When the Neverseen has finally been defeated, Sophie and her friends get their Matchmaking Scrolls. Matches are made, relationships are created, and hearts are broken. But it's just another adventure in the Keeper Crew's lives.
"Sophie, Dex, wait up!" a familiar voice called out from behind the two teenage elves.
Biana, Sophie thought automatically; she would recognize the melodious voice of one of her closest friends from almost anywhere. Dex and Sophie stopped walking until Biana, along with Tam and Linh, could join them. The five of them made their way down the grandiose halls of Foxfire.
"Don't forget, you're all coming to Everglen after school with pajamas, a toothbrush, extra clothes, and anything else you need for the sleepover," Biana reminded them as they reached the Leap Master 2,500.
The sleepover. It was supposed to be an informal event with Fitz and Keefe visiting from the Golden Towers (they were more focused on their studies and were only allowed a weekend off once a month to visit home). However, after all their parents—specifically Della—suggested that they finally request their Matchmaking Scrolls with Keefe and Fitz, the simple event became a million times more stressful. It didn't help that even thinking of him being there was going to create a whole lot of awkwardness after everything that had happened between them.
But in the end, Sophie didn't mind too much; the idea of the scrolls already terrified her enough, so she was eternally grateful for the opportunity to go with her friends. That's what best friends are for!
"I wouldn't be able to forget, with all the pestering you've been doing," Sophie teased. "But yeah, I'll be there in about an hour-ish after I get home. I need to finish packing and say goodbye to my parents."
Biana rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out playfully. "What about you, Dex?" she asked, her tone significantly softer.
"Uh, yeah, I'll be there around the same time as Sophie. Might take me a little longer, though, because of Rex, Bex, and Lex," Dex said as he stumbled over his words.
Biana nodded—understanding the handful that the triplets were—and turned to Linh questioningly.
"We'll be there a few minutes afterwards since our stuff is already packed," Linh, who was also speaking for her brother, told Biana.
"Yay!" Biana cheered, looking regal underneath the shimmering crystals even with the stress of the event. "I guess I'll see you guys soon, then."
Grinning, she commanded, "Everglen," and was whisked away in the light.
Dex stared blankly at the spot where Biana stood, standing still, barely breathing, not uttering a word.
Clearing her throat, Sophie brought Dex out of his daze. "We should probably get going. See you all at Everglen!"
Standing amongst the crystals, Sophie murmured, "Havenfield," and soon felt the warm and tingling feeling of the "feathers of light"—as she had dubbed them—bring her home.
* * *
"Bye, Mom! Bye, Dad! I'm going to Everglen now!" Sophie hollered as she rushed down the stairs with her bag stuffed to the brim with all the items she could ever need or want for a sleepover, along with some things she couldn't even imagine needing. Clearly, letting Vertina help her pack was not the brightest option.
Edaline stepped into the living room, drying her hands off using an intricate towel, and flashed Sophie a smile.
She must have been making dinner. I'm going to regret missing the delicious meal.
As if on cue, Grady came inside, his hair tangled and grubby, and his clothes a complete disaster—encrusted with chunks of dirt, foamy soap suds, and was even torn in some places.
He must have been washing the verminion. I'm glad I haven't been grounded, otherwise I would probably look like that, too!
"Goodbye, Sophie. Have a great time at Everglen," Grady wished his daughter as he went to give Sophie a hug—which she carefully accepted, attempting not to get herself dirty before she even arrived.
"Don't get into too much trouble, either! You've been going on a pretty long streak without any Elwin calls for a while, now." Edaline chuckled as she precariously joined their hug, trying not to get herself dirty, either, and squeezed Sophie tightly.
"Especially with that Sencen boy. He really hasn't changed much over the years," Grady added with a grin.
"No reason to worry, I'll try to stay out of trouble," Sophie replied, quoting Alden, and emphasizing the word try.
"We love you so much, Sophie," Grady said, hugging her even tighter.
"Now you're growing up so fast . . . Already requesting your Matchmaking Scroll," Edaline murmured, pretending to wipe a tear from her eye as they separated, though Sophie could see Edaline's eyes were beginning to well with real tears.
"I love you guys, too. And please don't cry, you'll make me cry and I'll never want to grow up," Sophie teased, hugging them one quick and final time before heading upstairs once more, towards the Leap Master.
Grady and Edaline both chuckled at that, trying their best to keep their tears of happiness from running down their cheeks. But a few stray tears escaped Edaline's anyway, and she smiled softly before Grady gently wiped it away for her.
"Everglen," Sophie told the Leap Master, hesitance in her voice as she saw Grady and Edaline in her peripheral vision, and a single crystal dropped down and created a beam of light, ready to take her away.
Sophie inhaled and exhaled deeply and waved good-bye to Grady and Edaline with a smile one last time before she took the steps towards that sole beam of light that would wisp her away and flip her love life (and as a result, Sophie's life in general) upside-down.
~*~
First chapter! A sleepover is sort of a common plot point among fanfictions so bear with me on this, please.
If you notice any typos/grammatical errors, please comment them and I'll fix them ASAP.
Song: BTS ft. Charlie XCX - "Dream Glow"
Thanks for reading, lovelies! -Nuela <3 Edited by EllenH2006
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