keep your friends close

(8)

"Do you always leave your hair like that?"

Sophie jumps at the face that appears in the mirror. She tears her gaze away from the cut on her jaw, now just a thin scar. "Yeah, why?" she asks Vertina.

Vertina wrinkles her nose. "Okay, it's just that you always put it up in a braid. Don't you want to try something new?"

Sophie stubbornly continues weaving her hair and ties off the end with an elastic. "It keeps my hair out of my eyes. That's all I need."

There's a knock at the door. Edaline smiles at her brightly from the doorway. "Are you ready?" she asks. "Dex is already downstairs."

"I'll be just a minute, Mrs. Ruewen," Sophie says.

"Sure thing. And please," she scoffs. "Call me Edaline, honey."

It's been over a week since Sophie moved to the Lost Cities. She assumed she would live with the Dizznees at Rimeshire, since they were one of the most involved families with the Black Swan besides the Endals. Not to mention that Dex was Sophie's best friend.

Surprisingly, the Collective assigned her to live with Juline's sister instead. Their reasoning was something about proximity to Everglen, and connections that Grady Ruewen had to Alden Vacker—not that it mattered much. Sophie still spent her spare time at Rimeshire with the Dizznees and her nights working with the Black Swan.

Grady and Edaline treat her warmly but keep their distance, which Sophie is grateful for. It was odd, seeing little reminders of Jolie Ruewen lingering throughout Havenfield—framed photos gathering dust in the corners, an Elite Levels cape in the coat closet, the shoes that Edaline doesn't wear.

There are other things, too—a single dark cloak tucked in the back of Jolie's dresser, a dagger hidden behind the bedroom door, and the shattered remains of a Black Swan pendant under her old bed. Sophie chooses not to mention these to Grady or Edaline.

"Are you going to stare at your reflection all morning, or can we leave soon?" Dex asks.

Sophie looks to where he's leaning against the doorway, already dressed in his red Level Five Foxfire uniform.

"Sorry," she replies. "I guess I'm a little nervous."

"Don't apologize," Vertina pipes up. "You could afford to stare at your reflection a little more. Maybe you'll be more willing to do something about it." Sophie glares as Vertina cackles.

Dex offers Sophie a comforting smile. "Hey, you'll be okay. I'll show you the ropes." He gestures over his shoulder. "Seriously though, we should get going. Ready for your first day?"

She's faced down bloodthirsty ogres, an entire organization after her head, and Lodestar himself. What's a few hours of school five days a week?

Sophie takes a deep breath. "I'm ready."

As it turns out, she was maybe not as ready as she wanted to be.

The spotlight settles on her the instant they get to Foxfire—literally. Dame Alina makes a nice show of emphasizing Sophie's tragic background—how her parents abandoned her in the Neutral Territories and she attended Exillium all her life (Stina started snickering here), never knowing the warmth and care of a proper elvin home until the Ruewens adopted her, so would everyone please do their best to make Sophie feel welcome, thank you very much.

It's all a cover story, of course, but Sophie still wants to curl up in a hole and die. She's not used to being the center of attention—even within the Black Swan, she operates in top secrecy with a select crowd of people. She tries and fails to ignore the tide of pitying and curious looks thrown her way.