Second Chance

A Breach of Security

Sophie, the Black Swan, the Council, and her friends all leaped over to Everglen in a hurry once they heard that it was on fire.
Biana looked so pale like she was about to faint.
Fitz's anger was barely contained.
They all had so many questions.
Were Della or Alden home at the time?
Was everything scorched?
Would the Vackers lose one of their oldest houses?
Once they arrived they realized that the house itself wasn't on fire.
It was the vast green lands surrounding it. The lush, bright fields that were some of the first things that Sophie had seen when she first arrived in the Lost Cities.
An unexplainable anger and grief welled up in her chest but now wasn't the right time to let those go. She would save them in her bundle of emotions to unleash on the Neverseen.
She silently swore to herself that she would make their lives a living hell if she ever came upon them again.
While she was busy in her thoughts, the Black Swan had hailed Marella to contain and extinguish the fire.
Although it was now gone, it was scorched to the ground.
It reflected the bleakness of Sophie's hope right now.
"It'll be alright," Dex whispered to Biana.
"Wait a second," Alden said. "If they were able to get to the fields they must've been able to get through the gate."
"But that's impossible. We're the only ones who could get in with our DNA," Della replied.
"Either they collected a sample of our DNA and used it to open the gates or..." Biana trailed off.
"Or they found a way through the protection," Sophie finished.
She thought for a second. "Alvar's DNA won't get them through the gate, right?"
"No," Alden replied, "we disabled his after the troll hive incident."
"You guys don't really think I would do that would you?" Alvar asked.
"Well we wouldn't put it past you," Sophie snapped.
"But it'll be fine right?" Dex asked, ever the optimist.
Councillor Emery let out a slightly defeated breath. "If they're able to get through Everglen, one of the Lost Cities' most secure estates, who's to say they can't burn down all our homes."
They all went silent.
Emery rubbed his temples as a new wave of thoughts ran through his head. The perks of being a Telepath.
"I guess that would be the most effective way to keep you safe."
"What?" Sophie asked.
Bronte turned to them, his sharp features filling with pity.
"We'll have to move you all to a more secure location."
"What?" Dex exclaimed. "We can't."
"Dex is right," Sophie argued. "If we move then we're showing them that they're winning. We can't do that."
"And some of us have responsibilities at home," Stina added, referring to the unicorns that her family took care of.
"It wouldn't be all of you. Just Miss Foster, the Ruewens, and the Vackers—"
"No way. If I have to leave, my friends do, too. They all deserve the same level of protection," Sophie said.
"We're well aware of how much you care for your friends but we can't risk your safety. The Neverseen are after you and if we don't take you into hiding, they're gonna hunt you down and use you against us. If you think you are being selfish for hiding then I urge you to think of the consequences of them capturing you and using you as leverage."
Sophie let out a sigh and thought for a minute.
"Fine. I'll go on one condition."
"Name it."
She glanced over at her other friends, hoping that they won't hate her for it.
"Keefe comes with me."
Loud protests came from every direction and even out of the corner of her eye, she could see their shocked and betrayed reactions—especially from Fitz—on their faces and it hurt her.
But Keefe needed her right now. His mom was one of the most dangerous and evil forces and he needed her support and protection.
"I'm not going into hiding, Sophie," Keefe whispered to her.
His use of her first name made her immediately know that something was wrong.
"You go. I was always meant to be reckless. That's how I am. And if I—" His voice choked off. "If I end up going down, at least I'll go down fighting."
"Keefe, no, please."
"There isn't another way."
"Yes, there is. Come with me. Please."
"She wants me. She's always wanted me. I mean, she had me to be her weapon. My fate is inevitable. She'll stop at nothing to use me for her crazy experiments and I don't want you getting caught up in it."
"I'm strong enough to handle myself. Besides, we're stronger together."
"Foster, you're not listening to me. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to you because of her. Not if I can prevent it."
"This isn't preventing it. It's a death wish."
"Then let it be a death wish. But at least it will be mine."
"I'll find a way."
"You can't make me. You might be the strongest elf I know but none of us know how far my abilities can go."
A loud clearing of the throat drew them back to the present. Everyone was looking at them.
"Like we said while you and Mr. Sencen were having such an intimate moment, the Vackers should go to check if anything is out of place or stolen. That might give us a better insight of how powerful the Neverseen really is."
Embarrassed, Sophie nodded her head in agreement.
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As soon as Honoria stepped in the doorway of the hideout, Gethen slammed into her and started to probe her mind.
"What the actual hell, Gethen."
"Sorry, we found out a few hours ago that the Council acquired a very powerful gadget that can transform someone's appearance to look like another person."
"That's impossible," Honoria said.
"That's what we all thought up until this afternoon."
"Well, I have some good news. Everglen was set perfectly, they were so busy grieving about their stupid lawn that it took them too long to realize that I had planted a trap in Biana's room. She'll be in our possession by nightfall."
"Excellent."
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As Biana stepped into her large jewelry and clothes filled room she sensed something was off.
A second too late as she took another step, she realized a black swirling shadow portal had opened up beneath her feet and the last thing she saw was Fitz's face shifting to shock.
He ran downstairs as fast as he could as yelled,
"BIANA'S GONE!"