Thanks for all the follows and favs! I really really hope there will be reviews too! You guys make my day!
Sophie looked away from Biana and Keefe - who were still joking away - determined not to look at them. The building jealousy in her was something she had never experienced before, and it felt weird and unfamiliar to her.
Trying to ignore the worried stares from Dex and Fitz, she stalked off by her own and went up to assemble. She could vaguely hear the calls from Dex and Fitz, probably asking what was wrong with her, but they would not understand, they would not understand at all...
The principal of Foxfire was Magnate Leto Kerlof. His smiling yet serious face appeared on the screen and all the prodigies looked up instinctively.
"Good morning, prodigies. Today, we have three more Level Threes manifesting special abilities. Congratulations to them!" While the Foxfire students clapped and cheered, Magnate Leto's piercing eyes seemed to settle on Sophie for a while before speaking again. "And I have to warn you, please stay clear of all the Elementalism classrooms as we are having something important going on there and we do not want you to disturb anything. So for the Elementalism classes, the Level Ones up to the Level Sixes will be having the lessons together held at the study hall - for a few weeks. Thank you for your kind understanding. Have a great day, everyone!" With that, he blinked off the screen and elves started talking again as they made their way to the respective classrooms.
While Magnate Leto had been blabbering away, Sophie had not been really listening. She had been thinking of Biana and Keefe and how well-suited they were for each other but she just had a feeling she wanted so badly to interfere. Sophie shook her head and told herself sternly that in the first place she knew that Biana always had a crush on Keefe and Sophie had always seemed to butt in, so why not something different for a change? She and Biana were best friends anyway. Sure, Dex was her best friend, but Biana was the only friend that was a girl that Sophie had, and Sophie meant to treasure their friendship.
So when the Foxfire prodigies started moving Sophie snapped out of her thoughts and headed for her first lesson, which was Elementalism. She headed for the classroom as always. Sophie did not give it much thought that there weren't much students heading for the Elementalism classrooms. Surely Sir Caxon would be there with some of his zapping lightning bolts.
But when she peered inside the classroom, Sir Caxon wasn't there. Weird, Sophie thought, and even weirder was that the Classroom was empty, not even a table inside, and the entrance was blocked with black string.
Just then she heard the pounding of footsteps and Master Leto, Lady Galvin and Sir Astin appeared in sight. Master Leto frowned in surprise. "Miss Foster? Why are you here? Wherever you're supposed to be here surely isn't the place! Didn't you hear my announcement just now?"
"Not really," she admitted shamefully. "I was thinking about...other things."
Lady Galvin, her long dreaded ex-alchemist Mentor, clicked her tongue in disapproval. "Tsk-tsk. Young elves these days think they're too smart. Now, go!"
Sophie didn't need to be told twice. Only turning her head back once to see what were they doing, Sophie raced down the school halls to the study hall. On the way she met her ex-Elementalism Mentor, Lady Veda.
"No running in the school, Miss Foster!" she called out before continuing to walk. Sophie slowed down her pace and opened the one of the study-hall doors a fraction and slipped in quietly, hoping to go in unnoticed. But Sir Caxon, who for once was Mentoring the Level Ones up to the Level Sixes, spotted her at once.
"Ah, Miss Foster. You're late by two minutes. Now, sit."
More than five hundred pairs of eyes stared at her and Sophie felt her cheeks heat up. Stina snickered softly as Sophie hastily sat down between Dex and Biana. Two rows in front sat Fitz, Keefe, and some boy Sophie didn't recognize.
Dex nudged her. She looked at him, mouthing, What?
He pulled her notebook away, ignoring her silent protests and Biana's amused smiles, and scribbled something in the corner of the page, then pushed it back.
Why did you walk away in the morning?
I don't want to tell you, Dex. It's nothing, I was just feeling a little unwell.
Dex nodded and turned away to listen to Sir Caxon's lecture. Sophie did her best to listen too, but her eyes and attention kept wandering off to Keefe. She didn't know why, but she didn't want it to continue and she was going to solve this annoying niggling little problem.
And there was also her little but reckless plan. She would go home before thinking about it.