The Aftermath

Chapter 7

Third Person P.O.V.

"SOPHIE! KEEFE! WAKE UP! YOU HAVE TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL!" Della yelled rushing into Sophie's room. Of course Della knew that 'Sokeefe' were in the same room because, well, why wouldn't they be after what had happened yesterday?

Sophie immediately shot up from bed with wide eyes. On the other hand, Keefe slept safe and sound like nothing was happening. "OH MY GOSH! Keefe! Wake up! We have to get to school! We only have half an hour!" Sophie shook Keefe until he finally opened his eyes.

"Finally. Now get up and get ready." Sophie got Keefe up and rushed him into his room before running back to her own and cleaning herself up. Sophie put on her Level 6 uniform and ran downstairs hoping to grab a quick breakfast.

Sophie was looking around the kitchen cabinets until she heard a scream and a thud. Sophie shut the cabinet she was rummaging through and ran back upstairs to where the scream had come from. It sounded like Biana.

When Sophie got to Biana's room, she saw the shattered glass of the window with Della crying on the floor and Alden, Fitz, and Keefe comforting her. "What happened? Where's Biana?" Sophie asked. "S-she's g-g-gone. They t-took h-her." Della stuttered.

Sophie knelt down to Della'a level with a new determined feeling. "Who?" She asked. Della lifted her head that was laying in Alden's shoulder with his arm wrapped around her. "Them. The Neverseen. They're back. With new people." Della stated emotionlessly.

Sophie felt her anger rising as she could see red brimming her eyesight. 'I will find them and literally kill them. Once and for all.' Sophie thought. No one was gonna mess with her and her loved ones.

"Woah, Foster. Calm down. Don't stoop down to their level." Keefe said walking over to Sophie and putting an arm around her to calm her down. And she did. "Thank god. I can barely handle your emotions when you're not hyped up." Keefe murmured.

Sophie took a deep breath and looked around. She then scanned the entire area of the Vacker home for any thoughts with her mind and got nothing. At least that's what she thought she was going to get until she heard one voice.

'Get to headquarters.' It said and Sophie saw a picture of a hill. Then it instantly went quiet again. The kidnapper must've blocked her somehow. "I got something." Sophie said instantly. "What? What is it?" Fitz asked, his over-protective, brotherly side coming out.

"The kidnapper was picturing a hill. I think it leads to their headquarters and it's here. In Everglen." Sophie explained. "No way. A Neverseen headquarters in Everglen. I would've never seen that coming." Fitz said, emphasizing his words at an attempt of a pun.

Everyone gave  Fitz a deadpanned look. "Seriously Fitz? NOW IS NOT THE TIME!" Della yelled. "Please, we have to find Biana. I thought this would stop after we defeated them almost a year ago. They couldn't have been quick to recover from that sort of war. Unless they had more elves than we realized." Alden thought out loud.

All nodded in agreement. "We need to stop wasting time. How about Sophie, Keefe, and I search the grounds for the hill and you guys stay back and alert the Council and Foxfire." Fitz suggested. All of them nodded and set into motion.

Sophie, Keefe, and Fitz ran out into the Everglen gardens and started searching. Sophie transmitted the image of the hill to Keefe and Fitz. Keefe remembered easily with his photographic memory while Fitz had a little trouble with his standard memory.

When Sophie nearing the lake, she searched for any thoughts again and found a hazy one near the lake. s she went closer, it got stronger. Sophie transmitted to Keefe and Fitz that she may have found something.

They came running to where she was standing on the dock above the edge of the lake. "The thoughts are strongest here but I don't know what we're supposed to do." Sophie said. Deep inside, there was a feeling that told her to jump. She didn't know why, but she followed.

Sophie felt the warm water hit her skin and opened her eyes, stinging it a bit. She could see the sun's rays of early morning coming through the water. She looked down and saw something out of the ordinary. It was a bubble. At the bottom of the lake.

She swam down towards the bubble with Fitz and Keefe following after jumping in right after her. She reached the bubble and stood on the soft, dry sand inside. The bubble seemed big enough to fit 2 people only so all of them had to squeeze inside.

"Well, now that we're all snuggling and comfy. What do we do now.? Keefe asked. Everyone was thinking until they started sinking into the sand. 'Quicksand.' Sophie immediately thought. But then, another thought came into mind. 'Wait, what if it's like Exile?'

Not being able to think of something else, Sophie goes with it. "Don't freak out. You have, to trust it. And don't breathe once you're under." Sophie explained. "Wait, what do you mean 'trust it! And 'don't breathe'?" Keefe asked.

Now they were almost knee deep in the sand. "I'm saying it's may be the way to get into their headquarters. It's also the way to get into Exile. So once you're under, don't breathe and relax. Trust the trap." Sophie recalled the words she had been told years ago.

"Um Soph, are you sure about this?" Fitz asked nervously. They were now waist deep. Sophie nodded. "I can't think of anything else. Besides, it's too late now." Sophie said as they reached shoulder deep.

"If we end up dying Foster, it's your fault I'm never going to be able to teach my kids how to pull pranks." Keefe said as they all disappeared under the sand.