The Stars Said Hello [1]

C H A P T E R - 3 0

The word rang in her ears, pounding with every heartbeat. Canceled. Canceled. Canceled. As in started. Then stopped.

She closed her eyes to stop the room from spinning. It wasn't until her lungs burned that she realized she'd stopped breathing. She hugged her chest as her body shuddered. Iggy crawled up her shoulder and snuggled into her neck, like he knew she needed a friend. It didn't help.

She couldn't think. She couldn't move. She wasn't sure she would ever be able to function again. Then the front door opened and somehow she made it to her feet, scrubbing tears away with the back of her hand as Grady and Edaline entered the room.

"What's wrong?" Grady asked.

Her chest heaved from a choked-back sob. "A messenger brought this scroll from Eternalia, but Iggy ripped it."

Grady gasped and rushed for the scroll as Sophie turned and fled upstairs. He called her name, but she kept running.

She slammed her door, dragging a chair in front of it for added security.

Grady pounded outside, begging her to let him in, but she ignored him. She collapsed on the bed and buried her face against Ella to muffle the sobs.

Eventually the knocking stopped.

She lowered the shades and sank into darkness, wrapping it around her like a blanket of misery. Then she curled into a ball and cried herself to sleep.

--------------------------------------------------

The nightmares were unbearable. This time the whole world burned, leaving her alone. She woke up screaming and couldn't stop shaking.

Her eyes were red and puffy and her hair was a disaster, but she didn't have the energy to care. Getting out of bed felt like a tremendous accomplishment. The only effort she gave her appearance was to tear the Ruewen crest off her uniform. If anyone asked, she'd blame Iggy.

She went straight to the Leapmaster, but Grady and Edaline were waiting under the glittering crystals.

"Foxfire," she yelled, refusing to acknowledge them.

"I locked it down," Grady explained when the crystals didn't move. Edaline stared at the gaping hole in Sophie's cape, biting her lip. "We really need to talk about this."

"There's nothing to talk about. You don't owe me anything. I'm not your daughter."

Their faces crumbled at her words, but she was too angry to care.

"Sophie . . . ," Grady tried.

"No, it's fine. I thought we were a family but I was wrong. I can't replace Jolie and I guess you don't want me."

The words left a sour taste on her tongue, but she ignored it. Even when they both fell back a step, like the name Jolie was a physical blow. She wanted them to hurt—they deserved it. "There. We talked. Can I go now?"

"I want you to come straight home after school," Grady ordered, but his voice was hollow. "We need to talk, regardless of what you think."

She ignored him.

"Sophie, we're still your guardians. You have to do what we say."

Her eyes flashed as they met his. "Fine. If you want to keep up the charade, I'll play along. Would you like a hug while we're at it? Should I tell you 'I love you' again?"

Edaline covered her mouth to block a sob.

Grady paled. "No. Just . . . have a good day at school." He snapped his fingers and the crystals spun to life, obeying her earlier command.