Chapter 4
I was on a boat of loneliness, floating in a sea of despair
I caught a glimpse of her, but when I turned she was not there
I was alone alone in a sea of despair, without even a breath of fresh air
She was gone, far away from this wretched place
When I looked in the water I did not see my face
Instead I saw a doomed man, forever to be alone
And I knew in my heart I would never go home
I cried out to the black sky for pity
But instead it tormented me
And at last I could take it no more,
I dove into the sea and lay there for evermore
"This is depressing," Sophie said to herself as she read the poem. Part of her job was making sure the Neverseen didn't plant any trackers or weapons on Foster's friends. She had just searched Fitz's room, and though she did not find any security hazards, she had found a poem that Fitz had written.
It was probably about Foster, but Sophie didn't realize he liked her that much. She knew that Foster liked Fitz and Keefe, and that was awkward in itself. Especially with this poem. It wasn't a silly love poem, it was just a gloomy poem. Fitz had never seemed depressed before. Sophie couldn't wait until she searched Keefe's room. What secrets would she find there?
As it turned out, a lot. Keefe's room at Candleshade was filled with drawings, and all of them were of Foster. These two boys clearly liked Foster a lot. Foster liked both of them too, and there was no easy way out of it. If Fitz pulled out of the relationship, Foster would be devastated, and Keefe might lose his best friend. If Keefe pulled out, the same thing would happen.
The only choice left was if Foster chose Dex, and it had been shown that they were not meant to be. Would Foster just not end up with anyone?
Sophie's Imparter chimed. She looked at it. It was Mr. Forkle. Sophie answered it. "What's today's agenda?" she asked.
"Sophie Foster's not searching Atlantis today; it's Fitz, Tam and Linh. Today you can act as her."
"Sure." Foster had been going on a schedule for who would search Nightfall, and on some of the days when Foster didn't go, Sophie would pretend to be her. It was easier than sneaking around with an obscurer.
"Where do you think Nightfall might be?" said Sophie. "They've looked before, and found nothing."
"The Neverseen have a history of hiding things in plain sight," said Mr. Forkle. "I suspect that it would be out in the open, so look for a place that everyone would see. That's where you will find Nightfall."
"I understand."
"We also figured out who the leader of the Neverknown was, based on the files you gave us. He's the man you saw a few weeks ago when you got us those documents. His name is Michael Ryler. He is very ruthless. He once killed his best friend when he failed at a mission. Be careful. It is unlikely that you will encounter the Neverknown in Atlantis, but there is still danger present."
"Copy that," said Sophie.
Atlantis was a unique city. There was always a muted hum, and it was fascinating to see the Psiniopath shield. If it broke, the entire city would be flooded. Sophie wasn't even sure if a Hydrokinetic could stop that.
Linh looked nervous, being surrounded by this much H2O. She kept on taking deep breaths, and she had her eyes closed. Tam was standing near her. His silver tipped hair was covering his eyes.
"You really need a haircut," Sophie said. "How can you see?"
Tam looked offended. "It's a symbol that shows I am not bound by my worthless parents, and that the Council doesn't control me."
"Do you even have a registry pendant?" Sophie asked. Tam's act of rebellion was well known; choosing to go with his sister to Exilium and dipping his hair in the silver of his registry pendant.
"The Council gave me a different pendant after I moved to Solreef. I never wear it."
"You could cut your hair and then melt that registry pendant," Sophie suggested. "You would be at least able to see."
"Why are you acting like everything's fine ?" Fitz interrupted. "You figured out two days ago that not only were your parents captured, but that Vespera had them, and was experimenting on them. You have been gloomy ever since."
Sophie had forgotten to act like her parents were missing. That wasn't good. "Because, acting gloomy won't help me find them. Depression hinders my ability to protect myself."
"You just searched Atlantis two days ago," said Linh, opening her eyes. "Why are you back so soon?"
Sophie could feel the weight of the other's gazes on her. "I need to find my parents, and I couldn't wait any longer."
She could tell the others were suspicious of what she said. Sophie slightly picked up the pace. "Mr. Forkle said that Nightfall would be hidden in plain sight. What is something that you can't miss?"
Sophie caught Fitx staring up. She turned and saw what he was looking at: a towering skyscraper. "This is where Quinlin and Livvy work," he said. "It's the tallest elven building. No one would think that Nightfall would be hidden in something so massive."
"Should we check it out?" Linh asked.
Sophie was about to agree when she caught a glimpse of a black cloak. The Neverseen. They were here. She had to ditch the others so that they wouldn't get hurt. "Yes, let's go," she said.
As the others went inside, she turned and faced the Neverseen. There were four of them. One of them thrust out their hand, and a wave of black came hurtling toward Sophie. She dropped to the ground, and the shadow sailed over her head. That must be Umber, the Shade. One of the others pulled out a melder.
Sophie smiled. Everyone was always afraid of melders, but the truth was, a gun was a lot more dangerous. Melders didn't kill, and a gun would kill you instantly, if shot in the head. The Neverseen should really start using human weapons.
A wind started up near Sophie, small but getting stronger. That must mean that Trisha, a Guster, was here. It was hard to fight the wind, so Sophie had to take out the source. She threw a small rod at the elf that was controlling the wind, and it hit his neck. He immediately fell to the ground, shuddering uncontrollably. Taser Rods were quite useful.
An orange-yellow light surrounded Sophie. A Psiniopath must have put it there. That meant that Ruy was here. Who was the fourth member?
That question was answered when the fourth member pulled back his hood and mask. It was Fintan. "It looks like we have captured Sophie Foster," he said, laughing maniacally. "How will the Black Swan function without their precious Moonlark?"
"I'm the Reverse Moonlark!" said Sophie indignantly. "But that's still a terrible name. If I was going to name myself, I would name myself Firelark."
Fintan looked confused. "But you are the Moonlark."
Sophie answered by throwing her Black Swan pendant at her prison. The shield exploded outward, showering the Neverseen. Their cloaks caught fire. The only one not bothered by it was Fintan. Sophie threw another Taser Rod at his arm. He yelled in pain before ripping it out of his arm.
"Sophie Reuwen sends her regards to Lady Gisela," Sophie said, turning back to find the others. The Neverseen were too disabled to follow her.
It was funny how the others would never know how close they came to capture, Sophie thought. The Neverseen might have taken them today if she wasn't there.
The sad thing was, they weren't her friends. They were Foster's friends. Sophie knew that she might become friends with them, but that was not why she was here. Her only friends were Dex and Marella, and she hadn't seen them in a long time.
"Why did you take so long?" Fitz asked her when she caught up to them.
Sophie shrugged. "I was setting things on fire."
Sophie was ransacking Linh's room now. She didn't see any threats, but she did see a white card. There were words written on it.
Use this to Unlock
Your fateful Legacy
See a Flashback from the past
And you will find Nightfall
The Lodestar plan has begun
The Neverseen shall rise
We've summoned Everblaze
When we return from Exile
The Lost Cities' Keepers will be no more.
Semper Vigilo, and thank you for reading. The poems in this are mine, but may be distributed by you. May your days be filled to the brim with never ending happiness.