Sophie twirled a loose strand of hair around her finger, watching the sun set over the cliffs at Havenfield. She stood under Calla's Panakes tree, purplish-pink blossoms drifting through the air and settling on the ground around her. It was a beautiful evening, and everything in the outside world seemed so perfect. Sophie laughed at the cruel, bitter irony of how imperfect everything was on the inside.
When Sophie had first come to the Lost Cities, she had been mesmerized by a beautiful pair of teal eyes and a glossy swath of chocolate brown hair. Now, just like those first few weeks in the elvin world, she could not get those eyes out of her head. The only thing was, the first time, it had been because she adored those glistening teal eyes. But this time, all the glamour was gone. Those eyes seemed to be watching her, seeing through every part of her, boring holes into her body from all directions. Sophie shivered, wrapping her cloak tighter around her. The thought made her skin crawl.
Sophie tried to resist the memories, but they flooded through her like a storm let loose inside her brain. Fitz's handsome face twisted into a look of anger as he yelled. Her Fitz, whom she had once loved, whom she had once trusted above anyone else. Her Cognate. Or, should I say, former Cognate, Sophie thought bitterly. She relived all of the times when Fitz had shouted, pushed her away, told her she didn't understand and she never would. She heard the horrible things he had said, about her and about everyone else. But a part of her, the part that still loved Fitz deep inside, tried to understand. She knew Fitz was going through a lot, what with his Emissary training and the pressure from his parents and from the elvin community. After all, he was a Vacker, which was basically a celebrity to the elves. That definitely wasn't an easy task.
But still. That was no excuse for him to treat her the way he did. Sophie had done nothing wrong to him, and although she knew he had been stressed, she also knew he shouldn't have yelled at his girlfriend; he shouldn't have taken it out on her, blaming her, putting her down to try and make himself feel better. She shook her head, brushing Panakes flowers from her hair and walking back towards Havenfield, where she knew a warm bed was waiting.
Sophie arrived in her room. She put on her comfiest pair of gremlin pajamas and snuggled into her luxurious bed. But it didn't help. She still felt angry, hurt, broken. Her vision was still haunted by a vision of Fitz throwing an ornate vase across the room, beautiful painted shards falling on the floor. That was why she didn't notice the first knock at her door.
But she did hear the second knock, which was the tiniest bit louder than the first. "Come in," she muttered, not knowing or caring who it was. She was surprised when Edaline came in, looking as beautiful as ever, carrying a plate of fresh mallowmelt in her hands.
"You looked like you needed a little something to cheer you up," Edaline said, placing the mallowmelt on Sophie's bedside table. Sophie hungrily took a piece. "May I stay for a bit?" Edaline sat down on the edge of the bed when Sophie nodded. "What's been bugging you? Is it about your... breakup, with Fitz?"
Sophie nodded again, swallowing the lump of emotions forming in her throat. "It's just... it's a lot to deal with. I'm feeling too many emotions at once, and I don't know how to control them." She helped herself to another piece of the sweet, sticky mallowmelt.
"Any time you need to talk, I'm here. You know that," Edaline said, massaging circles on Sophie's back. "Good night, Sophie. I hope you sleep well."
Sophie's adoptive mom kissed her on the forehead and tucked the covers up around her. "Thanks, Mom," she muttered drowsily, snuggling into the blankets. Edaline turned out the lights, and Sophie, exhausted, fell into a deep sleep, and for once, she wasn't kept awake by thoughts of Fitz, or any other of her worries. For once, everything seemed okay.
A/N: I usually write SoKeefe stuff but I felt inspired to write this. Please review, I really appreciate all of your comments and constructive criticism (but please be polite :D). Thanks so much guys!