Unedited.

"Mr. Forks?" Keefe asked, shortening Mr. Forkle's name.

Sophie nodded. "He said we should stay low, but we shouldn't stay in one place for to long." She said to her fellow elves.

"What do you think we should do?" Elwin asked. Sophie tugged at the edge of her jacket. This was normal...what normal people did. They needed normal right now. "Let's finish the competition, we'll do as he says. When we leave we could probably to to Hawaii."

"No." Linh blurted before covering her mouth her cheeks turning pink as everyone looked at her. "Right. Sorry, I'm not thinking straight." Sophie said. "Just give me a minute to figure some things out. I promise we'll get back." she said. The others nodded. "Sophie!" A human called, Sophie looked over to see a kid who looked to be thirteen or fourteen, with dusty brown hair and dark eyes. "Come on their about to call your name." Seth said. Sophie waved. "Okay!" She called cheerfully, before looking back at the group.

"Let me just think." She said. They nodded, Sophie turned her board and raced after Seth. Sophie had talked to Seth at the sidelines. His sister was competing, she was just a beginner, but he had cheered her on. Seth was the sweet kind of people that just feel like warmth radiates from their souls, he was like Josh Loskie. He drew people in like gravity circled him, he was open, friendly and generally a happy person. Alvar hard given his place up to Fitz, and Tam had destroyed Fitz after. Tam had somehow managed to beat Fitz's graceful tricks.

Sophie stood at the top of the ramp. "You got this!" Seth cheered patting her back, as the announcer called her name. Sophie spotted the green eyed girl glaring at her in the crowd. Sophie placed her goggles over her eyes and slid down the ramp, gliding down the slick ice. Everything went well until she landed in front of the green eyed girl. It felt as if oil had been placed on the ice. Her feet flew out from under her and the crowd all winced with her. The green eyed girl smirked, Sophie stood up and hurried on. Grinding across a railing, she found herself facing the 'U' shaped ramp. Skidding up one end, her board hit a nick pitching her forward, her hand went out to catch herself as her feet flew up.

Her other hand touched the nose of her board. Sophie was doing a one handed hand stand! Sophie brought her weight back down, as the crowd cheered, Sophie zoomed up on the other side of the ramp, she jumped off the edge, grabbing the edges of the board like she had seen Tam do, she turned in circles before landing, whooshing up the other side, she skidded off the top, dropping down to the ground she slid down the finishing hill with a jump she stopped.

Sophie was breathless, as adrenaline made her heart pump faster. The crowd was cheering loudly, Sophie grinned up to Kyle and raised her fists. He clapped, a smile on his face. Sophie unclipped her board and hurried up to her family, as the announcer called another name. "Way to pull out the moves Foster." Keefe said holding up a fist. Sophie pounded it with her own. "Wasn't planned but that was fun." Sophie could practically feel her eyes shining. As she swung had arm around Biana. "You should totally try that. There was this bump in the ice, it pushed me forward and wow.." Sophie breathed.

"You fell." Grady said. "Yeah, it's patch of ice over there." Sophie said as she patted Myth's head. Sophie looked over to see the girl who was strapping on an orange board to her feet. Her breath filled the air in front of her. "Next up Cassie Knight!" Said the over cheerful announcer. "She's going too have to bring everything she's got to even come close to Whitaker's score." Said the second commentator. Sophie looked at Kyle wondering when he had boarding before remembering she was Whitaker. Cassie's face grew stormy as she stood up. She glared at Sophie, as the bell rang she slid down the ramp.

Sophie turned to Keefe, he was watching Cassie through narrowed eyes. "What's up with her?" She whispered. "Don't know, but she really does seem to hate you." He said. "Why?" Sophie asked. Keefe looked at her, "Am I the mind reader?"

"Right." Sophie dreaded doing this but she didn't understand why this girl hated her. Sophie had just started opening her mind to human thoughts when Kyle tapped her on the shoulder, he looked like he wanted her to win but lose at the same time. He looked confused. "Two down one to lose." He said. Sophie shook her head. "Not a chance." She and Kyle walked back to the lodge for the rest of the second competition. Myth followed them, sitting in the same inside air, Sophie tugged off her gloves as she sat beside the fire. "I want to cast another bet." Kyle started. Sophie held her cold hands out to the crackling fire. She didn't mind it so much, since Brant was so far away from her.

"Go on." She coaxed. "I bet you can't do the hand grab that you did again, if you can't I get... What we better on earlier, if you do...what do you want?" He asked. Sophie rubbed her tingling hands together. "I want...I want..." Sophie thought. "I want you to march up to Rose and-"

"And what?" Rose asked as she came out of the warm kitchen. "And tell you I miss our long conversations." Kyle blurted. Sophie looked over at him. "Yup...that it." Sophie nodded. Rose didn't look convinced. "Whatever, I'm headed out." She said pulling on her heavy police jacket. "Deal, but not another word about this." Kyle said shaking her hand. Sophie made the motion of zipping her lips. "Not another word." She promised. Kyle nodded and hurried back outside into the cold weather. Sophie decides to stay in the warmth a little longer.

She heard the kitchen door open and close, and someone making something in the back. That didn't bother her as she stared in the fire. However what did make her nervous was Alvar stepping out of the kitchen with two mugs of steaming tea...or hot chocolate. Sophie was to nervous to care. Alvar smiled and handed her a cup, as he said. "We never really...talked things out." He said as he tucked one leg under him, he sat beside Sophie, facing her. Sophie had felt cold suddenly, and wrapped her arms around the hot mug.

Alvar let out a sigh as if fed up with her shyness, or just frustrated with it. But he quickly seemed to calm himself as he spoke. "Remember the cabin? I told you to impress me and you-" Alvar didn't have to finish because Sophie was already laughing. Alvar smiled, "That's the night I accepted that I had feelings for you." He said. Sophie fiddled with the cup handle, not looking up at him. "I was so curious what you wrote about in the journal, I wondered what made your eyebrow twitch when you thought about it. I wanted to know what you knew, I wanted to know every single part of you. You're secrets, I wanted to know about what you thought of things, I wanted to know about your life was like...before you met my family."

Alvar seemed to reach out to her but stopped as if something of a physical force was stopping him, he pulled away. "Sophie, I wanted learn more about you, I wanted to just be close to you. Those hours....all those hours in the cabin it made me rethink a lot of things. It made me rethink everything. You were so....so brave through all the sickness, the fear and doubt you had. I watched you war with every decision you made, you refused to believe any one of your family or mine could of betrayed you, I watched you fight against your own logic to keep a level head. You impressed me long before that."

Alvar took a sip of his coffee. Before speaking again. "But I know...despite what I know, I... I really don't want to give you up." He said. "But I already know what your answer is."

"That's not-" Sophie started but Alvar pressed his finger to her lips, leaving them lingering he spoke. "Sophie, I may not be perfect, but I, am, not, blind."
He said pulling his hand away he spoke quietly. "The way you look at him...the way your eyes light up...it's undeniable even for me. No matter how much I despise it I'll admit it. You will choose my brother...you've already chosen. It's always been him. You get this silly smile -that I adore and hate all at once- on your face once you remember something about him."

Alvar had tears blurring his eyes, his teal eyes swirling with pain and bittersweet happiness. "Fitz won a battle without even fighting." He said as he set his cup aside. He dug his hands through his dark hair, looking desperate as he surrendered. "I've remembered more things Sophie... I remember what I did to Dex...to you. To my family I remember some of it." Alvar bit his lip, "I don't know how they can stand being in my presence." Alvar met Sophie's eyes. "Go to Fitz. Tell him how you feel, stay with him. He'll be able to protect you...to keep you safe. Be hap-" Alvar's voice cracked and he quickly looked away from Sophie, taking a quick deep breath he blew it out and looked back at Sophie.

"Be happy Sophie. For yourself, for everyone who cares about you. Be happy for me." He lifted Sophie's hand and kissed it, as if he were kissing a lucky charm goodbye. "You always know how to contact me." He said as his burning tears splattered on her hand. He pulled a journal filled with loose pages and handed it to Sophie. "If you'd... Even if I don't deserve it....please read this." Alvar said. Confused, Sophie took the journal. What was Alvar planning? "I do love you Sophie." He said, before standing up, Sophie recognized his bittersweet smile, as he glanced around the lodge for humans before he lifted his blue crystal and flashed away.

Sophie sat stunned. What had Alvar just done? The front door burst open and slapped shut. Sophie jumped and looked up to see Linh and Keefe kissing like their lives depended on it. Keefe pulled away as he sensed her shock and confusion, and looked at her. Linh blushed red, "Oh hey Foster." Keefe smirked not even caring that she had just seen him kissing Linh. He brushed a hand through his messy hair that Linh obviously messed up. Keefe's cheeks were pink but he wasn't nearly as red as Linh.

Keefe cleared his throat. "So um...Linh is an empath. Remember the weird feelings she was experiencing when I first came back? It was her ability setting in, and um...we spent a lot of time together so we got closer and now we....we um like each other." Keefe said, as his arm wrapped around Linh's shoulders. Sophie wasn't sure if she was shocked from Keefe and Linh sudden news about liking each other, or that Linh had another ability, or from Alvar. Either way the only way she could react...the only way she did act was nod, pick up her board and walk back to the competition. Leaving Keefe and Linh to make out.

Sophie reached the competition just as she saw the green eyed girl talking to Fitz and Tam. "Sophie Whitaker is up next." Sophie could hardly feel as she plugged her headphones in, pulled her hood up and shoved her iPod in her pocket. The white cord tucked under her hoodie. She placed her board on her feet, tightened it, stood. Listening too the beat of the music, she let it sink into her mind. Numbing every but of her mind, she pushed herself off the ramp.

Sophie wasn't sure what tricks she had done, but when she stopped the crowd was chanting her fake last name. Sophie didn't feel that pats on her back as she walked through the crowd to Kyle. She dug in the backpack he'd brought and pulled out her forfeit envelope she handed it to the announcers, as if she were in a trance she picked up her board and walked back to the lodge. Her legs numb, her mind numb, why had Alvar done that? Why had that happened? Had her answer always been Fitz? Did she like Fitz?

Yes. She did like him. The question was, what was she going to do about it?