Sentry of the Arcane: Befall

Chapter Nine: Sophie

Still not used to the new addition of ability training, I find myself being forced to wake up by Mr. Wallace at eight in the morning. I don't put up a fight from lack of energy and merely comply to his instructions. The Altruistics, Fitz, and I were to get ready for the day and go eat breakfast. We'd spend the next few hours practicing what we did yesterday without the older man, then eat lunch. Afterwards, we'd have actual training.

After washing my face and taking a shower with cold water, I wear a bathrobe and walk over to my closet. I pull out black shorts and a teal top with waves at the bottom. Quickly changing, I straighten my hair after brushing it for no tangles. Luckily, I'm out the door at 8:30.

At the conference room, my eyes widen when I see the Sovereigns, Benen, and Fitz all ready and eating. They see me and wave politely as I make my way over to the plethora of food. I grab some pineapple, mango yogurt, and two pieces of French toast. Sitting next to Fitz, we eat our breakfast silently, listening to the the meaningless banter between Benen and the Sovereigns.

What do you think that he's in mind, Fitz's voice fill my mind.

Mr. Wallace? I shrug. All I know is that we have to go to Donovan's room.

Fitz and I finish quickly and throw the plastic plates away. Let's hope that it won't be too bad.

I scoff. Pretty sure that's not going to happen.

We look over at Mr. Wallace, who nods silently. We then look at one another before exiting the room to practice with Fitz and those flashcards.

...

After lunch, Fitz and I make our way to Donovan's room. He and Audrey decided to stay with the Altruistics, who were in the conference room practicing with the invisibility.

For now, Fitz and I were with Mr. Wallace since he'd already given his instruction to Benen and Laurel. Looking at us, he asks, "Do you know what telekinesis is?"

We both nod. "When one moves things with their mind," we both recite.

Mr. Wallace nods in confirmation. "Good, so you know what you're doing today," he remarks.

My eyes widen. "Wait- you're going to teach us telekinesis?!" I stammer, my jaw dropping.

"Isn't that supposed to be impossible?" Fitz asks, raising an eyebrow.

"You two can talk telepathically and can transfer memories to one another," the grey haired man points out. "Is this really impossible?"

He got us there.

"Fitz, close your eyes," Mr. Wallace says. Confusion written clearly across his face, Fitz shuts his eyes. "Good, now imagine you're building a wall, and you have to add the largest and final piece."

I assume that the silence afterwards means that Fitz is following the instructions.

"Good, and now make sure that the final piece is in place with rope." Mr. Wallace then pulls out a long teal ribbon and lets it sit in his hands.

Fitz doesn't nod or reply at all.

And then I see the teal ribbon zip out of Mr. Wallace's hands and wrap itself tightly around my right ankle. I let out a shaky breath as I look at Mr. Wallace. "Is this supposed to happen?" I his to him, my heart pounding faster.

Of course, Mr. Wallace helps a lot by holding a finger to his lips to tell me to stay quiet. Yeah, thanks a lot. That helps.

I bite my lip hesitantly, wondering what he's going to do next. I feel a sharp pull on my ankle and tense up. My breath leaves me when the end of the ribbon flies up into the air, taking me into the air with it. "Is this really-" I begin.

Mr. Wallace merely shushes me. Again.

I let out a scared whimper and close my eyes when the ribbon goes up more, making me levitate in the air more. I can't find my voice even if I wanted to, and that frightened me more. This is supposed to be impossible, I tell myself. Impossible, impossible...

Then why am I dangling in midair?!

Suddenly, my leg feel like it's slowly stretching. I open my eyes to see the other end of the ribbon being tied to the ceiling light in Donovan's room. I then realize just how high the ceilings in our rooms are.

I look down and see Fitz still standing with his eyes closed. Down on the ground. While I'm somehow tied to the ceiling.

The ceiling light sways a bit and I feel my leg slipping from the hold the ribbon has on me. And I can't help myself.

I scream like my life depended on it. Which it did. "Fitz..!" I shriek, thrashing about. I then scream some more when the ribbon feels like it's loosening more.

Fitz's eyes snap open. Looking at me he says, "Sophie! How'd you get up there?!"

I glare at Mr. Wallace. "Telekinesis!" I shout back. "I was supposed to keep my mouth shut!" I slip again and scream more, closing my eyes and placing my hands over my eyes.

"Oh God..!" Looking over to Mr. Wallace, he asks, "Can I use telekinesis to bring her down again?"

Mr. Wallace shakes his head. "Your head is overflowing with thoughts. You'll get sidetracked."

I don't want to fall, I think.

I don't even realize that I've transmitted to Fitz until he tells me, I don't want you to fall either. My heart still beating out of control, I can't fight the faint blush on my cheeks after that.

Fitz frowns in thought. A few seconds later, he shouts to me, "You'll need to jump, Sophie!"

My eyes widen. "Jump!?" I'm about to say more but scream instead with the swaying light. After calming down a bit, I ask, "Isn't there something else?!"

Mr. Wallace rushes out of the room. "I'm getting help from downstairs!"

Fitz looks up to me. "I promise I'll catch you, Sophie! Just undo the knot on your ankle!"

I can't help but scream more when I slip more. "I can't!" I yell at him. "I'm too scared to do anything like that!"

"Either you willing jump or you fall, Sophie!" Fitz shouts. "I'll be here, ready to catch you either way, alright?" He looks at me and holds his arms out at a calculated pose, most likely estimating how far the drop is.

I swallow. "Fitz-" I'm suddenly cut off when my foot becomes free from the knot. I scream as the ground nears me, the wind blowing mercilessly against my face. I hold my arms out in front of me in some sort of protection as I anticipate the pain I'll receive once I hit the floor.

A/N: This part is from the wonderful @flourencemaude and her amazing story "You Fall, I Fall"! She's been reading my story and giving me feedback, so public shout-out to you! You are so awesome at writing! Read her story (the one I'm rambling about right now)! When I read this specific part from her story, I knew I had to ask her to put it in my story! Also, Sophitz!

But instead of feeling something cold and painful, I feel something warm and soft. I tentatively open my eyes to see that Fitz has indeed caught me. Both of my legs are practically wrapped around Fitz's upper torso, and Fitz firmly holds me by my thighs. His hands send warmth throughout me, telling me just how cold I was while stranded up there.

My arms are wrapped securely around his neck, pulling him closer to me as if I don't, I'll fall. My fingers brush the back of his head before I pull him closer,acting like he's the only support I have before I fall.

The way he caught me makes me tower over the male Percipient, my hair falling around both of our faces like a curtain. His teal eyes darken slightly as we stare at each other- neither of us moving away, but neither of moving closer as well.

"I told you I'd catch you," Fitz breathes, sending shivers down my spine. I stare into his eyes, my heart switching to a hummingbird pace. "Was that so hard?" he asks playfully, leaning a bit closer to me.

I can't help smile at his question. "Yes, Fitz," I whisper back, leaning slightly closer as well. "It was very hard."

Fitz and I are in such a daze that we don't hear the door opening.

But we both look away after we hear the sound of a camera going off.