(Y/N) chewed her lip, tugging at her hair nervously as she felt the eyes of her classmates bore into her.
The girl had decided, for the first time in quite a while, to not wear her hood over her head. Her long (H/C) locks tumbled down, and everyone could see her face clearly.
It was pretty nerve-wracking.
(Y/N) tried her best to ignore the whispers and the looks, and instead focused on trying to spot Fitz.
Nothing.
_
It wasn't until break came when he finally appeared.
(Y/N) was just strolling around on the field, away from the rest of her school. She was minding her own business, when she heard a voice.
"Over here."
(Y/N) turned around to see Fitz standing behind the gate, a blonde haired girl next to him. Part of her hair was clipped back, and her brown eyes darted around like she was looking for something. And then the two girls' eyes met.
"Sophie!" (Y/N) said, running up and giving her a hug. She returned the hug. "It's been so long since I've seen you."
Sophie smiled. "I could say the same thing about you. You've changed so much! And your not wearing your hood anymore!"
"And you're not wearing any grey."
It was true. Sophie was decked out in a buttery yellow shirt with brown stripes, pairing it with some denim jeans.
"Yeah, just forget that I'm even here..."
(Y/N), hearing Fitz's words, turned to him and flashed him a small smile.
"Yeah, hi."
Fitz rolled his eyes, digging his hand around in his pocket and pulling out something that looked like an over glorified stick with a plastic crystal on top.
"What is that? What can that even be used for?" (Y/N) asked.
"It's called a pathfinder. It can take you to different places by getting you a ride on a beam of light."
(Y/N) opened her mouth to shut him down with science, but Sophie answered her question.
"Apparently, according to this guy, the theory of relativity is dumb, and that he had never heard of Einstein."
(Y/N) gaped at him, but Fitz was too busy playing with his overglorified sti- I mean, pathfinder.
"Okay, it's set," He said, as he held up the pathfinder. The sun shone through the crystal and sent a beam of light onto the ground. "Now, all you have to do is hold onto my hand, and concentrate on it. It's really important."
Fitz held out his hand. (Y/N) stared at it, then sighed and took it. Sophie clutched onto his arm.
"Okay, I'll do it on the count of three. One," Fitz said, looking at (Y/N) in the eye.
"Two," (Y/N) clutched onto his hand tighter.
"Three."
The light swept them away.
_
(Y/N) stumbled away from Fitz as she surveyed her new surroundings. A huge gate was set in front of them, and nearly glowed as bright as the sun.
It rivaled against Fitz's smile, which was really something.
"Welcome to Everglen," Fitz said, leading (Y/N) and Sophie to the doors. "What do you think?"
"It's very bright."
Fitz laughed. "Yeah, the gate absorbs light, so no one can lightleap inside. My dad works for the Council, so he likes his privacy at home."
A faint click rang through the air, and the gates swung inward. A tall figure stood in a small, grassy clearing, surrounded by tall trees that (Y/N) had never seen before. A midnight blue cape was draped around their shoulders, fastened by a clasp that looked like a pair of yellow, diamond encrusted wings.They had the same features as Fitz, all the way to the teal eyes.
"Sophie, (Y/N), meet my father, Alden."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sophie and (Y/N). I see Fitz wasn't kidding about the brown eyes. Most unusual." Alden said, his accent even more prominent than Fitz's.
"Thanks?" (Y/N) questioned, while Sophie flushed.
Alden smiled. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about. I actually think the color is quite pretty. Don't you think so Fitz?"
Fitz nodded, but spoke just as quickly. "Did you tell anyone else where Sophie was?"
"Only the Council. Why?"
"Someone tried to take Sophie this morning."
(Y/N) looked at Sophie, who looked away.
"Are you okay?" Alden asked in worry.
"Yeah. he never got close enough to grab me. It just looked like he wanted to."
"Humans," Alden muttered. (Y/N) could agree, and she lived with humans.
"Actually, Sophie thought he might be an elf."
Silence. Fitz and Alden shared a look before Alden spoke. "Kidnapping is a human crime. I've never heard of an elf even thinking about that-much less trying it."
Really? Was crime that unusual here?
(Y/N) zoned out, thinking about it deeply. When she zoned back, she saw Sophie had moved to where Alden was. the taller male had two fingers pressed against Sophie's head.
"Well. You are indeed a fascinating girl." He said when he removed his hand a long, long time later.
"Couldn't hear her either, could you?" Fitz said, triumph in his voice.
Alden shook his head. "I wonder," He said, looking at (Y/N). "If it could be the same case for (Y/N)?"
(Y/N) froze as everyone looked at her. "Wait, for what?"
Fitz shook his head. "If your mind is unreadable, like Sophie's."
Oh. They were mind readers. All of them.
Alden reached a hand forward, pausing just before it touched (Y/N)'s head. "Do you mind?"
(Y/N) hesitated, before shaking her head. Alden's fingers touched her head.
A long time passed. (Y/N) had started to get bored and looked around, whistling a soft tune under her breath. She crossed her arms, and slightly slouched, already tired of this.
"Indeed. It was the exact same case." Alden finally said, breaking the silence and pulling back.
Alden smiled, but his smile turned into a frown quickly. His head snapped towards Fitz. "I specifically told you to not let them light leap without a nexus."
"Sorry, we were in a hurry. But, we're completely fine. I had us covered."
"That's not the point." Alden scolded, holding his hand out. Fitz dug around in his pocket once more, pulling out two small, black cuffs and handing it to him. Alden clamped the cuff around (Y/N)'s wrist, twisting it until it fit snug, then moved to Sophie to do the same thing to her.
"What is it?"
"It's a safety precaution. When you light leap, your body breaks down into tiny particles that the light can carry to your destination. The nexus holds your particles together, to avoid you from fading. When your level of concentration reaches a certain level, you will be able to light leap without it."
"What does it mean to fade?" Sophie asks.
Alden pauses, looking off into the distance like in those dramatic movies where a character is remembering a memory. "It's when your body loses too much of itself in a leap, and when you can't reform, the light takes you away and your lost forever."
(Y/N) gulped, shuddering.
"It's only happened a few times, and we'd like to keep it that way." Alden shoots Fitz a reproving look.
Fitz scowls. "Fine. Next time you send me on a secret mission to retrieve two long-lost elves, I'll be sure to put the nexus' on before I leap them here."
Alden looked like he wanted to smile when he gestured for Fitz, Sophie, and (Y/N) to follow him. "We shouldn't keep our guests waiting."