HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MEEEEEEEEEE!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MEEEEEEEEEE!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR A VERY OBSESSED FANGIRL!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
YAY! TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY! I am now...
A number higher than I was yesterday.
Lol, like I'm revealing my age!
Anyway, fast update! Whoo!
Elizabethornton: Other than Sophie, I think Dex might actually be the most frequently appearing character here! Yay! And thanks!
Mallowmelt: :) Maybe...
Guest: Thank you! (Neither do I, honestly,) but I usually update quickly, and I definitely won't be abandoning you guys! Sokeefe is life, honestly. I'm in love with their love because I have no love of my own, lol. And Fitzelier is great! Bye!
Arrow: Thank you, thank you. I did fail though. I hereby declare Dex Appreciation Day to be celebrated annually every day between January 1st and December 31st. Evil geniuses are the laziest people alive! I've been told I'm evil, I've been told I'm a genius, and I am chronically lazy! AHHHH! Lol, I didn't know you stalked him. But the collab is going pretty well so far!
ConnoisseurCary: Wow. What a short review, by your standards at least! The first paragraph is a mood... lol, I think we all dream of being trapeze dancers. I love that! Totally need a fanfiction. THEY DID! Anyway, thanks!
all i see is sky: I've been told I'm a genius, and I am chronically lazy, so yes! XD. Thank you so much! Definitely considered it... "We," lol. Yeah, that's what we do here in Lazy Genius Land- take credit for our stolen book characters' accomplishments!
FlowerGirl15: Ahhh! Yes! Thank you! I was proud of myself for that one.
IShipWayTooManyShips: YAY! Good questions. O.o... It's going pretty well so far! Thank you! I guess they kinda are like brother/sister... bUt HoNeStLy ThEiR fRiEnDsHiP iS tHe MoSt PrEcIoUs ThInG eVeR... I'll stop. #BRINGBACKOURDEXY2020!
Less than 400 words again? What is this sorcery?
Crowd: Well-
Me: *Backhands across room* NOT THIS TIME, PEASANTS!
Enjoy!
"You did?" Dex whispered.
"Yeah. Okay, let's meet back in Axel's kitchen. These should be enough proof that he really is in the Neverseen, and we can get him arrested," Sophie whispered, unsure why she was whispering. As Sophie made her way towards Dex, the house felt a lot less scary now that the caches were found, but obviously they weren't safe yet. And when her alarm device thingy started blinking, the Moonlark berated herself for being calm. Dex, keeping more of a level head than Sophie, fumbled for the obscurer. Amidst the panicking, Sophie remembered something.
"Dex," she hissed.
"What?"
"How fast can you run?"
Dex looked confused. "Pretty fast. Why?"
"I'm going to teleport." With Dex's hand in hers, (You're welcome, IStillHopeForSophex,) Sophie took off sprinting. Dex seemed to be the only one remembering that Sophie couldn't teleport through solid objects, and opened a back door with telekenisis. Transmitting a quick Thank you, Sophie ran with Dex through the door into Axel's backyard. Had they not been in such a rush, she definitely would have looked around at the gadgets Axel had, but there was definitely no time for that now. The rubber band stretching sensation took over, and as they "snapped," Sophie opened the void and the two entered. Both of them reappeared outside of Havenfield. Remembering the bodyguards, Sophie pressed the button and said, at a foreign feeling normal volume, "We teleported back to Havenfield. We have the caches." The bodyguards light leaped over as well and all congratulated Sophie and Dex.
Now that they were safe, Sophie could feel an intense feeling of relief bubble in her chest. As she realized how much fun she had, with the adrenaline and excitement mixing with the fear, she began to laugh with exhilaration. "That was awesome!"
"I know, right!" Dex exclaimed. He held his hand up for a high five. "Hey Gigantor. Wasn't that a good idea after all?"
"Oh mallowmelt, you're calling me Gigantor too?" Sandor muttered. He titled his head towards the heavens and sighed "Why?" Sophie snorted.
"Anyway, we should probably get these caches to Oralie," Dex said, a smile still on his face. All at once, Sophie felt her good mood fade.
"Why her?" Sophie muttered.
"Because she's the one who should have Kenric's cache," Dex answered. "And, honestly, she's least likely to kill us when we show up in the middle of the night." As he realized why Sophie was so opposed to facing Councillor I-Have-Her-DNA, he added "It can't be that bad, Sophie. Come on."
"Okay," she muttered.
Sandor, naturally, came with them, as he did for everything. Thankfully, he kept his distance as they approached Oralie's castle- Sophie was sure he didn't want to get involved in even more elvin drama.
Sophie knocked. It was a while before anything happened. "Ten lusters she-" Dex started, but Sophie never found out what Dex was trying to bet on, because the door swung open. Councillor What-Should-I-Call-Her was standing behind the door, looking as perfect as ever despite probably being just out of bed. The exchange was mostly between Dex and Oralie, with Sophie looking at her fascinating shoes. As Dex explained how they obtained the caches, probably omitting the more unorthodox parts, Sophie's mind wandered. What did it wander to? It's unclear, but definitely not any boys with teal eyes. No boys with perfect hair either.
"Sophie." At first, she was terrified that her best friend had suddenly manifested as a telepath and was calling her out, but when he nudged her shoulder, she realized that someone had been trying to talk to her.
"Sorry?" Sophie's eyes flicked upwards for a second, at the person who suddenly had wayyyyyy too much resemblance to Sophie.
Oralie's lips turned into a sad smile. "Hopefully someday you'll actually be willing to have a real conversation with me."
Sophie grunted a noncommittal "Eh," probably proving Oralie's point.
"Thank you for the caches," Oralie said to Dex. "Bye."
"Bye," Dex repeated. Sophie let out another grunt. The door closed.
"Have you told anyone yet?"
"Told anyone what?" Sophie muttered.
"You know what I-"
"Fitz figured it out."
"Is that why you broke up?" Dex asked, putting the pieces together. Sophie didn't trust her voice, so she nodded.
"Oh." Dex, thankfully, didn't continue- maybe he understood the feeling from the Failed Kiss They Didn't Speak Of ™. Finally, he said "Have you told your parents yet?"
"My- oh. You mean Grady and Edaline, right. No, no I haven't. I'm not sure exactly how they would-"
"React?" Dex finished for her, and Sophie was sure he was manifesting as a telepath. Or, maybe, he was just really smart. "I think I know. They would be glad you weren't keeping any secrets from them, but they wouldn't let your DNA change their opinion of you. And of course, they'll love you just the same- especially since you didn't love them any less when you figured out who donated to the Black Swan. I think you should tell them. Like, why shouldn't you?"
Sophie opened her mouth to protest, but it was hard to actually think of a tangible reason. "Because Mr. Forkle doesn't want me telling anyone?" she said finally, though it sounded more like a question.
Dex snorted. "Please, since when have you ever cared about following his rules? Really, why shouldn't you?"
Sophie looked down. "Because it felt like acknowledging that she actually was related to me."
"You have to acknowledge it eventually. And maybe, just saying, you should do that with the support of your real parents."
Sophie looked back up and grinned. "You're a really awesome friend, you know?"
"Yeah, I think I'm aware of that. You're not so bad yourself."
"Thanks."
Dex's dimples showed as he assured Sophie that she was welcome. "It was awesome breaking into houses and stealing with you," he told her.
"Likewise."
Dex was still smiling as he removed his home crystal from her pocket. (Ooh, pockets. Maybe Sophie should forget about Fitz and Keefe and just declare her undying love for pockets.) "See you later."
"See ya." As Dex glittered away, Sophie made her way back to Sandor, and the two leapt back to Havenfield. After a few "hours" of "sleep," it was morning- and time for Sophie to tell her parents about her genetic discoveries. Nervously, she went downstairs to speak to her parents, hoping they would still be asleep- but no. Her mom and dad were sitting in the living room, both holding plates of mallowmelt like they knew Sophie would need its emotional support. She grabbed a few servings of the gooey heaven, and then sat down on the couch opposite her parents.
"Mom, Dad, I need to talk to you," she muttered.
"ARE YOU DATING-" Grady thundered.
"NO!" Sophie protested vehemently. She cleared her throat. "Um, no. This has nothing to do with a boy." Edaline opened her mouth. "Or a girl," Sophie added. (Because we're all about destroying that heteronormativity!)
Grady visibly relaxed. "Good. What is it, then."
Sophie swallowed, throat suddenly drier than the Sahara Desert. "Um... it's about my biological parents."
"Wasn't expecting that," Edaline said. "Go ahead."
She didn't think she could manage much, so she just forced out the name "Oralie."
"Wasn't expecting that either," Grady said. "But I'm glad you told us this, Sophie-"
"And it does nothing to change how much we love you."
Sophie smiled. Dex was absolutely right about everything- and it felt like an ogre-sized weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. "I love you, Mom. I love you, Dad."
Okay, so I have some doubts about the quality of this chapter-
Crowd: Doubt no more, it was terrible.
Me: Shut up.
-But anyway, I liked including more of the platonic (Sorry, IStillHopeForSophex) Dexphie. AND THE GRADY/EDALINE BIT! IT WAS SO BADLY WRITTEN, BUT AHHHHHHHHH! I HOPE SHANNON INCLUDES SOMETHING LIKE THIS, BUT BETTER, BECAUSE I HONESTLY KIND OF NEED THAT IN MY LIFE!
Anyway, please do go check out my collab with IStillHopeForSophex (On his account). It is entitled "The Abyss of Author-Hating."
And, as always, please review!