Hey! It's me! With an update! Aren't you guys proud of me :3

Anyways, this chapter is on the shorter side, but I hope you like it! Enjoy!
-LLF

Sophie awoke the next morning with an awful headache and a bunch of flowers sprouting in her hair. She bolted up, brushing the petals out of her tangled mess of golden hair, groaning at the early hour.

"Morning, sunshine," said Crescent, pulling on a pair of fingerless black gloves over brown, tanned, calloused hands. They sheathed a dagger in their boot and in their belt.

"Uh- morning?" she said blearily, rubbing her eyes.

"Are you coming?" Crescent asked. Sophie could practically hear their eyeroll.

"Uhm… where?" she said stupidly.

"Well, I was GOING to give you a mini tour, but since breakfast is closing soon…"

Sophie leapt out of bed, stumbling to tame her mass of tangled hair into a neat, slick ponytail, adjusting her bodysuit and fist wrappings (which Crescent had given to her- they said she'd need them?). She pulled on the thick black cloak from her makeshift bed.

Crescent was tapping their foot by the crude doorway while Sophie scrambled to put on a pair of sturdy black combat boots.

"Sorry," she muttered apologetically. Crescent didn't even turn their head.

"There are no apologies here, Phoenix," they said smoothly.

"You can call me Soph-"

"If you cannot call me by my real name, I won't call you by yours. Besides, it would give you away to all of the others; if we need you in combat, or if you hurt someone here, you won't want people to know your real name." Embarrassed and slightly scared at the prospect, Sophie nodded. "Now put on your hood!" Crescent scolded. Sophie blushed a bit, then covered her head with the thick cloth, casting deep shadows across her face.

"Be careful not to upset anyone," Crescent muttered quietly under their breath, and then pushed open two heavy doors into a cavern. They maneuvered Sophie inti a long line, which seemed to be for a glop of slimy gruel that the Neverseen considered edible.

Sophie's fingers (and stomach) itched to make more appetizing fruit and vegetables, but she knew that would draw too much attention.

Noticing Sophie's balled fists, Crescent whispered in her ear again. "Yes, we would LOVE to have fresh food. It will have to be given to the chefs anonymously." Sophie nodded gratefully to Crescent. "Dang fancy powers!" Crescent grumbled under their breath, somewhat affectionately- if Sophie was reading her mysterious roommate right.

After a long day of rigorous training and two slimy meals, Sophie was ready to sleep. Her eyes drifted shut, but her mind stretched out again, and suddenly, she was a flower clinging to a canopy- HER canopy, back at Havenfield. She was overlooking Edaline, sleeping quietly on top of Sophie's covers. She could see tears staining the pillow and her adoptive mother's tired face.

Grady came into the room to turn off the lights, leaning against the doorframe, staring at his wife. Sophie noticed the note she'd left clutched tightly in his hand.

"If only you knew how much we miss you, Sophie," he whispered. "Why must you be so brave?"
With that, seemingly talking to no one, Grady shut off the lights in her old bedroom and walked away.

Sophie slept quite fitfully.

The same routine happened every day, until a week went by- the only exception being the improved food, thanks to Sophie's skill. Then she would go to training in her abilities, overseen by Fintan himself, then coming back to the cavern with Crescent and connecting with many different plants near her loved ones.

She connected to a plant in Tam's cavern once, but Crescent had woken her up before she could glean anything useful from the glimmer she sensed.

Today, she stood in the breakfast line, hot cornbread waiting for her ahead, when the cafeteria cavern went completely silent. Sophie turned to see what had happened, and there Fintan and Gethen stood, looking regal and imposing as they looked out across the sea of hooded faces, like two kings gazing out over their subjects.

"Hello, Neverseen!" Gethen said. "Today, we need Rainestorm, Soundclap, Crescent, and… "

"Phoenix," Fintan finished for him with a smirk.

"...yes, Phoenix. Come to the High Cavern immediately."

"Cmon," Crescent said, taking Sophie's arm and dragging her along.

"Where are we going? What's happening?"

"You're going on your first mission," Crescent said grimly. "Whether you like it or not."

Hehe cliffhanger

I hope you liked it! But, I am sad to inform you guys that I won't be able to update next week, as I will be out of town. So enjoy freaking out about Sophie's first mission

-LLF out