Sophie Elizabeth Foster

Sophie Elizabeth Foster is the main protagonist throughout the series Keeper of the Lost Cities. She is currently 15 years old in the Elvin world, as stated in Book 7: Flashback. She has attended Foxfire Academy, the only noble school in the Lost Cities, for levels Two (Book 1: Keeper of the Lost Cities), Three (Exile, Everblaze, Lodestar, and Nightfall), and Four (Flashback). She temporarily attended Exillium with Fitz, Dex, Keefe, and Biana, in Neverseen. She has a limbium allergy. She, after being adopted, did not take the last name of Ruewen.

The name Sophie means "wisdom" "wise" "pretty," and "skill" Her middle name, Elizabeth, means "oath of God" and "God is satisfaction" Her last name- Foster means "one who keeps the forest."

Physical Appearance
Sophie Elizabeth Foster is described as being very beautiful, a natural trait of elves. She has wavy blond hair flowing just past her shoulders. Her eyes are a warm brown with flecks of gold based on an alicorn's DNA. She is the only known elf without blue eyes. As of Exile, she has a star-shaped scar on the back of her hand. It was given to her by Mr. Forkle when he used a needle that had an antidote to limbium in it to heal Sophie's abilities.

Many people have described Sophie as alluring, attractive, and smart; Della told her that she would become a heart-breaker when she grew up. Dex has accidentally called her the prettiest girl at Foxfire on many occasions, Keefe hints at thinking that she is pretty and calls her adorable, and Fitz implies many times that he thinks she's beautiful. In the Forbidden Cities, she often wore dull colors such as black, brown and grey to avoid attention; however, Fitz was able to identify her as an elf, partly because she is so naturally beautiful. With elves, however, she has no choice but to wear their colorful clothing to enhance her already stunning appearance and occasionally enjoys it. Both Della and Biana say that Sophie looks amazing in red and that it is her color.

She is not as stereotypically "girly" as Biana, who loves to give makeovers. Sophie dislikes fancy gowns, tiaras, extravagant skirts, makeup, shopping, and similar girly items. She is not a fan of wearing fancy gowns because of the many overly girly aspects of the dresses. After Sophie manifests as an Enhancer, Biana encourages her to wear fancier clothes to steer any attention away from her gloves.

Many people have said that Sophie resembles Jolie, the late daughter of Grady and Edaline Ruewen, and it is clear that Sophie's adoptive parents think so as well. Vertina also mentions that Jolie resembles Sophie, except that Jolie had "the most gorgeous turquoise eyes" unlike Sophie's brown ones, and that "Jolie's hair was shinier" leading Sophie to wonder if Jolie could be her mother. However, it turns out to be false.

Sophie also has a Wanderling tree, a remnant from her kidnapping and presumed death in Book 1: Keeper of the Lost Cities. It has golden leaves that cover the branches and dark brown seedpods. It is a plain, basic tree with no flowers or colors.

Photo 1: Sophie in Book 1: Keeper of the Lost Cities'' by Shannon Messenger

Photo 2: Sophie in Book 2: Exile by Jason Chan

Photo 3: Sophie in Book 4: Neverseen by Courtney Godbey

Photo 4: Sophie in Book 5: Lodestar by Laura Hollingsworth

Photo 5: Sophie in Book 5: Lodestar by Shannon Messenger

Photo 6: Sophie in Book 5: Lodestar by Shannon Messenger

Photo 7: Sophie in Book 6: Nightfall by Laura Hollingsworth

Photo 8: Sophie in Book 6: Nightfall by Laura Hollingsworth

Photo 9: Sophie in Book 6: Nightfall by Shannon Messenger

Photo 10: Sophie and Silveny in Book 7: Flashback by Laura Hollingsworth

Photo 11: Sophie and Ella by Shannon Messenger''

Personality and Traits
Sophie's favorite color is teal, (likely because of Fitz's eye color). Sophie is first depicted as a lonely and shy girl, a 12-year-old among high school seniors. She was an outcast in the Forbidden Cities because she was very quiet but incredibly intelligent, and was often called a know-it-all due to this intelligence. Part of that was from her photographic memory, which allowed her not to pay attention in class but still remember information. All of this led to her getting a full scholarship to Yale University, which her parents canceled. This was because her parents don't want her to get so much attention. Even the newspaper editor was annoyed. Her outstanding grades and photographic memory frequently annoyed and aroused the jealousy of her human peers. Because of this, she often wore dull colors, like black or grey. Attention still makes her uncomfortable even in the Lost Cities.

At first, Sophie had a hard time accepting the fact that she was an elf, but this did not deter her curiosity. Sophie often doubts herself and sometimes needs reassurance to boost her self-confidence. She has a habit of tugging out loose eyelashes when she is nervous. She usually cries when she's frustrated and needs to express her feelings, usually on her friends' shoulders. Her family is very supportive and understands her feelings. Despite this, she is also headstrong and brave. Even if something seems dangerous, she always wants to help, especially when her friends and family are involved. For instance, when Keefe joined the Neverseen, Sophie tried everything she could to get him back, straining her friendship with Fitz. She also has a high guilt level.

Sophie hates wearing fancier clothes, despite the fact that everyone always compliments her when she does, and after manifesting as an Enhancer she starts dressing more like Biana to camouflage the gloves she wears.

Sophie's most prominent trait is her protectiveness and willingness to help her friends, even if it harms herself. This is shown when she nearly faded away while light-leaping without a nexus because she wrapped all of her concentration around Dex, who she thought was unconscious when she escaped the Neverseen in Book 1: Keeper of the Lost Cities.

Sophie is also very determined, refusing to give up despite any situation. A prime example would be during her capture in Book 1: Keeper of the Lost Cities, where she did not give up hope trying to contact Fitz. Sophie also has a photographic memory, which is very helpful in classes like The Universe.

Special Abilities
Sophie, as of Flashback, is a Telepath, Inflictor, Polyglot, Teleporter, and Enhancer. However, it is hinted that she might have more to come unless she passes the manifestation age before she can receive more abilities. Even though it is not a special ability, Sophie has a photographic memory, just like Keefe Sencen. According to Grizel, she is also a natural at throwing weapons. It has also been revealed that Sophie can perform a brain push (transforming mental energy into physical energy, making Sophie have a burst of strength).

Telepath
Sophie has had the ability to read minds since the unusually young age of five. Her talent was activated by Mr. Forkle, the leader of the Black Swan when she was unconscious on a day she hit her head. However, Sophie cannot remember what happened to her that day because Mr. Forkle erased that memory. She is considered to be the most powerful Telepath in the Elvin world since she can communicate telepathically halfway across the world while being severely injured and heavily sedated. She is also the only elf in the world that can safely enter and heal a broken mind. Sophie can also read the minds and hear the thoughts of animals, which has never been done before and use her abilities to pinpoint others' locations, which she first realized while playing a game of Base Quest at Everglen. Most Telepaths can get a general idea of someone's location, but Sophie can pinpoint their location exactly. Her Foxfire mentor is Tiergan, and before that, Mr. Forkle mentally trained her mind while she was asleep in the human world. Sophie is also able to access the mind of even those with phenomenal blocking and has such an impenetrable mind herself that even some of the most powerful and well-trained Telepaths are unable to penetrate her mind. Only Mr. Forkle and Fitz Vacker can read her thoughts, as they have a code that allows them to bypass Sophie's subconscious blocking. Sophie does not know the code. Fitz transmits the code "It's me" (revealed in the Book 7: Flashback Fitz short story) to enter Sophie's mind. Fitz and Sophie are also cognates.

Polyglot
Sophie discovered that she is a Polyglot in Book 1: Keeper of the Lost Cities; when she and Dex were escaping their kidnappers in France, and she spoke to someone in French without realizing it. Alden told her being a Polyglot will help her in Multispeciesial Studies, which she is taught at Foxfire. She struggles with Mimicry, though, an important skill in her Linguistics class. After Keefe uses Mimicry to give Kenric's cache to the Neverseen, Sophie decides to refrain from learning to Mimic. Her linguistics instructor is Lady Cadence.

Inflictor
Sophie has this ability because of the Black Swan's tweaking of her genes. The first time she used the ability was when she makes her kidnappers fall to the ground in pain in Book 1: Keeper of the Lost Cities; however, she didn't realize she had the ability until Dex told her afterward. She can harness her emotions by imagining them as thick strings that she keeps tied in a sort of knot beneath her ribs. She can inflict both positively and negatively. Normally, Inflictors can only inflict negative emotions, but because of the tweaks made to her DNA, which was loosely based on an alicorn's, she can inflict positive emotions as well. She can bring people's minds back from a mental break by inflicting positive emotions while telepathically inside their head. She has used this ability several times throughout her adventures in the Lost Cities, for varying purposes. Her instructor is Councillor Bronte, who was the only registered Inflictor in the Elvin world besides Sophie. She made Bronte fall over laughing the first time she tried inflicting happiness.

Photographic Memory
Sophie also has a photographic memory, which helped her excel academically in her human schools. When Sophie sees something, she can remember it in her mind exactly how she saw it in vivid detail. She uses her photographic memory for the memory log that Alden gave her, which keeps track of different moments for her to reference. She projects her memory onto the pages and often finds hidden messages in them when she looks closely at them. This ability helps Sophie a lot in classes such as The Universe, as she knows all of the stars. She once burned her hand while capturing light from an unmapped star, Elementine. It also allows her to remember information the Black Swan planted in her head while she was living in the human world. Sophie sometimes finds this annoying, but in the end, it is usually helpful. Keefe Sencen also has this ability, inherited from his mother, Lady Gisela.

Teleporter
Acquired from the similarities to alicorns in her genes, Sophie can teleport with her mind, like Silveny, Greyfell, and, presumably, Luna and Wynn (the baby Alicorns -her children). Since Sophie has DNA based on an alicorn's, she has brown eyes like Silveny. Sophie is the only known elf who can teleport. When teleporting, Sophie has to build up momentum by falling from a high place, such as a cliff, or by levitating very high and then dropping. After entering the void, all she has to do is imagine the place she'd like to go to and she will fall through the sky and out of the void to it. Sophie cannot teleport through anything solid (underground, such as Exile, into buildings, or into the Sanctuary, which is located in a mountain range).

Enhancer
Sophie has the ability to enhance, or temporarily improve, someone's energy and ability just through touch. Her body builds up energy in her fingertips and releases it through physical contact. This requires her to wear gloves whenever in public, so she doesn't accidentally boost someone's energy. Dex once attempted to give Sophie crush cuffs with a force-field that prevents the need for gloves, but she declined and, in the process, found out about his feelings for her.

In Book 7: Flashback, Tinker makes her an invention that blocks her enhancing. The invention attaches to her fingernails. She can turn on and off this effect by simply tapping her fingernails together. Mr. Forkle informed her that there is no way for her to lock it at any time, placing her in a precarious position because an enemy could force her to turn off the force field and enhance them. She took the risk anyway because of the advantages the fake nails presented. This ability is not a result of her genetic modification, and it is stated that Mr. Forkle decided not to include this ability because of the risk it presents. Sophie may have never manifested this ability if Mr. Forkle hadn't triggered it in Lodestar.

Relationships
Sophie seemed to have had a very strong relationship with her human family, and still has one with her younger sister. She cried when the time came for her to be separated from them and fell into depression for a small amount of time. Her human father is William David Foster, (Changed to Connor Freeman) her human mother is Emma Iris Foster, (Changed to Kate Freeman) and her sister is Amy Rose Foster (Changed to Natalie Freeman). When Sophie left for the Lost Cities, Washers relocated her human family and wiped all their memories of Sophie so they didn't have to think their daughter died.
 * HUMAN FAMILY 

She used to think her younger sister, Amy, was annoying, but when the time came for her to move to the Lost Cities and have her family's memories erased, she realized she cared for her.

At the end of Lodestar, Sophie thought her family might be in danger from the Neverseen, so she visited their new home. She realized that the Neverseen had already been there. The Neverseen had kidnapped her parents, but her sister had successfully hidden from them. Seeing Sophie and hearing her speak returned Amy's memories of Sophie.

In Book 6: Nightfall, Amy came to live with Quinlin Sonden and Livvy. She learned about the Lost Cities and became closer to Sophie. Sophie rescued her parents from the Neverseen, and their memories were again wiped by Washers, except for Amy, who was allowed to keep her memories on the condition that she would never mention anything in the Forbidden Cities. Fitz struck Sophie as very cute at first, and the two now have a strong bond. For their Cognate training, they have to reveal all of their secrets, which makes their relationship even more intimate. They greatly trust each other and understand each other's minds completely. They are always there for moral support, often crying or laughing together. Sophie and Fitz have developed a bond so strong they are capable of transmitting thoughts to one another from great distances.
 * FITZ (cognate/possible love interest/close friend)

Fitz was the elf that found her and showed her the Lost Cities. He was there when Sophie had to drug her family and leave them permanently, so he knows the pain she went through that day. Sophie has thanked Fitz for everything that day, saying that he introduced her to a new life. Sophie and Fitz are on friendly terms (though Sophie seemed to have hoped for more, despite stating she clearly wasn't ready for a boyfriend). Sophie thought long and hard when she went out shopping for his present and was severely disappointed when Fitz did not get her anything special. She had gotten him something that was to thank him for her first day in the Elvin cities. It has been shown that Sophie has had a crush on Fitz since they first met. She thought he had beautiful eyes, and when she nearly lost hope, when she thought she was about to die, she thought of Fitz.

Fitz mourned her deeply and blamed himself, thinking that she'd died; however, he was one of the first people to find her after her escape. Fitz was overjoyed by Sophie's recovery after the light leaping incident, but he remained worried about her afterward.

Throughout Exile, Sophie and Fitz were able to telepathically transmit to each other because Sophie's impenetrable mind fractured. Fitz could get into Sophie's head, but his voice was very loud and gave her painful migraines. When Alden's mind broke, Fitz shut Sophie out, thinking she was to blame and that he should have been with his dad instead of her when Alden was injured. Despite this, Sophie thinks that he had every right to be mad at her because he may have lost his father forever. Right before she healed Alden, he took her outside and privately apologized to her. She immediately accepted.

In Everblaze, they grew closer together, and Mr. Forkle showed Fitz how to safely enter her mind. To do so, Fitz transmits a mystery phrase ("it's me") to make her subconscious trust him, and her subconscious lets him in. They also both entered a Telepathy class with Sir Tiergan during Everblaze. They practiced many trust exercises, which involve revealing secrets.

In Neverseen, when Sophie and Fitz joined the Black Swan (along with Dex, Keefe, and Biana), Mr. Forkle and Granite said that they were going to train Sophie and Fitz as Cognates. Fitz was excited about the idea, but Sophie was nervous about revealing her crush on him. During Cognate training one day, Sophie almost told Fitz that she likes him, but Keefe interrupted. Fitz continued to beg Sophie to reveal her secret to him throughout Neverseen and Lodestar.

In Lodestar, they grew closer. Fitz was more open with Sophie and began to show more affection for her. He gave her Cognate rings as a Midterms gift, which she thought she liked "a little too much." Sophie's crush on him continued to develop. Fitz may also have nearly kissed Sophie under Calla's Panakes tree at one point, but Keefe interrupted before he could.

During Nightfall, Fitz often gave Sophie gifts, despite having no special occasion as an excuse. She promised that after they saved her parents, she would reveal the secret she was hiding.

In Flashback, Sophie and Fitz became extremely close. Fitz told Sophie that wanted only her to be on his match list, causing Sophie to tell him about her own crush on him. They almost kissed immediately after this; however, it was interrupted by Silveny's transmissions. They eventually decided to hold things off until Sophie was ready to start "dating." It turned out he had liked her since when he was stabbed by the arthropluera in Neverseen.
 * KEEFE (close friend/possible love interest)

Keefe is one of Sophie's closest friends. He first met Sophie when she had to go see Elwin after alchemy while he was skipping class. Keefe and Sophie have been in detention together numerous times. He is an Empath and can feel Sophie's emotions much stronger than he can feel others', even when he is not in contact with her. Keefe likes to tease Sophie and sometimes even flirts with her. He's also the self-proclaimed president of the 'Foster Fan Club.' At the end of Book 1: Keeper of the Lost Cities, Keefe was the one who figured out that Sophie had light leaped Dex and herself to the Four Seasons Tree when they were escaping the Neverseen.

Instead of calling Sophie by her first name, Keefe frequently calls her by her last name, Foster, as well as often making comments about "Team Foster-Keefe." Keefe went with Sophie to the Black Swan's hideout in Neverseen and was one of the people that Sophie trusted with her secrets during Exile. Sophie and Keefe developed a deeper relationship in Exile, as he was her escort to the Black Swan base on Silveny, and he admitted to her that he hid behind jokes because that was how he dealt with life. In Everblaze, Sophie and Keefe went on many mini-missions together, and when she wasn't at school or practicing Telepathy with Fitz, she was usually with Keefe, deciphering messages from the Black Swan.

When Keefe found out that his mother was part of Neverseen, Sophie was the first to comfort him.

At the beginning of Neverseen, whenever Keefe said or did certain things, Sophie's heart switched to "hummingbird mode," and she felt fluttery things in her stomach. Keefe became a darker version of himself, and Sophie helped him deal with the possibility that he had lost his mother, even going as far as to let him cry on her shoulder. On especially bad nights for Keefe, Sophie convinced him to sleep on his windowsill, as she did the same on her own, deeming them window slumber parties. Keefe became exceedingly darker and was filled with more anger as the book went on, and Sophie was constantly tailing him to make sure he didn't do anything reckless. Near the end of the book, Keefe gifted Sophie with a beaded necklace he had originally made for his mother. Keefe and Sophie leaned close to each other as if to kiss, but then they were interrupted by Grady and Edaline. After a meeting with the Council where Silveny and Greyfell were set free, Keefe prepared to light leap away, but Sophie saw Keefe holding a yellow leaping crystal (yellow crystals only go to Neutral Territories), so she grabbed him at the last second and leaped with him.

Sophie followed him, only to find that he was planning to join the Neverseen because he believed that his mother had set him up to be evil all along. He explained sadly to Sophie that he was never supposed to be the hero, and that his mother had ensured that. Keefe stole Kenric's cache by mimicking Sophie's voice, and when he was pressured to brand her as a traitor by Brant, he secretly sent her on her way back home with a temporary leaping crystal he had hidden in the necklace he gave her; however, he stayed behind. Sophie was heartbroken by Keefe joining the Neverseen, but she knew he would never purposefully hurt her, so she decided to stay true to her promise to not hate him, although she was tempted to at times.

At the beginning of Lodestar, Keefe came to Foxfire and impersonated Magnate Leto in order to talk to Sophie. She learned that he only joined the Neverseen as a double agent and to gather important information that could be used to destroy them. After that, they had Telepathic check-ins every day where Keefe filled Sophie in on any important information. Throughout the book, Sophie pleaded with him to leave the Neverseen because it was too dangerous, but he refused because he thought he would be able to steal Fintan's cache. He finally left the Neverseen towards the end of the book, and he managed to steal Fintan's and Kenric's caches (which are later found out to be fake). He found Sophie in Lumenaria after the Peace Summit and was with her when Mr. Forkle died. He then made the promise to always be there for Sophie and to prevent Mr. Forkle's death from overwhelming her. He was also there, along with Fitz, when they went to the Forbidden Cities to check on Sophie's human family, and he promised her that he would do anything to find them and bring them back to her.

During Nightfall, Keefe subtly showed his interest in Sophie through his compliments and through finding different ways to get close to her. Their relationship grew stronger and stronger as they spent more time together. Besides his many jokes to keep Sophie's spirits up, Keefe also sacrificed himself in the fight against King Dimitar, earning himself a scar. Sophie noticed both his physical appearance and bravery (and stupidity in fighting the King) during the book. It was shown that they balance each other out because Keefe can send calming ice-blue breezes to Sophie when having his Empathy Enhanced, and she can calm his recklessness.

In the Barnes and Noble Special Edition Short Story, Keefe admitted that he had a crush on Sophie. Ro constantly teased him about his crush and how he acted towards her. Ro says that he "has it bad for her". Keefe tried to get out of bed rest many times, and he even tried to escape just so he could know if Sophie was safe. He only felt slightly better when Elwin promised to give him an update on Sophie. While he was stuck on bed rest and Ro was destroying Candleshade, he dreamed about "golden flecked eyes." He also vowed to always be there for her as a friend until she was "ready for more." He also confirmed that there was a love square, not a triangle. Dex is Sophie's best and first friend, as stated in the books, although Biana also considers herself to be Sophie's best friend, as stated in Flashback. Dex cares deeply about Sophie and he often studies with her for their exams, helping her through thick and thin.
 * DEX (best friend/adoptive cousin)

He is with her when she is kidnapped and is also taken.

In the earlier books, he strongly disapproved of Sophie associating herself with Fitz and his family, claiming that they are a bunch of distrustful people and often calls Fitz "Wonderboy," though that may be caused by jealousy. Though Sophie ignores his warning when she later learned that Biana only became friends with her because her father ordered her to Dex supported her despite their previous argument.

In Exile, Sophie tried to talk to him privately about their kidnapping. She felt that they were the only ones who could understand it. During the conversation, Dex admitted he kept quiet and didn't scream for help so that the kidnappers wouldn't hurt Sophie. When Sophie needed his help opening up the gate, he came and helped despite his reluctance and fear. He was also with Sophie when they find Silveny, one of two alicorns left in the world. It is also mentioned that he came around to Havenfield and Sophie often roped him in to help her with her chores, such as washing the various animals at the pastures.

In Everblaze, his ability was revealed and Sophie comforted him about it, often reassuring him that it's a cool ability. During the book, he began working with the Council and building gadgets (or as he slipped up and said, "weapons"). When Sophie had been issued a punishment for entering the ogre king's mind, he was ordered to make her an ability restrictor. Although he regretted listening to the Council, it still took time for Sophie to forgive him. When she was ambushed by Brant, he responded to her panic switch ring alert and took her circlet off even though it meant possibly being exiled. He joins her in running off to the Black Swan, showing his loyalty and friendship.

In Neverseen, their friendship was still a little bit complicated but she completely forgave him.

In Lodestar, all her friends gathered at his house, Rimeshire for a sleepover to analyze scrolls and find out the Neverseen's secrets. Sophie commented on how nice his house was and they both blushed when the triplets teased them.

In Nightfall, Dex was absent for many chapters because of an "embarrassing" incident with Sophie. He had modified crush cuffs that had his name on them to act as restrainers for her Enhancing ability. He admitted that he had had the crush cuffs since the last year when he was too scared to give them to her at midterms, she told him that it was very sweet. She kissed him to make sure if either of them truly had feelings for each other. They do not and they depart as best friends. He moved on from his crush on her and Keefe later told her that in his Dex's mind he wanted Dexphie to sail, but in his heart, he knew it wouldn't happen. It confirmed that starting in the first book, Dex has liked Sophie more than a friend.

Dexphie remains a platonic ship and they currently maintain a healthy friendship as both best friends and adoptive cousins. Biana considers Sophie her best friend. She first became friends with Sophie because her father made her (which Sophie found out via Stina), but as she got to know Sophie, Biana became a genuine friend of hers, even crying when Sophie was taken. Biana has proven herself to be a fierce and loyal friend to Sophie. She always tries to include Sophie in her makeovers, but Sophie hates makeup, and avoids it as much as she can, Biana lends Sophie clothes occasionally, always saying she looks good in them. She is a Vanisher like her mother, Della, and bragged to everyone when she manifested. She has used her ability to go on secret missions with Sophie. Calla, a gnome, can see her even when she vanishes and Biana works hard to try and find a way to hide from her. Eventually, she figured out the secret and made it impossible for any gnome to know if she's there or not. During Nightfall, Biana vanished and sneaked off, only to get smashed into a mirror by Vespera. She now has many scars all over her arms, neck, face, and back. She sometimes hides them with long sleeves but lets them show when she wants to make a statement about how the Neverseen can't break her. Sophie and her friends first met Tam Song and his twin sister Linh in Neverseen, when they went to Exillium. Tam is a Shades, meaning he can sense the shadowvapor of others. Tam is rather cynical and protective of Linh. He went to be with his sister after she was banished for flooding Atlantis. Tam dislikes being referred to by his surname. Tam has hinted that he likes Biana. He also won’t trust anyone until he takes a shadow reading. In Flashback, he went to the Neverseen to take Umber's place in exchange for the antidote for the soporidine shot onto the alicorns, Silveny and Greyfell. Sophie and Linh have been friends since the first moment they met and are incredibly loyal in their friendship, shown in Lodestar when Sophie defended the twins when confronting their parents, Quan and Mai Song. She seems to like the idea of Tam liking Biana but is slightly jealous of the admiration Linh has for Fitz, making her feel bad because she likes Linh. Linh is a Hydrokinetic, which is what caused all the floods that banished her to Exillium. When Sophie became an Enhancer, Linh often put distance between them, fearing that she could flood again, but in Nightfall she used Sophie's enhancing to save Atlantis. Marella is Sophie's friend and vice-versa. She and Sophie became friends in Book 1: Keeper of the Lost Cities, but later, when Sophie started hanging out with the Vackers, Keefe, and Dex more, Marella felt left out and started hanging out with Stina. However, in Lodestar, Marella had her hidden abilities triggered by Mr. Forkle and started spending more time with Sophie as she uses her abilities to help fight the Neverseen. Her family name is Redek, and she dislikes nicknames, telling Sophie in the first book, "My name's Marella. Not Mare. Not Ella. Marella." However, in Nightfall, Marella was brought back with her unique talent as a Pyrokinetic and joined the Black Swan to help Sophie get back her parents. In Flashback, Marella is seen helping Sophie and her friends fight off the baby trolls with her unique powers. Edaline is a sensitive mother when it comes to Sophie being burnt by something, as her first daughter, Jolie, died in a fire. Sophie reminds her of Jolie, as she has said a few times, and that makes it a little painful to look at Sophie sometimes. She had a hard time adjusting to having Sophie in Book 1: Keeper of the Lost Cities, but in the end, she sees Sophie as her daughter. She is also known to be a great T-rex rider, as shown first in Book 1: Keeper of the Lost Cities. Edaline is a Conjurer, like her late daughter, Jolie. Edaline also became very aware of Sophie's safety in Book 1: Keeper of the Lost Cities and decides that she should not go into the pastures again to avoid getting hurt. After Sophie discovered that she and Grady were un-adopting her, their relationship was very rocky to the point of Sophie never talking to them and ripping off the Ruewen crest on her cape. When Sophie saw Edaline and Grady in Jolie's old bedroom, she overheard part of their conversation and found it easier to try and forgive them. After Sophie was found and returned she decided to stay with them and become part of the family.
 * BIANA (close friend/possible love interest)
 * TAM (friend/possible love interest)
 * LINH (friend/possible love interest)
 * Marella.jpgMARELLA (friend/possible love interest)
 * EDALINE (adoptive mother)

Edaline is very supportive of Sophie's decisions, as stated in Flashback. She also often can't help but eavesdrop on Sophie and Fitz's conversations. Grady is fun and warm and cheery but when Sophie is in trouble, he becomes cold and stern. He, like Edaline, had a hard time adjusting to her but at the end of Book 1: Keeper of the Lost Cities, he welcomed her with open arms. Grady is a Mesmer and Sophie gets nervous when he uses his talent. Grady doesn't like Keefe and he repeatedly calls him "That Boy" in the later books. He also becomes very protective of Sophie in Exile, and in Everblaze, even going to the length of Mesmerizing the Council into smacking their faces, because the punishment they gave Sophie for reading the ogre king's mind was horrible (Dex's Ability Restrictor). Alden is Fitz and Biana's father. Sophie almost always goes to him with problems and concerns and clues on the Black Swan, but she has kept some things from him - like the Spyball (as she was afraid he would take away her only access to her human family). Alden sent his sons on missions to find Sophie and had received a newspaper article leading him to Sophie. Sophie trusts him and he trusts her. In Exile, Alden asked Sophie to be his guide when he does the memory break on Fintan. Sophie was very upset when Alden's mind was broken and she was determined to find a way to save him. Mr. Forkle was Sophie's next-door neighbor in the Forbidden Cities. He was one of the main Elves involved with tweaking Sophie's DNA and triggered her Telepathy when she was five. He trained her mentally at night so she would be an exceptional Telepath. He became quite involved with Sophie's life after she joined the Black Swan (which is under his guidance). He was the closest thing to a father that Sophie had (besides her human father and Grady). In Lodestar, Mr. Forkle died after being stabbed by Gethen in Lumenaria. Despite Sophie's protests, he said, "this is my swan song," and told her to live her own life, to not let grief break her, and he asked Keefe to help her. The castle in Lumenaria was destroyed, almost burying him and Councillor Oralie alive. He had told Oralie to "take care of my moonlark." When Sophie discovered "Mr. Forkle's" identical twin, she assumes that Mr. Forkle had not perished and had toyed with her emotions. When she learned about the brothers, she understood his decision and planted his tree. In Neverseen, he is revealed as both Sir Astin and Magnate Leto.
 * GRADY (adoptive father)
 * ALDEN (friend and helper)
 * Mr. Forkle (creator/mentor)

(See also: Sophie and Mr. Forkle) Tiergan is very supportive of Sophie's Telepathy training. Despite his dislike for the Vacker family due to Prentice's mind break, he was the first to pair Sophie and Fitz together for Telepathy training because they worked so well together. Sophie calls on Tiergan when she's in need (like when Alden's mind broke) and trusts him with some of her worries. Tiergan was later revealed to be Granite and a leading member of the Black Swan's Collective. Sandor is a strong, stubborn goblin who is charged with taking care of Sophie after she is kidnapped. Though he has a prickly exterior, he has a good heart and cares about Sophie. He helps Sophie out during her investigations and does his best to protect her. His voice, according to Sophie, would better suit a bunny rabbit than a goblin bodyguard. In Lodestar, he was believed to have a crush on Grizel, which she returned. However, he refused her advances because he felt like he needs to be the best soldier possible and she hindered that. In Flashback, Grizel admitted she loved Sandor. Calla was a gnome and a member of the Black Swan. She was a part of the team that created Sophie. She taught Sophie how to make Starkflower stew and liked to call Sophie her 'Brave Moonlark'. She was always there to calm Sophie. In Neverseen, she willingly became a Panakes tree to provide a cure for a plague affecting the gnomes. Afterward, Sophie hung out around the tree often and Dex gave Sophie a Panakes perfume to always remember Calla by. Later Sophie got to know her great-niece, Flori, at Havenfield. Jensi is the first guy at Foxfire to come and talk to Sophie. She likes him but he doesn't hang out with her a lot because he feels a little left out when she is with the group. Jensi went back to the "drooly boys" and abandoned the main group eventually. Jensi was later seen at the training that Exillium Coaches provided for every Lost City citizen, and he was in the same Hemisphere as Sophie, Tam, and Linh. Valin is a greasy-haired guy with a crush on Sophie. He gave her a note at Midterms in her Level Two year saying he really liked her. He is one of the 'Drooly Boys,' and as Marella said, hanging out with him was 'social suicide.' Valin previously was one of Jensi's old friends. Ella is Sophie's beloved Hawaiian shirt-wearing blue stuffed elephant that she brought from the human world. Sophie cannot sleep without the bright blue elephant. Ella comforted Sophie when she had to leave her human family. (This may have led to her friends receiving other stuffed animals, such as Mr. Snuggles, Fitz's stuffed dragon, Mrs. Stinkbottom, Keefe's stuffed gulon and Lady Sassyfur, Biana's stuffed yeti, who used to be named Betty-the-Yeti. (in Nightfall it is said that her sister Amy had a stuffed bunny, Bun-Bun) Oralie is one of the Councillors who have always been supportive of Sophie and never been negative towards her. Oralie has been suspected to be Sophie's biological mother, as she has always been understanding towards the Black Swan. Bronte was always a mystery. He seemed to hate Sophie throughout the first few books but later became nicer to Sophie and more supportive. He is her Inflicting Mentor. Kenric was another Councillor who has always been supportive of Sophie. He was also suspected to be Sophie’s biological father, and Mr. Forkle concluded he was not.
 * TIERGAN (telepathy mentor)
 * SANDOR (bodyguard/friend)
 * CALLA (friend/supporter)
 * JENSI (friend/possible love interest)
 * VALIN (embarrassment/not-so-secret admirer/possible love interest)
 * Sophie postcard front.jpgELLA (comforting stuffed animal)
 * ORALIE (friend/supporter/Councillor)
 * BRONTE (former frenemy/Councillor/Mentor)
 * KENRIC (friend/supporter)

Books Featured In
Sophie starts the book in the human world, but a mysterious boy (Fitz) comes and tells her she is actually an elf. Sophie then must leave her family and life behind and come to Foxfire, a school for elves. And that's where all of her adventures begin... The first part of the book has Sophie finding an extremely rare Alicorn. Throughout the book, they develop a special connection. Silveny, the Alicorn, accompanies Sophie and Keefe when they travel to the Black Swan's secret hideout later in the book. In the hideout, Sophie is finally fully healed from her mental "malfunction" she got when she faded away in book 1. Sophie starts in the preface of the book dropping a mirror on her bedroom floor while realizing her kidnapper was right in front of her the entire series.
 * Book 1: Keeper of the Lost Cities
 * KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES: EXILE
 * KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES: EVERBLAZE

Sophie is later seen in chapter one with Keefe, trying to teleport, only to realize that they are trapped in the void because of a "no teleporting" force field around the Sanctuary. Keefe suggests that he and Sophie should go home, hoping to end up in Sophie's adopted home, Havenfield, only to end up in San Diego, Sophie's old human home. Sophie tries to explain to Keefe about "the Mysterious Disappearing Boy" and Mr. Forkle and his garden gnomes when she realizes that the garden gnomes are set up in the pattern of the constellation Cygnus, which is a swan. She digs up the dirt where the last star of the constellation would be and finds a note from the Black Swan saying that she should "Wait for instructions and stick to the plan," telling Keefe that Prentice is the plan and that she had to wait for the Black Swan before she could heal him. Getting back on track, Sophie convinces Keefe that they should leap to his house, Candleshade, wherefrom there they could leap to the Sanctuary. Keefe reluctantly agrees, and they leap to Candleshade. In this book, Sophie and her closest friends from the Lost Cities go to join the Black Swan and find out about the Neverseen. The ogres, who have allied with the Neverseen, unleash a plague which infects the gnomes. They also discover that Alvar is a member of the Neverseen and that Fintan is alive.
 * KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES: NEVERSEEN 

In this book, Sophie and her friends return to the lost cities. Sophie struggles to maintain her relationship with Keefe, now that he joined the Neverseen to work as a double agent. Under the assumption Grady and Edaline are in danger, Sophie forgets she has another set of parents. Sophie takes a journey to the forbidden cities, only to find out her parents have gone missing. When Sophie discovers her sister hiding in a closet, she is forced to break the law and take Amy to the Lost Cities. In this book, Sophie is on a mission to get her human family back. Her human sister, Amy, is hidden by her replacement guardians, Quinlin and Livvy. Sophie with the help of her friends and the Black Swan and other unexpected members, they go on the tough journey to gain back her family. The journey isn't smooth either, they run into unimaginable beasts at the "second" Nightfall and a mysterious prisoner from Lumenaria. In this book, Sophie is severely physically and mentally injured by the Neverseen; she gains four more bodyguards as a result and has training sessions with three of her five bodyguards. Fitz and Sophie confess their feelings to each other; Sophie decides to register for matchmaking because of it. She is, however, discovered to be unmatchable at the end of the book. It is currently not known why but is assumed to be because she might be related to someone, but doesn't know as her genetic parents are still unknown. She learns about troll hives and much happens because of it, including Silveny's twins being healthy. It is currently unknown what happens in this book. It is currently unknown what happens in this book.
 * KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES: LODESTAR
 * KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES: NIGHTFALL
 * KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES: FLASHBACK
 * KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES: LEGACY 
 * KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES: UNKNOWN

Trivia

 * Sophie means 'wisdom'.
 * Some of her genes were modeled after those of alicorns, which is most likely why she has brown eyes and can track thoughts to their exact locations. She can also teleport.
 * She has such strong emotions that they can be felt by some empaths without contact
 * She is the only elf who can teleport, quite possibly another side effect of her alicorn modeled genes.
 * She has manifested five abilities; she is a Telepath, Polygot, Inflictor, Teleporter, and Enhancer, although more are hinted at.
 * Agnes McWeenie is the original name Shannon Messenger gave to Sophie Foster. She said she originally wanted the name to sound dorky. She has stated this at many of her book signings.
 * Sophie's foster family (the Foster/Freeman family) had two pets before they were relocated: Marty (a cat) and Watson (a dog).

Quotes

 * "Fine. I'm an elf. Am I supposed to help Frodo destroy the ring and save Middle Earth? Or do I have to make toys in the North Pole?" Sophie Foster, Keeper of the Lost Cities
 * "I'd rather be punished for making the right decision than live with the guilt of making the wrong one for the rest of my life." Sophie Foster, Keeper of the Lost Cities

Character Bio by Shannon Messenger
Sophie is the main character of the Keeper of the Lost Cities series—a girl caught between two worlds, struggling to fit in and still live up to the complicated role she was created for. Her numerous abilities are shockingly powerful—especially for someone her age—and she tends to see things differently than everyone else, in large part because of her human upbringing. She’s also fierce and brave and never backs down from what she believes is right. And while she may have been an outcast among humans, in the Lost Cities she’s surrounded by friends and family—which is good because she also has some incredibly powerful enemies and needs all the help she can get.

Sophie Elizabeth Foster