Chapter 1: Memories

Sophie's POV

"Sophie?"

"Oh gosh," I replied. A million thoughts raced through my mind as I had just processed what happened: my parents were taken by the Neverseen. What would they do to them? What would happen? Why would it happen?

The star only rises at Nightfall. Echoed repeatedly in my head. Nightfall… Isn't that what the runes on the door Lady Gisela locked with Keefe's blood?

The bright blue glimpse of the Starstone. The shockingly cool air biting at his skin. The garnet color of the blood leaking from the soft pad of his thumb. The memory tugged further and revealed something else: My sister wasn't taken. Memories and recollections of the past with my parents suddenly flooded through my mind.

Small picnics in the park where we would play until dark. A small distant memory suddenly crossed my mind; standing on a hill as a 5-year-old, before my telepathy manifested. The chilling breeze blew against my body as shivers suddenly flew up my arm. The trees swayed to the rhythm of the gentle wind as my feet grew tired and eventually relented, sitting down. I was watching my sister twirl and swirl and fall into a collage of burnt orange, magnolia reds, sweet amber, deep crimson, and light maple leaves. I wished they were here with me. The painful vow struck me back to reality as a tear dripped down my cheek. Another fell until it became a whitewater river of tears.

She instinctively wrapped her arms around me in a soothing gesture to calm me down. Her arms tightened and made me realize how much I missed this. I took the moment to make out every single detail of her. Short wavy brown hair and a pair of hazelnut colored eyes that always sparkled with a mischievous glint in them. She had appeared to be crying. That's when I smelled the sickeningly sweet aroma of burning sugar. Fitz spotted the bright white fires of Everblaze before I did and started to scroll the facets on his leaping crystal. Fear and rage blinded my eyes. Then, I caught a glimpse of a familiar boy with eyes ice cold and mussed up blonde hair. He was held in a chokehold by a figure in a dark robe as he fell to the floor.

"NO!" I yelled, just as the bright light passed through my body. The warmth tingled all over and should have made me calm down. But instead, I felt like every single part of me fell apart again.

Then Fitz's voice yanked me back to reality. Hard. "Where's Keefe?"