Because There Is a Future

Chapter Thirty-Five

Sophie shook her head. "No. Veta, get better so you can do it--"

"Sophie." Veta cut in sharply. "You need to be strong. Independent."

"I'm trying." Her voice broke. "I'm trying, but I'm nothing without you. I'm nothing without everyone supporting me."

"I don't know if Forkle told you..." She whispered. "But Moonlarks get stronger with each coming storm. Consider this not as a burden, Sophie. Consider this an ammunition."

Sophie barely registered her friends joining her -- Eve was sobbing the loudest out of all of them, followed closely by Gaun. Sophie couldn't imagine the pain they felt. Sophie had only known Veta for a little bit, but with Eve? Veta was her life.

Sophie stepped back, dazed, as Veta murmured something to Eve and Gaun.

She had to be strong.

She had to be, for the world. For her. She couldn't break. Not now.

Sophie looked down at the clear case in her hand, surprised for a moment because she saw something that oddly looked like blond flocks...

Looking around, Fin was talking quietly to Fitz, Dex, Tam, and Keefe, who all had no trace of happiness on their face.

Don't let Fin go away. Sophie transmitted to Keefe before she walked away. Away from Veta, away from her friends. But into the answers that Veta had provided.

................................................................................

When she was certain no one could follow her, she uncapped the lid of the case. At first, nothing happened, and Sophie was tempted to race back to Veta and demand answers from her before it was too late.

But then, an odd sort of flowy feeling came through, and Sophie felt dazed -- not quite unconscious, but not necessarily there in the world, either. She wasn't sleepy -- in fact, she felt more awake than she had ever been in her life. But the fuzzy feeling that surrounded her seemed to be increasing by the second, and Sophie let out a gasp as the world around her faded into... blank. Nothing. But at the same time, there was everything. Light was coming in from all directions, and she was the only thing in the world. No... Her and Oralie.

She blinked a couple times, trying to convince herself that this was not real. But it was. And this was the answer? Hadn't this been what Veta had said?

"I know you must be confused." Oralie spoke, her word echoing.

Sophie couldn't speak.

"For your information, you are in a... Thought. This may sound crazy. But... It's the truth. Remember when I died all those years ago? All of what I had thought was stored in here. When Veta was married to Emery, we saw a lot of each other. We grew close. She opened up to me, I opened up to her... But obviously not enough. Back to my previous conversation about cowardice, I... was the weakest person ever. One day, I predicted Veta being banished along with everyone with the Forgotten Abilities. I was scared. I didn't tell Veta about having it, convinced that when the time came, I would be banished just like the rest of them. And then what? What would happen to Kenric and I? What would happen to you? What would happen to the Neverseen and the Black Swan? I hid my identity from Veta, although I suppose she suspected what I truly was. So, my final thought, which you are in now, was sent to her. She had always been a stronger person than I was. I knew she would keep this thought until the time was right."

Sophie wanted to ask so many questions. But only one was important right now -- only one could squeeze into the time left before the world collapsed. "Tell me how to make the humans forget."

She knew her mother knew how. She just knew. Oralie nodded. "When this thought ends, you'll only have fifteen minutes or so to do it. First, you need to find a Psionipath, a powerful one. And a person with powerful telekenisis. And a shade, although they aren't entirely necessary. First, let the psionipath cover the humans, and before you do that, make the shade cover them up, so they won't start attacking you. And being covered by shadows usually make them calmer. Then, you kill the human. Their sacrifice will most likely sink into the Earth, and then, the spell will be cast. But you elves must flee the area before you do so, because there is no limit to who the spell impacts. If the elves are there when the spell is cast, then they, too, will forget about their identity. Once the spell is cast, using the telekenisis, they must move the humans to the human world, and shut the entry. If all of these are successful, the humans will have no memory of the elves."

"I thought there had to be an elf sacrifice, too." Sophie stated dumbly, trying to organize her mind. But the more she thought about it, the more it seemed to be impossible. Fifteen minutes? No way.

"Yes. But the sacrifice had already been made." Oralie stated.

"What? Who? Did someone sacrifice themselves while I was gone? I need to go back--"

"Roughly eight years ago, when I was captured by the Neverseen and you were holding the medler, I had my last vision. It was this. The occurrence of today. Listen, Sophie. I let you kill me not just for the sake of the Neverseen. It was for this, too. I was aware of this situation. And after this vision ends, I will be there with you, for the physical touch. It was all planned out, eight years ago. Now, you just have to do it.

"Now, let's go back. The fifteen minutes start... Now."

This was a bad chapter, I know.

But I had to update it, because I have been gone for sooo long! Which I am really sorry for. Truly. Don't kill me!!

Also....

STELLARLUNE'S OUT! OUT! OUT! OUT! AHHHHHHHHHH! I HAVEN'T READ IT YET BUT I AM ITCHING TO!! HEOTOIEQRIOQEOIR

And, um, I may or may not have read the spoilers online, and... um... um..........

Silverfox Out