Board Thread:Short Stories and Fanfictions/@comment-73.158.79.161-20200130045309/@comment-73.158.79.161-20200201024332

Two

"So you were going to do what?"

Sophie looked up from her perch on the bed and nodded sheepishly. Mr. Forkle glared at her. And then he said, "You can go."

Sophie's head shot up so fast, her head cracked. She winced, rubbing her neck. "I can?" she asked with glee. "And you're not changing the groups or anything?"

"I insist I go," Mr. Forkle said smoothly.

"And me," said Blur.

"And me!" everyone else shouted.

"Why would you go?" Sophie asked instead, giving Mr. Forkle a look. He mumbled something.

"All right," Mr. Forkle gave in. "You may go with your original group. No objections Mr. Dizznee, or from you, Miss Heks and Mr. Endel," he cut in when he saw the rest of Team Valliant open their mouths.

"I'm not agreeing to this," Grady grumbled as he wrapped his arms around Sophie. But he kissed the top of her head anyways, and Edailne hugged Sophie as well. Sophie grinned in her smushed embrace, sandwiched inbetween her parents.

"Don't get caught, okay?" Edaline said, nervously peeking over her shoulder.

"I won't," Sophie promised. "Let's go."



At night, the Seat of Eminence was seriously eerie.

"The vault is here?" Sophie whispered softly as the vanish spread across her and Oraile.

"The place you'd least expect it to be," Oraile said softly. "There's a place in each of our rooms; a trapdoor to go down to the vaults, which are underground. But there are always a few Councillors double-checking the vaults. We need to be careful."

Sophie held her breath and counted to twenty as Oraile fiddled with the lock on her bright pink door. Thankfully, no patrols came. The colored doors swung open to reveal Oraile's extra pink room. Biana let out a soft squeal, then pinched herself. Sophie bit her lip. She hoped no one had heard.

She returned her eyes to Oraile, who was shifting aside the pink poofs and pushing the armchairs out of the way, feeling on the floor. Her eyes sparkled as she hit the target, pulling up a chunk of the floor and popping herself in. Sophie and Biana followed, and their invisibility was stopped for a moment- though Biana was still vanished.

"I don't need to be vanished at this part- but I can't be seen when I open the vault, because that specific locker is forbidden to open," Oraile mumbled out of the corner of her mouth. They began walking down the hallway- Biana and Sophie's feet making soft patters, and Oraile's jeweled shoes clinking.

Thump, thump.

"Good evening, Councillor Oraile."

Oraile spun around to face Councillor Alina, dressed in a green gown with emerald slippers and a matching circlet. Sophie sucked in a breath before clamping a hand over Biana's open mouth. She crossed her fingers as Oraile tried to morph her panicked face to a serene smile.

"Good evening, Councillor Alina. I didn't see you there."

"Of course." Alina smiled sarcastically, her red lips stretching into a too-wide smile.

Oraile ground her teeth as Sophie pinched her. They were running out of time; Oraile had said the locking of the towers would be at twelve- that included the vaults. But they couldn't come earlier, because there would be too many Councillors wandering in the vault area.

"May I ask... why you are here?" Oraile said through clenched teeth.

"Oh, you know." Alina smiled a simpering smile. "Checking things around."

"What do we do?" Sophie whispered as the Councillors talked.

"I'll distract her," Biana said softly.

"I can't stay vanished," Sophie reminded her.

"That's why I brought this. A precaution." Biana brought out an Obscurer. "Take it."

Before she could give it to Sophie, Sophie murmered, "Meet us back here. We'll go get the ingredients." Biana nodded, pressing it into Sophie's hand before darting off. Sophie felt the vanish slipping off her. She clutched the obscurer tightly, thanking god that Alina couldn't see her. After a moment, she heard clunks further down the hallway, in the opposite direction from where they were headed.

"What was that?" Alina whipped around. She gave Oraile a withering smile, before racing off in that direction.

"Sophie?" Oraile said quietly.

"I'm here; Biana's distracting Alina. Should we wait for her?"

"Once we get the components."

They raced down the opposite direction from Biana and Alina, crossing paths until they reached a bright red vault. Oraile held out a pink crystal around her neck to the screen next to the locked door. The red changed to green, and Oraile and Sophie ducked inside through the door that had just opened.

Resting on a short black column, was a piece of paper.

The components.

"Let's go!" Oraile hissed as they sprinted out of the vault. Oraile held her pendant to the screen, changing the vault into red again. The door shut softly.

They raced to Oraile's room's trapdoor, distingushing the ladder by its bright pink color. Biana was there, flashing from view to out of view. Sophie handed her the Obscurer, and Biana gripped hands with both of them. They hurried up the ladder, out of Oraile's room, dashing out of the Seat of Eminence.

Oraile raised a crystal to the light. They could hear Alina's shouts, and her heels clinking on the smooth floor.

Then they stepped into the path of light just as the entrance door creaked, the glittery rush whisking the three away.

-ZeSnarkyMoonlarks ​​​​​​ ​​​​​