[TW: drug use, implied/mentioned/discussed. Hopefully this doesn't trigger anyone, and I wasn't sure if it even would, but just in case.]
***
The shared silence between the two girls was more strained than Sophie would've thought. Tempted as she was to break the silence, she didn't, more for the sake of herself rather than staying silent in case he was listening.
Instead they passed through the halls, silent as wraiths, invisible to any eye. Sophie glanced over her shoulder again, struck by the feeling that someone was watching, could see them.
They were invisible, she reminded herself.
Invisible.
The silence became more strained. Biana, clearly sensing Sophie's uneasiness, glanced over at her.
Sophie met her teal eyes, relieved when she gave her a weak smile. Sophie returned it.
After a few more moments of silence, Biana finally broke it in a soft, nearly inaudible voice.
"He'd be here. If he was alive."
It took Sophie a moment to realize who she was talking about.
There was nothing she could say that would comfort Biana. Alvar probably wouldn't have been here, but he definitely would've been exiled or deep underground.
And not just six feet under.
"We were really close. For a little, you know. I really looked up to him."
Sophie nodded.
"I wanna know if he regrets it." Biana glanced sidelong at Sophie. "I wanna know if he regrets leaving his little siblings, his parents, literally everything good in the world. And I wanna know—" she hesitated. "If he resents me. For being born. Because for a little while it almost seems like he liked me."
Sophie's heart cracked a little at the word, 'like.' It should've been love. Biana shouldn't have wondered any of it—she shouldn't wonder whether Alvar loved her, whether he resented her—older siblings weren't supposed to give that type of doubt to their little sisters or brothers.
She wanted to tell Biana as much, to showed she understood, but honestly?
She didn't really understand.
At least, not firsthand. Maybe she'd read about it, or seen it, or heard others talk about it, but her experience with siblings had been... normal, if she excluded the parts about unknowingly reading everyone's thoughts around her all the time.
She and Amy had been sisters to each other. And while it hadn't all been positive, Sophie had tried to never hurt Amy, in any way, and vice versa, besides normal sister snarks.
Biana sighed. "Brothers," she said wryly.
"Fitz would never do anything like that to you," Sophie said quietly.
A small smile touched Biana's face. "I know. He may be annoying and my only source of entertainment, but he's really sweet." She gave Sophie another sidelong glance. "You know, sometimes."
Sophie rolled her eyes.
They were silent for a moment. Sophie hesitated. "For what it's worth, you always have a sister in me."
Biana looked at her, smiling again. "I know."
"How sweet."
Their momentary, comfortable silence vanished at the sarcastic voice. Sophie spun around while Biana renewed their invisibility. She searched the hall and the adjoining halls, seeing nothing. Only darkness. Chills ran up her back.
"Where is he?" Biana hissed in a low voice.
"Everywhere, Miss Vacker." There was a pause and Sophie got the sense that he was smiling. "And nowhere, Miss Foster."
A flash lit up the tunnel to their left, and Sophie and Biana exchanged a glance. They raced down, invisibility forgotten.
Sophie reached out in her mind, searching for Maruca's mind. The surroundings were blank. With a start, Sophie realized she couldn't feel anyone's minds, at all. Not even Biana's. She cursed under her breath, peering ahead in the darkness for the figure racing ahead of her. Biana's image flickered in and out, as if her invisibility was still there, though struggling.
"Biana," she called, voice echoing in the hall. It was smaller than the last one, though the darkness was getting so thick, Sophie could barely see the ceiling.
Her friend slowed, a tinge of fear in her voice, as she called, "Sophie?"
"I'm right here." She stopped next to her, placing a hand on her arm.
Biana flinched at her touch and flickered
and—
Disappeared. Sophie couldn't feel her under her hand anymore.
"Biana!" She turned around, wildly searching.
"I'm right here!"
Sophie ran towards the voice, waving her hands around in hopes that she'd feel the rough cloak Biana had been wearing. "I can't see you!"
"Sophie, I'm right in front of you!"
She felt for her. Still nothing. "I can't feel you," Sophie said, trying to stay calm.
"Sophie, I'm right here—" her words sounded strangled. "Why can't you feel me?"
Sophie stepped forward cautiously, and a scream echoed around the dark hall.
"Stop! Stop!"
She froze. "Biana?"
"You—" her voice trembled. "You walked through me."
You walked through me.
"That's impossible," Sophie whispered.
"I'm not lying!" Panic was etched throughout her voice, and Sophie knew she was trying not to break down. "I can't feel you!"
Sharp, heaving sobs came from in front of her. "Hey," Sophie said softly, making sure her movement was slow, so Biana could focus on her easily. She spoke as if she was approaching a wild animal, one that was wounded and scared. "I'm right here. Try and focus." She heard a rustle of fabric, and realized Biana must have collapsed earlier. She was standing now. Sophie could hear her panicked breathing in the thick darkness.
"When I touched your arm," Sophie murmured soothingly. "Did something feel different?"
Biana exhaled shakily. "I—" she flattered, and Sophie heard her swallow thickly. "It felt like... like knives, jolting my arm. Then... nothing, and I couldn't feel you when, when I reached out. I still can't—" her breathing turned panicked again, and Sophie rushed to calm her.
"I don't like this," Biana's voice broke. "What if I can't change back, I don't, I can't—"
Sophie hurried to interrupt her. "You're going to change back! You're going to change back right now, okay? Just breathe, and focus."
Sophie waited for Biana's breathing to steady, and for her voice to not falter when she spoke.
"Okay." She held her hand out in the darkness, palm facing the ceiling. She held it there, fingers shaking slightly as she told Biana, "Put your hand on mine."
A whisper of air brushed over her hand. A sob came from Biana, and Sophie slowly felt the pressure of her friend's hand as it solidified. She grasped it tightly, and pulled Biana close to her.
Biana shook, tears coming full force, racking her body. Sophie squeezed her shoulders, stroking her friend's hair soothingly. "It's alright, it's okay. I'm here, okay? I can feel you."
"Don't let me disappear," she heard her whisper. Sophie's heart ached at the words.
This place fed on worst nightmares. It attacked your mind in places you thought were hidden, too far back to ever be touched.
What fear could a vanished have?
Intangibility. Not being able to feel the ones she loved. Not being able to be felt, seen.
Being invisible for the rest of her life.
Moments later, when it seemed like Biana had run out of tears to cry, she sniffled. Sophie felt her nod and push away, though she kept hold of Sophie's hand, in a viselike grip. "I'm okay," she whispered, voice scratchy,
Sophie stood, pulling up her friend as she did. She readjusted her grip, making sure Biana was ready before they began walking, more cautiously, this time.
She checked her enhancing. For a moment, she'd thought she'd enhanced Biana, which had amped up her power, but it had been off, plus, it had never had this type of effect on her friend.
It didn't make sense.
Sophie didn't realize she'd spoken the thought aloud until Biana said softly, "It was me."
Sophie glanced to her right, where her friend's face would've been if it hadn't been so bloody dark. The sudden thought hit her that they could easily stumble down into a dark hole and fall and break their necks if they weren't more careful as they walked. She switched her hair to a shuffle just in case.
"What do you mean it was you?" Sophie asked, after Biana, seemingly having the same thought, had matched her gait.
A long stretch of silent followed. Then, reluctantly, Biana said, "I've been... I've been taking Umbruna extract."
Sophie froze in her tracks.
Biana stopped, hand dropping from Sophie's.
"What?"
Biana sighed. "It's just... I felt powerless. So, I, you know, wanted to be able to channel it more easily and for longer, so I took it, and then I kept thinking about how easy it was so I started sneaking it from Forkle's supplies of it, and—"
"You've been stealing it?!"
If it had been light out, Sophie knew she'd be able to see the flush spreading across her face. "Borrowing it. And—"
"Biana, you know how bad that stuff is!"
"For telepaths! It didn't say anything about Vanishers!"
"Yeah, it's fine in small doses! Once in a while!" She struggled to control her temper. "How much have you been taking?"
Biana was silent for a long time. Sophie thought she was ignoring her until she said, "It doesn't matter."
Sophie scoffed, stepping close and yanking open Biana's cloak pocket. She found the vial quickly.
"This is six ounces." Sophie said slowly. "And you've been taking this regularly?" Her voice was deathly quiet.
She heard Biana shrug. "It's not a big dose. I learned about ounces back in Elvin histories when they were teaching about humans. You guys don't even drink enough coffee to get through the day with six ounces."
"Biana, coffee isn't Umbruna extract. It's a drug!" She paused, shaking her head. "Do you even know what a drug is?"
Biana shrugged again. "Not really."
Sophie stalked closer. "They destroy people. Okay? Drugs destroy people. Some are okay. Some help. But these ones? These will kill you."
"If it hasn't now, it never will."
"You don't know that."
"Can we just get going? And can I have my vial back?"
Sophie held it closer to herself. "You want it back? You really want it back?"
"There's still some in there. Now that I know how to reappear, I could just—"
"No!" Sophie snapped. "No, Biana, do you hear me? No! You aren't getting it back, and you aren't taking anymore."
"You can't just take it!" There was an angry, desperate edge to Biana's voice. "You can't take it from me because you want it for yourself!"
"I don't want it!"
"Then give it back! It's not going to hurt me!"
"They're addictive! It's hurting you now! Do you not hear yourself right now?" Even as she said the words, Sophie felt the ache in her chest holding the empty vial. There were barely a few drops, but they'd be enough. She grimaced, forcing the thought away. She dropped the glass, kicked it, and heard it skitter across the rough stone floor.
Biana scoffed. "Let's go find him, okay? No more talking about this. I don't want to fight, neither of us have a vial, end of discussion, yeah?"
Sophie heard her stalk away, angrily muttering to herself. She took a steadying breath, and looked in the darkness for the gleam of the vial. Stepping over to if, she positioned her foot in the air above it. Then, bracing herself, she slammed her heel into it.
Updated: 5-12-2022
A/N: sooooo since I didn't update last Sunday, I figured I'd give y'all this, since I didn't want to make you wait for this Sunday. This chapter took a few turns I didn't expect it to, but I guess I have another subplot to this already complicated and hard to keep straight world Shannon created.
Also, I've had a really great but horrid day, because I've been on my phone most of the day waiting and hoping and praying that Taylor Swift would announce a new release for tomorrow, since it's a Friday, May 13. Many other Swifties understand, but basically I've been driving myself insane with all the conspiracy theories and double release theories and Easter eggs from months ago.
I'm also being a total clown and holding on to the theory that she's releasing Speak Now TV because of the time the Empire State Building's TikTok posted that one video with purple lights and the "we're ready, Taylor," caption. (Something along those lines.)
Plus Speak Now is my favorite "older" album, sooooo I was really hoping that it at least would get released.
Anyways. Those are my updates. Hope y'all enjoyed the chapter, and hopefully I can write more soon!