Fortress of Secrets, Trials, and Enemy Rivals. - KOTLC

Chapter Three.

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Word Count: 1332 words.
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I can't go back to Foxfire.

     Everyone knows who I am! My friends attend the school, after all. And not to mention all my teachers, including the five ability-instructors I have. 

     There is no way in the entire world that no one will notice me.

     "Feather?" Flash's quiet voice is soft from my right, and I turn, only half-listening, to face her. "Is everything alright? You seem rather worried."

     "I'm sure Feather is alright, Flash." Mr. Forkle places a hand on my shoulder, signaling that I should stand. But I'm not sure I can.

     If anyone, anyone recognised me, it would put them all in danger again, and everything we had been working towards would have been ruined, crumbled as easily as paper.

     I'm too full of excitement at the fact that I might see my friends that it wars with the dread I have if even just one of them noticed me, and I can feel my legs turning to gelatin. Either way, I stand, and if I wobble on my feet, then it's just the aching from a day's worth of training.

     "I believe that Squall will take it from here, kids." It's not an assumption, but a request, and Squall notices it immediately.

     She begins to explain what the plan is, but I can only hear parts.

     "Disguise... attend..."

     "What if we..." That's Lark.

     "... risky..." Seems as though Squall and Flash are on a different page to Lark.

     Then, as the door creaks to a quiet stop behind Mr. Forkle and I, and he spins me to look him in the eyes.

     Sophie. His mental voice is stern, though not unkind. He's never unkind. Sophie, listen to me.

     I blink, and everything comes back into focus. "I can't," I mutter hoarsely, and it isn't an answer to his earlier command of listening to him, but instead an answer to returning to my former school. "I can't go back to school, Forkle. What if they notice me?"

     You stress too much, Sophie, he transmits, and I realise that I should probably be transmitting, too.

     It's not stress, Forkle. It's simply caution. If anyone – and I mean anyone – were to notice me, everything would be ruined.

     Mr. Forkle lets out a low sigh, and I am suddenly aware of the way he looks older. Sure, this version of his disguise is always older than the usual elf, but usually he looks younger. I wonder if he's also been stressing about our plan.

     There's been some... amendments to the plan. You'll be revealing yourself earlier.

     He leaves out the fact that it's three months earlier than we expected, but I don't. This wasn't supposed to happen for another few months and you know that! It's what we estimated.

     I can hear my own anger in my voice, and can't help but cringe at how vicious it sounds compared to the way Feather talks. Six months ago, I wouldn't have ever tried to talk to the older man in front of me like that.

     Mr. Forkle places a hand to his forehead, looking pained, but I don't care. I'm about to transmit again when he beats me to it.

     Sophie, you have improved quicker than we originally expected, and are able to defend yourself once more.