How It Should Have Been: Sokeefe AU

Episode 7

"No... definitely the gold." Aaina decided. "It sets off your eyes."

"Are you sure?" Sophie held the dress against her shoulders, trying to imagine wearing it.

"Oh, I see. You don't trust my judgment." The spectral mirror wrenched her head to the side dramatically.

"No, I do! I do," Sophie promised, laughing. "I'll wear the gold one!" She changed, and when she was dressed, she had to agree. The gold made her turquoise eyes glow, and when she lined them with gold-flecked eyeliner and applied lip gloss, she was ready.

The sleepover was tonight.

The day before had been a tired blur, starting with being woken up after not enough sleep, to endless amounts to clean up. Sophie didn't understand why Edaline or Jolie couldn't just snap their fingers and conjure everything away, but apparently, everything had to be sorted because they had only rented some things instead of buying them, like the tables. Sophie sort of understood why- what else would they be used for- but it added a lot of extra work.

She packed a bag full of stuff and slung it over her shoulder, ready to head over to Everglen.

After leaping in front of the gates, she waited to be let in, and when they opened she glimpsed a familiar teal-eyed figure waiting for her. But the hair was different...

Sophie choked on a laugh when she saw Fitz's green, spiky hair.

"I thought you had to wear it to school," She commented, grinning. "You have to have it like that for two days now instead of one..."

"Yeah, I figured if I didn't do it myself, Keefe or Dex would sneak it into one of my meals tonight," Fitz flashed his movie star smile.

"True," Sophie agreed, following him in Everglen. When she reached the house, she headed toward the room she had stayed in before, but Biana blocked her path.

"No, we're all sleeping in the same room," she told her.

"Um, WHAT?" Sophie asked apprehensively.

"Yup! In the reception hall," Dex confirmed, coming up behind Biana.

"It's gonna be one big slumber party!" Keefe added, his smirk in place as usual.

"Come on!" Biana tugged her toward the reception hall, where Sophie had never been. "Yeah, I know, it's big. But it is for Winnowing Galas, so..."

Sophie tried to block out the images that appeared when Biana said "Winnowing Galas," and focused on the room around her. And it definitely helped distract her.

Big... was an understatement.

Gigantic would have been better. Or humungous. And the beauty of the room (along with the giant portraits of the Vackers) had Sophie turning around slowly, taking it all in.

"We've set up the sleeping bags here," Biana pointed to where all the sleeping bags were set up in a star-shaped pattern, including, somehow, Sophie's. She didn't even want to know how they had taken that from her hand without her noticing. Or how they had set it up so fast. "Now we're only waiting for Maruca, the twins, and maybe Marella!" Biana was almost squealing with excitement.

Sophie laughed, dropping her bag on the ground next to everyone else's, including Fitz and Biana's, for some reason. But it was a pretty far distance from here to their rooms, and she totally got why they might not want to make a trip anytime they wanted to get something.

Just then, a bell rang, startling Sophie. But the others didn't even flinch.

"That was for the gate. Someone else is here," Dex explained, heading after Biana, who was already rushing out the door. Sophie followed, trailed by Fitz and Keefe. But before they were halfway, Dex and Biana reappeared, escorting Linh, Tam, Maruca, and Marella, saving them a trip.