Talentless // Fitz Vacker

// eleven //

(A/n: thinking of changing the cover art but we'll see, I just don't have the file to the original one so it's either I change it forever or I stick with this forever)

Sophie had been sitting, trying to figure out all the vague clues the Black Swan kept randomly dropping. One practically fell into her lap when she was talking about it with Keefe. 

"So... you're a pro at figuring out their clues. Any theories?" Keefe asked. 

"I'm assuming this one has to do with Silveny since they left it in her enclosure..." Sophie dug her hands into the alicorn pin. 

"And the note?" 

"No clue." Sophie shrugged, thinking. 

They had to have meant her fear, since the message was "Face your fears"—but what was she scared of—besides being a broken, useless malfunctioning creature? She was already facing that. 

She was scared of doctors,  that much was obvious but she faced that fear all the time too. 

So what else was she afraid of? 

Her stomach turned sour as an idea hit her. 

"So...I guess you figured it out?" Keefe guessed by the emotion shift. 

Sophie nodded miserably, digging out her Imparter. "Show me Dex" She said, transmitting to Adora. 

_______

"What's up?" Adora hoisted herself over the enclosure fence just for Sophie and Keefe to leave the enclosure. 

"Remember all the things I filled you in on?" 

"Mhmm?" 

"I got another clue." 

Adora followed them, racking her brain for the information Sophie had told her over the past few days. Pages out of a journal stolen, memories implanted, genetic code, malfunctioning... and a chance to cure Alden? 

Adora furrowed her eyebrows "And is there a particular reason we're heading over to Cliffside gate?" Adora asked, still following them—knowing that Sophie hated to even look in the general direction of Cliffside. 

Cliffside gate. A small cave right by a small shore. It used to be used for Sophie's alchemy training, Adora's rock skipping talents and Dex's alchemy tutoring. 

Oh, it was also used for kidnapping those same people—but that was a one time thing. 

Even so, Cliffside Gate was abandoned, haunted with memories and locked with a special lock to stop anyone from going inside. 

"Dex!" Adora waved as Dex glittered into sight. 

He waved back as Sophie gave a small explanation for what was happening. 

"Does he really need to be here?" Dex complained, glaring at Keefe. 

"Funny," Keefe smirked. "I was thinking the same about you." 

Adora feigned a cough. "Testosterone." 

Sophie rubbed her temples. "Sandor, we can handle this." Sophie brought up for the tenth time in the last 12 minutes of explaining and waiting. 

Sandor scoffed. "You're trying to break into a place that your parents have not only forbidden you to go, but also have built a special lock to specifically keep you away from. Be glad I haven't barricaded you in your room." 

"Woah, Gigantor is hardcore. Why are Grady and Edaline so...." Keefe trailed off, his smile fading. "So this is where you guys....where it happened...isnt it."