Ha, I lied, there are going to be more chapters, though to be honest I really did think this was going to be the last chapter. I know a lot of you have read Everblaze, and that this fanfic may contradict what's in that book. So, yeah… sorry if it does. Anyway! I'm not exactly sure where this story is going. Gosh… I hope I didn't ruin it. We'll see. ;)
Chapter 13
Sophie awoke again. Her shoulder was still aching, but she didn't mind. She looked around. This time there was no one there, except for Dex. Dex! Sophie sprang up from her bed and ran over to his cot. "Sophie? Is that you?" he said softly. Sophie's heart felt like it would burst from happiness. "Dex! You remember me!" She wrapped her arms around him and didn't let go. Tears leaked from her eyes and dripped onto his shoulder. It would have been a very touching moment had Fitz and Keefe not come in at that moment. They were followed by Grady and Alden. A salty sea odor came drifted into the room. Fitz cleared his throat. Sophie jumped and released Dex. She stood up and looked at the ground. Dex looked like he might actually turn into a tomato.
Alden laughed softly, "It seems to me, you've already figured out Dex has his memory back." "Yeah, how-" "No questions right now Sophie, Elwin still has to make sure you're ok." At that moment Elwin walked in. "How are you feeling Sophie?" "I'm okay. My shoulder hurts though." "Yes, lets take a look at that." He snapped and an orangish glow hovered over her right shoulder. "You fractured it a teensy bit." Sophie frowned. "Don't worry, it's nothing a bottle of Bone-Repair and some bandages can't fix. I'll be right back." Alden and Grady left too. They needed to go tell Edaline and Della that Sophie was all right. There was a long moment of silence before any of the friends spoke. Sophie sat down next to Dex and her shoulder brushed up against his. She gasped. "What is it?" all three boys said in unison. They glared at each other. "I'm still an Empath. I thought that maybe after Brant was taken care of, all these powers would go away. Guess, I was wrong." She tried to stay strong as her eyes threatened to water and her throat tightened.
Elwin came back with a murky bottle in one hand and a roll of bandages in the other. He glanced around nervously like he sensed the tension that had just occurred. "Okay Sophie, hold tight." He wrapped Sophie's arm and shoulder together tightly. He then gave her the suspicious looking bottle. She glanced at it with disgust, but then drowned it in one gulp. It was spicy, and she could still feel it sizzling on her tongue long after she drank it. A burning sensation suddenly erupted in her shoulder. "Ahhh, gosh." She doubled over in unexpected pain. All boys made sudden movements towards her and ended up bumping into one another. Elwin suddenly laughed as he eyed the boys. "Sophie, it looks like you've got yourself some lov-" He stopped suddenly as each and every boy's eyes widened and they frantically made wild arm motions to be quiet. Elwin resorted to chuckling softly. "Anyway sorry Sophie, forgot to warn you. The medicine is quick and a bit painful." "You don't say," Sophie gasped. "It'll be over soon. I'll leave you guys to talk." Elwin got up to leave smirking at the boys as he walked out.
Elwin was right, the pain subsided quickly, though Sophie could still feel a slight warmness in her shoulder. "Where's Brant?" she asked when Elwin had finally left. "He's being held in a highly secure detaining room, till the council can move him to Exile." Replied Fitz. Sophie contemplated the situation. Somehow she knew her mission wasn't over yet. There was still something left to be done with Brant. She hopped up from her cot and headed towards the door. "Hey Foster, where ya going?" called Keefe. His words were meant to be relaxed but there was a certain tension around them. "I'm going to see Brant." Suddenly she stopped. She didn't know where he was. What was she thinking? "Do either of you know where his exact locations are?" Her brown eyes bored into each of the boys. Fitz walked over to her and grabbed her good arm. He steered her towards her cot. "No, we don't. And even if we did we wouldn't tell you." He gently pushed her down on the bed. Her head was against the pillow.
Sophie couldn't help feeling very helpless as she lie there on her cot with one arm bandaged. She tried to sit up. "Ah, no you don't Foster," Keefe said as he pushed her down, "You are injured, our orders are to make sure you stay here." "You have orders?" "Not exactly, but I think it's pretty clear Alden doesn't want us to let you run off…again." He looked away. Sophie couldn't help herself. She reached out and grabbed his wrist. "Hey, it's okay. I had to go alone. It wasn't your fault." She let go when she noticed Fitz and Dex staring pointedly at her hand. "Thanks, but really if I lost you-" Keefe cut off suddenly, his cheeks flushing rapidly. Sophie could feel the embarrassment coming off him like hot waves and she too blushed.
"Does your dad know where he is?" Sophie asked quickly. Fitz hesitated and didn't meet her eyes. "Uhhh… yeah I guess he does." "Great," Sophie hopped up once again. "I'm going to see Alden." "Haha, no." said Keefe sternly. He pushed back upon the bed. "If you really want to see Alden, one of us can go get him for you. You need to get some rest." Sophie stared at the towering figures of Fitz and Keefe hovering over her. "Fiiinnne." She could tell this was an argument she wasn't going to win. The two boys left, leaving Dex and Sophie alone. Sophie hopped up once again, a mysterious expression on her face. She headed for the door. "Hey, where do you think you're going?" asked Dex. "To find Brant," replied Sophie. "But- you don't know where he is." "Oh, yes I do. Cover for me while I'm gone. I promise I'll be back in no time."