SECRETS

CHAPTER 1

SOPHIE GRABBED FITZ'S arm before he could do anything he would regret. His fists were clenched so tightly, his knuckles had turned white.

"What do you mean 'Who's Alvar?' " He began, his eyes narrowed. "You're Alvar." He took a step forward, but Sophie held him back. Alvar examined them, chuckling and shaking his head.

Keefe, on the other side, squinted at him. He grabbed his arm, attempting to read his emotions. In a flash, Alvar pulled away, glaring at him. "Strange. He's nervous, but not it the 'I'm gonna be caught lying' sense. He actually believes what he says, or to some extent at least."

Sophie glanced at Mr. Forkle, who was pacing around the room, definitely worried. She could practically see his mental gears turning. Have you...? She transmitted. He nodded. ''It's strange in there. He is and isn't Alvar. Parts of him are here and there, but there's more too. It's hard to explain.'' Sophie shook her head, confusion flooding her brown eyes. What was that supposed to mean? Did the Neverseen do that to him? And if so, why?

Meanwhile, Fitz was glaring at his brother, his jaw clenched. "Are you seriously gonna lie, after all you've done?! Don't you think you owe us the truth?! You've ruined our life, you've ruined your own life! What's wrong with you?!" His voice cracked at the last sentence, and he turned so no one couldn't see the quiet tear that had slid down his cheek.

You okay? Sophie transmitted, taking his hand and weaving her fingers through his. He squeezed her hand in acknowledgement but didn't look back.

''Yes. No. I don't know. He betrayed us, Sophie. He made my parents'' cry. So many times I've walked in to find them wiping tears, or quietly sobbing into each others shoulders. ''And worst of all, he was there when they hurt you. Alvar probably was the one who carried you around, and drugged you, and maybe he was holding you back when they were torturing you... And him just coming here and not even accepting that he's him... I don't know.'' Fitz ran a hand through his hair, but it flopped right back down. Sophie didn't think she had ever seen a more depressing sight. ''You know what? Whatever. I don't care about him anymore. He can do whatever he wants, as long as he's not hurting you. He turned pink Or anyone'' he quickly added.

Sophie knew he did care. He cared more than anyone. He knew that and he hated that. But she didn't pressure him. "Okay," she said softly.

They looked back to Alvar, who was looking mystified. "What? Listen kid, I don't even know who you are. I am not Alvar, and I don't know who is. Clearly, he was a jerk but I'm not him." He looked around, sighing at the skeptical looks. "Please, just let me go. I don't know anything. I'm sure at least one of you have checked, assuming there's a telepath here, and found that I'm telling the truth! Let me go!" He yelled the last part, thrashing around in his seat, pressuring the bonds that were draped around him.

Alden looked at him, pain and weariness clouding his usually bright eyes. "You're only succeeding in hurting yourself." Mr. Forkle told him, grabbing him arms and inspecting them. Some of the cuts had started to bleed again, and Alvar pulled away, hissing. They all waited till he finally stopped thrashing, and was giving everyone death glares.

"What?" He snapped at Sophie when he caught her staring at him. She looked away and he turned towards the rest of the audience. "What do you all want?!" Alden had hung at the corner of the room, trying to hide in the shadows, the whole time. But he stepped up to answer.

"Alvar, we need your memories. Whether you know it or not, you were a part of the Neverseen. A group which has been running around starting fires all over the world and kidnapping young children. We need to know why." He choked out the last few words, and Alvar shrugged.

"You won't find anything. I've tried to remember, but it's useless. All I know is that I'm not Alvar. But that's about it. I have no idea how I got here, or why. Don't expect that you'll have better luck." He sighed and slumped back in his chair.

"Is that you giving us permission?" Mr. Forkle prompted, stepping forward with his hands outstretched.

He raised an eyebrow "No. But I know you'll do it anyway. That is your job, isn't it?" Mr. Forkle stumbled back at the bitterness of his voice, the words stinging. That was his job, in a way. Find out secrets, fix them. Sophie expected him to ignore him, but surprisingly he looked down in shame. "No, I won't. Not without your permission."

Fitz groaned, clutching his head. "Are you seriously going to let him get to you? He's the one who betrayed us, remember? What does he know about morals, and whats right or wrong."

Sophie had to agree. She hadn't said much this whole time, mostly just quietly observing how hard this was for Fitz and Alden. Keefe was almost just as quiet.

What's up? She transmitted. He flinched, then replied. ''Whoa, you're LOUD. Almost as loud as Fitz when he sees a spider!'' It took her a moment to understand, since her mind was elsewhere, but she smiled brightly. ''Fitz is afraid of spiders? That's adorable! Keefe snorted Its hard to think that over all the screams.''

''That's something I'd like to see. Once everything is back to normal...'' She glanced around as the truth hit her.

Would things ever get back to normal? Or would it just go on and on? So far, all their expeditions had ended in corners and dead ends. Alvar wasn't the prize they hoped, was he? What would happen if another rebel group rose from Neverseen's ashes, assuming the did manage to capture and destroy them. Destroy them. Sophie shivered, a cold, unseen chill passing down her spine.

''Hey, don't worry. Keefe started, noticing her doubt. You're Sophie Foster, Human Girl, Mysterious Miss F. If anyone can find a way to stop them, it's you. And you will find a way. Believe me. You have 5 abilities. 5! I'm pretty no one in elven history has had as many as you. Even if there aren't all natural. And besides, you have us! If something does happen, we can fix it. We have you, a telepath, a technopath, a shade, a hydrokinetic, a vanisher, a pyrokinetic and ME! The best of them all! So no reason to worry, like Alden would say.'' Keefe told her, grinning at her from ear to ear from the other side of the world. She smiled back, but she still couldn't help but worry, even if it was just a little. Thanks.

She noticed Fitz glancing at them with a sour expression. She tilted her head curiously at him, but he shrugged, and turned to listen.

Mr. Forkle finally stopped the meeting. They weren't getting anywhere. "We'll have to wait till his mind is stronger." He explained, shaking his head. "And his wounds are completely healed. We don't want him troubling any of you, so we'll be taking him with us."

Alden started to protest but Mr. Forkle shook his head. "We have Physic ready for him, and I've told Blur to make arrangements for any guests. I will tell you if we find anything important. But no one is to go out and try to figure anything out on their own, understand?" Surprisingly, the words didn't seem like they were for her. Not right now, anyway.

Fitz was harder to convince. "So we're gonna let him go? After all of that?" He demanded, jumping in front of them as they tried to leave.

Mr. Forkle sighed "No ones letting him go. He will be under constant supervision at all times." He emphasized all times, glaring at Blur and Granite, who looked down. Sophie wasn't sure what that was about, but she guessed it had something to do with prisoners escaping under their care. Sophie shrugged off the thought and turned her attention to Fitz, who was red with anger. She could practically see the smoke rolling out of his ears. "If he escapes..." He shot them a threatening glance. And with that he stormed off.

"He'll be fine." Alden assured them as Sophie turned to race after him. "He needs some time alone. If you follow him, he'll take out his anger on you."

Sophie ran a hand through her hair, clearly exasperated. "But he doesn't know the way! He'll get lost, or something will get to him, or.."

Alden silenced her with a smile. "Nice to see you care so much about him." Sophie felt her face go pink, and she opened her mouth to argue, but Alden spoke again "Blur is after him, making sure he finds his way out."

"Don't worry so much, Sophie" He added seeing the look on her face "Everything will be fine in the end. The Neverseen will be defeated. We... we'll get Alvar back. Everything will be fine." His crisp voice cracked, and he turned away. It seemed like he was trying to convince himself more than Sophie. Sophie decided she shouldn't bother him anymore and grudgingly agreed, though she took one last wistful glance at where Fitz had disappeared.

---

They made their way back to Havenfield, where Grady and Edaline were waiting anxiously, Fitz at their side, looking cross.

Sophie was glad to see he was alright, but he avoided her gaze.

Edaline and Grady were looking quite nervous, and Sophie noticed Blur was by them, probably done explaining what was happening. Fitz was clearly trying to eavesdrop, but failing.

Keefe walked up to him, his arms wide. "Hey! Glad to see your okay! Miss Foster here caused a huge racket, demanding she be able to chase after you," Sophie turned red at this point, but he continued "But luckily Alden was there to restrain her." He continued "I'm starting to worry about all the time you've been spending with her! Seems you've been rubbing off. Not too long ago you were the one chasing her, weren't you?"

He finished with his world-renowned smirk. Fitz's ears turned red, and he turned away. "It wasn't like that." He mumbled, shrinking back. Keefe smiled, and draped an arm across his shoulders. "At least we know you're okay. You shouldn't run off like that, y'know" He added. Fitz rolled his teal eyes, and turned away.

Alden grabbed her shoulder before she could move. "Not worth it." He whispered. Sophie wondered what had happen to Fitz. He was acting odd this morning, and avoided Sophie during their trip to Alvar. She wished she could ask him, but she couldn't, with him storming off all the time.

With a last wistful look at him, she turned back to the group, who were standing rather awkwardly at the doorway. Edaline seemed to realize that and she turned pink, stepping back and inviting them in.

They all rushed in, Edaline leading them to a large living room where they took a seat. A few gasped in awe at the magnificent ivory coloured couches and glass tables. With a snap of her fingers, a plate of custard bursts appeared, which she placed on the table. Keefe and Grady took one without hesitating, stuffing it into their mouth.

"TUS IS SO GOOB" Keefe exclaimed, shoving another in his mouth, which earned him a surprised look from Edaline and a glare from Sophie.

This is NOT the time, she transmitted. He smiled, shrugging "It won't ever be the right time with you around, will it?" and with that he took another.

Sophie rolled her eyes, and turned her attention to Grady, who was looking stiff and cautious. "So... anyone wanna tell me what's going on?" Grady gave her a shrug, shooting a pointed look at Mr. Forkle.

Mr. Forkle sighed. "Yes, we're getting to that part. First wait for Tam, Linh, Biana, Marella and Dex to get here."

As if one cue, there was a flash and Linh appeared, followed by her brother, who was stumbling into appearance. "Hey!" He narrowed his eyes at his sister, who was brushing hair out of her eyes innocently. "You still haven't told me!"

"Told you what?" Marella stepped out of the light, twirling a strand of her golden hair and blinking her long lashes. She looked tired, her normal cheerful energy diminished. Her clothes were dull colours, and there were light bags under her eyes.

Tam grumbled something under his breath as Linh smiled and assured her it was nothing.

Dex took a bit longer to show up. When he did, he was a mess. "Sorry," he panted, running a hand through his hair "The triplets sneaked into my room and accidentally set off an alarm that poured a bucket of dino dung on their heads. Mom got mad and made me clean it all up." He grimaced and sat down beside Keefe, who applauded him for the trap, giving him a friendly shake.

Biana rushed in a minute later. "Sorry! I couldn't figure out what to wear." Sophie smiled to herself. At least one of the Vacker's were acting like themselves. Biana came over and sat beside her, offering a smile and a little wave. Sophie returned the smile and caught her on about what happened on the trip. Her face fell and Sophie could tell she was blinking away tears.

Now that they had all gotten here, Mr. Forkle began to explain what was about to happen. "We need you kids to sneak out for us."

Silence.

Finally, someone spoke. "You want us to sneak out?" Tam asked, sounding dumbstruck yet interestingly intrigued. Mr. Forkle smiled wearily, nodding. "That is, unfortunately, correct. We need you to find something."

Fitz gave them a skeptical look, grabbing a seat beside Tam. "And I don't suppose you'll tell us what this 'thing' is before we agree to go?" Mr. Forkle nodded, sighing softly.

He looked around, meeting everyone's eyes. "I have already spoke to your parents about this. They have, though reluctantly, agreed it would be good for you to go. You will have to travel in the Forbidden Cities, as well as the Neutral Territories. I'm afraid that's all we can tell you, for now at least."

Sophie sighed. "That's seriously all the information your going to give us?" She turned to Grady with an accusing look "You agreed to this?" Grady sighed, shaking his head "Actually, they told us everything. I think it's a horrible idea."

To his response, Keefe immediately stood up and grinned "If Grady thinks it's a bad idea, I'm so in!"

Dex shrugged and nodded "Can't really say no, can I?"

Linh nodded from where she was sitting and her brother sighed, pulling his bangs down over his head "If she goes, I go."

Biana jumped up and down merrily and nodded. "The Forbidden Cities, guys!"

Sophie reluctantly agreed, a bit of excitement conjuring. Fitz shrugged and nodded as well, a hint of a smile forming on his lips.

Marella looked at them like they were crazy "Isn't this against the law?"

Mr. Forkle smiled "Most of our schemes are illegal, yes."

Marella's eyes widened and she turned to Sophie, with a questioning look. When Sophie shrugged, Marella chose a different approach. "What about Mum? She can't live without me, you know."

"Yes. We've talked to your mother and she agrees that its best for you to come with us. She will be well taken cared for by the collective. She says she is certain you will make the right decision, and make her proud."

Marella chewed her lips, before giving a little nod and looking away. Biana rushed over to comfort her, and Sophie smiled. They seemed to have bonded over the trip to Nightfall and Biana's recovery.

Mr. Forkle relaxed. "Good. You will receive a scroll tomorrow, with a light-crystal for more discussion about the trip. I suggest you put your worries aside and enjoy tonight. Sophie's parents have allowed you all to stay overnight, and I hope you get some rest. Thank you." And with that, he walked out. Grady sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Well, you guys should be getting upstairs. Sophie will show you the sleeping-bags." Edaline smiled at them "I'll bring Mallowmelt up soon!"

They made their way upstairs into Sophie's huge room. She walked towards a large closet, and opened a cabinet that was stuffed with sleeping bags, ranging from many different sizes and colours. Her friends all gasped, in awe of the variety.

"Whoa. What do you do with so many?" Biana asked, giving her a puzzled, yet amused, look. She laughed and shook her head "Nothing. I found them one day, and even Grady had no idea what they were doing there. I guess Jolie had a lot of sleepovers."

Biana went first and picked out a comfy, violet sleeping bag, with a large opening for the head. Tam followed, getting a slim dark one. Linh chose a silvery-blue one, and Keefe took a large, tan one. Dex took an orange bag and Fitz took a brown one. Marella got a green one, and Sophie finally choose a small teal one, ignore Biana as she raised an eyebrow.

They moved her flower petal carpet aside, ignoring Sandor's squeaks of protest, and laid down the sleeping bags in a star shape, the heads connecting. It was the best they could do, taken the limited space they had.

There was still about an hour to sunset, so Sophie pulled out her memory log and recorded the memory of the meeting. She wasn't sure why, but maybe she would notice something important. A sighed escaped her lips as nothing important came up. She shut it and placed it back on her table, and went to go sit on her bed.

Biana came over and sat down beside her. "Mr. Forkle's right." When she didn't explain further, so had to ask "What?" Biana gave her a smile and continued "I mean, we should enjoy tonight. It's probably going to be the most normal night we'll have for  a while. Besides, it'll keep everyone's mind off of tomorrow, and what we have to do. Everyone's really worried. Tam and Linh are sticking together, Marella isn't talking much, Keefe is making really bad jokes, and Dex is fidgeting a lot. They need a break, and so do you."

Sophie remembered Fitz saying something similar in Italy, and she smiled at the resemblance of Biana and her brother. "That's how Fitz got me to get Gelato in Italy."

Biana snorted. "My brother can get you to do anything." Sophie's ears went warm and she narrowed her eyes "What's that supposed to mean?"

Biana just smiled knowingly and shook her head. "Speaking of Fitz, whats got into him? He's been ignoring me the whole day."

Biana looked like that was the most obvious thing ever "He's jealous."

Sophie looked at her, surprised and confused "Huh? Jealous of what?"

Biana shook her head, sighing "You'll have to figure that out yourself. I'm not getting in between you two, thank you very much."

Sophie bit her lip and looked around. Biana was right, everyone seemed to be on the edge of their seats.

"Anyone up for a game of truth or dare?" She asked, standing up. Heads turned to look at her, reluctant and skeptical. "ME!" Biana called, sitting down by her sleeping bag. Dex shrugged and sat down on his. Soon, everyone was sitting by their sleeping bags, and Sophie finally sat down.

"I'm going first! Foster, truth or dare?" Keefe asked, a devilish smirk playing on his lips.

Sophie groaned inwardly. "This is so not gonna end well. Dare."

Keefe's smirk widened, and his eyes sparked with excitement. "I dare you to wear the most frilliest dress Biana can find for the next 2 rounds."

Biana squealed and Sophie sighed, glaring at him. Biana picked out a long red dress filled with ruffles and laces, and handed it to her, pushing her into the bathroom to change.

When she came out, she heard a few gasps and buried her face in her hands. "You look beautiful!" Biana exclaimed, lifting her arm to see it better. Keefe smirked, winking and Sophie even caught Fitz staring.

"I'm next! Fitz, truth or dare?" Biana called. Sophie fidgeted with lace, sitting down.

Fitz looked at her warily, before deciding to go with the slightly less dangerous option. "Truth."

Biana looked like she might explode of happiness. "So, do you think Sophie looks gorgeous in her dress?"

Sophie glared at her, turning red and Fitz looked over, a tinge of pink painted on his face.

"Uh, yeah. That's it?" He asked, turning back to Biana.

Biana nodded, smiling smugly, while Dex rushed to claim this round. "My turn! Tam, truth or dare?"

Tam looked a bit taken aback, he certainly wasn't expecting to be picked. "Uh, dare."

Dex grinned "I dare you to wear Sophie's dress after she takes it off, since its been two rounds."

Tam flushed "Is it too late to pick truth?" Dex nodded. Then he remember an old rule "Or... you could take off an article of clothing. That's the alternative."

He glanced down at himself, taking a quick note of his inventory, and took off a sock. Linh elbowed him, sighing dramatically. "I was looking forward to seeing you in a red dress. Can't you do anything for your dear sister?"

Before they could continue Sophie rushed to the bathroom and changed out of the embarrassing red dress, throwing on a simple white blouse. She came back and Biana frowned.

"I'm next!" Sophie said as she sat down, much more comfortable now that she had gotten rid of the red garment. "Marella, truth or dare?"

Marella thought for a second. "Truth, I guess"

Sophie bit her lip, thinking for an interesting truth. She decided to go with something off the top of her head.

"What are you most afraid off?"

Marella paled "Losing my mother."

Sophie saw the scared look in her eyes and immediately regretted asking. Biana wrapped an arm around Marella, and gave her a reassuring smile.

After a moment, Linh spoke up. "My turn. Biana, truth or dare?"

Biana thought for a moment and smiled. "I'll go with dare."

Linh smiled with an expression she had never seen on her face- mischief. "I dare you to let Sophie do whatever she wants with your hair, or you can take off a piece of clothing." Biana gasped, horrified, and quickly took off a sock. Linh sighed.

Sophie decided to go next, and make Keefe pay for his dare. "Keefe, truth or dare?"

Keefe grinned, hardly giving his answer a second thought. "Dare"

She thought for a second, and the perfect idea came to her. "I dare you to wear my most frilliest dress and perform a dance for us all. With music."

Keefe's smile confident faltered for a moment before he grinned "Bring it on, Foster."

She handed him a large, frilly, pink dress and grabbed her iPod while he pulled it on. She settled with 'Can't stop the feeling' by Justin Timberlake. She pressed play and everyone clogged their ears.

"That's music?" Keefe called over the blaring speaker. Sophie grinned "You bet. Now start dancing"

Keefe sighed dramatically and started swishing his hips. He waved his hands around a bit too and twirled around the room. By the time the song had stopped, everyone was doubled over, laughing. Keefe's dance had even managed to get Fitz out of his bad mood.

When they could all finally breath, Fitz took a turn. "Dex, truth or dare?"

Dex glanced cautiously at Keefe, who was pulling off the dress, tired and flushed. "Truth"

Fitz thought for a second. "Who inspires you most?"

"My father, I think." He answered, scratching his head. He turned to Biana. "Truth or dare?"

Biana ran a hand down her hair, no doubt remembering the horrifying dare Linh had come up with. Plus, she only had one sock left, and she wanted to save it for the worst. "Truth, I suppose."

"If you had to save one person here, who would it be?"

Biana glanced around, turning a bit green. "That's a hard one. I'd say either Fitz or Sophie. No offense, but they're basically family. I really hope I never have to make that choice, though."

Sophie looked at her, surprised and grateful "You'd choose me?"

Biana smiled "Of course! You're my best friend, aren't you? Anyway, Keefe, truth or dare?"

"Truth. I really don't want to be dancing again, especially if its in red dresses."

"Alright then. Uh, what's your favorite dessert?"

Keefe raised an eyebrow "Mallowmelt. That was a... strange truth."

Biana shrugged. "I'm getting tired, I guess."

Keefe scanned the room, looking for a victim. His eyes finally settled on Tam.

"Bangs boy, truth or dare?"

Tam's gaze hardened and he met Keefe's eyes. "Dare."

Sophie stifled a laugh at the melodramatic scene commencing before her eyes. Keefe only smirked. "Awesome. Just what I wanted." He leaned towards his left and whispered something to Fitz, who's eyes widened in surprise and... was that awe? He nodded and rushed out of the room, giving Tam an apologetic look filled with pity. Tam visibly paled, but he didn't drop his gaze. Sophie had to give him a point for determination.

Fitz came back with an elixir in his hands. He handed it to Keefe, who examined it, smirking. A heavy feeling of dread and anticipation hung in the air, and even Marella was looking at Tam in pity. Tam didn't drop his gaze.

"Bangs boy, I dare you to take this elixir. You can not use an antidote till tomorrow afternoon," He tossed the bottle to Tam, who popped the cap off and chugged it down without a second thought.

Everyone waited for something to happen, and Tam examined the bottle carefully, looking for a label of some sort.

Suddenly, his hair shifted color. It turned into a pale blonde sort, though his silver streaks stayed. It increased in length too, and turned wavy and long. Once it stopped growing, everyone one went quiet, and Tam stared daggers at them all, daring them into move.

Then suddenly, Linh snorted. That caused Marella to erupt, and the rest followed, doubling over. Soon, they were all sprawled across the floor, laughing. Sophie's eyes rimmed with tears and her chest heaved as she struggled for a pause to breath. She clutched her stomach and fell over to the side, laughing and laughing at the blonde boy. Biana was equally as pained. She was wiping her eyes and attempting to cover her mouth, though giggles and snorts went through. Keefe was looking extremely smug as he snickered, and Dex snorted at him and wiped his eyes, chuckling. Fitz was gasping for air, already collapsed on his sleeping bag, roaring. The door opened and a tired head poked in. "Everything all right... Oh my," and she snorted, covering her mouth. Biana snickered at her, and Edaline stifled a laugh. "Well, nice to see you're all having fun. I'll leave you to it." And she closed her door on her way out.

Tam, meanwhile, was fuming and red. He elbowed Linh, and she gasped for a breath "A mirror! You need a mirror!"

Sophie rushed over and dragged him in front of Vertina, who's bad mood was erased by his ridiculous hair. "Oh dear," She erupted into a bad case of snorts and snickers, covering her mouth with a tiny hand. Tam growled and moved out of view, causing her to disappear.

"I will so get you back." He snarled at Keefe, who was cackling.

"Good...luck!" He responded between gasps, wrapping his arms across his stomach.

It took awhile before everyone could breath. Tam had used a scissor to chop off most of his hair, and it looked slightly better, though anyone who looked at it long enough was destined to burst into laughter.

"That was... interesting" Linh said, snickering. "My turn. Biana, truth or dare?"

Biana tilted her head sideways in thought. "Truth."

Linh clapped her hands, clearly delighted. "Nice! If you could do a makeover on one person here, who would it be?"

Biana glanced at everyone one by one, assessing their need of a complete makeover. "Sophie. She never lets me do anything, though she would look amazing if she did."

Sophie rolled her eyes "Great. Fitz, truth or dare?"

He thought for a second. "Dare."

Sophie went through a list of 'Most Embarrassing Things To Get Fitz To Do' but decided to go easy on him, since he was her Cognate.

"I dare you to let Biana give you a makeover."

Fitz paled and Biana squealed, rushing over to him and opening a bag Sophie hadn't noticed before. She pulled out a couple of elixirs and bottles of who knew what. Fitz groaned, pulling back but Biana shook her head. She squeezed some cyan paste into her hand and ran it through Fitz's hair, who flinched at the touch, resisting the urge to swat her away. The paste dried clear and Biana pulled out and elixir, pouring it into his hair. He grimaced yet waited patiently. She handed him another elixir and made him drink it, though he gagged all the way through. She did a bit more stuff Sophie didn't understand and finally moved out the way, smiling. "Ta da!"

Sophie sucked in a breath, unable to avert her gaze. She couldn't tell exactly what Biana did to his hair, but it was a bit brighter and shinier, if that was possible. It also was turned back and twisted in a way that made it look like it was rippling in the wind, though frozen. Sophie loved it.

"I'm sensing a sudden change of emotion from Miss Foster, here." Keefe called, snapping her out of her daze. She blushed, and blushed even harder when Fitz winked. She fixed her gaze at the floor and Biana sighed.

"What do you expect? Anyway, who's next?" When nobody volunteered, she nudged Sophie. "I think a change of game is needed. Got any ideas?"

She thought for a second. "There's always broken telephone." Before anyone could ask, she explained, "A telephone is kinda like an imparter, but bigger and longer. Someone has to whisper something into the person beside thems ear without letting anyone know, and then they whisper it to the next, and then so on. When it comes to the last person, they say it out loud, and compare it to the first whisper. It's usually really different from the original whisper, hence the broken part."

Biana nodded. "Sounds good. You can start."

Sophie leaned over and whispered "She sells sea shells by the sea shore." into Biana's ear, who gave her a confused look but whispered it to Marella, who was sitting beside her. Marella whispered it to Keefe, who whispered it to Fitz, who whispered it to Tam, who whispered it to Linh, who whispered it to Dex. He gave a confused look. "Shore sips scallop tea by the sea?" Sophie snorted "She sells sea shells by the sea shore" She corrected.

Biana whispered something to Marella, who whispered it to Keefe, and so on. Dex leaned over and whispered "Fitz wears his cologne like coffee."

Sophie turned to Biana with a confused look and she smirked. "Uh, Fitz wears his cologne like coffee?"

Biana and Dex burst into giggles and snorts, while Fitz gave them a flabbergasted and confused look. "What?"

Once Biana calmed down, she shook her head. "It was 'Fitz wears his cologne for Sophie." She corrected, smiling cockily.

Fitz turned red, shaking his head and backing up a little. Sophie could've sworn he glanced at her for a moment, but dismissed it as a trick of the light. "What? No!" Sophie blushed as well, looking pointedly at Biana.

Biana just smiled knowingly, shrugging. "If you say so. Marella it's your turn."

Marella bit her lip, and turned to Biana. "I have no clue what to say, you can skip me. Keefe seems to have an idea"

Biana nodded and looked expectantly at Keefe, who had already leaned over to whisper something into Fitz's ear. Fitz looked surprised and somewhat amused, before whispering it to Tam. So it went, till it came up to Sophie. She whispered it over to Biana, and once it got to Marella she cleared her throat, a bit of that old Marella mischief making its way back into her eyes.

"Forkle's got a tinkle won by boys."

Everyone erupted into snorts and giggles, while Keefe clicked his tongue, shaking his head.

"Nope. It was 'Foster's got a thing for wonderboy'. And don't even try denying it."

Sophie suddenly felt conscious of all the eyes on her, and fixed her eyes on Keefe glaring and trying to pushed out all the others beside her. Her face flamed, a fire spreading across, turning everything it touched a most fiery red color. "I-I do not!" She protested, her voice cracking.

Keefe raised an eyebrow and shook his head, his trademark smirk appearing on his face. Sophie wanted to nothing more than wipe it off, with bleach and a rough cloth preferably. "Your emotions beg to differ, Foster."

Biana came to her rescue, "That's enough, we all know you're just teasing. Fitz, you're next." Sophie gave her a grateful glance and made a mental note to let her do a makeover on her the next time she asked.

Fitz nodded and whispered something to Tam, who raised his eyebrows and whispered it to Linh. When it finally got to Keefe, he gave Fitz an amused glance.

"I snake a gulp unto Brownies looker. What's that supposed to mean?"

Fitz rolled his eyes "I snuck a gulon into Biana's locker. Tam's turn."

Sophie began to tune out at this point, and by the looks of it so did some others. There weren't even half the amount of laughs as usual when Linh accidentally misheard 'got' as 'pot' and messed up the whole chain. Biana nudged her, keeping her voice low. "I think it's time for one last game,"

Sophie nodded thinking. Suddenly a horrifying one came into thought. "Oh, there's one but I don't think anyone would be interested in playing..."

Biana rolled her eyes "Spill it."

"Spin the bottle. It's, uh, you don't want to know."

Biana gave her a look that clearly stated how much she did want to know.

"Fine. You spin a bottle and you have to kiss whoever it points to. On the cheek, of course." She added quickly, noticing the excitement that flashed through her teal eyes. She pouted, and nodded. "Sounds good. Let's play!" She turned to the rest of them and explained the game.

Sophie noticed as a hint of dread appeared on Linh. Keefe smirked, and shot Sophie a wink, which she replied to with a threatening glare. Marella looked excited, she was barely containing it all. Fitz was hard to read, he looked ready to jump out the window if it meant he wouldn't have to do it, but at the same time his teal eyes blazed with a fire Sophie couldn't figure out. Dex was watching her expectantly, as if he expected her to laugh and assure him it was all a joke. Tam, Sophie noticed, was acting bored, though his straight face looked a bit forced. Biana's eyes shined with a similar fire to Fitz, though it was much more visible.

"I'll go first!" She grabbed an empty elixir bottle and placed it in the middle, before spinning it. It landed on Sophie, and she leaned over and landed a friendly peck on her cheek. She passed the bottle to Keefe, who spun it with all his might. It landed on Linh, and he sighed, quickly gave her a peck. Tam shot him a glare and Linh turned red. Fitz spun it and it landed on Biana. With a hearty sighed, she kissed her cheek. Biana gave an exaggerated sigh and made a big show of wiping her cheek. Sophie stifled a giggle, and watched as Tam spun the bottle. It landed on Keefe, and he freaked.

"NO WAY I'M KISSING HIM!" Tam declared, backing up and tumbling into Linh, who giggled and pushed him forward. Keefe looked just as torn.

"Can we just... skip him? Yeah, sounds like a great plan, lets skip this" Fitz snickered and shook his head. "Nope. You've gotta do this, Keefe."

Tam had lost his cool mask and was absolutely horrified, shaking his head. With his new blond hair, he looked especially berserk. Sophie felt a pang of pity and decided to let it go. "Fine, Linh can go now."

Biana sighed dramatically, but didn't protest. "You ruin all the fun, Sophie." Fitz and Linh gave her a disappointed look. Keefe looked so relieved, Sophie almost wanted to take it back so he would suffer for what he said earlier.

Linh spun the bottle and it landed on Marella. She gave her a quick peck and Marella took a turn. It landed on Fitz and Marella looked like she might explode from happiness, though she was obviously trying to hide it. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and sat back down. A wave of envy hit her and she noticed Keefe was giving her an amused look. She turned pink and desperately tried to squash it down. Dex spun it and it landed on Fitz, and they both groaned. He quickly pecked him and handed the bottle over to Sophie. She closed her eyes in a quick prayer and spun the bottle. For a dreadful moment, it looked like it was about to land on Keefe. Then it gave an unexpected sudden burst of strength and landed on Linh. She sighed in relief and quickly kissed her cheek.

Biana frowned at the bottle, as if seeing something no one else could. She sucked in a sharp breath and directed a glare at Fitz. "It was you, wasn't it?"

Sophie had no idea what she was talking about, but Fitz seemed to have gotten a clue. "What?" He asked, avoiding her gaze. "You moved the bottle to Linh, didn't you? Don't even try to lie."

Understanding finally dawned and she gave Fitz a curious look. He turned to her and smiled, shrugging "Had to save my cognate." Keefe scowled, mumbling something under his breath. Sophie thought she had caught the word 'jealous', but wasn't sure. Dex yawned, finally breaking the silence.

"Don't know about you guys, but I'm cooked. Its a big day tomorrow, we should be heading off to sleep." Sophie nodded, slipping into her sleeping bag and closing the lights.

It had been weird, but fun, the sleepover. It had kept their minds off the horrors to come, so it was good. Her eyes dropped, and she dozed off to the sound of soft snores and quiet murmurs. She would deal with her worries tomorrow, when they mattered. Right now, she just wanted to sleep.

END OF CHAPTER 1