The Matchmakers

EIGHT

Despite Biana's assurances two weeks would feel like eternity, the first week flew by quickly. The only hiccup was Sophie's next Elvin History session. Every time she jumped she would picture the room at exactly the moment she left it, and the void would crack open. But every time she spent the same amount of time in the void. At the exact same moment she slipped into the void, she slipped out the other side. No matter how hard she thought about the exact moment in time she wanted to travel to, she always returned to the exact moment she'd left.

Sir Faro was getting more and more frustrated by the moment, stalking about and muttering about her lack of effort, or the utter disrespect she showed for him in wasting his time.

Then Alden would remind him that because he was a mentor, even if Sophie wasn't his prodigy he would still be in a different session anyway. In a different room, with a different prodigy, but still teaching. And probably teaching a subject that was much less exciting than the one he was currently helping to make history in.

Neither she nor Alden got along very well with Sir Faro, although at least Alden tried to hide it. Most of the time.

On Thursday, Tiergan decided she and Fitz were going to take a day off and do another trust exercise. This time, they were going to walk around campus with their minds open, reading each other's' thoughts and emotions. It would be like a game of association, except it would be with Foxfire experiences and memories.

"Really?" Sophie asked. "It's that simple?"

"I thought we would do something easy today. And fun. You deserve a day off. So off you go."

As Sophie walked out the door Fitz paused on the threshold. "You're not coming with us?"

Tiergan laughed. "No. I think I'll just stay here and take a little nap. You two have fun." And with that he sprawled across the couch and fell asleep.

"Well okay," Sophie said, staring at her sleeping mentor.

With a mischievously Keefe-like smirk Fitz pulled her into the hallway and shut the door. "Where do you want to start?"

"We've got the entire class period. Let's just walk, I guess," Sophie said, staring down the Vortinator steps.

"Okay," Fitz agreed, walking down the stairs with her. Can I enter your mind?

Sophie rolled her eyes at Fitz's chivalry. Can I enter yours?

Of course. Always.

She smiled as they walked out of the tower, keeping close track of his emotions. Aside from the occasional small chat and funny memory, nothing really happened. Then they walked past the cafeteria and Fit's mind lit up like the inside of a disco ball.

"What?" Sophie asked, pulling her consciousness away and searching around them for attackers. But other than Fitz literally rolling on the floor laughing, nothing was out of the ordinary.

Sophie poked him with a toe. "Are you broken again?"

Fitz calmed down and wiped the tears from his eyes. "Yes," he laughed. "I'm fine. You're the one that went crazy."

"Because suddenly you decided to give me a heart attack. What was that about?"

Fitz started laughing again, and Sophie crossed her arms, glaring daggers at him until he stood up like a normal person. He spread his arms and threw his head back, spinning in a circle and indicating the giant glass pyramid they stood under. "This is where it happened."

"Where what happened?" Sophie asked crossly. She was frustrated, but not angry enough to keep her curiosity from getting the better of her.

"The Great Gulon Incident," Fitz laughed.