𝓟𝐫𝗼𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝓢𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐞

Chapter #36 - Sophie

Chapter #36 - Sophie

Awkwardly crossing her legs on the floor of her room, Sophie examined the group she invited.

She'd chosen all the friends she could undoubtedly trust— Fitz, Biana, Dex, Tam, Linh, Wylie, Marella, Maruca, and Stina. Though the last one was mostly for the sake of Team Valiant— and that she was the only real option for an Empath. But Sophie was pretending not to consider the Empath she wished was there, since it would be thinking about Keefe and...

That brought up too many conflicting emotions at the moment.

So it was back to the "Don't think about Keefe"s.

Which was going to be hard, with his miserable face clearly there on the spyball. Right in front of her. With everyone staring at it.

"So, are we all here to make a plan to stop... that?" asked Wylie nervously, breaking the odd silence. Biana and Dex hadn't even taken it on themselves to tease Stina about the new hairspray, one Sophie was sure aliens from space could smell.

Sophie tried to channel authority, "We are." Paused. "But we're gonna do things a bit differently." She proceeded to explain the newest developments, as well as Mr. Forkle's idea— which was vaguer than she remembered.

Was that really the only plan they had?

No, she thought, it has to be enough. And not like at Loamnore, a well-at-least-they-survived victory. A real one.

The alternative would be too hard to bear.

"I think that's really smart," Linh said, absentmindedly condensing the water in the air into various shapes. But her gaze slowly shifted to become more determined, "If we go to stop the army while they're near a body of water, I might be able to use that as an advantage."

"But so could any of the humans who are Hydrokinetics," Tam argued, though Sophie wondered if he was really just worried about his sister.

Marella tossed her braids, "Then you have me. And I know— I know you said there was a Pyrokinetic there too. Yet there aren't any Pyrokinetics and Hydrokinetics who have been training together, right?"

She and Linh exchanged grins, as if they had something in mind.

"Good point." It occured to Sophie that she had so many friends she hadn't talked to in forever. With everything going on, it wasn't like she was purposely neglecting them, but it still stung. "Any distractions we can make with our abilities will be great," she said, "But... that also won't permanently stop anything. So... we need a way to actually end Gisela's control of them."

The room fizzled to silence once again.

Aaaaand, they were back at square one.

This was the thing they just couldn't seem to figure out!

"Well... you could inflict on her," Biana offered, "That would only stop things temporarily, though. Keefe would still have his ability and Gisela would wake up eventually." They sighed, and Sophie tried as hard as she could not to let Keefe's name pull her mind astray again.

She turned towards the spyball, hoping for— and knowing she wouldn't get— a spark on inspiration. She gasped when she saw where they were, the famous zoo in the distance being a dead giveaway.

San Diego.

Where she used to live when she lived with humans.

Which immediately made Sophie's mind go to the other thing she'd been trying not to think about. The fact that her sister was right there, a part of the army. Amy— annoying, sweet, innocent Amy— as what seemed to be a Froster, being commanded as an emotionless robot.

There were no words.

There had to be a way she could've seen it coming. Why had Sophie made Amy grab onto Keefe back in Cambridge? If she hadn't, then maybe Amy wouldn't have...

"Sophie? Did you hear what I said?"

No. She could not afford to go down the rabbit hole of guilt.

She turned to Dex, "No. Sorry. What were you saying?"

"I might actually have an idea," he stated, looking slightly proud. "I was hesitant to mention it, since it's still in the prototype stages, but Tinker's been working on this gadget. Basically, it would make you able to enhance select peoples' abilities without physical contact. Sort of like a radio broadcast— you send out bursts of enhancing, and those tuned into the frequency can pick them up. If it works..." Dex bit his lip. "Well, I'm not actually sure. But if all of us can be enhanced at once— that's gotta help with something, right?"

She nodded emphatically. Something about her Enhancer ability gave Sophie a vague idea— though she couldn't quite pinpoint it.

All of a sudden, there was a knock on the door of the room. Iggy scurried aside as she opened it up.

"Have you forgotten we were here?" inquired Sandor. When Sophie had invited all her friends, she'd told all the bodyguards— whom she was pretty sure were trustworthy, but you could never be too sure— to stay right outside.

Sandor clearly took it very literally, as he stood only inches away from the doorframe.

"I did, sorry. Is—"

Sandor put out a gray hand in the universal stop signal, right as Sophie took a brief glance back at the spyball. Still in San Diego. "Don't worry, Miss Foster— I have no intention of eavesdropping. But I also know that whatever you all are planning, us bodyguards agree we should go with you."

Sophie opened her mouth to argue, then shut it.

The less time they wasted, the better.

And having other species to help weaken the army would be a good thing, wouldn't it?

She instinctively peered at the spyball again— but this time almost fainted when she saw where they were.

Her human neighborhood.

And sure, Sophie's parents didn't live there anymore, but she felt a newfound surge of protectiveness and urgency.

That was her home.

The Neverseen had no business taking people from there.

She clenched her fists.

No.

Business.

The room began to spin, making the next few seconds a blur. Then suddenly, Sophie was on her feet, the only thing in her hands being the spyball. All her surroundings felt like they were melting away; leaving one, overpowering goal. Almost as if she was being controlled— but not by a Mesmer, nor any sort of gadget.

By her motivation.

To protect her home. To protect her sister. To protect Keefe. That boy... that boy who liked her.

Even if Sophie had been too blind to see it.

Her head was still confused about that, but her heart knew where things stood.

And— before she knew it— she was running across the glimmering hall at her top speed, faster, faster, faster. She imagined her human neighborhood, everything from the houses to the mowed lawns to the initials of her family, still engraved into that pavement. Then she dropped into the void.

Teleporting towards the most reckless decision of her life.