After Lodestar

Just Another Day

(A/N): Hey guys! Thank you so much for all the reads and comments. I can't put in words how fun it is to write stories for people who love reading them and it's amazing to have over 500 reads! To be honest, I didn't think I was going to get past 100😂 But here I am, preparing to write chapter 5 of my first story. Thank you so much for the support and read on!!

     My first classes go by relatively fast, mostly due to the fact that they're all easy since I do indeed possess a photographic memory, which proves to be quite useless when P.E period is the only thing standing between me and going back to the safety of one-on-one sessions. Nevertheless, I walk through the front doors that lead to the girls' locker rooms, silently praying that I won't make a giant fool out of myself today.
     Foxfire's locker rooms are just as luxurious as the rest of the school. Every sparkling tile fits into the floor as if it had been magically settled there by the goddess of perfection herself. Shades of gold and white and even translucent undertones stir around my vision until the image finally settles and I have to try and contain my awe.
     "Sophie!" I hear a voice calling. Turning around, I discover the source to be Biana, already dressed in her P.E uniform. "Hey, Biana," I reply, walking over to greet her for the second time today. Walking up to her, she starts looking more and more like she's trying really hard not to laugh. I give her a questioning look and she finally bursts out giggling like a psycho beauty queen. "Oh"- she's cut off by another fit of laughter- "You know, just the fact that you're probably going to end up flying through the air or getting yourself flattened on the ground as soon as PE starts!" Yep, I think, I'm definitely going to regret coming to school.

     Finally, I make my way to my own personal locker room. Of course, it's all thanks to Grady and Edaline's immense wealth, even among Elvin standards. My P.E uniform is hanging from a hook on the wall when I walk in and after grabbing it, I quickly get dressed. It still surprises me that I have my own personal shower in here, though I've never even thought about using it before. I pull my hair into a ponytail and run outside to meet the rest of my class. And as they have been doing it all day, I'm not surprised to see almost all of the other prodigies whispering among themselves and pointing very obviously in my direction.

       A few years ago, the attention would have made my face heat up like a bonfire, but lately I've found that the opinions of other Elves rarely matter anymore. When one has been through what I've been through, they probably wouldn't be worrying about little things either. So instead of avoiding their stares, I hold my head high and stride with very un-Sophie like confidence through them to my friends. Dex, Keefe, Biana and Fitz look rather uncomfortable in the midst of the whispers and stares and I feel a wave of guild hit me like a bulldozer. Sighing for what seems like the hundredth time that day, I come to a halt in between Dex and Biana. "There she is," exclaims a very happy Keefe, "I was starting to worry that you slipped on a banana and got stuck in your locker!" And again for that seems like the hundredth time that day, Keefe succeeds in receiving weird looks left and right. Based on our various expressions, one might think he had a pink horn growing out of his cheek and a purple affro. "What? It's basic guestimation," he shruggs. I just shake my head and try to stifle the laughter...failing miserably of course. His expression is just so innocent with his icy eyes crinkling at the edges, showing how much he laughs, and slightly puckered lips that reveal how hard he's trying to figure out what is so funny. The others join in almost immediately after my own laughing fit started and it makes his expression that much better.
Finally, we all manage to settle down after a few very deep breaths and just in time, too. Our P.E mentors have called the classes up to the front of the lawn,where they usually explain the following activities and destroy my happiness. As we approach, it's easy to notice how many people start shying away from us and whisper quietly amongst themselves about something like It's her, She was there and even Stay away from her, she's dangerous. I feel my eyes starting to water and am hit with a wave of shame. I have to remind myself, again, that this war is not their fight and they cannot properly judge our actions without being personally involved as we were. I lift my chin up and turn to give my friends an encouraging smile upon seeing their shoulders tense at the whispers directed at me. "It's fine guys, really," I try to reassure them, but it didn't sound as fearless as I had originally hoped. Taking our seat at the back of the crowd, we focus our attention on the mentors clad in clothing no one would expect any human P.E teacher to wear.
The embroidery shimmered on their bright robes like the morning sunlight on the ocean and their perfect hair flows in three strands down their backs and each shoulder, utterly reminding me of the Elves in the Lord of the Ring movie series. And for added effect, their feet hover about six inches off the ground in the act of levitation. They start talking about the period's agenda and I find myself tuning it out as soon as I hear the word "channeling." I've had to perform this skill so many times in the face of danger that it is no longer really a challenge.
     Once the mentors finally stop droning on, we all get up and head to a starting line to the right of us. The entire class was split up into three groups as there are only three mentors. Unfortunately, Keefe and Fitz manage to sneak into my group. Ever since Keefe found me at the wreckage site where Lumenaria's castle used to be, he's been acting more and more protective over me...and there's still that time when Fitz almost kissed me, which is an excellent source of awkwardness. But shoving these distracting thoughts out of my head, I focus instead on forcing a smile when they come walking up.
"Yo, Foster. I've decided that you must feel utterly lost without me around, so here I am!" he says, opening his arms as if gesturing to his awesomeness. And before I know it, Keefe is draping an arm over my shoulders. Having been severely surprised by this, my breath abruptly catches and I hear Keefe's low chuckle reverberating in my ears. Fitz stands to the side and avoids our eyes. This won't do, I thought. Think, Sophie. Think. Figuring that a decoy would be the best way to go, I concentrate on lifting two small rocks with my mind. They hover in the air for a second, unnoticed by the boys, and then shoot in two directions. One hits Keefe squarely between the eyes and the other bounces off the back of Fitz's head. Keefe is taken by surprise and slides his arms off my shoulders with an adorably shocked expression plastered on his face. Fitz carries one almost identical to his and I recognized my chance. While they are still caught up in rubbing their heads, I channel the energy into my leg muscles and shoot forward. I grin at their now even more surprised faces and start laughing where I stand one hundred yards away from them. Even from across the field, I hear Biana's laughter.
     Relief floods me when a grin spreads across Fitz's face and Keefe shows off his signature smirk. I mentally pat myself on the back and get in line behind the prodigies who are getting ready for the channeling races.
   But my victory is short lived, for I start feeling a tingling sensation in the back of my mind. I try shaking my head to clear the increasingly uncomfortable throbbing, only to come up unsuccessful. As I listen closer, it starts sounding like a voice. A bone-chilling, blood-curdling malicious whisper, weaving through the chambers of my mind like a poisonous viper. The air turns cold around me, but the other prodigies don't seem to feel it. Only me. Again. But what's most disturbing about the voice is that I can hear it; Fitz is the only person who can transmit to me through my blocking. Well, then maybe it would be a good idea to start blocking, Sophie, I think to myself.
     I visualize building a wall brick by brick using the feelings I spare for loved ones. It stretches around my entire mind and the voice muffles for a split second, but starts right back up again. The wall shatters. I listen.
     Moo...rk, MOO...ARK, MOONLARK!! I keep listening and the voice becomes more clear. MOONLARK...I...WILL...KILL...THEM... This is not what I want to hear. I can't listen to this anymore, but before true panic has the chance to grip me, the voice leaves. And if it was trying to scare me...it worked. Keefe and Fitz are still walking over, now with slight concern clouding their features and I know I can't afford to make another scene. For their sake, I have to burry the incident deep down until I'm alone. Maybe I'll tell Grady and Edaline and only maybe will I tell Alden, because I know now whose voice that was. So putting another fake smile on my face, I greet Keefe and Fitz. And as they join me in line, I only have one thought.

     Fintan has access to my mind, and he's going to murder my human parents...who are still trapped in Nightfall.

(A/N): Well, that was chapter 5. Let me know if you liked it by commenting lots and just a friendly reminder, feel free to let me know if you have any ideas for the next chapter. I'm writing for you guys after all.