Foxfire Chapter 7

The Homestead 7:00 p.m.

Sofie watched the sun slide below the horizon as she lay fully relaxed in her mate's arms.

It had been an eventful first day for her in the Glade and she was delighted that the Gladers were alright with her and Newt's kitsune heritage.

Tomorrow was the first day of her training as a Runner and despite Newt's protests she was excited to see what lies beyond the walls of the Glade.

Newt had argued that it would be too dangerous for her out with the Grievers, but Alby and Minho had thought that she would be an asset to the Runners in regards to protection and her magical abilities.

The issue was finally settled when Newt insisted on going with her and would start a refresher course as a Runner early the next morning.

Her nerves had been eating at her about her mate being out in the maze with her but she was certain with both their powers as kitsunes that they would be able to protect both themselves and the Runners.

As the last fading light of the evening was covered by darkness, she yawned and felt herself fading fast into a fit of much needed sleep.

Newt looked down at his mate as she gave the cutest yawn he had ever heard.

A deep rumble of approval sounded in his chest as he held her tighter and nuzzled her cheek with his nose.

"Go to bed love. It's alright. I'll wake you in the morning." He cooed to her as her eyes slowly began to close.

"I love you, Newt." She whispered right before the darkness took her for the night.

Newt smiled happily and tucked them both under the covers before he too fell into a deep sleep.

Sofie's eyes fluttered open and a sense of déjà vu washed over her when she realized that she wasn't back in the Glade with Newt but somehow had found herself back in the Wicked compound.

"Sofie, it's been too long." A deep voice said from behind her as she found herself standing in an all-white room.

Her heart froze when she realized who was speaking.

She quickly turned and faced her twin brother Thomas as he made his way over to where she stood.

"Thomas." She whispered as her eyes filled with tears.

"It's alright, little fox. Big brother is here now." He said softly as he took her gently into his arms.

Sofie felt tears cascading down her cheeks as she clung to her brother.

"What happened, Tom? Why am I here?" She asked as her voice shook hard.

Thomas pulled back slightly and looked down at her with those big brown eyes that assessed and analyzed her every move.

"This is just a dream, Sof. I sent you into the trials so you could complete your objectives with your mate. When you sent Isaac into the trials you set a different plan into motion. The same things will be accomplished just as we planned, but we will be carrying them out in a different way." Thomas said with a hint of authority shining through his tone.

Sofie pulled back and looked up at her brother with a look of unease.

"What do you mean the same objectives will be completed? You know as well as I do that this experiment is a cruel plan to use our abilities against us."

Thomas's brows furrowed as he looked down at her with a look of confusion.

"Sofie you know that we were brought into this department because this experiment will give us all a better life. It will be furthering the advancement of repopulating the planet with stronger and magical immunes."

Sofie shook her head and started to pull away from her brother but was surprised when he held her firmly in place.

"There is no other choice. You know that the world is in a state of crisis and we need to use our abilities to further the reconstruction of mankind as well as our own. You must complete the objectives that we lay out for you or else you could be terminated from the process."

He said quickly as worry shone in his eyes.

Looking up, she met his eyes with a firm expression of her own.

"We're too young, Thomas. Newt and I don't need to be having pups this young. And the plan to send up more kitsunes into the Glade is a terrible idea. And what about Teresa? Didn't you promise her that you wouldn't be continuing with this plan of action? How is she going to feel when the few surviving members of our clan are going to be sent up into a shitload of teenage boys?"

She argued as Thomas's worried expression quickly turned into his trademark scowl.

"Teresa knows that in order to save our kind as we know it that we need to focus on the repopulation procedures. That way we can all complete the experiment so we can have finally have the lives that we were meant to live. Trust me, little sister. Everything will go as planned. You know that I'm doing this because it's what's best for everyone."

Sofie shook her head and turned away from her brother making his hardened scowl falter even if just for a moment.

Thomas's mind whirred to life as he analyzed and reanalyzed his sister's reaction to the conversation and knew that he was in for a world of trouble. Apparently his younger sister had become defiant in her time spent with her mate and this needed to be corrected immediately.

"Sofie, if you do not choose to follow along with the plan than I'm going to have to remove you from the Glade and bring you back here permanently. That's the only way I know how to protect you. Following the plan will ensure your safety and Newt's safety as well as the rest of the Gladers. Now, time is running out. Morning is coming fast. Go back to sleep and remember what I said. The choice is yours. Follow through with the objectives, or leave Newt behind. I will be arriving in the Glade soon to trigger the end. Please do as your told, and for the love of all things good and wonderful, stay out of trouble." He said as Sofie listened to his voice start to fade.

Before she could respond the room started to become fuzzy and everything started to fade into darkness once again.

Sofie's eyes flew open and this time she found herself sitting up quickly and looking around Newt's bedroom in the Homestead.

Thomas was right.

She had a choice.

But which was the lesser of the two evils?

That only time would tell.