Sophie Elizabeth Foster

Spoiler warning! This article contains plot details from Unlocked.

Sophie Elizabeth Foster
Art by Laura Hollingsworth
Gender	Female
Age	15, as of Legacy (Elf age) 14, as of Legacy (Human age)
Aliases	Listed in Nicknames below
Eye Color	Brown with Gold Flecks
Hair Color	Golden Blonde
Special Ability	Polyglot, Inflictor, Teleporter, Telepath, Enhancer
Foxfire Level	Four as of Legacy
Job	Black Swan member, a Level Four Student at Foxfire and a former Exillium student. As of Book 8: Legacy serves in the Nobility as a Regent.
Residence	Havenfield
Important Information	Had been raised by humans until Fitz found her in the Forbidden Cities in Keeper of the Lost Cities.

This article is part of a series about the Ruewen family

Living
Grady Howell Ruewen • Edaline Kelia Ruewen • Sophie Elizabeth Foster

Deceased
Jolie Lucine Ruewen

Residences
Havenfield

This article is part of a series about the Foster (Freeman) family

Current Members
William David Foster • Emma Iris Foster • Amy Rose Foster

Former Members
Sophie Elizabeth Foster

Pets
Watson • Marty

Sophie Elizabeth Foster is the protagonist in Keeper of the Lost Cities series. She is a member of the Black Swan and a regent for the Council on Team Valiant. Between her training with the Black Swan, bouts with the Neverseen, and missions for Team Valiant, she attends Foxfire Academy and lives with the Ruewens, her adoptive parents. She also searches out the truth about her past and purpose, which are shrouded in mystery – in particular, her biological father.

As part of Project Moonlark, the Black Swan genetically altered Sophie's DNA before birth, giving her powerful abilities. They then implanted her in a human to be raised as part of the Foster family. She lived in San Diego as part of this family for the first twelve years of her life. Grady and Edaline Ruewen adopted her when she first came to the Lost Cities in the first book, although she chose not to take Ruewen as her last name.

Sophie has attended Foxfire Academy, the only noble school in the Lost Cities, for levels two (Keeper of the Lost Cities), three (Exile, Everblaze, Lodestar, and Nightfall), and four (Flashback, Legacy). She temporarily attended Exillium in Neverseen with her friends after their banishment.

As of Legacy, she is 15 in Elvin years.

The name "Sophie," derived from "Sophía" (Σοφία) in Greek, means "wisdom." Sophie’s last name, “Foster,” is an occupational surname meaning “forest guardian.”

Appearance

Sophie Elizabeth Foster is described as very beautiful, though she disagrees. She has blonde hair that reaches just past her shoulders. Her eyes are a warm brown with flecks of gold, because of her alicorn modeled DNA. As of Exile, she has a star-shaped scar on the back of her right hand . She also gained small scars on the knuckles of her right hand in Flashback, and in Legacy, she gets a new scar on her leg.

Sophie doesn't enjoy wearing fancy clothes because she doesn't like the extra attention they bring her. After manifesting as an Enhancer, she starts dressing more like Biana to help camouflage the gloves she has to wear. Although she is given the option to not wear gloves at all in Flashback due to the fake nails Tinker, the Black Swan's Technopath, invents for her, Mr. Forkle recommended she keep wearing the gloves for extra safety measures.

Sophie also has a Wanderling, a remnant from her falsely assumed death in Keeper of the Lost Cities. It has star-shaped golden leaves that cover the branches and dark brown seedpods. It is a plain, basic tree with a pale trunk and no flowers or other colors. Sophie believed that it was because of her malfunctioning DNA. She also wears a charm bracelet with an elephant charm on it which was given to her by her adoptive parents, Grady and Edaline.

Gallery

Nicknames

• Superfreak
• Know-It-All
• Curvebuster
• Special Sophieflake
• Dorktionary
• Sophie Shell
• Mysterious Miss F
• Foster Fury
• Foster
• Miss I’ve-Almost-Exploded-the-School
• Ultimate Splotching Champion
• Girl Who Dropped Bronte on His Grumpy Butt
• Lady Lectures-a-lot
• Little Miss Heartbreaker
• The Foster of Many Floods
• Soybean
• Brave Moonlark
• Foster Grumpypants
• Captain Mood Swing
• Miss Foster
• Alexandra
• Blondie
• The Moonlark
• Moonlark
• Lady Fos-Boss
• Enigma
• Miss Go-Getter
• Lady Marshmallow Hands
• Miss Dramatic
• Lady Sophie the Reluctant
• Captain Sophie
• Master Sophie
• Foster the Great
• Lady Sophie the Great
• Lady Sophie
• Little Miss Negativity
• Lovely Lady Foster
• Girl Who Got Kicked Out of the Nobility
• The Droolmonster
• The Girl Who Was Taken
• The Adorable Queen of Obliviousness
• Miss I-Memorized-All-The-Stars

NOTE: The first few nicknames were given to her by her human peers before she met Fitz in Keeper of the Lost Cities. The majority of Sophie's nicknames were given to her by her friend Keefe Sencen.

Personality and Traits

Shy

Sophie is first depicted as a lonely and shy girl, a 12-year-old among high school seniors. She is shunned in the Forbidden Cities because she's incredibly intelligent and is often called a know-it-all because of this. As a result, she often wore dull colors in an attempt to blend in with the background. Even in the Lost Cities, too much attention makes her uncomfortable. 

Due to always hearing the negative thoughts of those around her growing up, and her low self-esteem, Sophie often presumes that others think poorly of her, even when it is clear that they don't. As such, she often has trouble discerning how people feel about her, whether that be about someone liking her as a friend or romantic feelings.

Protective

Sophie's most prominent traits are her protectiveness and willingness to help her friends, even if the situation is risky or dangerous. In Keeper of the Lost Cities demonstrated this when she nearly faded away while escaping the Neverseen because she wrapped all her concentration around Dex. She often attempts to stop her very insistent friends from risking their lives alongside her.

Secretive

As she has had to keep the secret and abnormalities of her Telepathy for her whole childhood, Sophie is very secretive and is hesitant to tell anyone about her personal problems. Because of this, she is often described as 'mysterious' by Keefe Sencen.

Determined

Sophie is also very determined, refusing to give up despite any situation. A prime example would be her constant attempts to contact Fitz in Keeper of the Lost Cities after the Neverseen kidnapped her, despite their threats. Her determination also causes her to be quite stubborn and sometimes hypocritical, especially when it comes to protecting her friends and loved ones.

Her determined nature also stems from her curiosity; though Sophie had a hard time accepting the fact that she was an elf, this did not deter her curiosity. She always wants to learn more about the Elvin world and gets frustrated when others can't or will not give her the information that she seeks.

Sophie's determination can also manifest itself in impulsivity, as she can often be reckless, especially when it comes to protecting her friends and family.

Emotional

Sophie often becomes emotional in stressful circumstances. She has a habit of tugging on her "itchy" eyelashes when she is nervous. She often cries when she's frustrated, usually on her friends' shoulders, and feels guilt easily. Sophie can get angry at others, especially when she is frustrated, a prime example being her argument with Oralie after finding out she was her biological mother. Sophie often doubts herself and sometimes needs reassurance to boost her self-confidence.

Feisty

Sophie also has a snarky side, often brought out during exasperation, anger, protectiveness (ex. Lord Cassius), or when she's annoyed or wants to be annoying (ex. Sandor). This is mentioned several times by bodyguards in Book 8: Legacy and Book 8.5: Unlocked when Sophie is described as becoming "more strong-willed" and "confident." This could possibly be due to a newfound coping mechanism, or as Lord Cassius Sencen said in Unlocked, the result of spending too much time with Keefe Sencen. Either way, Sophie seems to have developed a cocky and smart-aleck attitude since the beginning of the book series, which Grizel and Sandor seem to have mixed opinions about.

Abilities and Skills

Sophie, as of Book 8: Legacy, is a Telepath, Inflictor, Polyglot, Teleporter, and Enhancer (although the books hint that she might have more undiscovered abilities). She is most likely the most powerful known elf in the Lost Cities. Even though it is not a special ability, Sophie also has an incredibly powerful photographic memory.She can perform brain pushes, transforming mental energy into physical energy. She can also speak to animals telepathically, a skill that no other elf has accomplished.

• Telepath

Sophie has been able to read minds since she was five years old. Mr. Forkle, the leader of Project Moonlark, activated the ability when she was unconscious after hitting her head. Many consider her the most powerful Telepath in the Elvin world. She is able to communicate telepathically over incredible distances, even while injured and sedated. She is also the only elf who can safely enter and heal a broken mind. Sophie can also read the minds and hear the thoughts of animals, later teaching Fitz how to do this. She can use her abilities to pinpoint others' exact locations, which she first realized while playing a game of base quest at Everglen. Her Foxfire mentor is Tiergan, and before that, Mr. Forkle trained her mind while she was asleep. With the exception of Mr. Forkle, Sophie is able to read the mind of any Telepath regardless of their blocking. Only Mr. Forkle and Fitz Vacker can read her thoughts because they have a unique code that allows them to bypass Sophie's blocking subconsciously. Fitz transmits "It's me" (revealed in Flashback, Fitz short story), although Mr. Forkle's transmission is unknown. Fitz and Sophie are also cognates.

• Polyglot

Sophie showed signs of being a Polyglot while she was escaping her kidnappers in the first book. Mr. Forkle triggered the ability after rescuing them. She then spoke to an old man in French without realizing it, and Dex recognized that it was a different language. Alden told her that being a Polyglot would help her in Multispeciesial Studies, a Foxfire subject. This ability is the reason why she takes Linguistics, an Elite class, although she struggles with mimicking, an important skill in this class often quickly learned by other polyglots. Her Linguistics instructor is Lady Cadence.

• Inflictor

Normally, Inflictors can only inflict negative emotions, but since the Black Swan modeled her DNA off of Alicorn DNA, she can inflict positive emotions as well. She uses this skill to bring people's minds back from a mental break. The first time she used the ability (other than the time she inflicted on Amy) was when she made her kidnappers fall to the ground in pain in Keeper of the Lost Cities. She harnesses her built-up emotions by imagining them as thick strings that she keeps tied in a mental knot beneath her ribs. Her instructor is Councillor Bronte, who was previously the only registered Inflictor in the Elvin world before she also manifested as an Inflictor. In Legacy, after her abilities are reset, her inflicting ability becomes more powerful, allowing her to target the emotions towards specific people in a lightning-like pink and red beam.

• Photographic Memory

Sophie also has a photographic memory, which helped her excel academically in her human schools. She often projects these photographic memories into a memory log that Alden gave her, which keeps track of different moments for her to reference. This ability helps Sophie in classes such as The Universe, as she has the stars memorized. It also allows her to remember information the Black Swan planted in her mind while she was living in the human world.

• Teleporter

Acquired from the similarities to Alicorns in her genes, Sophie is able to teleport, the only known elf with this ability. When teleporting, Sophie must build momentum by either falling from a high place such as a cliff, by levitating and then dropping, or by entering the void through sprinting. The last method might be due to an exercise she does with Councillor Oralie or an observation made by Keefe when comparing Luna and Wynn’s teleportation to hers. After entering the void, she has to imagine the place she'd like to go to and she will fall through the sky and out of the void to it. However, 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 can enhance someone's energy and ability. Her body builds up energy in her fingertips and releases it through physical contact.

In Flashback, Tinker invents a gadget that can attach to Sophie's fingernails to block her Enhancing. 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; however, 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 in her genetic code because of the risk it presents. Sophie may have never manifested this ability if Mr. Forkle hadn't triggered it in Lodestar.

In Legacy, she resets her enhancing and inflicting abilities with another dose of limbium. They become much stronger than they were before and she needed to wear multiple pairs of gloves, along with her usual fingernail gadgets, so she didn't enhance anyone. After a freeing exercise with Councillor Oralie, she found that she was able to turn the enhancing on and off at her will.

History

This article is part of a series about Foxfire

Basic Information
Foxfire • Foxfire Entrance Exam

Campus
Healing Center • Gold Tower • Silver Tower • Hall of Illumination • Tutoring Center • Secret Mentors’ Cafeteria

Known Principals
Foxfire Principal Dame (now Councillor) Alina • Magnate Leto Kerlof

Book 1: Keeper of the Lost Cities

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 her human life behind and come to the Lost Cities. She goes to Foxfire, a school for elves, and makes several friends. She receives several notes from the Black Swan, and following them, bottles some fire as proof the fires in the human world were not natural. She gets kidnapped, along with Dex, after getting in a fight with several of her friends. She is drugged and unconscious for days, but eventually, Mr. Forkle rescues them, leaving them in Paris. From there, Sophie manifests new abilities, getting away from the Neverseen, and transmits to Fitz, who saves them with help.

Book 2: Exile

The first part of the book sees 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 Keeper of the Lost Cities. At the end she heals Alden's mind, discovering that she can accomplish this.

Book 3: Everblaze

Sophie becomes closer to the Black Swan in this book, having meetings with them. She discovers that Brant is her kidnapper and Jolie's murderer. The majority of Council turns against her after she tries to read the Ogre King's mind. She ends up with a Ability Restrictor which Dex had built not knowing it would be used on Sophie. Her friends went with the Black Swan to Mount Everest and she soon joined them. At the end of the book, she leaves with Dex, Biana, Fitz, and Keefe to go join the Black Swan.

Book 4: Neverseen

This article is part of a series about Exillium

Main Article and Affiliated Places
Exillium • Arch of Dividing • Healing Tent • Bosk Gorge • Neutral Territories

Hemispheres
Ambi Hemisphere • Left Hemisphere • Right Hemisphere

Skills Taught
Appetite Suppression • Blinking • Body Temperature Regulation • Breath Control • Darkness Vision • Levitating • Outward Channeling • Telekinesis

Staff
Coach Rohana • Coach Wilda • Coach Bora • The Boobrie Dude

Previous Attendees (Waywards)
Biana Vacker • Dex Dizznee • Fitz Vacker • Keefe Sencen • Linh Song • Ruy Ignis • Sophie Foster • Tam Song • Timkin Heks

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 that infects the gnomes. At her time at Exillium, she meets the twins, Tam and Linh. They also discover that Alvar is a member of the Neverseen and that Fintan is alive.

Book 5: Lodestar

In this book, Sophie and her friends return to theLost 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.

Book 6: Nightfall

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, go on the tough journey to gain back her family. They run into unimaginable beasts at the "second" Nightfall and a mysterious prisoner from Lumenaria.

Book 7: Flashback

In this book, Sophie is severely physically and mentally injured by the Neverseen using Shadowflux, gaining more bodyguards and having training sessions. Fitz and Sophie confess their feelings to each other. Silveny gives birth to twins, who unfortunately were born underdeveloped, but are saved by being incubated in a troll hive. The Vacker Legacy is revealed; Luzia and Empress Pernille had been hiding modified, super-intelligent troll newborns, who cause the death of Umber and kill many ogre soldiers. Lady Gisela forces Tam to join the Neverseen, much to Sophie's horror. Sophie decides to register for matchmaking for Fitz. She is, however, discovered to be unmatchable at the end of the book, because of her unknown genetics.

Book 8: Legacy

In this book, Sophie becomes a part of Team Valiant and a Regent. Mr. Forkle restores her other missing memory and Sophie resets her abilities, and her Inflicting and Enhancing become much stronger. Sophie, Keefe, and Fitz ambush Lady Gisela in Loamnore, but Tam escapes with Gisela. Sophie and Keefe take over Fitz's project to search Cassius's memories and are able to recover two shattered memories. The two also discover Alvar, who they allow to escape in exchange for information on Keefe's Legacy. Sophie wants to find out who her biological parents are; after discovering Oralie is her biological mother, she decides to stop searching. She and Fitz have a fight, and they break up. Following finding a note from the Neverseen to meet them in Loamnore, Sophie creates a new plan to take the Neverseen by surprise. Keefe is forced to complete his Legacy and is put into a coma so Sophie takes him to the Healing Center. Later, she and Fitz make up, but decide to remain just friends. Oralie promises to help Sophie recover the secrets in her cache, in hopes that they will help wake up Keefe.

Book 8.5: Unlocked

In this book, Sophie unlocks Oralie's cache. She talks with Keefe after he wakes up, and he tells Sophie to stay away from him because of his new ability. Sophie goes to Candleshade and talks with Fitz and Lord Cassius. They decide to meet with Glimmer the next day. She leads Fitz, Sophie, and Biana to the Neverseen's storehouse. Sophie collects Kenric's cache among with a few other items and sets a fire to the storehouse. When the group returns to Solreef, Sophie gets reprimanded by Tiergan and Grady and talks to Mr. Forkle.

Project Moonlark

“Sophie didn't want to be the answer to everything. But she wouldn't mind being the answer to something, after all the sacrifices she'd had to make.”

—Narration, in Legacy

Sophie was the result of an experiment called Project Moonlark conducted by the Black Swan. The goal of the project was to acquire a new perspective by having an elf grow up with humans and then come to the Lost Cities. Mr. Forkle monitored her closely during this time and even handpicked her human family. They designed her to have as many strengths and as few weaknesses as possible. This is why she has so many abilities. Project Moonlark was named by Calla the gnome.

The identity of her genetic parents was kept the secret from her for a long time, causing her to grow very frustrated with Mr. Forkle. Only in Book 8: Legacy was it revealed that Councillor Oralie is her biological mother. After this revelation, she stopped wondering who her biological father is. Her DNA is also modeled from Alicorn DNA, which is why she can teleport and communicate telepathically with Silveny, and probably why she has brown eyes.

There were a few mistakes that the Black Swan made. Her Inflicting and Enhancing abilities were malfunctioning, so she had to have them reset by drinking limbium, which she is severely allergic to and after she had the Limbium her inflicting ability was reset and successfully working.

Relationships

Match Status: Unmatchable

• HUMAN FAMILY

Sophie 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 was depressed for a short time. Her human father is William David Foster (Connor Freeman), her human mother is Emma Iris Foster (Kate Freeman), and her sister is Amy Rose Foster (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. 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 and 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 Nightfall, Amy came to live with Quinlin 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 the Forbidden Cities.

Amy and Sophie don't see each other again until Legacy when Mr. Forkle gives both of them a painful memory back. They try to spend time catching up, but are rushed along so they can finish before Amy's parents come back.

Fitz Vacker

• FITZ (cognate/close friend/former boyfriend/possible love interest)

Fitz and Sophie first met when he was sent on a mission to find her in the Forbidden Cities and bring her to the Lost Cities, and she has had a crush on him since then. Over time, the two of them grow to become close friends, relying on one another in near-death encounters. In Neverseen, they begin training to become Cognates. To do so, the two must put their trust in each other and share any secrets they previously kept to themselves. Fitz is also the only Telepath, besides Mr. Forkle, capable of reading Sophie’s mind. Sophie and Fitz are shown to have a close bond and can telepathically transmit to one another over vast distances.

In Flashback, Sophie and Fitz finally admit to their crushes on one another, but they decide to hold off on a relationship until Sophie is ready for one. Their relationship is semi-confirmed by Fitz in Legacy, however, the two soon break up over a disagreement. Later on, Fitz apologizes for how he has hurt Sophie, and they decide to remain as just friends, at least for the time being.

Keefe Sencen

• KEEFE (close friend/possible love interest)

Keefe and Sophie first met in the halls of Foxfire. Sophie was heading to the Healing Center and Keefe was ditching class. Since then, the two have been in detention together numerous times. Being an Empath, Keefe can feel Sophie's emotions much stronger than he can feel others', even when he is not in contact with her. Keefe enjoys teasing and jokingly flirting with Sophie at times, even proclaiming himself as "President of the Foster Fan Club."

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." When the two, along with their friends, run off to join the Black Swan, Keefe opens up to Sophie about his trauma and coping mechanisms, and the two become much closer. Sophie was the first and only person to see Keefe for who he actually is beneath all the jokes.

While staying at Alluveterre, Sophie was there for Keefe, helping him deal with the possibility of losing his mother. At the end of the book, Keefe gifted Sophie with a hand-painted beaded necklace he had originally made for his mother. Keefe joined the Neverseen after that.

Throughout Lodestar, Keefe and Sophie had telepathic check-ins every day where Keefe filled Sophie in on any important information regarding the Neverseen. She constantly pleaded with him to leave the organization, but he refused. At the end of the book, during the attack on Lumenaria, Keefe promised Sophie that he would always be there for her.

In the Barnes and Noble Special Edition Short Story of Nightfall, Keefe admitted that he had a crush on Sophie. Keefe tried to escape bed rest many times, and he even tried to escape just so he could know if Sophie was safe. He also vowed to always be there for her as a friend until she was "ready for more."

In Flashback, Keefe and Sophie grow closer prior to their bonding in the Healing Center where Sophie was admitted. Keefe's feelings towards Sophie was hinted many times.

Dex Dizznee

• DEX (best friend/adoptive cousin/first kiss/possible love interest)

Dex is Sophie's first and best friend, as stated in the books, although Biana also considers herself to be Sophie's best friend. Dex cares deeply about Sophie, and he often studies with her for their exams. He was with her when she was kidnapped and was also taken in the first book.

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 referred to Fitz as "Wonderboy." Although Sophie ignored his warning and later learned that Biana only became friends with her because Alden ordered her to, Dex supported her despite their previous argument.

In Exile, Sophie tried to talk to him privately about their kidnapping because 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 the gate to the Cliffside pasture, he came and helped despite his reluctance and fear. He was also with Sophie when they found Silveny, one of two Alicorns in the world at the time. 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 Keeper of the Lost Cities, his ability as a Technopath was revealed and Sophie comforted him about it, often reassuring him that it was a cool ability. In Book 3: Everblaze, he began working with the Council and building weapons. When Sophie had been issued a punishment for entering the ogre king's mind, he was ordered to make her an ability restrictor circlet. 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 Nightfall, Dex had modified crush cuffs that had his name on them to act as restrainers for her Enhancing. He admitted that he'd had the crush cuffs since the last year when he was too scared to give them to her at midterms; she assured him that it was very sweet. She kissed him to determine if either of them truly had feelings for each other. They did not and they departed as best friends. It confirmed that starting in the first book, Dex has liked Sophie as more than a friend.

As of Flashback, Sophie and Dex remain best friends, and Dex has even begun to joke about his previous crush on Sophie, proving that he has moved on.

Biana Vacker

• BIANA (close friend/possible love interest)

Biana disliked Sophie at first, but they eventually grew to be friends. 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. Biana occasionally lends Sophie clothes, always saying she looks good in them. She has used her Vanishing ability to go on secret missions with Sophie. In Legacy, Biana becomes part of Team Valiant with Sophie and is always ready to help Sophie in any way.

Tam Song

• TAM (friend/possible love interest)

Sophie and her friends first met Tam Song and his twin sister Linh in Neverseen, when they went to Exillium. When she first described him to her friends, she was initially the only person willing to trust him. Tam is a Shade, meaning he can manipulate shadows and darkness, read people's potential for darkness using a substance called shadowvapor, and may control shadowflux, even though he prefers not to practice it. He will not trust anyone until he has taken a said shadowvapor reading. Upon reading Sophie, he remarked that she has an equal amount of shadowvapor and illumination and that they cancel each other out.

Linh Song

Marella Redek

• LINH (friend/possible love interest)

Sophie and Linh have been friends since Sophie helped her in Exillium. They are very loyal to each other, as shown in Lodestar when Sophie defended the twins while they confronted their parents. She seems slightly jealous of the admiration Fitz has for 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 might flood something again, but in Nightfall she used her ability combined with Sophie's Enhancing in order to save Atlantis.

• MARELLA (friend/possible love interest)

Marella was one of Sophie’s first friends in the Lost Cities. She and Sophie became friends in 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 ability 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. No nicknames." However, in Nightfall, Marella was brought back because she manifested as a Pyrokinetic and joined the Black Swan to help Sophie get her human family back. In Flashback, Marella helped Sophie and her friends fight off the baby trolls with her powers.

Edaline Ruewen

• EDALINE (adoptive mother)

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 Keeper of the Lost Cities, but she eventually sees Sophie as her daughter. Edaline is very protective of Sophie and is overbearing at times to ensure her safety in Keeper of the Lost Cities. After Sophie discovered that she and Grady were cancelling her adoption, 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. Edaline is very supportive of Sophie's decisions and does her best to make sure Sophie is always comforted and safe. She also often can't help but eavesdrop on Sophie and Fitz's conversations and is always a shoulder for Sophie to cry on when times get rough.

Grady Ruewen

• GRADY (adoptive father)

Grady is fun, 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 Keeper of the Lost Cities, he welcomed her with open arms. Grady is a Mesmer and Sophie gets nervous when he uses his talent. He is very protective of Sophie, a prominent example being in Everblaze, where he went to the length of mesmerizing the Council into smacking their own faces, in an attempt to save Sophie from her punishment for reading the ogre king's mind. (Dex's Ability Restrictor).

• ORALIE (supporter/Councillor/biological mother)

Oralie is a Councillor who has constantly supported Sophie since Keeper of the Lost Cities. Oralie was the deciding vote when Sophie was applying for Foxfire. She supports the Black Swan and is sometimes consulted in their decisions. She has helped Sophie with numerous projects, from getting her a visit with Gethen to fixing Exillium. She is one of Sophie's Councillor contacts for Team Valliant. In Legacy, Oralie was revealed to be Sophie's biological mother just after helping Sophie "fix" her Enhancing. After Sophie learns this, she gets extremely angry at Oralie for lying to her and avoids her, refusing to even think of Oralie by her name. However, Oralie's cache contains a secret that might be the only way to save Keefe. At the end of Legacy, they agree to work together on opening it.

Alden Vacker

• ALDEN (friend/father figure)

Alden is Fitz and Biana's father. Sophie almost always goes to him with problems and concerns and clues about the Black Swan, but she has kept some things from him, like the Spyball (she was afraid he would confiscate it, taking 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 performed a 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 (creator/mentor/principal/father-figure)

Mr. Forkle

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). In Lodestar, Mr. Forkle died after being stabbed by Gethen in Lumenaria. Despite Sophie's protests, he said, "This is my swan song." He commanded 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 [his] moonlark." When Sophie discovered "Mr. Forkle's" identical twin, she assumed 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. He has confirmed that he officially has five identities as well.

• SILVENY (close friend)

Silveny

Silveny is one of the last known living Alicorns. She is a very fun, energetic, free-spirited, and kind soul, and sometimes she behaves as a motherly figure for Sophie. Sophie meets Silveny in Exile while looking for a runaway sasquatch, and Sophie uses her Telepathy to talk to Silveny and encourage Silveny to follow her. Silveny quickly learns to trust Sophie and they become very close friends. Silveny is always there for Sophie and even monitors her dreams sometimes when Sophie is having nightmares.

• TIERGAN (telepathy mentor)

Tiergan is very supportive of Sophie's Telepathy training. Despite his dislike for the Vacker family due to Prentice's memory 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, a leading member of the Black Swan's Collective.

• SANDOR (bodyguard/friend)

Sandor is a strong, stubborn goblin who was charged with taking care of Sophie after she was 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.

• CALLA (former friend and supporter) (Deceased)

Calla was a gnome and a member of the Black Swan and 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. Afterwards, 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 (friend/possible love interest)

  

  Jensi

Jensi was the first person 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 stopped hanging out with the main group eventually. Jensi was later seen at the training that the Exillium Coaches provided for every Lost City citizen, and he was in the Ambi Hemisphere with Sophie, Tam, and Linh.

• ELLA (comforting stuffed animal)

  

  Sophie and Ella

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 mentioned that her sister Amy has a similar favorite toy, a stuffed bunny named Bun-Bun.

• BRONTE (former frenemy/Councillor/Mentor)

Bronte seemed to hate Sophie throughout the first few books but later became nicer to Sophie and more supportive. He is her Inflicting Mentor. In Legacy, Sophie had though Bronte was her biological parent because inflicting was very rare and Bronte was the only other Inflictor. Bronte has very clearly denied this proposition. He is one of Sophie's Councillor contacts for Team Valliant.

• KENRIC (former friend/Councillor/supporter) (Deceased)

Kenric was another Councillor who has always been supportive of Sophie. He was also suspected to be Sophie’s biological father, and Mr. Forkle assured her that he was not. He was killed at Oblivimyre when Fintan ignited Everblaze to escape and stop Sophie from searching for his memories.

• ELWIN (physician/supporter/friend)

Elwin and Bullhorn

Elwin is Foxfire's healer and has saved Sophie's life multiple times. He also loves animal-themed clothing and stuffed animals, and he has frequently given Sophie's friends stuffed animals. Towards the end of Legacy, he comforts Sophie when she's feeling upset about what happened to Keefe.

Trivia

• The name “Sophie” means 'wisdom'.
• Some of her genes were modeled after those of Alicorns, which is most likely why she has brown eyes, teleport and can track thoughts to their exact locations.
• She is the only elf who can teleport, quite possibly another side effect of her Alicorn modeled genes.
• She has such strong emotions that they can be felt by some empaths without contact.
• She has manifested five abilities; she is a Telepath, Polyglot, Inflictor, Teleporter, and Enhancer, although more are hinted at.
• For a while, Shannon Messenger called Sophie Alexandra, which means "defender of mankind". Shannon originally believed that was what Sophie does, until realizing the name Sophie means "wisdom", which is what Sophie really does: gain wisdom and make everyone around her wiser.
• Agnes McWeenie was 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 has visited the Healing Center a written 27 times by the end of Nightfall
• The only items Sophie brought with her to the Lost Cities were Ella, her scrapbook, her iPod, some clothes, a watch, and the backpack that she carried it all in.

Quotes

“I never wanted to break the law, and I don’t plan on doing it again. But people were losing their houses. People were dying. I know they were humans, but I couldn’t sit back and let it happen. I’m sorry if that’s a crime.”

—Sophie Foster, in Book 1: Keeper of the Lost Cities

“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, in Book 1: 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, in Book 1: Keeper of the Lost Cities

“Let's go join the Black Swan!”

—Sophie Foster, in Book 3: Everblaze

“He’s not all bad. No one is. That’s what makes villains so scary. They’re not as different from us as we want them to be.”

—Sophie Foster, in Book 4: Neverseen

“What I'm trying to realise is it's okay to be different. If everyone were the same, we'd all make the same mistakes. Instead we face our own things, and that's not so bad because we have people who care about us to help us through.”

—Sophie Foster, in Book 4: Neverseen

“So... I'm learning to focus on the things I can control, like who I blame. And who I trust. And who I want by my side,-even if it means asking those people to risk their lives.”

—Sophie Foster, in Book 7: Flashback

“I'm tired of being weak.”

—Sophie Foster, in Book 7: Flashback

“Why do clothes never have enough pockets? There should always be lots of pockets... the more pockets, the better!”

—Sophie Foster, in Book 7: Flashback

“She was a girl with strange abilities and a different way of looking at the world. What she decided to do with these things was up to her.”

—Sophie Foster, in Book 7: Flashback

“But we think it's high time for people to see you as more than an experiment. More than a survivor. More than a girl left to fend for herself in a world where she didn't truly belong. You're a leader now, Miss Foster. Not a defenseless little bird. And you're part of a team, not struggling alone. So we wanted you to show our world—and your enemies—that you rule your pack, and have the claws and teeth to take anyone on.”

—Councillor Bronte to Sophie Foster about her, in Book 8: Legacy

“The powers buried deep inside her could save—or destroy—them all. Sophie finally discovers where her secret telepathic ability comes from when she learns she’s actually not human, but is from another world that exists side-by-side with ours.”

—Shannon Messenger, in the series website

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.