"So did you tell him?" Keefe had stopped by Havenfield before school.

"Tell who?" Sophie questioned.

"Mr. Forkle?? About your memories??" He looked at her like she was crazy for not knowing what he meant.

"No? Why would I do that?"

"You're not making any sense. You wanted to do that earlier."

"I did?" She grabbed her satchel and headed to the Leapmaster.

Keefe shook his head before joining her. "I swear, Foster, you are so confusing."

"Thanks?" Sophie was about to leap when Keefe stopped her.

"You know today is the day you and Dex get kidnapped right?"

A wave of worry washed over her. "I know, that's why I'm going to his house later. We won't be near the cave."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

———

Sophie's day was relatively normal. Until study hall.

Sophie was sitting alone with Biana—when Stina plunked her beanpole body in one of their empty chairs.

"I never knew you were such a good actress," she sneered.

Sophie didn't look up. "Are you jealous?"

"Not you, Foster—you're not good at anything. I meant Biana. I know your secret."

Biana glared at her. "Oooh, I'm really scared."

"You should be."

Something about Stina's confidence seemed to get to Biana, because she shifted in her chair and her eyes darted to Sophie.

"The only thing we're scared of is whoever styled your hair." Sophie made a fake disgusted face and grabbed her things and stood. "Come on. Let's sit somewhere else."

Stina slammed her bony arm across Biana's books. "See, since you've been ignoring Maruca lately, she and I have become quite close—and she's had some great stories to tell. This morning she told me the most interesting thing about the reason you and Sophie became friends."

All the color drained from Biana's face.

Stina flashed a wicked smile at Biana. "Should I tell her, or do you want to do it?"

Biana sat pale and lifeless, like a statue.

Stina giggled. "It's really quite funny. She was forced to be friends with you. Her dad wanted to keep a closer watch on the freaky human girl who practically killed his son in a splotching match, so he ordered Biana to be your friend so you'd come around their house."

"Oh, I already knew that." Sophie shrugged. "You don't actually think I'm stupid, do you?"

"You did?" Biana stuttered.

"And you still want to be friends with her? Your friendship isn't even real." Stina sneered.

"It's realer than any of your friendships. Wait- do you even have friends?" Sophie took Biana's hand. "Hey, it's fine. Let's go okay?"

Biana pulled her hand away, but followed Sophie out anyway.

"I'm sorry." She whispered once they were in the hall.

"I know." Sophie reassured her.

Over the announcements, Dame Alina talked about the upcoming finals exams and Sophie felt like dying then and there.

One month until finals. Even when repeating the classes, alchemy was still her worst subject, but she also struggled with elementalism and PE—all the subjects where she had to do things, not just learn.

Dex had been nagging her for months to try an elixir he invented called Nogginease, which contained limbium, a rare mineral that could supposedly clear her mind. She'd resisted, knowing that she has a extreme reaction.

But Dex kept begging and Sophie knew the only way Elwin would give her her allergy medication was for her to have the reaction again.

Dex looked downright giddy when she asked for a bottle. He brought her a week's supply the next morning. Little did he know she would never have the rest.

She wouldn't let herself hesitate as she swallowed the unnaturally cold syrup in one gulp, wincing as the chill ran down her throat.

Dex laughed. "Give it a chance. Your body needs time to absorb it."

A few steps toward the locker room her mind fuzzed. She leaned against the wall for support. "Hey, Dex. I think I have to go to Elwin.

She couldn't describe what was happening, but going through the symptoms again had her terrified.

Dex rushed to her side. "You don't look so great."

"I don't feel so good." She closed her eyes—the blurry vision was nauseating—and tore at her clothes. It was far, far too hot to wear a cape.

"Here, let me," Dex said, unfastening the clasp on her cape. "What's wrong?"

"I need to go to Elwin now." She tugged at her vest. "My skin's on fire."

"Whoa, what are those?" Dex pointed to the huge red bumps popping up on her arms.

"Oh no," she gasped, collapsing. "Allergy . . ."

Dex caught her before she hit the ground. "Allergy? What's an allergy?"

She wanted to explain, but her chest felt like something was crushing it and she couldn't get enough air. The world spun harder and her vision dimmed.

"Hang on. I'll take you to Elwin." Dex threw her over his shoulder, and then they were moving. He was strong, but they were the same height, and she weighed almost as much as he did, so their progress was slow. Maybe too slow. Fear settled into every muscle, making her tremble.

Then someone else grabbed her, cradling her in their arms. She knew it was Fitz. She heard some sort of discussion—an argument maybe—and she wanted to yell at Dex for risking her safety by not letting him take her. Then she was moving much faster. She was too far gone to make sense of it. There was a tugging in her stomach and a burning in her throat, and then she was out cold.

———

"Don't try to speak yet," a familiar voice whispered as her eyes fluttered open.

She couldn't, even if she wanted to. Her throat chafed like sandpaper and her tongue felt like a foreign object. Her blurry eyes focused on the wild-haired head hovering over her.

"Nod if you can understand me," Elwin instructed.

She nodded, surprised by how much energy the simple movement took.

"That's the first good news today." He smiled, but it didn't erase the worry in his eyes as he held a small bottle against her lips. "I need you to swallow something for me."

Some of it dribbled across her chin, but she managed to get most of it down.

"That's a good girl." He wiped her face with a soft cloth and placed a cold compress against her forehead. "Just rest for now, okay?"

She nodded again, exhausted from the effort.

"I don't know much about allergies. Never seen one before—and I can't say I'd like to see another. Bullhorn screamed his head off when you came in. Scared the wits out of me."

She cringed. "I'm sorry."

He bit his lip. "Bullhorn's never done that before."

"How did you know what to do?" she whispered.

"I didn't. I just took my best guess and hoped it would work. When Bullhorn left you alone, I knew I was on the right track. Just don't ever do that to me again! I'm going to make up a bottle of what I gave you, and I want you to keep it with you in case you ever have another reaction—and stay away from limbium."

"I will. I promise this was a one time thing."

He gave her one of his huge tunics and left her alone to change.

Elwin insisted she went home to rest and she wasn't arguing.

Since she wasn't going down to the cave today, her worry of Dex and her kidnapping was relieved. They wouldn't try to get her in her own home, right?

By the time she went to bed, she assumed the window for kidnappings had passed. 

That was until Fitz called her.

"Sophie, it's Biana. She's gone."