A/N: Oh my gods! We hit 2K reads on When They Find Out. Honestly, you guys are the best. I write for every comment and vote you guys give me, and each one means a lot to me. Like, a lot. So, in celebration, here's the next chapter! It's super long!

The moment Fitz opened his mouth to tell Jensi what had happened in the past weeks, Magnate Leto caught his eye. He was furiously shaking his head.

Fitz cleared his throat, not knowing how to tell Jensi the truth and avoid revealing the Black Swan's secret.

"We had an eventful few weeks," he vaguely stated. "And some people got hurt. Some people changed."

Jensi raised his eyebrows. "I'm guessing the rest is classified," he predicted in his rapid manner.

Fitz gave him an apologetic nod. "I'm sorry but it is classified," he echoed. "Just... Don't be expecting to see Sophie or Keefe around here for a while."

Everyone's face fell faster than Fitz thought it would. Sophie and Keefe would have been pleased to see how many people cared about them.

One girl, probably a Level Three, spoke up. "Do you know when they're coming back?"

Fitz took a shaky breath. "No. No I don't know," he repeated. "But I really wish I did."

And with that he walked out of the lunch room, not being able to force out another word.

*~*~*~*

Fitz slammed his hand on the table, not ready to take another word of Elvin history. After three hours of staring at the paper, his vision was getting blurry. And he still had fifteen more questions to do.

"I can't do this," he muttered, laying his head on the table. "Too much is going on right now. I can't concentrate on this."

Just as he took a deep breath, he heard a voice from the door. He'd recognize that voice anywhere... He had lived with it for thirteen years.

"Hey Biana," he called. "You can show yourself now."

She flickered into sight by the doorway, wearing the same clothes she had worn to school. But, under her glossed lips and fancy tunic, she was a mess.

Her eyes were red and puffy from crying. Her hands were trembling. Her hair was a tangled mess and her belt was inside out. This was his sister at her worst.

"Is it Alvar?" Fitz asked.

Biana nodded. "And Keefe. And Sophie," she whispered. "It's just everything. I want things to go back to the way they were."

Fitz smiled remembering how things were just a few years ago. "Playing base quest with Keefe and Sophie," he remembered. "Having Aurenflares."

That brought a small smile to Biana's face. "Yes that," she agreed. "And more. Just not being in this situation. I want things to go back to that."

She took a heaving breath and tried to stop the tears welling up in her eyes from spilling. But even she wasn't that strong.

Fitz held out his arms to comfort his little sister. "It's fine," he coaxed. "Everything will be fine. Before you know it, everything will be back to normal."

"I don't know, Fitz," Biana hiccuped. "You can at least do something. You're working on getting Sophie back. I want to help, but I just don't know what to do. I can't help."

"I want to help more too," Fitz replied, thinking of all he wanted to help with but couldn't. "But this is all I can do right now."

Biana nodded. "I guess so," she extricated herself from her brother's grasp and gave him a shaky smile. "Thanks. And, um, sorry for interrupting you and bothering you and all that."

Fitz smiled. "Don't worry about it," he assured. "What are brothers for?"

*~*~*~*

"Fifteen seconds," Tiergan announced after Fitz's potion had worn off. "We're making progress."

They had spent the last week or so working on increasing his resistance. Thankfully, Dex and his dad had worked on the potion so it tasted like mallowmelt rather than the gross taste it had been before. Despite all their efforts, Fitz's time had only increased by ten seconds.

"It needs to be longer," he grumbled, standing up from his chair. He began pacing around the room, thinking of how he could improve his time. "At this rate, I'll never reach one minute."

"Patience, Fitz," Tiergan commanded. "It won't happen overnight."

"Yeah but it hasn't been overnight!" Fitz protested. "It's been over a week and I've only increased my time by ten seconds!"

Tiergan sighed. "How about we try a different tactic," he suggested. "Focus on some of the most positive moments you can think of to block the effect of the negative emotions."

Fitz nodded, reaching for another vial. The elixir had turned a cobalt blue after Dex and his dad had changed the taste and smell. Fitz didn't know why, but he didn't protest.

Closing his eyes, he tipped the vial into his mouth and let the negative emotions rush through him.

It started out as normal. Waves of emotions came over him, one after another, with a period of drifting silence in between. Every time a wave knocked him down, he got right back up. But eventually, he was swept in.

Except this time, instead of spending the periods of silence trying to get back up, he constructed a shield of positive emotions to combat the negative ones. He thought of every moment in his life where he felt happy or excited or even love.

The moments started as early as when he was three when he first saw Biana after she was born. At first, he was jealous she got more attention then him, but as they grew together, he began to accept her and love her as his sister.

He thought of the love he felt every time he saw his mom, dad, Biana, or Alvar. The wave of emotions came back and targeted the guilt and sadness he felt when thinking of Alvar, but he sealed the crack as quick as it had formed.

He thought of the excitement and happiness he felt when he realized he had manifested as a Telepath. He focused on his pride he felt when he realized he was the youngest.

He remembered the happiness he felt when he and Keefe became friends... Two weird kids who just seemed to fit. The shield threatened to crack again, but he sealed it.

And Sophie. He thought of his success of finding her after trying so hard for so many years. She showed him a new perspective of the world he had always known. He thought of every time they all played base quest or every Aurenflare or every time she let him transmit to her. He thought of the relief he felt when he realized he trust her enough to tell her about Mr. Snuggles. He thought of his arms around her when they were collecting the quintessence for the Frissyn after Fintan's healing. He thought of when Mr. Forkle said they would be Cognates. He thought of every time he looked into a pair of her chocolate brown eyes.

The thoughts swirled around him, forming a shield stronger than life itself. A wave of sadness crashed, but nothing happened. Not a single crack formed. The emotions were contagious, filling him with happiness and determination. Before he knew it, he was treading through the waters.

He focused on the memories as he took one step in front of the other. He saw an island in the distance, a safe haven. He walked closer and closer. And just before he was about to reach it, a huge wave crashed over him.

The wave was of hopelessness. Sophie may have been his greatest asset when forming the shield, but she was also his greatest weakness.

You will never fix her. She will be broken forever.

His shield crumbled, washed away by the tidal wave. And before he knew it, he was being washed away too.

A/N: Another cliffhanger. Sorry guys, but it seemed to be the best way to end it. Did you see the voting thing for Iggy's fur color on Instagram? I voted Crimson Crimps because red is my favorite color. What about you?

We have exams starting Friday, so I don't know when I'll post next. But it'll hopefully be soon! See you all later!