p class="MsoNormal"After a lengthy discussion with Quinlin, he agreed to lend them books, after revealing nothing about anything that has to do with Nightfall. So, as they walked through the bustling streets of Atlantis, they all had on worn faces. Their goblins looked at them and sighed./p
p class="MsoNormal" "Do you think it'll be suspicious to the Neverseen if they see us coming out of Quinlin's place with books and not doing anything else here?" Keefe asked./p
p class="MsoNormal" "I guess - " Grizel began./p
p class="MsoNormal" "So we can go shopping?" Biana asked hopefully./p
p class="MsoNormal" "No," Sophie said, struggling with all her books, "Being with Keefe here is too much of a risk. His elixirs wear off in about 10 minutes."/p
p class="MsoNormal" Keefe was wearing elixirs to make himself not look like how he usually does, since he was supposedly on the run./p
p class="MsoNormal" "Dexipoo can just provide me with some," keefe said confidently, turning to Dex. he sighed./p
p class="MsoNormal" "I brought backups just in case. But should we really use them?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" "Of coursze! Thanks Dexy Wexy!" Keefe shouted, turning heads./p
p class="MsoNormal" "Keefe, keep your voice down," Sophie said./p
p class="MsoNormal" "I suppose that it'll be good for you kids to take a break," Grizel said./p
p class="MsoNormal" "Are you serious? This is a huge security risk! We have to bring all of them back in one piece!" Sandor argued./p
p class="MsoNormal" "I want to go shopping for silver pants," she taunted, "But little Pretty Boy here has to come so we can get a matching set," she said smugly, patting Fitz on the back./p
p class="MsoNormal" "I can't wait to see Wonderboy do a boogie," keefe said, breaking out into a weird dance./p
p class="MsoNormal" "Make sure all of us is there," Biana said./p
p class="MsoNormal" "You betcha," Grizel said at the same time Fitz and Sandor yelled "No!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" But it was decided that Tam, Linh, and Sophie would go with Sandor, and Fitz, Dex, and Biana would go with Grizel. Linh dragged Tam to a pet store, and five minutes later, they came out with a cute little thing that looked like a cat and bird combined./p
p class="MsoNormal" "Where to next?" Linh asked. Tam silently shook his head behind her. No doll./p
p class="MsoNormal" "Let's go watch Grizel bully The Pretty Boy," Tam said./p
p class="MsoNormal" "No," Sandor said. "Anything but that."/p
p class="MsoNormal" "If you do a favor for me, then you don't have to," Sophie said. They all stared at her./p
p class="MsoNormal" "Miss Foster, you are my charge. And you'd never suggest that - why did you?" Sandor asked. She whispered to him what she wanted him to get, and he grumbled. "Okay, but I am going to drop you off in the store first."/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal" "What did you want Sandor to get?" Tam asked her stonily. She shook her head./p
p class="MsoNormal" "Tam, you already know. It's good for you," Sophie whispered quietly to him. He smiled. Keefe sidled up to them./p
p class="MsoNormal" "Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Bangs Boy and Foster keeping a secret?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. Tam slapped his head./p
p class="MsoNormal" "No," Sophie said, blushing, and Keefe raised his eyebrows, but didn't say anything./p
p class="MsoNormal" emWhat if Linh finds out I will have a stuffed animal? /emTam shadow-whispered./p
p class="MsoNormal"em Then you'll just have to tell her/em, Sophie transmitted. emI think that you seem to be sad./em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em /emTam looked at her with a pained expression. emMy parents have been bothering us. They somehow sent so many messages through the Black Swan, and I'm stressed. Everyday I hope that when I come home where I live, I won't find anything. /em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em Wow, /emwas all the Sophie could transmit. He nodded, and withdrew his shadow, then went to stand next to Linh. Meanwhile, Sophie's brain was thinking./p
p class="MsoNormal" "Foster, are you okay? I sense a lot of worry . . . " he said trailing off to stare at her. She sighed./p
p class="MsoNormal" "It's . . . fine. I need to try and figure out something," she said, giving him a smile that looked more like a grimace. He put an arm around her./p
p class="MsoNormal" "Doesn't seem so," he said, smirking. Sophie pulled away./p
p class="MsoNormal" "Yes, it does," Sophie said, glaring at him. She turned her attention to Fitz, and tried not to laugh as he came out looking quite ridiculous in silver tights. Even he couldn't look as good in them. Keefe, Tam, and Dex couldn't help laughing their heads off./p
p class="MsoNormal" "Doesn't he look wonderful," Grizel cooed. Keefe fell on the floor. "Don't worry, I got you a matching set," she told Keefe, and he stopped while everyone except he and Fitz laughed. The workers at the store seemed to be very annoyed of them./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal" They all finished their shopping, and said goodbye. Tam held back./p
p class="MsoNormal" "Here it is," Sophie said, handing him a bag. There was a red T-Rex inside. he smiled./p
p class="MsoNormal" "Thanks Sophie," he said quietly. She smiled. Then they went to home./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal" The sun shone outside her room, and Sophie jolted awake. She went into her closet to change./p
p class="MsoNormal" "Hello," Keefe said, walking into the room./p
p class="MsoNormal" "Miss Foster, don't step out," Sandor warned her./p
p class="MsoNormal" "Ew," Sophie said, slipping on a fitted red tunic, "Why would I do that?" she asked./p
p class="MsoNormal" "If you are done, you may step out," Sandor said. She slipped on a pair of leggings and boots, then came out./p
p class="MsoNormal" "How did the studying go?" she asked Keefe. He yawned./p
p class="MsoNormal" "Foster, not everyone likes to study as much as you do," he said./p
p class="MsoNormal" "I don't love studying. But anyway, it was a total miss. Let's ask everyone else first."/p
p class="MsoNormal" "I doubt anyone got anything done. Anyway, what's with you and Bangs Boy?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" "Very subtle," Fitz said, walking in. /p
p class="MsoNormal" "Nothing, Keefe. I'm just trying to think of a way to help them. "/p
p class="MsoNormal" "Help him with what?" Keefe persisted./p
p class="MsoNormal" "I'd like to keep this not in your brain, Keefe," Sophie said, smiling. He gave her a mocked face of madness, and Sophie rolled her eyes./p
p class="MsoNormal" "I think that we should go down," Sophie said, and she went down the stairs./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal" "We've got nothing," Sophie repeated to Edaline as they sat around the dinner table, in front of slimy neon green potato-like plants. /p
p class="MsoNormal" "Do you want to send over a gnome to get more books?" Edaline mused. Sophie shook her head. A knock was placed on the door, and they looked at each other. Sophie went to open the door, and there was Fitz./p
p class="MsoNormal" strongSorry i haven't been here for a while - it's been very tiring lately, with school. But where I live, it's snowing, and I'm so happy. If you are still here, thank you for staying. :) See you soon!/strong/p