Here it is, the next chapter. Remember please vote. Right now Keefe and Fitz are still at a tie both with four votes. We need a tie breaker. Dexers better step up if you're out there, he's only got one vote. Voting will close at midnight so keep going. I present to you, the next chapter.

Disclaimer: Shannon Messenger owns everything.

"Sophie" He spoke her name without thinking, barely aware of himself as he walked over to her. He sat down at her bedside while Keefe remained near the doorway to the large third floor room, his bloodshot eyes focused on the sleeping figure. She was asleep but definitely not resting.

"Sorry it took me so long for me to visit. It's just pretty hard to have hope when you look so…empty." Fitz was whispering now, every word felt like sandpaper rubbing in his throat. "But I haven't given up yet, not ever. I swear. I promise." Shaking his head Fitz continued, "Everybody is really messed up by this. You should see how much...it's worse than when we thought you were dead. This-this is worse. Grady and Edaline are downstairs. They-it's like they lost everything all over again. You know they love you for you right? Not because of Jolie or anything else. They love you. We all do. They let me come up here. It took some convincing, but they think I am up here to say-to say good bye."

He grabbed her hand then, surprised by how cold it was, "But that's not going to happen. People care about you. You have a family. So many people have been here to see you. Your parents and Elwin haven't left your side until just now. I don't think any of them have slept. Kesler and Juline are here with the triplets. I don't think Dex is going to be around for a while, but Keefe is here. Marella and Jensi have visited, my whole family too. Tiergan is always here; even a few of the councillors who voted against the pendant have visited. Bronte especially, he looked like a different person. He was so subdued. He was so gentle when he saw you, it was crazy."

"My point is, you need to remember how many people you will be leaving behind. Think of them and remember, because I can't do this alone. I know you would have preserved part of yourself but I need your help. Once, you entered Prentice's mind and he guided you out. I need you to guide me in. Please, please think of everyone and help me. Help me save you."

Right before he began Keefe yelled, "Wait! I can't just let you go in blind. If you won't let another telepath in let me stay in contact with you, monitor your emotions. That way I can get help if I feel you slip away. You can enter my mind to talk to me. Please." Seeing that he was not going to give up Fitz agreed, and they began.

The second Fitz entered her mind he was bombarded by the sharp edges of broken memories. Memories that had been violently torn apart. Their jagged edges cut at him as he pushed deeper, clouding his mind with darkness, forcing out all that made him who he was. But he refused to stop or to even slow as he pushed even harder into Sophie's shattered mind.

But with every push he made towards the depths of her mind he was beaten and battered with twice the force. He was quickly loosing his ability to move, to think, as his memories were being swept away into darkness. Knowing he needed more strength he disconnected himself from Keefe's mind, hoping the extra power would give him enough strength to push forwards.

And it did, for a few seconds. But it did nothing to counter the razor sharp blackness from hurting him. Desperate Fitz searched for any anomalies, thinking that which was strange in a strange mind must be what was truly normal. Rather than search for a ripple in the water he searched for the one still spot.

After searching to no avail for so long he could not even recall his own name, he was reading to give up. To give in to the darkness and let it ease him of his worried mind. But just as he began to let go a light started to flicker in the distance, a stone path appearing from the dark haze.

Fitz then followed the light, and as it enveloped him the warmth seeped into his being, replenishing his strength and reminding him of who he truly was. But it went deeper than his mind. The warmth seemed to seek out all the pain in him and relive it. It was as though the warmth had healed his soul of its agony as well.

Once Fitz had grown aware he recognized the light, the warmth. It was Sophie. She was the light. The little left in her consciousness fighting to protect him, the warmth, her inflicting, her comforting him.

He was running then, chasing Sophie's light down the path until it became an alleyway, either side was a tall building that reached farther than he could see. She beckoned him further, with each step the light grew stronger. Leading Fitz away form all of the dangerous memoires, Sophie's light shone brighter and he turned out of the alley into a cave. Not just a cave, the cave. The cave where Sophie and Dex had been kidnapped.

Stepping forwards Fitz looked down to see rather than water the ground was covered in flower petals and various mundane objects. "Fitz." At the sound of his name, spoken by a painfully familiar voice, his head whipped up. She was different, her skin glowed white light and she looked as though she was a projection of her younger self in the forbidden cities but it was her.

"Sophie" She smiled at him then, a sad, defeated smiled.

"Fitz. You need to leave." When she spoke her voice seemed as though she was speaking an echo, empty and wrong.

"But-"

"Now"

"I just found you; I'm not leaving until I can heal you. Because Sophie, you are worth saving and I can do it. I know I can."

"There is a fine line between bravery and stupidity. You cannot save me. Not like this. My power is waning; it is taking all I have to keep you safe. If you want me to have a chance, leave now before I give all my power protecting you." Know she was right, he had no idea what to do, and Fitz shook his head.

"How do I help you?"

"Fitz, you need to leave."

"Yes I know that I just-I got this far and you want me to just give up? Even if I go now I will just come back. I will find out how to bring you back."

"Now"

"What? I-"Then it hit him, she was not speaking to him. Sophie had anticipated him trying to save her and had left a message. He was speaking to nothing more than an echo of her former self, set on repeat like a broken record.

He let got then, closing his eyes and letting the light carry him back to his own mind.

…

Needless to say people were not happy with him. After leaving Sophie's mind Fitz had been engulfed in so many hugs, yelled at by so many people, and asked what happened too many times to count.

Elwin was yelling the entire time he checked over Fitz how he was as stubborn and crazy as Sophie was with Alden, only she had the means to not get killed.

Others shared similar sentiment.

Apparently when he left Keefe's mind his friend grew concerned and called for help. So now everyone, including his father knew of his plan to save Sophie. After the initial joy of Fitz's good condition wore off, questions arose of what had happened. How had he remained in a broken mind for nearly five minutes without losing himself? Which led him to explain what had happened.

Alden had pulled him aside after they had returned to Everglen, demanding that he swear to never try that again. But Fitz could not make that promise. They both started yelling. But Fitz silenced his dad with one sentence. "I will not stop trying, even if it kills me."

He didn't stop. Fitz had no clue what to do now but he knew he would keep searching. He may not be an inflictor or have an impenetrable mind but he knew, with complete certainty that he was going to save her. He just had to learn how.

So how did I do writing about a broken mind? No need to fret, there are a few chapters left, this is no the end of his journey. (I'm not that cruel) Remember to Review and vote.

-Author