A Girl Who Does Bad Things

Chapter Twenty-Three

(Fitz POV)
Telling the others was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. We were so close, the starlight was literally in our hands only yards from Sophie. Her disappearance was disheartening to us all.
It's hard to carry on after so many blows. You can try to get, but sometimes you won't.
"So we keep going?" Keefe whispered.
I stayed quiet, but I knew everyone thought the same. She didn't want to be saved.
Keefe, as if reading my mind, shook his head. "No. Don't think that. She does want to be saved, I know she does. When I joined the Neverseen, I told Sophie the same thing. But I lied to her. I did want to be saved, you have to understand that"
Dex pipes in, "I know, and we do. But we can't do this without her. Don't you realize? We only saved you because of her. How can we do this with her gone?"
"We have to try"
Mr. Forkle.
Of course it was him who had said that. The bottle of starlight rolled onto the table we were meeting around, the glow of it already seeping into us like poisonous hope.
"And we will succeed"
I wanted to believe, but I needed time. I needed to be alone. My feet glided over the floors as I sprinted from the gazebo. Panting, I crossed against the rails of a walkway and I have to take a break to breathe. Between the gasping and the tears, my lungs burn for the sweet release of air.
A spot of light flickers by my side and I feel a hand rest on my shoulder.
"Biana?"
I spin around to see my sister standing awkwardly in front of me. I hug her tightly, the tears returning, and I try to ignore the rather large and obvious bandage wrapped around her head.
"I-I thought" my words are too choked to make much sense.
"I know" Biana whispers, and she pulls away.
I droop with the immediate loss of her warmth, but it's good to take a looks at her. She's perfect in every way, like she always had been. Even the bandage wrapped around her head was a pale yellowish gold with sparkles to match her flowery summer yellow gown.
I take a moment, closing my eyes to think, "But.... Physic said she didn't see any change"
Biana smiles, "Trust me, I have no idea either. I just felt.... something"
My smile turned to confusion, "What did you feel?"
Biana was startled by my sudden change and answered truthfully, "I-I don't know. It felt like something was pushing me from the sleep. Something... dark"
I knew suddenly in that moment what had awaken Biana. "Like a shadow" I whispered.
Tam.
Biana covered her realization and hope with confusion. I didn't even know how to feel about Tam saving my sister. We had never been close friends, but he wasn't my enemy. I made note to thank him profusely later.
Although if he thought I was letting him date my sister, he had another thing coming.
Biana frowned playfully at my expression. "Don't you dare do anything Fitz"
I look over with a grin, "So you like him?"
Biana tried to whack me over the head and I duck, laughing. Too slow through. She gracefully sweeps a leg under mine. I collapse to the floor laughing laughing so hard it hurts. Biana grumbles about something, and I can tell she is dying to go to Tam.
"Go. Thank him" I empathized the last words by channeling my inner Grady and Biana smirked.
"I'll thank him"
And just like that, she was gone. But it had taught me something I thought I already knew. Even when everything seems lost, you have to carry on. There will always be someone to help you.
And right now someone I cared about deeply needed my help. I pushed myself up from the floor and the decision was made. We were getting Sophie back, no matter what.