Hi. Sorry for the late-ish update.

10/12/2018

"So much drama. So many patients." Elwin was muttering to himself.

And Sophie was in a bed.

Again.

With too much and yet not enough recollection of what had happened.

She had been awake for a little while now, and Elwin hadn't pushed her for too much information. Both Fitz and Keefe apparently had mini panic attacks.

That was really fun to watch.

But Dex wasn't thinking. LITERALLY.

He was still under the elixir.

And when she had told the others that, shocked was an understatement. And when Fitz (talk about awkward... she didn't how she felt about him...) explored Dex's mind, he came back with the same reaction as she had.

Without fainting. They weren't best friends like Sophie and Dex were. Plus, he was already prepared with the information.

Ugh. She hated fainting or waking up like that. Made her feel like some stupid, helpless damsel in distress.

Maybe the distress part, but not the stupid nor helpless nor damsel.

That really sucked.

But she wasn't on bed rest!

Not that she really felt like getting up. What? It was comfy, and she wouldn't be thinking any better standing up rather than curled under a fluffy blanket anyway.

Everyone had been freaking their heads out. Which is why Sophie could hear footsteps in the hallway, still pacing back and forth, the steady rhythm as steady as her heartbeat, and she knew that both of those things wouldn't go away for a long time.

Life. Was. Frustrating.
LIFE. WAS. FRUSTRATING.
LIFE. IS. FRUSTRATING.
LIFE! IS! FRUSTRATING!

And all she could do was sigh and look at the pillows scattered across the room, still right in the places she had thrown them.

And the weirdest part was the muttering goblin in the corner, still angry that he hadn't been at Everglen when the... incident occurred.
Sandor claimed he had to "get private work done", but so did Grizel... isn't that a wonderful coincidence?

She needed to figure out what to do and what the heck that stupid elixir was.

Even more so, she needed to find the antidote, if there even was one.

There had to be.

There had to.

But she was stuck. She couldn't figure out how to get out of this never ending, still tightening grip.

Sophie heard someone call for Elwin, and he went out the door silently.

She was lost only with her thoughts-

The door sprang open.

Never mind. She was stuck with Keefe.

"WAAAAHHH!" She screeched as Keefe scooped her up in his arms.

"Be quiet," he hissed. "We need to get out of here before-"

A blank eyed Della strolled through the door, walking a bit unsteadily. "Hi Sophie and Keefe." Her voice was a lower monotone pitch the entire time.
And even worse, she was carrying a vial of that vile elixir. Ha, those words-

"Hi Della. Sophie just needed some fresh air." Keefe said quickly, opening the sliding glass doors as Della made her way closer to them, and shut it just as quickly.

She glanced around frantically, which was hard because she could basically only see Keefe's face and the sky from this terrible view.

Della vanished.

Sophie couldn't help but notice that Keefe was snuggling her a bit closer to his chest than he needed.

STOP! You need to focus on the fact that everybody's going crazy. NOT on AGHHHHHHHH.

Della clearly wasn't the only one here who had gone absolutely insane.

What if somebody else had gotten hurt? What if they were all under the elixir?

What if?

"We need to get out of here."

"Then PUT ME DOWN."

"Okay." He set her on the grass.

"Thanks."

Sophie turned around to find a sphere of the elixir floating in the air, with Fitz only ten feet away. He wore the stare as best Della and Dex had, and Sophie already knew it was too late.

It was too late for her best friend.

And it was too late for her cognate.

That's why she needed to save them.

Sophie pulled Keefe back. "We need to save the others."

"I know." He whispered.

"We need to get out of here with everybody, safe."

"Actually," Keefe interlocked their fingers. "We need to levitate."

They pushed up against gravity as far up as they could, with a small sphere of the elixir following them until they had gone so far up it couldn't go any further.

Sophie was well aware that Keefe was definitely holding up half her weight.

She hated that she couldn't be strong enough.

"Roof."

He nodded.

"We have Vanishers in this house. This is a nightmare."

"I know," she sighed. "Let's just get into the house."

She searched for the latch that would lead from the roof down into the mansion. She lifted the panel up, her pulse speeding up.

She couldn't save everyone if she got under the elixir.

And she needed to save them.

She looked down into the mansion and found all of her friends staring back at her.

Blankly staring back at her.