Moonlark Turned Evil

58: A Date With Time

Hi, hi

Sorry I'm late

Points to whoever points out all of the Bungo Stray Dogs references in this chapter... *cackles* good luck, because there are a lot. I think.

Uhhh Hamilton fans assemble, I guess!

See y'all next week

*bows*

PS. I'm going to post a video on my instagram (the link is on my profile) about the behind the scenes for this chapter. It's literally just a little one minute clip about absolutely nothing soooooo

Let me stop embarrassing myself lol

Byeeeee

October was coming, and the cold was beginning to sweep in.

Not the unbearable type of cold, though. It was more like soft kisses on the underside of collars as the wind swept past, or the faint chilling of floorboards. Autumn leaves beginning to show themselves, painting the cobblestone pathways of Inia bright gold and red and yellow. The rustling of paper, the smell of coffee wafting through the air, gradually shortening days.

Sophie woke up to a morning where the white curtains at her window drifted aimlessly in a light breeze, generated by the mechanisms in Inia that performed small tasks to make its inhabitants feel like they weren't living above the clouds. Sunlight sifted through the glass, landing on her pillow and casting little glowing lines across her room.

In just three months, she would be fourteen. One more after that, and it would be two years since she arrived in the Lost Cities as Sophie Foster, the Moonlark. A twelve year old girl, still trying to believe in the person who raised—

Sophie snapped upright, cutting off the train of thought just as abruptly. Setting her lips in a firm line, she pushed back the blankets and hopped out of bed. She changed quickly and tied her hair up. Beside her bed was her sword, which she grabbed before making her way towards the door.

"What are you doing?" a high-pitched voice snapped.

Sophie whirled around, unsheathing the blade. "Who's there?" she said, scanning the room.

She hadn't heard anyone come in, so how . . .

Her eyes fell on the mirror, and the girl in the corner, who was scowling with her arms crossed.

"What do you think you're doing with that weapon?" the girl said, tossing her black hair over her shoulder. She immediately crossed her arms again, like that was her default position.

"Oh, a spectra mirror," Sophie said, stowing the sword away again. "Sorry."

"Spectral mirror!" the girl cried, aghast. "How dare you! I have a name, you know! Vertina!"

Sophie apologized again before she introduced herself. "Hi, Vertina. I'm Sophie. How did you get in here?"

Vertina huffed, but she accepted the words nonetheless. "Edaline brought me with her when she moved out of Havenfield, and I've been staying in her room. I got bored, though, because she's rarely ever in there. So I decided to move here."

"You can do that?" Sophie asked.

"Of course I can!" Vertina grinned smugly. "I can transport myself into any mirror I want. Wait, is that an imp?"

Sophie turned to see Iggy farting on her pillow, and groaned. "Unfortunately. He's cute, but he stinks."

"He can hear you," Vertina said.