SOPHITZ

Chapter 13

Okay, readers! I AM BACK! Thanks so much for putting up with my lack of updates for... Oh my word, how long has it been? A month? Anywho, just wanted to say thanks for 3.3K reads. Seriously?!? That is, like, the best thing that happened to me since the cutest guy in school, Nick Stevens, asked me out to prom. Seriously.

Anyway, let's here what happened to Sophie after she hears the truth...

Sophie had to bite her fist to keep from screaming. SIXTEEN? AND FITZ VACKER LIKED HER? Sophie's heart (which was already beating like a kettledrum) doubled it's pace when Fitz said slowly

"So, that means she'll be able to register for matchmaking. And she's a level five." Linh nodded.

"Yup."

"I can't believe I knew this before her." Fitz muttered, running his hands through his hair. "She's literally going to KILL us when she finds out we knew before she did." He started pacing.

"Hey!" said Linh, placing two hands on his shoulders to calm him. "It's okay. She won't care, Kapeshe? Listen to me! She. Won't. Care." Fitz threw his hands in the air.

"How do you know that?" he said. "You know Sophie doesn't take it well when things are withheld from her. Trust me. You should have seen her when she figured out that I was keeping the place we were going to find the black swan a secret. She practically had fire coming out of her eyes. Seriously, I thought she was going to inflict upon me or something." Linh let out a little laugh.

"You know Sophie." she said softly. "She's very headstrong, but is always there for people when they need her. Without Sophie, Tam and I would still be stuck in the woods. She gave us our life back. Gave us a second chance. There's no need to be afraid of her!"

"That's true." Fitz consented. "She made my life twice as exciting when she showed up. I mean, without her, I would still be stuck in Foxfire, not battling rebels and risking my life!" He laughed. "She's really something."

"She is." Linh agreed. Hearing this made Sophie warm to the tips of her fingers. She had no idea that her friends cared THAT much about her. It made everything worth while. Every risk she took meant something to them, and she was eternally grateful. Suddenly Sophie realized that their time was almost up, and she should probably head back to the room so that her absence wouldn't be noticed. She sighed, and crawled back out of the passage way and back into the room where Keefe, Tam, Dex, and Biana were.

"Dude," said Keefe once she arrived. "You were in there for a long time. Are you okay? Maybe we need to call-"

"KEEFE!" yelled Sophie. "I. Am. Fine. We do not need to call Elwin, and keep your nose out of my business." she scowled and went to sit beside Biana. Suddenly a timer on Keefe's imparter went off.

"I'd better go get those lovebirds." said Keefe, with a smirk. Sophie scowled. "Hey, don't look so glum!" he shot back. "You know, there are others who care for you!" a look of misery crossed his face and he stomped out the door.

"Whoa." said Biana. "What happened to you two?" Sophie sighed.

"Nothing." she muttered. Dex raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure?" pestered Biana.

"Of course, Bi. I'm sure." said Sophie unconvincingly. She tugged out an eyelash with vigor. Suddenly Keefe came back, his smirk back into full force, with Fitz and Linh. Fitz had a satisfied look on his face, and Linh had a look of misery in her eye that only Sophie noticed. Linh covered up the rest with a façade of happiness.

"Welcome back!" said Tam.

"We should play again!" suggested Biana. "Can I go?"

"Let's not." said Sophie quickly, glancing at the time. It was 10:00 PM. "We should get to bed." Everybody nodded in agreement, as Dex not-so-subtly rubbed his eyes. They walked over to their sleeping bags and crawled inside. Sophie purposely chose the sleeping bag the farthest from Keefe. This also meant that she was the farthest from Fitz, since the two slept next to each other, but Sophie didn't want to get anywhere near Keefe tonight. To her relief, Biana and Linh grabbed a bag close to Sophie, leaving Dex and Tam on the far side of the tent with the other boys.

"G'night!" said Tam.

"G'night!" replied everyone else in unison. THey laughed. Sophie cuddled in her sleeping bag, as Biana clicked the lights off. As she lay there in the darkness, a feeling of guilt rushed over her like a wave. She shouldn't have eavesdropped. Sophie sat up and tugged on her curls. She saw that Fitz was awake. She had to tell him. Telepathically.

Fitz, I have to tell you something.

Ooh, a cliffhanger! Lovely! Comment below how you think Fitz will react to Sophie's eavesdropping... And PLEASE vote on this and share it with your friends. Thank you for reading!

-Layla