Prologue:
Sophie stared dumbly at the council, her eyes filling with tears as she looked at the 12 elves she was supposed to trust and rely on for the good of the elven world.
Banishment.
She never thought it would happen to her, hearing stories and having close calls in her meetings with the council, but she had never imagined the vote would ever happen and the word would ever leave their lips. She still didn't believe it, being called only yesterday to meet with the council for questioning. She was interrogated for 12 long hours about suspicion that had arisen in the council about whether or not Sophie had hidden secrets that had been implanted in her head about the Neverseen. She denied their accusations repeatedly, begging them to believe her, even suggesting a probe of her memories to prove the accusations weren't true, but her request was denied, her promises seen as lies, and with a vote of 7-5, the new life she had come to love in the elven world was snatched from her grasp.
Banishment.
Shocked gasps rang throughout the council room, her family and friends screaming in outrage as the room went into uproar. Councilor Alina raised a hand and the room fell silent, the only sound heard being the pained sobs of Edaline. Alina announced that Sophie would be sent to the same underground prison that Prentice was held in, only accessible by the awful trip through various leaping crystals, and would be held in a maximum security cell for three days. She paused, allowing them to absorb the information, and with a evil smile, she uttered the words that shattered Sophie's heart. Her memory break. Sophie's mind, the mind Mr. Forkle and the black Swan had perfected to save lost elves, would be destroyed, leaving her a broken remnant of what she once was.
The room fell deathly silent, silent tears running down Sophie's face as her body trembled in fear. In the midst of her tragedy, a single thought entered her mind, her telepathy picking up on the thought projected from the corner of the room. She turned toward the source of the thought, meeting Mr. Forkle's tear filled blue eyes. The thought rang clear again, the word filling her head over and over again.
Run.
Sophie didn't need the be told twice, her legs sprinting out of the silent room, the council members following in pursuit. She ran out of the room, out of the building searching frantically for an escape. Just as she was about to give up hope she saw it. A cliff. She sprinted toward it, her feet nearing the edge. As she was about to jump off she heard several voices calling her name and she turned to see all of the council members, Grady and Edaline, Mr. Forkle, Bianca, Fitz, Dex, Tam, Linh, Wylie, Marella, and finally Keefe, his arm outstetched as if to stop her.
Councilor Alina spoke, her voice ringing clear throughout the group.
"If you jump off that cliff, you can never return to our world, and if you do, you will never see the light of day again, for we will kill you."
Sophie's eyes widened, her feet stopping as she realized what this meant, what choice she was about to make, what she would have to sacrifice. She smiled sadly, tears dripping down her cheeks as she turned to face her friends and family.
"Goodbye," She said softly, her whisper almost unheard. "I love you."
With the final parting words said , she turned and stepped towards the edge. As she jumped off she felt a strange feeling envelope her body, as if several new things were being unlocked if her head. She smiled, knowing that Mr. Forkle was always there for her, even doing the one thing her swore never to do in order to protect her.
Unlocking her hidden abilities.
She plummeted toward the ground opening a portal toward the one place she knew she'd be safe.
The human world.
End of prologue.