Everything Upside Down

F I V E: The Return

Three months had felt like hell.

I had left Candleshade the second Fitz called me about Sophie. And it's not like Daddy Dearest was concerned about me at all.

We all stood together in the freezing morning, staring at the dark sky in anticipation. I noticed Fitz and Biana holding hands, I had always wanted a sibling. But for now, I was alone. Edaline's nervous sobs had us all on edge.

Dex checked his human watch for the fiftieth time and breathed a puff of smoke from the cold air.

"Is she late?" I knew everyone was wondering the same thing.

Dex shook his head, "No, she should be here soon"

We all turned away and my gaze flitted over to Calla's tree. How I longed to see a certain brown eyed girl in the branches once more. A crack of thunder broke me from the memories and I turned to see figure falling from the sky.

Sophie.

We leaned in, our excitement and pure happiness filling up inside us. She landed to the ground gracefully, very unlike Sophie. But in a second she was down on the ground, surround by all of us beelining towards her.

Dex, always the reasonable one, tried to pull us back, "Guys, let her breathe"

We nodded and stepped back, allowing her to sit up panting. Edaline clasped her hands and the tears in all of us wouldn't stop. "Oh, Sophie"

Her voice started to crack and Grady hugged her as we watched Sophie stand up shakily. We all smiled at her relieved grin, "Hi"

I snorted out of pure delirious happiness, "Three months and all we get is a hi?"

I walked forward to hug her, but something flashed on her face and she stepped back. I stood there, confused and with my arms extended to her. "What's wrong?"

She looked at her hands fearfully, "I have to explain everything to you, but I'm losing time"

Fitz now stepped forward, "It's the Black Swan, right?"

Sophie nodded and lowered her hands, "Yes. And I know you're all wondering what I have to say. So here it is"

She took and deep breath and we all leaned forward with nervous faces, completely silent. "It wasn't supposed to happen, the Black Swan didn't plan for it. The day I disappeared, it was the day it all started. The day I manifested. And for everyone's safety, the Black Swan decided to lock me up at one of their lesser known bases. It was just me and the collective, without Dex's mother of course. And I know this is an excuse and I should have contacted sooner, but I'm so sorry"

Her eyes welled with tears and I tried to ignore my own. "Sophie, what did you manifest?"

We all murmured encouragingly, but Sophie's face filled with dread. She didn't want to answer. I saw her resisting every muscle in her body to tell us, "I- can't"

Grady stepped forward and placed a hand in her shoulder, "Sweetie, whatever it is, we are here for you. We can help you, we'll make sure you can feel in control again. Whatever it is, we're ready. We've been waiting three months, let us help you finally"

Sophie nodded and hugged Grady. And she pulled away and smiled, "Okay"

Finally she turned to us and took a deep breath, "I manifested as...............a Pyrokinetic"

A Pyrokinetic.

Images of flames, burning flesh, and the Neverseen flashed through my mind. Sophie could never be like that, right?

We all took a visible step back, remembering all the times we had seen what a Pyrokinetic could do, and paranoia filled Sophie's eyes. She held out her hands like they weren't her own, "Please, you have to help me! I can't control it"

Her voice broke my heart into pieces and I caught her as she started to stumble towards the ground. I looked her in the eyes, conveying every bit of love and trust I had in me, "Sophie, we will always help you"

Edaline came forward and hugged her too, "No matter Sophie"

Soon everyone was crouched on the ground hugging silently, words just didn't do this justice. I held her and in that moment, all I could feel was something I never felt for anyone else. I pulled Sophie in for a kiss, completely hypnotized by her.

I felt a hand slap me across the face and opened my eyes to a grumpy, red faced Grady.
"Kiss me daughter again Boy and you'll find yourself kissing a bee's nest"

I smiled and pulled my lips away, letting Sophie stand up. We all seemed uncertain of what to do next, but there wasn't any time left. Sophie started to walk towards one of the trees, ready to teleport. Biana tackled her and grabbed her arm, "Sophie! Wait!"

Sophie wiggled away from her arms and looked back at us with eyes of pain, "The Black Swan, they'll hunt me down if I don't return. They don't have the same level of care for you as I do. They would let you die for me and I can't let that happen. Please, don't make this harder than it has to"

In that moment all I wanted for do was grab her and never let her go, but she was right. I turned to the group, "Sophie's right, we have to let her go"

Fitz looked away, "But when can we see you again?"

Sophie tugged at an eyelash, causing most of us to smile at her old habit. "I'll come every week, same day, same time"

I smiled and raised my chin proudly, "We'll be ready"

She smiled before scaling the rough tree quickly. We barely had time to think before she gave us all one longing gaze and with another crack of thunder, she was gone.

We all stood there for a moment, shocked and fighting the immediate pain. I had to be the brave one, if no one else would. "We got our Sophie Foster back"

Edaline met my eyes, "We sure did"