Becoming Magical [2]

C H A P T E R - 1 6

Alden froze, and the panic in his eyes made Sophie worry she'd gone too far. But he blinked it away and whispered, "I hope not."

That . . . wasn't the answer she was looking for, but it was better than yes.

"Why do you ask?"

"Because I don't think they did." It felt good to say it out loud. Made it feel real. "And I think the clue might have something to do with that. Something in the past they want me to find that would help clear their name."

"I suppose it's possible," Alden said slowly. "But whose past? Yours?"

Sophie shook her head. She didn't know her past—not her real one anyway. She didn't even know who her real parents were. All Alden had learned from Prentice was her DNA.

She gasped. "What if it's Prentice?"

"Prentice?" Alden repeated, turning pale.

"Yeah. He's the one who led you to me, right? So he probably knows everything about me. Maybe if you brought him to me I could—"

He grabbed her shoulders. "Stop right there, Sophie. I know what you're going to say and you do not realize the danger. A broken mind cannot be probed. The Black Swan knows that. Everyone knows that. Prentice is not the answer. Prentice is nothing. Believe me, I can't tell you how much I wish it weren't so."

His voice cracked on the last part and he looked away. When he turned back to her he looked fifty years older.

"Yo, Foster!" Keefe shouted from somewhere down the hall, "What's taking so long? You have another medical emergency? Stop hogging Mer if she's not needed."

"Ignore him, Sophie," Della called. "Beauty should never be rushed! Mer, dear take your time."

Something passed across Alden's face, lightening some of the shadows and erasing the hard lines. He released her shoulders. "We should go. People are waiting for us. People who need us."

Meredith looked at Alden and for a fleetingly moment, a flash of worry passed through her eyes but it was gone as quickly as it came.

Sophie nodded. She wasn't ready to drop the Prentice idea yet, but Alden was clearly done with the conversation. Maybe he'd change his mind after he did more research. Otherwise she had no idea how she'd ever get to Prentice on her own. Exile wasn't a place she could just drop by for a visit—not that she'd ever be crazy enough to go there.

She followed Alden to the back of the mansion, resisting the urge to duck as colored streams of water shot over their heads in graceful arcs all through the hallway. An arched golden door led outside to a wide stone patio overlooking the glassy lake where everyone had gathered.

"Oh, Sophie," Della gasped when she saw her. "You really should wear that color more often. Makes your eyes even more striking. Especially with your hair that way. Mer, you should wear sea-green more often. It makes a great contrast with your eyes."

Meredith turned red.

"Mom, you're embarrassing them," Biana said, pushing past Della and Alden and dragging Sophie and Meredith over to an ornate silver bench. "She is right, though," she whispered. "Red is definitely your color. Mer, you should definitely wear sea-green more often."

"Thanks," Sophie mumbled. Meredith muttered out a thank you too.

She slouched, feeling like she was back in her first day at Foxfire when Dame Alina flashed a giant spotlight right at her.

"What?" she asked, when she caught Fitz staring at her and Keefe staring at Mer. She was sure if he was a cartoon character, he would have hearts in his eyes.