Risk of Fates (KotLC fanfic)

Chapter Forty-Nine

Bright lights swarmed Sophie's vision. Everything was blinking in and out of sight. She could vaguely feel herself being carried somewhere. Why was she being carried? Did something happen? Did she nearly die again?

I told you that you should've let me come with. A familiar accented voice said in her mind. 

Come with where? She thought to herself as everything faded out once again.

~~~

Lights. Colors. All of it was nothing in the grand scheme of things. Just a trick of eyes. That's all that Sophie saw and it wasn't even real. Not for an eternity

~~~

A boy and a girl were running. Sophie couldn't get a clear view of either but the boy looked like a young Keefe, and the girl looked like an even younger Marella. The girl tripped and the boy rushed to pick her up. The girl thanked him. He told her he would always be there for her, always protect her. 

It was all a trick. A sick trick that Sophie's brain was pulling on her, telling her that she would never have that type of love. Rubbing it in. No one could ever protect her. And she couldn't protect anyone. All she did was bring her friends and family into danger.

~~~

A piercing screech pulled Sophie from the depths of her mind and forced her eyes open. The bright lights of the healing center temporarily blinded her as she blinked away the sleep. When she finally did, she took in her surroundings. 

Elwin was running like a madman, stumbling into cots and Bullhorn, who was also running around and screeching. Sophie was in her usual cot, Linh beside her, Sandor across, and Ro next to him. And their three unconscious bodies had one thing in common: their veins were sticking out in a bright white color. She noticed that her veins were the same. 

The door burst open with a bang. Wylie came rushing in with a sweaty forehead and worried look covering his face. 

"Elwin," He panted, "everyone out there wants to know if they're okay, especially the humans. They don't understand what's going on." His deep blue eyes scanned the room until they locked with Sophie's. He rushed to her side.

"Hey, are you okay? What do you remember?" Elwin turned around in confusion, wondering who Wylie was talking to until he saw Sophie and copied the young flasher's movements.

"What," she paused to clear her cracking throat. "What happened?"

Elwin sighed. "We were hoping you could tell us. Do you remember anything after leaving? Like why your veins are white or why Edaline isn't here?" 

After hearing her mom's name, everything rushed back to her. Edaline. Her mom. Dead. Instead of the normal stages of grief she would be going through, a numbness settled over her. She could hardly hear a thing, not even guilt as she explained it all to Elwin. Every last detail. She could almost see the amount of pity radiating off of him. 

As the two flashers discussed what to do, she laid back down. She couldn't focus. Could hardly breathe. Not as Wylie and Elwin did some weird flasher trick. Not as they cleared her to go but made the others—who were still asleep—stay. Not as her friends wrapped her in a hug when she stepped out. Keefe knew. He could feel the numbness. But he just kept quiet and gave her an extra big, extra long, hug. 

Sophie just wanted to go home, that's what she told Grady. So he took her and the humans and lightleaped them back. Everything was silent, like the whole world knew what happened, yet her friends and Grady didn't. And it got worse. 

When Sophie stepped through the door, her mom was there. On the ground. Dead. She couldn't help but feel glad to have the body until she remembered that elves didn't do burials. Still, it was nice to see her gentle smile one more time. She was at peace.

Grady was obviously shocked, and he definitely wasn't glad. Sophie could hear smashing glass as she sunk onto the couch. She felt someone sit beside her. A warm hand rested on her shoulder.

"Soph." Bella's gentle voice started. "I know that this must be hard. And I don't want to be heartless, but what if it's a fake? Like Will Byers? I mean, your mom is a pretty powerful bargaining chip, why kill her?"

It made sense. The Neverseen were heartless, but they wouldn't kill Edaline. Not when they could use her to get to the Moonlark.

"So, you're saying we should give her an autopsy?" She waited for the nod of confirmation before standing up. "Never thought I was gonna be Hopper, but if that's how it goes..."

She felt heartless. Everything that happened was hardly phasing her. She was about to cut her mom open! Shouldn't there have been more hesitance when she drew the knife? But there was none.

So, she split her open.

A/N: Dun dun dunnnnnn. Hope you guys liked the chapter, there isn't much to it but still. See you guys later, stay safe, don't go into alleyways alone, bye!

-V

QotD: Win the lottery or have your dream job?