My Electric Love Final Copy

## Prologue (Keefe)

*‘This is for the best.’* Keefe thought.

He kept thinking that, trying to get himself to believe it.

He was too dangerous, he could hurt anybody.

Hiding was the only option.

To keep his friends safe.

To keep everyone safe.

They’ll be better without him.

*‘This is for the best.’*

## Chapter One (Leanna)

LEANNA HAS ALWAYS BEEN A BIT OF A SOCIAL OUTCAST,

but she didn’t care at all. She still had one friend, named Ashley, who was the exact same way. They always had fun together, and that's all that mattered to them. Usually, Ashley and Leanna walk to school together, but Ashley’s parents drove her today, because she had to bring a big poster for a school project. Leanna was fine with it though. Sometimes it’s nice to have alone time.

She put on her favourite shirt, which is a dark grey long sleeve. She loved how it felt. Since Leanna didn’t have P.E at school today, she chose to wear a jean skirt, leggings, and a necklace. She looked in the mirror, and played with her hair a bit. Leanna’s hair was dark brown, long, with some waves in it. She has blue-grey eyes, and cream skin. Her parents have always told Leanna that she was beautiful, but she thought that her nose was too big. She grabbed her backpack, and headed out the door.

Leanna is in grade 9, so she goes to the high school. She does well in math and very well in music, but not as good in science and P.E. Throwing is not her thing.

On her way to school, something that seemed like it couldn’t cause any harm, changed Leanna’s life forever. Nothing would be the same. Leanna turned left, and started to walk through the park, but then she saw a girl. The girl had fair skin, with shoulder-length blonde hair, and brown eyes with golden flakes in them. Her face was all red and blotchy, so Leanna assumed that she was crying. Even though she was a bit of a mess, Leanna thought that she was the most beautiful person she has ever seen. There were so many thoughts racing through Leanna’s head;

*‘Why is she so upset?’*

*‘I LOVE the gold flakes in her eyes.’’*

*‘She’s dressed up, I wonder if there is a special occasion’,*

But two thoughts overpowered the rest;

‘*Should I help her?’*

*‘Why do I feel so attracted to her?’*

Leanna decided to talk to the girl, but the other question lingered.

“Hello, what’s the matter?” Leanna asked.

“I-*sniff*, It’s complicated.” she said.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really.”

“That’s fine. I’m sure it will all work out” Leanna said

“Wanna go get something to drink? I know a really good cafe around here.”

“I guess so.” The girl didn't look as upset now.

“Then let’s go!” Leanna said “By the way, I’m Leanna. What’s your name?”

“Sophie,” she said.

Leanna remembered from somewhere that Sophie meant wisdom. Sophie looked very smart and strong, so it suited her.

Sophie grabbed Leanna’s hand, sat up, and they walked to the cafe. When they were holding hands, Leanna felt happy, excited, and one more feeling, but she wasn’t sure what it was. It left her with a tingly, warm, fluttery feeling. Then Leanna’s thoughts went crazy;

*Could it be l-, no, definitely not. I couldn't possibly like her.  Right? But it feels like I do like her. This is so weird. I- um, should probably stop thinking about this.*

Even though Leanna tried to not think about it, she only thought about what that weird, tingly, warm feeling was. It bothered her the whole time. When they (finally!) got there, there was an aroma of freshly-baked pastries. It also meant that she could think of what to order.

“What do you want to get?” Leanna asked.

“Um, A chai tea latte, please.”

“Okay! They walked up to the till. “Hi, can I get one blueberry scone, one medium london fog, and one medium chai tea latte, please.”

“That will be $10.97, please,” said the barista.

Leanna handed her the cash, and Sophie and her waited for their food and drinks. After about a minute, they got their order, and headed to an empty table.

“Thanks for getting me this.” Sophie said. “You didn’t have to.”

“I knew it was a good thing to do.”

“Anyway, how old are you?” Leanna asked. “I’m 15”

“Same here.” Sophie answered. Leanna got that tingly, warm, fluttery feeling again. ‘*Agh, what is wrong with me?*’’ she thought.

“I should probably get going now.” she said.

“Okay, I should get to school now. I will definitely get in trouble for this.” said Leanna “But, it was worth it.”

“Thanks again for buying me that scone and drink.” Sophie said.

“Don’t mention it!”

When they parted, Leanna skipped all the way to school singing very loudly. She was just so happy, that nothing could ruin her mood. Even if the world got destroyed. Actually, not that. That would be bad. But still, she is very, very happy, and she is determined to stay that way.

## Chapter Two (Sophie)

SOPHIE GRABBED HER DRINK.

She threw it into a nearby trash can. She walked out the door, but then started to run.

Something wasn’t right. Not right at all.

That girl, she seems different.

Not in the usual way, but at a whole new level.

Sophie began to run faster, then stopped.

A thought hit her.

It wasn’t likely, but it could be someone important.

She had to tell someone.

Sophie pulled something out of her pocket.

Her imparter.

She then spoke three soft words.

“Show me Alden.”

Almost immediately, his face showed up on the screen.

“Sophie, where have you been? We all thought that you were kidnapped again!”

*Again.* That word stung.

“Are you in the Forbidden Cities?”

“Yes,” Sophie answered “But that’s not important right now. I met someone.”

“Whoever it is, I’m sure there’s no reason to wor-”

“No. This girl,” she sent him a mental picture of Leanna. “I think she’s an elf.”

## Chapter Three (Leanna)

WHEN LEANNA GOT TO SCHOOL, IT WAS VERY QUIET.

It surprised her, even though it shouldn’t have. She was late, after all. She walked down the hall to her classroom. When she got there, she saw her teacher, who was very mad.

“Miss Williams!” he said. “Care to explain why you are late for the science test?”

*‘Crud’* Leanna thought *‘I thought that was next week.’*

“Well?”

“I was helping a girl.” Leanna said. “She was really upset, and no one else was helping her, so I thought I should do it.”

“Next time, don’t take too long. You’re only off with a warning today, but next time, detention.”

“I understand, Mr. Thompson.”

“Good, now start working on your test.”

Leanna nodded, and headed to her desk.

The first question was easy. What is your name? It wasn’t really a question. Leanna liked to think of it as one though.

The second question, well, was something else. She wasn’t sure she would get it right. The rest of the questions were unsolvable, according to Leanna. She didn’t even do them.

*‘Whatever.’* she thought. *‘Science is dumb’*

She flipped her test over, to draw something on it, but there were words there. They definitely weren’t to do with the test though. Leanna’s heart started to beat faster. The note freaked her out. It said;

**Leanna.**

**You are different from them.**

**They will never care for you.**

**They will never listen to you.**

**Even your best friend doesn’t like you.**

**You don’t belong here.**

**Join us, and live to your true potential.**

**Join us, and be free.**

**You know you’ll be happier.**

**So choose.**

**Stay here, and be suppressed, or join us, and fight for what you deserve.**

**You know the right choice.**

Normally, Leanna would forget about the note, and move on, but this was scaring her.

*‘What group are they talking about?’*

*‘Who wrote this?’*

*‘Why was this on my test?’*

*‘Why do I think Sophie is connected to this?’*

Leanna jumped out of her seat, and ran out the door.

“Leanna! What are you doing?” someone said.

Leanna didn’t care though. This wasn’t good.

She needed to get away.

She would run forever if she needed to.

She finally ran out of the school, thinking she was safe.

She was wrong though. Dead wrong. Three people, all wearing black cloaks, surrounded her. On their cloaks, was a white circle, and inside of it, was an eye.

“I see you’ve gotten our letter.” said one. “So are you going to come with us, or stay?”

“I’m never coming with you!” Leanna said, channeling the little confidence she had.

“Gethen, grab her.”

When a hand grabbed her, she was scared, angry, and triggered.

She felt the rush of adrenaline, and then became very, very angry. She gripped onto ‘Gethen’s’ arm, and then, let electricity shock him. He screamed, and stepped back. Leanna turned around and faced the rest of the group.

“Oh, what a shame that you won’t be joining us today,” said another. “but I’m very sure that we will be seeing you again. And maybe get out of here, I think someone saw your little lightning trick.”

Leanna turned around, to see her friend, Ashley, with a very surprised expression.

“I-um-heheh-yeah,” Leanna muttered.

“WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?” yelled Ashley.

“I’m gonna go,” said Leanna. And then she ran off.

“LEANNA, COME BACK!!”

Again, Leanna started running. She ignored everything, everyone. She was too scared of hurting anyone like that ever again. Even if they were going to try to take her. Then she ran into someone.

“Sophie?” Leanna said.

“We need to go. Now” Sophie demanded. “Those people in the black cloaks, they aren’t good.”

“Then, did you see what I did?”

“Yes, and that’s why I need to get you out of here.”

“But, where would we go?”

“I’ll tell you later, but for now, hold my hand.”

Leanna grabbed it, and she got that, warm, tingly, feeling again, but she tried to ignore it. Then Sophie started to run. Fast. Then, no, it couldn’t have happened, but with all the craziness happening lately, Leanna did, kinda believe it, though. Well, the best way to describe it is, there was a tear in reality. Sophie pulled Leanna through it, and it was the most incredible thing she has ever seen. There were beautiful swirls of colour everywhere, which made it seem enchanted. Soon, Leanna saw another tear, and Sophie and her stepped right through it.

“What did you just do?” Leanna asked.

“We teleported.” Sophie answered. “And, to answer your question from before, we are in Everglen.”

Leanna turned around, to see a beautiful house, or, um, castle, that you could find in a Disney movie. Wait, no. That castle was way too intricate to be in any movie.

“Whoa,” Leanna exclaimed. “Does anybody live there?”

“Yes.” said Sophie. “That’s why you are here. There is someone you need to meet.”

“But, why?”

“Leanna. You’re not a human. You’re different.”

*Different.* That word hurt. The note from the people in the black cloaks said that too.

“Then what am I?”

Sophie hesitated. “You’re an elf.”

## Chapter Four (Sophie)

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN, I’M AN ELF?” LEANNA SAID.

Sophie sighed. She knew that she was like this when Fitz showed her the Lost Cities, but it slightly annoyed her.

“If it makes you feel any better, I’m an elf too.” Sophie said.

“No, it doesn’t. It just makes me feel like those people were right, and I don’t belong anywhere!”

“How about we go inside, there is someone who may be able to help you.”

“Fine.”

Sophie and Leanna walked up to the door, rang the doorbell, and waited. A few seconds after, a man with wavy, dark brown hair, and teal eyes opened the door.

“Hello there Miss Foster.” he said. “And who do we have here with us?”

“Alden,” Sophie answered. “This is Leanna. She’s that girl I told you about.”

“Then let’s come inside. Della just made some mallowmelt.”

They walked into Alden’s house, which was the grandest thing ever. Leanna couldn’t stop staring at everything, but she also had some questions.

“Sophie,” she whispered. “How did they afford this place?”

“A relative gave it to them.” Sophie answered.

Leanna looked annoyed. Clearly, that answer was not helpful.

“How did that relative afford this place?”

“Elves are very rich, Leanna. You’ll get used to all this fancy stuff eventually.”

“Also, what’s mallowmelt?”

Sophie smirked. “You’ll see.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Oh my gosh, this is so good!” Leanna exclaimed, stuffing her face full of mallowmelt. “This is the best thing ever! What’s the recipe for this stuff?”

“I’ll tell you soon.” said Sophie. “And save some for me!”

“No! You’re not the girl who’s life changed in one day!”

Sophie froze. That, just, *no.* Sophie knew that Leanna didn’t mean to be rude, but it *hurt*. A lot. She sat down, and buried her hands in her face.

“Oh, I’m, did I say something?” Leanna said.

Alden sighed. “Looks like we have a bit of explaining to do.

He then told Leanna all about how Sophie was also living with the humans, her 5 abilities, the Black Swan, and the people in the black cloaks, the Neverseen.

“Oh, I’m so sorry.” Leanna said. “I had no idea.”

“It’s fine.” Sophie said.

“Um, Alden. Can elves shoot electricity out of their hands?”

“Some can.” answered Alden. ”Those elves are called chargers. They can sense and manipulate energy. Why are you asking?”

“I did that.”

“I should bring the Council over then, but for now, would you like to meet my family?”

“I guess so.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if someone is already here. Biana!”

A girl appeared. “I wasn’t here.” she said. Then she vanished again.

“What was that?” Leanna asked, clearly startled.

“Biana is what we call a vanisher.” Alden explained. “They can let light pass through them, making them invisible.”

“That startled me too, when I first came here.” Sophie added. “You’ll get used to it.” *‘Wow. I’m acting like I lived here my whole life.’*

“Della, my wife is a vanisher as well. But first, Biana! There is someone here you should meet.”

She appeared again. “Who do I have to meet?”

“Biana, this is Leanna. She was also living in the Forbidden Cities, until now.”

Biana walked over to Leanna. “Hmm. Do you think the Black Swan was part of this too?”

“I’m not sure.” Alden said. “I’ll look into it.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised.” Sophie chuckled.

Alden smiled. “That’s great. I’m going to get Fitz and Della, so they can meet you. I will only be a few minutes.”

Alden left the room, leaving the three girls behind.

“Sophie,” Leanna said. “Why were you in a human city, and crying?”

“Even I don’t know this one.” Biana added. “What were you doing there?

Sophie slouched in her chair. “I was looking for Keefe.”

Biana came over and comforted her, but Leanna was confused.

“Who’s Keefe?” she said.

Biana looked at Sophie. “This is going to be complicated.

Sophie tried her very best to explain who Keefe is, and why she was looking for him.

“Grady said that he would be somewhere in the Forbidden cities, that was why I was looking for him.”

Leanna looked very upset about the news. “That must be really hard.”

“It is.”

Alden walked back into the room, but this time, with two other people.

“Leanna, this is my wife, Della, and my son, Fitz.”

“Hello there!” Della said. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Leanna!”

“The mallowmelt you made was so good! I ate all of it though.” Leanna exclaimed. “And it’s nice to meet you too.”

“Thank you! I can always make more.”

Fitz walked over to Leanna. “My dad told me that you were also found in a human city. Is that true?”

“Yeah.” she mumbled

Sophie looked at him, and her heart fluttered. She wondered if Leanna was feeling the same thing.

Alden grabbed a small silver square. “I’m going to hail the council.” He said. “It would be a smart thing to do.”

“Shouldn’t we wait a bit first?” Fitz asked.

“I think we should do it now.” Sophie said. “She already hurt someone, before I brought her here.

“Who did you hurt?” Alden asked.

“I think his name was Gethen.” Leanna said.

“Leanna,” Sophie said. “He’s in the Neverseen. What you did was good.”

“I’m still going to contact the council, because her ability could be dangerous. I’ll be back in a minute.”

Alden left the room, leaving Sophie with Leanna, Biana, Della, and Fitz.

“So, what is your special ability?” Fitz asked.

“Um, a charger.” Leanna answered. “That’s what you call elves who use electricity, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then yeah, that’s my ability.”

“Cool! One of the councilors is a charger as well, so they might be able to help you.”

“That would be nice.”

Alden walked back into the room. “The councillors are meeting us outside, in a few minutes. Let’s go!”

Everyone walked outside. Leanna sat down, and fiddled with her hair. Sophie could tell that she was nervous, so she sat down beside her.

“Hey, it’ll be fine.” Sophie said. “What you’re going to deal with is probably easier than my problems.”

After the words left her mouth, Sophie realized that they probably weren’t the best to use. Oops.

Leanna didn’t say anything. Or she was going to, but was interrupted by a flash of light.

“Leanna,” Alden said. “These people are the councillors.”

## Chapter Five (Leanna)

“HELLO, LEANNA.” ONE SAID. HE HAD SHOULDER

length black hair, dark skin, and sapphire blue eyes. “We’ve heard that you were also living in the Forbidden Cities, like Sophie.”

Leanna nodded.

“My name is Councillor Emery, behind me is Councillor Ramira, Terik, Velia, Darek, Zarina, Noland, Oralie, Alina, Liora, Clarette, and Bronte.”

That’s a lot of names. There is no way that she will remember them all.

“We’ve also heard that you are a charger.” he said. “Could you show us a demonstration?”

Leanna’s heart started to beat faster. She didn’t want to hurt them, they seemed *very* important.

“I-I can't,” she mumbled. “I don’t want to hurt any of you.”

Councillor Emery motioned for the rest to step back. This made Leanna feel a bit better, but not much.

“Councillor Zarina is also a charger,” he said. “She can give you some tips.”

A female councillor, with white hair, in a long braid, and tan skin, stepped forward. She smiled, which eased Leanna.

“Hello there.” she said. “My name is councillor Zarina.”

“Um, hi.” Leanna responded.

“Now, I want you to focus. Think about your surroundings. Close your eyes if it helps.”

Leanna obeyed.

“Next, find a tingle in the air.”

She searched, and eventually found it.

“Finally, stretch out your consciousness, to bring the energy to you.”

At first, that didn’t make a lot of sense to Leanna, but then she thought of something. Maybe she could just think about it.

Leanna opened her eyes, and let out a squeal.

“I did it!” she said, with a huge smile on her face, but then her smile faded.

“How is it not hurting me?”

Councillor Zarina frowned. “Chargers cannot get hurt by electricity. It is how we can control it, otherwise you would be dead by now.”

Leanna wasn’t so reassured about that, but she was glad that she could control it. Zarina then showed Leanna how to remove the energy from her hands. It was much easier than gathering it.

Emery stepped forward. “Alden, when are you going to enroll her in Foxfire?”

*‘Foxfire. Isn’t that like a fungus or something?’* Leanna thought.

Alden sighed. “I think we should wait a week. Then she could learn more about the Lost Cities.”

“Then it’s settled. Leanna will get her entry test next week.”

The council held up crystals, which was a bit odd, and then they, um, disappeared. That’s basically the only way to explain it.

“So,” Leanna said. “What was that all about?”

“The flash of light,” Sophie answered. “Was the councillor's light leaping. It’s the main form of transportation here.”

“It's interesting. What’s it like?”

“To light leap,” Alden jumped in. “Your body needs to break down into tiny particles, so you can get a ride on a beam of light. Crystals are used to manipulate the light, so you can head to the place you want to be.”

“ Weird. Also, what’s Foxfire?”

“It's a school.” Sophie said.

“It’s not just a school,” Fitz said, startling Leanna. She completely forgot he was there. He hasn’t done much talking. “It’s our most prestigious academy. It’s a great honor to attend Foxfire.”

“But, I already go to school,” Leanna said. “Why would I have to go here?”

“You go to a human school, not an elf school. Plus, most of the things they teach there aren’t true.”

That shocked her. “Whoa.”

“You will also have to move here.” Alden said.

Leanna jumped. “YES WHEN CAN I MOVE HERE THIS PLACE IS SO COOL AND YAY!!!!”

“Someone’s excited.” Sophie whispered.

“My mom will LOVE this place.” Leanna continued. “She loves all things sparkly.”

Alden sighed. “Your parents, they won’t be able to come here.”

Leanna’s smile faded. “Why?”

“They are human. Humans shouldn’t enter the Lost Cities. In fact, they will need to forget all about you.”

She sat down. “I can’t leave them.” Tears started to well in her eyes. “They mean too much to me.”

Sophie sat down beside her. “I’ve been through the same thing. I know how it feels.”

Leanna had no idea on what to say next, so she leaned onto Sophie. Leanna found herself wanting this moment to never end, but Alden interrupted with disappointing news.

“You should head back to your house.” he said. “Your parents will be insanely worried about you.”

“Yeah.” Leanna replied.

“You probably won’t get in trouble, though, because you were attacked.”

Leanna sighed, and then got up.

“Sophie,” Alden said. “Will you take Leanna back to her school?”

“Yeah.”

“And Leanna, meet me at your school in the morning, you’ll need to come back here. If anything happens that sounds suspicious, take this, and hold it up to light.It will transport you to here.”

He gave Leanna a clear crystal, and a bracelet.

“You’ll need to wear this bracelet as well.

“Okay.”

“Are you ready to go?” Sophie asked

“I think I am.” Leanna replied.

Sophie grabbed Leanna’s hand, and they started to run. The sky cracked open, and they walked through. When they reached the end of the void, they said goodbye. Leanna started to walk home, thinking about her interesting day, and how her parents are going to handle this. After all, it’s not everyday you find out you’re an elf.

## Chapter Six (Sophie)

AFTER SOPHIE TELEPORTED TO LEANNA’S SCHOOL, SHE

started to feel very tired. She wanted to look around, though. Keefe might be here. It was worth seeing. She walked over to a building.

Flora’s Frozen Yogurt, is the name of the place. It seemed unlikely that he could be here, but Sophie thought that she should still go inside. She opened the door, and walked in. A woman wearing a green apron and a graphic tee-shirt greeted her.

“Hello, and welcome to Flora’s Frozen Yogurt! How can I help you today?” she asked.

Sophie hesitated. “I’m looking for a friend. He has disheveled blond hair, ice blue eyes, doesn’t really talk, have you seen him?”

The woman frowned. “No, I haven’t. Sorry”

“That’s okay.” Sophie looked around the room a few times, then left the place, feeling defeated. She grabbed a piece of paper from her pocket, Keefe’s letter, and read it. After she went through the first few lines, she started to tear up. Sophie missed him so much. She needed him. She…

Her hands began to shake. She dropped the note. As she went to pick it up, she started to cry.

It was starting to be too much.

She was at her limit.

She thought that she was at it already, but she was wrong.

What if he was…

No.

She can’t think like that.

Not now.

Sophie will get him back,

No matter the cost.

She grabbed a clear crystal out of her pocket, and wiped her eyes. She held it to the light, and leapt away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sophie stepped onto the lush grass of Havenfield, overlooking the calm ocean. It would have been a peaceful sight, if she didn’t have something slightly sad on her mind, and if Edaline wasn’t wrangling a Mastodon. She jumped onto the animal, causing it to let out an earthshaking scream. Sophie was *very* grateful that it was short. She walked over to her mom.

“Hey, mom.” She lamely said.

Edaline stopped. “Sophie!’ she jumped off the Mastodon, and hugged her.

“Where have you been all day?” she continued. “Alden said that you were at Everglen for a bit.”

Sophie sighed. “It’s a long story. Can we go inside first?”

“Ok, sweetie. I’ll get Grady.”

That is exactly what Sophie was dreading. Her adoptive father is, well, something. He’s not strict, but definitely not like Edaline. The best word to describe him is, overprotective. Either way, there is no escaping the next 5 minutes. Sophie walked into their extravagant mansion, and ran up the stairs. Once she got to her room, she put on new clothes. She didn’t really need to, but it felt nice. And they could smell better. After she changed, she walked over to Iggy’s cage.

“Hey, there!” Sophie said, opening his cage. She traced her hands through his colourful fur, making him purr. She remembered that it was Keefe who did this, making tears well in eyes, but she fought them back. This is a good moment. She should be happy, but she was a bundle of worry, fear, and sorrow. She walked away, and sat down on her bed. There was a knock at the door, which made her jump.

“Come in.” she said, regretting most of her life choices.

Luckily, she saw someone with strawberry-blonde hair, and a dimpled smile.

“Dex!” Sophie practically shouted.

“Hey, Sophie!” he said. “Where were you?”

She sighed. “It’s a long story.”

“Don’t worry, I got plenty of time.”

Sophie barely got a sentence out before her door opened again. This time it wasn’t as good.

“Hi d-” she was quickly cut off by a huge hug.

“Hey kiddo.” Grady said. “Where were you?”

Now that everyone to ever exist asked that question, there was no avoiding it.

“I was looking for Keefe.” she mumbled, trying *very* hard to make it sound like she wasn’t previously crying.

Her dad let her go. “That boy.” he mumbled.

Sophie frowned. “I know you don’t like him very much, but he means a lot to me.”

A part of his letter played in her head.

*You mean a lot to me, Foster. More than you’ll ever know.*

No one talked for at least two minutes. Dex was playing with Iggy, Grady was comforting Edaline, who was nearly in tears, and Sophie? She was just sitting on her bed, not sure what to feel. Happy, because she didn’t get punished yet, or sad, because life is so freaking hard. She tried to be happy.

Grady cleared his throat. “Now, about your punishment,” he said.

Bye, bye, happiness.

He continued, “You’ll have t-”

He was cut off by a buzzing noise, coming from an imparter.

“I’ll get that.” Sophie said, relieved that she wouldn’t have to worry about her punishment for a bit. She answered the call, and a pair of teal eyes lit up on the screen.

“Fitz!” she said.

“Hey, Sophie!” he replied. “So, I’m just wondering, what’s your punishment? Or are you still waiting?”

“They were just about to tell me, then you called.”

“Okay, I’ll leave you to get punished. But have you told them about Leanna?”

Sophie looked at Grady. He had a look on his face that seemed to say, *is there something you’re not telling me?*

“I should go.” she said.

“See you tomorrow.” Fitz hung up.

She put the imparter on her bed, and sighed. This is going to be a long conversation.

“So,” Grady said. “Who is Leanna?”

Sophie lied down on her bed. “She is an elf, who was also living in a human city.”

Everyone gasped. Edaline walked closer to Sophie.

“Is the Black Swan involved?” she asked.

“We don’t know yet.” Sophie answered. “She’s coming back tomorrow, so we can show her around, and possibly find out more about her.”

Dex, who she completely forgot was in her room, pulled out a few bottles from his pocket. He grabbed Iggy.

“NO!” Sophie shouted. “You can’t change his colours. Not yet.”

Dex reluctantly put the imp down, and set the elixirs aside.

“I’m sorry,” she continued. “I just, I don’t want them to be changed yet.”

He nodded. Grady cleared his throat again. “For your punishment, you’ll have two weeks of bathing the verminion.”

“Ugh!” Sophie exclaimed. That animal is a *monster.*

“It could be worse,” Dex jumped in.

He was right. It could be worse. It’s what happens when some idiotic bad guys come around and try to ruin your life. But, she had to deal with it.

Edaline conjured up some mallowmelt.

“Grady and I will go now, because I assume that you guys have a bit to talk about.”

They left the room, leaving Dex and Sophie alone. There was a bit of an awkward silence, but then Dex grabbed a piece of mallowmelt. Sophie did the same. She felt happy for a bit.

After they finished eating, Dex stared at the plate, hoping that more food would appear.

“I don’t think that staring at the dish will give you more mallowmelt.” Sophie pointed out.

He snapped out of it. “Heheheh. . . But is there anything else that you aren’t telling me about Leanna?”

“Not really. We don’t know much about her, so there isn’t really anything to tell.”

“Okay. Can I meet her tomorrow?”

“Most likely.”

“Great! I should get home. See you tomorrow!”

“Bye.”

After Dex left, Sophie sat up, and walked out of her room. Once she got downstairs, she saw her parents, eating a few treats. She almost felt jealous, but then remembered that she had some mallowmelt already. Sophie greeted them. Soon after, they had dinner which was a salad that tasted like a delicious spaghetti marinara. When she finished, she went back to her room, showered, brushed her teeth, and changed into pajamas. She lied down on her bed, and fiddled with her hair. Sophie looked over to her bedside table, and put Keefe’s letter on it. Soon, she grabbed it, and read it. Scenarios started to flood into her brain.

What if he won’t come back?

What if the Neverseen has him?

What if he’s. . . gone?

Why, just why, did he have to be so reckless?

Then, she thought of an idea.

She opened a drawer, and pulled out a small, clear ball.

*Her spyball*.

She whispered the words, “Show me Keefe Sencen.”

The screen lit up, showing a boy with ice blue eyes. Sophie’s heart fluttered.

He was safe.

The screen tilted up. He was looking at a tall building. Sophie knew that he was looking at the Empire State Building.

*‘Keefe’s in New York!’* she thought. *‘I can go find him!’*

She put the spyball down, sat up, and did a little happy dance. When she finished jumping around, she turned. Her face expression changed from extremely happy, to mortified. Her spyball was missing.

She heard a purring sound, and saw Iggy carrying the clear ball.

“Iggy, give that back!” Sophie demanded.

The rascal ignored her. He fluttered his wings, and started to fly.

“Iggy!” she yelled.

The imp flew to the other side of her room, by an *open* window.

“Iggy!”

He started to lose grip.

“IGGY!”

He couldn’t hold on any longer. The spyball slipped out of his hands, and it fell out the window.

“NO!”

A big, grey goblin with a squeaky voice burst into the room.

“What’s wrong, Miss Foster?”

Sophie completely forgot that he was here. “I need two go outside. Now.”

“What for?”

“I dropped something out the window.” which wasn’t entirely true.

“That window never should have been open.”

Sandor went to close it. As Sophie walked out the door, she glared at Iggy, causing him to run back into his cage.

She ran down the stairs, nearly falling, and rushed into her living room. She ignored her parents, and rushed out the door. Once she got to the spot where her window is, she saw the spyball. It was shattered. Sophie cursed.

“I heard that!” Sandor yelled.

She sighed, and started to grab the fragments, in hopes that Dex could fix it. Even though he is incredibly talented, the chances were slim. Feeling horrible, she walked back inside, with tears in her eyes. On the second floor, she ran into Edaline.

“What’s wrong?”

Sophie sniffed. “It’s nothing really.”

“I don’t believe you, but if you need anything, we’re here.”

“Thanks, mom.”

“You’re welcome.”

Sophie walked up one more flight of stairs, to get to her bedroom. Inside, Sandor was checking the window.

“Why was the window open?” he asked

“The room was a bit stuffy, I needed to open it.” she answered.

Sandor did a quick check in her room, and left. Sophie flopped onto her bed. She tried to reach out to Keefe telepathically, she was that desperate.

*Keefe!*

*Keefe!*

*KEEFE!*

She tried that for at least ten minutes. Maybe more.

But he didn’t respond.

*I miss you so much.*

*Please respond*

*Please.*

*Come back.*

*You mean everything to me.*

For a second, she lost all hope, but then another voice filled her head.

*Keefe?*

*I’m so sorry, Foster.*

*Keefe! Why did you go?*

*Goodbye, Sophie.*

*No, Keefe! Please stay!*

The connection was severed.

“No!” Sophie yelled.

She kept trying to reconnect, but everything failed. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

Eventually, she gave up. It was pointless.

With that, she dozed off into a dreamless sleep.

## Chapter Seven (Keefe)

Keefe walked around the base of the huge building.

It was. . .tall.

Not as tall as Candleshade, but still towering.

He sighed. The building made him feel small, weak, useless.

But, whatever.

It’s not important.

He stopped, and kneeled down. There was a small circle, with an eye in the center.

*The Neverseen’s symbol*.

He grabbed a pin from his pocket, pricked his finger, and let the blood drip. He gritted his teeth.

After a few seconds, he smeared his red finger over the center of the eye.

He looked around, and then whispered something near the symbol.

The eye lit up, and an entrance formed. Keefe took a deep breath, and walked inside.

## Chapter Eight (Leanna)

Leanna started the long walk to her house, worried about her parent’s reaction. Sure, she was “attacked”, but they could get mad at her for not coming straight home.

But whatever.

She could deal with it.

Probably.

Not.

Heh.

Leanna sighed. In a few hours, her life just became much harder.

She had no idea on how to figure it all out.

After ten more minutes of walking, she finally came to her house. She reached for the door handle, but hesitated for a second.

“Well, here I go.” Leanna whispered, and opened the door.

Once she got inside, all she saw was drama. Her parents' faces were all red and blotchy from crying, there were some police officers over, trying to talk some stuff out, and for some reason, Ashley was there, blank faced. No one noticed that Leanna walked in, until she spoke.

“Hey, guys.” she said, in a hushed voice.

Everything stopped. All eyes were on her.

Then everything began again, and it was all directed at her.

Her mom ran over to Leanna, suffocating her, and saying that she was so worried. Her dad told the police officers that they could leave, and Ashley was still staring off into space.

Leanna started to get overwhelmed.

“Guys, I’m fine!” she reassured. She held up her arms. “See? Barely even a scratch!”

“I know,” her mom said. “It’s just so scary, and if you didn’t get away…” she started sobbing again.

“Mom, it’s okay. I’m here, and we don’t need to think about worst-case-scenarios.”

“Ok, honey, but you won’t be going to school tomorrow.”

Leanna froze. She needed to be there.

“Thea,” her dad jumped in. “She can go to school tomorrow. There’s a very low chance that it could happen again.”

“I just want her to be safe, Adam.” Leanna’s mom replied.

“It’s fine, dad.” Leanna said. “I’ll stay home.” *‘Why am I saying that?! I need to go tomorrow!”*

“Ok, Lee. If that’s what you want.” her dad said.

*‘THIS IS NOT WHAT I WANT ARGH!’*

Leanna sighed. What’s done is done. She turned around, and faced Ashley, who *still* wasn’t paying attention to anything. There was something else that she needed to take care of.

“Hey, Ash, can I talk to you in my room for a second?”

Her friend snapped out of her daze. “Um, yeah, I guess.”

“Come on, then.” Leanna smiled, grabbed Ashley’s hand, and pulled her upstairs.

Once they were in her room, Leanna closed the door, and sat on her bed.

“So, what did you want to talk to me about?” Ashley asked.

“You saw me electrocute someone.” Leanna answered, her voice wavering.

Her friend's face scrunched up. “No, you didn’t electrocute anyone, are you crazy?”

Leanna was shocked. “Wha- how? You were there. You saw it happen.”

“Yes, I was there, but you didn’t electrocute a soul.”

“Then what did I do?!”

“I- I don’t know. I saw you run out, and I followed you. Then I stopped, and there were three people surrounding you. Then there’s just this, blank space. After, your parents called me, saying that you were attacked. I came over, because I was worried about you.”

Leanna lied down on her bed. “How did you not see that? I grabbed onto someone’s arm, and then electrocuted him!”

“Ok, stop acting like your superpowered, you’re just a normal human, like me. So stop being so insane!”

Ashley was starting to get on Leanna’s nerves. Ugh.

“Ash, I always believe you, when it comes to weird things. So why won’t you believe me?”

“Because this is stupid!”

“No it isn’t!”

“Agh! Ashley, I need you to go.”

“No, I’m not leaving. You obviously aren’t okay, so me going probably wouldn’t be a good idea.”

Leanna was starting to get angry. She could feel the sparks coming. She got up.

“Ash, leave now, I don’t want to hurt you.”

Ashley stood there for a moment, and then silently left her room.

Leanna sighed in relief, and sat on the floor.

*‘How, just how, did Ashley forget about this?’* she thought. *‘I was literally right in front of her when I manifested!’*

There was a knock at her door. “Hey, Leanna.” It was her mom.

“Hey, mom.” she replied.

“What do you want for dinner?”

“Um,” *‘ALL THE MALLOWMELT IN THE WORLD’*  “Can we have tuna melts?”

"Sure!" Her mom walked back downstairs."

*'Wait. Does she know anything about me being an elf?'*

Her head started to spin.

*'Does she know about my ability?'*

*'Does she know about the lost cities?'*

*'Does she know about Sophie? Oh, crud. If she does...'*

Leanna ran over to her desk. She sat in the chair, and grabbed a piece of paper. She wrote down the title, *'what to do if my mom knows about me being an elf.'* The rest of the page was blank, and it stayed like that for awhile. When she was about to jot something down, her door burst open again. This time it was her dad.

"Hey, dad!" Leanna said, faking enthusiasm.

"Hi, Lee." he replied. "There's something I need to talk to you about."

*'OH NO OH NO OH NO OH NO.'* "Um, what is it?"

"It's about your recital next week."

*'OH NO OH NO OH N- Oh, that!'* "What about it?"

"Because your mother doesn't want you out of the house, we'll need to cancel it."

*'Ha! I won't even need to be there! I won't even exist to the world, anymore!'* "Oh, that's fine, I guess."

"Are you sure? I can probably convince her otherwise."

"No, it's good. Really."

"Okay, Leanna. I love you."

"I love you too."

Her dad left the room. Leanna turned around, and started writing. Soon after, her mom came into her room again, this time to to tell her that dinner is ready.

TBC...