Grady and Edaline were in the kitchen finishing up breakfast when she came downstairs. Sophie hovered in the doorway, not sure if she should interrupt.
"Either you're an early riser," Grady said as he moved the scrolls he was reading to make room for her, "or you didn't close the shades. Just clap twice next time."
"Guess I only clapped once instead of twice," Sophie tried to joke. It was a rather lame one and just got an eyebrow raise from Grady.
"How about some breakfast?" Edaline asked. Her voice sounded tired, and the shadows around her eyes were so dark they looked like bruises. At Sophie's nod, she conjured up a bowl of orange glop and a spoon. Each bite tasted like warm, buttery banana bread, and Sophie was tempted to ask for seconds, but she didn't want to impose.
Grady caught her looking at the scrolls and rolled them up. "Boring stuff from a long time ago." He said it with a smile, but it was obvious he didn't want her seeing it. Especially when she spotted a line of runes running along the bottom.
"Project Moonlark?" she blurted before she could think it through.
Grady's mouth tightened. "Nothing you need to know about." This time Grady didn't even question how she could read it. She wondered what she had done differently.
Grady ran a hand across his face and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. It's just, these are extremely classified documents, and those are cipher runes. No one is supposed to be able to read them unless they've been taught the key."
"It's okay," She assured Grady. "I understand. Not everything is for me"
Even if it's written about me.
"If you're ready to go, we should get those medicines Elwin prescribed," Edaline interrupted, standing. Each word was drawn out like the whole sentence was one long sigh.
"I can still ask Fitz to go," Sophie interjected. "Please don't feel obligated to go with me, especially if you're not ready."
Edaline and Grady shared a look, "If you really want to go with Mr. Vacker, you can." Grady's lips formed a thin line and Edaline looked down.
"Thank you," Sophie replied. "You guys get some rest."
Sophie hailed Fitz and he promised to be right over.
But not without Biana in tow.
———
They leap to an island called Mysterium. Small, identical buildings lined the narrow streets like they'd been cut from a mold. Street vendors filled the air with the scent of spices and sweets, and conversation buzzed around the crowded sidewalks.
"I'm sorry," Fitz gestured to his sister. "My parents insisted I bring her along. You guys are in the same level and they think it would be nice for you to know someone else at Foxfire.
Biana stood with her arms crossed. Everything about her posture screamed 'I was forced to be here with the weird new girl'.
"Come on," Sophie muttered, "I have to go to Slurps and Burps and one of you has to lead the way."
Surprisingly Biana took the lead. They didn't slow their pace until they reached the only building that was different: a store painted twenty different colors, with curved walls and a crooked roof—like it belonged in a nursery rhyme.
SLURPS AND BURPS: YOUR MERRY APOTHECARY.
The door belched as they entered.
A slender man in a long white lab coat hovered over the experiments with a skinny boy at his side- Dex- were watching the test tubes bubble.
"I'll be with you in two minutes," he promised as he added a blob of orange slime to one of the test tubes. "Get ready to add the amarallitine, Dex."
The boy used a long pair of tongs to pick up a glowing yellow vial and hold it over the experiment from a safe distance. "Ready?"
"Not yet." He slipped on a pair of thick black glasses. "Okay. Now!"
He jumped back as Dex poured in the contents of the vial. The beaker sparked and released an enormous plume of smoke, filling the room with the smell of dirty feet.
Both Vackers recoiled at the smell. They clearly had never entered Slurps & Burps before and neither could say they were enjoying it.
The man pounded the boy's back and removed his glasses. "First one we haven't exploded all day." He looked up from their experiment. "You must be Havenfield's new resident! Edaline let me know you'd be coming," he exclaimed, finally looking up. "And you brought the Vacker children too." He said the last part with much less enthusiasm.
Sophie forgot about how the Dizznee's didn't exactly like the Vackers and vice versa. Whoops.
"This is Dex," Kesler pointed towards his son. "I heard you guys are in the same level."
Dex gave her a sheepish grin and a small wave.
Sophie handed Kesler a sheet of paper. "Elwin prescribed all this for me, he said we could find it all here."
"You certainly can. Give me a minute," Kesler disappeared in the back.
Suddenly Sophie realized Biana and Fitz had stayed by the entrance. She knew this kind of store wasn't their thing but she hadn't realized they'd leave her to deal with everything herself.
"So you're a level two as well? Do you know your schedule al—whoa!" He leaned close to her face and pointed to her eyes. "How'd you do that? I turn mine red sometimes—totally freaks everyone out—but I've never seen brown before. I like it."
She could feel her cheeks blush. "Actually, I just have brown eyes."
"Dad! You have to come look at this!" Dex called out. He only got the sounds of rustling in response. "He'll be back soon. I've never seen an elf with brown eyes before."
"Well, up until a few days ago, I lived in the Forbidden Cities." Sophie half-whispered and braced for Dex's reaction.
Dex shouted, "That's the coolest thing I've ever heard! Was it awesome? I bet it was awesome. Hey, are you human? Is that why you have brown eyes?"
"I'm not human. I was just raised by them."
Kesler returned from the back. "Dex, don't be too nosy." He rested his hand on Dex's shoulder and handed her a bag. "That should be everything."
Sophie thanked him and Kesler left them alone to go work. "It was nice to meet you, Dex. I hope I'll see you again."
Sophie waved at him and turned towards the door with Fitz and Biana close behind. What she said was innocent enough, but as she watched Dex's face match his hair, she knew why it did.
Sophie Foster may have been oblivious to his feelings once before, but she sure wasn't now.