Duluth / A Keeper of the Lost Cities Fanfiction

Duluth / 11

Sophie slammed the door shut, wincing as she remembered that Andrew would probably be home. And as if her thoughts were magic- 

"SOPHIE!" 

Crap. 

"Yeah, I'm home, sorry I didn't call I just-" 

Andrew whipped around the corner of the hallway, a glint of insanity in his eyes. "Sophie Barrett, you better have a good excuse for this." He was still in his police uniform, and Sophie couldn't help but feel that she was getting arrested. He probably could, if he wanted to. 

"I just-" 

"You just what?" 

The walls were still white, bare of any pictures or wall hangings. Andrew was never home, and Sophie spent all of her time in her room, procrastinating everything (including thinking about Fitz). Most of the boxes were in the living room, and most of those were fake. Sophie brought some outfits passable as human from home, but Livvy provided random flatware, bookends, candlesticks, and furniture. 

The blank surroundings made Sophie feel like she was in an interrogation room.

"I got detention for a stupid thing, I swear. I didn't, like, beat up someone or something." 

Andrew crossed his arms, and stared at her intensely. Sophie squirmed under his gaze. "It's 7:30 Sophie. Were you at detention for four hours?" 

"No, I had a date." 

The moment the words sprung out of Sophie's mouth, she wished she could grab them and pull them back in. Andrew's face turned red and he lifted a shaky finger...

"... with books. I had a date... with books. A study group. With my friends." Sophie mentally cringed at herself. A date with books? Who would ever say that? Another headache was starting to pulse in the center of her forehead, and the bundle of emotions under her ribs made her entire body quake. 

Andrew scanned her up and down. "Fine. Just call me next time ok?" Sophie nodded vigorously before letting him pull her into a bear hug. He kissed her forehead before saying, "I just don't want anything happening to you kiddo." That last word made Sophie's ribs almost give out. She wanted the man she was hugging to be Grady so desperately. 

"Anyways, Sophie, you have a visitor." 

Sophie kicked off her shoes and set down her camera bag, ready for Fitz to be in the other room. 

But it wasn't Fitz sitting on the couch. 

It was Meredith. 

"Hi," Sophie said cautiously. Meredith had never really spoken to her before. At least not in a conversation lasting more than fifteen seconds. 

"Hi, Sophie," Meredith said awkwardly. A silence stretched before them before Sophie plopped down on the white chair opposite Meredith. 

"What do you need?" The words came out a bit more harshly than Sophie wanted, and she rushed to apologize, "I mean, I just didn't quite expect to see you here." 

Meredith laughed, a beautiful sound. Sophie was sure that if angels were real and could laugh, it would sound like Meredith's laugh. "Yeah, sorry for showing up. And I really hate to ask this, but... are you free after school tomorrow?"

Sophie nodded slowly. 

"I know you and I aren't that close or anything but... Trizzy and Ella and Sofie and Kayla and I are the decorating committee for the dance on Saturday night, but they want to go shopping. The gym's mostly decorated already, we just need to set up the tables and fix a few signs. I completely understand if you don't want to help, I do, but-"