopped down beside Sophie. "How did I know your passcode? Is that it?"

"B-but Rester had it made so that-"

"So that nobody could break through! Though, of course, you wouldn't be surprised if I... you know..."

Sophie gasped. "Laieen! Pryokinetics? Seriously? Or- or Technopath powers-"

Her roommate grinned. She was just about the only elf Sophie knew that had more than two different abilities, besides herself. "No," she answered proudly, "It turns out, Phasers do have cool stuff to do."

"Phasers?" Sophie asked. "I guess I should ask Rester to fix that, too." Rester was the expert Technopath in the year above them. He was just about the most powerful Technopath Sophie knew.

Well, except for Dex Dizznee.

Don't think about Dex! Sophie shook her head, trying to erase all the bad memories that instantly formed in her head. This isn't the time for stupid childhood differences. "So, what's new?" The feeling of fury as they fought once again...

Laieen laughed. In the early dawn light, her fire red hair gave a mysterious aura hanging around it. Her dark aqua eyes sparkled. "I brought news for you." She announced. "Our lovely Head decided that the Silver Towers' tests should be taken earlier." The feeling of horror as the news sank in...

"Nooo." Sophie moaned, hiding her face in her hands. "No. Please. Noooo." Despite her photographic memory, Sophie had a hard time studying these days. Recently she'd discovered a way to forget all the useless things that bothered her, and she'd finally started to memorize something. But if the exams were earlier in the year...

Laieen smirked. "Where was the all-smart, photographic know-all girl I once knew? You know, your personality's really changed over the past two years."

"I know." Sophie said. "Just... there's so much to think about and-" The feeling of anger as she understood what they meant...

"I know, I know." Laieen interrupted. "And you don't need to be offended, because I actually like your new personality better. When you were younger, you were too kind, and forgiving-"

"Stop!" Sophie laughed. Laieen giggled along with her.

The feeling of sadness as she realized that their lives weren't together...

"-and you let your old friends read all your mail. But I was worried you'd lose your own opinions. Too kind, too sweet, too forgiving. I like the new Sophie better." Laieen wound her finger around a lock of her red hair. "More... fiery. Better at defense. Not letting some little friends poke into your life like a snoody bunch of nobodies. You're more confident and self-defensive now."

"Really?" Sophie asked. The feeling of betrayal as they screamed at her...

"Yep! Of course. Why would I lie? And, of course, the Council wants another ability session with you tomorrow."

The news crashed upon her like thunder. "Oh, no." She mumbled. "And I thought I had enough abilities to last me a lifetime. Why should I get more?"

"I don't know. I guess the Council's just checking to see if you have any more abilities that'll help them get more famous." Laieen told her.

The unwanted silence as her favorite friends walked away...

Sophie tried to smile. "Well, thanks. I really need to get studied up now, though. Thanks for letting me know."

"No problem." Laieen replied, and with a wink, she closed the door behind her.

As soon as the familiar click! of the lock sounded, Sophie lay down on her bed and sighed.

Childhood memories.

Unwanted thoughts.

Why did she have to be born with these?

Of course her personality had changed. She's been ever suspicious and self-defensive ever since she got betrayed by her friends.

"I think we should split up now."

"We've had enough."

"Let's go our separate ways from now on."

"Sophie? You're agreeing too, right?"

No, you're wrong, Sophie thought furiously, trying to stop all the worrying thoughts that filled her mind. "No. NO!" She shouted out loud. They were wrong. They were wrong to believe in that stupid strategy that Tam had developed. Sophie could still hear his voice ringing in her mind.

"We should split up now." Tam said after yet another unwanted argument. They'd been arguing for the past three months. All of them.

"Maybe... maybe we should." Fitz slowly agreed.

"We've been through enough together to last a lifetime." Keefe added, nodding.

"I guess that's a suitable idea." Linh mumbled.

"Wait, what?" Dex asked, horror slowly forming on his face. "No. You can't do that!"

"We can if we want to." Fitz replied. Sophie couldn't believe he was even saying this. "As Keefe said, we've been through enough already."

"No!" Biana told him. "You can't and we won't let you. Right, Sophie?"

"Yes!" Sophie agreed. "Think of all that we've been in together. Do you think we really should split up now?"

"Do you think we should stick together forever, then?" Tam growled. "It's time to get apart. Linh, let's go."

"O-okay." Linh stammered, and with a last mournful glance at the others, followed Tam out the door. Fitz turned to Biana.

"Biana, we should go, too."

"No!" Biana yelled at him. Tears were already sliding down her furious face. "No! You can't do this to me! You can't do this to us!"

"Biana." Fitz sighed as if annoyed. "There's no "us" anymore. I don't want any more drama, okay? Just stop crying and come."

"I am NOT going to come!" Biana screamed. "NEVER!"

Sophie stared at the fighting siblings. Dex was jumping in and shouting at Fitz about how they should all stick together, but it didn't have much effect as Keefe had taken Fitz's side. Everyone was fighting. Maybe Tam was right. Maybe their lives just weren't meant to be together.

Maybe she should just give up.

"Wait." Sophie said. Everyone turned to her. Biana was crying, Dex was fighting and furious, Fitz was deeply annoyed and Keefe...

She couldn't look at Keefe anymore.

All the humor had vanished from his eyes. All that was left was a torn-apart boy who was raging with fury. The boy standing in front of her wasn't the Keefe she had once known.

Sophie was speechless. The silence awaited her, her old friends questioning, but she was, for once, lost for words. All that had happened were a couple of fights between them. But it had torn them apart. Had their friendship really been that weak?

Sophie couldn't stand it anymore. It had all been for nothing. She turned and, gulping down tears, ran away from her biggest nightmare.

But the nightmare of being torn from her friends was now back and probably haunting her memories forever. Sophie regretted running away that night without a word. She was mad at her friends. She was mad at her life. She was mad at the world for being so unfair.

But mostly she was mad at herself.

That night Sophie slept with a thousand nightmares haunting her sleep.

Finally! So what did you guys think of the chapter? Was it good? Or did it need more improvement? When you leave your reviews, please remember that although I accept structural criticism, I don't like it when people try to kill me in the reviews ;) Thanks for reading this chapter!

~4Ever-Foxfire