Forbidden ~ after unlocked

Chapter 34 - Sophie

A sharp cracking sound echoed in Sophie's ears as she tumbled out of the void.

She rolled a few times before coming to a stop, lying on her back for a moment to catch her breath.

Sophie slowly opened her eyes expecting to be blinded by sunlight, but clouds stared back at her, passing by behind layers of tree branches. She forced herself to sit up, wincing from her ungraceful landing.

An earthy scent filled her nose as she took in her surroundings. It seemed like she was in a forest of sorts, thick trees spotting the dusty ground. She squinted and spun in a circle as she stood up, and was just able to make out a path a little ways off. But most importantly, she had no idea where she was.

Sophie let out a sharp breath, dusting off her clothes. She was still wearing her green dress for the planting, but it was ruined now, ripped and stained. She hadn't expected the void to open so suddenly since she hadn't been picturing a location, but now that she was here, Sophie figured she might as well look around.

The air was brisk as she took off through the trees, stepping over rocks and pushing aside branches. The silence of the grove was a vast difference compared to the chaos she'd just escaped from. Sophie winced at the reminder of what she'd caused at the Wanderling Woods. That was going to come back to haunt her eventually, but for now, she was still angry.

She walked for several minutes, wrapped up in her thoughts. How had she gotten here? What was happening back in the Lost Cities? Sophie was so focused on her worries she almost didn't register it when she heard voices.

The sound made her freeze in her tracks. She'd grown used to the silence, and it was strange now to hear a noise. Sophie had honestly just assumed she had accidentally teleported to the middle of nowhere.

She strained to listen to the voices; maybe they could give her some clue to where she was. It was still too distant to hear what was being said, but the mumbles seemed to bounce off the trees around her.

After listening for a few moments, Sophie headed off in the direction of the sound. The voices grew louder as she continued towards them until it was finally loud enough to make a distinction. It sounded like a male and a female, but what threw Sophie off was the male's voice. It sounded... familiar.

The closer she got the more it bugged her, her stomach was twisting into painful knots.

Suddenly it clicked. She knew exactly who it sounded like.

Sophie had to force herself to stop for a moment and breathe. She shook her head firmly, squeezing her eyes shut. It wasn't possible. There was no way. She was only thinking that because she'd just been at a funeral for him.

She tried to calm herself down but nothing was working. Sophie knew the only way she could forget about it was to keep going and see for herself.

It's not him. You're just being paranoid, she thought. I'll get there and it won't be him. It can't be, it doesn't make any sense.

After mustering enough courage, Sophie started off again, this time at a slower pace. Every step closer only made her anxiety grow, her heart pounding in her ears.

At last she spotted a clearing not far ahead. Sophie took a deep breath before running forward, just wanting to get this over with and shake off the sudden surge of nerves.

She was getting closer, closer, the voices louder, louder. She could now make out two figures, one with dark hair and the other a blond.

Sophie had no idea who the girl was, but the boy...

Her breath abandoned her.

Sophie skidded to a stop, frozen in disbelief as she stared.

It was Keefe.