New World

Chapter Fifteen

Savi didn't want to.

But this was her one chance to finally mean something. To finally prove that she was better than everyone said. She was pretty sure people only so much as glanced in her direction because she was Sophie and Keefe's daughter. She wanted to be valued. She was an Empath, Inflictor and Telepath, surely that meant something. Sure, most people didn't even know she was an Empath, but... still.

She really wanted to, though. She really wanted to be a Mesmer.

But her only answer was, "Not until you teach me how to conceal my emotions. It doesn't matter if I'm a Mesmer, Keefe will see right through me."

"Not Dad," Lady Gisela noted.

Savi scoffed but didn't reply.

"Fine, then," Lady Gisela said. "I had to practice very hard to master this, but it'll be easier for you, since you're an Empath. However, I can't make you spend too much time away from home and school, especially since I need you to go back. Head back now, make up a plausible excuse-"

"You do realize I'm going to need to expose Cerulean, and the fact that you're alive."

Lady Gisela nodded. "I was prepared for that. Tell them that Cerulean kidnapped you and brought you to me, and you barely got out alive. I'm going to trigger your Teleporting now, by shoving you off a cliff. You will be feeling very scared and shocked, so... It should work."

Savi cocked her head. "You're... completely sure I have Teleporting, right?"

Lady Gisela smiled. "Yes, I'm completely sure you do."

Then she dragged Savi outside and flung her off a cliff.

Savi screamed as she pictured Foxfire, Foxfire, Foxfire, or Willowtree, or Everglen, or Choralmere, or-

But it was Falcon Cove that her mind latched onto, Falcon Cove that she Teleported to. She collapsed inside their huge aviary, and Gray flew over to her and landed on the perch beside her, cawing loudly.

It only took a few seconds for the artificial tree to split open and Theodora scrambled out. "Savannah?" she asked. "What are you doing here? Did something happen to Cerulean?"

"He's part of the Neverseen," Savi panted. "He tried to kidnap me!"

Theodora looked stricken, and her face turned ashen. "No... not my Cerulean... not him, too..."

Savi looked at the ground while Theodora took it all in. The old woman let out a soft, rasping breath.

"I'll hail Keefe and Sophie," she finally managed. "They're frantic."

Wait... hadn't Lady Gisela said she'd kidnapped Savi to lure Keefe there?

Was the Mesmer deal really real?

Or was it all a trap?

Not that she cared. A shot at being a Mesmer was more than she'd ever been given. Sure, as a Mesmer, no one would ever trust her again, but... if she was a secret one...

Keefe and Sophie got out without being captured and they gave Savi a long lecture on Cerulean which she completely tuned out. She left out all of Lady Gisela's deals in her account on what had happened and refused to transmit her memories to Sophie or Keefe, which made it seem like something suspicious had happened, until she said that she didn't want them to see the torture she'd undergone, it had been mental and not physical, and then they relented.