Sorry I haven't updated for so long. Exams have been round the corner. 还有， 邦尼， 你为什么要一直赶我去写这个呢？ Patience is the key to success!
"So?" asked Dex, crossing his arms, glaring at Sophie. "What do you make of...what's her name again?"
"Estelle Lundian?" asked Keefe, cringing when Dex nodded. "Uh, I dunno. But she kinda creeps me out. I mean, she looks at Fitz and Biana like they're venomous!"
Dex sighed. "That was my point! I'd never met anyone that dislikes the Vackers before, except for my family-"
"You're forgetting Tiergan," interrupted Sophie, before Fitz or Biana could argue. "Uh, and Stina, too. Probably."
"Most probably," Keefe smirked at Sophie, receiving a death glare in return. He did not look fazed at all.
"Let me make my point first. Well, except for them, everyone, and I do mean everyone, absolutely adores the Vackers. I mean, have you ever seen anyone except for a certain few shooting disdainful looks at them?"
"Is that supposed to be an insult or a compliment?" Fitz asked suspiciously.
Dex gave him a look, then continued, "And now, I meet this lady called Estelle...Whatever. Looks like, yay! I have another Vacker hater."
Biana held out her hand, almost jabbing Dex's face. Dex scowled deeply. "What? What is it?"
"The bullets. The melder shots. Give them back to me." Biana's voice was as hard and cold as steel, something that Sophie didn't recognize as her loyal and warm friend.
Dex's scowl deepened further, although inside Sophie could see that he was actually taunting Biana, and was quite enjoying it. "Why do you need them? You have no use for them, anyway. I, instead, can use them to create something useful."
Sophie pushed them aside, irritated. "Enough. Four-year olds. Here we are trying to discuss about important things that can destroy the world and here I am, dealing with four-year olds."
Both Biana and Dex frowned, but after exchanging a few glares to each other, all they muttered was, "Fine."
Sophie relaxed her shoulders. "Thank you."
"Nice one, Foster!" Keefe cracked up. Sophie frowned at him.
"I-I'm serious, Keefe," Sophie tried to keep the quiver out of her voice as she explained with full detail about what Mr Forkle had said, and the symbol on the dining room door that was linked to her memory about the boy who disappeared.
"So this concerns humans?" asked Fitz, his forehead etched with worry. "This is bad. Even the Council couldn't do anything about that; nobody in the Lost Cities care about humans."
"Of course, I forgot about your deep friendship with the dear Council." There was obvious hatred in Dex's voice when he snorted.
"Dex!" Sophie said sharply, and Dex shut up immediately. "And Fitz, obviously I care." Her tone softened at the last word. "Even if all the other elves don't care. At all."
She might've been the only person-no-elf that thought this way, but that didn't matter. Even if the Black Swan did not have the same thinking as their own creation, she didn't care. Even if Sophie was in her own small rebellion. Like the Neverseen.
The word sent eerie chills down her spine.
Then, Sophie remembered something. "Biana half-vanished."
Keefe drew in a breath. "No way! That is awesome!"
"Not!" Biana and Sophie both shot back at him in unison. "You don't understand, Keefe," said Biana, almost near to tears.
"Woah, why are you crying? I didn't do anything!"
"Obviously she thought you did," replied Fitz, glaring at Keefe.
Keefe put his hands in mock surrender. "I give up."
Biana blinked back her tears, then bent down and pulled up a portion of her long black pants.
The space between her boot and the rolled-up pants was nothing. Thin air. Sophie, Dex, Keefe and Fitz both gasped at the same time.
"It was the result of us snooping at night," Sophie explained slowly. "After that, Biana was already like that. We both thought that she'd already gotten the hang of Vanishing completely."
"And she did," Fitz cut in, putting an arm over Biana's shaking shoulders. "You can't deny that there's something not right about this, too. I personally watched her back in Everglen" - his voice hitched a little - "and she had gotten the hang of Vanishing. Every time."
Biana sniffed, and managed to say, "Tell them what we heard."
Sophie reached into her cape and pulled out a piece of crumpled paper where she'd scribbled down the words that she had heard that she assumed was from Mr Forkle and Soreas. Then a thought struck her like a lightning bolt and her veins turned to ice.
She could still remember Mr Forkle telling Sora particularly not to let them snoop about that night. And Sora had agreed heartily.
Could it be possible that, while Sophie and Biana had been spying on Mr Forkle and Soreas, then Sora had been spying on them at the same time? It was actually quite possible, Sophie thought. Sora was probably heavily trained in the Black Swan's ways of hiding, and knew how to spy on them without being detected in the slightest bit at all. And when they'd first met Soreas and Sora, Sora had remained hidden and unknown until Soreas revealed her hiding place.
"Sophie?" Fitz looked worried, shaking her shoulders gently but firmly. "Are you okay?"
Sophie blinked and nodded quickly. "Oh yes, I am."
"She's lying, Fitz." Keefe pointed out most unhelpfully. Sophie cursed under her breath.
"What is that I hear you muttering, Foster?" he teased.
"Uh, so you are actually lying to us?" Dex asked with a trace of hurt in his voice. "What do you need to hide about? I thought we were your friends?"
Sophie drew in a shaky breath and said, "I...I just don't want you worrying over me."
Biana stepped forward and pulled Sophie in a tight embrace. "Oh, Sophie." she murmured softly, "It's going to be alright. I understand."
"Uh, like we don't understand too."
"I wasn't talking to you, Keefe."
Sophie showed the paper to the boys. "Look, it's just scrambled words that I heard. And Keefe?"
"At your service, Foster. Nah, just kidding."
"Can you detect all the emotions in the room right now? Like, all?"
"All? What do you mean by all, Foster?"
"Like, any other feelings and emotions that aren't from us."
A silence spread over the room as Keefe closed his eyes, concentrating. "Nah, Foster. I feel nothing unusual."
Sophie released the breath she'd been holding. "Good. I was suspecting that somebody's spying on us."
The room grew deadly silent again, and an unnerving feeling in Sophie's gut grew, making her clutch her chest in fright.
"Wow, that is some fear." Keefe said, his voice strained. Sophie panicked.
"Oh, sorry-"
"No need to apologize. It's just...nice to know that the Mysterious Miss F. cares."
Just then, the door creaked open, revealing a calm and smiling Sora. "Your time's over. Time for training!"
"I have a feeling that it's not gonna be pretty." Keefe muttered. Sora's smile grew wider and wider until it actually did creep Sophie out a little.
"Ah, you just have to be used to it."