When Shadows find Light (SOTAM FF) ✔️

Love Hurts - Tam's POV

I laid my head down on the table, not listening to anything everyone else was saying.

It had been what, three days from the knuckle accident. My knuckle was wrapped in a bandage, but nobody noticed, though. It was a black bandage, just dark enough to look like it was coordinated with my outfit.

Where were we now? Well, we all agreed to meet up at this one sweet shop that sold custard bursts, mallowmelt, and everything else in between. Why we met up, I didn't know. Perhaps just to talk, since we didn't really have the time for that anymore. 

I watched Dex stare at Marella with an awestruck expression, and it was very obvious they hadn't regretted a moment of being together. Fitz was off in Wonderland, staring at Linh with a tinge to his teal eyes. Linh was smiling and leaned on his shoulder. 

Keefe was staring at Sophie, but he was smiling weirdly. Well, to be honest, he always had a weird smile, but... never mind.

Biana. Well, she was a different story. Her teal eyes were locked on Keefe, who currently averted his gaze on Sophie and was focusing on Biana with a distracted smirk. Marella, on the other hand, was just squeezing Dex's hand under the table. it was obvious.

I rested my head in my hands, picking at the bandage. "Hey, Bangs Boy, bored?" Keefe taunted, looking away from Biana. I growled in annoyance. "None of your business, Mop Hair." I shot, staring at Biana, who was fiddling with her thumbs. I quickly averted my gaze before anyone noticed, my insides churning. I noticed Sophie just sitting there, picking at the tablecloth. Linh's lucky. She's got Fitz, Dex has Marella, and Biana's got Sencen. How does she even LIKE him?! I thought angrily, and without a second thought, I ripped off my bandage with a loud, RRRRIP! Everyone suddenly turned to look at me, and I hid my hand, trying to soften the scowl on my face.

I quickly looked at the only one not staring at me, Sophie. She was too busy doing... Something. I squinted to look closer. "Hey, Tam." Dex said, snapping his fingers in my face. I glared at his hand and slouched deeper in my seat. "Having fun, Sophie?" Keefe asks, poking her. Sophie managed a smile. One I did most of the time. A fake smile.

"Yeah! This mallowmelt is awesome. But not as good as Edaline's!" she said, way more hyperactive than before. We all stared at her, and her eyes flickered around us. "What?" she asked. "Alright, we believe you. Get what you want. Get more, even!" Fitz said hesitantly, while stuffing a custard burst in his mouth.

However, I relayed Sophie's talk in my mind, gears turning. She sounded sad; nervous, even. I looked over at her again and saw her eyes only for a fraction of a second, but I could see that it was glimmering unusually and suddenly very wet. She sniffed suddenly, turning away from everyone. "Um, guys, I, uh, gotta do something back home, I forgot, I have to get... something..." she mumbled, standing up quickly and walking away, her hair draped over her the sides of her face like a curtain. And with that, she ran away.

I saw Keefe shooting her a worried look. I sighed and rolled my eyes, completely agitated at everyone's obliviousness. After at least five, silent, awkward minutes, Biana spoke up. " you think she's okay?" she asked, obvious hints of worry in her voice. I almost groaned at their ignorance. "Yes, I'm sure she's fine. Keefe, for an Empath, you need to use your sense of empathy, and Fitz, for a Telepath, you need to use your head." I said, looking them straight at the eye.

 Fitz's teal eyes were dull with little understanding, but Keefe's ice blue eyes contrasted that by a mile. His eyes were dark and glazed over with a sudden cold fury, and a tiny crease that ran through his forehead gave away his obvious emotion. "Don't tell me what to do, Bangs Boy. Also, I'll have you know that I care for Foster very much. So, how about you use your head and not make any assumptions?" Keefe asked, his voice unusually low.

"Well, what's got you all sensitive?" I asked, almost tauntingly.

"Shut up, Bangs Boy." Keefe snapped. I couldn't help but notice Biana slumping down farther into her seat, her face full of some strong emotion, like... disappointment?

"Well, I'm gonna check on her." I announced, standing up. "Because unlike you bunch, I'm trying to be decent." I said, my glance shooting at Fitz and Keefe pointedly.  Linh stared at me for a second before she shot me a wide grin. I was no Telepath, but I knew what she was thinking almost immediately. "You? Bangs Boy? Okay, I need my ears cleaned. What did you say?" Keefe asked, rubbing his ears. I rolled my eyes and stood up to walk out the door.

I searched around myself to find the facet that Sophie had presented us all, just in case of an emergency. It was a intricate, pastel-colored crystal with a facet going to Havenfield. I finally found it, wrapped around my wrist as a bracelet. I fumbled with it until I got it out and raised it towards the light, watching a beam of light bounce off the crystal and create a pathway. "Havenfield." I whispered, and walked in. Immediately, a tingling exploded in my body, and the sensation of feathers tugged at me. I merely stayed in focus until I felt my body reform and I was facing the Havenfield residence.

I appeared at the entrance and knocked. Grady was the one who answered the door. "Tam?" he asked, raising one brow. I nodded in acknowledgement. "Um, have you seen... Sophie?" I asked, trying to look past him into the house. 

He nodded solemnly, almost gravely. "She's in her room, doing... something." he said reluctantly, pointing to the wide door. He looked at me for at least three long minutes, studying me intensely, with a gaze so intense that it was uncomfortable, before he reluctantly let me in.

I raced inside, bolting up the stairway and opened the door to the right quickly, the door almost hitting Sophie. I kneeled down next to her, looked at her for a millisecond, then enveloped her into a large bear hug, which I usually only did to Linh when she was feeling down. Like when they were ushered into Exillium. I gritted my teeth at that.

She stopped abruptly. "Can someone please tell me why my love life is so confusing?" she asked, rubbing at her eyes frantically as if trying to hide the fact that she had just bawled her eyes out. "Hah, wish I could answer that. If I did, you'd have to tell me why my love life is confusing." I said, a dry laugh escaping my throat. She let out a tiny chuckle, but I didn't miss the fact that she reached out to her eyelashes and plucked them out.

 I hugged her tighter, determined to at least make her feel better. As she broke down once more, I rubbed her back, muttering comfort to her. She seemed to quiet down after a few minutes.

"Thanks, Tam..." she said, rubbing her pink, puffy eyes. I nodded, the room awkward now because of the sudden silence that echoed throughout the room. She let out a sudden, unexpected giggle. Then she broke out into full on wheezing.

"Uh, Sophie. You alright there?" I asked timidly. It was kind of weird, seeing the sudden mood swing in her. She wiped a different type of tear from her eye. "Oh, gosh. Well, I'm just wondering if I'm ever gonna even order my matchmaking scroll. Who's gonna be my number one now? Nobody, that's who. Valin would probably be number one at this rate!" Sophie laughed. 

I watched Sophie unfold in front of me, her laughs painful and full of regret. "Tam, tell me why it hurts so much. Why does it hurt?"

I let out a helpless, useless shrug. 

"Why does loving hurt so much?"

-edited successfully at December 20, 3018!-