Renegades: KotLC

Project Elysian- 24

Author's Note- recklessly publishing this w/out editing cuz i need to get it out
 ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

"This... is... home...?"

A large white building with colorful gardens and two stories stood before the group. Sophie couldn't get past the overwhelming size. It seemed far too luxurious to be a normal house, though maybe that's just because she'd been living in a run-down apartment for the past few months. She was used to cheap and simple, so this was definitely something to get used to. 

"Key's under the mat," Evander told Kenna, who was already climbing the porch steps. There was a couch swing to the left, surrounded by potted plants, and a welcome mat with "welcome" written in loopy, black letters. Sophie felt for her locket as she followed Kenna into the house. Smooth wood made up the first floor; soft, off-white carpet covering the stairs and second floor. 

"I CALL THE BIGGEST ROOM!" Koen was the third inside, racing up the stairs and towards the rooms. 

"Jokes on him." Evander laughed. "That room's mine. I'll kick him out later though." 

Sophie elbowed him. "Bit evil to get his hopes up like that, isn't it?" 

Hands in pockets, he shrugged. "I'm evil, so he'll just have to deal. But anyway, let me show you your room." 

"You mean you planned out all the rooms already?" Sophie didn't mind, though she knew Koen would be further disappointed. 

"I needed time to decorate the place---er, have Mr. Anwir decorate the rooms according to my descriptions. Except for your room. I needed it to be perfec.t Anyway, with our new job, I knew we wouldn't have lots of time to decorate the place ourselves, so I had him do it for us so we could feel at home quicker. It'll be easier this way." 

"Can't argue with that, I guess," Sophie agreed. "Koen won't be too happy about that though. Kenna, either." 

Evander took her hand, leading her upstairs. "They'll live. Besides, I wanted our rooms to be next to each others'. You sleep across from me. C'mon, I'll show you your room!" Sophie glanced to her side, a frown sneaking onto her face as she pictured the state of her wound. That walk had done more damage than good for her health. 

"Please?" 

His puppy-like expression, big eyes and a pure grin convinced her. That, and the tone of his voice. The excitement in his voice had rubbed off on her, and she couldn't help but share his excitement as he led her to up the stairs and to the right where three doors were. One on the left, on to the right, and one in the middle. 

"My room," he gestured to the left. "Bathroom's the middle and yours is the right door. Don't forget." 

"I won't," Sophie promised. She wouldn't even need to use her photographic memory. 

"THERE'S A POOL?!?" Koen's voice echoed throughout the house, followed by a faint splash coming from somewhere downstairs. 

Sophie glanced behind her, pointlessly, as there was no way to view the pool from her angle. Evander reeled her back into the conversation. "Sophie, look inside." Once again, his tone won her over and she turned the knob to reveal---

Tears. Uncontrollable, endless tears poured from her eyes, and no amount of blinking could stop them as a thousand yellow butterflies danced inside her and the sun inside her left a tingling warmth inside.

Her hands tugged at her hair as she looked from Evander to the bedroom. "How did you---Evander, what---it's not possible." She chuckled in disbelief, stepping further into the room.

A bed similar to Sophie's old bed, the one she'd had when she was twelve, sat in the center of the furthest wall, a bookshelf lined beside it while her carpet's pattern was that of petals and flowers. Together, it was a mix of both her Havenfield bedroom and human bedroom. How Evander had pulled that off, she didn't know. Nor did she care. A combination of both her favorite homes in one was something both familiar and new. 

"Do you like it?" 

Sophie laughed, spinning to face him as tears continued to helplessly fall. "Are you kidding me right now? This is amazing! How in the Heks did you pull this off? What---why---" She pulled him into a hug, letting all failed attempts of questioning him roll off her tongue. "Thank you." She squeezed him tighter, and he, after a moment, hugged her back. His grip was weak, though Sophie couldn't care less. 

"It's amazing." She paused. "You're amazing." 

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"Finally!" Elysia stormed into the living room just as Amy had entered. "Where in the he---"

"Shuddup!" Amy pushed past the stubborn bug and into the nearest bedroom. 

"GET OUTTA MY ROOM, STUPID B---," Elysia snapped. 

"I SAID 'SHUDDUP'!" Amy's voice bounced off the crystal walls, leaving Elysia speechless. Amy's rage dissolved into an cheerful smile instantly. "Thank you. Now, if we're living together, we gotta set some ground rules. 'Kay? 'Kay. One: I don't tolerate language. Two: I don't tolerate privacy invasion---that means stay away from my new room. Three: no more yelling. Oh, and don't think I'm stuck her with you. You're stuck with me, and just a heads up, you're life's going to be a living hell until my sister's safe again."

"Wha---" 

"Oh, also I'm gonna permanently borrow your room for a bit. Thanks!" Amy grinned as Elysia stood speechless in the living room. She'd help the brat move tomorrow. For now, she settled into Elysia's queen-sized bed and laughed to herself. She was in control, and with Dex's plan now set in motion, things would only get better for her. Sophie would be safe soon. She could feel it. 

Well, she could feel something. Amy shifted in the covers. Once, twice...53 times. Maybe. Amy wasn't the best at math. The fact still remained, however, that something was wrong with Elysia's bed, and as she untangled herself from the sheets, she found a weird-looking glass sphere tucked under the pillow. 

She picked it up. "A crystal ball... She's a fortune teller!" Amy wasn't stupid, and she knew very well that that wasn't the case, though it was a funny thought. Still, she was curious to know what a crystal ball was doing in Elysia's possession, even more concerning was why it was hidden beneath her pillow. Most concerning of all, though, was the fact that Elysia thought her pillow was a sufficient hiding spot for the important-looking thingy. 

Amy crawled out of the bed, annoying Elysia no longer as important. She'd have to ask Fitz about the ball later. Making mental note of that, she continued to search Elysia's closet, her drawers, and anywhere else that might make a decent hiding space for secret items. Amy made sure to check even the worst of hiding spots, as it seemed the brat had a tendency to suck at that sort of thing.

Amy fell onto her back, defeated. She'd scattered clothing across the floor, papers on the bed, and bedding on the desks. Everything was a mess, and without the common elven telekinesis to help pick everything up, Amy was dreading the cleaning she'd have to do. Elysia would definitely realize she'd been looking for something, and she'd probably hide her secrets in a place much more difficult to acc---

Amy perked as something caught her eye. Hidden amongst the glittering silver crystals that made up the chandelier above her, Amy spotted a black book with a strange white symbol etched onto the cover. Suddenly, the mess surrounding her didn't matter and she dragged the desk's chair through the junk until it was dead center in the room, right beneath the crystals. 

It took three books, a pillow, and her tippiest toes to reach the high ceiling. She tapped at the book, bumping it loose from its perch until the symbol was fully visible. Amy's breath left her as she saw the symbol; she'd seen it many times before. Amy grunted, straining herself until she had firm hold of the book, which was clearly a journal now that she had a better view. 

"Aha." Amy grinned as she climbed down from the homemade ladder, hand petting the leather, midnight cover. The white symbol wasn't just printed onto the cover, but sewn with white thread. How Elysia had managed that, Amy had no idea. It was a neat trick, though. She'd give the girl that at least. 

Opening the journal, she flipped to the first page. Written in loopy cursive, was the the text: 

꧁༺ 𝓟𝓻𝓸𝓳𝓮𝓬𝓽 𝓔𝓵𝔂𝓼𝓲𝓪𝓷 ༻꧂