𝐸𝑙𝑦𝑠𝑖𝑎𝑛:A KOTLC fanfic

Chapter 16

Elysian was just as Sophie remembered.

But she definitely didn't remember a maze of trees after Marella repeated her fire sequence to get them to that same spot in Elysian.

Like Elysian had purposely made it so they wouldn't be able to find their way to her.

"Uh... anyone else getting the feeling that this isn't what we saw the first time we came here?" Keefe asked.

"You're not alone," Fitz agreed.

"Well?" Ro asked impatiently. "What are we supposed to do here?"

Honestly, Sophie had no idea.

She'd figured they would leap to Elysian,figure out a plan, and work on it.

But she also knew what to say if it didn't work out like that.

"Azzie, Rogan..." she said, turning to the siblings. "Do you guys know a place we can set up?"

Azzie frowned. "Yes. Why?"

"I was thinking, split up and then regroup there. Because. We can only discover something useful if we don't stick together like a pack."

Marella whistled appreciatively. "Okay, I'm totally in for the new Sophie."

"Yeah, put me down for that," Biana added.

"Hey, don't steal my lines!" Keefe complained. "Foster, tell them."

Sophie just rolled her eyes. "You're ridiculous. Can we get back to the issue at hand here?"

"Fine, I'll be serious now."

She gave him a look that said you better be before turning to everyone else. "Who's coming with me?"

"I am!" they all shouted.

After plenty of bickering, the teams were decided.

Sophie,  Keefe, Tam and Biana were on one team. Marella, Dex, Fitz and Azzie were another. And then there were Linh and Rogan. Their abilities were strong enough to keep them both covered. They'd stay with Ro, hopefully arriving back before the others to keep watch.

"'As for where to set up..." Rogan exchanged a glance with his sister. "Well, come with us."

At times, Sophie wondered if they knew what they were doing, but Azzie and Rogan seemed to know the forest like the backs of their hands.

They did seem a little confused by the trees, but they eventually led the gang to a cluster of bushes, hiding a simple clear area Sophie would've labeled perfect for a picnic with her human family if it hadn't been for the lumpy land and yellowish, wilting grass surrounded by uncomfortable looking weed. Slimy mold coated the otherwise grey rocks. The trees looked in desperate need of watering.

"Here we are," Azzie announced. "Home disgusting home."

Ro whistled. "Okay, I actually like this place. It reminds me of the training camps we used to set up."

For some reason, no one stared at Ro incredulously.

Instead, Tam said, "Well, if you know so much about setting up, maybe you can do it yourself."

"Child's play! Come on, Shady Boy- I'll show you how it's done.

Turns out, Ro wasn't the most coordinated person in the world.

After thirty minutes, lots of arguing, and a few falls on the face, a fireplace was finally set up.Ro had them gathering huge leaves in a few piles around the fire to make it look more 'homey'-and it would also help for training and practice.

Sophie felt her fingers curl around Hope's hilt.

Weirdly enough, Hope already felt like a friend she'd known forever.

She took a deep breath as she turned around to face her friends. "Are we ready to do this?"

They glanced at each other.

But Keefe spoke up.

"Right behind you, Foster."

And they got ready to split up.

"Just a sec," Linh interrupted before they turned away. She met Tam's eyes. "Will you be okay?"

Tam smiled tentatively. "I was going to ask the same question. But... I'll live."

                                                                                                       *****************

Sophie, Keefe, Tam and Biana had been walking around for quite a while now.

With nothing in sight.

Sophie didn't even know what- or who- she was looking for.

Elysian?

Lady Gisela?

Something else entirely?

She didn't know.

But she needed and wanted a clue- something to end this.

Tam spoke up-almost as if on cue. "Sooo, what exactly are we looking for?"

"I'm trying to figure something out. I am hoping to find Elysian all over again, and maybe...." Sophie trailed off, stealing a glance at Keefe and hoping he hadn't guessed what she was going to say next.

But he finished it for her. "You were hoping to find my mom."

She nodded, nervous.

"I mean..." Biana said slowly. "What's the worst that could happen? Sure, she'll probably make you do a bunch of creepy things-but it'll end this,at least."

Keefe nodded slowly. "I guess that is a possibility- though I'm pretty sure I've gotten used to the numbness. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to go back to having only one ability, without the whole creepy-voice-command thing and-"

He stopped himself just in time.

Biana raised her eyebrows. "Save your breath. I know you're not always cool with sharing stuff- and I'll try not to give you a hard time about it."

"It's not that we don't want to tell you," Keefe assured her. "It's just that some people will be a little hurt if we tell you first. I was thinking we'd do it as a group."

Biana raised her eyebrows at Sophie. "I see he told you."

"No, Dex did, and that was only after Keefe was gone and Ro forced him," Sophie argued.

An uncomfortable silence fell.

"Hey, at least the whole numb thing means I don't have to feel the I'm-gonna-vomit worry vibes that always come off Foster," Keefe said with a smirk.

The joke felt pretty painfully forced.

But the tentative smiles-and the epic eye roll from Tam- just made it more hilarious.

And as they all started to laugh, Sophie felt a little bit of the load leave her shoulders.

A/N: 1K VIEWS?! You guys are awesome, thanks sooo much!
Also-comment your thoughts on Unraveled-Book 9.5. What do you think?
Hope you liked this chapter, and I swear chapter 17 will be out as soon as possible!