Hey guys! Sorry for my absence! I've been crazy busy lately preparing my art portfolio for this huge event, and working! I got a job! Yay! Next Saturday is my big portfolio event, so I'm in crunch time right now. I might not be able to post as regularly, but I'm going to make myself sit down and write. I'll try to come up with a new schedule later!

Thank you guys for being so patient! *heart*

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"S-sophie?" A tall, handsome guy whispered her-the name in disbelief. His ice blue eyes were stretched wide; his messy, yet perfectly done blonde hair fluttering slightly in the breeze.

He took a step forward, reaching his arm out towards her as if to test if she was real, causing her to flinch.

A beautiful, dark haired, teal eyed girl put a hand on his arm, making him jump slightly, as if he had forgotten she existed.

"Keefe," she whispered sadly, "she doesn't know us. You'll scare her."

Izzy stared at her in shock, her perfectly done makeup and hair almost as recognizable as her eyes.

Keefe looked at the girl in confusion. "What do you mean she doesn't-"

"Y-you! The girl who disappeared!" Izzy cried, the shock that ran through her veins too strong for her to care whether she interrupted them or not. She pointed a shaky finger at her accusingly before pushing herself up, using the tree for support as her legs threatened to buckle underneath her.

Keefe's eyes met Izzy's before snapping back to his friend. He stared at her as he yanked his arm away, taking a step back.

"Keefe," she pleaded.

Keefe just shook his head and took another step back, betrayal evident in his eyes.

"Now's not the time Keefe."

"Biana, you knew?! You knew Sophie was alive and you didn't tell me?!" He angrily yelled at her, seething.

Izzy wasn't eager to get in between the girl and his anger, but curiosity was the victor of the war in her head. She had to ask.

"You, you know me?" She tried to speak loudly, to show that she wasn't afraid, but it came out as a weak whisper, her true feelings showing through.

Keefe turned away from Biana as he sadly smiled at her. "Yeah. We were best friends."

A blush crept up Izzy's cheeks. Best friends? But he looked so, cool… No one like that would have ever been her friend… except Maria.

As Izzy pushed the thought of Maria out of her head, her eyes beginning to water, Biana took a step towards Keefe, rolling her eyes. "You only knew her for a year, and you barely hung out together."

"So did you!" He snapped. "But I would have told you if your dead best friend came back to life! Not that you were ever her friend!"

Biana turned into an icicle as her face paled and she stared at the ground, "I thought we agreed to never talk about that again." She squeaked.

Keefe only responded by taking a few steps towards Izzy, which left her unsure if she should attempt to run, or brace for whatever was about to happen. She tried to take a step away, but her legs wobbled dangerously. He grabbed her arm just in time, pulling her up and into a bone crushing hug, her face smooshed against his chest as she struggled for freedom, and air.

"I missed you Mysterious Miss F." Keefe mumbled sadly into her hair, his voice catching.

She froze, holding her breath as a sudden, unexplainable sadness filled her, like someone had reached in and squeezed her heart.

Like Fitz's eyes...

A few wet drops fell on her shoulder, but it wasn't from her. She tried to look up, but the hug was too tight, immobilizing her in place, like she could disappear at any second.

A slight crunching of leaves made her suddenly hyper aware of Biana presence, tension flowing through the air from where she stood.

Izzy tried to end the hug a few times, but Keefe never seemed to notice, or at least didn't care. He only let go when a third, very recognizable voice filled the forest, obviously out of breath.

"Sophie." Fitz wheezed slightly as he reached them, wiping a hand across his forehead. "I've looked everywhere for you! Was that really necessary?!"

Izzy spun around the best she could in Keefe's grasp, which wasn't very much at all, before he let her go and she was left struggling to keep her balance. As Keefe walked towards Fitz, a strong, cool hand gently wrapped around her elbow, holding her up as she found her footing. She glanced over, Biana meeting her gaze with a soft, sad smile. Her eyes were filled with unshed tears, making Izzy's stomach swim a bit. If this was real, if they all knew her, then what had happened to make them all so sad? Was it really better that she was back? If that's what this was…

"So… I knew you, too?"

"Yeah." Biana smiled faux brightly as her voice cracked. A few tears, sparkling like diamonds in the sunbeams that fell from the forest canopy, slowly ran down her cheeks. "Yeah, we were… friends…"

"Oh." Izzy muttered as she pulled a loose eyelash out, flicking it to the ground.

Biana giggled slightly. "You still do that, huh?"

Izzy blushed. "So, I did it before?"

Biana nodded before sighing. "You really don't remember anything?"

"No."

Biana let go of Izzy's elbow, her perfectly jeweled nails flashing slightly as her face was marred by a creased brow. "Then, you should know…"

"How could you?! You're worse than Biana is!"

Izzy eyes followed the loud voice only to see Fitz cornered against a tree, his hands up at shoulder height in defense as Keefe wildly motioned with his arms.

"How long did you keep me in the dark?!"

"Keefe, calm down, I-"

"No! Tell me!"

"You were never there! Alright?! I never saw you anymore! What am I supposed to do, show up on your doorstep and tell you I'm a member of the Black Swan and Sophie's alive?! You have no right to yell at me!"

Fitz's glare was one of the coldest Izzy had ever seen. Keefe stumbled backwards in shock, his mouth opening and closing several times, though he remained silent.

"I, I wanted to, but…"

"Yeah, I know. You were busy." Fitz snapped. "You were always busy."

Keefe's face paled, though he didn't move, his feet frozen in place. Fitz walked towards Sophie, gently grabbing her wrist and pulling her back towards the house. Izzy looked back at Biana, but she only gave a small, tight smile and a tiny wave.

"You could have seen me too, Fitz. I'm not the only one who has a pathfinder, or feet for that matter."

Biana put a hand on Keefe's arm, as if to hold him back. "You really have the worse timing Keefe. Just let it go."

"No, I'm not! I don't speak to him for, what, three years, and he just shows up with alive Sophie and acts like I'm the bad guy?!"

"Keefe-"

"Four." Fitz said as he froze, releasing Izzy's arm as he spun around.

"What?" Keefe snapped.

"It was four years. It happened a few months before I left for the Elite Towers." Fitz calmly said in a monotone voice.

"Still! You could have-"

"You made your choice Keefe. I respected that. I have more important things to do right now." Fitz turned around and began walking, motioning for Izzy to follow him. Too confused, and honestly out of options, she did, though she kept her distance.

That girl, Biana, and the angry guy, Keith was it? They knew her too. It couldn't be a coincidence. Something about the way Biana had reacted as well, the way she looked at her now, and at the Gelato shop, it solidified it in her brain. One person could fake it, but so far it seemed like everyone she met knew her. Maybe they really were the keys to her past? Plus, she needed to get away from all of this tension and yelling…

She glanced up at Fitz's eyes, which were filled with unshed tears and hidden pain. Once they were away from this, she would have to apologize, especially for kicking him. But at least, maybe she could trust him now like her gut was always screaming at her to do.

As they walked past tree after tree, Keefe's voice yelled after them, sounding equal parts angry and pathetic.

"I never got to make my choice! You made it for me!"

Izzy watched as Fitz tensed and a tear silently ran down his cheek. So quietly he probably thought she couldn't hear him, he responded.

"…Lie..."

They continued to walk silently, Fitz saying nothing as the tension followed them like a dark, angry storm cloud. Izzy wanted to help, to do or say something, but she didn't know him, didn't know the circumstances. Instead she just tried to focus on herself, and her many problems. How could she fix someone else when she couldn't fix herself? And thus they went, the only sounds being the whistling of the wind in the oddly tall trees, and the thud, thud, thud of their shoes on the dirt.