Don't Mess With Time

Chapter Twenty-Four

"What do you want now?" he asked with a smal frown.

Sophie was surprised that he was being so hostile, but she didn't comment on it.

"I don't like them."

Hort just looked at her.

"But would should I do if I did happen to like someone?"

Hort almost face palmed.

"I don't know, Sophie, but I'm kind of busy-"

Sophie gave him a somewhat pleading look with her beautiful green eyes.

He sighed.

"Well, who is he? Some Ever prince?"

Sophie colored a bit and shook her head, looking away from Hort.

His interest was peaked.

"I won't tell anyone," he promised.

Was it a Never?

Could it actually be him?!

Something he'd been waiting for three years might just come true...

Sophie was still not looking at him.

"Is it a Never?"

She shook her head, then froze.

"An Ever?"

She started to nod, but then shook her head.

"Well... see, that's a debate."

Hort gaped at her.

"But then again the only reason it's a debate is because of me...," she trailed off with a far away look in her eyes.

"What?!"

Hort was tired of her cryptic answers.

Sophie shook her head and sighed deeply.

"Just tell me who he is!" Hort snapped.

"It's not a he...," Sophie said, glancing at him.

His eyes bulged.

He thought for a long moment, trying to push away the surprise of Sophie liking a girl.

He grimaced.

"Is it Agatha?"

Sophie gaged.

"No! She's my sister!"

"Oh yeah, I forgot."

Sophie glared at him.

"Is it...," Hort paused for a moment to consider the other women that Sophie spent time with, "Hester?"

Sophie gaped at him.

He shivered at the thought.

Those two together...

Well, they could easily destroy the world... but he was pretty sure that Hester had someone else she had her eyes on... someone with long pale white hair and beady red eyes (well at least she liked Hester, that was clear to anyone who wasn't blind... well, actually, a blind man probably would have seen).

Hort was about to give up when he suddenly re-examined the one hint that Sophie had given him.

"It's Nicola," he breathed.

Sophie's eyes shot to him and she went to shake her head, but he could already tell that he was right from the panicked expression on her face.

"Wow. Not exactly what I thought your type would be."