Hi, everyone! This is my first fanfiction on this fandom. It's from Amy's POV and her experience being Sophie's sister, keeping the secret of the Lost Cities, and basically lying to her parents every day. I hope you like it!
Chapter One (After Nightfall)[]
"Mom? Dad?" I peek inside my new home and start towards the slowly waking forms of my parents. "Are you okay?"
"N-Natalie?" Mom blinks as she regained consciousness. "What happened?"
"Car accident," I say gently. "We swerved, and there was a driver, and..."
Mom takes my hands in hers. "Oh, honey. I'm sorry. I wasn't there for you. It must have been really hard."
"I know." I lower my head and retract my hands - the picture of disappointment and sadness. "But the point is that we got through it together. And we'll get through it together too."
Dad raises his head. "Natalie? Kate? Is that you?"
"Dad!" I rush over to him, a happiness rushing through my veins at the sight of him. Not a scratch on him. Those elvin healers are really something. "You're alright!"
"Why wouldn't I..." Dad gasps as the memories seem to hit him. "Oh no...the car accident. Natalie! Kate! Do you - "
"We're okay, Dad," I say. "Well, as okay as we can be. The physicians - I mean, the ones in the hospital - they are excellent. They treated us really well, but they gave you and Mom something to help you sleep after such a traumatic experience. Guess it really knocked you out."
"How much did we miss?" Mom asks, propping herself onto the nearest armchairs using her elbows.
"Not much. Watson and Marty are completely fine and waiting." I smirk and hold up one hand as a gesture for them to wait. Then I peek outside and beckon to the cat and dog for them to come inside.
Mom laughs as Watson tackles her with a big sloppy kiss. "Gentle, Watson, gently," she scolds, but she's smiling.
Dad yelps as Marty, purring, slinks over and rubs himself onto Dad's legs. Various pieces of lint and other unidentified objects pour out of his fluffy gray fur.
"That cat," Dad grumbles, sounding so much like Grady that I giggle.
Mom takes my hand again. "You're really alright, Natalie? You weren't injured?"
"Not even a bruise," I assure her. Mom looks mostly satisfied, and grips my arms tightly.
"Natalie, we were so worried for you," she says softly. "Don't scare us like that again, picking your way out of the car's wreckage and running away. I know it was to get help, but..."
"I know, Mom," I tell her. "I was just...scared. It wasn't an experience I'd like to relieve again."
"Me neither," Mom murmurs, and it's both heartbreaking and relieving that she doesn't seem to remember anything about Sophie or the Neverseen kidnapping her and Dad.
I think of Sophie and slip one hand into my pocket, feeling the coolness of the silver Imparter. Mr. Forkle promised that he'd check in occasionally, and he'd better. I'm expecting it.
"Sweetheart?" Mom asks, drawing me out of my thoughts. "Want to get a bite to eat?"
"Oh, definitely," I answer, smiling. "I'm starving."
As I help them to the kitchen, a new thought crosses my mind. One that nearly makes me stop straight in my tracks, but I manage a weak smile and carry on.
I can't wait to see Sophie again. But I don't know if I ever will.
And that's what scares me the most.
Chapter Two (During Flashback)[]
"Natalie Freeman," Mr. Forkle says through the Imparter, using my fake name.
I try not to flinch. "Um...hi, Mr. Forkle. How's Sophie doing?"
"Completely fine," Mr. Forkle says in a tone that suggests that she is not completely fine. I want to press for details, but Mr. Forkle interrupts me. "Now. How are you doing?"
"Good," I say. "Mom and Dad don't seem to remember anything. I ask them all of the time."
"Well, our time is short," Mr. Forkle says. " Have you revealed anything that may lead them to Sophie's existence or the Lost Cities?"
"No," I have to admit. It's for the better. "They believe that they were caught in a car accident and very nearly died. They know I stayed with friends, and I told them that I'd call them today to thank them. That's you." I grin, and Mr. Forkle frowns.
"You must not make this a joke. But..." he heaves a small sigh. "Miss Foster and her friends are going through some...difficult times. She and Fitz have been injured and are on the road to recovery, though it is a hard one. Once Miss Foster has fully" - he hesitates - "recuperated, I plan on bringing her and Mr. Dizznee to Tinker, the Black Swan's Technopath. Hopefully Tinker will make something that could block her Enchancing better than elvin gloves."
I sigh. I tried on those gloves in the Lost Cities, and they felt a lot better than the ones back here at home.
Home. What a ever-changing word.
"Why are you telling me all of this personal stuff?" I ask, almost afraid to. I have nothing to fear, I remind myself. This is the elf that created Sophie, after all.
I don't like the word created being used in that sentence. Sophie's my sister - maybe not by blood, but we can still be friends. Two from two worlds. And that's okay, for now.
"I want you to know," Mr. Forkle says, surprising me out of my thoughts. "Miss Foster is still your sister, if not by relation," he adds, and I wonder if he'd heard my thoughts.
"But she values your friendship very much," Mr. Forkle continues. "She doesn't often say it, but she loves you. She misses you, and I know she never wanted this."
I blink back my tears. "Tell her I love her, too."
"It will be my top priority," Mr. Forkle assures me. "Now, I expect that your parents will be coming back soon from wherever you've convinced them to go. I will check with you sometime later this month." He clicks away, and I slip my Imparter into my hidden spot just under my wardrobe.
For a while, I lay on my bed, thinking. I cross my arms behind my head and smile up at the gold-and-brown decorated ceiling - my reminder of Sophie.
I'll always love you, older sister.
I can imagine her reply, a slow smile curving her lips as she replies, I love you too, Amy.
Chapter Three[]
Mom bustles past me to the kitchen, her arms full of plates. Dad piles another dirty dish full of uneaten pizza onto the heap, and Mom shoots him a glare as she gently tosses the plates into the sink.
"Mom! Dad! I'm going to go do homework," I yell, sprinting up the stairs before Mom can saddle me with washing the dishes.
Mom gives me a barely perceptible nod before calling to Dad. "Connor, you're on dish duty!"
I can hear my dad groan.
I race upstairs to my room and slam the door shut, twist the lock, and reach under my wardrobe to bring out my Imparter.
"Show me Mr. Forkle," I gasp as soon as I have my hands on the Imparter.
The elf's face appears immediately. "Miss Freeman. What is it?"
I don't bother to tell him to call me Amy. "You have to tell the Council right away."
Mr. Forkle frowns with concern. "Is it serious?"
I don't stop to be sarcastic, pushing a strand of brown hair behind my ear before I say slowly, "We saw the Neverseen."
Chapter Four (During Flashback)[]
Everything is a blur.
Mr. Forkle leaves me instructions, and a few hours later, goblin bodyguards tromp into the yard. When they see me, they nod then take obscurers from pockets of a slinky black bodysuit and vanish from sight.
I shudder and slip back into our house.
Mom and Dad clearly know something's up, even if they're unaware of the Neverseen's presence and the Lost Cities. They ask me numerous times if I'm okay, and by the fifth time, I just have to go to my room, curl up on my bed, and wish Sophie was here.
I slide off my bed; I'm not going to help anyone by laying around.
I print out posters of my new favorite boy band and paste them around my room like I had before, but I'm too worried and distracted to be really involved in the process. My fingers shake as I pin the last poster to the wall, then I collapse onto my bed and stare up at the brown-gold ceiling.
I wish I could've stayed with Sophie. With my sister. With Quinlin and Livvy. With all of Sophie's friends. With the Lost Cities.
This is the price I pay for lying to my family, I think shamefully as I comb out my curly brown hair into a ponytail. Being stuck with knowledge that some would kill to get. But it's worth it.
My mind flashes back to Sophie.
I hope she's okay.
Forkle clearly wasn't very open on sharing what my sister's up to, but next time he comes on I'll drag the truth out of him. I imagine a mental bashing and a small smile grows on my face.
About thirty minutes later, when I'm so over staring at my pictures of the boy band, the door opens and Mom comes in with a platter of cookies and milk.
"Mom! Give me everything!" I cry, slipping off of my bed and scrambling to grab a cookie. It's peanut butter M&M flavor, I notice. Dad won't like that. He doesn't like peanut butter.
Mom smirks and hands me a cup of milk. "Natalie, dear, you aren't going to help anyone by eating all of the cookies. Believe it or not, we adults can get hungry, too." She puts a hand on her heart dramatically.
I take the plate from her and place it on my bed, then sit next to it. "You clearly didn't come to give me cookies, though. So spill the tea! What is it?"
Mom sighs. I pat the spot on my bed next to me, and she plops down.
"Nat, I don't mean to alarm you. But...Dad and I just saw a person with a dark cloak, with a white eye symbol on their sleeve. It could be just someone who's cold, but..." she shudders. "I just want you to be careful, Natalie, and tell me or Dad if you ever see them."
"I will, Mom, don't worry," I say, squeezing her hand, giving her the reassurance that she needs.
But for a while, I lay awake, afraid, after she leaves, my fears spinning out of control in the darkness.
I know the Neverseen will come. And they'll try to tear my family apart.
So how do I stop it?
Chapter Five (During the beginning of Legacy)[]
I hope Sophie's been doing okay.
It's been weeks and weeks since I last saw her. Probably a month or so, maybe. I've lost count.
But all I know is that I want to meet her again.
"Amy Rose Foster," I say to myself in the mirror.
My reflection just stares back.
"Natalie Josephine Freeman," I add.
In my reflection, my lips move and my eyes blink, but it feels really just like a frozen version of myself.
My mom pokes her head into my room. "Natalie, dear, your father's gone to the market. He probably won't be able to make it to the pool today, so we're canceling the reservation. Just wanted to let you know."
"Okay." I smile at my mom.
But when she leaves, my smile frozen on my lips, I feel a deep twist of unrest. Natalie is the name that the mother I've always known calls me. Amy is the name that the sister who left me once against her calls me. One means beloved. The other one is meaningless - an alias. A fake.
I'm a fake.
I don't belong in both worlds.
I flinch when I hear footsteps, but it's just Mom again, here for the laundry. I'm about to head downstairs when I see them.
The goblin bodyguards. Now visible. But they're flat on their back - bruised, bloody. None of them are moving.
I gasp, a hand flying to my mouth. No one has said anything yet, but I catch a glimpse of a white eye, fluttering into black, fading out of sight.
The Neverseen have made their first call.
Chapter Six (During the Beginning of Legacy)[]
"Show me Mr. Forkle."
As soon as the words leave my lips, I want to take them back, but I don't. I sit there and wait.
His bloated, wrinkled face immediately appears on my screen. "Miss Freeman! How are you - "
"This is no time for pleasantries," I snap. "The Neverseen almost got in."
All of the blood drains from his face. "How?"
"Well...not went inside, per se. But I think they might have...killed...the goblins."
I have to force the words out behind the knives closing around my throat.
He blinks, motionless for a second, then rubs his forehead worriedly. "That's...different."
"No condolences? No are-you-fines? Not a shred of sympathy?" I retort angrily, my patience spent. "What if the Neverseen had gotten into our house? What if they'd grabbed Mom and Dad?"
"All this means is that we have to relocate you once more," Mr. Forkle says gently.
"No. We need to find whatever they're using to track us before it turns into another Nightfall."
Mr. Forkle visibly pales. "That's not an experience I want to live again. But if so, then what do you plan to do?"
"Find the tracker," I say simply.
He waits for me to elaborate but I don't.
Mr. Forkle finally sighs and swipes a hand down his face. "Then you'll need some reveldust. We'll send some over tomorrow - you can't miss it. Just look for the lights."
I feel stupid, like I'm Wendy Darling getting a house call from Peter Pan. But I nod and smile and click off the Imparter. But my smile fades as soon as Mr. Forkle can't see.
How am I going to do this?
Chapter Seven[]
I stare down at the dust in my hands. Wondering how I'm going to do this.
Will I fail?
I shake off the thought.
I can't. I won't. I need to succeed.
For Mom. Dad. Sophie.
I hesitate one more moment. Then I blow out a breath and sift my fingers through the reveldust.
"For my family," I murmur. "It's for a good cause."
Then I spread the reveldust around my room, coating it in a ghostly glow.
___
Negative.
Nothing.
I have to test Mom and Dad now.
My hands shake as I make my way to their bedrooms. What if they catch me? Will they remember the Lost Cities?
Damel said every memory they had of Sophie disappeared. Just like that.
Trust him.
I let my fingers fling free, and the reveldust flies from my hand to rest on the bed, the sheets, the nightstand, the wardrobe, everything -
No.
Nothing.
Negative.
But I realize my fingers are glowing red.
Whathaveyoutouchedwhathaveyoutouchedwhathaveyoutouched?
I frantically search my pockets.
No.
Nothing.
Nada.
Where's the tracker?
Why are they tracking me?
How can I fix this?