A/N I know. I haven't updated in FOREVER. Sorry. No, I mean it. Now... excuse time (not really, they're valid reasons)
I just got a puppy! His name is Oliver, and he's a cockapoo, which is a cockier spaniel and a poodle. He's kind of a handful, since's he's not potty trained, and he's still learning how to not bite.
Also, for about three days, I had to try and convince my mom to keep him instead of giving him back to the breeder because my mom is switching from working from home to working outside of the house, and she was afraid he would get separation anxiety. Fortunately, we realized that my dog actually likes being home alone, as he sleeps a LOT, and actually gets separation anxiety when we're in the house and nobody's paying any attention to him.
In addition, I have a dance competition over spring break, and our dances are doing... not that well. Although we're all good dancers, most of them are extroverts and tend to talk over the choreographer and pretty much disregard what she says. I'm kind of known as the quiet one in my group, and so it's really frustrating to not be able to hear the teacher. It also doesn't help that I'm actually about two dance 'levels' (according to my studio) above some of the dancers, which means that although the steps are fairly challenging for them, they're overly easy for me.
Last reason: motivation. I have had literally no motivation over the past couple weeks. This was a hard chapter for me, and in school I've been getting a load of writing assignments. I'm so incredibly sorry to keep you guys waiting, and I promise that I'm going to update more often.
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DIDN'T READ MY SUPER-LONG EXPLANATION: I've decided to update every Friday. Finally, a schedule.
Reviews! (ugh, this author's note is so loooong):
To lovelunalovegood: Thank you! I kinda imagine Keefe as being a really good baker that makes a mess every time he bakes, lol. By the way, I love your name! Harry Potter for life.
To TEAM SOPHIE: Ha, thanks. I try to balance my story with humor and sophistication, so thanks for saying that was funny.
To Guest: Yeah, I won't be updating The Sleepover anymore, lol. Thankfully I'll be updating The Best Match a lot more!
To Guest: Yeah, sokeefe is super cute.
To Guest: Glad you thought it was funny. Also, *foreshadowing*
To Mysterious M: Thanks for wanting more of my writing! Don't worry, I'll try and update more often.
To BlackSwanGirl: Yeah, he did hear the whole conversation. Oops!
To booksaremylife: I got the whole 'reason-why-Grady-hates-Keefe' reason off somewhere else on the fandom (can't remember, lol) and kinda twisted it until it was its own thing.
To Guest: Yeah, Keefe's 'That Boy' stage is very prominent in Lodestar. Hopefully Grady forgives him in Nightfall. Did you see the cover, it's gorgeous! Needs more Dex, tho.
To BlackSwanGirl: Thank you! The 'angry Grady' chapter was pretty hard for me to write, and I'm glad you thought that I did it well.
To SoKeefe: Thank you! Glad you liked it!
To booksaremylife: Youtube is AWESOME. I'm a big fan of Rhett and Link and Liza Koshy. Thank you!
To PeriwinkleLuv9: I love Keefe, too. He's really well developed and he really moves the plot along. Hopefully Shannon continues his story ark as well as the other character's story arks.
To Haven-Field06: Sophitz is actually really cute, and while I don't like Fitz as a character too much, I can really see a connection with the Cognatenom and all. There WILL be Sophitz coming up, so don't leave, Sophitz shippers (if you're still there).
To malaynamonkey2004: (I'm just going to answer your reviews all at once) Ahh, thank you! I saw your reviews on The Sleepover, so sweet as well! Glad you liked it! Also, I'm trying to update quicker, so don't worry!
To OMG: Thank you! Glad that you liked my story! I can stand Sophitz, as it's logical, and there is a connection. However, I like Sokeefe a lot better. Agree to disagree, though!
*pants* So. Many. Reviews! Thank you!
Also, sorry I updated this an hour after I updated on Wattpad, but I had a duet rehearsal:
The next day, Sophie trudged down to her leapmaster, calling out to her parents, "I'm going to Foxfire to check on my splendor."
"Okay! Have fun!" Edaline shouted back from her study.
"Doubt I will," Sophie muttered unhappily. She chose her facet on the leapmaster, and said, "To Foxfire."
Sophie stepped into the light, pulling herself along to the school. She materialized in the greenhouse, where the flowers were growing. Her steps echoed in the bright, almost castle-like, building.
The greenhouse was three stories high, towering over the gardens. It was paned with crisp, blue tinted glass on the first floor, light green glass on the second, and flowery lavender glass on the third. Inside was a plethora of multicolored plants. Light flooded into the greenhouse, so bright it was almost blinding. It was ominously void of sound, and Sophie shivered. The gnomes were on the next floor, and the splendors were on the third, but this one was completely silent. It was beautiful, in a lithe but frightening way. The place was completely still, looking like it could topple over at any second. Sophie had asked Edaline why it was so quiet a couple days ago, and Edaline had answered ominously that the Crystalline Plants, as she had called them, were cultivated to wilt at a loud noise such as an attack, signalling the goblins to fight back.
Smack. Smack. Smack. Sophie's footsteps clattered as she hurriedly ran up the stairs. There, it was much less quiet. Everywhere, gnomes were hustling around, talking quietly among themselves. The murmuring was calming but lively, and Sophie greeted many elves before making her way up to the third floor.
A couple students were there, tending to their splendors. As she walked along the rows to get to her plant, Jensi stopped her.
"Hey, Sophie! We haven't seen each other in forever! Guess what? I-" Jensi kept on babbling in his usual rapid fire, I-had-too-much-candy- today way, but Sophie tuned it out and kept walking. She wasn't in the mood to engage in small talk. Right now, she had to talk to Biana.
Jensi looked on with a sad stare. Sophie looked back, opening her mouth like she had something to say, and walked away, abandoning him in the plants.
It'll be easier just to get it over with, Sophie told herself. Soon, she spotted her plant, which was oh-so-conveniently located next to Biana's. When they were signing up for splendor cultivation, they had gotten Alden to talk to Dame Cadence, the new principal of Foxfire, and snag them spots together.
Sophie grabbed her watering can and dribbled moisture onto the flowers. Every so often she glanced at Biana fearfully, but she didn't seem to notice. In fact, it didn't seem like she noticed anyone.
Biana furiously sprinkled water everywhere, and it seemed like she wanted to drown the flower more than keep it alive. Once in awhile she would huff or growl. Other times she would stop, staring distractedly at her flower, sighing sadly.
Biana was really sad. Sophie wanted to forgive her. She really did. She just... didn't know how. She kept watering.
One minute. Biana watered the plant angrily.
Two minutes. Biana stared sadly at a wall.
Three minutes. Biana glared at something Sophie couldn't see.
It was too much. Finally, Sophie finally gave in to the quiet game, and said, "Listen, I know it's not all your fault."
"What?" Biana said, looking around. After a while, she finally rested her eyes near Sophie. She didn't look her in the eye.
"It's not your fault," Sophie said, louder this time.
Biana went back to watering. Without looking up, she muttered, "Finally. It's about time you apologized."
Sophie noticed that another prodigy was cocking his ear toward them, intrigued. Biana said a couple not-so-nice words to him, and he angrily stalked away from them.
Biana rolled her eyes. "Egmus keeps trying to ask me out. He was my number six. He's handsome, but super creepy. I would have asked you for help, but, you know..."
Biana shook her head, muttering something along the lines of, "This is so awkward."
"Why did you do what you did?" Sophie asked quietly.
"What do you mean?" Biana asked innocently, pulling a weed away from her plant.
Sophie raised an eyebrow. "You know."
"I- why are you attacking me?" Biana asked.
Sophie raised her hands up in defense, dropping her watering can. It made a loud clank, and everyone in the greenhouse turned to look at her. "I'm not attacking you!"
Biana turned and poured a tonic into the soil. "It really seems like you are."
"I'm not attacking you!" Sophie exclaimed.
Biana sighed, sarcastically saying, "Sure you aren't."
"What the heck? I came here to apologize, not make this worse," Sophie muttered just loud enough for Biana to her.
"Well, if you came to apologize, then just apologize!" Biana yelled. The greenhouse went silent, and her words echoed off the walls. Suddenly, Sophie heard a roar downstairs. Through the crystal floors Sophie could vaguely see the outline of a Crystalline Plant starting to wilt, making a loud screeching noise.
The others started to do the same, the regal plants shriveling up and disintegrating into little crumbles of glass. Through the floors Sophie watched goblins storm into the building. Slowly she and Biana looked at each other.
"What have I done?" Biana whispered.
Suddenly, a loud alarm went off, and Dame Cadence's voice spoke over the intercom, "We are having a lockdown. The goblins have scanned the premises and there is no danger. However, we need to interrogate each and every one of you to see who triggered the Crystalline Plants. It could have very well been a distraction to cover an attack by, forbid, the Neverseen."
Sophie frowned and looked at Biana. "The Neverseen disbanded two years ago. Why does Cadence think it's still alive and running?''
"Paranoia." Biana shook her head. "It's everywhere. People think it's going to come back. Remember my grandad, Orem Vacker?"
"The Flasher, right?" Sophie asked.
"Mmhmm," Biana replied, flicking a bit of dirt off her forehead. "He's a conspiracy theorist. It's really stupid."
"What kind of conspiracies?" Sophie asked, momentarily forgetting her argument with Biana.
"All sorts," Biana said. "He thinks the humans secretly know about us and are trying to destroy the elves, he thinks that the Council knew about Fintan's betrayal the entire time, but the most prominent of his theories is that the Neverseen isn't gone."
"It is, though," Sophie said firmly. She truly didn't believe that the Neverseen was back. She had seen with her own eyes the whole Neverseen drown in a pond surrounded by Fintan's own flames. What really scared her was that people didn't believe they were gone. All of the theories would only cause more pain and disaster for everyone around them. When people were scared, nobody was happy.
Sophie missed the rest of Dame Cadence's speech. She only heard the end:
"Whoever did this will be punished."
Sophie shivered, looking at Biana with a look of terror. Suddenly, she saw a shimmer of a person behind Biana. Fully formed, Keefe stepped out of the light.
"I came as soon as I heard," he said.