- Chapter 5 -

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by aliceongnoon

by aliceongnoon

Linh swallowed nervously and glanced at Fitz for comfort. He nodded encouragingly, and Sophie pushed her hurt at the bottom of her stomach. Now was not the time for silly crushes, or for Keefe to discover her secret. But judging by the small gasp and the frantic stares at Sophie and Fitz, he already knew.

Linh took a deep breath. "You both know how I haven't been able to control water lately?" Linh asked, looking in between Sophie and Keefe. Sophie's brow furrowed. "What do you mean, 'us both?'"

"Well, they already know. I told them the second you woke up, and Keefe was in the other room."

"Mhmm."

Linh twisted a silver tip. "I've manifested into a Telepath and an Inflictor."

Sophie's face broke out into a wary smile. "That's great, congr-"

"And Fitz and I have decided that we should be Cognates." Linh interrupted.

There was a short silence, finally broken by Sophie.

"I don't understand. How can you be Cognates with two people?" Sophie asked Fitz, trying to ignore the pit of hatred bubbling in her belly.

He looked extremely awkward. "Well, er, that's--that's the thing...you can't be."

Sophie blinked back her tears. Maybe...If they could be mean to her for once, could she be too?

Sophie put her head in her hands to look like she was trying to process the information. She opened Linh's mind tracked down her Inflictor and Telepath genes. She took some of her own Hydrokinetic genes and shoved them into Linh. Then she erased the Inflictor and damaged the Telepath genes, so she wouldn't perform that well. Sophie closed out of Linh's mind and put down her hands, dusting herself off. "Why?" She whispered silently. "Well, because...it would be better for a romantic relationship."

"Oh, so that's it?" Sophie snarled. "Just because you two like each other means that you can break your trust completely with someone who has trusted you with their life? What? Are you too good for me to be trustworthy? You can have a romantic relationship with someone who isn't your Cognate, but no, you hurt someone just to mend yourself with another. It's all about you." She got right up in his face, "Wonderboy." she hissed, she turned on her heel and left the stunned silence behind.

Biana glared at Fitz hard in the eye. "I told you she would be hurt. Can't you see? She's been through so much, and you're just making life harder for her to please yourself." She spat.

"I've been through much more than her." Linh declared. Biana rounded on her. "Have you? Did you just willingly walk out of your parents home and know that they know you, or did you walk out of the only life you knew and was forced to leave your parents for something you don't know much about, and know that they will never remember you? Have you? Have you been betrayed by the person you trusted the most? Have you been kidnapped? Have you known that you were a freak? Have you ever been discriminated for something you are misunderstood for? For your eye-colour? And-" Biana dropped her voice to a harsh whisper,"- have you know what it feels like to like someone who obviously loves someone else?" Biana turned around and ran after Sophie.

Keefe glared at Fitz for the first time in his life. "You broke her."

Tam looked at Linh in disbelief. "You know, as my sister, I would normally stand up for you. But right now, I can't help but admit you're a cold-hearted witch." Tam snapped, and both him and Keefe strode after the girls.