Reversed

xxxvii. thirty-seven

When Sophie woke, she felt completely rested up and restored. She even didn't feel as much anxiety as she had before at the thought of seeing Grady and Edaline again.

Flori was gone, too. Probably off doing some work.

It was light outside again. Or still. Sophie had either only slept for a few hours, or she'd slept the entire day and then some. Probably the former, considering how exhausted she'd been before.

A whole day. . . Sophie cursed. Magnate Leto would be here any minute to take her to Havenfield. She needed to get back to the hideout.

She thanked her brain for automatically remembering the route back. Her photographic memory and her Neverseen training combined made it so she could practically walk back with her eyes closed.

She finally spotted the natural-coloured domes grouped together and kicked her feet into a jog. When she reached the hideout, she quickly unlocked the looming oak doors, following the directions Magnate Leto had given her.

Sophie blinked as soon as she stepped foot inside of the hideout. It had definitely been night last time she was here, because windows were everywhere, flooding the halls and rooms with light.

Except the room she had been kept in. She found her feet subconsciously carrying her back towards the wing she had been in during her last stay, her memory providing a map.

It was exactly as she remembered it, even with the groggy state she'd been in last time. It was pitch black save millions of tiny stars glittering on the ceiling and over the walls.

It was quite beautiful, really, now that she looked at it through different eyes.

Remembering that she didn't have time just to linger around and stargaze, she backed out the door.

Sophie decided to head back to the entrance and wait for Magnate Leto there. But she must've gotten turned around, because after walking through a long arch connecting two domes together, she found herself standing under a bigger dome than the rest instead of in front of massive, wooden doors.

Sophie couldn't help herself. Her jaw dropped as she craned her neck to get a better view through the crystal ceiling. From the view, she assumed she was standing in the heart of the hideout. There was even hole in the canopy of glittering, bright leaves above the dome that exposed the crisp, crystal blue sky.

Trunks of wood melded into the glass of the walls making the dome towered taller than four stories high. The floor was littered with so many petals it seemed as if all the petals missing from the forest floor were gathered in the large, looping circular floor.

There was even a thin catwalk surrounding the outer rim of the dome, connecting high shelves made of dark wood filled with rows and rows of colourful volumes. Sophie could see that the books were tattered and worn, with yellowing pages indicating to their many years of use and giving the whole dome an ancient feel.

Sophie blinked, ripping her eyes away from the splendour of the room. She'd honestly forgotten how much beauty the Lost Cities could hold.

Back in the hallways, Sophie finally retraced her steps back to the entrance. She was so focused on looking around outside the domes that she was startled when she ran into Magnate Leto. Literally ran into.

He held out his arms to straighten her. "Miss Foster. I didn't see you there," he said.

Sophie rubbed her forehead where they'd collided. "Neither did I," she admitted.

He looked as if he was about to say something—perhaps that she seemed like she was in a better mood than yesterday—but refrained. Instead, he gestured to the doors from which he'd just come through. "After you."

They walked out. Outside, he held up a glittering clear crystal. He hesitated.

"I'd ask if you were ready, but I'm assuming there's no possible way one could prepare themself for what you're about to do."

Sophie gulped.

Together, they stepped into the beam of light. Sophie closed her eyes before everything was blotted out by light, and almost didn't want to open them when the light subsided again.

When she did, everything looked just as she remembered. The rolling pastures, the roaming animals, the jagged cliffs, the crashing ocean. Havenfield.

Home.

As she and Magnate Leto started up the path that led to the crystal mansion, Sophie paused. She felt a question burning in her chest. But she didn't know exactly what it was, and she couldn't muster the courage to ask it.

Magnate Leto paused with her, eyebrows raised in question. She shook her head and continued walking.

At the door, Sophie stood, frozen. When Magnate Leto realized she couldn't knock, he raised his fist and silently did it for her.

Sophie's heart pounded in her throat as they waited for the door to open. She nervously wrung her hands, watching them turn white.

Finally, Grady answered the door, holding a mug of something hot and steamy in his hands. His hair was rumpled, his face pale and shallow, his clothes a mess. He distractedly started, "How can I help—" his eyes widened.

The cup slipped from his hands, shattering on the floor and spilling liquid everywhere. He slumped against the door frame. "Sophie?" he whispered.