I'm going to start trying to update every two to three weeks. :D We're finally getting into the drama part of the plot, and I am SO excited to share the rest of this with you guys. :)
Glittery-Icecream: You may or may not be on to something. :) Thanks for reading and reviewing!
BlackSwanGirl: I do use umber leaves a lot, don't I? It might be because we eat chicken a lot in my family, and since it seems like the Elvin substitute for chicken I usually just sub it in. And yes, Grady is awesome. Next chapter...let's just say next chapter Grady has a bit of a diva moment. :) Thanks for reading and reviewing!
lovelunalovegood: Thank you for the custard bursts! I hope Shannon Messenger releases the recipe for those next! As for who ends up together in the end...I can't reveal that yet. *insert devious author face and evil laugh* As for the cute comment...awwwwwwww. You just made me smile! Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Eeveelutions Are Awesome: Right? I kinda felt the same way. Poor Fitz too though. You'll see. It'll all work itself out. As for Keefe...
Thanks for reading and reviewing! :)
keephie-13: It seems as though we all pronounce "panakes" different ways. :) Thanks for reading and reviewing!
booksaremylife: I have been getting a lot of those responses about Grady, and honestly, I really love Grady's character and character development in the series. He is probably one of my favorite characters. And the end was a bit confusing? Of the last chapter? Thanks for reading and confusing, and if you have any questions I can try to clear them up for you. :)
Anonymous: Oh no! I hope your phone doesn't get confiscated! Also, please don't read this in class. I don't want to distract anyone from learning! Aside from that...you're too sweet! I had so much fun writing that chapter, and I had a lot of fun writing this chapter as well. :) Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Impatient Anon: I did update really fast! And now it's been less than a month and I'm already done with Chapter 20? What?! Crazy, I know. :) Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Yourfriendlylocalbookworm: Yes, Biana is a little oblivious at times. I love Tam and Biana too, so from one Tiana shipper to another: get ready for a rocky chapter. That's all I can say. :D Thanks for reading and reviewing!
The Glittery Ninja Espada: I definitely pronounce "pancakes" pan-cakes. But for some reason I've always read panakes as pan-ah-kehs in my head, and I just realized I think I'm saying it wrong when I re-read Neverseen. :) Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Mystery1224: Please don't kill Keefe! Innocent until proven guilty, remember? At this point in time I can neither confirm nor deny your suspicions. Sorry. :) As for the ending ship, you'll just have to keep reading to find out. Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Smiles: Wow...long review. I'm going to admit it: you just made my day. Knowing that someone is interested enough to go through and analyze what I've written to come up with a conspiracy is actually the most flattering thing ever. I'm sitting here giggling to myself like a maniac as I re-read your review to respond because, honestly, I completely agree. Saying "I love you" is a huge milestone, and it's a huge problem in relationships. Tbh, I got the idea of the "I love you" problem from Chuck and Blair's relationship in Gossip Girl. Season 3, I think. Or maybe early 4. Before Louis comes in. Regretfully, I can't confirm or deny your conspiracy. At this point, it's all about the reader's interpretation. I can, however, say that we are getting pretty close to a confrontation. As in, maybe three or four more chapters. I just want to send you so many smiles and hugs and slices of mallowmelt through this screen right now! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! :)
Btw: You know what ice cream is. :)
Fidget: I am so sorry, I went back and checcked, and I totally confused your review with someone else's when I wrote the responses. Thank you for bringing that to my attention. I am so so so so so so so sorry for the mix up. Yes, she did wear teal. :) Thank you for reading and reviewing!
HuffleclawRavenpuff: Awww, I hope this chapter heals your heart! And me too! I mean, every test I take is Hufflepuff, but usually Ravenclaw is really close behind. They're both great houses. :) Thanks for reading and reviewing!
ProjectMoonlark101: YES! OMG YES! Love stories HAVE to have drama! :) Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Paradise7: Awww, thank you! It's definitely hard to know about your own work. Some chapters, scenes I LOVE get totally overlooked and parts I cringe reading get amazing feedback. I'm really glad that The Matchmakers makes you laugh. As for the scene with Keefe...I'm glad that came across. *insert devious author grin as the author steeples her fingers on her big desk and pets her giant, fluffy cat like every villain ever* I also pronounce Keefe as Keef. Also Keef Sencen flows better than Keef-ee Sencen. Thank you for reading, reviewing, and for the blitzenberry custard bursts! As for the update schedule, I'm trying to update faster! Trying so hard! :D I am so excited about this story and I want to finish it!*the author would like you to note that the story is just over half-way concluded, so take what she says here with a grain of salt. IT will most likely not be finished until after Nightfall comes out* :) Now, to address the "Keefe is a headache" friend: have they read all of the books? Now, not all of us can ship the same thing. Sox is a cute ship, but I definitely ship Team Foster-Keefe.
KOTLC lover: Sorry! That's just where it ended! Hopefully this chapter makes up for it! :) Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Well. done. you: Awwww, thanks! It's kind of nice to come back to a fanfic and have a ton of chapters to read all in a row, though, isn't it? Anyways, welcome back to my mind's twist on KOTLC. I definitely am taking my time writing, but I'm going to try to update faster. Keyword: try. We'll see how it goes. :) Thank you for reading and reviewing!
Ren: I cannot tell you who ends up with who. What I can tell you is: everything is already planned out. I'll admit, there is a lot of Team Foster-Keefe content on this site. When I started, that was reversed. It was almost all Sophitz. I shipped Team Foster-Keefe, and I wanted to read more fanfics about them, so I joined the site and started writing. If you want to see more Sophitz on here, the best way to start is to create an account and start writing. Maybe you'll inspire other Sophitz shippers to start writing too. :) Thanks for reading and reviewing!
malaynamonkey2004:How do I make my chapters so long? That's a good question. :) Honestly, they don't all start out at 5,000+ words. First of all, I have a detailed outline that tells me exactly what I'm writing in each chapter. Basically, a really detailed summary. Maybe even some dialogue ideas. Then I go through and do a "bare bones" write through, which means I just brain-dump dialogue, vague setting, important movements, and some very basic feelings/reactions. I just try to get out as much information as possible. Then I leave it alone for a couple of days, and when I come back I got through and bulk it up. Feelings, emotional reactions, setting descriptions, the second write through is when all of that gets added in. At this point I usually send it to my beta, unless it's under 5,000 words. I try not to publish a chapter if it's under 5,000 words, so if it is under, I'll go back through and see if there are any other scenes or conflicts or characters I can add in to bulk the chapter up and make more happen. Sometimes, like with this chapter, it's just barely under. 100 words or less under and I don't really stress too much if I can't find a place to bulk it up. After my beta reads through, I'll go back through one more time, and either send it back to my beta after I make some edits, or-if I get the all clear-I'll publish it. It's a weird process, and it definitely doesn't work for everyone, but it's kinda how my brain works. :) As for the reviews, it would be insane to get 500 reviews! I' just did some quick math, and since I'm averaging about 23 reviews per chapter, I could hit 500 within the next two chapters, which would be insane. But also, the number of reviews on a chapter drastically differs, with my lowest at 7 and highest at 37. Honestly, the number of reviews on a story doesn't matter though. They're great because they give you feedback on how you're doing: what's working, what isn't, what's coming across, what isn't, what's too stiff, what's too vague, etc. And the reviews I get definitely contribute to the story quality. :) Thanks for reading and reviewing, and I hope that made sense.
Coco: Well, lucky for you I updated 16 hours after you left that review! You had to wait less than a day! :)
Guests: Thank you so much for reading and reviewing, and, regrettably, I can't tell you what ship is going to be endgame. Sorry. :) Also, what does "Testing, testing," mean?
The results are in as to how people pronouce "panakes."
Pan-ah-kehs III
Pan-ay-keys I
Pan-aches I
I added myself in too. :) Looks like most people pronounce it pan-ah-kehs, although, as one reviewer pointed out, pan-aches is most likely how Shannon Messenger intended it to be pronounced, due to a second of Neverseen in which Sophie mistakes it for pancakes.
Does anyone else absolutely love the idea of awkward Fitz? Like blushing, and stuttering, and totally out of his element Fitz? Cause I think I've fallen in love. :)
And, of course, a HUGE thanks to my AMAZING beta Xylia! You're the best!
TWENTY
IT WAS THE MIDDLE OF the night when Sophie's door crashed open.
She bolted upright, rubbing the sleep from her eyes even as she reached for the knot of emotions in her core.
But the voice that spoke wasn't the stuff of her nightmares. In fact, it sounded a lot like her boyfriend saying, "I'm sorry I'm such an idiot!"
Well… that certainly wasn't what she'd expected…
"Fitz?" she asked, rubbing her eyes again to make sure she wasn't hallucinating her boyfriend. "What are you doing here?"
He paced up and down next to her bed. "I just...I saw all the people and I got mad and I didn't want you to have to deal with me in a mood like that and I'm sorry and I promise it'll never happen again-"
"Fitz, slow down," Sophie interrupted, shaking her head to try to clear the cloudiness of sleep away. "What are you talking about?"
Fitz sat on the edge of her bed and took her hand. "I'm sorry about what happened tonight. You planned a really thoughtful date, and I ruined it."
"You didn't ruin it," Sophie told him with a wide yawn and a patronizing pat on the arm.
Fitz looked forlorn as he stared at the place her hand had been. "Yes, I did. And I'm sorry."
"Did you ask those people to stalk us to Moonglade?" Sophie asked him, raising an eyebrow as she tilted his chin and moved his gaze to hers. "No, you didn't. You didn't even know where we were going."
Fitz raked his hands through his hair. "That's not why I'm sorry."
"You have nothing to be sorry for." Sophie yawned again. "Fitz, I'm really tired. Can we do this in the morning?"
"No. I'm sorry for waking you up, but I need to get this off my chest. Sophie…" Fitz trailed off, then started again. "Sophie," he said, taking her other hand in his and looking her directly in the eye, "I love you."
Her heart fluttered. Who would have guessed that three words, eight letters, would cause the butterflies in Sophie's stomach to go absolutely ballistic? But she clamped down on the feelings just as quickly as they started. They'd already been over this, at the disaster of a date. "I know," she said, thankful that her words were steady, if a little breathy, because she felt anything but. He loved her as a friend, and nothing more. And she'd accepted that.
"No," Fitz asserted, squeezing her hands in his. "I mean I'm in love with you. Like 'I can't stop thinking about you' in love with you. Like everything that happens in my day I'm constantly thinking, 'I should tell Sophie about that' or 'Sophie would think that was funny.' And I was so scared to say it earlier, because I was afraid I'd scare you away, that I just panicked and froze and ended up blurting out the first thing that came to mind. But now… Sophie, I want you-I need you-to know how I feel, even if you don't feel the same way."
Sophie was stunned, and her cheeks heated. She didn't know what to say. She'd just come to terms with the realization Fitz only loved her as a friend before falling asleep. To think he felt that strongly for her...it was a little surprising. A little humbling.
And quite flattering.
Fitz misinterpreted her shocked silence. "And it's okay if you don't," he quickly covered. "Feel the same way, that is. I don't want to pressure you in any way to respond. In fact, I don't expect you to. I just wanted to be honest with you. Clear the air."
"Fitz?" Sophie interrupted before he could continue rambling.
"Yes?" he asked, his gorgeous eyes wide and vulnerable. He'd never looked as innocent as he did in that moment, his heart on his sleeve, just waiting for her to pick it up. He was all in.
And that meant she was going to have to dive in headfirst too.
So she whispered, "I love you too," and she didn't look away from his enthralling eyes.
That meant she caught a glimpse of the crushing relief as it melted any lingering fear in his eyes.
"Oh, thank goodness!" Fitz exclaimed, pulling her into a bone-crushing hug. "I was terrified I'd scared you off!"
Sophie smiled shyly at him. "I wanted to say it back to you earlier, but I was a little overwhelmed and you didn't give me a chance."
Fitz ran his hand through his hair. "I'm such an idiot sometimes," he muttered. "I'm so sorry for everything."
Sophie leaned forward and hugged him, gently pressing her lips to the place his neck met his jaw, and then nestling back in close to him. "Stop apologizing," she told him, but her soft voice held no reprimand, only relief.
He tentatively wrapped his arms around her, the touch so light she knew his nerves were getting the best of him. "I just want you to know that if I could go back in time and fix this, I would."
"Everything turned out just fine anyway," she whispered into the soft fabric of his tunic. His chest rumbled when he hummed his agreement.
This moment was perfect. Almost too perfect. She hesitated, then asked, "Can you pinch me, please?"
She could feel his answering chuckle as it reverberated through his chest. "What for?"
She pulled away to look him in the eyes. "I want to know I'm not dreaming."
Fitz laughed again, and leaned in, pressing his lips to hers in a featherlight touch, then kissing her deeper. When he pulled away, he left his hands on her cheeks. "Still think you're dreaming?"
Sophie pulled him back toward her, her eyes half lidded with sleep. "My dreams are very vivid. Better do it again to make sure."
Fitz laughed against her lips, and then she was laughing too, and soon they were laying back on her pillows, kissing between bouts of laughter. When she was too out of breath to continue, Sophie leaned her head on Fitz's chest, a dopey smile now on her face. Fitz wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer and resting his cheek against her forehead. "I love you," he whispered.
Her legs were tangled in the blankets, trapped by Fitz's weight on top of them, but Sophie couldn't bring herself to care. If she could freeze time, she would freeze it right there: lips swollen from being so thoroughly kissed, hair messy from Fitz's fingers, and so utterly, blissfully happy.
"I love you too," she whispered, her eyes drifting closed as she snuggled into his side.
He was warm, and sweet, and kind, and she was so incredibly lucky to have him. And despite herself, despite everything she'd ever stood for, Sophie was thankful for the Council's silly Matchmaking plans. She was thankful they'd paired her with such an amazing guy.
Sophie Vacker…
The next thing she knew, someone was screaming and her delightfully comfortable pillow was squirming out from under her head.
She blinked bleary eyes, trying to make sense of the scene around her. Sunlight streamed through her windows, Fitz was jumping off her bed at maximum speed, and Biana was standing in her doorway, a bouquet of panakes blossoms dangling forgotten at her side, making a sound that was a cross between a dog whistle and a fire alarm.
Sophie groaned and rolled over, pulling her pillow over her head to block out the noise.
That was the moment she realized she and Fitz must have fallen asleep.
Together.
On her bed.
She threw off the pillow and lunged out of her bed just as Grady appeared behind Biana. "What's wrong?" he demanded.
Then he saw Sophie and Fitz.
Specifically, their matching wild hairstyles, rumpled pajamas, and Sophie's yet unmade bed.
And then, Grady's face went blank.
Not angry, not surprised, not anything. His face was completely devoid of emotion. And honestly, it kind of scared her. Shouldn't her dad have some kind of reaction to her boyfriend secretly staying the night?
"Ummm, Dad?" Sophie asked nervously, but Grady didn't respond. She'd probably be in for the talk of the century later, but for now Grady simply turned around and walked down the stairs robotically.
Fitz pressed his lips together. "That's not how I expected your dad to react to me sleeping over," he admitted.
On the plus side, she now knew for sure that she hadn't dreamt up their reunion last night. The kisses, the "I love yous," and the late-night-cuddles. It seemed too good to be true.
But the sleep-tousled hair of the stunning boy in front of her proved it wasn't.
"You! Sophie! Havenfield? All night?" Biana screeched again. "Mom and Dad are going to flip!"
"Bianaaaaaaaaa," Fitz groaned, burying his red face in his hands. Sophie couldn't help her smile. A blushing Fitz wasn't a very common sight, and she was going to enjoy every adorable moment of it, even if her cheeks were just as red.
Biana's dopey expression suddenly cleared, and she shot upright. "Sophie!" she squealed, practically jumping up and down with happiness as she proudly held out her bundle of flowers. "Guesswhatguesswhatguesswhat!"
"What?" Sophie asked.
Biana stopped and glared at her brother.
"Okay!" Fitz said, raising one hand as he pulled out his home crystal. "I can tell when I'm not wanted." He held his crystal up to the light and glanced at Sophie, biting his lip. Then he shot her a sheepish smile. "I'll talk to you later, alright?"
Sophie blushed and beamed right back. "I can't wait," she told him breathlessly.
"Alright," Biana interrupted, pushing her brother toward the beam of light. "You two are in love. I get it. It's sickening. Go away."
Fitz rolled his eyes, but he was grinning to himself as the light whisked him away.
Biana squealed again and held out the blossoms. "Look look LOOK!" she demanded, her delight contagious. Sophie was smiling as she straightened her covers so that she and Biana could sit on her bed.
"I see them," she told the other girl. "They're very nice."
"I know," Biana sighed dreamily, skipping over to Sophie's bed and dropping down dramatically. "They're the most gorgeous flowers I've ever seen."
Now, Sophie wasn't sure about that, but they were certainly very pretty.
"Did you pick them from Calla's tree?"
Biana froze, her face pinching into a frown. "What are you talking about? I didn't pick these."
"Then where did you get them?"
Biana smiled again, the suggestion forgotten. "A boy gave them to me," she said with a suggestive raise of her eyebrows.
Sophie's stomach fluttered. "What boy?" she probed eagerly, hopping on the bed next to Biana.
"Guess," Biana demanded.
Sophie thought for a second. "Tam," she finally decided.
"Tam?" Biana scoffed, brushing a stray lock of hair over her shoulder as she raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Are you serious right now?"
"What?" Sophie asked defensively. "You said to guess!"
"I mean really?" Biana scoffed. "Tam?"
"Why not?" Sophie asked. "Tam is a great guy."
"Yeah, but...Tam? Are you kidding me?"
Sophie was getting a little frustrated. "Biana," she sighed, "what in the world do you have against Tam?"
Biana pursed her lips as she gently ran her fingers through the blossoms of her bouquet. "He's just…I mean, he's Tam."
Sophie rolled her eyes. "What does that even mean?"
"It means that I don't like Tam! I have a boyfriend! Stop pushing Tam at me!"
"You have a boyfriend?" Sophie shouted, the shock making her temporarily unable to regulate her volume.
"Yes!" Biana squealed, suddenly euphoric as she bounced on the bed.
"No way!" Sophie responded delightfully, bouncing right along with her. "Are you kidding me?"
"No! Well...I kind of have a boyfriend," Biana amended, biting her lip. "He hasn't officially asked me yet, but I know he's going to soon."
"Well who is it?" Sophie demanded. "Inquiring minds want to know!"
"Is everything okay up here?" Edaline asked, poking her head in through the door. "I thought I heard screaming."
"Biana has a maybe boyfriend!" Sophie summarized, and Edaline quickly sidestepped into the room, her eyes aglow as she carefully closed the door behind her.
"You have a maybe boyfriend?" she teased, sashaying gracefully across the floor to the bed before plopping down next to the on the bed. "What does that mean?"
"Yes," Biana said with a dreamy sigh, throwing her arms out as she flopped back onto the bed. "I admit it. I have a boy. Who is a friend. With perks like kissing. And going to Solstice Galas."
"You already kissed him!" Sophie demanded, her jaw dropping even as her shocked expression morphed into something closer to a feral desire for information. "Was he any good?"
"Wait, who are we talking about?" Edaline asked, clearly excited to be included in the gossip. "Who is this mystery almost-boyfriend?"
"Keefe," Biana sighed dreamily.
That brought the excitement train to a screeching halt.
"Keefe?" Sophie sputtered in surprise, her brain trying force the pieces together, but no matter how she tried, she just couldn't form the whole puzzle. "As in Keefe Keefe?"
"Yep."
"Like, Keefe Sencen Keefe?"
Bina rolled her eyes. "Do we know another?" she asked blandly.
"When?" Sophie asked, barely able to get her mouth to function.
When did that happen?
"He gave me the flowers when he asked me to be his date to the Solstice Gala."
If Sophie had been drinking something, she would have spit it all over her bed in surprise. As it was, she could only choke on her saliva while Edaline fauned over the gorgeous bouquet. That forced Edaline tear her attention away from her daughter's best friend and frantically thump Sophie on the back.
When she was done choking, her screeched, "What?" could have startled a group of pigeons off a Forbidden Cities telephone wire.
"I know," Biana said dreamily. "I was surprised too. But he just rejected me the other day because he was already planning on asking me. And you know how Keefe is. He loves his master plans."
"Yeah, he does love his plans," Sophie echoed. She was in shock. She had to be. Keefe had asked Biana to the Solstice Gala? Biana?
She shook her head to clear it as Biana let out another dreamy little sigh. Keefe was Biana's childhood crush. She should have been happy for her friend. She was happy for her friend. She was.
So why did she feel so icky inside?
"I've got to get back outside, or Grady might stumble in wondering where I've gotten off to. Today's tooth-brushing day." Edaline mock shivered. "Biana, I'm very happy for you. Congratulations."
"Thanks!" Biana sighed.
Then it was just the two of them, laying on the bed in silence.
"Well, that's great, Biana," Sophie choked out after a while.
"I know," Biana said, smiling wildly, her expression bordering on manic. "I can't believe he asked me! Well, I mean I can, but…"
"It still doesn't seem real, does it?"
Biana nodded, and Sophie could definitely relate. Sometimes, she still couldn't believe Fitz was her boyfriend. Her fiancé.
She was so lucky to have him.
Why did she still feel so sick?
"So, how'd he ask you?" Sophie asked, her voice still relatively flat.
Luckily, Biana had enough energy for the both of them. "He just showed up at my door this morning with these!" She waved the flowers in Sophie's face, and Sophie got a face-full of pollen as she tried to bat them away.
"Ahhhh!" she squealed. Then she sneezed. And sneezed. And sneezed some more.
"Careful!" Biana scolded, yanking the flowers away and gently fluffing the bouquet, her fingers trailing lovingly along the pretty petals. "I'm going to put these in a vase when I get home, and then I'm going to get the gnomes to help me press them when they start dying so that I can keep them forever."
Sophie was down with that. Besides, it sounded exactly like the kind of thing Biana would do.
"And then someday Keefe and I will show them to our great-great-great-great-grandchildren as the bouquet that started it all."
Sophie wasn't as down with that. Her friend's vivid imagination got away from her sometimes.
"Biana," she started, but her friend cut her off.
"Don't 'Biana' me." The dark haired girl rolled her teal eyes. "And before you start your lecture on how I need to 'chill' about my whole 'relationship' with Keefe, he told me he really likes me. Not just likes me. Really likes me."
"Okaaay," Sophie said, but Biana interrupted again.
"And that means that this isn't just some crush. I mean, he asked me to be his girlfriend. He asked me to the Solstice Gala. This is serious."
"Okay," Sophie said, but Biana still wasn't done.
"And the best part is, we're on each other's Matchmaking scrolls. We may not be as high on each other's Scrolls as I'd like, but obviously, he sees something in me that he doesn't see in anyone else on there."
"Oh," Sophie said, lying back on her bed. She couldn't quite identify why she felt as though she'd been stabbed in the stomach and was slowly bleeding out. It was a very peculiar feeling.
Biana laid back beside her. A half-hearted, "Yep," was her only response.
And that was all either of them had to say about that.
Which led to a rather awkward silence.
Which drew on.
And on.
And on.
And on.
And—
"You know what we should do?" Biana asked, jumping up to a sitting position like the past five minutes hadn't happened.
Sophie pushed herself up beside her friend, trying to mirror her friend's energy as she asked, "What?"
Biana's eyes sparkled. "We should go shopping."
"You know what else we could do?" Sophie asked, mirroring Biana's excitement.
"What?"
"Call Linh over and celebrate your new relationship status with a girl's day in."
Biana looked torn.
"I'll let you do as many makeovers as you want," Sophie offered.
Biana bit her lip. "Ugh, but I really need a new dress for the gala."
"You just bought a new dress for the gala," Sophie pointed out.
"Yeah, but that was before I knew I was going with Keefe."
"So because your date changed you need to go buy a completely different dress?"
Biana heaved a relieved sigh. "Exactly."
"That doesn't make any sense."
"I was going to wear pink before, but now I'm going with Keefe, and Keefe is a man. Pink is too...childish."
"Pink isn't childish, Biana. It's your favorite color."
"Well, what are you planning on wearing, Little Miss Buzzkill? I know for a fact Edaline hasn't taken you shopping yet."
Sophie glanced toward her closet. "I was just going to wear-"
"You're not going to wear something you already have, you're going to wear a pretty new gown that you and I are going to go find in Atlantis today."
And that was that.
Sophie sighed, but she let Biana drag her off the bed without further protest.
"We should still call Linh and invite her along too," Sophie decided, and Biana nodded.
"You do that, I'm going to go get Edaline and ask her to conjure these"-she proudly held up her bouquet-"into my room."
They met up three minutes later underneath the Leapmaster, their party increased by one.
"What's the news?" Linh squealed as she hopped off the staircase.
"You didn't tell her?" Biana asked, raising one eyebrow at Sophie's answering head-shake.
"I figured you'd like to do the honors," Sophie said, and she knew she'd made the right choice as Biana's face reanimated, filling with that happy glow.
"Come on, Biana!" Linh pleaded when Biana didn't immediately say. "I need to know!"
"Keefe asked me to go to the Solstice Gala with him!" Biana squealed, jumping up and down with excitement.
Linh's face froze. "What?"
"And I said yes!" Biana continued, so energized it seemed like she might jump right out of her own skin. As it was, she kept blinking in and out of sight like a spotty tv-channel.
"Are you serious?" Linh demanded, looking slightly angry now as she crossed her arms over her chest, something Linh didn't usually do.
"Yes!" Biana beamed, completely unaware of the other girl's irritation.
"Biana!" Linh exclaimed, a betrayed look on her face. That was a surprise. Sophie hadn't heard Linh raise her voice once in all their years of friendship. "When in Exile did this happen?"
"This morning," Biana sighed dreamily.
"Biana!" Linh reprimanded. "You told Tam no when he asked you weeks ago because you were hosting and your parents said you couldn't bring a date!"
"Tam asked you to the Solstice Gala?" Sophie blurted.
"Yes!" Linh said at the same time Biana said, "No!"
"When did that happen and why didn't you tell me?" Sophie demanded.
"He didn't really ask…" Biana said, but Linh's face clouded over.
"He covered the four lockers closest to yours in flowers and covered yours with boxes of Prattles and hearts spelling out 'Will you go to the Solstice Gala with me?' Tell me you didn't just deny he invited you," Linh said indignantly, and as little drops of moisture started to collect on the Hydrokinetic's hands, Sophie realized Linh might be getting a little out of control.
"Oh please," Biana scoffed. "There are love notes taped on my locker four out of five days of the week. That's just another Tuesday."
"It took him four hours!" Linh yelled, tears shining in her eyes. Sophie flinched, and even Biana paused for a moment.
Biana turned to Sophie. "Back me up here," she told the other girl.
Sophie hesitated. She really didn't want to get in the middle of this, but… "That does kinda sound like an invitation," she finally had to admit.
"See?" Linh said. "Even Sophie thinks it was an invitation. And she's the most romantically obtuse person we know!"
"Excuse you!" Sophie defended indignantly at the same time Biana told them, "That is so not the point!" finally starting to come down from cloud nine. "I told him no back when I thought I couldn't bring a date. Then Fitz asked Sophie, so my parents had to let me bring a one. It was a simple case of bad timing."
"So you should have gone with who asked you first," Linh told her in a steely voice, her eyes cold as she turned on Biana.
"Well, they didn't decide until last night," Biana said, "and Keefe asked me this morning. Since I didn't know whether or not Tam had found a backup date, I thought I'd better just go with the guy who just asked me."
Linh huffed.
"What?" Biana demanded.
"Nothing," Linh said flatly.
It definitely wasn't nothing, and Sophie really wanted to stay out of this one. The only problem was, she was standing right between the other two girls.
"It's obviously something, or you wouldn't be looking that pissed right now. Spill."
"Fine," Linh said. "Keefe? Keefe? Really?"
"Yes, Keefe. I'm going with Keefe."
Linh crossed her arms over her chest. "Well I don't think you should go with him."
Biana mimicked Linh's posture and raised an eyebrow, forcing Sophie to take a step back so she wasn't in the way of their lethal glares. "Well that's too bad, because I am, so you'd better suck it up and keep your opinions to yourself."
"You're the one who wanted to know what was up," Linh said simply.
"Well, who are you going with?" Biana asked defensively.
She heaved a sigh in response. "Since someone rejected him, my brother seems to be remarkably free tomorrow night. I'm going with Tam."
Biana paused, and guilt flickered across her porcelain features. "You don't have a date?"
Linh fidgeted uncomfortably, dropping her arms. "Tam's my date," she said firmly.
Biana's expression was dangerously close to pity as she offered, "I'll see who I can round up, but this late in the game, it's going to be hard to find a cute, smart, classy guy who's free."
"Biana!" Linh interrupted, but the other girl steamrolled on.
"Emerson's going with Marella, Davin's going with Maruca...Sophie, do you know if Dex has a date yet?"
"Don't answer that," Linh told Sophie before turning back to the dark haired girl. "Biana, I don't need a date. I'm going with Tam."
Biana scoffed. "Tam's your twin brother. You can't come to the Solstice Gala with him."
Linh's eyes flashed with something dangerously close to fury. "Well, I don't want to go with Dex, or Gavin, or whoever else you just said. I'm perfectly happy to go with Tam, regardless of whether or not he's my brother. He's a really great guy, and an awesome dancer, and any girl would be lucky to have him as her partner at the gala tomorrow."
"Okay," Biana said, raising her hands in defeat. "Sheesh. Fine. Whatever. Go with your brother. That's cool."
"Great!" Sophie chirped, stepping forward before the fighting could resume. "Now that that's settled, let's go shopping! Atlantis," she called to the Leapmaster, grabbing each friend's hand tightly before stepping into the light.
When they reappeared on the rocky coast, it seemed Sophie that the Vanisher and the Hydrokinetic had come to an unspoken agreement not to mention dates to the Solstice Gala, and the trek from dress shop to dress shop was rather uneventful. Linh found her floor-length silver gown at the first store, the shimmery fabric perfectly accentuating the metal tips of her hair and the pink of her cheeks. Sophie found her gown at the third, a bright red number with a sweetheart neckline and gold sparkles that brought out the flecks in her eyes. But it wasn't until the seventh store that Biana fell in love… and even then the other two weren't that all convinced.
Not convinced…"adamantly opposed" might have been a better word for what Sophie and Linh were feeling at the moment.
Linh and Sophie were lounging in the waiting area when Biana pushed the curtain to the changing area aside with a flourishing WHOOSH!
For a few moments, Sophie was too stunned to speak.
"It's perfect, isn't it?" Biana asked, giving a twirl for her audience. But the clingy fabric didn't leave her skin.
"Biana," Sophie finally managed, "that dress might send the wrong message."
Biana looked down at the sequinned, skintight black dress. "Too short?" she asked, regretfully fingering the hem that rose well above pinky-length.
Too short.
Too tight.
Too low-cut.
Goodness, Biana's boobs and bottom were practically hanging out for the whole store to see. There was no way Sophie could let Biana buy that dress.
Sophie bit her lip. The question was, how to put that tactfully? She doubted "Biana, you look like a prostitute" would go over well.
Thankfully, Linh saved her.
"I think you'd look better in this one," the dark haired girl said, holding out a slinky floor-length number that was still revealing and would hug all Biana's curves, but would also prevent all the straight men at the party from having heart attacks. Not to mention the scandalous slit that would open up to Biana's mid-thigh.
Biana gazed longingly into the mirror as she turned this way and that, examining herself from every angle. "You don't think Keefe will like it?" she asked longingly. "I mean, it really showcases my assets."
"Ummmmmm," Sophie said eloquently, quickly looking to Linh again for the save.
"I think you are gorgeous, and you could really pull this dress off," Linh said, offering the black dress again. "That one's a little…"
"Tacky," Sophie filled in when Linh trailed off.
"Well, I think it's the one," Biana countered.
"Biana, it's not very...you," Sophie finally said. "Wouldn't you prefer something with a little more sparkle?"
"And a little more pink?" Linh contributed.
"And some twirl factor?" Sophie finished.
Biana scoffed. "I can't wear pink or sparkles. I'm a grown woman, now," she informed them. "I have a boyfriend."
But her eyes strayed longingly toward the floor-length pink dress Sophie was holding up, with a full tulle skirt infused with glitter.
"Are you sure you don't even want to try this on?" Sophie asked, dangling the dress in front of the other girl like one might dangle a bone in front of a dog.
Biana's wistful glance lasted seven seconds before she managed to rip her gaze away. "I'll try that one, Linh."
Biana didn't cast the pink gown another glance as she tried the slinky black gown on, took it to the register, and paid. But as they walked out of the store, she looked back over her shoulder, longing filling her eyes as she left her dream gown behind.
That night, as Sophie walked up the steps to her her room, her foot hit something, knocking it into a dark corner. She set down the bag and picked it up, carefully examining it in the dim light.
Chocolates. A box of real, Belgian chocolates.
She looked around, but there was no one else in the hallway, and they'd been kicked to the wall, forgotten. She shrugged, but popped one in her mouth as she walked into her room. They were probably a present from Fitz. She'd have to thank him when he hailed her that night.