Fitz

"This is so stupidddddd!" Fitz growled, his voice echoing throughout the house. While he was stuck at home, both his parents were out fighting the Neverseen alongside all his friends. He let out another groan, irritated his parents weren't around to hear his complaints. They should have to suffer through his whines if they were forcing him to stay home. 

Something shattered upstairs, and Fitz sat up from his lazy spot on the couch. Sighing, he made his way upstairs. He had claimed Biana didn't need babysitting, but maybe he was wrong. Nearing his sister's room, more thumps could be heard. Fitz tensed, his body shaking. If he were to open the door, it would be the first time he'd see his sister in three weeks. Last time being the time Elwin had first announced Biana's shattered mind.

"Biana?" he called through the door, his hand shaking as he tried to force himself into knocking. More clattering sounded, and Fitz knew if his sister was hurting herself, he had to be there for her. Like he'd done when they were little, he had to be her big brother. The one without anger issues. The one who didn't throw things when he got angry. He scowled at his mother's purse, which sat in the middle of the hall towards his bedroom. He'd thrown it right after his parents had left to the battle. 

He opened the door, slowly, and instinctively, his eyes squeezed shut. He wasn't ready. 

Not ready, not ready, not ready. His mind chanted it, but his heart thought differently, telling him he'd never be ready. He just needed to do it. So, he opened his eyes. Tears pooled as his gaze fell on his sister, flopped face down and mumbling incoherent things into the carpeted floor, clothes and junk surrounding her. At the sound of the door creaking, however, Biana snapped her head up and turned to face her brother. 

The muttering stopped, and she stared. Fitz smiled, though he knew it looked fake. It was, but he just wished he were a better liar. 

"Hi," he said, moving to sit beside her. She continued to stare, her lifeless eyes following him. He gave an awkward wave, shifting uncomfortably as her empty eyes bore into his, though not seeing him. "Everything okay in here?" he asked, before deciding this was crazy. His sister couldn't hear him. She couldn't even walk properly-- Fitz assumed. He hadn't seen her in three weeks, after all. He winced at the reminder.

For the next hour, Fitz had decided he'd pass the time catching Biana up with everything, and somhow, along the way, he'd unexpectedly turning it into a therapy session. She didn't seem to mind, so he did his best not to care, either, and eventually, the two fell asleep, Fitz's arm around his sister.

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A loud moaning woke Fitz the next morning. Sitting up, he saw Biana playing with her jewelry, which had spilled out of the glass jewelry box from the day before. She must have slipped away from him without him noticing, though he wasn't sure how. He was an incredibly light sleeper. Maybe his lack of sleep had finally caught up to him.

"Don't eat those," he warned as Biana's face got a little too close to the jewelry. He climbed to his feet to fix himself, and as he did so, something wet tickled his chin. Fitz's eyes widened in realization, and before his sister could see, he wiped the drool from his lower lip. This is why he didn't do sleepovers. That, and he used to snore. He'd grown out of that, though.

A low rumbling caught his attention, and Fitz moved towards the window, where he found dark storm clouds darkening the sky. The land beneath was no longer full of life as it had done when Fitz had first introduced this world to Sophie, but instead was grey with shadow and darkness.

"Did you hear that?" he asked, who stopped moaning as he spoke. "Not that. The rumbling." Biana's muttering picked up again, and he sighed.

"They could be in trouble. I've got to go." He turned to fix his hair, voicing the question that formed in his head, "Why didn't I sneak out sooner?" 

Not bothering with the front door, Fitz headed straight for Biana's window. She followed, watching as he swung his legs of the window sill. "Don't do this at home-- er," he shook his head, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment, "don't try this yourself."

Mindlessly, Biana nodded, and Fitz raised an eyebrow for good measure before he pushed off and away from the sill and let the wind whip past him until he'd neared the ground. However, before he could go splat!, he levitated, and lowered himself to the grass below. Once his feet had touched the ground, he made his way towards the rumbling, which was growing louder with time. 

Fitz ran, as fast as his legs would carry him. He needed to get there in time. He had too. What had he been thinking? Had he really been willing to sit around while his friends risked their lives for Sophie? He had been Sophie's first boyfriend, so he should've been the first to step up. And yet, there he was, rushing to save them after a peaceful night and waking even with drool on his chin. His brow furrowed; Sophie could never know. 

Faster. Farther. His legs ached from working so hard, so early, but Fitz had already wasted enough time. His friends were in danger. Heart racing, he wished it were his heart and legs that worked together, instead of the  head and heart. It would've made things so much easier. 

He was nearing the city, though Eternalia was much closer than usual. At this point, he'd be reaching the ocean, and a little farther down, Atlantis. What had happened to the terrain? Thunder boomed overhead, leaving a ringing in his ears. His eyes darted to the source of the noise, but found nothing. And when he looked back to the clear field he'd seen only moments before, it was now shielded by a large, glowing dome that towered over the city. He was blocked out, and seeing how quiet and empty the city inside was, he was sure most people were experiencing the same thing, as well. He cursed. His friends were trapped in there with the Neverseen while once again, he was useless. 

No, he told himself. He wasn't useless. There had to be some way through the dome. With a huff of determination, Fitz turned the opposite way and headed back home. Surely Everglen would have a crystal, or at the very least a pathfinder. But he hadn't gone too far when he felt a strange presence coming from the shield. It was the same presence he'd felt the day before, when he'd decided to try and contact Sophie, despite the enormous distance between Everglen and the Arctic. He'd been so sure he'd made contact this time. Even if he hadn't gotten an answer, he hoped she'd heard him at the very least. That she knew he was on his way. 

Maybe he could try and contact her again. And then, he'd break into the dome.