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Chapter 12 - Sophie

"I'm going to New York!"

Sophie had said it about hundred times at this point, but no one was listening to her. Everyone was wrapped up in a huge argument about whether or not they should go to Times Square and see if they could find Keefe.

All of her friends wanted to, while the Collective thought it was dangerous. Grady had a very strong opinion on the matter.

"There is no way you're going to the Forbidden Cities just to look for That Boy!"

Sophie sighed and slumped against the wall. All of the planning and arguing was getting so pointless. Even Sandor wasn't paying attention to her. He had started arguing with Woltzer about who knows what.

By now Keefe probably wasn't even at Times Square anymore. He may be reckless, but he wasn't stupid. Sophie wasn't even sure if he'd still be in the state. If they waited any longer, it would definitely be too late to find him.

"Stop arguing!" Sophie shouted, "This isn't helping!"

No one heard her, her voice lost amongst all the other screaming in the room.

Suddenly Ro popped up next to her. "This feels stupid right?"

Sophie jumped, clutching a hand to her chest. She turned to face the ogre. "What do you want?"

Ro raised her eyebrows. "Bad mood, Blondie?"

"No," Sophie grumbled, rolling her eyes, which didn't exactly help her case. "I just want to go and at least take a look around Times Square."

"I'm right there with you," Ro agreed.

The two of them stared at the chaos in Havenfield's living room. Ro took out a glass vial that looked like it came from Keefe's bedroom and fiddled with the cork.

"Do you just carry prank elixirs around with you?" Sophie asked.

The ogre took off a belt that was tied around her waist and proudly displayed the inside. It was lined with multicolored bottles with liquids that fizzed and bubbled inside their container. It definitely didn't look safe. Sophie cautiously took a step away.

"You know..." Ro said, a toothy grin crawling up her face. "We could go."

"What?"

"You, me, New York, searching for Hunkyhair. No one's going to notice we're gone. You in?"

"I..." Sophie turned to the crowd of people in her house again, still yelling at each other, nowhere close to coming to a conclusion. Then she looked at Ro, who was counting her poisonous elixirs and twirling a dagger between her fingers.

Stay safe at home with arguing friends, or leap to the Forbidden Cities with diabolical ogre. The choice was clear.

"Come on," Sophie hissed, making her way over to the open doorway. "You win. Let's go."

Ro's eyes lit up and she trailed behind Sophie excitedly. They made their way outside into the fields without anyone noticing. Sophie took a deep breath to steady herself then looked at the ogre. "You ready?"

"Wait!" A voice squeaked.

Sophie jumped and turned to the sound. A certain teal-eyed girl appeared next to them.

"Biana?" Sophie asked.

"I wanna come," Biana insisted. "I saw you guys sneaking out and followed you. And before you say no," she added when Sophie started to interrupt, "I have this."

She took out a black glass orb from the folds in her sleeves with thin silver swirls curling around the edges. An obscurer.

"I stole it from my dad's office," Biana explained. "Figured it might come in handy sometime soon. So am I in?"