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“I cannot believe you! Embarrassing me- us like that!” Oralie’s voice, normally quiet and calm, echoed throughout the stone hallway as she dragged Sophie by her arm. “There is tradition and you need–”
Sophie ripped her arm from Oralie’s grasp. “You are not blaming this on me! You gave me all these rules and expected me to follow them without once stopping to consider what I wanted!” Sophie stomped away from Oralie, towards the bed in the room, throwing her hands in the air.
It was unfair really.
The Black Swan and the Council had been tense lately. The Black Swan expected her to take over as one of the Collective. Meanwhile, the Council expected the same thing. Sophie was expected to make the decision herself, with both sides continually bombarding her with pressure to make a decision.
Yes, Sophie wanted to help the Lost Cities, but after the war with the Neverseen, all she wanted right now was a break.
She had tried to tell both the Collective and the Council this, but neither was willing to listen, too caught up in their stupid arguments to even consider what she wanted. They needed her to make a decision, no matter how little she wanted to make one.
Edaline had suggested she go to Oralie, who had experience with both the Black Swan, and the Council, to help her make a decision.
Begrudgingly, Sophie had done it, but only to appease her mom, her real mom , she felt the need to add, especially in her current circumstance. Edaline Ruewen had been a constant in her life for a while now. She had raised her from birth, and only recently had Sophie learned that Oralie was her birth mom.
She still wasn’t sure exactly how to feel about that.
“ You never told me that you had an opinion on the situation! I was trying to appease both sides!” Oralie said, attempting to reason with her.
“What if, and just consider this for a second, what if I don’t want to be part of either group? What if I want the choice to be myself, for once?” Sophie shouted. The silence following her little outburst was loud— much louder than any yelling that had been done in the past few minutes.
“You…Sophie you don’t have a choice.” Oralie whispered, hushed. “I’m sorry, but with our world in the state that it’s in, we need you to step up. We need you to give our world a chance to build itself up again!” Oralie’s voice got louder with each sentence. “I know, it’s hard, but do you know how many people would benefit from your sacrifice? Would benefit from you taking a stand?”
Sophie’s hands balled into fists at her sides. “You don’t get to make that decision for me! You’re not my mom! ”
Shock flooded her system as she realized what she said. The temptation to hide was strong, but she stood her ground. She was tired of being ignored, tired of being walked over.
Oralie’s hands went to cover her mouth. “I…No… Sophie…I…Please…That’s not…”
“No, no I’m done. I’m leaving.” The door slammed shut with her exit. Sophie let her legs carry her down the long staircase that led to Oralie’s tower.
How dare she.
Oralie may only be trying to help, but right now, Sophie didn’t want her help. Especially after she had tried to force her to make a decision.
It wasn’t fair. Sophie wanted peace. She wanted to hang out with her friends, and go riding on Silveny, and bake with Edaline.
She didn’t want to be a Councillor, doomed to be in charge for the rest of her life, and she definitely didn’t want to be a part of the Collective either, having to conceal her identity forever.
Finally, Sophie reached the Leapmaster outside of Oralie’s office. (Who really needed that many stairs?) Her mouth went to form the word ‘Havenfield’, but she was suddenly struck with a better idea.
What if she changed Oralie’s mind?
What if she found a way to get Oralie to vouch for her?
“Rimeshire.” She called. There was only one person who she could trust to help her.
When she found Dex in his lab, he looked a bit like a wizard, stirring a giant pot full of something with simmering beakers, all different colors, bubbling around him.
“Dex?”
Dex’s head shot up, and he pulled the goggles he was wearing off. “Sophie? Hey, what’s up? I thought you had that…what was it…meeting today?”
Sophie scoffed. “Yeah, that was a joke.”
“Oh, I’m sure. So, what brings you to my humble abode?” He stretched his lanky arms up into the air.
She bit her lip. Was she really about to do this? It definitely wasn’t right…but…her freedom… She shook her head. “I need your help with something…Something that is definitely illegal.”
Dex’s slightly maniacal grin that he gave her was illuminated by some of the glowing chemicals in the room, moving him strictly from wizard territory into mad scientist territory. “How illegal are we talking here?”
“I need you to make me…something.” Sophie hesitated.
One of his eyebrows raised. “Something is…. what?”
“An elixir! I need you to make me an elixir!”
It was deafeningly silent. She sighed. “I had a fight with Oralie, and I need her to see things… differently. I want her to understand that I don’t want to be inducted into the Black Swan, or the Council. I just want to live my life. After everything we’ve faced, don’t I at least deserve that?”
Dex nodded. “Of course you do. You shouldn’t feel pressured to make a choice like that. So…you want her to see things your way?” He idly poured a few vials into a new pot, mixing them with his left hand.
“Yeah. I’m not going to lay down and take this fate that’s been assigned to me. I’m going to change it. I’m going to change my fate.” Her hand curled into a fist again.
Dex ‘tsked’. “Fate. What a silly idea.”
Suddenly, the triplets ran into the room, all squealing and giggling. “Stop! Hey, give it back!” “No way!” “You guys are losers!”
It was a whirlwind of skinny limbs and red hair as they made their way around Dex’s lab table, knocking vials everywhere.
“Guys! Get out! You’re making a mess!” Dex’s hands moved to his hair, and it looked like he was going to tear it out. “Ugh!” He shooed them out with a broom like they were little animals.
Once the triplets were deemed gone, Dex set the broom back against the wall and let out a sigh of relief, shooting her an apologetic look. “Sorry about them. Hopefully they didn’t get anything in this.” He motioned to the elixir he was making for her. “I don’t think there’s anything too dangerous in here so…”
“Well that’s reassuring.”
Dex waved her off, and poured the mixture into a vial. “It’ll be fine. Just pour this into something that she’ll eat, and give it to her. Hopefully, it’ll do what it’s supposed to. Otherwise, it should be harmless. Come to me if it does something it’s not supposed to.”
Sophie carefully grabbed the vial, and slipped it into one of her many pockets. “Will do, Dexie. Thanks again for the help, I appreciate it, really.”
“Anything for my dear cousin.” He gave her a side hug. “But, I do have some things to do today, so shoo, shoo.”
He all but shoved her out, leaving her alone with ideas spinning in her head.
How could she get Oralie to eat this?
The answer, it turned out, was quite simple.
It consisted of two steps. A, pouring the serum into rose tea, and B, serving it to her on a silver platter- literally.
Oralie had taken the tea, rambling on and on about how even though she was sorry for the fight that she and Sophie had, the Council, and the Collective were still waiting on an answer.
Sophie frowned as Oralie took another sip of the tea. It should’ve kicked in by now. Maybe Dex had messed up after all. Or more accurately, his siblings had messed up.
Oralie suddenly stopped her rambling. “Uh, ohh-” She groaned suddenly, keeling over. “What did you put in that tea?” She clutched her stomach.
Sophie winced, fumbling for an answer. “Uh, you know, the tea bag. Are you feeling okay?”
“My stomach, ouch…ough…” Oralie, half walked, half crawled to her desk, and started fumbling with the drawers.
“So…any thoughts on the Council vs. the Collective debate?” Sophie asked, wary of the newfound silence.
Oralie didn’t reply, instead opting to groan again.
Sophie suddenly felt a sense of dread crawl up her spine. What had she done? She tip-toed towards Oralie’s desk. “Oralie…? Are you okay…?”
A growl cut off her question.
Sophie swallowed nervously. “Is this a prank?”
Something stood from behind the desk. Something that was definitely not Oralie.
Someone screamed.
It was probably her.
Oralie had disappeared, and in her place, was a huge, giant bear covered in thick black fur, with long sharp claws, and teeth to rival any of the animals at Havenfield— even Verdi.
Oralie-turned-bear (Bearalie?) turned towards her, letting out a snuffling sound.
Sophie felt her jaw drop. She wanted to scream again, but her throat was too dry to even consider it. “...Oralie?!”
Oralie stumbled over to her, knocking over not only the desk, but several shelves, and what was probably a priceless vase. She let out a series of panicked and confused sounds. As if she was asking, What did you do to me?
Sophie scrambled for words, but her mouth wouldn’t move. No...no no no no! What had she done? This was all her fault! She should’ve been more aware of the consequences, she should’ve asked Dex to remake it, she should’ve done something.
This was not good.
She had turned a Councillor— a Councillor who was her biological parent— into a bear.
This could not get any worse.