Everything blurred. Sophie knew this was a life-changing revelation. So the burning in the back of her eyes was not the start of tears. It was shock. And panic. And a million other emotions.
Everything she knew was a lie. Everything.
The voices returned.
It's okay. We'll help you get through it.
How? Nothing will ever be right again!
Nothing was right before. Now you have a chance to fit in and be a normal kid.
Fitz nudged her arm, cutting off the voices. He said something that was probably meant to make her feel better.
Spoiler alert: it didn't work.
Suddenly, the castle bells chimes, and Fitz pulled Sophie behind a large rock as a gateway opened. Two elves in floor-length velvet capes draped over their black tunics emerged, followed by dozens of bizarre creatures marching in military formation down the rocky path. They were at least seven feet tall and wore only black pants, leaving their thick muscles prominently on display. With their flat noses and coarse grey skin, which fell into pleated folds, they looked part alien, part armadillo.
"Goblins," Fitz whispered. "Probably the most dangerous creatures you'll ever meet, which is why it's good they signed the treaty."
"Then why are we hiding?" Sophie whispered, hating her voice for trembling. Though--in all fairness--it wasn't trembling that much.
"We're dressed like humans. Humans are forbidden in the Lost Cities--especially here, in Lumenaria. Lumenaria is where all the other worlds come together. Gnomes, dwarves, ogres, goblins, trolls."
"Why are humans forbidden?" Sophie asked, trying not to show Fitz how overwhelmed she was by the information overload.
Fitz hesitated for a second. Then he motioned for her to follow him to a rock a few feet back. "The humans betrayed us. The Ancient Councillors offered them the same treaty as the other intelligent species, and they agreed. But then they decided they wanted to rule the world. To avoid violence, the Ancients disappeared from the world of humans and forbid any contact with them. The humans were left to their own devices." Fitz breathed a laugh. "You can see how well that's working out for them."
Sophie gritted her teeth. She couldn't truly argue with Fitz's logic. But every race had its problems, its impurities. No matter how Fitz downgraded the humans, his race had problems too.
Sophie quickly realized that she was thinking of humans as something other. But were they truly that different? She may have been an elf, but she still felt like a human. They were her race, no matter what Fitz said.
Sophie heard Fitz's voice, but she only registered one sentence.
This is where you belong.
But was it? She had been waiting to hear those words her whole life, but were they true?
Sophie risked a glance toward the glowing castle. This place wasn't supposed to exist. Everything Fitz was telling her wasn't supposed to be true. It was insanity.
Deep down, an itty-bitty part of her knew it was true. It felt right. Almost as if a crucial piece of who she was just clicked into place.
It was hard to admit that everything she knew was wrong, but she did. "I believe you."
Fitz smiled. "I knew you would. Ready to go home?" He held out a wand--no, a pathfinder--sleek and black with a shimmering cobalt blue crystal.
Sophie hesitated. She knew she had worried her parents, so she wanted to go home. But she didn't want to leave a new world full of wonders.
Suddenly, Sophie heard the voices growing, swelling, ready to burst. She shut her eyes and clutched her head, groaning. What was going on?
Then, as quickly as they had started, the voices stopped.
When Sophie opened her eyes, she saw Fitz looking down at her, his teal eyes bright with worry. "Are you okay?"
Sophie nodded weakly and sat up. "Can I go home now?" she asked, ready for a hug from her mom.
Fitz nodded and she grabbed his hand, stealing one last glance at the magnificently impossible view as the light whisked them away.