The Moonlark's Song

Chapter One

          It was dark when Sophie, Grady, and Edaline finally left the Matchmakers. Grady was trying to get through to her, probably to say something reassuring, but she couldn't focus, let alone respond to the comfort. Fitz said he wouldn't consider anyone not on his match lists...what now? Is there anything left to do? The process of confirming that she was Unmatchable had taken hours. Grady had hailed Alden to see if he could overturn the decision, and now it was past dinner. Sophie didn't care. She didn't think she would be hungry for hours, if not forever.

          "Sophie?" Edaline brushed a wisp of blond hair away from Sophie's face. "You know you can talk to us about this, right?" Sophie swallowed and nodded. She'd never cared for the elves' system of creating 'perfect' marriages, and for Sophie, this just seemed to confirm that the system was outdated. The system wasn't perfect, but it was just another area of the elvin world that seemed unlikely to ever change. They'd made a lot of progress in the last few months, but still...

          "I think I would rather see them tomorrow," Sophie informed her adoptive parents after they had returned to Havenfield. Her friends had been clamoring to get ahold of her since she'd left for the matchmakers', asking questions about packets and answers and whether they would get to see her match lists when they finally arrived. Sophie had ignored all of them. She knew that they would be angry with her tomorrow, but she would deal with that when if came time too. Edaline nodded. Her bodyguards shifted, not uncomfortable with her refusal to see her friends, but uncomfortable because she had been out of their sight nearly all day.

          "We'll let them know that you'll reach out to them when you're ready."

          "Do you need anything before you go to bed?" Grady asked. Sophie went over the short list of things she would usually ask for, and then shook her head. 

          "No, I'm just really tired. Could you also ask...whoever is is in charge of Luna and Wynn how they're doing? I promise I won't stay up, but it would be nice to have good news tomorrow." Her parents nodded, and Sophie went upstairs, her bodyguards silently in tow. She took the second flight more slowly, still in awe of the way elves decorated everything, even after nearly three years in their world. My world. She was one of them. Sophie kept her promise to Grady and Edaline and got into bed, but before she fell asleep, she decided to check on her human family.

          Sophie slipped out of bed and padded across the floor to where she still kept the illicit Spyball. She Knew Alden suspected its existence, but as long as she wasn't actually caught  using it, she could continue watching and supporting her family from afar. She whispered the names: "Connor, Kate, and Natalie Freeman." After reassuring herself of their well-being, she finally let herself fall asleep.