How It Should Have Been: Sokeefe AU

Episode 33: (Sophie's POV)

"Please don't tell Tam," Linh requested. "He'll kill Marella."

Maruca grinned. "I'll try not to!" She sang.

"You know she's gonna drop a bunch of hints and Tam's gonna make her tell him. Then, well... Marella's Wanderling will probably be really pretty!" Biana teased.

Marella scoffed, "You know it will. It'll shine through the entire Woods, and even the dead people will be amazed by its brilliance."

Sophie snorted. "Now I really see why you and Keefe are friends."

"You've brought him up a couple of times, haven't you, Sophie dear," Biana fluttered her eyelashes. "Anything you'd like to tell us? Perhaps a... realization you've come to?"

Sophie scowled while the others laughed. She crossed her arms, turning her back dramatically with a hmph.

Linh reached over through her giggles. "Oh, come on," She turned Sophie back to face the rest. "Could you just admit it already? Even Tam knows you like him. Tam."

Sophie's face heated. Tam knew? Or thought he knew, because she didn't like him! She...

She didn't like him.

Her adamant brain was growing more and more unsure.

Thankfully (Sophie thanked the forces of the universe), a distraction appeared in the form of a scowling shade.

"Your mom says that you should come home when you can," Tam told Sophie. "Jolie and Brant are coming for dinner."

Sophie patted her pockets for her imparter (why hadn't Edaline hailed her?) before realizing she'd left it at home.

Annoyed at her own stupidity, Sophie nodded standing. She said her goodbyes to the group, ignoring the knowing smirks they all sent her.

"I'll tell you what Keefe says!" Biana trilled, waving her fingers as a goodbye.

Sophie glared. "Biana, if you say a single thing, I will-"

"Ah ah ah, you should be going to see your sister! Talk to you later!" Biana practically shoved her into the light created by her home crystal.

The last thing Sophie heard before she glittered away was Biana saying, "I'll tell him you said hi!"

...

Edaline outdid herself with the dinner.

It was pretty much the best thing Sophie had ever tasted, especially with the dessert: butterblasts and custard bursts and mallowmelt and ripplefluffs and blitzenberry muffins and fluffcreams and so much more, so much that they couldn't eat it all and Edaline and Jolie had to conjure it away when they couldn't eat one more bite.

When they'd all stuffed themselves as much as they could, they took a stroll around the grounds, admiring the animals sleeping or sunning themselves or pacing around their enclosures.

Brant and Jolie walked closely together. Jolie was, strangely, holding Brant's wrist instead of his hand. When Edaline inquired about it, Jolie simply laughed and said, "We like to break the norm. Everyone else holds hands. We hold wrists."

Edaline and Grady exchanged a glance, but stayed quiet, and Sophie raised an eyebrow but didn't comment.

"What have you two been up to?" Grady asked.

"Oh, nothing much," Jolie responded. She exchanged a subtle but loaded glance with Brant that Grady and Edaline didn't seem to notice.

"Just moving in, making changes, all that. I have to say, it makes it way easier to move in with a conjurer," Brant grinned.