Together?- A SOPHITZ fanfiction (UPDATES ON HOLD)

The unexpected visitor

Sophie sobbed. It felt like she had been curled up on the shimmering bathroom floor for hours. Her roommates had not come back to check on her, having gone to bed, yet the only person she would have wanted to speak to now despised her. So Sophie picked herself up and dragged herself to her sink, ignoring the mirror and hastily brushing her teeth. She splashed some water on her tear-stained cheeks and slipped into her cashmere pajamas and, very carefully, opened the washroom door to peek into the dormitory.

She could hear her friends' heavy breathing, signifying they were asleep. Knowing the coast was clear, Sophie slipped through, careful not to disturb anybody, and sunk into her bed. To her dismay, Biana had closed her canopy bed's curtains, something she never did. Things were wrong, so wrong. The worst part was that she could do absolutely nothing about it because Biana was right. It was Sophie's fault that she was a terrible girlfriend. It was her fault that she made the wrong choices. But what was done was done, and now, she was stuck.

Sophie was about to fall into a tormented sleep when she saw something that made her heart skip a beat on the ground. Dirt. Sophie slowly slid up and scrutinized the room for something that didn't belong. Who could have tracked dirt in? This wasn't just any dirt either. Dark, clumpy dirt, so much like... Havenfield? She heard a padding sound in the corner and, as a precaution, loosened the knot under her chest ever so slightly, ready to dump all of its contents on whoever this intruder was. The sound approached and Sophie steeled herself, unable to see who it was from the height of her bed.

A little shape hopped onto her bed and Sophie was about to release the full force of her inflicting when two huge gray eyes stared back at her. "Shhhhhh," the little gnome said. Sophie peered at the elf and gasped. "Flori? What are you doing here? Never mind that. How did you get in here?" she asked in a hushed voice. Flori grinned to show her green teeth. "I have my ways. The gnomes who work here are friends of mine. I just slipped in during one of their shifts," she said in her twinkling voice. Sophie relaxed. "That's great. Uh, not to seem rude or anything, but why are you here?" she asked.

Flori peeked at the other girls in the room, specifically Biana's bed with the curtains drawn. With a satisfied nod, she leaned in towards Sophie. "Everybody else is asleep, but I need to take you somewhere. We'll travel through the earth. Come," she beckoned and landed on the floor with a soft thud. Sophie was confused but followed her down nevertheless. Flori grabbed a dark gray cloak from an open drawer and tossed it to Sophie who put it on. She quickly pulled her ankle boots on and was led out of the room, carefully pulling the door closed behind her.

They walked along the deserted hallway towards a small door Sophie hadn't noticed before. Flori licked the plaque next to it and it slid into the wall, revealing a twisting slide behind it. Flori noticed Sophie's quizzical look. "This is how the gnomes get around without being seen. The slide solidifies into stairs when going up and into a slide when going down," she explained, before pushing Sophie forward. "Down you go," she beckoned. Sophie sat down, pulled her legs in, and before she could react, she was twisting and turning down the tower so quickly everything blurred around her.

She didn't even have time to scream when she landed on a thin pillow at the bottom. Flori quickly followed suite just in time to see Sophie rub her bum, in slight discomfort having landed on the floor due to the gnome sized pillow. Flori smiled and led her down a twisting corridor before yanking open an old wood door and into the fresh night air. The door opened onto the purple field behind Foxfire, the grass blades still in the moonlight. Flori opened up the ground beneath Sophie and they went crashing through the earth, roots catching them, and off they went, propelled by Flori's quiet singing.

In a matter of seconds, Sophie was covered in flecks of dirt, traveling so fast it made her head spin. She had no idea where they were going, having only been traveling for 367 seconds (Sophie counted), when they finally stopped and were thrown out of the ground and onto the emerald green grass. Sophie groaned and flopped onto her back. It was too late for this. She sat up and began brushing off the flecks of dirt before stopping and looking around. She did a double-take. Did her eyes deceive her? Was that not the Vacker's house, with its multicolored crystal walls and shimmering lake?

Sophie looked at Flori for explanations but the little gnome was on her feet, beckoning her to follow again. "How are we here?" Sophie asked, incredulous. Flori shushed her. They entered another small side door into what seemed like an empty, gnome sized kitchen. The lights were off as Flori led Sophie away and up a small set of stairs. At the top, she stopped and turned to look at the girl. "Now, I'm not supposed to bring you here, but I feel it is my duty to help. Be as silent as possible," Flori warned, before opening the little door and revealing the elegant hallway behind it.

Sophie recognized the decorated hallway. This was where Fitz and Biana's rooms were. Why was Flori leading Sophie towards this hallway? Didn't they say it would be bad for Sophie to be around? Flori kept on padding through, her braids swishing at every step. Sophie's fears were confirmed. The gnome stopped right in front of Fitz's room. With a finger on her lips to mime shushing, she pushed the door open and waved Sophie to follow her in. Meanwhile, Sophie stood frozen. Should she go? Flori wouldn't voluntarily want to hurt Fitz. But was it safe?

Sophie decided to go for it. After all, this may as well be her last opportunity to see Fitz for... an undetermined amount of time, now that Biana told her to stay away and the impending Councilor appointment. So she took a deep breath and entered the dark room basked in the white moonlight. As she caught sight of Fitz, though, his pale face blissfully asleep, she choked back a sob.