I wake up to someone shaking my shoulders.
"Fitz! Fitz! Wake up!" Someone is shouting. I bolt up, trying to get out of the grip that holds me down.
"Fitz! It's okay! It's okay!" Someone shouts. As my vision comes into focus I stop struggling, realizing it's Elwin whose holding me down.
"Elwin? What happened? How long have I been out?" I ask glancing out of Sophie's window. It's light out, like midday.
"You've been asleep for two days, Fitz. Two days! You have no idea how worried we've all been." Elwin contains his nervousness and excitement as he checks me over.
"Elwin. Elwin! I'm fine. I need to go back into Sophie's mind. She's okay right?" I ask looking over at her pale, clammy face.
"She's fine. But she's struggling. Can you really save her?" Elwin nods at all the empty sedative bottles.
"How's Edaline and Grady?" I ask Elwin, trying to see the last two days.
"They're okay... Still worrying. We all are." I nod.
"Look, I need to go back into her head. I need to save her." I say getting up and going to Sophie's side.
"No! You'll pass out again. Wait a bit, rest. Sophie can wait a bit longer, okay?" Elwin moves forward.
"I have to help her! I have to save her, not just for her but for others." I yell, trying to get through my desperation.
"You. Need. To. Rest." Elwin pulls me away from Sophie.
"No! Elwin, let me save her. I'll be in and out. I just have to make sure she's okay!" I pull away and go to Sophie. Elwin tries to pull me away but I get to her first. I place my fingers on her temple and go into her mind, through the little slip meant
for me and Mr. Forkle.
"Fitz!" Elwin shouts as I go into Sophie's mind. Her mind is a sea of chaos. Scattered pictures rage around me. I see some from her imagination and some from her memories. The pictures are jagged and broken. I follow the trail I took yesterday and find
myself in the bright light. I push through to the beach. Sophie is walking, starring at the ocean. I know it's just in her mind but it looks so real. Sophie sees me and starts running. I hold out my arms. She leaps into my arms. I swing her around.
"You're okay! I thought something bad had happened to you!" She shrieks as I set her down.
"I'm fine. Are you okay? What's happened?" I ask her.
"Never mind that. You need to merge our memories." She says grabbing my arms.
"But I don't know how to do that! Sophie, how do I do that?" I say trying to understand how she wants me to do this.
"You have to push your memories into my head. You have to be inside my head but not here, with the jagged memories. Latch onto the one our first meeting. Then push every memory you have into my head. It will be draining, so you'll have to rest. Then when
your ready come back here and I'll do that same thing from right here." She explains. I nod. I look at Sophie.
"Will this work?" I ask softly. She nods, looking so determined. I nod. Suddenly I feel the pushing sensation. I'm picked up and thrown out of Sophie's head. I pull out of her mind. I fall back into the bed, totally exhausted.
"Fitz! THAT WAS IRRESPONSIBLE. HOW COULD YOU DO THAT? YOU'VE BEEN IN HER HEAD FOR FOUR HOURS. WE WERE SO WORRIED." Elwin shouts shinning lights in my face. I'm about to say something when my father burststhrough the room.
"You're okay!" He shouts coming to my side. I fall onto my back. My eyes start to close and I can feel myself drifting.
"Wait, don't go to sleep. Not yet." Elwin says loudly. His voice starts to fade.
My eyes close and the world ceases to exist.