Unedited.
Sophie didn't even turn to face Nick, she dropped the cot and bolted. Nick however grabbed the collar of her jacket making her jerk back.
"Where. Have. You. Been?" He asked slowly as Sophie coughed. "Uuuummmm....vacation?" Sophie asked. Nick's face turned stormier. "You are this close to making me lose my temper." Nick said, pinching his thumb and forefinger together. "Who are you?" Alvar asked as he placed a hand on Nick's arm that held the back of Sophie's jacket.
Nick seemed to notice the boys for the first time and his eyebrows shot up. "Eliza who are these boys?" He asked pulling Sophie beside him. "Friends...I guess." Sophie said before smacking his hand away. "Don't. Touch. My. Jacket." She snapped. Nick turned his eyes away from the boys and down to her. "Do have any idea how worried Kyle and I have been?!" He asked. Sophie pushed her hand over his mouth, glancing around. "He isn't here is he?" She asked, Kyle would probably tie a bungee to his plane and shove Sophie out of it as punishment for disappearing, then he'd include a long lecture with a lot of cursing. Nick shook his head, before shoving Sophie's hand off.
"No he went back to Alaska, though he's probably starting a search party." Nick said. Sophie groaned as she paced in front of him. "Oh no...this is bad....this is bad...can you tell him I'm okay and that...that I found answers." Nick's eyes went to the three boys behind her. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah...I have a good family.I was adopted and...I go to a good school, I even have a couple of cousins."
"What about your injuries?" Nick asked glaring at the boys. "They're not what you think Nick. Nobody gave me those...I fell and hit my head, Gra-yson he's a climatologist, I had gone with him to observe Alaska's winter, I fell down a glacier and I forgot everything." Sophie said. "And who are these...these teenagers?" Nick spit the word like an insult, as he glared at the boys. Alvar had his arms crossed, and the three stared at Nick. "Nick..." Sophie said slowly. "I'd like you to meet...my...cousin." Sophie said. "Keevin, and his friends Phoenix and Alex." Sophie accidentally held the 'e' out in Keefe's name.
Nick's eyes went to the cots in Fitz's and Keefe's arms. "Phoenix and Alex's family are um...really close to Grayson and Sarah Lee, so we're all doing a family camping trip. Nothing like family bonding time." Sophie said. "Someone forgot to buy the cots so this is just last minute, we're hitting the road in a couple of hours."
"At night?" Nick asked. "Sarah Lee is albino so it's kind of hard to travel in the day." Sophie lied. "Riiiight...I'm done asking. You need to call Kyle."
"No." Sophie blurted before covering her mouth. Her eyes shooting to Alvar and Fitz, who each had their right eyebrows raised. "I...do you have any idea what he'd do to me if I called him?" Sophie asked as she looked at her shoes. She summoned every tear in her eyes, and let them enter her eyes before looking up at Nick. "Please don't tel him. I promise I'll call him...just....just not yet." Sophie added a lip tremble for the affect. She'd seen Biana do the look once. Nick stared at her for a long moment. His mouth flattening, before sighing. "Fine, but I will tell him you're okay, and that you'll call him when you can." Nick said.
Sophie didn't have to force the smile that came, she hugged Nick. "Thank you!" She said. Nick wrapped his arms around Sophie before pulling away. "Though you...call me okay, tell me you're okay once in a while."
"I will." Sophie promised, looking up at him, her smile still on her face. "Thank you!" She said hugging him tight. "By the way Eliza, how did you get out of the building?" He asked, as Sophie pulled away. "Oh...emergency exit." Sophie shrugged. "Why couldn't you just tell us?" Nick asked. "I...panicked..." Sophie shook her head. "I just had to get out of there before I forgot anything." Sophie said.
"Do you need a ride anywhere?" Nick asked. "Um...no, we're going to catch a cab. Alex want to see the sights." Sophie nudged Alvar in the side. "Right?"
"Yes." Alvar said in his accented voice. "I am visiting my family from...college." Alvar said. "Oh...where do you to college at?"
"Oxford." Sophie said. "Really?" Nick asked. Alvar nodded. "What are you majoring in?" Nick asked. "I was going for teaching but, I'm thinking of changing my major to literature and writing." Alvar said. "Oh cool. Well Eliza...like I said, keep in touch would you?" Nick asked. Sophie nodded. "I'll try." she nodded as she hugged him again. "And call Kyle." Nick said "When I can." Sophie promised as she picked up the cot she dropped. Nick smiled, "I'd like you to meet my wife sometime." He said. "I'd like that." Sophie said. Goodbyes were said, and the cots were quickly purchased. Sophie had never walked so fast in her life, as she called a cab. "Should I even ask?" Keefe asked, as they placed the cots in the back of the cab. "No." Sophie said as she climbed in the front giving the address to the driver, she groaned.
Nick...of all people why Nick? At least it wasn't Kyle or Rose... Sheesh what was she going to do about Kyle? Oh no...what was she supposed to do?
"I don't know, but I say don't call him." Keefe said making Sophie realize she was talking out loud. Blushing she pulled her hair on one side, hiding her face from the three boys. "Technically I have no choice. I can't leave him hanging and wondering where I went..." Sophie placed her head in her hands. "He helped me so much I could never do that to him...but I also don't want to get yelled at."
"He sounds like a jerk it'd he'd yell at you." Fitz said
"He's the exact opposite actually." Sophie smiled as she glanced at Fitz. "He'd only yell at me because he cares abo-" Sophie looked away. "I'm going to call him." She said. "He deserves an answer." Sophie said as she paid the driver, as it parked in front of the house. She found, Linh and Tam in the living room with a still passed out Elwin.
"I'll take the cots upstairs, Alvar check on Elwin. Fitz, Keefe help me." Sophie said.
Alvar took one cot to the living room, and the rest cots went upstairs. Sophie took three to her room, she walked in, just as Dex pressed a kiss to Biana's cheek. Sophie cleared her throat but couldn't keep the smile off her face. Biana blushed and vanished. "Dex could you help Biana set these up?" She asked as she set the cots down and ran out of the room. "Sophie?" Alvar called. "Yeah?" Sophie asked hurrying down the stair as she saw Fitz step out of his room.
Sophie swung around the stair case as she reached the bottom, Alvar and Tam had gotten the cot up, and Elwin had been placed on top of it. "I'd like some answers." He said as he checked Elwin's pulse again. At Sophie's silence he looked up and smiled at her pale face. "Not those answers. I'm talking about why you guys are here in the forbidden cities." He said. Sophie rubbed Myth's head, "The war has started." Sophie said looking down at Myth. "We destroyed one of the Neverseen's bases, they would of come after us, so we left." Sophie said.
"So you're hiding out here?" Alvar asked. "We aren't hiding." Sophie said. Alvar cocked an eyebrow up. "We're stepping back to see what the Neverseen's next move is...at least that's what I'm doing."
"Then what? You can't fight them face to face."
"What else am I supposed to do? Run?" Sophie stared Alvar, "I'm done running. Remember, face everything and rise." Alvar sighed. "I knew that was going to come back to haunt me. Sophie, the higher you go the harder you fall."
"Not unless you keep it balanced. Rules, follow them and that's how you balance." Alvar frowned but spoke. "You'll fall...one day."
"One day. For now...I'm waiting." Sophie said. Alvar stood up straight, his tall figure casting a long shadow across the carpet in the moonlight. Alvar gave a glimpse of a smile, looking away from Sophie, as if asking himself how he fell in love with the hard headed, stubborn girl before him.
"We'll talk in the morning." He said. "You should get some rest. All of you." He said looking at Tam and Linh. "I'll take care of Elwin."
"We'll move him in his room." Sophie said, as she sat under the window, Tam and Alvar moved Elwin, to his room where Keefe had set up a cot for Alvar.
Alvar kneeled in front of Sophie, his arm resting on his knee, he tilted her face so she'd look at him. Sophie felt like flames had lit up her cheeks. "I mean it Sophie." He said. "You need rest." His thumb touched under her eye. "Those are starting to look like bruises." He said, a smile pulling up one side of his mouth. He lifted her hand, his eyes never leaving hers, he brought her fingers to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to them. "Goodnight miss." He said. His eyes burning into Sophie, he stood up, he sent her another smile before walking to the back room, near the stairs. He shot a look up at the stairs, before stepping into the room, and closing the door. Sending, Sophie a wink before the door closed completely. Sophie pulled her buzzing hand closer to her, as she brought her knees up to her chest.
Sophie frowned so she wouldn't smile. Her arm felt as if it were throbbing with tingles. Her face felt as if were burning, and her heart skipped a couple beats and her blood felt like it was rushing in her body.
"Hey Foster! Mind cooling it so I can get some sleep!?" Keefe called from upstairs. Sophie took a deep breath, trying to calm down. She said goodnight to Tam and Linh, and they passed Fitz who was coming down the stairs.
Sophie tried to swallow the lump in her throat, as Fitz glared at Alvar and Elwin's closed door, before turning to face her.
He sat down cross legged in front of her curled up figure he spoke in a soft voice. "I think we should talk."
Sophie nodded in agreement. Fitz took a deep breaths his teal eyes looked pale under the moonlight. "Sophie, I like you." He admitted. "I always have." He said,
"I never planned on it, I never even expected it, but mistakes happen. You made my heart pound at the very sight of you. I've tried to ignore it, I've tried to shove it aside because we were training to be cognates and we...I could of ruined that, and maybe I did, but that...last night it might sound crazy, but kissing you was the best mistake that I've ever made, and I've made a lot of mistakes, but you...you were the best mistake that I ever fell for, and no matter what happens...who you choose, though I really, really hope you'll choose me, I want you to know that I do care about you, even if you don't feel the same way. I. Care. About. You." He said slowly.
He didn't try to take her hand, he didn't try to kiss her, and he didn't try to move closer to her, he sat in front of her, pouring his heart out, that made butterflies brake out of the cage they had been in, in Sophie's stomach. Another confession? Sophie knew Fitz had liked her -from the kiss- in some way, but she wasn't sure her heart could handle another one, by the way it pounded.
"It...it's so weird." Fitz laughed quietly, though it sounded breathless, as he were relieved to finally tell Sophie, as he shook his head, an adorable smile on his face, showing his straight white teeth. It wasn't shy it wasn't flirty and it wasn't the movie star smile he was capable of. This smile was one of happiness, he was laughing at himself, he was laughing at finally being able to tell Sophie, he was happy. "Every time your name comes up, I just..." Fitz's smile stretched wider, as he shrugged. "I get happy. For no reason." He said shaking his head. He seemed to be trying to fight the smile on his face, but it wouldn't be smothered.
"Sophie, you make me happy, and it's like this switch is turned on every single time you step in a room, you make my whole world light up, you make me feel like I can do anything, you make me feel like...like I can be someone I've always wanted to be, someone who I want to. Someone kind, gentle, humble, courageous, and loving...not just to my family or friends....or you. But to others, other elves, and species. Your kindness and love for others is what I like about you, what I love about you.
It doesn't matter what species they are, you are so...so kind to them, it makes everyone around you want to be a better person. The way you respect talentless elves, the way you speak to gnomes, it's not like you see them as helpers, you really want to know them you have never talked down to a single person. Not humans, not ogres, not goblins not even elves. In your eyes they're all equal, Sophie you make me want to be a better person, yet you've accepted me as I am. My flaws, my pride, my anger, my secrets, my prejudice, everything...you've accepted it, never changing how you felt." Fitz looked down at the small space between them.
"I know...I know you are trying to figure things out. Your feelings, your thoughts, and your emotions. So after this...I'll leave you be, until you can figure everything out, just know I'm here if you ever need to talk, not as someone who likes you, and not just as your cognate partner either, I'm here as your friend, and before I...step back, I hope you'll consider accepting one last thing." Fitz leaned forward. Sophie's eyes widened, a kiss would only confuse her more. Fitz clasped his hand on the back of her neck, but he didn't tilt his head to kiss her, he closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to hers.
They breathed the same air, Sophie closed her eyes and pressed her head against Fitz's. "I hope you'll accept my heart." Fitz whispered, in a fragile voice.
Sophie's hand went up and pressed to his neck, gently. What was she supposed to say? What was she supposed to do? Fitz pulled away, Sophie could feel his eyes on her, as she withdrew her hand, pulling it close to her body. "Goodnight." He whispered, before leaving. Long after he had gone upstairs, long after everyone was asleep, Sophie whispered. "Goodnight."