Deadly Secret

Lost

A burning, sizzling sensation filled Esther's mouth, and she spat at the ground, but she couldn't rid herself of painful electricity. Luna crackled with red sparks.

"What?" she hissed, "What is happening?"

A figure melted from the shadows and glided forward in a golden bubble, "Hello, Esther. It's nice to see you again,"

"Ruy," she whispered, "Why are you here?"

"Would you believe me if I told you I was here for a friendly visit?" he grinned, but the amusement didn't reach his eyes.

Esther stepped away from him, but the light from her candles was waning, and she didn't want to blunder through the night. Her eyes darted from Ruy to the cafeteria. A few people were trapped inside, and their distorted screams echoed in Esther's ears.

"What do you want?" she demanded, "I'm not going back,"

He chuckled lightly, "That's not what I'm here for,"

Esther faltered. She opened her mouth to respond and promptly shut it. How could she protest against the unknown?

"Lady Gisela did not send me," he paused, as if waiting for a reaction, "I have a... proposition for you,"

She cocked her head curiously, "Mother didn't send you?"

A smirk danced across his face, "No. I come here of my own accord. I used to work with a boy who ran an underground smuggling ring with pathfinders. He provided me with ways to the human world, and once he was no longer of use... I killed him. Or at least, that's what I thought," He stopped suddenly.

Esther stared at him, enthralled, "And?"

Ruy paled and shook his head slightly, "Later," he said. With a few subtle glances towards the cafeteria, the elf tossed a crystal wand— a pathfinder to Esther.

She caught the glowing gem and gazed at it in awe. It was the exact replica of her own, but for one detail. A flowing ink figure was traced onto the crystal. A silver alicorn.

The glowing, red energy field dissipated as Ruy and his golden sphere floated away.

As soon as he was out of sight, the small crowd inside the cafeteria surged out the doors. Gossip and murmurs escaped their lips, and Esther's heart froze when she noticed the discreet glances in her direction.

She fled. 

Sophie POV

Sophie strained to form the name in her mind and shout it into the void.

Keefe! KEEFE! Why won't you answer me?

The following silence hurt her more than any words ever could. A sharp throb began to build up in her skull, and she swallowed another glass of water.

"Are you still at it?" Edaline quietly entered the room and sat beside her daughter, "You should have something to eat," 

Sophie glanced up and rubbed the dark circles under her eyes, "Yeah,"

"Is there anything else I can do?"

"I'm okay," Sophie lied, "It's just... I was doing so well. We scored a major victory against the Neverseen and then..." she swallowed, trying to banish the lump in her throat.

"I know," Edaline whispered softly. Her voice sounded strangely haunted, and Sophie wondered if her mom was thinking of Jolie.

Sophie sighed, "He'll be okay, won't he?"

"He'll be okay,"

Esther POV

Voices shouted and invaded her mind. They called for justice, for truth.

"Who are you? Are you in league with the Neverseen?"

Esther fled from all of them, escaping into foreign corridors. Somehow, the elves found her no matter which twists and turns she took.

It was a nightmare. Memories and flashbacks of the castle blurred with reality. She hated the mazes and the people. And this time, she didn't have Bramble to guide her.

She was lost. 

Soooo I tried doing Sophie's POV. What do you think? Should I write more in Sophie's perspective in the following chapters?