Swan Song

Chapter 8 - Jolie

The entire council and the collective had arrived to the healing center just as the girl, apparently the moon lark had finished explaining everything. Brant was not only dead, but he had died a villain. Councilor Kenric was dead as well, murdered by one of Brants colleagues. And it had sixteen years. After Sophie, as she called herself, had figured out that I didn't know it was sixteen years everyone freaked out. They filled me in on everything that had happened, the new discoveries. 

I was still in shock, so much had changed in sixteen years. I had felt that Brants mind breaking would have taken more then a week, but I didn't think it would have been sixteen years. 

When the councilors and collective arrived they had a million questions. I couldn't answer half the questions they asked, but tried. I could tell my parents patience with them was running out, after all they just saw there daughter that was supposedly dead for sixteen years. Mother held my hand the entire time, and Elwin kept checking and rechecking every part of my body. He gave me several remedies that gave me an excuse to stall after each question. 

Eventually my voice felt almost normal, but aparently it would take time to completely heal it. Just another thing I would have to get used to.

When I learned my parents had adopted Sophie I couldn't help a wide grin from spreading on my face, I had always wanted a little sister and here she was. She just seemed so serious, and stressed. She had dark bags under her eyes, as if she hadn't slept in weeks. Her uniform was messy, and her hair seemed to droop in a sad way. When the counselors had come she seemed more distant, and awkward. She wouldn't look at any of them, especially the one I had always favored the most, Oralie. 

Then there was the boy that was sitting in the other cot. And an ogre. He looked like the kind of kid who would always get in trouble, and the kind of guy who knew he looked good. Sophie sat beside him in the cot, tugging at her eyelashes. The boy reached over and pulled off one of her gloves. *Nearly said hands there, that would be a problem* He laced her fingers in-between his with a worried look on his face. His eyes stayed on her, her face relaxed. She leaned against him, the worry lines on her face seemed to lighten. When her head rested on his chest he froze, his eyes wide. But then he smiled, tightening his grip on her hand. 

I wondered if that meant they were a couple. Or perhaps, a would be couple. They way the boy looked at her sure seemed like it. 

I snapped back to attention when another question was shot in my direction. Maybe an hour later, the council left. The collective stayed to ask more questions until finally Elwin asked them to leave so he could work. 

After they left he gave me a few more elixirs, then cleared me to go home. My parents stood, Edaline looking over to where Sophie had fallen asleep, her head still on the boys chest. His head was rested on top of hers, he seemed to be asleep as well. Grady scowled at the boy. 

Edaline walked over and gently shook Sophie awake. She stirred, then looked up at Edaline.

"Were gonna go back to Havenfeild, Elwin cleared Jolie." Edaline said softly.

"Is it okay if I stay here, I want to make sure Keefe is alright." She said quietly, careful not to wake him up. So that was his name. There was something about him, like I was forgetting something important that had to do with him. Something life threatening.

"Ofcourse." Edaline said, while Grady mumbled something about that boy. She snapped her fingers and a stuffed elephant with a crazy shirt appeared. "I suppose you'll be wanting Ella." She said as she tucked the elephant into Sophies arms. Sophie smiled tiredly.

"Thanks you."

He pulled out a leaping crystal while Sophie carefully shimmied out of Keefe's arms and laid him down on his cot. She went to another cot and sat watching his chest rise and fall. Grady and Edaline took my hands and stepped into the light, leaving Sophie and Keefe behind.

(A/N Okay, so these last two chapter have been kinda messy, but I hope you like them! I am trying to publish each chapter as fast as possible but I don't have any particular schedule. Thank you for reading!!)