FOXFIRE (2):

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Sophie POV:

Sophie woke up the next morning feeling refreshed, but her heart sank when she realized she had her Foxfire Admission Test today. She wasn't looking forward to meeting The Liar Who Didn't Deserve To Be Mentioned, but she would deal with it, and act like they'd never met.

Sighing, Sophie got up and dressed quickly, deciding to wear the same jeans and yellow shirt she wore before, to not change anything. Then she went outside, spotting Mr. Forkle with his gnomes. "Looking for someone?" he asked from the porch next door. Mr. Forkle could always be found there, rearranging hundreds of garden gnomes into elaborate tableaux.

"No," she said, playing along with him, remembering he didn't know she was sent back in time. "I was checking to see if the smoke was any better. I guess it's not." She coughed for added effect. His beady blue eyes bored into hers, and she could tell from his thoughts that he didn't believe her. "You kids," he grumbled. "Always up to something." Sophie stifled a grin and continued to stare up at the sky. Gethen should be coming to try to take her any moment now.

Mr. Forkle moved a gnome a fraction of an inch to the left. "You should get back inside before the smoke gives you another one of those headaches you're always—"

As expected, loud yapping interrupted him, and a ball of fur with legs streaked up the sidewalk, barking its tiny head off. A blond guy in spandex jogging shorts chased after it.

"Would you mind grabbing her?" he called to Sophie as the dog raced across her lawn. Gethen. This time she wouldn't let him touch her.

"I'll try." The dog was quick, but Sophie managed to step on the leash with a clumsy lunge. She kneeled, stroking the wild-eyed, panting creature to calm her down.

"Thank you so much," Gethen said as he ran up the path. As soon as he drew close, the dog growled and strained against the leash, barking like mad.

"She's my sister's dog," he shouted over the noise. "She hates me. Not my sister—the dog," he added. He held out his hand, displaying several half-moon bite wounds including the one that would leave the scar she recognized. Liar.

Sophie picked up the trembling dog and hugged her, not willing to let it go.

"I don't suppose you'd be willing to carry her back to my sister's house. It's just a few blocks away, and she seems to like you better than me." He winked one of his piercing blue eyes.

"She most certainly will not," Mr. Forkle yelled before she could open her mouth to answer. "Sophie, go inside. And you"—he pointed to Gethen—"get out of here right now or I'm calling the police." Sophie practically threw the dog at Gethen, who was scowling at Mr. Forkle, and ran inside, shutting the front door with a loud bang.

When Sophie got to school, she didn't see Fitz, and she assumed he was getting a no-reason-to-worry lecture from his dad. She headed for class when the bell rang, falling behind the other kids when she saw him in the shadows, watching her.

Sophie quickly stepped to the side and pretended to be tying her shoe until everyone had left.

"About time," she whispered. Fitz grinned, stepping into the light.

"Missed me?" he asked cockily. The sight reminded her of Keefe, which brought the memory of their kiss to mind. She blushed heavily, and Fitz's grin grew wider, assuming it was because of his words. Then it quickly faded as he remembered their conversation before they went to see Wylie, including what she was actually blushing about.

"Can anyone see us?" she asked, changing the subject. She didn't want to talk about that right now, with their relationship so tense.

Fitz pulled out an Obscurer. "They can't hear us either," he told her. "We better go."

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