Reborn

Midterms

"Everyone excited for midterms?" Alina's projection chirped.

Sophie groaned. "Somehow going through this for a second time is worse than the fault."

"You have a photographic memory, you got this." Keefe have her a reassuring smile.

"You do remember we lived through this before, right?" Sophie put on her thinking cap. The thick material was meant to prevent her from using her telepathic abilities, but as she found out before it only slightly hampered her telepathy.

"Wait, so you mean I spent the entire night studying for nothing?" Keefe grinned, quickening his pace to keep up with hers.

"You? Studying? I didn't think you even knew what that was." Sophie stopped at her Elvin History classroom while Keefe continued on. "Hey-" She paused , unsure of what to say. "-good luck."

"I don't need luck when you're rooting for me, Foster." He looked back before heading down the hall.

She rewrote her essay on human betrayal, named stars for the universe and completed a debate in metaphysics. Tiergan once again gave her a hundred percent for getting past the thinking cap.

Lady Galvin had her turn a rose into iron, one of her original ideas to give Sophie before finding out about her cheating. Sophie managed to transform the rose, but not without some mistakes.

Completely exhausted, she trudged back to the atrium to meet Dex.

"Well, that was brutal," he whined, slamming his locker closed. "How'd it go for you?"

She slumped against the wall. "It was almost like I knew exactly what was on the exam."

"I guess that's good." He tried to smooth his wild hat hair. "You staying home tonight?"

"No. Grady and Edaline are taking me shopping."

"Whoa. That'll be the first time they've gone out in public together since . . . you know."

She did know.

"Are you going shopping tonight?" she asked Dex.

"Nope. My parents think it's too much hassle to take all four of us, and they can never find babysitters for the triplets." Bitterness edged into his voice. "But don't worry"—he nudged her arm—"I already made your present."

"That's amazing." Sophie's mind flashed to his unknown technopath abilities.

Dex flashed a slightly evil grin. "You'll never guess what it is."

———

The next day, Foxfire was unrecognizable. Silver streamers wrapped every tree, every shrub, every tower—like the school had been toilet-papered with tinsel. Confetti and flowers covered the floor, and giant bubbles filled with prizes floated through the halls. Prodigies ignored their parents as they dashed around popping as many as they could.

Grady and Edaline were overwhelmed by the crowd, so they went straight to where they'd meet for their first Mentor appointment and left Sophie to celebrate on her own. She made her way to the Level Four wing, deciding to drop off Fitz's and Keefe's presents before meeting up with her friends.