Survivor

Chapter 11

They all looked at her like she had grown an extra head. She mentally kicked herself, really! That's the best I could come up with! Keefe had a very intense look on his face, as did Fitz. She made sure her mind was shielded, and precariously tried to hide her emotions as well. The Neverseen has trained her to hide her emotions from empaths in the same way she shielded her mind from telepaths like Fitz and Mr. Forkle who could get through her natural barrier. Fitz took a step forward and she took three steps back, the words were out and she couldn't take them back. Everyone she ever loved now believed she couldn't remember them and she had to keep up the charade. Everyone looked to Mr. Forkle who just shook his head and said.
"As far as I can tell she really can't remember us." Edaline who had managed to keep up a strong front up until now, had silent tears sliding down her cheeks, Grady had his arm wrapped around her waist in comfort. Keefe stepped forward, his hands stretched out palms down like he was approaching a wild animal.
"Umm, you don't know me, but I know you and what I saw in the Tribunal hall was not you. Come with us and we can help you get your memory back." His words practically shattered her shield around her emotions. His face contorted slightly in concentration but she was able to put the shield back up before he got a very accurate reading. Or so she hoped. It killed her to keep backing away but she had Amy to think of so she let out a condescending scoff the one she had heard Gisela use many times over.
"My memories are perfectly intact. I don't need you." Inside she was screaming the very opposite, she needed him more than she cared to admit. Keefe eyes lost that hint of hope that had been there and he dropped his hands to his sides his face pained. Only then did she realize how very tired he looked, and upon scanning the rest of her friends faces she realized they all looked equally exhausted. She was about to take a step forward when a thick inky shadow shot between them, making I kind of barrier between her and her friends.
"Sophie!" Zeph was coming over the hill now, practically sprinting to her. She looked at the barrier and then back at Zeph, almost breaking into tears as she did so. Hesitantly she ran to join him stowing her dagger back in its thigh sheath.
"Your friends?" He asked out of breath, when she nodded he just said. "I'm sorry." She nodded again and took his hand beginning to levitate to the appropriate height needed to teleport. Just as their feet left the ground the shadow practically evaporated, Tam stood where it had once been his face screwed up in concentration. Linh lifted her hands and Sophie felt a wave of dread wash over her as the nearby river seemingly erupted like a volcano. Holding onto Zeph, she silently wished she could go faster, right as she reached the correct height a huge wall of water rose into the sky. Poor Zeph was frozen in fear. Clinging to his hand she stopped levitating and let them free fall, before opening a rift and teleporting away with a loud bang!

She landed right in one of the giant dunes outside the base, receiving a face full of sand. It was swelteringly hot as usual and when she had finally brushed all of the sand off and found Zeph who got lodged waist deep in the very same dune. Two other cloaked figures appeared to escort them inside. Zeph was immediately sent away and she was brought straight to Gisela.
"Your little performance went better than I hoped!" She laughed delightedly, "As promised your sister is unharmed, continue to operate like you did tonight and she will stay that way." Gisela's eyes glittered in amusement as she watched Sophie's pained response to what she had to do that night. "You saw my son didn't you, what did you tell him when he inevitably begged you to return with him."  Sophie had her lips pressed together tight, she did not want the most recent memory of her friends no matter how painful to be tainted with Giselas snide comments.
"I- I told them I didn't remember them." She hung her head low at the memory of those awful words leaving her mouth Do I know you?
"Oh dear, that's even more terrible that what I imagined." Gisela smiled, she plucked a small object off her desk tossing it to Sophie gently. A spyball.
"Find your sister." She ordered the smile ever leaving her face. Sophie practically jumped at the chance and whispered to the little orb.
"Show me Natalie Freeman." The orb fogged over and then a clear picture of her sister appeared in the glassy surface. She was walking with a group of friends, waving goodbye as she walked in the house. She looked happy, her skin a little more sun kissed than last time. But Sophie forgot her happiness at seeing her sister the moment she saw the figure standing in the window of the house next door. Startling blue eyes and a black arm band with the same silver eye now on her shoulder. A reminder, that at any point in time should Sophie slip up in even the slightest capacity her sister would be the one to pay for it.