Unedited.

Chaos, hell, and pain. That's what the war was like. Brant was nearly engulfed in his own flames as he fought Linh, who drenched him and Fintan, with water she drew from the air.

Sophie knew she used her knife...she wasn't sure if any of the Neverseen would die, she knew it was kill or be killed. Fight or be conquered, win or lose. She wasn't about to lose. She didn't think she stabbed any vital organs, she mostly aimed for the legs, shoulders, hands and arms.

She had knocked out three Neverseen. Tamn was fighting Ruy, darkness covered the room, only leaving Brant and Fintan the only cause of light. Due to Tam's help, Sophie, Biana, Keefe, Linh and Fitz could see. The Neverseen were blinded, Biana was swinging the long blade like a trained samurai. She vanished and popped up behind her opponent who looked to be a froster. Fitz and Keefe we're fighting two Neverseen who must have been talentless, but were fighting fist to fist with trained accuracy.

Sophie was fighting the last Neverseen, who had lightning at his fingertips. Just as Sophie kicked the Neverseen to unconsciousness, the building shook. Causing everyone to stumble and wonder what it was, but Sophie knew. Dex was bringing down the roof. Then everything stopped, as the loud echoing building stilled, the afflicting battle stopped. Brant's and Fintan's fire stopped, Linh stopped, Tam stopped, Ruy stopped, everything became silent, as they stared around the room. Sophie counted in her head. One, two, three, four, five. She grabbed onto Biana's arm and yanked her back as the middle of the floor sank. Keefe and Tam jumped, managing to stand beside Sophie, Linh and Fitz. The hole opened wider and wider, cracking up the walls it stropped the battle.

Out of the hole, a rumblings sounded, and an inky haired Dex shot up out of the hole, Sophie snatched his arm and Biana and she dragged him up on their side. Brant's jaw was locked, his eyes hard. "Run." Dex told Sophie as he grabbed Biana and Keefe's arm. Sophie grabbed the closest person next to her which was Linh. She turned and did the very thing. She ran. Dragging Linh after her, she followed, Dex, Keefe and Biana. Dex had his head ducked as he ran head long. Sophie quickly heard Tam and Fitz following them. The building shook harder this time, Biana screamed as a window above her head shattered. Dex pulled her close and shielded her as they ran. Sophie stumbled and tripped, "Go go go!" She told Linh as she picked herself back up.

Dex shoved Biana out the nearest door and dived after her with Keefe next. The floor beneath Sophie cracked and crumbled, Tam shot ahead after his sister. Sophie reached the door and looked back for Fitz. Who was leaping, so not to fall in the holes being made. Sophie could see the other Neverseen trying to reach the next door. Some falling into the ground, being crushed by the floor. Fitz shot through the door, but Sophie saw him, on the other side of the room. Being held by Ruy's blinking shield. Wylie. Sophie glanced at her friends, the loud sound of some place underground exploding sounded and Sophie knew what she had to do. Sophie slammed the door closed and ran. Wylie was wide eyed and slamming his fist against the shield.

The ground under Sophie's feet sank, as she felt the roof over her start to crumble, she ran with everything she had, a chunk of roof slammed into the ground in front of her, she didn't stop, she jumped onto the boulder and jumped across the abyss that had started in the middle of the room, she raised her fist as she fell straight toward the shield. Wylie ducked and covered his head, Sophie let out a shout as her fist slammed through the shield, making it shatter into sharp pieces. For a moment everything seemed to slow, she watched as the shield cracked before breaking, the sharp pieces pointing every which way as it shattered. Then just like that, time went back to normal, the Sophie fell on top of Wylie, tumbling and rolling over. They jumped up ignoring their cuts.

Sophie grabbed his hand and they ran through the nearest door. They fell slid and stumbled down the shaky halls, that crumbled before their very eyes, they ran faster then either of them had ran before. They ran up stairs that fell from beneath their feet. They were racing against gravity itself, trying to escape the building that had never stopped shaky. Wylie shoved her aside, saving her from being hit by falling debris. Sophie tackled Wylie, she had see the opening. She used her back to break the stained glass window they fell, in painful glory. Glass shard sparkling in the moonlight, covered in battle wounds they fell, as the building collapsed behind them, dust and debris following them out the window.

Sophie wished she could have said she teleported, she wished she could have escaped from the second floor with no more injuries, but she couldn't. Wylie's eyes widened, he pulled her to him and flipped over, allowing himself being a cushion for her fall, he passed out as his head hit the ground. Sophie quickly stood up trying to ignore the pain of her ankle, she pulled Wylie up by his arms and wrapped it around her shoulders, she dragged him away from the destroyed building. Gravel hit her back, glass covered her tangled hair, and cuts had turned her once beautiful dress to shredded rags...she was thankful it still held together. She spotted six figures staring at the building in horrified shock. Sophie bent her head as she wrapped her free arm tighter around his waist. He sluggishly dragged his feet.

Sophie could feel blood seeping from a deep cut under her right eye, slipping down her cheek like bloody tears. The cloud of dust covered her vision of her friends, but she could still see the silhouettes of them. She heard a ground shaking explosion behind her and she felt heat on her back, but she didn't look back. She didn't want to see the mansion burning to ashes. She stumbled as the ground shook again, the ache in her side where the Neverseen had shocked her, felt as if it were on fire.

"Come on Wylie, wake up...I can't do this alone." She winced as she laid him down, not being able to carry him any farther. Wylie raised his head, hardly conscious, he carried only a part of his weight, as Sophie started pulling him forward again, embers burned down around her, singing her skin, causing black soot spits to appear she trudged towards her friends, who hadn't seen her yet. Smoke clogged the air, making her feel light headed. Sophie walked from the burning aftermath of another battle. Dex was squinting at the smoke, and Sophie could see his eyes light up like stars. "There she is!" He shouted, making her other crest fallen faced friends look up.

She trudged out of the foggy and polluted air, half carrying half dragging Wylie. Keefe took Wylie's weight. "You scared is Foster." He said. Sophie glanced around at her friends who looked relieved to see her. They also looked as of they had aged in the past few minutes. "Let's go." She said whipping blood off her chin.

~

Myth sat proudly in front of Sophie. Silver, and gold armor plated his chest, head, back, and thick legs. A helmet of sorts protected his head, eyes and snout, but allowed his ears free movement. Gold swirling designed were engraved on silver, at the end of his tail was a sharp barb that could slice the toughest of skin.

Black leather type straps held the armor together. His claws had been sharpened and and on the helmet and extra line of silver teeth had been added. Myth's chest was puffed in pride as he stood like a cartoon dog at attention.

Sophie winced and looked at her feet where Elwin was applying a poultice to her broken ankle. Brosh had made Myth's armor, with the words of: 'if he is going to be your protector he needs protecting.' Wylie had been sedated and was laying down. Sophie refused to let herself be taken care of until her friends were checked.

As Elwin finished with the poultice and sat back, Sophie patted her lap, and Myth jumped in. Knocking the wind out of her with his weight. Sophie wrapped her arms around him, and the cold armor. "You look handsome." She told Myth. "He is also tearing up my couch." Della said good naturedly. Sophie looked to see Myth's tail swishing, ripping up the grey couch. "Sorry." Sophie apologized not sounding sorry. Sophie had dressed in her human clothes, waiting for the others. The moment they got to Everglen a debate had sparked into all out arguing between Sophie and everyone there. They couldn't stay.

The Neverseen knew right where they were and could just be waiting to strike. They'd be coming after them. That struck another problem, where would they go? The Black Swan were far to busy trying to hold off the Neverseen, and couldn't harbor them away. Which left Sophie with no other choice then the human world. Which struck another argument...who would go.

Alden and Grady couldn't because they worked for the council. Edaline didn't want to leave Grady and someone had to care for Havenfield. Della wanted to go, but couldn't less suspicion go to her and Alden. Tam and Linh instantly agreed to go along with Keefe. Dex agreed but then at Sophie urging him he should talk to his parents stepped out of the room and hailed his parents. Biana and Fitz seemed torn, but after Alden and Della assured them they should go, they agreed. Edaline had packed Sophie's famous purple backpack. Linh and Biana were borrowing some of her human clothes, and the boys were getting Alvar and Fitz's old clothes. Kyle's jacket was wrapped around Sophie, her journal placed in it's pocket. Edaline promised she had packed Sophie another waterproof journal.

The only reason the adults agreed to let the others go was on one condition...that was Elwin went with them. He seemed a bit hesitant about it, but when Keefe started recalling all of Sophie's accidents, he quickly agreed. Sandor was stubborn but gave in when Brosh delivered Myth.

But now Sophie was trying to figure on where they would go, but a memory kept nagging at her. A very recent me memory, that left her lips tingling, and a confession that left her reeling. Dex put blocks on their hailers, so only family could call, it was agreed no one used the hailers in public in the human world. Registry pendants were taken off, and all sorts of things for Dex to create more squares pins and self defence weapons were packed. The bag look heavy on his shoulders but he didn't complain. Everyone was back to their normal appearances, and changed in human clothes. Elwin had dressed as humanly as possible, with a bag even bigger then Dex's. Edaline promised to send whatever supplies they needed, so long as Fitz or Sophie sent a mental picture of what room they wanted it in.

Sophie's friends could all speak English, so she was thinking America...and she wanted to go to California, but that'd be another place the Neverseen would look for her. England was her second thought, their accents would fit in a bit more, but Sophie quickly wrote that off, because of a certain elf living there. Alaska, Arizona and New York were next to be crossed out. Somewhere with a warm climate, but not extremely hot and muggy, somewhere that didn't have alligators like Florida. Then Australia came to mind but Sophie shuddered at the thought, she would only be giving Elwin more work, she could get killed by anything there.

Certainly not France or Italy. Nor South America... The place couldn't have to much water around it, or Linh might lose control of her abilities. Sophie's mind turned over all possibilities before writing them all off. Alaska was nearly all frozen water, it was cold and though Sophie had found a special place for it in her heart she knew the others wouldn't like it, so she settled with a risk. New York.

Over crowded and polluted as it was, it was the best place they'd fit in at. The next question: Where would they stay? Sophie couldn't call Nick. No she had caused him enough problems. They'd just have to have Dex get money from and ATM, Elwin would have to buy a house with it. They'd move in...they didn't need to go to school but some people might get suspiciou-

"Sophie!" Sophie jumped out of her thoughts and looked up to see Keefe waving his hand in front of her eyes. Sophie slapped his hand away. "What?" She asked. "Time to go." Elwin said as he rubbed his neck, where his pendant had been. Sophie took a deep breath and stood. She hadn't realized Elwin had taken the poultice off her foot. Pulling on her sock then boot, she seeing her backpack on her shoulders. Hooking the leather leash onto her belt loop like she always did, Myth stood beside her, in his metal glory. Quick goodbyes were said, and Sophie told Iggy to obey Edaline.

They climbed into a tower of Everglen, before climbing onto the roof, linking arms with Dex and Elwin, Sophie made sure everyone held into each other. She took a deep breath and jumped.