Midterms were coming up fast, too fast for Sophie.
Her family hadn't allowed her to go, she tried to talk her friends into sneaking her in. They didn't take.
She had a plan for everything that could possibly happen, as well as a counter plan for everything. In short, she was prepared.
"I should be there with everyone!" Sophie tried to reason with her parents for the thirteenth time that week. So far, she had had no progress in persuading them to allow her to go.
"No," Grady said sternly. "You're still not healed, which means you will be staying here with your bodyguards while your mother and I keep watch."
"Way to rub it in." Sophie muttered. It was unfair that she couldn't go, but what made it worse, was that all her friends and family would be there too.
"I only meant that you'll be safe, everything will be fine." Grady put his hand on her knee. "We're just trying to keep you safe."
"I know you are." Sophie sighed. "I just want to help. You guys can get hurt!"
Edaline sat next to Sophie. "You could get hurt too, and as-"
"I'd rather get hurt than have you guys get hurt!" Sophie cried.
They both sighed. "Well, we would rather none of us get hurt." Grady chuckled.
"As your parents, we only want what's best with you." Edaline told her comfortingly.
"I don't want to stay home and be useless anymore." Sophie begged.
"You're not useless." Grady sighed. "You're staying home, and saying safe. End of discussion."
"But-" Sophie tried.
"No. We're trying to keep you safe, why can't you understand?"
Sophie sighed, there really was no arguing with her parents.
"Fine. I'll stay home." She said quietly, she crossed her fingers behind her back. She most definitely was going to find some way to get to midterms, whether her family liked it or not.
Her parents didn't seem to catch the fact that she was crossing her fingers. "Okay, good." Edaline sighed.
Before leaving to go feed the many animals in the sanctuary of Havenfield, they each kissed her on the cheek.
Sophie couldn't help but feel disheartened. She had five talented bodyguards. How would she sneak out of the house with them with her?
"I know what you're thinking." Sandor sat next to her. "Please don't try to sneak away."
Sophie sighed. "What else can I do? I can't just leave them alone to face off the Neverseen."
"You know your parents only want to keep you safe." Sandor tried to tell her.
"I know. But I want to keep them safe." Sophie whispered. "I don't want anyone to get hurt."
"They don't want you to get hurt either. Trust that they can take care of themselves."
Sophie sighed, she could tell their conversation was going nowhere. "I understand." She nodded.
"We all care about you deeply, Miss Foster. Thank you for understanding."
Sophie smiled at him. After all the times Sandor had saved Sophie's life, and the three years he had spent protecting her, he knew her better than Sophie wanted to admit.
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A few weeks had passed, Sophie was still avoiding sleep but her headaches and "incidents" were less frequent. Her parents took that as a good sign, but Sophie couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen.
Not much changed in her friend situation, her friends still acted distant and weird around her, Fitz still was avoiding her. She missed when they could hang out normally, before they found out.
She still hadn't felt ready to contact Keefe, she longed to talk to him again. She really missed him. Gipping her imparter tightly, she tried to force her mouth to say his name. She just couldn't bring herself to do it.
Sophie had been allowed out of her home to go to Foxfire that day for midterms, she wasn't to go anywhere without her guards.
Her teachers thought she had to take the exams, or she would flunk the level and have to do it again.
Sophie woke up that morning with a new sense of energy, she changed into her Foxfire uniform that she used to wear almost every day. But that was before everything that had happened.
She went though her morning routine quickly. She was excited to be doing something normal again, but at the same time, she was dreading how everyone would stare and whisper about her. After all, she had been exempt from school for a few months. And after she just appeared for midterms just to disappear again after them?
"Good morning." She smiled at her parents as she came down the stairs.
"Well someone's in a good mood." Grady teased her with a smile.
Sophie heard Edaline laugh softly from the kitchen. "I'm in a normal mood, thank you very much."
He chuckled and ruffled her hair. "No need to get defensive. It's cute, you're glowing Sophie."
"I most definitely am not." No matter what Sophie did, she couldn't make herself stop smiling. Despite her best efforts, a small smile still grazed her face.
"Yeah, you kinda are." Grady laughed.
"Grady will you stop pestering her." Edaline saved Sophie from more teasing from her dad.
"I am doing no such thing." Grady mockingly gasped and placed a hand on his chest. "How dare you assume that of me."
Edaline laughed. "Calm down and set the table, will you?" She told him, waving a spoon in his face.
Grady grabbed the spoon from Edaline with a smirk, and started to set the table.
"Is there anything that I can do?" Sophie asked.
"Oh no need, we've got everything under control." Sophie felt that they weren't just talking about making breakfast.
Sighing, she sat at her spot at the table while her parents walked around her, doing all the work.
From that moment until she left Havenfield, her parents didn't let her do anything to help them.
"Are you sure you don't need any help here?" Sophie asked her parents again. As she was about to go to school, anxiety started to eat away at her. Thoughts were flying through her head as to how people would react to her at school, not many of them pretty.
"We'll be fine, go to school!" They called back to her.
Sighing, Sophie and her guards stepped onto the leap master.
The light whisked her away and in a moment she found herself at Foxfire. When she appeared, a few students gaped at her.
Sophie pulled her hair as best she could in front of her face, keeping her head down, she walked briskly through the halls of Foxfire.
However, speed walking down a crowded hallway with her hair in front of her face probably wasn't too good of an idea.
She crashed into someone.
"Woah, you okay?" They reached out their arms to help steady her. It took Sophie a moment to place their voice. "I didn't know you were coming back to Foxfire."
Internally groaning she looked up and was met with the same teal eyes she had looked into so many times before. "Hi Fitz," She said awkwardly, her cheeks aflame. "Sorry I bumped into you."
"No problem." He looked into her eyes. "Sorry I haven't talked to you in a while." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"Oh, uh, it's okay." Sophie stuttered.
"No, it's not. I've been a terrible friend and I'm sorry."
"You don't need to apologize, really it's okay." Sophie assured him. Sure, it had hurt when he didn't come over to see her (not as much as Keefe, but she wasn't bringing that up). But she didn't want him to feel bad about it.
"Are you sure?" His eyes shone in earnest, and Sophie could tell he really felt bad about it.
She smiled at him. "Yeah. We're good."
He smiled widely at her. "Okay, well, I'll see you later then."
Sophie nodded. "I'll see you later."
She kept walking through the halls, trying to ignore the stares and the whispers. And failing miserably. She hated what they were saying about her, yet she found herself straining her ears to hear what they were saying.
"The last time I saw her was when her guard, the goblin, was running through the halls carrying her."
"Who even needs five guards?" Another asked.
"What is she doing back here?"
"Took her long enough. Why can't I skip school for a month?"
With each hurtful statement she heard, the more eyelashes she wanted to tug out. She twisted her hands together to keep herself from tugging on her eyelashes.
Flori placed a steadying hand on Sophie's shoulder. "Ignore them, Sophie."
Sophie took a few deep breaths to calm her emotions.
She continued walking down the hall, Flori's steadying presence keeping her from panicking, she had never liked being in large crowds. But after a few months of the biggest crowd she had been in being maybe ten people, seeing so many people around her triggered her anxiety.
"You okay?" Flori asked her. Sophie noticed her breathing was starting to speed up, she felt too confined in the room full of people.
Sophie closed her eyes and forced herself to calm down. "Yeah," She said shakily. "Yeah, sorry, I'm fine."
Down the hall, Sophie saw a framillier strawberry blonde haired boy. Her walking sped up as she approached her friend.
"Hey Dex." Sophie held in a laugh as she saw his surprised face.
"Sophie!" He said incredulously. "What are you doing here?"
Sophie laughed as he pulled her in for a hug. "I was allowed to come for midterms. But after today I'm staying back home for a while."
"I've missed you. What have you been up to?" He asked her with a wide smile on his face.
"I've missed you too. I've mostly been catching up on homework, it's been a boring few weeks."
"Well, not as boring as school has been without you." He laughed.
The warning bell cut them off, Dex sighed. "I should probably get to class."
"My class is nearly across the school." Sophie groaned.
Dex grinned. "You have fun with that. I'll see you at lunch."
"See you then." Sophie smiled.
She started walking to her first class, the universe.
She was late to class which wasn't the best impression for her first exam of the day. For the next hour, all her teacher did was shout random names of stars at her and Sophie had to point to where they were on a map.
Her next class, Elementalism, didn't go too much better.
She was tasked with bottling a whirlpool and a tornado. She left that class with wet patches on her clothes and her hair was whipped around so much she had knots everywhere. She had passed, but at the cost of the clothes and her hair.
She ran into Dex again after class. He smiled when he saw her, he looked as if he were trying to hold in a laugh. "Have fun in class, Sophie?"
"What is it? Tease Sophie day?" She grumbled.
He grinned at her.
"What are you so smile-y about?" Sophie asked as she tried to un knot her hair.
Dex shrugged. "I'm excited."
"About what?"
"We have a party tonight, or don't you remember." Sophie felt that she shouldn't remind him that she couldn't go and that the Neverseen would be attacking it.
Sophie smiled.
"We should get to class." Dex said. "At least it's our last one before lunch."
"Yeah, my brain is about to blow a fuse." Sophie laughed.
"Same." He laughed.
After Sophie's last class, it was (finally) time for lunch.
She approached the table her and her friends always shared with a wide smile on her face.
When her friends noticed her, their faces lit up.
"Sophie!" Linh smiled, she stood to give Sophie a hug.
"Hey guys." Sophie smiled. Each of her friends gave her a hug, except for Keefe and Fitz, Sophie tried not to feel too hurt.
"I didn't know you were coming back to Foxfire."
"I'm only here for today, I still need to pass my midterms." Spending lunch with all her friends made her happier than she had been in a long while.
"So you're not coming back for good?"
"No," Sophie sighed. "But I'm here for today, lets focus on that."
"I can't believe we're all back together again." Linh smiled widely at her.
"I know, it's really been too long."
Casual conversation resumed for the rest of lunch, it passed much too quickly for Sophie.
As the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch, she sighed. "Wow, that was a lot quicker than I remember it."
Her friends laughed.
"I'm guessing you're not going to the midterm celebration tonight." Tam guessed.
"No, I was strictly forbidden from going." She sighed. "This is my one day out of the house."
I'm going to find a way to come, I'm going to be there to help. She transmitted to her friends, she couldn't risk her bodyguards hearing and tying her down so she couldn't run off.
Her friends nodded ever so slightly, nobody else noticed.
"See you guys soon, good luck with the rest of your classes." Sophie said, they all said their goodbyes.
Most of the prodigies had already cleared out, Sophie sighed, the rest of the day passed extremely boringly.
At home, with hours to herself, she had read every one of her textbooks front to back, so her exams were relatively easy.
"Alright, we're going home now." Bo told her the moment her last class was over.
"What, already? I can't hang out with my friends for a few minutes?" Sophie asked.
"We are to take you home once school finishes."
"What? I can't stay even for a while?" Sophie looked at her other guards for backup, they wouldn't meet her eyes.
She sighed, "I guess I'm out numbered in this."
She took out her home crystal and leaped home.
Grady saw them immediately, he looked at Sophie, sympathy in his eyes. "Hey kiddo." She smiled at her.
She realized that he must have told her bodyguards to take her home when school finished.
"What're you doing?" Sophie asked.
"Just about to feed the verminion, wanna help?"
Sophie smirked. If she had learn anything living with Grady and Edaline, it was how to feed animals that didn't want to be fed. I was more fun than you'd think.
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"We're leaving now." Edaline and Grady told her, standing at her door.
"Okay." Sophie tried not show her bitterness. "Have fun."
Yeah, she didn't do too good of a job.
"We're just trying to keep you safe, you know." Edaline tried to tell her.
"I know." Sophie shrugged. "You guys can go. I'll be fine here."
"You sure you're not mad at us?"
"No, you guys have fun." Sophie turned back to her book.
"Okay." Grady sighed. "We'll be back in a bit."
"Be careful." Sophie told them. No matter how upset she was that she couldn't go and help them, she loved her parents dearly and still wanted them to come back safe.
"Of course we will." They each gave Sophie a hug.
Once they left Sophie contemplated different ways to sneak out without her bodyguards knowing.
If they caught her, she was done. She wouldn't be able to make it out of her home.
Maybe if she snuck out of her bathroom window she could teleport to Foxfire. There was no way that she would be able to make it to the leapmaster. But teleporting would be too loud and Sophie's bodyguards would know. She labeled the bathroom plan, plan b.
She continued to pretend to read her book, flipping pages every once in a while.
She could always pretend to go get a snack, call out to the leapmaster and step into the light before her guards caught her. But that probably wouldn't be the best idea, her guards were at least three times faster and stronger than her.
She sighed and held her head in her hands.
What was she going to do?
She suddenly felt her panic ring buzzing. She quickly hid it underneath her to muffle it's buzzing.
Her breathing sped up and her head was thinking of a thousand different ways to get out (not many of them would work).
She tapped her ring to turn off the buzzing but she still knew, her friends were in trouble.
It didn't matter if she didn't have a good plan yet, she needed to go help her friends.
She stuffed a pen and a piece of paper into her pocket.
"Where are you going, Miss Foster?" Sandor asked her as she stood up.
"Just using the restroom." She said nonchalantly.
He nodded, accepting her lie. Sophie let out a breath of relief.
In the bathroom, she quickly scribbled her bodyguards a note.
My friends are in trouble. I know I promised to stay home but I have to help them. I'm really sorry, please forgive me.
-sophie
She left the note and the pen on the sink counter and very quietly slipped open and through her bathroom window.
Once she got in the air, she realized she couldn't just jump, she needed to go higher, much higher.
Her levitation wasn't the strongest, but she could carry herself. Wobbling, she kept going up as quickly as she dared. Only when Havenfield was only a dot in the distance and the air Sophie breathed was coming out in all puffs of smoke, did she let herself drop.
No matter how many times Sophie had teleported, the feeling was the same. Her heart dropped to her feet and her stomach turned. Air flew past Sophie quicker and quicker and she built up the speed to open the void. She stifled her scream as she fell, her bodyguards were going to kill her when she came back. She collected energy in her mind in the same way she had done many times before.
A few seconds before Sophie was going to splat on the floor, she thrust the energy out of her mind and slipped into the void with a crash of thunder.
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3089 words
A/N lmao you guys get left on a cliff hanger sorry
THANK YOU FOR 2.4K!!! YOU GUYS *uncontrollable sobbing* YOU GUYS ARE INCREDIBLE ILY ALL!! TY FOR ALL THE NICE WORDS IM SO HONORED *chokes on tears*
*quotes barbie princess charm school* "I'm honored to be your princess."