Updating? So soon? Practically unheard of! O.o
Who is this author and what have they done with A very obsessed fangirl?
Well, actually it IS the real me! *Cue shocked gasps* I know, I know. But I'm supposed to be doing math homework right now... and procrastinating that overtook my usual updating procrastination. Plus this chapter was written even before the preface.
Huge thank you to all... 35ish views (I know what a big number) and THREE (ish) WHOLE REVIEWS! ! !
Eva L: You're very welcome! It's a lot of fun to be writing this, though it is difficult with so little information and so many mysteries to be wrapped up. The preface was actually less than 300 words XD, a lot of last chapter was my A/N. I found it easy to write Sophie worrying about stuff since I myself am a huge worrier. Thank you so much! I will!
The-Vegginonymous-Potato: YAYYYYYYY! YOU APPLAUDED! *Turns to crowd of people who threw fruit at me* See I have fans. *Another piece of rotten fruit is thrown* Shoot. Anyway, thanks!
Cary Swirls: Of course I'm right! I'm always right! (Rotten fruit throwers: *Snort* HAHAHAHAHAHAH Yeah right.) INDEED! I WILL NOT FIGHT YOU BECAUSE YOU ARE ONE OF MY FEW FANS! WHOOOOO! Thanks! I shall!
Anyway, hope you guys enjoy the chapter! I tried to replicate Shannon's style but I'm not really sure how well I did... anyway.
"Just to be clear," Dex said. "You want me to try to open the cache?" The little glass sphere rolled around Dex's palm. It was such a tiny and harmless-looking thing for something that could destroy the elvin world. Caches contained little colored gems, Forgotten Secrets. If the Council did something horrible enough that the guilt could shatter their fragile sanities, they would store the memories in the cache and have it erased from their mind. Each of the twelve councillors owned one, and Councillor Maybe She's Not So Bad After All, But She's Still Not My Mom, AKA Councillor Oralie, had given Sophie her cache.
Sophie nodded. "Yes. Just like the last six times I said so."
"You know there's probably a reason these secrets are forgotten, right?" Dex continued.
"Yeah. But we kinda need to figure it out." Sophie said. One of her best friends, Keefe, was in a coma because his evil mom, Gisela, did something to him. They had heard Gisela mention the word "Stellarlune," which Councillor Needs A Better Nickname said sounded familiar, but couldn't quite remember it. This led them to the conclusion that it was a forgotten secret. Which led Sophie to this argument with Dex.
"And this one has to be pretty big, considering it's Oralie's only secret."
"That is also accurate. But-"
"Oh, and also-" Dex interrupted.
"Okay. Dex. I get it." Sophie cut in. "I definitely know the risks. I am like the queen of obsessing over the risks. And I decided that opening the cache would be worth it."
"You're sure?" Dex said.
"Yes!" Sophie shouted in exasperation.
Dex sighed. "Okay. Okay, I'll do it."
Sophie hugged Dex. "Thanks, you're the best!" Sophie was glad hugging her best friend was just hugging her best friend now, nothing weird. A while ago, The World's Most Awkward Friendship led to The World's Most Awkward Crush Confession which led to The World's Most Awkward Kiss... but finally, the awkwardness was gone. Thankfully. "Let me know when you've figured it out!" Sophie held up her leaping crystal.
"Where're you going?" Dex asked.
"Take a guess."
"Hmm... the Healing Center, maybe?" Dex said, pretending to think hard about it.
"Yes, you are correct! I am going to visit Keefe in the Healing Center! Congratulations!" Sophie applauded. It wasn't exactly a hard guess. Over the course of the past few weeks, Sophie had spent a significant amount of time there. She basically only left to shower occasionally, or when her adoptive parents Grady and Edaline made her come home. This was one of the few times she had been the one desperately waiting for a friend to wake up... usually she was the unconscious one.
"Do you have any guesses on what his new ability is going to be?" Dex asked. Although Keefe was past manifesting age, Elwin had said that his symptoms were similar to when someone was manifesting a new ability. And they knew Gisela wanted to "Embrace the change" and "Reach his full potential," which further supported the conclusion that Keefe was going to have a new ability. She just hoped that his powers were the only thing about him that changed...
"Well, it's probably something really powerful, like a Mesmer..." Sophie started.
Dex laughed. "Can you imagine Grady's reaction if he had to train Keefe?"
"Yeah, he would not be happy about that." Grady really did not like Keefe, even refusing to call him by his real name. Instead, he called Keefe "That Boy." One of the many reasons he disliked Keefe was because Keefe fake-joined the Neverseen as a double agent. He meant well, but it was really not one of his better life choices, to put it nicely. Grady also had brought up the possibility that he didn't like Keefe because he thought Keefe liked Sophie... which was ridiculous. Obviously. "He also might manifest as a shade, since the creepy 'change' thing had something to do with shadowflux. Other than that, I don't really know."
A look of horror came over Dex's face. "Oh no... what if he manifests as a Voiciferator?"
"Oooh, yeah, that would not be fun. The world would probably end horrifically." Sophie agreed. "Bye!" She held her crystal up to the light again and leaped.
Seconds later, she reappeared at Foxfire and began walking towards the Healing Center. It felt odd to be the one visiting a friend, considering she was usually the one unconscious and almost dead. But Keefe was in there almost as much as she was by now. Instead of naming it the Foster Center, like Keefe had suggested, they should call it the Foster-Keefe Center to match the pictures they both had up. Sophie still cringed at the memory of how embarrassing the picture was... okay, she didn't ask to do a ridiculous dance in a ridiculous elephant costume! Why on earth would anyone ever want to do that? At Foxfire, it was a tradition to start the new school year with a ceremony that required students to dance dressed as their new grade level's mascot. Super mortifying. The only redeeming feature was that after all the horrific dancing, candy would shower down for the students to collect. That part was fun.
Lost in thought, Sophie slammed into a wall.
Of course, her lack of paying attention was obviously the only reason. Her slamming into a wall had nothing to do with her terrible clumsiness and complete lack of coordination. Okay, seriously! Why couldn't the Black Swan, the rebel group of elves who genetically modified her to become a super-elf, give her some coordination along with her bajillion powers? Would that really be so hard?
Sighing, Sophie continued her walk to the Healing Center. Soon after, she crashed into something else (shocking)- but this time it wasn't a wall. It was a person.
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" Sophie apologized without looking up to see who it was.
"It's fine," said an amused voice, with a crisp accent that Sophie would recognize anywhere. She looked up and was met with the teal eyes that had mesmerized her for years.
"Hi, Fitz." Sophie said awkwardly. Now that the awkwardness with Dex had gone, the awkwardness with her Ex Boyfriend Who She Agreed To Be "Just Friends" With But Might Still Like, She's Not Sure had replaced it. That's a really terrible nickname. Should she shorten it to EBWSATBJFWBMSLSNS... no. Definitely not. That's almost worse. Anyway.
"Uh, hey," he responded, clearly as uncomfortable as she was. "How's it going?"
"Um... well, I gave Oralie's cache to Dex, and he's going to work on finding out what stellarlune is. So maybe that will help Keefe wake up?" Sophie reached up and tugged on an eyelash, hard.
"Dex is a genius," Fitz reassured her, gently taking her hand and moving it away from her eyelashes. "And Keefe will be fine. He'll wake up." He sounded like he actually believed it as he looked into her eyes and said "Okay?"
"Okay." Sophie said reluctantly. She didn't mean it- she was still just as worried as before. But Fitz wasn't Keefe. So Fitz couldn't tell she was lying.
"Okay." He released her hand and raised up his crystal to the light. "See you later."
"Bye." Sophie said as Fitz glittered away. Once he was gone, she walked through the spot where he used to be and into the Healing Center.
Her heart seemed to leap out of her chest as she heard Keefe's voice say "Sophie?"
Heheheheheheh sorry?
Anyway, ignore my obvious evil-ness and your undying hatred for me, and review! :)