Always With You- SOKEEFE(unlocked)

Chapter Nineteen

A/N: Finally!! Our little Sophiepoo is back!!! Sorry for another late post though. My hacker is still going strong and having a blast deleting and 'editing' chapters. If you have any advice for what I should do, please leave a comment. I'm desperate!!

(Sophie's POV) *finally*

Sophie's mind was cold. Very, very cold. She had been sitting in the black void of her mind for what had to be days, weeks, or months. To her, there was really no way of knowing. It was as if every minute lasted a million seconds, but at the same time felt too quick to her liking.

Sophie didn't know how long she was gone or if she was ever coming back, but a small part of her didn't want to leave. She was scared to leave. Even with all the loneliness and bad memories that would find her from time to time, she still felt safe. It was much safer in her mind than going out to fight a rebel group with a bunch of other teenagers... what had her life come to? She used to be this ordinary 'human' girl from the suburbs of San Diego. Who would have guessed the twelve year old highschool graduate would be bribing feathery dinosaurs into being vegetarians while fighting a group of elves with superpowers.

But part of her wanted to go back. She missed everyone substantially, and knew they missed her too. She wanted to hug her parents again. She wanted to be able to talk with her friends again. She needed to be with Keefe again. Sophie missed the leap in her heart when he'd surprise her with gifts and small dates to Atlantis after school. She missed his pure smile when he'd talk about something he loved or was excited about. She missed the comfort she felt whenever he was there.

Jolie wanted her mind to break for a reason, she knew it. It was a part of the Neverseen's plans to get her out of the way. The best way to tear down an empire is piece by piece, but to rule that empire, the best way would be by taking down its leader. And that's just what the Neverseen did... or what they thought they did at least. Sophie was smarter than to let the Neverseen get to her so easily. The only problem was that if the rebels thought her mind didn't break, they would just keep pushing, fighting, killing until she was gone. So, she let it. Sophie let the darkness and guilt take over her brain.

All she could do now was sit in her own tears, curled up into a ball, and wait, letting her mind attack itself until the last bit of it was gone. And maybe, maybe, she might find her way back home.

~~~~~

"Don't you get it? It's your fault!" Her own voice yelled at her, echoing off the walls of her head.

Over the time she'd spent in her broken mind, she'd found that memories would resurface, trying to drown her in a sea of her own guilt. Her conscious beating at her subconscious, where she was now in, reliving her own memories in a dream state.

"Stop." Sophie whispered, "Stop. Please stop."

"You weren't strong enough. You will never be strong enough!" she heard the voice yell again.

"No, no, no, no, no." she cried, begging, "Stop it. Stop it!"

"You can't run from yourself Moonlark. Give up."

"Never."

Sophie gripped her head as pain rang around her, her conscious throwing memories her way.

"Thank you for being brave enough to find me this one last time. You gave me the gift of goodbye." Mr. Forkle said to her while he laid under pieces of rubble. His blood poured down onto the sandy rocks, nearing Sophie's feet.

She could've done more.

Alden's screams and Fitz's yells echoed around her, taunting her to follow.