Back to the Future

Chapter 21

Sophie stared at her wall as she sat on her bed. The petals on her floor brushed against her fidgeting feet and the orange light of a dying sunset streamed through her windows. Her hair was in tatters from dancing and partying and a thin sheen of sweat coated her body. The silence in her room was heavy, in contrast with the guests she could hear downstairs. They were still partying, but Sophie had felt bile come up her throat at the halfway point. She just couldn't deal with the joy anymore, her mind knew the smiles were temporary, and the laughs would fade into looks of fear. She would be judged for who she came from and not who she was, something she was already doing to herself. Her pain felt palpable and she couldn't convince herself it was all in her head.

Someone knocked at the door, "I'll be back soon!" She called.

The door opened slowly, Sophie didn't bother to look up, "Foster..."

"Someone should be entertaining the guests, you should get back," Sophie said, still not looking up.

"I can't, not when my wife is in here," Keefe said slowly, Sophie still didn't move, "You know, I really do like being able to say 'my wife' again." he said, trying to brighten the mood, when it didn't work he sat down next to her, "What's going on,"

"It involves Gethen, but I don't want to talk about it."

"At least let me stay with you,"

Sophie nodded slowly, "Fine."

Sophie laid down and Keefe laid next to her, and they spent the night curled up in each other's arms. She fell asleep easily, but then she heard a voice in her head.

Do you really think you're better than me? It was Gethen. She shot up in bed trying to shake the nightmare away. No. A laugh filled her mind, I'm not your imagination.

Why can't I block you? Sophie thought.

Your mind is starting to trust me, even if everything else isn't. Your mind is accepting who I am.

Get out of my mind! Sophie screamed into her head, shaking it.

I'll see you soon. Gethen said, then went silent.

Gethen? Gethen, what did you mean by that? Gethen! There were no replies to Sophie's pleas.

"Foster?" Keefe questioned, "Who's in your head?"

"What do you mean?" Sophie asked, trying to play off her terror.

"I've known you for years, I know what it looks like when you're talking to someone telepathically," Keefe answered.

Sophie laid back down, curling back up in Keefe's arms. Letting the warmth seep into her bones before she spoke again, "It was...it was Gethen."

Keefe stiffened, but he didn't pull away from her. Sophie stared at the ceiling wishing she was back home where this drama didn't exist. "Did you reach out to him?"

Sophie shook her head, "No, somehow he got into my head,"

"That's not..." Keefe trailed off.

"It's not good, I know." Sophie rolled off of the bed, starting to pace back and forth, "Ugh, I'm going to take this dress off and shower. I need time to process."

"Of course, Foster just don't shut down, okay? Remember you have a lot of people that love you. I love you."

Sophie nodded, "I'll be back in like half an hour,"

The water of the shower pounded at her head, washing down the rest of her body. She could barely move as the thoughts rushed around her head. She didn't know how long she stood there, but when she stepped out steam coated the mirror. Sophie rubbed away a clear spot in the mirror staring at herself, wet hair still dripping, tired eyes, and in those eyes: terror. If she looked close enough she could see her body trembling. She was terrified of Gethen, something she never let on while fighting him, something that she never realized because she was always caught up in the adrenaline. But this...this was different. Gethen had invaded her home, her mind. He had gotten into the place that was supposed to be impenetrable and somehow it was because her mind subconsciously trusted him.

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The next morning, Sophie called Mr. Forkle. She needed to confront him about everything. Mr. Forkle answered her call quickly, his face contorted by ruckleberries filling the screen.

"Ms. Foster, It's so-"

"Mrs. Foster please," Sophie reminded.

Mr. Forkle nodded, "Yes, that's going to take some time to get used to. Well, anyway, what did you call about?"

Sophie wasted no time, she said the hard truth,"We need to talk. In person. About my father."

A/N: Okay, so I know the wedding delayed this whole Gethen plot, but it was necessary for multiple reasons. But now, for all you fans of the drama and plot twists, stuff is going to get crazy. If you like fluff, I promise that's there too, as it has been in the rest of this story. I hope you're excited and liked this chapter. Sorry that you have to wait a week for the rest, but I promise it's worth it. Thanks for reading, remember to vote and comment!!!!