1. Vixen Vangelis

     2. Keefe Sencen

     3. Percy Jackson

     4. Edward Cullen

     5. Killian Jones

     6. Jason Grace

     7. Kevin Jonas

     8. Zayn Malik

     9. Kaneki Ken

   10. Harry Styles

   11. Dwayne Johnson

   12. Fitzroy Vacker

   13. Niall Horan

   14. Ethan Nakamura

   15. Luke Castellan

   16. Salvatore Vangelis

   17. Dex Dizznee

   18. Elvis Presley

   19. Tam Song

   20. Nick Jonas

   21. Sam Winchester

   22. Dean Winchester

   23. Joe Jonas

   24. Jensi Babblos

   25. Valin Lasnam

   26. ...

   27. ...

Sophie wasn't really paying attention to the rest of the list, her mind buzzing at a certain number.

   12. Fitzroy Vacker
   12. Fitzroy Vacker

"He's on my list," she whispered, staring blankly at his name. She she practically started screaming. "He's on my list! He's on my list!"

And just like that, the family started jumping around, screaming and fanatic, again.

Sophie jumped into Grady and Edaline's arms, hugging them tightly, and they returned her hug, calming down.

"Oh, I can't believe you're growing up so fast already," Edaline muttered, squeezing her arms around Sophie.

"It seems like it was just yesterday Alden brought you to us for the first time," Grady said, following Edaline's lead.

Sophie laughed, though she felt her eyes watering. "I don't think I've ever just been a little kid."

"No, but we wish you had the chance to be," Edaline said as she and Grady pulled away from the hug to look Sophie in the eye. "And now . . . I can practically see you getting married and having your first kid and you won't need us anymore.

Sophie couldn't hide her blush, wondering who she was supposedly marrying in Edaline's vision. "I'll always need you two."

* * *

"So what number is he on your list?"

Sophie jumped, startled by Biana's sudden appearance. "What?"

Biana rolled her eyes, but a smile crept onto her lips. "Come on! Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!"

Sophie got the last thing she needed from her locker before shutting it. "Oh . . . you mean the list."

"Quit playing dumb and tell me already!"

Sophie laughed at her friend's eagerness as Linh joined them.

"What's going on?" she asked, confused.

"Sophie won't tell me what number Fitz is on her list," Biana explained before her eyes widened. "Oh! Is he your number one?! Ah! That would be so cool! A little awkward considering . . . wait I can't tell you that. Wait . . . is he . . . not on your list?"

Awkward why? Sophie wanted to ask. Instead, she went with, "Yes . . . he is on my list. But no, actually. He's not my number one."

"Is he in the top twenty?" This time it was Linh questioning her, intrigued.

"What's important about top twenty?" Sophie asked, really just stalling. She liked keeping Biana and Linh on their toes about the topic.

The girls shared a look before looking back at Sophie.

"Generally the best matches are made from the top twenty on the list," Linh said. "So . . . is he? Is he?"

Sophie chuckled again. "You two are way too invested in this."

"And you are being way too mysterious about this," Biana retorted before a grin broke her lips. "Didn't Keefe used to call you 'mysterious'?"

Sophie's smile faded and her cheeks started to flush when she remembered what number Keefe was on her list.

Biana's and Linh's eyes widened. "Is Keefe . . . higher than Fitz on your list?" they both asked simultaneously, which weirded Sophie out a little.

"I just want to tell him first before everyone else, okay?" Sophie quickly said, not wanting to answer that question, either.

They both raised an eyebrow but agreed.

"What about you?" Sophie asked. "What number is Tam?"

Biana blushed a little, meeting Linh's eyes. "Um . . . about that . . . I don't think I really like Tam anymore."

"Because you like Dex?" Linh asked with a smile, showing she wasn't upset by Biana's change in feelings.

"How'd you know?" Biana was shocked.

Linh shrugged. "You kind of go back and forth between them."

"And you're not mad?"

Linh laughed. "I told you, as long as I'm not caught in the middle of it, I'm good with who ever you like. But if you start dating my brother . . . that's another story." 

* * *

Hi, Fitz's accented voice filled her mind.

Sophie couldn't keep herself from smiling—even as she was doing homework. Hey. Are we going to make this a nightly thing?

Sophie could practically see Fitz grinning in her mind. Sure. It'd give me an excuse to talk to you.

Sophie's smile grew wider—which she didn't think was possible. I'd like that.

So . . . what are you doing right now?

Sophie shrugged before remembering he wouldn't be able to see that. Nothing. Just homework.

You know, I thought I got enough homework when I was in the previous levels. But, man, the Golden Tower assigns so much.

Sophie laughed quietly to herself, slowly spinning in her chair, looking out of the window to see the setting sun. Good thing I still have a couple years before that.

Enjoy them.

I'll try, Sophie promised. But you just never know with me . . .

True.

* * *

To the right? Sophie pondered, staring at her reflection in the mirror. The left is better. As she moved her ponytail from her right shoulder to her left, Vertina appeared in the corner of the mirror, yawning.

"You know, this is fun, watching you make your own fashion decisions," she said with a small smirk. "Just put it up in a bun, already!"

Sophie rolled her eyes at the piece of technology, but then decided to take the advice.

"Something important must be happening if you're actually willing to put effort into your look, today," Vertina observed, pressing for elaboration.

Sophie side-eyed the corner of the mirror. "Maybe I'm just feeling . . . I don't know, more energetic today." If you replace 'energetic' with 'extremely nervous' and that'd be more accurate, Sophie added in her mind.

Vertina crossed her digital arms and raised her eyebrow, implying that she didn't believe Sophie and she was waiting for the actual answer.

Sophie figured it wouldn't be a big deal if she told Vertina so she let out an exasperated sigh as she slipped on her waist-length cape to complete her Foxfire uniform. "Fiiiine. I'm telling a certain someone their placement on my Matchmaking list."

Vertina's eyes bulged and she started clapping. "Oooh! Are they in the top twenty?!"

Sophie couldn't help but let a small smile appear on her lips, remembering that Fitz is, in fact, top twenty on her list.

"It's the Vacker boy, right? Fitz?" Vertina questioned and Sophie nodded, afraid she'd explode in excitement if she spoke.

However, Vacker boy reminded Sophie of when Grady would call Keefe "that Sencen boy" (and still sometimes does) which caused a wave of blush to spread across her cheeks when she remembered how high Keefe was on her list.

Attempting to hide her flush, Sophie went to get her backpack and said, "Well, I better get going. Don't want to be late."

Before she could walk out of Vertina's range, however, the mirror yelped out a, "Good luck!"

* * *

Sophie found it extra hard to not trip on her long golden cape as she was walking towards the upward spiraling staircase for her telepathy session. With Fitz.

She was just about to fall as she reached the first stair, but a pair of arms caught her before she could have a love-hate relationship with the ground.

"Wouldn't want you visiting the Foster Care today of all days, right Foster?"

Sophie didn't have to see Keefe to know he was wearing his infamous smirk.

"That's not what it's called," Sophie reminded Keefe, though his smirk only grew wider. "And I wouldn't need to see Elwin because of a simple fall."

They started walking up the stairs together.

"Well with you, we never know," he said. "Must be really excited to talk to Fitz today."

Sophie turned her head away from him, wishing she could use her hair to further attempt to hide her blush. "Um, well, uh, yeah. A little bit."

She already knew what Keefe's next words were going to be: "You can't lie to an empath, Foster." She felt almost tempted to say them with him using his voice.

"I'm assuming he's on your list," Keefe stated, and Sophie nodded.

Before he could continue talking, Sophie said, "And before you ask, I'm not telling you what number he is on my list."

Keefe's smile seemed to waver for a split second before it widened. "Actually, I was going to ask you if I was on your list."

"Oh," Sophie mumbled, her blush deepening both from embarrassment of assuming and remembering, yet again, that Keefe was, not only on her list, but her number two. "Um . . . yeah, actually."

"Your emotions are going all over the place," Keefe stated, moving as far away from her as he could on the staircase. "You wouldn't think so many emotions could be bottled up in your tiny figure," he joked.

"Hey," Sophie said accusingly. "I'm not 'tiny,' I'm fun-sized."

Keefe grinned. "I'm sure Fitz will—"

"Don't finish that sentence, Keefe Sencen," Sophie warned.

"—have a lot of fun with you."

Sophie tried to playfully smack his shoulder, but he caught her hand and pulled her forward, into his arms.

His icy eyes looked into her honey glazed ones as he lowered his voice to say, "Smacking people isn't very nice."

"Making fun of people's height isn't nice either," Sophie retorted, though her voice sounded weak as she felt entranced in his gaze.

He broke a grin and the strange tension between them during that moment vanished as he continued his ascent up the stairs. "You're on my list, too."

Keefe had already reached his floor by the time Sophie caught up with him, so Sophie made the rest of the way to her session quietly by herself.

Once she reached the door that would lead her into the classroom, she took in a deep breath. Then she opened the door and started apologizing. "Sorry I'm so late. I—Fitz." Sophie's blush returned when she realized that Sir Tiergen, as usual, was late himself, and it was only Fitz, who stood up as soon as he saw her, alone in the spacious room.

"Sophie! Hi, hey," he almost stuttered. "And you're late by only a couple seconds, which shouldn't really count."

Sophie smiled as she went and sat down in the chair seated across from Fitz. Once Sophie sat down, Fitz sat as well.

"Were you waiting long?" Sophie asked, trying to break the awkward tension between them.

Fitz shrugged. "Not really. Just a minute or so."

Sophie nodded and looked at the walls—suddenly finding them very interesting. "I got my scroll yesterday."

Sophie smiled when she saw his eyes bulge before he scratched his neck. "R—really? Me too."

"Yeah, me too." It took Sophie a lot of blush and very good self control to not facepalm herself as hard as she could so that she earn herself a trip to the healing center instead of dealing with the embarrassment.

They sat in awkward silence for a few seconds before they were saved by Tiergan finally entering his classroom.

"Sorry I'm late, again," he said, rushing to take a seat in his chair. He had no idea how much the two were grateful for his arrival. "So, today, we're going to . . ."

* * *

"Hey? . . ." Sophie said, confused at why Grady and Edaline were sitting on her bed with wide smiles when she got home from school.

"Sophie!" Edaline exclaimed and the two rush to her, giving her an enormous and tight hug.

"Mom! Dad! I'm excited to see you, too!" Sophie responded, still confused. "Um . . . why am I excited?"

When Grady and Edaline pulled away from her, they shared a look before looking back at their daughter. At the same time, with wide eyes, they yelled, "We're pregnant!"

The two words hit Sophie like a pillow to the face. "You're . . . um . . . Like the creatures with arms and legs and cry a lot?"

The two of them nod so quickly, Sophie was worried their heads would fall off. But then she processed the news of Edaline's pregnancy and squealed, jumping to give them another hug.

"You're pregnant! You're pregnant!"

"We know! We know!"

The three—soon to be four—of them continued to jump and quish each other and let loose their excitement of bringing another Elvin life into their world.

Sophie loved the feeling of being on cloud nine; she hadn't felt so happy in a really long time. But eventually, when she falls, it'll be nearly too hard for her to bear.

~*~

What did you think of the chapter? I thought the ending was pretty good. Sorry if this chapter seems shorter, I really wanted to get this up today and start working on chapter 10 ASAP. WOW! BOAS is already approaching the 10 chapter mark! There will be many more chapters...  Did you notice the names we used for the scroll, you have no idea how silly it was at first... (I'm keeping this A/N 'cause my 2016 self sounded really optimistic :) )

Question: do you do any out of school activities? 

Song: Marshmello, Selena Gomez - "Wolves"

Thanks, lovelies! -Nuela <3
Edited by EllenH2006