-The lunch table was abuzz, as always. Dex and Keefe were going on about the new prattles flavor, "Levron Root", saying it was the best flavor since "Yalar Berry". Tam and Fitz were talking about Elementism, and what Fitz should probably study for the final, which he would take next week. Linh was absent from the group, and Marella listened to Tam and Fitz's conversation, staring a little too deeply into his eyes for Sophie's comfort.
As for Sophie and Biana, they were talking about their lists. "I got Zane Berklee on my list! What about you?" Biana asked gleefully, in an exceedingly good mood.
Sophie glanced at Keefe and Dex, who had their eyes on them momentarily, before they turned away to eachother. "No one I really know, except for Tam."
"Oh, really? I got Dex on my list, he's my number twenty nine, but guess who's my number one?" Biana asked playfully, leaning closer to Sophie.
"Who?" She smiled, glad there was some normalcy within her life: Biana.
Biana leaned in closely, her hand cupped around her mouth, and whispered, "Keefe!" Immediately, she straightened, beaming.
"Oh Biana! That's awesome! I know you really like him." She wasn't sure if she had ever seen her friend so happy.
"Thank you! I'd ask you who your number one is, but I already know," she winked at Sophie, and Sophie rolled her eyes.
"Foster! You got your list and you didn't tell me?" Keefe put his hand to his chest in mock-distress. "How could you? You must pay for your wrong doings by telling me where I stand on your list! I'm number one, right?"
She shook her head, "sorry Keefe, but you're not on my list."
Keefe's jaw dropped, and he fake swooned, "Sophie Foster, you wound me."
"Fitz and Biana can vouch for me."
Keefe looked at the Vacker siblings with anticipation. They both shook their heads now. Keefe leaned back in shock, "wow... I thought I would be on everybody's list."
"You can't be on everybody's list. That's impossible." Tam corrected. "There has to be variety."
Keefe leaned across the table towards Sophie. "Please tell me me he's not on your list." He stage whispered, and Tam rolled his eyes.
"Actually, he's my number twelve." Sophie laughed.
Keefe fell out of his seat and shouted: "No way!"
Just then, Linh walked over to the table, dark circles under her eyes. She stepped over Keefe and sat next to Biana. "Hey guys."
"Are you okay, Linh? You look tired." Sophie frowned worriedly.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Mom's been a little..." She pointed her finger and spun it by her ear. Ah, so the cuckoo sign is universal. "It's no big deal. Oh, and Biana, the last time I passed by your locker on the way here. It was open, so I closed it. You must have forgotten."
Biana stiffened, and Sophie exchanged a look of worry with Fitz. "I'm almost certain that I didn't leave it open..."
"Why don't we go check it out?" Fitz asked calmly. "Just you, Sophie and I."
"And us!" Keefe stood with a big smile.
"No Keefe, that's okay, we'll take care of it. Besides, weren't you going to tell Linh, Tam, and Dex your famous camel joke?"
Keefe pouted at first, but once Fitz mentioned the camel joke, he turned away from them.
Sophie and Fitz escourted Biana to her locker quickly, and quietly. While Biana didn't say anything, Sophie and Fitz talked telepathically.
"Do you think the spy did it?" Sophie asked.
"Maybe, or maybe it was the Black Swan.."
"No, it had to be the Neverseen, she didn't give the Black Swan her DNA. How did they get her DNA, though? Alvar?"
"That means they have mine too, maybe even Keefe's."
"That's dangerous."
"I know." He sounded so scared, that Sophie wanted to hold his hand, but they couldn't do that without being seen. If only there was a way to play it off as a cognate thing...
When they reached the locker, Biana licked the strip and cringed. "I almost wish that Linh hadn't closed it, then I wouldn't have to taste Reek Rod more than I have to."
Sophie would have laughed if the situation wasn't so serious.
The three of them studied the inside of the locker, and only found a brand new tube of Lavish Lavender Lipstick, still in the package. Biana gasped with delight. "I lost mine a few months ago, now there's a new one in my locker? Maybe I have a secret patron or admirer from the Black Swan! How would they know it's my favorite? Wait..." Her face suddenly fell. "Do you guys think it could be from Alvar?"
She and Fitz exchanged a look of worry. "Maybe, he did owe you a favor last time we saw him." Fitz shrugged.
Biana looked at the lipstick in her hands skeptically. "I don't know, he's different now... but... maybe-maybe he does care about us after all." She looked up at the two of them hopefully.
Sophie nodded, not wanting to crush her hope, "maybe. People can change for the better. He may have realized that he made a mistake joining the Neverseen."
Biana smiled, "I hope so! Now let's get back to the table, I forgot to pass out the invitations to my Winnowing Gala."
She internally cringed. She did not want to have a Winnowing Gala. They were way too... fancy. She would constantly worry if she was going to break something or spill something.
Her friend frowned, "what's wrong, Sophie?"
"I just don't want a Winnowing Gala myself, and I know that Edaline is going to start nagging me about planning one. It's all so.. Fancy. It'll just make me uncomfortable if it's all for me." She admitted shyly, and Fitz put her arm around her.
"You don't have to have a big party type thing. You can just have a small party. Biana just loves to go all out on parties."
"Yeah, you don't have to come to mine if you'll feel uncomfortable." Biana assured her kindly.
"No, no no! I really want to go to yours! I would only be uncomfortable if there was a big fancy party thrown for me, that's all. I'd love to go to a big fancy party for you, because you're my friend, and I love you." Sophie smiled at Biana. "Trust me, nothing in the whole wide world could keep me from going to your Winnowing Gala."
Biana beamed brightly, "thank you so much! I'll help you plan your Winnowing Gala if you like, just the way you like it."
"That'd be awesome, thank you!"
When they reached the lunch table, Biana pulled out lavendar colored invitations with swirling font. She passed them out to their friends with a huge smile on her face, "I really hope you guys can come! It'll be lots of fun!"
Linh and Tam looked at their invitations, both smiling quietly. "We'll do our very best to come. Thank you so much for inviting us!"
"You guys are two of my best friends, why wouldn't I invite you?" Biana giggled.
"Do these invitations have seeds in them?" Keefe asked, studying his.
"Wild flower seeds," Biana nodded. "You can plant them, and they'll glow a little at night. They're moon daisies."
"Ooh! I love moon daisies! What about you, Fitz?" Marella asksed dreamily.
"I-uh I guess. I don't really care for flowers."
"Sophie, what's your favorite flower?" Biana asked, saving Sophie from sudden jealousy.
"It's-" She started, but was cut off by Fitz.
"A secret."
She frowned, and looked at him. "I hardly think it's a secret-" He winked, and she shut up.
"Ooo! That's the wink of a man with a plan!" Linh teased playfully. "I think Fitz has got something up his sleeve..."
Fitz flushed, "I don't want anyone beating me to the chase."
She tried to ignore her racing heart and blushing cheeks.
"So sweet!" Biana sighed. She turned to Linh, throwing her arms out with joy, "I'm so excited for-" she stopped when she saw Linh wince. She had accidentally hit her arm when she made the gesture. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, I just uh.. Bruised myself, that's all." Linh avoided her gaze, "it's actually pretty embarrassing."
"She banged her arm against the corner of her desk this morning," Tam explained cooly.
"Tam! You said you wouldn't tell!" Linh protested, pouting.
"How do you bang your arm on a desk corner?" Keefe asked teasingly. "Please, we have to know!"
Linh, red faced, replied, "I um-I was picking up some buttons that I had dropped, and stood up too fast without seeing what I was next to."
"Do you need to go see Elwin?" Sophie asked, worried.
"Yeah, Foster knows the ropes of that place already-" Keefe was cut off by Fitz kicking him under the table. "-OW! You couldn't at least kicked me yourself, Foster?"
"I can't reach," she shrugged innocently, smiling.
Keefe grumbled something about cognates.
"Oh! I didn't tell you guys! I found a new tube of my favorite lipstick in my locker!" Biana announced excitedly.
"Someone found a new tube of Lavish Lavender Lipstick?" Keefe asked. "Whoa, someone must really care about you to do that."
"Yeah, it's extremely hard to come by!" Linh agreed a little smugly, like she knew who had done it. She couldn't... right? "I feel sorry for the poor soul to journeyed to go get it."
"I think it's from Alvar, maybe he's trying to send a message that he still cares, or that he's breaking away from the Neverseen to come home!"
The idea made Sophie sick to the stomach. Alvar was technically the second elf she had ever met, but he had allowed, no- planned with the Neverseen to have her kidnapped, multiple times since she had arrived in the Lost Cities. Yes, he was a Vacker, and yes, she knew that the rest of the Vacker family cared about him very much, but she wasn't sure if she could ever forgive what he had done to her, done to her friends. Fitz took her hand under the table, and stroked his thumb across the back of it gently.
"I know," he transmitted, "I don't like this idea anymore than you do. Biana still hopes that he's good, she's the only one left who does."
"I just can't help but think about when-"
"I know, I can't either."
"Do you think you'll ever be able to forgive him? I don't think I can." Sophie asked hesitantly through the mind connection, "he's your family after all."
"He was family. He stopped being family when we found out whose side he was really on, when we found out what he did to you and Dex, and all of our friends. When I saw what he did to my family... never." He gripped her hand tighter.
Sophie looked over at him, worried. His face was normal, except for his eyes, which showed the rage boiling under the surface of his skin. She surveyed the table, their friends all laughing and talking without them, them looked back at Fitz. She knew she had to do something so if Keefe made a comment he didn't like, he wouldn't blow his head off. This whole thing had opened a can of worms that really didn't need to be opened, especially not here.
She could feel her cheeks warm as she thought about her options. Hugging him would be taken the wrong way by everyone, so that was an automatic no. Moving her other hand to hold his between hers would make it too obvious that something was wrong. She sighed, then had an idea. Sophie looked up at Fitz briefly, before looking back at the friend group. She was nervous, but she knew that this was what he needed.
Gently, she scooted a little closer to him, and rested her head on his shoulder, their hands still intertwined. Fitz stiffened as he noticed what she was doing, but after a moment, relaxed, and rested his head against hers. They stayed like that for a long time, no one noticing or addressing it, probably assuming that it was just a cognate thing. Neither of them talked, or even transmitted, they just enjoyed this moment together, as cognates, with their friends.