ɢʀᴇᴇɴ ᴇʏᴇꜱ

b r i t t l e

Fitz

Things were really, really weird.

Fitz knew he'd said "We all need a little more weird in our lives"--and it was true. But this...this was too much.

Tam was gone.

Fitz's friendship with Keefe was falling apart.

And it was pretty clear Sophie was coming over and didn't want him here. Which was probably the weirdest part. She just went to register for her match, and they were kinda-sorta dating. Shouldn't she be...excited to see him?

Fitz mussed his hair distractedly as he waited for Keefe to come--he'd invited him to come to Atlantis, since Biana had kicked him out. And it was true, they hadn't been hanging around together lately.

And Fitz felt like a jerk for it.

Ever since Sophie had come into the picture, their relationship had been strained. But Fitz didn't know what to do--he knew Keefe liked her, but was Fitz not supposed to date her just for him?

Maybe that would be the right thing to do. Maybe that would be the unselfish thing to do.

Fitz sighed. He supposed that meant he was selfish.

~~~

Biana

"Sophie!" Biana ran across the room as Sophie appeared awkwardly in the doorway, grabbing her in a hug and squeezing tight. "Are you okay?"

"Kind of," Sophie mumbled.

"Hi, Sophie," Linh said from behind Biana, walking up and also hugging her.

Sophie smiled at her. "Hi, Linh."

Biana dragged Sophie over to her (very pink) bed. "So how'd registering go?"

Sophie leaned against Biana's (also pink) pillows. She swallowed, hesitated for a long moment, and then finally blurted, "I'm unmatchable."

Biana's mouth fell open. Linh similarly gaped, speechless.

"I take it you know what that means?" Sophie asked dryly. "'Cause I still don't know why I'm unmatchable."

Biana glanced uneasily at Linh. If Sophie was upset about being unmatchable...how was she going to take the reason why?

"Please tell me," Sophie begged when she saw them hesitating. "No one is telling me anything. Not even Grady and Edaline. Not even Sandor, or any of my other bodyguards!"

"We have to tell her," Linh murmured to Biana, who was still unsure. "She deserves to know."

Yeah, but...Biana didn't want to break Sophie any further.

Biana took a breath, and then grasped Sophie's hands. "Sophie, promise me you won't break if I tell you this."

Sophie's brown eyes widened. "Is it--is it that bad?"

Biana exchanged glances with Linh. "It depends on how you look at it," Linh admitted, moving closer and putting a hand on Sophie's shoulder. "Really, no one has told you?"

Sophie shook her head mutely.

Biana licked her lips, her mouth suddenly dry. How were they supposed to tell Sophie this?

"Please," Sophie whispered, looking so stressed and grief-stricken that Biana couldn't help but give in.

"All right," she said softly, clutching Sophie's hands even tighter. "But please--promise me I won't lose you."

"You won't lose me," Sophie echoed, but her voice sounded shaky. Brittle. Like it could break apart at any given moment.

Exactly like Sophie could, if they told her this.

Biana held her gaze as calmly as she could. "Sophie," she began, "when you're unmatchable, it means --"