Izzy flicked an eyelash to the ground as she sat rigidly on a plush sofa in the living room at Everglenn. A faint mummer could be heard from the open door of Alden's office, where Fitz filled him in on the events of the day. Izzy tried to keep herself awake, but the sofa was just so soft, and the quiet didn't help. One of the windows showed a slowly lowering sun as it drifted lazily towards the horizon, one tiny inch at a time. Where were they? That was what Fitz was undoubtedly asking himself as well. It had been over half an hour since the two had returned to the house, and Keefe and Alvar were still nowhere to be seen. Izzy rubbed an eye and yawned, finally giving up enough to let her head hit the other side of the sofa, her body almost melting into the pillows. It felt wrong. This wasn't her house, and yet here she was, taking a nap on some sofa. She knew they wouldn't mind though, and honestly she was just so tired she barely even cared
Just as she closed her eyes though, soft footsteps hit the carpet. Izzy flicked her eyes open, awkwardly jumping up to a seated position.
"Sorry." Fitz whispered. "I didn't mean to wake you up."
"No, it's fine, I wasn't sleeping." She scooted over, motioning stiffly to the now empty seat so that he knew he could sit there, if he wanted.
Fitz smiled, sitting next to her with a soft poosh. "Tired?"
"A little bit." Izzy shrugged before a yawn over took her body. A blush fell over her cheeks as he gave a small laugh.
"I haven't heard everything that's happened yet, but it sounds like you had a pretty eventful day." Even though he was smiling, Izzy could still hear an edge to his voice, and his smile didn't fully reach his eyes.
"Yeah, Keefe took me dress shopping." She pouted, hoping it would lighten the mood.
Fitz's eyebrows slammed together in confusion, like she had just told him elves existed and he wasn't really a human, then he burst out laughing.
"Keefe? Are you sure? Keefe took you dress shopping?!" He choked out between laughs.
Her back was even more tense, and she tugged on another itchy eyelash before flicking it away. "Yeah…" She hesitantly said, taken back by his reaction.
As his laughter died down, he shook his head and smiled widely. "That's not good Soph-Izzy. Sorry, Izzy. He's not exactly known for his talent at fashion. In fact, his parents bought his clothes up until, well, I think they still do. Plus, he always wore them very wrinkled, and they never fit him quite right. I don't know if he's capable of choosing dresses."
Izzy smiled playfully, "Are you saying you are capable?"
"Well, with the amount of times my mom and sister have forced me on dress shopping trips, I'd say I'm more than capable. I can't even leave the house to get a pen without her taking us cloth shopping!"
"I guess I'll ask for your help next time, though I'm kind of hoping there won't be a next time."
"I understand that feeling perfectly." He smiled before standing up. He took a step, like he had something to do, but suddenly froze and turned back. "So, are you going to show me the dresses you got? You've made me curious now. No polka dots and stripes I'm hoping?"
Izzy just rolled her eyes, blushing a bit at the thought Fitz wanted to see her in a dress, though it was more like he wanted to see the dresses, and how bad they were… Close enough, right? "Keefe still has them. This is the only one with my right now."
She motioned to the flowy, sky blue sun dress she was wearing.
"Hmm, maybe he's not completely bad at it then. I rather like that one on you." Fitz smiled, sending an inferno through her face. "I'll look forward to seeing the others!" He laughed, before walking back to his father's office.
Once he was out of sight, the flopped herself onto the sofa, spreading out like it was her own bed. He didn't make sense. Was he complimenting her, or… not? Sometimes he was like a walking contradiction... Either that or she just overthinking things far too much. But she couldn't stop herself, and before she knew it sleep quickly grabbed her, pulling her into a dreamless world.
The nightmares were only broken by the occasional scene of reality. Fitz checking on her again, dark figures circling, Della draping a blanket over her, fire burning her arms, Fitz shushing Alvar, screams echoing off walls. It continued on like that until Alden's furious voice boomed something across the house. She had never heard him sound so angry before, and then Della's shoes click clacked quickly across the living room, rushing into the kitchen and then back again. Something told her she should get up. A fear tugged at her heart, warning her that they could be under attack, that the dark figures could be back for her. However, when she peeled herself off the sofa, she found the house was dead silent.
Just as the panic hit her, a loud noise sounded from outside. She ran, hoping, wishing everyone was ok.
Throwing open the door, letting the sounds lead her bare feet across the cold, spongy, grass carpet, she finally found the source.
"What happened?!" Izzy breathed as she stopped next to a worried stricken Della.
Della wrung her hands, staring at the chaos and back to the first aid kit sitting by her feet. "They're fighting again."
As Fitz and Keefe rolled around on the ground, exchanging punches and screaming at each other, Alden massaged his temples. Alvar yelled at them, trying to get in between the two, but every time he did he was accidentally pushed or punched or nearly knocked over.
As Fitz got on top of Keefe, punching him repeatedly in the face with surprising fury, a man ran into view. His giant glasses and crazy hair stood out among the faces, only he seemed to be in any sort of hurry.
Izzy shook her head, clearing it of sleepiness and shock. She had to do something.
She looked around for things to use, but there was nothing that could help her. Then she remembered what Fitz had told her earlier, something called "Transmitting." Maybe if she could do that, maybe-
A loud, piercing shriek, like a thousand screaming cats were singing along to nails on chalkboards and an army of off pitched elephants filled the air. The haunting sound swallowed her brain, knocking the thoughts and wind out of her. Suddenly it was hard to breathe, hard to stand. She fought the urge to fall over from the pain as she searched the clearing for the source. Her vision started to blur as it suddenly ceased, the wild haired man holding some contraption into the air, even stranger orange and pink earmuffs covering his ears. He glared down at Fitz and Keefe, who were shuddering on the ground, their eyes slammed closed and their hands cupped over their ears.
"Really, do I have to use a banshee scream every time you two have some little argument?" He yelled with a sigh before peeling off his earmuffs and talking normally. "I'm going to run out of supplies at this rate."
Keefe and Fitz immediately started yelling, trying to tell him what happened.
Alden put his hand up, causing both of them to fall silent. "I would say I'm disappointed, but I think we have covered that enough by now. Both of you go get treated and cleaned up. Then, Keefe, I need to see you in my office."
"Why does it always-" Keefe started.
"Next time Elwin won't be coming, and you'll both have to learn what it feels like to let your wounds heal naturally." Alden snapped, glaring at both of them, but especially Fitz.
"Yes, sir." Fitz replied, hanging his head. Keefe just pouted and glared at the ground.
After that Della led Izzy inside, and as she put the kit away she told her not to worry. It didn't really help all that much though. She had a strong suspicion she was the cause of this, but if they fought all the time, at least it meant it wasn't totally because of her.
Izzy helped Della set the table for dinner while Della asked her details about the day. She could tell Della was trying to strategically get the information, but it didn't really bother her. She didn't have anything to hide after all. There was one thing that did bother her though…
"Before all of that though," Izzy recalled as she put down another set of fork and knives, "we went to a potion shop, I think it was called Burps, and umm, something. The man there-"
"Slurps and Burps?" Della gasped.
"Umm, yeah…?"
Suddenly Della's normally kind gaze turned cold as she stared at a blue crystal plate she was putting down.
"Is, that bad?"
"It's…" Della sighed, eyes suddenly looking very tired and dreary as they met hers. She put the stack of plates she was carrying down. "Who did you see there?"
"A man, um, the owner of the shop I think? He, looked at me strangely, like he knew me. He, seemed so sad."
Della just gave a sad smile and returned to placing the plates. "How much have you been told about your disappearance? Has Fitz told you anything?"
"No. No one will really tell me anything, though Keefe did say I wasn't the first elf to go missing."
"Well, the man you saw is your uncle…" She hesitantly started. "He probably just didn't realize you were back…" Her voice caught at the end, like she was holding back a sob. She went to say something else, but as Biana walked into the room, she gave a very fake smile to her and motioned her over.
"Izzy, why don't you go tell the boys dinner will be ready in five minutes?" She shakily said, her head turned towards the sink.
"Is everything ok?" Biana whispered under her breath to Della, putting a hand on her mom's shoulder before looking between the two.
Izzy nodded her head sharply. She didn't know what she had said, but it definitely wasn't good. Deciding to put that on the list of things not to ask, she all but ran out of the room. Rushing towards Alden's office, she could hear their loud voices sounding from outside.
"You had no right to take her away Keefe! Do you realize that?! No right! She is under my supervision, she is my mission, and I don't need you messing up anything else, got it?! I have everything planned out, and you're ruining it all!" Fitz yelled. Izzy froze at the door, unsure if she wanted to interrupt and get in between the two. What if she just made it worse? She had already just done that… But, standing there was the same as ease dropping, right? So, maybe she-
"Well at least she wasn't stuck here with you, the delinquent of the Vacker legacy! Everyone sees you as the black sheep, and you know it! You weren't going to show her the outside of this stuffy old prison, you were just going to keep her here and use her for every bit she was worth until you got your title of Golden Boy back! Once they found out you had saved the Girl-Who-Was-Lost, you'd be a hero again, and you knew it all along!
"Shut up Keefe! You don't know what you're talking about! I would never, ever use her like that! Plus, I didn't spend all of these years searching for her just to change other's opinions of me! And what if she isn't ready to go outside yet! She still has so much to learn about our world, and if we make the same mistakes we made last time, we won't get another chance!"
"You're right, that's not your main reason, but I heard what happened in the Elite Tower, I know why you're really searching for her. She told me." Keefe snarled, his voice almost a whisper. "I think everyone on the Council knows by this point, I know at least I'm not the only one, and I know what will happen if things don't go your way. But you can't pull her into your web, she's a breathing, living elf, and you're just using her to save yourself! You're obsessed! Admit it." Keefe snarled. Izzy peered in through the crack in the door, watching as they glared each other down, their noses all but touching. Fitz hesitated, like something Keefe had said had struck a nerve. Izzy's heart banged painfully against her chest so loudly she knew they must hear it, but no one moved. She head screamed at him over and over again to deny it, to tell him off, to maybe elaborate of who she was, but most importantly to let him who important Izzy really was to him! He had been searching for her for so long after all! Right?! Then Fitz took a step back. Adjusting his collar like he suddenly couldn't breathe, he swallowed a few mouthfuls of air, but Keefe wasn't done. "You don't care what happens to her, she's just a stepping stone in your plan. You're using her just like you used me, and when you're done you'll throw her away, just like you did me."
Izzy took a step back, unsure how to process that, or what that actually meant. The words clanged around her head, but somehow they weighed far too much to sink in.
"That's-" Fitz choked out. "I didn't throw you away. I-" The floor creaked under Izzy's foot, causing them both to freeze.
Fitz whipped around, a panicked look overtaking his eyes as he rushed to the door.
Izzy couldn't comprehend what she had heard, or what it meant, but she knew she couldn't handle it right now. If she did, it meant the only world she had left would come crashing down, and she would lose it. Right now she had to be brave, she had to push the words away into some dark corner of her brain, because if she didn't, she would never, ever get back up again.
She ran, not even fully grasping where her feet were taking her. She just knew she couldn't be caught, because if she was, she could never pretend it was all ok again.
She sprinted past the multicolored fountains that lined the hallway, past the elegant foyer, past the luxury that suddenly seemed so empty and cold, like a ghost hiding behind a mirror. The room felt like it was closing in, pushing on her lungs.
"Oh, your back." Della forced a smiled as she stopped at the edge of the kitchen.
"Um, yeah." Izzy attempted the same, though it made her feel more like she was doing a Joker impression. "I, um, have to borrow Biana, really quickly." She said as she grabbed her by the arm and pulled her onto the patio.
"Oh, ok…?" Della said with a head cock before turning back to the dishes.
"What's wrong?" Biana questioned, raising an eyebrow at Izzy's heavy breathing.
"Overheard, Fitz and Keefe. Please, PLEASE, say it was you! I'll make it up to you, just, please-Right now, I can't-"
"Sure." She responded without hesitation. "So-"
"Umm, Izzy…" Fitz's voice sounded from behind them, making her jump. "I,-"
"Sorry, it was me." Biana said, twirling around and meeting Fitz's pale face with a smile. "I just ran because I didn't want to start another fight, especially with how you and Keefe are. I figured I would just get in the way again." Biana nonchalantly said.
"Oh! I, ok." He nodded, obviously shocked and somewhat relieved. "About what I said…" He hesitated, glancing at Izzy and back to Biana, making Izzy's stomach churn.
"Don't worry about it. It'll stay our little secret." She smiled, dripping with syrup.
He opened his mouth once or twice before sheepishly smiling back and nodding. "Thanks…"
Fitz went back inside, and she could hear the clang of food and dishes as what was her new normal resumed, like someone had hit the play button on the remote.
"So, what was that all about?" Biana whispered. "I haven't seen him look that guilty in a long time! Not since he hid my teddy bear as a joke when I was six!"
"Umm, it was… complicated." Izzy breathed.
Raising an eyebrow, she shook her head. "Don't take what he says to Keefe too seriously. Those two haven't gotten along in ages. I should know, I'm constantly stuck in the middle of their arguments."
Izzy just nodded her head, thanking her, but it didn't help. Because it wasn't what Fitz had said at all. It was what Keefe said, and what Fitz didn't say, but that wasn't the same, was it? He wasn't saying things he didn't mean to win a fight, no, he had all but admitted to using her. She didn't know what it all meant, or how that helped him, but as the realization hit her she knew she couldn't go in there and pretend everything was ok. Because it wasn't. The one person she gave her full trust to, after facing so much, and it was probably all just a lie. She frowned and fingered the large, sparkly teal gem on her Nexus. Something about the stars in it suddenly made her feel sick.
Biana went in, and she promised to follow in a minute or two, claiming the night air would be good for her headache. Leaning against the wall and letting her body drop onto the stone floor, she took a few deep breaths, willing the tears and exhaustion to fade into the background. It was just one guy, one guy she barely knew. She would get over this. She had gotten over much, much worse already. This was no big deal.
"Hey, "Fitz's voice gently sounded from above her after a few moments of silence, "are you ok Izzy?"
Snapping her eyes open, she couldn't help but stare into his impossibly teal eyes, the way they shimmered with concern making her feel even more nauseous than she already was. She could feel her heart thump thumping with extra effort as she took another, deep breath.
He gave a small smile and held out his hand. She started at it and tried to decide whether she should even take it.