Unlocked

6

    Sophie's burst of confidence soon faded away and was replaced by doubt, fear, and hurt. She kept second-guessing herself. Should she have said the things she said to Fitz? Was she too harsh? Would they ever be able be friends again? 

    Fitz often let his emotions get out of control and say things that he didn't mean. Like when Alden's mind broke and he blamed it on Sophie, or when she decided to let Alvar go in exchange for information. And what would happen if he figured out about Sophie's emotions? 

    She felt a tear drip down her face. She lost a friend. She had known Fitz for such a long time. He found her in the Forbidden Cities when she was only 12! And now--

    She didn't know if he would ever forgive her. 

    Another tear dripped into her lap. 

    But did he really need to forgive her? 

    Didn't she need to forgive him?

    But Sophie forgave him every time. After Alden's mind broke, when he tried to kill his brother, when he was pressuring her to find her biological parents, when she let Alvar free for information and when she broke up with him for being a prejudiced idiot. 

    Every time she forgave him he promised he would never do it again. But he never kept his promise. Not once. 

    He would act like her friend, sometimes even more than a friend, only to take his rage out on her again. He would twist her words to guilt her into seeing him as the victim. 

    And deep down, Sophie knew that it wasn't right. It wasn't a healthy relationship. But she still felt so--

    Sophie felt a few more tears roll down her face.

    You really are a weapon. Sophie felt her anger boil underneath the surface again. But in truth, this comment really confused her. She was supposed to feel hurt, wasn't she? But--

    She felt fine. 

    She was okay with being a weapon.

    And that terrified her. 

    Sophie knew that she was powerful. She knew she was an experiment. And for the first time, she thought that it was kind of cool. In a really weird way, of course. 

   Her 'messed up' genes had enabled her to do so many fantastic things to help this world. 

    Who healed Alden's mind? And Prentice's? She did. 

    Who rescued the alicorn babies? That was her. 

    Who brought Lady Gisela down with her inflicting and almost captured her? Sophie. 

    Who stayed with Keefe during Loamnore, carried him through the King's path and then found a new way to teleport him to safety? Her. 

    Sophie dried her eyes. She wasn't going to be a slave to fear or her own doubt. She was about to call Fitz and give him a piece of her mind when she heard Ro coming down the hallway. 

    Instead of slamming the door open, the ogre opened the door gently and peered into the room. "Sophie?" She asked in a motherly tone, which was kind of weird coming from an ogre with pink and purple pig-tails, "Are you okay?" 

    "You heard the whole thing, didn't you?" Sophie asked Ro. 

    "Yep." Ro's 'ogre senses' must be stronger than she thought. Then again, they did only turn the corner. 

    Ro crossed the room to where Sophie was sitting on her cot. "I won't talk about it if you don't want me too, I understand if--"

    Sophie shook her head. She was done hiding. "It's alright Ro."

    " Well then, I hate him! I hate that Vacker boy. You just say the word, Blondie, and I'll tear him to pieces." The ogre's words came tumbling out of her. 

    "Sometimes I hate him too." Sophie replied in a soft voice. "But I'm fine, Ro. And there will be no tearing anyone to pieces."

    "Um-- Blondie? You were just crying," Ro said acknowledging her tear streaked face, "are you really sure you're fine?" 

    "Fine doesn't mean I'm happy or sad. It means I'm dealing with it." Sophie said, "So, yeah. I'm fine."

    "Okay. If you're sure." 

    They sat there in silence. It wasn't awkward. It was a bit-- mournful. They were both grieving. 

    Sophie cut through the quiet. "I just wish Keefe would wake up."

    "Me too, Blondie, me too." 

. . . .

    "So, you rejected my brother." Biana confronted her. She had stopped by in the afternoon to find out what was going on for herself. 

     Sophie wrung her hands. "Well, sort of?" She let out a breath of exasperation, "I don't know if I'm ready for a relationship, Biana. And it doesn't help that Fitz keeps pushing me to date him."

    Biana raised her eyebrows, "But you still rejected my brother." 

    "Yes." 

    "What happened? One moment you were head over heels for him, and the next you're rejecting him. Why?" Biana questioned her. 

    "Well, I don't date prejudiced idiots. And he kept pressuring me about matchmaking. That's the reason we broke up in the first place. He wanted me to find my biological parents to sign up for the match and I can't." 

    "Why not?" Biana asked her incredulously. 

    "Because no one can know who my biological parents are. It would disrupt everything and do exactly what the Neverseen wants."

    "Still, Fitzphie was so perfect!" Biana insisted. "You guys would have been so cute together!" 

    "That's the problem. He was too perfect." Sophie told her. "I need something a little bit unusual. Someone who really understands who I am." Sophie smiled, thinking of a certain someone who fit this description. "And would you really risk the fate of the world on something so trivial?"

    "How is this trivial?" Biana asked. "Matchmaking is a lot of fun if you really think about it." 

    "But it's wrong." Sophie explained, "Matchmaking is what started a lot of our problems with the Neverseen in the first place." 

    "Still, don't you think you should give him another chance?" Biana asked cautiously. 

    Something in Sophie's mind clicked. Fitz put her up to this. Wow. She didn't think he would stoop that low. Sophie felt anger swell beneath the surface. Well, she might as well give him her own message threw Biana then. 

    "I've given him so many chances, and he has thrown them all away." She replied with a fire in her eyes. "I'm tired of the way he plays with my heart." 

    Biana frowned, "You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you've found someone else." She raised her eyebrows, unsaid suggestions dancing across her lips. 

    "It's a good thing you know better then."