Dreamwatcher | KOTLC

Chapter Twenty One: Cognates

Everyone was still hard at work, searching for Dex, Biana, Sophie, and Marella. But Fitz was terrified. He didn't want to be next, but he couldn't bear being the only one left with everyone else gone. He took daily Telepath lessons with Tiergan, hoping to stretch his mind out to wherever Sophie was. 

Tiergan came by every day to mentor Fitz in the comfort of his own home. He's been training Fitz to communicate telepathically with people farther away for at least three hours now. But Fitz refused to stop. There had to be some way to reach Sophie. 

He and Tiergan were in the middle of a session when Mabel dropped by, carrying a tray of Mallowmelt.

"Hey, Fitz. How's it going?"

"Badly," Fitz replied harshly. "We've haven't had any leads to where they are. It's been two days, Mabel. Two. Days. Who's knows what they're going through, while we're sitting here, accomplishing nothing?"

Mabel did look hurt, but Fitz ignored it. "You can leave now."

Mabel shoved the tray to him. "Eat." That's all she said and walked off. A few paces later, she turned back to him. "Don't worry. Sophie's fine. I will make sure of that," she assured him, then continued towards the big double doors of Fitz's bedroom. 

Fitz didn't know what to say to that. What did she mean? How can she make sure that Sophie is okay? Does she know . . . where they are?

"Ooh, drama." Fitz had completely forgotten that Tiergan was still there. "Do you want to continue?"

Fitz nodded and raised his hands to his temple. Unfortunately, he couldn't hear anything. He tried pushing further out, focusing on Sophie and all the possibilities of where she could be. 

Several minutes passed and nothing happened. Fitz was about to stop until a picture popped into his head. "The Eiffel Tower?" He asked himself aloud. 

"What was that?" Tiergan asked, suddenly concerned.

"They're in Paris!" Fitz shouted. 

"How do you know?"

"I just saw a picture of the Eiffel Tower. That's where they are!" Fitz hadn't realized that he dropped his hands from his temple. Which meant he had to start over. "I'm gonna try again and see if I can get more information on their whereabouts. 

Tiergan nodded while taking a slice of Mallowmelt from the tray. Fitz put his hands back on his temple, thinking of France, and thinking of Sophie. He kept repeating, Sophie? Sophie, you there? And suddenly, a shaky, but a familiar voice whispered, Fitz?

Mabel was walking back from Fitz's room, sad and hurt. She knew how much Fitz wanted to find Sophie, Dex, and Biana. While thinking back on those moments, she unexpectedly turned a corner to find a door, hidden in the corner, and unlike the rest. Had that door always been there?

It was wooden and strangely broken, and it was clashing with the rest of the beautiful doors in the mansion. But what attracted Mabel's attention the most was the worded plaque that read "Mabel Scott".

Mabel was tempted to turn the knob but was interrupted by a pair of approaching footsteps and a recognizable voice. Mabel ducked behind a stone pillar. 

"I'm telling you, Dad, I heard her voice," Fitz argued, walking with his father, Alden, down a pathway that led outside.

"Are you sure?" Alden asked. "You've been acting strange lately; I wouldn't be surprised if this was just some illusion.

"How do you think I feel?" Fitz stopped, staring at his father dead in the eye. "How would you feel two of your friends plus your sister got kidnapped, two of your friends ran away, and one of your friends betrayed you again, all in a matter of one month?

Alden stopped and took a few deep breaths. "Fitz, I'm sorry. I don't know how you feel and what you're going through, but I can assure you, there is no reason to worry."

Fitz rolled his eyes. "You always say that. And does it ever work? No. So I am going to worry about it and follow my hunch. Sophie's not far from here if she was able to answer my call. Why don't you believe me?"

"It's not that I don't believe you," Alden protested calmly, "It's that I worry for you. You are my only child right now, and I do not want you to risk something that could turn out to be nothing."

Fitz nodded. "I'm sorry."

Alden looked pleased. "It's okay一"

"But I need to do this." And with that, Fitz raced off.

"Fitz!" Alden shouted. Instead of going after him, he sighed. "He'll realize soon enough," he said aloud before walking off in the opposite direction. 

Once Alden was out of sight, Mabel tip-toed out of her hiding place and returned to the door. With this new information, she was determined to advance her plan. "So Fitz and Sophie can communicate?" She whispered to herself, before pulling out her borrowed Imparter she received from Fitz and still hadn't returned. 

After saying, "Show me Aaron Scott," she waited a couple of rings before a man appeared on the screen. He had brown hair and brown eyes like Mabel, from the beautiful dark eyes to the small nose. "Can I help you?" Aaron asked. 

"It's me, Mabel," Mabel replied. 

"Oh, Mabel! How's it going?"

"Phase One is almost complete. Sophie and Dex know that Tam and Linh are there, and Sophie also met Zoe."

"Good, good," Aaron nodded his head slowly. 

"Oh, and I heard that Sophie and Fitz can communicate telepathically," Mabel added. 

"WHAT?!" Aaron shouted into his Imparter. "How? I thought Paris would be far enough so they couldn't!"

"You're clearly messing with the wrong Cognates," Mabel face-palmed. "Anyway, once Biana shows Sophie the Supplies room, and she sees the mirror, Phase One will officially be complete."

"Good work, Mabel," Aaron praised her. 

"Anyway, gotta go. Bye, Dad."

"Bye."

Mabel ended the call and looked at the door. "What could be behind this door? Only one way to find out . . ." Mabel trailed off, preparing herself for whatever could lay behind this door. 

She reached for the knob, her hand shaking only slightly. After twisting the knob, she pulled the door open, only to find a long white hallway. There was no speck of pink, or purple, or blue. Just white. Mabel squinted her eyes and was about to make out a small rectangle at the end of the hallway, assuming that's the exit. 

Soon later, after careful consideration, Mabel walked slowly down the hallway.