A/N: Sorry I took so long updating! I was super busy with filming, college visits, projects, blah blah blah. The next chapter might be a little late also, but not as long of a wait, because I have to film this week for school. But luckily for you, this chapter is a little longer than the other two (unless you like short chapters, then sorry) and hopefully you get a better understanding of Sophia.
Enjoy!
The rest of the day went by quite uneventfully for Sophia. Angie went back to her own house in Flute Fields to get ready for her date, which left Sophia time to jar the magic fugue mushrooms she acquired from the nearby forest (but not without the Witch Princess trying to steal it from her).
Since there was some time before dinner would be ready, Sophia decided to visit the beach in front of her family's farmhouse. The ocean was a beautiful deep blue with white frothy foam slipping forward and back on the sandy shore ever so slightly. The pale sand had multiple foot prints, all of them in pairs. But the silver haired girl did not notice: she was deep within her own thoughts, caught between the intricate web of the mind and reality. Most of the time, she would be able to break free from the hold, but other times she needed something of solidity outside of her to be awakened. Sophia did not have a clustered, disorganized mind, but one of many trails and paths, each leading to parts of her subconscious, yet never intersecting. If it was printed on a map, even she would become lost in the great detail.
Sophia was pondering a handful of things. In the back of her mind, she wondered why her father was behaving so strangely. It wasn't just today either. For the past few days, she noticed both he and her mother were tense and seemed to be distracted. At first, Sophia thought nothing of it, figuring the work and heat were getting to them. But ever since the Wizard was about to confess something to her, she began to wonder what that something was.
And, of course, there was the feeling of being hollow, empty. It had always been there ever since Sophia could remember. It was as if a part of her heart wasn't fully formed in the womb, but learned to function with the rest of her body. When Sophia would be alone with only the sound of nature around, her thoughts and that empty feeling would amplify. She could never figure out where it stemmed from, but she assumed it was because of the lack of friends. Lately, though, she began to wonder if it was something more; a bigger piece missing than she thought.
The sun had already begun to set by the time Sophia walked the length of the beach, so she set off to the house, leaving one sole trail of foot prints among the pairs.
-oOo-
Dinner was as per usual: The four family members sitting at the table with an array of steaming food, the prayer of thanks to the Harvest Goddess, chitter-chatter from Anna. But there was one thing that was off about the daily occurrence tonight. The normal warmth of the family gathering was fake, artificial. Just like the heat of a naked light bulb that burns with a harsh intensity instead of the cradling glow of the sun's rays. It made an odd feeling in the pit of Sophia's stomach. So when she was able to excuse herself, relief soothed her.
Apparently, though, the witch wasn't the only one who felt the misplaced tension. As she and Anna headed to their room, her younger sister stopped her. "Soph, wait."
She turned around to face the girl, who had a look of concern. Before she began to speak, Anna dragged Sophia to her room and closed the door with her foot. "Have you noticed how weird Mom and Dad have been acting?" Her voice was lowered as if their parents could hear them from across the house.
"Yes. They have been very strange lately."
"Do you know why? I've asked and they won't say anything."
The elder of the two shook her head. "No," She looked at her sideways with a scrutinizing glare. "What are you planning?"
Anna gazed up at her taller sister, her voice now a whisper. "I think we should spy on them. See what's going on." The glimmer of determination in her dark eyes was not overlooked by Sophia, who simply said, "No."
She made a sound of disbelief and gave her an annoyed look. "Why not?"
"Because we should wait and let them tell us. There's no point in spying."
"But what if they don't tell us? That's why we should see what's going on."
"But they will."
Anna gave her a defiant look, her eyes narrowed. "They haven't yet."
"They will." Sophia repeated.
The brunette rolled her eyes and threw her hands up in frustration. "Of course you know that. Of course!" She said, words stinging with sarcasm, "Sophia, you can't always wait around for things to happen. If they haven't told us yet, then we'll probably never find out."
This was odd. There were rarely any times when Anna would become this aggravated. It was not like her at all. Sophia had a confused look. "Why are you so upset about this?"
The fire seemed to dim to a small flame within Anna, who rubbed her arms in uncertainty. She casted her eyes to the right and her frame seemed to shrink. She sighed softly, "I don't know. I just-" She paused, sighing again, "I just feel like something is going to happen. I don't know if it's good or bad, but…" She shrugged, finally regaining eye contact. "The feeling is there. And I don't like it."
Sophia just stared at her. Sometimes, she forgot how intuitive her little sister could be. Seeing her like this, she felt some sympathy and a sense of clarity for her request. She put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "I understand how you feel, but we should wait a couple more days for them to tell us. If they haven't by then, then we can find out for ourselves." Her lips reflected the small smile Anna had, who had calmed down. Sophia looked over at the girl's bed, noticing the small suit case on top of it. "Are you spending the night at your friend's house?"
"Oh, I was," Anna gave a doubtful look over at the luggage. "But I don't know if I feel like it anymore."
Frowning, Sophia walked over to her bed and picked up the suitcase. She didn't want her to linger on her worrisome feelings, so she figured that a distraction would be good for her. "You should go and have fun. It'll get your mind off of this."
"…Okay," Anna grabbed the luggage and, to Sophia's surprise, wrapped her thin arms around her in a hug. "I'm sorry."
A hug back was her answer. "There's nothing to be sorry about."
A silent moment passed before the two sisters parted. "Hey, what time is it anyway?" Anna looked at her watch and gasped, "Shoot! I'm supposed to be at Becky's in fifteen minutes!" She turned and grabbed a pale green pillow off her bed, quickly walking to the door. "I'll see you!" But before she left, Anna paused with a sincere smile. "And…thanks."
-oOo-
The day faded away, shedding its luminescent orange color for an esoteric vastness of cobalt and the stifling heat became less intense. Since she had little else to do, Sophia climbed onto the farmhouse roof to watch the magnificence that was the sky. It always amazed her, the sky: How it could change with such seamless transitions every day without fail. Sometimes Sophia would stare for hours, searching for that bond that connects day with night. She knew it was fruitless, but it was still a beautiful , if she waited a little longer, she could see the stars begin to appear, twinkling with their simple brilliance. Like her father, she, too, had an interest in astronomy.
Sophia stayed outside for a little while longer. Once she felt drowsiness starting to overcome her, she climbed off the roof and slid through a window she left open. Her tan feet padded softly against the wooden floor of her room as she tried to be as quiet as she could. Sophia was used to being the last one awake, even her father started going to bed earlier. A silent house was something she had adapted to. So when Sophia heard strained voices coming from the kitchen, she stopped. 'That's strange. Who's up?' She tiptoed toward the kitchen, where the voices grew louder and distinct. Hiding behind the doorway, Sophia listened quietly as her mother's voice carried into the hall.
"I- I just can't believe this is happening." Her mother sighed heavily. She sounded as though she was carrying a terrible burden. And that scared Sophia.
"After all I did for Castanet…" She sighed again, "This is something I can't do."
"Sweetheart," Sophia's father spoke up: his voice was even, but held the same strain. "I know this is a difficult decision…but this is how it is meant to be…"
Sophia's heart pounded with anxiety. How what's meant to be? What are they talking about? These questions and a million more were blazing though her mind as she listened.
"But it's not fair!" Her mother said with a raised voice. "Neither of them would be able to do it on their own!" Sophia could tell she was on the verge of crying.
"Yes they would. We raised them well. Plus, they have your spirit…"
"But they're just children, Gale!"
Sophia's viridian eyes widened with shock. 'They're talking about… Anna and me...' Done with eavesdropping, she stepped in the doorway. As the light coming from the kitchen revealed her, her parents looked up, startled by their daughter's presence.
"Sophia!" Her mother exclaimed, "What are you doing up?" She quickly wiped the trail of tears from her cheeks, attempting to hide evidence of a previous break down. Her eyes were red and puffy.
Though it struck a chord in her, Sophia forced herself to ignore her mother's appearance. She walked over to the table. "What's going on?" She asked.
"How long have you been standing there?"
"What's going on?" She repeated sternly.
"Nothing-" She was cut off by the Wizard's hand sliding over hers, squeezing it tenderly. His voice was soft as he rubbed the pad of his thumb on her hand. "We should tell her, Molly…she must know…"
Molly looked at him with sad eyes and breathed a heavy sigh, "…Alright." She turned to face her daughter, who had confusion and concern riddled on her face. Sophia could feel her heartbeat quicken even more, to the point of it hurting. She sat down in the empty chair next to her mother, gripping her hands until her knuckles turned pale.
"Do you remember when I told you and your brother and sister about how I saved Castanet?" Molly asked, "And how I had the help from the Harvest King?"
Sophia blinked at her, even more confused than she was before. The story of her mother's quest to restore Castanet Island was always told to her and her siblings when they were children. She had used to believe it was just a made up tale to say at bedtime: Magic bells, sprites, Gods and Goddesses? It all seemed outlandish to her. But then Sophia began to see them.
The sprites.
That's when she believed every word of the story and so did Anna and her older brother Roland, though she was the only one that could see the little fairies. So, needless to say, the tale stuck in Sophia's mind. "Of course, but what does that have to do with anything?"
Molly hesitated, seeming to be unsure of how to explain. She looked straight into Sophia's eyes, which gave her the will to continue. "Well… I guess there's another island that needs help." There was a pause as she waited for a reaction. When there was none, she spoke again, "But it can't be me. Only someone with a pure heart can go."
"A child." The Wizard's deep voice added, his lips formed into a frown.
Time seemed to stop. A tense silence enveloped the kitchen and the only thing that could be heard was the ceiling fan spinning in hypnotic circles. 'This can't be happening.'
"So… you're sending one of us away?" She murmured incredulously, feeling hurt.
"No!" Her mother said quickly, taking Sophia's tan hands in her pale ones. "This is a choice; for both you and Anna."
"What about Roland?"
"Roland is considered a grown man, so he no longer has a pure heart. It also wouldn't be fair to ask because Dakota has a baby on the way." Molly brushed away a strand of graying hair away from her face.
Sophia looked up sharply and narrowed her eyes." Not fair to ask him? What about us?" She freed her hands from her mother's.
"Sophia," The Wizard took hold of her arm to ease her building fury and to prevent her from leaving. He spoke to her in a gentle voice, "We are not forcing either of you to do this. It is purely a decision between you and your sister…"
Sophia looked down at her lap, her eyebrows furrowed in thought. She called to mind her life in Castanet. She never fit in with the other children even though she tried so hard to make friends. She had even heard some parents tell them to keep their distance from her. It was something she had accepted.
Anna on the other hand, was a different story. The fourteen year old was energetic and a socialite. Her friends were her life and she was constantly smiling. She had a good future in Castanet.
No. Sophia shouldn't even have to think about this. She couldn't take away the wonderful life Anna has made on the island. That was out of the question. She knew what she had to do.
"I'll do it."
