Biana winced and quickly unscrewed a bottle of Youth. "This stuff doesn't get any better." She said as she downed a gulp of it.
The compound Elwin had put together tasted disgusting, at least that's what everyone kept saying. When they'd given Biana her first dose, she'd complained, saying it wasn't fair that they all had to drink it while Sophie and Keefe didn't have to.
Well, that's what came with mind control.
Biana was on her third and final dose. So far, she was the seventh successful person they'd 'cured,' as Elwin said. So far, Maruca, Marella, Dex, Tam, Fitz, and Wylie had been cured. Linh was next, and then she, with Cadence, Forkle, and Elwin, would transport more of the compounds to their parents and work on making more.
Sophie had detailed their jobs the previous day, as Wylie was being given his dosage.
The boys—which was a decision Sophie already slightly regretted—would be on the same task: giving rings to more of the population.
Meanwhile, the girls had something slightly more dangerous in mind—finding and kidnapping Fintan.
***
Sophie wrapped the belt around her waist, straightening her navy blue tunic. She glanced at herself in the small mirror Biana had someone managed to bring with her, running a hand through her hair to ruffle it. As always, she expected to hear a voice chiming in, telling her she'd look so much better if she put a little eyeshadow on.
She missed Vertina, whether she wanted to or not. She missed the annoying girl with an annoying ache.
With a deep sigh, she flipped her hair back to its natural part and bounded outside to meet Biana, Marella, and Maruca. Biana was twisting her hair into an intricate plate as she chattered on with Maruca.
Marella stood further off, next to Dex. She fidgeted with one of her tiny braids as he joked around. A small smile flitted across her face, but it disappeared as she snipped at him sarcastically.
Dex laughed loudly, and Marella smiled.
Sophie walked over to join them, catching the last part of what Dex was saying, "—and he didn't even check to see if it was unlocked!"
Marella rolled her eyes, and smirked at Sophie. "We were just talking about your stupid boyfriend and my dumb boyfriend."
Sophie grinned. "Did you hear about the boot?"
Marella nodded. She opened her mouth to say something more, but Forkle called them over to him.
"You have your jobs?" He asked, distributing extra rings to each of them. Sophie bounded them up in the tiny pouch Marella given them—she had emptied her rubber bands out of them—and nodded. They didn't necessarily need the rings, but if they came across civilians that needed out when they were kidnapping Fintan, then they wanted to be prepared.
Maruca placed them in her palm and absentmindedly summoned a force field. Sophie watched as she formed it into a small sphere, complete with a hinge and lid and dropped the rings into a with a tiny clink.
Everyone grew silent, and she glanced up at them. She smiled, a bit nervously, and said, "Just a little trick I learned."
"Can you make me some of those?" Marella asked. "I gave everyone else the pouches for my rubber bands."
Maruca said, "If you want it to disappear as soon as I forget about it."
Marella shrugged.
Sophie studied her in her teal jacket over a white lacy frock. She wore tall, light brown boots, with square heels, higher than Sophie would've dared wearing. She looked completely at ease, and fidgety at the same time. A flush spread across her cheeks, and Sophie saw Dex squeeze her hand quickly three times.
Marella stopped fidgeting for a split second, and glanced up at him.
Sophie looked away just as she gave him a soft smile.
Forkle went on to remind them not to get caught, not to lose the rings, and to be careful.
As the groups split up, Keefe walked over to Sophie, wrapping his arms around her, one around her waist, the other around her shoulders. His chin rested on her shoulder, and Sophie let her face fall into him, breathing in his familiar scent.
"Don't know when I'll see you next," he explained, as she went to pull away but he kept holding onto her.
Sophie hadn't thought about that, so she let him hug her. Finally, when she didn't want to let go, he let go of her reluctantly.
"Be safe," he said softly.
Sophie's throat tightened as he kissed her forehead. "You too."
She watched him walk away, leaving her with one small smile.
***
They landed in Eternalia a bit to conspicuously for Sophie's liking, despite enhancing Biana, who made them all invisible as soon as they landed. To anyone who saw, they would've seen a flicker of bright colors then a shiny surface. Then nothing. They'd think it was a trick of the sun.
That's what Sophie hoped.
"This way," she transmitted to Biana, then Marella, then Maruca.
It was time consuming transmitting to each, but there wasn't really another option. They needed a small group, and Sophie hadn't wanted to take Fitz from the other group in order to get another Telepath. Plus, he, besides Wylie, was probably the only brain cell in that group. Keefe and Dex combined, plus Tam, was living chaos in itself.
They moved through Eternalia, waiting until they were out of sight of anyone nearby to let Biana take a break. Despite Sophie enhancing her, a sheen of sweat rested on her forehead from the weight of hiding three girls for so long.
"How far?" She whispered. They tightened their circle, and Sophie searched the area ahead of them.
"We're almost there," she said. Biana nodded and stood from where she'd slumped to the ground.
"Well," she grimaced. "Shall we continue?"
"Is it close enough to go without being invisible?" Marella asked. "We're gonna need Biana to hide us when we're in there, but if she's too tired..."
Sophie frowned. "We can go without." And they began walking. And walking. And walking.
And walking.
Finally, they arrived.
Oblivimyre.
Sophie hadn't heard much about the tower since it had burnt down years ago. She hadn't wanted to after what had happened, after Kenric. She knew only that it had been rebuilt when she was in the haze after his death.
Grady had been talking in low tones with Edaline about it, and the word had been enough for Sophie to focus long enough to her that it had been rebuilt, a new glittering turret to cover up the blood that had been spilt there. The ashes that had seeped into the ground.
"This place is so creepy," Marella muttered.
Maruca and Biana craned their necks in unison. "And that's... how?"
Marella exchanged a glance with Sophie, her grim expression passing over Biana and a Maruca just as quickly. "Just wait." She said. "You'll find out."
***
It was worse than Sophie remembered, which she supposed made sense. The well of trauma this place held for her was... deep, to say the least.
It was deserted when they arrived, which Sophie thought was strange. Even so, she still enhanced Biana and they entered the gate, thundering noise and all, cringing until the noise shut off abruptly and there was nothing but a heavy silence.
It was eerie. Here they were, still close enough to be in earshot of the river and the trees and the birds that should've lived in those trees, yet they heard no gurgling of running water, no creaking as the wind shifted the forest, no sweet twitters as birds sang.
The chains made Sophie wince again. They were rusted up, which Sophie also thought was strange, and she wondered if he would even be alive when they got there. The place had obviously been abandoned for a long while.
Once in the next room, they began searching.
Every corner they turned, the darker her memories became, the colder the air became, Every bad thing that had ever happened sprang up in her mind, and she tried to distract herself but no matter what she thought about, it always took the darker turn into pain, despair, and... death.
When she entered the Biana's and Maruca's minds to transmit, she saw the same things. Pain. Fear. Darkness.
When she entered Marella's, though, it was of cold. No darkness, no fear. Only the cold. Snow, ice, rushing waterfalls of black water.
"Is it much further?" Sophie asked Marella, her words almost drowned out in the rushing sounds of water in Marella's mind. The noise cut off abruptly, and the fears disappeared. Marella glanced at Sophie physically. "Should be in the next room."
He wasn't.
Biana finally broke the heavy silence of Oblivimyre, and said out loud, "Maybe they moved him?"
Marella shook her head, turning in a full circle. It was no use. There was no one in here.
"I don't even think he could've left. You would've seen it on the chains if he left. Even if they took him." She frowned. "This place would be burnt down if he had."
"So..." Maruca shrugged. "What? We keep looking? We leave?"
Sophie heard the uneasiness in her voice. She wanted to leave, and Sophie did not blame her for it.
"We have to keep looking," Marella said. "He has to be around here somewhere."
Sophie stared at the trapdoor above them, trying to think.
"Why are we looking for him?" Biana asked. She glanced sidelong at Marella but continued quickly, "we don't really care what happens to him, do we? I mean, we wouldn't care if he died?"
"What, because he's a Pyrokinetic?" Marella snapped. "Doesn't deserve to die because he has a different ability."
"No," Maruca interjected calmly, before Biana could open her mouth to defend her words. "He deserves to die because he's a horrible person."
Marella scoffed. "And what has he even done? Besides committing a crime by living?"
"He killed Kenric."
That shut everyone up. Sophie glanced back at them, her eyes glazed. "And that's not the only thing he's done." She murmured, looking back at the trapdoor.
"You weren't there that day. He saved everyone. Everyone but himself. And Fintan doesn't even care what he did." Sophie glanced back at Marella. "That's why he deserves to die. Because he would do it all again, without hesitation."
Marella hesitated. "He told me he's changed. He wants to help."
"Whatever he's telling you," Sophie said softly. "He's lying."
She took a deep breath and dashed a hand over her eyes. "We're gonna split up. Biana, you're with me. I'll check in with you guys every five minutes. If we find him, we'll call you." The other girls nodded.
Updated: 4/18/2022
A/N: sorry the ending was sort of abrupt. there weren't really any other places that made sense to chop this into two chapters, so I jsut ended it right here.
I'm going to Virginia this week, so I'm going to try to write more on the plane, so hopefully I'll have another chapter up for y'all next Sunday. Thanks for the patience and I hope you have a great week!
Question of the day: what is your favorite summer activity to do?