Her Imperfections

Chapter Four

"Ooh! I forgot that each Councillor has a pendant of magsidian for security." Dex mumbled through his chewing, his eyes glued to his Imparter screen.
The group each muttered a grunt in response, their enthusiasm far lower than his. Sophie felt the lowest of them all. She was sitting on the edge of the booth, trying not to notice everyone's glances that brought even more attention than usual. Luckily the Council agreed to keep her "situation" a secret for the rest of the elven world. Sophie wished she could have the same courtesy with her friends.
Dex slid his Imparter across the table to Biana, "Here, take a look at what I highlighted."
Biana grabbed the Imparter eagerly. Strange enough Biana had a new found love for the study of the elements.
Keefe slung his arms over the booth and sighed dramatically, "And I thought studying my father's Empathy books was bad. Come on, we've spent so much time on this. Can't we have one lunch where we forget the Neverseen?"
At the mention of the rebel group, everyone's back's prickled and Sophie felt a ghost whisper go through her mind, as if she could still feel Fintan in there.
Fitz glared at his own crossed arms and hissed, "First off, you want to say that a little louder? Second off, the Neverseen don't take breaks so neither do we. Now, Biana, what is Dex talking about?"
She shrugged, but her pause before speaking made Sophie sure there was something occupying her mind she wasn't telling them. "Not much, I'll be honest. But I would love to do another sweep of the dwarven throne room with Wylie."
"The Council already checked it like a dozen times. You aren't going to find anymore magsidian." Keefe said.
Biana shook her head, "I'm not looking for more of it, I want to get a closer look at how they're cut. Wylie actually knows a lot about crystal facet cutting, since his mother, you know. He might be able to recognize some of the incisions and what they do."
Sophie looked back at the table when Biana mentioned Wylie's mother. No matter what Wylie told her, Sophie couldn't stop blaming herself for everything that had happened to Wylie. Sophie clenched her teeth when she realized Biana looked expectantly at her and Sophie nodded her head stiffly, "Sure, just make sure to check with your Councillors first."
As the conversation was lead quickly away to prattle pins and the new flavors by Keefe, Sophie found herself yawning and zoning out. She had barely slept last night, terrified with the thought of Gethen being able to slip in her mind. And it was bad enough that every second Sophie didn't hear Fintan was bittersweet. She was relieved, but worried. What was he up to?
"So Foster, I take it you prefer the Alicorn pin? Or the Moonlark?"
"Alicorn," Sophie said dully,  "But we shouldn't be talking about this. We don't have time to sit around."
Dex eyed his just as unnerved friends and answered nervously, "Well there isn't that much we can do at this point..."
"There's always something we can do." Sophie looked up at him, her jaw aching with clenching. The world was still fuzzy and quieter, exhaustion drawing her back from focus every few seconds.
Keefe raised an eyebrow, "Sophie-"
"It's not good enough!" Her voice wasn't a complete yell, but it still brought the attention of nearby tables to theirs. Dex just looked stunned and Sophie took a deep breath.
"I'm sorry, but we have to keep working." She muttered before slipping out of the booth and walking fast enough for none of them to catch her yet.
She didn't want to be there, surrounded by so many people. They had no idea. Sophie hated how many prodigies got to live without worry, obliviously happy. And the exhaustion didn't help her sour mood either. Pausing to pinch her forehead, Sophie heard the hurried footsteps of someone dashing around. She looked back to see a pair of ice blues eyes lock with hers. Before she could run, he had caught up with her and grabbed her wrists gently, pulling her back.
"Sophie, are you alright?" He asked, the light tone dropping from his voice.
"I'm fine, just tired. That's all."
"Did you sleep last night?"
Sophie looked at him but didn't even try to convince him. Her eye bags said enough.
Keefe frowned and cocked his head, his mind no doubt whirring through ideas. "I could help you with my calm waves, like I did with your echoes."
Sophie shook her head, "These aren't echoes, these are physical fears. I'm worried Gethen can get into my head. I mean, how did he even track down my mind?"
Keefe nodded silently, letting Sophie stumble along the long list of fears. She finally ended with just three single words, "I'm afraid Keefe."
He let go of her wrists and pulled her in for a hug. No sparks flying or heart pounding, just the kind that filled you with the warm sensation of getting home after a while gone and late nights spent huddled around a yellow light. It was the kind of hug Sophie hadn't felt for a while. Maybe it was his Empath ability or maybe it was the sheer power of his friendship through the hug, but pulling away, Sophie could feel the fears quieting for a while.
"I will always be here, no matter what." He promised strongly.
Sophie nodded, "I know."
They stayed like that for a while, just standing there, being near each other. Sophie didn't want to leave his aura of support, something she hadn't truly felt in a while. She knew she would apologize truly to Dex later and the rest of the group, but for those few minutes, Sophie and Keefe just enjoyed each other's pure company.