Chapter 1: Trust

~Sophie POV~

"Where's Juliette?" Sophie asked, walking up to the group's usual table in the cafeteria.

"I don't know. She told me she was going for a walk last night and would be back in a little while." Dex replied as she put his tray of rainbow mush and cup of water down.

A year ago, 17 year old Sophie found a new girl at Foxfire. She had beautiful sea blue eyes and Dex instantly fell for her. Luckily, she liked him back and now they were a happy couple. Dex and Biana were held back, because of the Neverseen debacle, so they were all in the towers.

Biana walked up to them silently. Her expression was grave.

"What's wrong?" Sophie asked, seeing her look and feeling a sense of dread wash over her.

"I...Come over after school...Dad will explain." Neither Sophie nor Dex had seen her like this since she had broken up with her ex, Harris.

The rest of the day was quite nervracking.

And, of course, this was the day she had Cognate training. Fitz came to the school every Tuesday and Thursday at her last class of the day.

"Hey." Fitz walked in, immediately noticing her worried eyes. "What's wrong?" He transmitted.

(I'm lazy today, so deal with the terrible description please. I'll come back and Fix it later...maybe)

The conversation went a little something like this...

F: *plops down and sighs*

S: I'm worried about Jules.

F: Biana told you? Already?

S: No, she asked Dex and myself to come over after school. She said Alden would explain.

An image of a huge tree with a monstrous shadow flashed through Fitz's mind.

They did the excersizes, but Sophie kept imagining terrible things that could have happened to her friend.

Someone hanged her by the branches of that tree.

She drowned.

Someone kidnapped her as an act of rebellion against them.

And many other crazy ideas of what happened to her, though Fitz tried to assure her it was none of those.

Sophie rushed to Everglen. It was a Friday, so all the students got to go home for the weekend.

When Sophie got to the gate, it was already open, Fitz and Keefe waiting.

"-with this much on her plate! She's been through enough!" Keefe was yelling.

"Well, she deserves to know!" Fitz shot back, not noticing Sophie as Keefe recollected himself and turned to Sophie.

"Hey, Foster!" He asked in his normal, happy mood. "How's the golden tower? They jelly yet?"

Sophie ignored the questions. "What's going on?" The looks on their faces were uneasy. "Tell me. Now." Sophie added firmly.

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it." Keefe replied, too quick for Fitz, though he tried to intervene.

"It obviously ISNT, seeing as you're yelling at each other."

"We always yell like that when we're waiting for you." Keefe replied. At first, Sophie thought he was joking. But his face was as serious as ever.

"Keefe..." She would regret this. "Tell me...now!" She held her hands out threateningly.

"You wouldn't."

"Tell me!"

"I-I can't! It's-it's not-NO!"

This severely hurt her. "You mean...you don't trust me with this? After everything we've been through?" She faced him accusingly, hands dropped, stepping closer to him. The look in his eye was...different. New. "Ok. Let me know when that changes."

Sophie pulled out her home crystal, barely hearing his protests.

"Sophie, wai-"

He called her Sophie.

Keefe called her Sophie.

Not Foster.

Not the teasing Allycorn.

This was serious.