Sentry of the Arcane: Befall

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Sophie

I wake up early in the morning, surprisingly well rested and in my bed. Covering my mouth to muffle my yawn, I sit up and stretch momentarily. I blink a few times when I look forward at the open connecting door. All of my worries from yesterday then flood my mind, causing me to scramble out of my bed and rushing into Fitz's room.

When I see that Fitz's bed looks like he hasn't slept in it for awhile, my heart deflates incredibly. The corners of my lips weighing down in a melancholy frown, I slowly turn around and reluctantly walk towards the bathroom to brush my teeth. Fitz? I try transmitting as I brush my teeth. When I hear no response, I sigh and spit the toothpaste out of my mouth more bitterly than I had intended.

After changing, I exit the bathroom and near my vanity desk. Grabbing my brush, I stare down at my lap and absentmindedly free my hair from all of my tangles. I sigh, my body feeling at least three times heavier than last night. I finish my hair and almost slam the brush down on my desk in sheer anger. I wasn't going to feel so deprived this quickly. It has been a few hours, but still.

Groaning, I glance up at my reflection. My blond hair makes my brown eyes pop out more, especially with my hair being down. I'm genuinely shocked that I don't have very noticeable bags underneath my eyes. Then my eyes dart to my forehead and widen considerably at the bruise that wasn't there before. When did I- I begin to think to myself when I remember falling onto the ground from my drowsiness. I finger the blue-black spot on my forehead, hissing slightly when I receive sharp pain in return.

Sighing, I try to style my hair so that the bruise isn't visible unless someone really looked at me. After a couple of moments, I leave my hair down, but I purposely use some of my blond locks to hide the injury. Knowing that there isn't a better hairdo that'll cover my bruise, I stand up and grab my keycard before walking out of my room.

Instead of going to the conference room, though, I make a detour and head towards the laboratory instead. Plastering a fake smile on my face, I straighten up and knock on the metal doors three times. At the third knock, the left door opens to reveal Steven's perky face. "Sophie!" he exclaims happily. "What a-" He finally notices my bruise and pauses. Clearing his throat, he says, "Come on in."

After I step inside, Steven calls for Caroline. A moment later, he yells out, "And bring some of our bruise ointment!"

Caroline walks into the laboratory a few seconds later with a container of a white substance. She then looks at me and says, "Oh- so that's why! Makes sense!"

I sigh as the chemist rushes over to me. "I thought I hid the bruise rather decently," I comment, watching as Caroline brushes my hair away from my bruise. When she accidentally touches my bruise, I wince noticeably. The chemist sighs and puts the salve on my bruise, careful to not touch my blond hair. Wrinkling my nose at the putrid smell, I step back and ask, "What is that?!"

Caroline giggles before applying more of the horrible-smelling ointment to her bruise. "Wait at least five minutes before wiping it off with cold water," she instructs before washing her own hands. "And you do not want to know what's in there." After she dries her hands off, Caroline nears me again and asks, "How did you get your bruise?"

I rub the back of my neck sheepishly. "I was looking for Fitz again, but I was so tired that I fell asleep on the ground," I explain before I can think my response through. "I must've hit my head on the ground first."

The chemist and forensic pathologist nod at my explanation. Suddenly, Steven frowns. "Wait- did you sleep on the floor the entire time?" he asks.

I shake my head. "I actually woke up in my bed," I admit, not missing how Steven shows his shock. Shrugging halfheartedly, I say, "I must've sleepwalked back to my bed." Noticing the clock, I say, "I should probably wash this off and go eat breakfast."