Unedited.

"Exile?"

"I know it's a lot to ask, but the others-"

"You're not on good terms with them?" His dark eyebrow rose. "I know. I've heard it through a lot of rumors." He sighed. "What rumors?" His blue eyes gave her a deadpan look and Sophie shook her head. "Right, not important." She said.

"Exile?" He asked again. "If you don't-"

"No." He said shaking his head, his dark hair brushing the edge of her blanket. They both sat side by side on the floor, against her bed. "I'll go." He said. "This is an important decision, Wylie. Think about it, and give me your answer tomorrow, at school." Sophie said. Wylie nodded, "It'll be the same answer Sophie." He said pushing himself up. "Meet you on the front lawn?" He asked. Sophie nodded. "Yeah." She said. Wylie held his hand out to her, Sophie took it and let herself be pulled up. "I'll see you around Foster." He said. He didn't use her last name as a nickname or teasing like Keefe did. He used it with respect. "See you around Wylie." Sophie said.

Wylie opened her bedroom door just as Grady and Edaline walked into sight. "Wylie?!" Edaline asked. Wylie bowed politely. "I thought Fitz was up here." Grady said shooting Sophie a look. "No, I'm leaving now." Wylie said he shot Sophie a rare pearly smile. "See you tomorrow." He said before walking past Grady and Edaline, calmly. As if coming out of Sophie's room was an ordinary occurrence. "Bye." Sophie called as he disappeared down the stairs. Grady and Edaline turned to her.

She crossed her arms, "Was there a reason you were coming up here?" She asked. "Yes." Grady said as they walked into Sophie's room. "Why don't you sit down." Edaline said. Sophie sat. "We'll get the easy stuff over with." Grady said handing Sophie a scroll. The scroll was addressed to Grady and Edaline, explaining why the connected rings, red seal was broken. Sophie opened the scroll to find elegant gold ink looping into words.

Sophie Foster, is cordially invited to attend dinner with Lady Gardenia tomorrow night at Lady Gardenia's home. The dinner shall be formal.
With all her regards,
Lady Gardenia.

Sophie couldn't help but notice how the word 'formal' seemed a darker shade of gold and in bigger loopy words than the rest. "Before you say no, know that nobody refuses Lady Gardenia." Edaline said firmly. Sophie set the invitation aside. "What else?" She asked. Grady and Edaline looked at each other before turning to Sophie. "We feel like we owe you an apology. We never realized how much we compared you and...Jolie. We never meant for you to feel like that. I know right now you are going through a lot, we know you are upset and angry at us." Edaline said, Grady continued,

"We just want you to know we are sorry, and we hope you can find it in yourself to forgive us." Grady said. "Why wouldn't you tell me? You know how much Kyle and Rose mean to me. You saw how much I loved them! So why?" Sophie asked. "We thought it'd be best." Grady said. "Who gets to decide what's best for me besides myself?" Sophie asked. "Why wouldn't you even vote to let me know about it?" Sophie asked. "Sophie, we know it was wrong. We realize that now. But we can't change what's done." Edaline said. Sophie blinked rapidly as she lifted her eyes upward trying to stop the tears, that threatened to spill. "Please...just leave me alone right now." She said. Grady and Edaline wished her goodnight before leaving.

Sophie let out a sigh, as Sandor closed her door. Sophie took a deep breath, sniffing slightly she focused her thoughts on her invitation. Glaring from the invitation to her closet she pushed herself tiredly to her feet. Mentally and emotionally tired and exhausted, Sophie searched through her closet for 'formal' wear

~

"You two broke a window?" Sir Leto asked. "It was an accident." Wylie and Sophie chorused, as they sat in front of the large desk.

"Care to explain?" He asked. "Well..." Sophie looked at her satchel covered in small shards of glass sticking to it. She could just say she and Wylie threw it in the window. "I was teasing her." Wylie said. "The bag flew from my hands when she jumped for it and, it hit the window." He said. Sophie nodded. Sir Leto breathed "Anything else?" He asked as he looked more serious. Sophie nodded. Again the telepathy circle was made.

"We need to know, if you were locked or lost in a place such as exile, could you maintain your other identities?" Sophie asked.

"Wha-"

"We need to know." Wylie said cutting off Mr. Forkle. Sir Leto looked at them before taking a deep breath. "It's better you know." He said as he reached in his drawer and pulled out two viles of ruckleberries.

"However, before you do so." He pulled out two thick notebooks. "Fill these out." He said. "I'll call you back when I think of a proper punishment." He said louder. Sophie shoved both notebooks and viles in her bag. "Yes sir." She said, before racing out of the office. Her and Wylie high tailed it to the leap master, as the last chime rang, signalling school to be let out. Linking arms with Wylie and Sandor, Sophie leaped home.

Before she knew it they were in her room. She yanked out the notebooks and flipped one open as she handed the other to Wylie. A note was in the beginning.

Taking on an identity, is taking on a new role.

The next page was filled with words.

Name:
Age:
Gender:
Appearance:

Every single detail was waiting to be filled out. Wylie started filling his out immediately. Sophie hesitated. "Sandor?" Sandor was frowning, but spoke slowly. "It may be for the best, should you ever need to go places that Sophie can not." He said.
Sophie's pen hovered over the name. What would she like to be called? She decided to get back to that. Age? Sophie skipped that as well and went to gender. That was easy enough. Right?

Sophie shook her head and wrote down 'female' going on that she stopped at age. Wylie stopped writing and looked up. "This is harder than I thought." He said. Sophie nodded, "Why don't you both do something simple?" Sandor said. They looked up. "Use each other as models for who you are going to be." Sophie looked at Wylie who shrugged.

"I don't have a better idea." He said. "Alright but what about names?" Sophie asked. "Ender Wiggle, or something, take the first letter of each others names and use it as the first letters of your own names." Sandor said. "So like, Serenity Fiona or something?" Wylie asked. "You're going to be a girl?" Sophie asked. He nodded, "Yeah." He said. "Why not Selene Fisher?" Sophie asked. Wylie shrugged, "I'll think about it." Sophie nodded and turned back to her own name. She thought through every name she could. Before she found one, blurting it out. "Eliza Lucy Minter." She said. "Eliza Minter... Sounds good." Wylie agreed. "I came up with Anne Selene Riley." Wylie said.

"Anne Selene Riley...." Sophie tested it out. It did have nice roll to it. She understand why the brothers wanted to keep part of their names with them. Taking on a new identity felt like, like she was tossing herself out and taking something completely new on, like creating something, she wanted to leave her trademark. A part of her wanted to still be with Eliza. Quickly filling out the rest of the details, Sophie and Wylie searched for the next step.

"Take the ruckleberries and think of the character you have created. Beware, the moment you take ruckleberries in your new identity you will turn back to who you truly are, unless you have another identity you are thinking of."

Sophie read aloud. Saving a berry to turn back, Sophie and Wylie both hesitated. Sophie looked at the vile, with four berries. She raised it to Wylie, "Cheers." Wylie smiled and toasted his vile to hers, causing a clink to resonate through her room. "Cheers." Together they tipped their heads back, raised the viles and became different people.

(Yay! I bet Sophie will get an identity in one of the upcoming books!)