A New Era

Kaviatha

Later in the treehouses, I talk with Sophie and her friends about the book. They each have a different reaction: Fitz is worried about exposure, Biana wants to make sure that the author put the fact that she is a true friend to Sophie in it, Keefe mostly wants to know if it has his good looks, and Dex wants to know when it came out.

I flip to the copyrights after answering all of the others' questions.

"October 2nd, 2012," I tell them. "Five--No, six years ago."

"Huh?" Keefe says. "What's Okced-obor?"

Sophie rolls her eyes. "It's a human way of counting time."

"Like I said," I tell them, "October 2nd, 2012."

Sophie's brow furrows. "I'm eighteen, so then this was published when I was...twelve."

"But that can't have happened," Fitz says, taking Sophie's hand. Those rings on their fingers snap together, as Dex found a way to make them work through the gloves, and I can tell that they're talking telepathically.

"Hey, guys." I wave my hand in front of their faces. "Unless you're talking about me, keep it out loud."

"Hey, that's my line!" Keefe says.

"Sorry." I turn back to my sister. "But, seriously, use real words."

"Well," Sophie says, "she cut you out of the story. And we don't know why."

"Maybe because when you were twelve, I was..." I counted the years. "Six?"

"She foretold the future," Sophie says. "I. Was. Twelve. And if this came out just after this really happened, then she'd have to have known what would have happened before it happened. And no one other than Amy and the elves should know that I exist."

Della and Alden enter. Della's holding a plate of her awesome Mallowmelt, and Alden's laughing. "Guys, you don't need to spend so much time on this. We'll fix it. There's no--"

"SHUT UP!" We all yell. Then we burst into laughter. "We have a very valid reason to worry!"

"The adults will fix it." Then Alden quickly slips in his favorite words: "Noreasontoworry."

We all groan.