TWO

"CALM DOWN, SOPHIE," AN EXASPERATED Biana instructed, picking out more serums and outfits from her seemingly endless supply. "It's not like I'm torturing you."

"Are you sure?" Sophie asked as Biana shoved four more serums into her hands.

"Haha," Biana answered sarcastically. "Now drink the serums."

Sophie rolled her eyes and drained the bottles obediently. She knew Biana wouldn't let her go unless she acted like her living doll first. "I swear it gets worse every time I come over here," Sophie started, but halfway through the sentence she dropped to the ground clutching her head.

"Sophie! Are you okay?"

Sophie frantically pressed her hands over her ears, trying to shut out the voices.

"Sophie!" Biana's voice was muted slightly. "Should I call Elwin?"

Just then, Sophie realized what was happening. Human thoughts. She frantically threw up barriers around her mind, and slowly, the voices quieted until she didn't even realize they were there. She uncurled her legs from the fetal position, and opened her eyes.

"…even asked specially for no limbium, and Kesler said he could do it—"

"It wasn't the limbium," Sophie answered. Rubbing her head. "I just haven't been in the Forbidden Cities for a while, so I wasn't expecting the human thoughts."

"Human thoughts?" Biana asked. "We're in the middle of the Lost Cities. There are no humans remotely close to us."

"Then why do I hear them?"

"I have no idea," Biana answered. "Are you sure they were human thoughts?"

"Yeah," Sophie answered moving to the window. "Are Fitz and Keefe back from the eurypterid races? I want to play base quest."

"Since when do you like base quest more than makeovers?"

"Since always," Sophie answered, moving away from the window. She experimentally let her barriers weaken a little, and cringed when the thoughts returned, even stronger than before. "I'm definitely not imagining the human thoughts," she told Biana. "There's a human out there somewhere, and close."

"No way," Biana answered firmly. "You are not getting out of makeovers to go look for a human that doesn't exist."

But Sophie was already out the door and down the hall. "Coming?" she shouted over her shoulder to Biana.

"Ugh," Biana groaned. "You are a piece of work, Sophie Foster," she shouted, racing out the door after her best friend.

Sophie laughed and sped up more, racing Biana to the gate. She turned the last curve before the gate and crashed into someone.

"Ow," she groaned, holding her head as she laid stunned on the ground.

"And while Foster may look a little more put together, she is still the clumsy fool we've grown to love," Keefe laughed, helping her to her feet.

" Oh my god," Sophie gasped, staring at Harry—who was on the ground—and Ron. "What did you do, Keefe?"

"Nothing," Keefe answered, holding up his hands. "It's all Fitz's fault," he said, pointing at his best friend.

"Fitz," Sophie said, still gaping at the two wizards. "They're humans. How could you bring humans to the Lost Cities?"

"Hold on a second. The last time I brought a human to the Lost Cities it was you, so I think you should at least hear me out before you go making assumptions."

"This is a little different, Fitz!" Sophie said, pulling out her Imparter. "I wasn't a human, and you knew that. These two are clearly human. I'm going to have to hail Alden."

"Don't bother," Biana answered, breezing up behind her looking like some kind of princess in her fancy dress. "He's investigating something with the dwarves, so he's in their tunnels all day."

"I see you two have been busy," Keefe said, stifling a laugh behind his hand as he took in their attire.

Sophie glared at him, and Biana blushed sweetly. "Do you like it? I just got this in Atlantis yesterday." She spun in a circle so they all could properly admire her new gown.

"Biana!" Sophie said. "Focus! We've got two humans here. What do we do?" she asked, starting to panic slightly as she turned to Fitz.

"Well, I don't know. I found them wandering around Atlantis. What was I supposed to do? Leave them there?" he asked. Sophie could tell her was getting frustrated because he ran his hands through his hair and raised his voice a little more with every word.

"Yes!" she shouted back. "Now you've made them our problem."

"Mates," Ron said, stepping forward. "As one of the humans in question, I can assure you—"

"Not now," Fitz said, barely glancing at him out of the corner of his eye. "Can't you see we're busy?"

"No," Sophie said, scarily calm. "Let's hear what he has to say, Fitz. Since now we're stuck with him."

"I don't see why we can't just ditch them in one of the Forbidden Cities. Sophie, you can wash their recent memories. Or Fitz can. It doesn't really matter."

Sophie glared at Biana. "Who are you?" Sophie asked, turning to Ron and Harry.

"Two blokes who wouldn't mind spending more time with you," Ron said, winking at Sophie.

"Really?" Harry hissed, elbowing Ron in the stomach and flushing bright red. "I'm so sorry—"

"Stop," Sophie said. "I'm serious here. Who are you, and what were you doing in Atlantis?"

"How about we talk over tea and biscuits?" Ron asked, smoothly laying an arm over Sophie's shoulders and heading down the path in the direction Sophie and Biana had come from. "I'm terribly hungry."

"Listen carefully," Sophie asked, shrugging his arm off and turning around. "I have been in way too much trouble with the Council lately. I don't need any more. So are you going to tell me what happened, or am I going to have to read your memories?"

"Is she serious?" Ron asked Keefe, who happened to be the closest.

"She is dead serious," Sophie answered, crossing her arms and sitting onto one hip.

"Umm," Keefe told Ron a little nervously, "she's very serious. Boy am I glad I'm not you."

"I'm Harry Potter and this bloke is Ron Weasley," Harry said, steeping forward and pulling his friend back from Sophie. "We're wizards, and we were—"

"Wizards?" Sophie asked. "Like abracadabra and bippity-boppity-boo?"

"The very same," Ron said, winking at Sophie again.

"Snap out of it, Ron!" Harry said, slapping his friend in the face. "I'm beginning to think you had a little too much butterbeer before we got here. And yes, kind of like that. But we use different words, and sometimes we use movements, like for apparition, which is how we got here."

"Let me get this straight. You two are wizards. And you apparated to Atlantis?"

"Exactly."

"What's apparition?" Biana asked.

"Translocation." When he still received blank stares Harry added, "Teleportation?"

"Well why didn't you say that in the first place?" Keefe asked, slapping Harry on the back. "Foster here is our very own Teleporter. The only one in existence. So how come you humans are Teleporters?"

"We can do a lot more than just Teleport—" Harry began, but Keefe cut him off.

"So can Foster. She's a Telepath, a Polyglot, an Inflictor, a Teleporter, and…did I miss anything?" he asked, turning to the blushing girl.

Sophie silently shook her head.

"I'm an Empath, and Biana here's a Vanisher. So if you lie, I'll know, and if you try to escape, Foster will track your thoughts, and we'll sick Biana on you. Got it?"

"Will you let me finish, mate?" Harry asked.

"Of course, of course," Keefe said, making a show of taking a step backward. "The stage is all yours."

"As I was saying, we didn't actually know Atlantis existed. We weren't even trying to get to Atlantis. We were trying to get to Ron's brother's store in Diagon Alley, but he got distracted while we apparated, and we ended up in Atlantis. The only reason we knew it was Atlantis was because he was thinking about one of their new practical jokes, which involved Atlantis…it's a long story. But we have no idea where we are now, and we'd really like to get home."

"Speak for yourself, mate," Ron said. "I'm very happy right here. The girls are much prettier than back at Hogwarts."

"How do you apparate?" Sophie asked curiously.

"You just have to think about where you're going," Ron answered. "Would you like to try?" He held out an arm.

"That's strange," Sophie said, mulling over the new information. "In order to Teleport I have to fall from something really high, like a cliff or a well…a cliff. I've only ever jumped off cliffs."

"So, you're an adrenaline junkie," Ron said. "Brilliant! I just so happen to be one myself."

"Okay, seriously?" Keefe asked. "Foster, can I put this guy out of his misery?"

"Calm down, Keefe," Sophie said, glaring at him. "I can handle myself quite well."

Keefe held up his hands. "Just offering…"

"When does Alden usually get home from the dwarven tunnels?" Sophie asked, glancing at the clock on her iPod.

"Dinnertime," Biana answered immediately. "He never misses dinner. The gnomes make the best food!"

"Of course they do," Fitz said. "It's their special ability."

"Whatever," Biana answered. "He still comes home at dinnertime."

"So he won't be home for another couple of hours," Sophie sighed. "What are we supposed to do with them until then?"

"What about your dad?" Keefe asked. "He's officially an Emissary again. Can't he deal with them?"

"Grady's working in Eternalia with the Council to draft the new Ogre-Elvin treaties. We can't hail him unless we want the Council to know we've got two humans loose in the Lost Cities."

"Brilliant," Harry said. "We'll just be on our way then…"

"Not so fast," Fitz said, stepping in front of them. "we can't just let you go now, you know too much. We're either going to have to wash your recent memories or take you to my dad. I sincerely recommend the second option, considering neither Sophie nor I have been officially trained as Washers."

"I guess we wait then," Ron said. "In the meantime, why don't you show me the grounds?" Ron asked, linking his arm through Sophie's and leading her off down the path.

Keefe and Biana tried unsuccessfully to stifle laughs, but Fitz's face reddened slightly as Sophie looked back with a 'Help me!' expression on her face.

Okay guys! As the reader-you have the power! I don't know where to go with this next. If you have a brilliant idea, please comment. Writer's block sucks. Thanks for reading! :)