Unicorn Academy - Honorary Siblings

Chapter 30 - Bright Futures

December 8, 2023

The Sapphires finished up the day with a trail ride to Starglow Lake, where Sophia kept messing with her necklace to calm her nerves. Noticing the troubled expression on her face, Rory pulls Sophia aside to see if she's alright. Despite her assurance that she was fine, Rory gave Sophia a look of suspicion as she walked back to sit next to Ava and Wildstar. In the Sapphires' Dorm, Talulah was reading the Sparkle Book for what felt like the twentieth time, unaware of Sophia and Rory's concerns about her. The rest of the day went by as Talulah went over her notes while trying to find anything she found useful, before growing frustrated and throwing her notes around the room.

Talulah - "Ugh! This is hopeless! I can't find anything!"

Sophia - "Talulah? You okay in there?"

Talulah - "Huh?! Y—Yeah, I'm fine, Soph! Just—Just studying."

Sophia - "Okay...Do you wanna go with Rory and I on a ride? We're heading to the beach to hang out before dinner."

Talulah - "That—That sounds like fun, Sophia. But I—I need to stay here. I've...got some stuff I need to finish."

Sophia - "Oh, uh, okay...Well, I'll see you at dinner then."

Talulah - "Yeah, bye, Sophia!"

Sophia - "Bye—"

Talulah shut the door in Sophia's face before she could ask her another question, and Sophia stared at her room in concern. Rory had walked over to see if Sophia was ready for their trip to the beach, but noticed the worried expression on her face. Sophia brushed off his concern before it could turn into a conversation, and the two headed for the stables. Seeing the troubled expression on Feather's face, Sophia and Rory invited him to go with them to the beach, only to receive an eye roll in response. At the beach, Sophia and Rory let their unicorns play in the water while they stayed on the land, watching them from the safety of the boulder they sat on.

Sophia - "Poor Feather. He hasn't been out since first period."

Rory - "Me too, but he won't leave the stables with us if Talulah's not there to join us."

Sophia - "Yeah...Speaking of which, have you noticed that Talulah's been kind of off?"

Rory - "Yeah, I did...But I'm sure she's fine, Talulah said she's not gonna hide her feelings anymore."

Sophia - "...And you believe that?"

Rory - "Why wouldn't I? Talulah's never given me any reason to think she's hiding something. I'm sure she's just worried about a test we have that's coming up."

Sophia - "You...You're probably right..."

Rory - "...I know we're talking about my sister, but are you okay? You've been kind of anxious all day, and I gotta admit, it's starting to worry me a little. You know, if the carefree prankster is starting to get worried, then it's gotta be something!"

In an attempt to get her to smile, Rory started tickling Sophia's sides, causing her to start laughing hysterically. Sophia fell on her back and tossed herself around as Rory kept tickling her waist, not seeing the smile on his face as she kept laughing. Reluctantly, Sophia admits defeat between her laughs, and Rory finally stops tickling her. Sophia leans her head on Rory's shoulder as she explained why she was anxious, not seeing the shocked expression on his face.

Sophia - "Haha! Rory, stop it! Hahaha!"

Rory - "I'm afraid I can't! Not until you tell me what's bothering you! So, spill it!"

Sophia - "Hahaha! Okay, fine, I'll tell you!"

Rory - "There we go!"

Sophia - "Hahaha!...I told Talulah about the grim magic this morning, and she made a promise to me that she'd help me find my dad. But for the rest of the day, she's looked so scared, and she's not telling me why."