Because There Is a Future

Chapter Nineteen

"I thought Veta was kidding when she said you had a habit of getting hurt, but apparently not." Eve said. Sophie ripped her eyes open. She was in a white - completely white - room with only a bed and chair which Eve was sitting in.

"What happened?" Sophie croaked. 

"That I'm not exactly sure about." Eve confessed. "Veta rushed in the room carrying you, saying something went wrong in the ability triggering."

Maybe Sophie didn't have any ability here after all. She didn't know if she was glad or disappointed. "Where is Veta?"

"I don't know. Somewhere." Eve shrugged. 

"What are you doing here?" Sophie immediately wanted to take it back because it sounded rude, but she didn't want everyone to see her in a bad state. Eve laughed. 

"I work here." She told her. "I don't look like a physician, but I am."

Before Sophie could say anything about it, the door opened and Veta walked in. 

"Good, you're awake." She hesitated. "What happened?"

Sophie rolled her eyes, trying to sit up. But it seemed like tiny people were hammering in her brain. She groaned, clutching her head. 

Veta sighed, sitting on the edge of Sophie's bed. "Headaches are side effects of the ability triggering, so don't worry about it. Evexanda, give her an elixir. The real question is, did you trigger an ability."

Eve handed Sophie an elixir and she gulped it down in one huge swallow. "How am I to know?"

Veta rubbed her temples. "Usually, people would start getting... urges. Compellers would want to talk, or demand. Shapeshifters would feel something in their veins. And Foreseers will start getting sudden visions of the future. But you'll get the hang of it to only see the future when you want to. Does any of these matches to how you're feeling currently?"

Sophie shook her head no. "My head hurts, but that's it."

Veta frowned. Wasn't it obvious? Sophie didn't have an ability. There. It was as simple as that. 

"Telepathically call me when you're better." Veta tapped the side of her head and walked away. It was creepy, no kidding, how she knew everything about Sophie. 

"So, tell me about the Lost Cities." Eve asked. "Like, how was life there? Did you have any boyfriends?"

Sophie rolled her eyes, smiling. And she found herself telling Eve everything, from when Fitz found her to when she left. She only left out the key parts of the fight with the Neverseen, but said she did the inevitable there. 

"You had all these wonderful guys and didn't date any of them?" Was Eve's first comment after everything. Sophie raised her eyebrow and shrugged. 

"Oh my gosh, I can't believe it." Eve sputtered. "And those Council people are jerks. They kicked you out because you did the inevitable? That's messed up."

It was the unforgivable, really. She should have thought of a plan. She should've. But she didn't. She was a jerk. 

"Hey, none of the unsure looks." Eve leaned in close to Sophie. "I don't know what you did, but it wasn't your fault. Okay? Tell yourself that. You can't keep doubting yourself. What's done is done, so now, what you have to ask yourself is, what can you do from it?"

Sophie took in a deep breath, releasing it slowly. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right."

Eve smiled. Then her eyes found the clock. "Shoot. Sorry Sophie, but I gotta run."