Dex (cuz he deserves it)

Dex narrowed his eyes as the images flickered across the screen. He could see Sophie walking, as if nothing were wrong. She hadn't known. As the clip played, a figure from out of nowhere walked in front of Sophie, blocking their view of her from the camera. And the next second, she was gone.

Dex had replayed the scene over and over again. There had to be something there. A mistake. A slip up. Anything! But for the millionth time, Dex was met with nothing. He hadn't learned anything new. And it had all been a waste of time. 

Dex sighed. Despite being a Technopath, he felt useless. He couldn't track someone with shadows like Tam. He couldn't protect his friends with a shield like Maruca. He couldn't even be offense like Marella and Linh. 

Even being a Vanisher would've been better than this. At least then, he could spy on his enemies and gather more information. 

"Dex!" Dex turned to see Marella and Stina, both with worried expressions, "Come here." They ordered. Dex stood up, glancing back to the monitor before following the girls out into the meeting room.

"What's going on?" he asked, eyeing Fitz and Keefe with suspicion. Though neither of them acknowledged his existence, as they were too busy having a staring-contest. 

"We don't know where Sophie is." Linh started. 

"But we do know they're doing something to her. Drugging her." Marella added. 

"In other words," Fitz joined in, "We know they're doing horrible stuff to her but we can't do anything about it."

"We just thought it'd be best to tell everyone. Just in case..." Biana sighed. Dex nodded. 

"Does Mr. Forkle know?" he asked. 

"Tam's telling him right now." Dex looked around, realizing Tam was absent from the room. 

"We need to do something," Stina groaned, "Who knows what Sophie's suffering through!" everyone nodded in agreement. Dex's face twisted with confusion. Since when did Stina actually care? 

The doors flew open, revealing a concerned Mr. Forkle and gloomy Tam, as usual. Though, Tam seemed gloomier today. And for obvious reasons.

"The Neverseen are at the Four Seasons Tree. They want to make a deal." Mr. Forkle explained.

"Not a trade?" Biana asked. Tam shook his head. 

"A deal. So, I don't think they plan on returning Sophie." Tam confirmed, spatting the words in irritation. 

Despite not being an Empath, he could tell what everyone was feeling at that moment. Fear, anxiety, annoyed, and concern. 

But Dex was sure he won first place for biggest worrywart. As, unlike the rest of his friends, his ability was useless when it came to physical combat. And Dex was pretty sure that was how the meeting would turn out. If Mr. Forkle permitted it.

While everyone else discussed who would be going and who would be staying behind, Dex focused on the more important questions. 

What were they going to do to Sophie? What were they planning?