When I wake up in the morning, I see Laurel look at herself in the mirror. I then notice the blush on her cheeks and how her fingers brush over her lips for what I can assume to be the hundredth time already. Smiling softly, I walk up behind her and ask, "What are you thinking right now?"

Laurel only smiles at my reflection behind her and says, "Aren't you the one who can transmit to people?" Even still, she giggles and holds her face bashfully, gently shaking her head in disbelief. "It's- wow, I don't think I would've ever guessed that he'd do that."

I smile. "I'm going to take that heartfelt response into a simple confirmation," I announce jokingly.

"Hey!" Laurel gasps, turning around. We smile before erupting in giggles. I then make her sit down at her vanity desk and begin to brush her auburn hair.

I think back to when Fitz transmitted to me that girl's aren't to blame. But it honestly was cute, I think.

I'm not a girl, so I can't see it that way, I hear Fitz's voice say in my head. But I will admit that it was pretty cute how you smiled at them.

I- I snap out of my thoughts when I hear the hairbrush crash onto the floor after it must've slipped out of my hands.

"What happened?!" Audrey shouts, waking up. She looks at us for one moment before falling backwards, asleep before she even hits the pillow.

Laurel turns around in her chair. "Sophie? Are you okay?" The female Altruistic leans down while sitting down in her chair and hands me the brush again. "Sophie..? You're blushing... like, really blushing."

I blush more in embarrassment. Absentmindedly continuing to brush her hair, I whisper, "I might've accidentally transmitted to Fitz when I was thinking about him." Laurel gasps and giggles, making me more embarrassed. "And he said that it was cute how I smiled at you two," I add in barely a squeak.

Laurel squeals happily, causing Audrey to groan as she tosses and turns. Rolling her eyes at the Sovereign, she whispers to me, "Awww! He called you cute!"

"No, he said that how I smiled at you guys cute," I add, trying to be rational.

"He called you cute!"

"No, he thought that how I smiled was cute."

"He likes your smile!"

"He didn't say that at all!" I whisper, my face burning.

Laurel rolls her eyes. "Geez. Is it just me, or do you have a condition where you just can't accept a compliment?"

I scoff. "Sure, because technicality is such a terrible disease."

"It is!"

I can't but laugh as I tie her hair up with an ivory-colored ribbon. "We'll just agree on the fact that he complimented on how I smiled, not on my actual smile." Laurel pouts playfully as I think, Well, I think he was just complimenting how I was smiling.

I never knew that there were so many meaning to a compliment. And by the way, I was complimenting your actual smile.

You... really...

And I drop the brush again, waking Audrey up for the second time in ten minutes.

...

Audrey fell asleep, so Laurel and I sneak out of the female Altruistic's room. We go to Donovan's room before going down to the conference room- just in case Mr. Wallace wants us to train before we need to eat breakfast.

Inside, we find ourselves staring the two boys as they're engaged in some sort of conversation. I nudge Laurel playfully and point at Benen, who seems to have spotted us already along with the male Percipient.

"Took you long enough," Mr. Wallace remarks, walking into the room as well. I then realize that Donovan's room doesn't require a key card for entry, so I ask Mr. Wallace this. He says, "Since Mr. Donovan so kindly agreed for us to use his room, I made it so his room doesn't use key card access like the others. Use a regular lock, which I left unlocked."

I nod with the answer and go sit down next to Fitz. Do you know what we're going to do?

Fitz shrugs. Don't know. But apparently, he's going to work with the Altruistics before us since ours is "going to take longer". So we can watch them.

Okay. I then stare forward to see Benen with Mr. Wallace, Laurel most likely invisible. Benen points to his right, and Laurel reappears in the exact location, beaming proudly at the male Altruistic. Mr. Wallace has Benen point out where Laurel is a few more times, him nailing it each and every time.

Mr. Wallace looks at the two of them. "What happened that I should know about?" he asks. "You were always close, but never on point like this."

Benen shrugs. "I just found out how to make the actual connection work," he says vaguely.

I glance over to see Fitz smirking at Mr. Wallace's astonished face. I can't help but smile at the middle aged man's face as well.

The Altruistics continue their training for about five more minutes before they all come to the two of us. Mr. Wallace gestures to Fitz to close his eyes, and then turns to me. We're going to have to submerge a memory that's playing around with his mind, he transmits to me.

I gasp. How can you transmit to me?

How was I able to check your memories or register some pain onto Fitz?

I clench my fists in anger at how easily he said that. What's this memory about?

I can't see it for myself, so that's why I'm having you submerge it.

Then how do you know?

I can check if memories are there, not see them and delete them.

I frown. I thought I was submerging them. I know that word choice doesn't matter, but I'm too suspicious to just agree with him.

Don't play around. Now, touch Fitz's right temple.

I do so, not missing how Fitz flinches slightly as soon as my fingers come into contact with his temple. Sighing audibly, I transmit to Mr. Wallace, What now?

You'll be seeing different memories anytime soon, but you'll see it after a few seconds.

I nod, and I let the memories zip past me. I see Laurel and Benen kissing again, then Audrey and me coming through the connecting door. So the memories travel backwards, I tell myself, making sure to not transmit it to anyone accidentally.

What are you doing? Fitz voice echoes through his head.

Apparently there's a memory that's playing around with you, I mentally explain. I'm supposed to submerge it. I'm trying to see what it is.

I- But before Fitz can actually reply, I hear Mr. Wallace's voice in my head. Stop telling him what we're doing. Otherwise, he'll try to hide his most personal memories.

Why would he do that? I ask.

I think I hear Fitz mentally shout my name, but it's so faint that I can barely hear it to believe it. Why would I be looking through his personal memories? A moment of silence passes before I realize what I'm doing. This is wrong. I can't do that.

Yes, you can. I doubt you'd want him to suffer with your affection for him.

I can feel my face burning with embarrassment. Anger and frustration wells up within me, but I let my mind store it somewhere since I have no use for it now. Fine. I then look through whatever memories come my way until I don't see anything. I wonder what memories I haven't seen as I transmit to Mr. Wallace, I don't know what I'm looking for.

I can see that it's coming up now, Sophie. Be patient.

I sigh angrily, but wait. Then I see a memory that makes me want to vomit.

The sight of me all cut up and bruised.

SOPHIE! Fitz's voice thunders through my head. I then see the memory fade, as if Fitz's mind is pulling it back.

That's it! Mr. Wallace shouts mentally. Quickly- submerge it! Think of it like you're tucking it away in a box!

Nodding, I imagine the memory like a photo, and see it shrink down into the size of an actual photograph. I then picture a metal box with the smallest slot on the top. I walk near it and watch as both the box and photograph enlarge to their original size. I watch as the photo attempts to fade away as Fitz tries to take it back, but fails.

What are you DOING?! Fitz shouts. His voice seems desperate and confused.

I don't reply.

I stare in awe as the scene that I'm seeing begins to dissolve at the edge. I think I see a hint of brown and blond- for lack of a better name- before a teal eyed girl rushes forward to grab my hands. I feel chills go up my spine at how real the touch feels. Her blond hair swishes slightly as she frantically says, "Don't do it- take it out!"

The memory's already begun to become submerged, Sophie! Mr. Wallace announces almost on cue.

Submerged?! Fitz's transmit echoes. What are you erasing from me?!

I see more brown and blond appear on the photo as the scene of me dissolves slowly. "He's lying!" the blond girl shouts. My eyes realize when I realize that her hair and the blond that I see slightly are the same exact color. And the brown is like Fitz's hair. "He's making you hide when he begins to feel-"

Before she can finish, the girl disappears- almost disintegrating. I can see a hint of Fitz's face, but I can only see the blond still on the other side of the photo. My eyes widening, I take a tentative step forward- the memory now looking so familiar.

But I'm suddenly pulled away from Fitz's head before I can see what it is. And I only see the photo disappear into blackness.