No More Secrets

SEVEN | base quest

 While they were eating mallowmelt, Biana had an idea. She squealed, "Guys! Let's all hail our parents and see if we can have a sleepover! Wait, that's okay, right, Mom?" Della nodded. Everyone smiled halfheartedly.

"Oh, that'll be...great?" Tam said questioningly.

Sophie groaned. "Tam! It'll be so fun! Come on, I'll hail Grady and Edaline." She ran upstairs, stayed for a minute, and hailed Grady and Edaline with her Imparter.

"Hi Mom! I was wondering if I could stay for a sleepover at the Vackers."

"Oh, that'd be fine." Edaline replied back, smiling a little.
"Okay, great! See you later!" Sophie said, grinning.

"You too. Oh, and please try to be back by lunch tomorrow."

"Sure. Bye!" Sophie hung up.

Sophie ran downstairs and exclaimed excitedly, "My mom said yes!"

Dex smiled. "So did mine."

Keefe looked glum. "My parents won't care either way," he said dejectedly.

"Ours won't either," Tam and Linh said.

"Oh....well, that's great! We all can stay!" Biana said, trying to revive the conversation.

"Yeah, it is!" Sophie said.

Biana grinned. "I know! I should give all of you makeovers!"

Everyone groaned. "Come on. It isn't THAT bad! Remember how Dex looked after last time!" Dex blushed.

"What happened last time?" Linh asked.

Biana opened her mouth to answer, but Dex interrupted, saying "Um, nothing! Nothing happened last time." Everyone except Dex laughed.

"Okay, sure. We can go with nothing. Anyway, who wants a makeover?" Biana asked.

Sophie timidly replied, "Um, how about we...save the makeovers for later and play base quest instead?"

Linh interrupted. "Isn't that for even numbers only?"

Sophie answered, "Yeah, but we can make one team of three and one team of four. The team of three can quest first."

Linh nodded, understanding. "Yes, let's play Base Quest!"

Biana sighed. "Fine, but we have to get makeovers later." Everyone agreed.

"Okay, what are the teams?" Keefe asked.

"How about girls against boys?" Biana asked with a wicked gleam in her eye.

"That's no fair! You have Sophie, and Sophie always wins!" Fitz protested.

Sophie blushed. "Well, not every time..." she muttered.

Biana laughed. "No, it's fair because you have one extra person."

Fitz groaned. "Fine."

Sophie said, "Okay, everyone outside for Base Quest!" Everyone filed outside.

"Okay boys, choose your base!"

The boys went off to one side to decide what their base was. When they got back, Dex proudly announced, "Our base is that tree there," he said, pointing to a tree surrounded by flowers.

"Okay. Who's guarding?"

"Um, I think Fitz is."

"Okay."

The girls started sneaking towards the boy's base. Sophie transmitted, Okay. I got past Fitz's blocking, here's the plan. Keefe is going after me, Tam is going after Biana., Dex is trying to get you, Linh. Fitz is definitely guarding the base. How about I go up ahead and try to sneak up on them?

Biana thought back, No, I should go first because I'm a Vanisher!

Sophie replied, No, because Fitz can track your thoughts, while I can block mine from him. Biana sighed in reluctant agreement.

Sophie transmitted to Linh, Okay, so I'm going to sneak up ahead and try to get to their base.

Linh nodded. Okay, she thought back.

Sophie started to creep behind bushed as duck behind trees. All of a sudden, she froze. Someone was behind her! She slowly turned around and saw....Biana! "What are you doing here?" Sophie hissed.

"Well, I thought it might help to have me, being a Vanisher and all."

"Oh, you're right, Come on, let's get them!"

As Sophie tracked the boys, she noticed that they were getting a little bit too close for comfort. Linh! Dex, at 7 o'clock! At Sophie's transmission, Linh whirled around and tagged Dex. He pouted. "It's not fair! Sophie told you!" Linh smirked.

"Well, special abilities are allowed...."

"Oh, fine."

Linh thought back to Sophie, I got him!

She replied, Good job! Now, just try and keep him out of the way.

Suddenly, Sophie heard a crackle in the bushes. Sensing it was Tam, she hid behind a tree. Biana! Watch out! Biana nodded. I will, thanks. She turned invisible, just a few seconds before Tam came stumbling out of the bushes. "Ugh. I knew I saw her here just a moment ago. She must have tur-" Biana tapped his shoulder.

"Got you!" she crowed triumphantly.

Tam groaned. "I should have known..." he grumbled. Sophie! Go get Keefe and Fitz! Oblivious to their mental conversation, Tam smiled. "Well, at least I have you to myself. You know, I was thinking about what you said earlier..." Biana blushed. Sophie! Get out of here! Sophie, who was trying to contain her laughter, obeyed, slipping away into the bushes.

Soon, she heard Keefe's clumsy attempts to be silent. She laughed inwardly, and snuck around to the bush just behind him. "Keefe, you still need to work on your tramping-through-the-bush skills," she said as she poked his shoulder.

"What? I thought I was doing pretty well," he defended.

"Sure, whatever you think," Sophie laughed. "Now, to find the base."

In a sudden burst of recognition, she realized that the base was just behind a tree next to her. She walked around, and, seeing Fitz, laughed. He was just sitting on a bench nearby, resigned to the fact that the girls would win no matter what.

Sophie touched their base, then cleared her throat. Fitz turned, sighing, to Sophie. "Took you long enough," he teased. Sophie rolled her eyes.

"Well, someone could have tried just a little bit harder to stop me..."

"Why should I, when I know that you'd win anyway?" Fitz said in mock depression. "You could let US win once, right?"

"Oh, does poor Fitz feel sad?"

"Oh, maybe he just needs something to cheer him up."

By this, they were inches apart. Sophie sighed. "Oh, fine." Standing on her toes, she tilted her head and kissed him.

After about a minute, Biana came to the base, dragging Tam with her. "Seriously?" she said, rolling her eyes. Sophie blushed, and pulled away from Fitz's embrace. "Let's just go in and set up our sleeping bags," she said.

okay, so i combined the old chapters six and seven so this was originally chapter eight. biana and linh "thinking back" just means that they think that and sophie reads their mind, but only that part.