Always & Forever

Chapter 10

          "So what does this mean? Foster and I, switched abilities?" Keefe asked looking over at me. "I mean, Sophie is now an Empath and I'm a Telepath. That must be how my mom gets into her head."

          Mr. Forkel begins to pace as I stand up and try to walk around. My emotions are stronger and I can now determine what emotions are mine and which are everyone else's. Keefe is confused, Forkle is stressed, Elwin is calm, and, "Is someone coming? I'm feeling a fourth person's emotions am I feeling right now? I can feel Keefe's, Elwin's, and Forkle's. But there's a fourth." I walk quickly to the door, stumbling every third step.

          Within seconds I'm out of the Healing Center. I muster all my strength and send it to my legs as I begin to sprint around Foxfire. I follow the worried emotion to a dark corner of the school.

         "Hello?" I call out, hoping it's not a Neverseen member.

          "Sophie? Is that you?" A small voice answers.

          "Oralie? Is that you?"

          I hear sniffling and I walk closer. Yep, it's Oralie. 

          "Is it true? Are you an Empath?" She asks looking over at me.

          "Yeah, I just manifested as one. Why?" I sense betrayal coming from her. "Why do you feel betrayed?"

          Her head shot up and she looked dumbfounded. "You can sense my emotions without touching me? I've only known of a couple of people who can do that. You just manifested and you're already able to do that."

          "It must be because I'm an Enhancer." I clap a hand over my mouth. "I wasn't supposed to tell anyone."

          "It's alright Sophie. Mr. Forkle keeps me informed on when you manifest abilities. He also tells me when you're planning reckless things," Oralie says, getting up. "But this is the first time he didn't keep a promise."

          "What do you mean?" I ask, confused.

          "I asked Mr. Forkle to make sure you didn't become an Empath. It's not the best ability to have and it becomes a burden. For you, it will be worse since you don't need to make physical contact to feel emotions." Oralie explains, I freeze.  

          "So you didn't want me to be like you?" I ask feeling all of a sudden upset, but the emotion is both mine and Oralie's.

          "No, if that's what I wanted you wouldn't have the same blonde hair as me. I would have asked Mr. Forkle to change that part of your DNA. Then you would have your father's hair..." She trailed off and realized that Oralie was thinking.

          The realization hit me as Oralie said, "Oh, that must be how you can do it."

          "Do what?" I ask

          "Oh, it's nothing. I should ask Mr. Forkle before telling you." With that, she walked towards the Healing Center.

          I was alone in a dark hallway. I started having flashbacks from when Dex and I got kidnapped. I slide down the wall and sit on the floor, holding my head in my hands as I think back to the darkroom they had me in. I started panicking and I heard footsteps coming towards me.

          "Keefe?" I called.

          "You wish," An accented voice said.

          Then something covered my nose and mouth. I smelled something sweet and my eyes began to water. I knew instantly that it was happening all over again. 

I was being kidnapped.

--Keefe's POV--

          Foster had run out of the room when she felt someone else in the building. I had tried to follow her, but Forkle stopped me saying that he needed to test something. Now I've been sitting in the Healing Center while we waited for her to come back.

          The door slowly opened and I jumped up, expecting Foster. But instead, Oralie walked in saying something about Forkel promising something. But I wasn't paying any attention.

          "Where's Foster?" I ask Oralie.

          "I thought she was right behind me," Oralie said turning around to face the door.

          Panic and fear washed over me and I couldn't tell who's emotions they were. But then the emotions started to fade as if someone was falling asleep. Just then, I heard a small voice in my head.

          Keefe, they're taking me...

          The voice was weak but I would know Foster's mental voice anywhere.

          "Sophie!" I took off running towards the fading emotions and I heard Forkle in my head asking what happened.

          Sophie's being kidnapped.

          I transmit back to him. I hear footsteps coming from behind me and Forkel yelling for Elwin to be ready for anything once we get back. Forkel catches up with me and we run as fast as we can. I can't lose her again. Not now.

          We turn a corner and find a dark hallway. They were here. I know they were. I look around trying to find any sign of where they went. I look up and see a mirror, they're still using them. I continue searching for anything. Until I found a note taped on the wall.

The next time you see the Moonlark, you'll be looking at her dead body.

Might as well have a real Planting for her.

It's time for the Moonlark to finally be ended.

Once and for all.

-The Neverseen & Fitz

          I fall to my knees and Forkel takes the note out of my hand. He crumples it and mutters that we will find her. But all I can think about is, how could Fitz do this? How can he allow it? I thought he loved her. 

          Mr. Forkle pulls out his Imparter and hails Grady and Edaline. Edaline crumples and begins to sob. Grady pales as he says that he'll notify the Council. But Forkle says that Oralie is here so he'll tell her. Then Forkle hangs up and turns to look at me.

          "There's a reason that you were given Telepathy. So we just need to use it for our own good," Forkle said. "If we ever want to see Sophie alive, we need to use their plan against them."