keep your friends close

(10)

Dex finds her by the lockers after her last session. "Ready to go?"

"One second." Sophie licks her locker DNA strip and shudders at the taste. "Pickles?"

"Yeah, Elwin has weird taste in things," Dex replies casually. "How were your sessions? Did Lady Galvin give you a hard time?"

The rest of her sessions had gone by uneventfully, and were almost boring. The reminder of her Alchemy session makes Sophie wince. "I feel like I gave her a harder time."

His eyes widen. "Did you—her cape—"

"I did," she admits, and glares as he hunches over in laughter. "Dex! Not funny. It was so embarrassing."

"Sorry, sorry." Dex recollects himself, wiping away a fake tear. "This is the best thing I've heard all day."

"That makes two of you," Sophie mutters under her breath. She gathers up her books and closes her locker. "Where are we going now?"

"Study hall. I'm going to introduce you to your charges." He sends her a pointed glance.

She'd almost forgotten about the Vackers. Sophie had done some brief background research the week before with the help of the Collective. She knew where Biana liked to go shopping in Mysterium, and that Fitz scored top grades in his class every year—plus loads more gossip from Stina, most of which Mr. Forkle deemed unreliable. Sophie knew it was purely for their protection, but it still felt weird snooping into the lives of people who weren't high-level nobility or suspected Neverseen members. Especially when said subjects were around her age.

"Another thing you should know," Dex says. "Fitz and Biana, they're basically royalty around here. People are like, in love with them." He wrinkles his nose. "Especially with Fitz."

Sophie nudges him. "Sounds like someone's jealous," she teases.

Dex turns red. "I'm serious, Soph. It's risky enough that everyone at this school already knows who you are. Getting involved with elves as high-profile as the Vackers..." He shakes his head. "Just don't get too close, okay?"

He was right to be worried. Most of her Black Swan missions operated under a tight layer of secrecy and confidentiality to keep the Moonlark concealed from the general public. Coming to Foxfire was a huge change from the status quo.

"Well... I kinda need to be close to them to fulfill the Council's request," Sophie replies.

He sighs. "You'll see what I mean."

Sophie in fact does not see, and wants to keep pressing him for more—but they suddenly turn through a set of ornate double doors, entering a massive room with a high ceiling bordered by equally high bookshelves. Prodigies are seated along the many rows of long tables, studying quietly or talking in hushed voices.

The hushed voices grow louder as people catch sight of them making their way through the library. Sophie ignores the eyes turned their way and follows Dex to a table where two prodigies are seated, heads bent in quiet conversation.

They break apart from their whispering as Sophie and Dex approach. The girl with soft, chocolatey curls is obviously Biana Vacker, who regards Sophie through narrowed teal eyes. The other girl has long, elegant twists pulled up in a high ponytail.

"Sophie," Dex begins. "This is—"

"I'm perfectly capable of introducing myself to the new kid, Dex," the girl with the ponytail says. She smiles at Sophie. Her eyes are darker in shade, her cheekbones a little more prominent, but she still has the same soft, doe-eyed expression and dimpled cheeks that Wylie does. "I'm Maruca."