Foster: little do they know...

I smiled, replying to her with one of the laughing emojis, then started typing again.

Me: i think this might just work out okay. my parents approve, we'll get the PR thing sorted, figure out how to get rid of your powers, then be good

After a minute with no response, my message not even being seen, I added more.

at least i hope so

I was hoping the honest would get her to answer, we had just been texting back and forth so I know she didn't go to bed, but I still got no response. She still hadn't read either.

It was probably—no, definitely—toxic of me (though Foster will tell me later that it wasn't), but I was worried. So, I went to snap and checked her location. She only shared it with close friends and family, so it wasn't weird by any means that I had access to it. It still made me feel like a creep for checking.

But she'd been acting weird again. Closed off, like before her kidnapping. And she had been acting like that when we got her back, but now it's gotten worse. It didn't feel like it was just because of trauma. And the way she acted around Alvar... something more was going on.

Alvar. Fitz. The call. I gripped my phone in horror. She'd called Fitz, telling him that her and Alvar were kidnapped. Fitz told us, told us that someone pretending to be Sophie had been making up crazy lies about her and Alvar being kidnapped, being alive, despite the body and the calls between Alvar and his family.

But Sophie told us that one was really her. It was her calling us. And she didn't bring up Alvar again. We didn't question her on it, too busy celebrating her return. But, she wouldn't lie about that, if she was kidnapped with him then she really was. But Alvar hadn't been kidnapped, and she was acting weird around him.

My stomach churned at my next thought. What if Alvar had helped kidnap her? Had been there all along? I hated to even think it after knowing Alvar all my life, looking up to him. But, what other explanation was there? Alvar was supposedly kidnapped with her, yet we still talked to him just fine. We run into him on the street, and Sophie's tense. She avoids talking to him, looking at him, even when he talks to her. Then she's distant the rest of the day, pale after he says...

I'll hopefully be seeing you real soon.

He said it really tauntingly, directed at Sophie. Not me, he was staring directly at her. He said everything directed at her. His eyes kept darting to her, there was some wicked gleam.

If I was right, then the Neverseen had something planned. Alvar said he would be seeing her soon. And she still hadn't responded to my texts.

I turned on my phone again from when the screen had gone black with no use. It was still open to Snapchat, so I just swiped to her location.

Any remaining disgusting feeling quickly washed away as I saw she wasn't at her house. No, she was in the middle of nowhere. My eyebrows pressed together in confusion, until I felt my entire body go numb with realization. She was at the cave. The cave where her scent ended, where she was kidnapped.

This is bad, so much worse than I'd been thinking.

I bolted up out of bed, quickly throwing on a shirt and rushing out of my room. I knocked on Ro's door until it swung open. She had her own bedroom in the palace for nights, so she could be there and ready in the morning.

"What?" She growled until she saw the panic in my eyes. I showed her my screen, stumbling through words that I just barely was able to string together.

"Sophie, she's at the cave where they took her, and Alvar kidnapped her, I think, but she's in trouble. They have something planned, something bad and I need to help her."

She raised her hands like I was some wild beast. "Slow down, Funkyhair. She's in a cave, in the middle of the night?" I nodded.

"And Alvar is kidnapping her?"

"No." My voice lowered, angry that she wasn't understanding quicker, because we needed to go. We need to go now. "I think Alvar is one of her kidnappers, and he said that he'll be seeing her soon, now she's gone silent over text and she's at that cave, the one where she got kidnapped. We need to leave, now. We need to save her."

Ro took a moment, one more moment we don't have, to think about what I just told her.

"I think you mean I need to save her. You're not going anywhere Funkyhair, if she really is with her kidnappers then it's too dangerous for you." She held up her hand as I opened my mouth to protest. "Before you say anything, I'm not losing my job just so you can play hero and make your girlfriend fawn over you. And, I'm calling the police because why the fuck do you think I would want to handle a bunch of kidnappers by myself?"

"If you're going I'm going." I said, squaring my shoulders and standing as tall as possible. I was the same height as Ro, but she was still able to look down on me somehow. "Give me a gun, I can protect myself and stand outside. But I need to be there for her, see her."

She glared at me. Just glared, didn't say anything, wasting those precious seconds.

"Fine. We're still calling the police though. And if anything happens to you, I'll kill you myself. Try not to get kidnapped."

She quickly grabbed gear from around her room, handing me a gun and a bulletproof vest. I put it on, calling the police while doing so.

I explained to them the situation, where the cave was, and what I thought was happening. They promised to send people quickly, but I didn't know if it would be quick enough.

What was Sophie thinking? Going to the cave where she got kidnapped, and not telling anyone, in the middle of the night? I knew she had to be getting texts again, threats, but wasn't there some way she could communicate with us? Let us know so we can help her?

Before I knew it, I was in Ro's car with her, speeding down streets. We made it to the cave in record time, parking away so they wouldn't hear or see us, but my heart and entire being stopped at the sight of Sophie's car. There weren't any others around, just her's, but it was in the exact same place it was found that day. The day when we started to give up hope of finding her.

Ro put her finger to her lips, grabbing my shoulder before I could stand up and get out.

"You stand outside the cave, don't do anything, always have your gun ready. Run if your life is in danger. Run if it isn't but there's any chance it could be. You hear me? Don't. Play. Hero. I'll do my best to help Blondie if the kidnappers are in there, but I can't make any promises. You come first." I only nodded, too worried about Sophie to protest. "Leave the door open, for a quick escape and so they don't hear us." I followed her orders, sneaking towards the cave behind Ro.

She stopped me just outside of it, peaking in where we could hear voices. She put her arm out, blocking me from moving past her and seeing inside.

"Why can't you read it?" I heard Sophie's voice. It was faint from where I was standing, but I could tell it was her's. It gave me so much comfort, just those five words. They also filled me with fear, because she was talking to something. All the blood drained from my body as I heard the next voice.

"Your parents gave it some weird cypher. Since you're their little experiment, you can probably read it. You're going to translate it for us, and we won't take you anywhere or hurt your family. Deal?" Alvar's voice rang out, echoing through the forest.

I listened intently to the silence, begging her to run. She didn't.

"You won't hurt them, or me?"

"No, we won't even come near them."

"And you'll leave me alone, no subtle run-ins on the street, making me look crazy?"

"I'll leave you alone. Do we have a deal?"

"If you break this, I'll kill each and every one of you." My eyes widened as Sophie's voice became dark. It didn't feel like it was her talking, more like some demon was talking through her. I'd never heard her talk like that. "I've been practicing with these powers you gave me, I know how to use them."

She hadn't been, though. She refused to even use them for a second. I really hope she won't get caught in her bluff.

I could faintly hear the rustle of pages, which went on for a few minutes. Still no sign of the police.

"What does it say?" Alvar asked, impatient. I tended up, fearful for what he would do.

"It doesn't really say anything yet. A bunch of how much they love each other blah blah blah, their wedding day, a lot of details of my birth, so if you want me to get specific with that just let me know. And then how much they love me and what a special little girl I am. But that's only like the first ten pages."

"When I asked you to translate, that meant you translate everything. Not decide what you think we need to know." I heard a blade being drawn and grabbed Ro's arm. She winced, ripping it out of my death grip. She nodded in my direction, the only way I knew that she understood what I was thinking.

"That would take forever and I don't know how much time I have before my parents realize I'm missing." There was a thud and she whimpered. My heart dropped to my feet as I poked Ro, holding up my gun.

"You're going to do what we tell you to do. You know who dies if you don't." I grabbed Ro's arm as she just continued to stand there, listening. She shrugged me off, finally stepping out and raising both guns. She looked so badass, not that I'd ever tell her that.

"Hey asshats, let Blondie go." She did a good job of disguising it, but I could hear the worry in her voice. Only someone who'd known her for years would be able to hear it, the strange looseness like she was trying to keep her voice chill. It took all my effort not to jump out and start shooting, screwing the consequences.

Still no sign of the police.

I peeked in as discreetly as possible, wishing I hadn't as I saw Sophie pinned to the wall with a knife to her throat. A few figures in black were there, around five, Alvar in the middle. I pulled my head back slowly, my heart thudding in my chest and breathing uneven. I had faith that Ro could take them down, but the knife was right there, ready to kill her. What if they moved it before Ro could take them out?

"Mind your own business." The one pinning Sophie said. I didn't recognize his voice, which was somehow less scary than Alvar being there. "Get out while you still can and forget this ever happened."

"Get rid of her so we can punish this bitch for killing Umber." Another one said. My blood froze. They were obviously calling Sophie the bitch but... she never told me she killed anyone. I heard Sophie whimper again, but I still just couldn't process it. My thoughts were all a jumble. She killed someone. I'm sure it was self-defense, she wouldn't hurt anyone otherwise, but...

I could only imagine how this was eating her up. She hated even hurting the people who kidnapped and tortured her. And to keep this a secret? It couldn't have been good for her. I will talk to her. When it's all over, I'll talk to her.

"Not a chance." Ro spits out, sending out two shots. I hear shouts of pain as they shoot back at her, but she dodged and continued firing. I feel like a coward, hiding outside the cave, not being able to save Sophie. But Ro was right. I'd get killed if I played the hero. Too bad I like that game.

"She told them!" A male voice shouted, running out of the cave past Ro. I tackled him to the ground before he could get away. I'm not letting them go free, not after what they did to Sophie.

I struggle on top of him, pinning his arms to the ground with my knees then aiming one of my guns at his head.

"Stay down." It was like an out of body experience. I was seeing through my own eyes, in control of what I was doing, but it was also like I was watching it just play out. Like a movie.

Before I could blink, the Neverseen member had a gun pointed up at me as well, his arm free from beneath my knee. I tilted off to the side as my leg hit the ground, letting the kidnapper get his other arm free. Something in his hand glinted in the moonlight, right before a sharp pain spread through the side of my leg. I cried out, my vision momentarily going white. When it cleared, my back was on the ground with the kidnapper pinning me, our guns still pointed at each other's heads. Without control, my breathing sped up.

I don't want to die. I just want to save Foster.

"You shoot, I shoot." He said. His hands didn't shake like mine. He'd shot someone before. He was clear-headed. I should've invested in a bulletproof face.

I was still. I couldn't move, I was blinking too fast, I couldn't even move my fingers to pull the trigger, much less put my arm down in defeat. I didn't have to though.

All I could hear was my own blood pounding throughout my body as the Neverseen guy clutched his head in pain, dropping his gun right on my face. It hurt a bit, but not as much as the dagger I was now able to see, stuck in my leg.

The man dropped to the ground beside me, pulling at his hair and shouting. I scooted back frantically, probably getting a hundred grass stains on the back of my pants.

I cried out, flailing as I got grabbed from the back of my shirt and pulled up. I attempted to slam my elbows into the person behind me, get free, but I couldn't reach.

"Quit it, Funkyhair. I'm trying to help you." I went limp immediately at Ro's voice, forcing her to drop my dead weight. When I looked up, her arm was extended towards me. I grabbed it, favoring my right leg, still having the hilt of the knife sticking out. Ro followed my gaze, groaning.

"Are you kidding me? I asked you to do one thing, one thing, and you couldn't even do that? You had to go and get stabbed?"

"I'm fine, I've been wanting to get a piercing anyways." Before she could respond, I suddenly remembered the whole reason we were there. "Sophie?"

"Right here." She grunted out from behind me. I whirled around, seeing her hands clutched to her temples. All four Neverseen members were piled up, grabbing at their hair and gnashing their teeth. I assumed it had something to do with Foster's powers.

"What's going on?" I asked, limping over to her and gently grabbing her elbow.

"I'm trying to get them to knock out. Too bad I don't know how to do that."

"Let me." Ro came over, slamming the butt of her gun into their heads. They stopped thrashing immediately. Sophie sighed, slumping slightly into my arms.

"Wait." I blurted, realizing how stupid I'd been. "Where's Alvar?" Foster bolted up immediately, scanning the area.

"Shit." She muttered under her breath. She ran back into the cave. I shouted after her, but couldn't keep up with my leg. It didn't even matter, she came back out a second later.

"He got away. He took the journal." She gasped out. Her hand trailed up to her neck, rubbing it lightly. I pulled her hand away, noticing where the knife was.

"You're hurt." Way to go Captain Obvious.

"It just indented. I didn't get cut." Her eyes quickly narrowed. "But you..." I gulped nervously as she glared, shoving her finger into my chest. "You are so stupid! What were you thinking?! And you go and get stabbed? How'd you even know where I was? And why did you think it was smart to follow me—what were you thinking, taking on a grown man?!" She threw her hand out, gesturing to the man unconscious on the ground.

"I had a gun?" My voice was lighter than I expected it to be.

"You got stabbed! It clearly didn't help!"

"It's just a scratch." I winced as she threw her fists against my chest. Her and Marella embody the term "tiny but mighty."

"Okay," Ro said, "We can save this for another time, I want to get you both back where it's safe." Sophie ignored her completely.

"What were you thinking, following me here? I can handle myself, I'm the one with these scary superpowers! And they don't want to kill me, not after all the work they put in to make me like this. But you, they'd kill you without hesitation. You can't throw yourself into these situations just to try and protect me!" I shook my head at her.

"Then you shouldn't be throwing yourself into these situations, either! Do you know how worried I was, when you didn't respond to my texts, then I saw you were here? You're so self-sabotaging, why can't you see that you don't need to do all this? You don't need to go off by yourself, you don't need to protect us. You may have powers, but that doesn't make you immortal. And it doesn't make us defenseless. Why won't you let us help you? Why won't you at least tell someone when you need to do something dangerous?"

"They were threatening you! They threatened Dex! I can't let you guys get hurt, not anymore. My friends and my family mean the world to me." She sighed, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. I knew everything I said was working her up, but she needed to hear it. I need her to understand what she puts us through. "I haven't slept for more than a couple hours at a time since Dex and I went to find the journal. Not without nightmares of what happened. I can't stand to see anyone else hurt. The guilt, the fact that it's my fault, weighs so heavy on me. It's all I think about. I can't let anyone else get hurt, not because of me."

"It's not your fault, Sophie." I took a step closer, softening my voice and resting my hands gently on her shoulders. "None of this is your fault. You didn't ask for any of it. Anyone who gets hurt, it's not because of you. You're doing the best you can with the crappy hand you were dealt, okay?" I waited until she nodded. I was about to speak again when I heard sirens approaching. We all turned our attention to the cops that finally decided to show up.

~~~

After a while of interrogations (and maybe a bit of me yelling at them to do their job better and how we all could've died with how long they took), we got in Ro's car and she started to drive us back to the castle. I made Foster leave her car to pick it up tomorrow, not wanting her to be alone.

We both sat in the back seat, I had my arm around her shoulder while she leaned on me. She was still shaking, and with the way her eyes were squeezed shut I could tell she had a migraine, but I had no idea how to help besides holding her.

It seemed to be enough as we made it to the tree line and her shaking lessened. She still leaned heavily on me, but I didn't mind that so much. At all.

An alert from her phone broke the heavy silence, and I turned my attention away from it, to let her have privacy. That went away as soon as she swore.

"We need to get back to my house. Now."

so i didn't feel like writing sophie's pov of the cave, so you guys got keefe! thanks so much for all your comments and all the love you've been showing my story! hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Avery, out ->

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