𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄'𝐒 𝐌𝐘 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐄𝐂𝐓 𝐅𝐈𝐗? | 𝐚 𝐬𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐦 𝐅𝐅 - HIATUS

chapter 13

"...our only option is to storm that base, then.." Mr. Forkle breathed, his face growing pale.

Around the table of the Black Swan hideout, people visibly stiffened.

"A full on frontal assault?" A member breathed. Sophie had never seen them before, but they looked intimidating.

"Is that the only option?" Biana asked. She looked scared.

Just a couple of hours ago, Sophie and Tam had been about to depart from Elwin's office. But Mr. Forkle had come to pick them up instead of Edaline, as the Conjurer had said she would.

An urgent summoning. Sophie had never been called to one, and oh boy  it was terrifying. Tensions were high, and there'd apparently been a relatively direct and important breakthrough. 

Squall moved her icy hand up to her face. "As much as I wish it wasn't so bad, I think he's right." She said hesitantly. Linh turned to her.

"You can't be serious, Squall," The raven-haired beauty said. "We don't know who's guarding that base, or-"

"No," Granite said with a shake of his head. "He's right. If we don't do anything, then they'll just continue the process of.. whatever they're doing. We know now it's an important base."

"But storming it has no hope! It's not a logical plan, and it has almost no hope of working!" Biana cried, her face paling. Her normal composed figure had shattered, revealing the terrified, thirteen-year-old-girl who she'd almost buried away.

"No hope is better than none." A Black Swan member Sophie had never met before said. He looked very calculative - she guessed he might be a Technopath or a Polyglot. Or maybe even both. When heads turned to him, he paused.

"Think about it." He added. "Even if there are injuries this mission, they could be worse if we don't do anything whatsoever."

Biana looked away, her normally confident, dazzling and brilliant teal eyes now dull with fear and doubt. "I know that." She murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. "But I'm scared."

Sophie opened her mouth to speak, but Marella beat her to it. 

"I think.. I think we can do it.." The blondie said hesitantly. "Call me crazy if you will, but.." 

She held out her palms, a small flame lighting the tip of her index finger. She looked up, her eyes determined. "We can't find out unless we try it. And not only that, because that sounds cheesy, but.."

The small, petite girl's huge blue eyes were hard as metal, tough as stone. "We have to at least make an effort to put a stop to their plans. Otherwise, who knows what they could produce from that place?"

Sophie felt an urge to speak, but suppressed it. Her own thoughts were a mixture.

She was terrified of anyone getting injured, and certainly terrified - selfishly, she thought - for herself. She was also scared of any possible fatality. Sophie didn't want anyone leaving - for good - for that mission. 

However, contrasting her negative opinions, she believed it was the right thing to do. Not only was there possible victory waiting at the end of the definite, and unavoidable skirmish - there was a chance to pull ahead. A chance not only for them to get a step in front of the Neverseen, but that and a chance to strike them at a critical standpoint.

So here she sat, on the carpeting of her elegant room, back at Havenfield, hours later - watching the sun go down, just as she'd watched the sun go up during the meeting.

Friends surrounded her, but she couldn't feel more alone.

Everyday was a blank slate - and she was lifting each slate up to find what was underneath, only to be greeted with another empty, wasted day. 

And this time, she'd lifted up the slate to find a chance to help. A chance to have some sort of fix.

The one, as the moonlark, she was supposed to have. So she held her head high, and with each breath, gathered her strength, to read what was on the no longer blank slate that was soon to be approaching.

Maybe this could give her the chance she needed - to rise up from the shadows. The shackles were fading - she could feel it. She had more room to breathe - more time to think. 

And this was the perfect opportunity to make a fierce comeback.

To prove to herself that she wasn't dead weight, wasn't worthless. 

If she could push herself to fight back against other people..

Maybe she could push herself to fight back against her problems. The darkness always surrounding her head, getting into her mind, affecting her life.

Maybe this was a chance - to once and for all - rise into the sky, into the cold winds, and not fall to their control - but to push through, and own them.

To aspire to be who everyone wanted her to be. Who she wanted herself to be.

To figure out what the perfect fix she needed was.

And where she had to go - and what she had to do - to find it.

BONUS: A letter from the author

lmao the big plot starts here. i'm sorry for the long wait and ruining the poetic moment with an author note, but i just wanted to say i'm so grateful if you made it up to this point.

writing for me is more than a hobby, or a talent, even. it's a passion. However, I need time to pursue it. ideas can take a while to come to me.

if you were one of my first readers, who started reading in the winter, and have stuck with the book until this point, from the bottom of my heart, i thank you. you've stuck with me through a very interesting point of my life, even if i've never talked to you, or if you didn't know it.

even though we've never made contact beyond a screen, whatever you might currently be going through, you can do it. rise up, and accomplish what you want to do.

finding more about yourself is right around the corner of your problems.

i just wanted to let you know that you can do it. 

your perfect fix is hidden somewhere up your sleeve. good luck with whatever you're going through - and my dms are always a welcome place for you to go.

sorry for the sappiness, but thank you for reading my story. 

i hope I can inspire you to find more about yourself, and to realize that your problems can't hold you back forever.

And I hope I inspire you to look for that fix. Because, you know what? I think it's hidden somewhere near you. 

-keeperaureliaa, 7/7/2021