Project Phoenix

Chapter 2-Before

Sophie adjusted the silver unicorn costume she was wearing and gulped.

The elite levels should not have been as intimidating, considering Sophie had been attending classes there already. Yet somehow, Sophie was more nervous about her final year at Foxfire than when she first began.

"Breathe, Soph," Dex nudged her and fidgeted with his sequined sleeves. "We got this."

"Yeah, we totally got this," Biana agreed from Sophie's other side. "Fitz and Keefe both said that the last year is always the best, and Wylie said the same thing."

"Keefe only said it was the best because of that prank he pulled," Sophie muttered, wiping her sweaty palms on her leggings.

Dex grinned at the memory. "You have to admit: it was better than the Great Gulon Incident."

Biana giggled in agreement, and Sophie rolled her eyes. "How come I still don't know
what happened? No one will tell me."

"I think it's Keefe's story to tell," Biana smirked conspiratorially at Dex. "Don't you think so, Dex?"

Dex nodded. "Oh, definitely. We'll let Keefe tell the story."

Sophie shrugged and turned to look at the crowd. Scanning the rows for Keefe, she found him sitting with her parents a few rows from the front. Edaline was patting her small stomach, the baby inside not yet grown enough to show. Sophie smiled, remembering the moment her adoptive parents told her they were expecting. Being a big sister was one thing she was used to, and she wouldn't let them down.
Keefe sat next to Edaline, chatting animatedly with Grady.

Of course, he wanted a good seat to see her prancing around in a unicorn outfit. Typical.

Keefe caught her eye and flashed her his trademark smirk. Sophie returned it with a nervous smile before searching the crowd for Fitz.

He sat a row in front of her family and Keefe, with Alden and Della on either side. Fitz was already looking her way when Sophie met his eyes. She raised her hand in a small wave. Fitz nodded at her, then returned his stare at the stage.

Sophie frowned. Why was her boyfriend ignoring her?

"Is everything okay with Fitz?" Sophie asked Biana. "He seems kind of...off."

"He's...fine. Perfectly fine." Biana tugged at her ear and brushed her hair away from her face.

Sophie raised an eyebrow. "You're a horrible liar, you know."

Biana sighed. "He wanted me to tell you that he needs to talk to you after the ceremony."

"Oh. Okay," Sophie said. Her stomach began to sink. She knew this moment would probably come, but she had been so careful to hide it during cognate training. "Did he say what he wanted to talk about?"

Biana shook her head. "Nope. Fitz said it was just between you and him."

"Guys, we're almost on!" Dex interjected. "Let's rock this stage like a real unicorn."

Sophie tried to laugh with her best friend, but her thoughts remained focused on Fitz. It had been a few years since Sophie had registered for the match and it was revealed she was unmatchable. When she eventually told Fitz, he insisted it didn't matter.

Then, a few weeks later, Fitz had told her the names on his first scroll.

Sophie wasn't one of them.

They had both shrugged it off and remained as a couple, until a few months had passed, and Fitz received his second scroll.

Again, Sophie's name wasn't on the list.