48. SOPHIE
Sophie was a ball of anxiety, spending the entire day in her villa turning thought over thought. Who knew time flew when you were on the verge of a panic attack?
Sophie fiddled with the heartfelt letter she’d written for Ash as she waited on a white chaise in her villa.
I’m fine. It’s fine. I’m fine . . . right?
She felt fine. Mostly. Though her palms were sweating, her knees were weak, and she felt like she had a freaking furball stuck in her throat.
A knock rapped on her door, pulling her from the spiralling clutches of her own thoughts.
She quickly pocketed Ash’s letter into her free-flowing pants. The ones Ash wore not a few days ago when he decided to shrink her.
Sophie bolted for the door and pulled it open. The cool evening air rushed into her villa. Her sunshine-kissed mother stood there in all her goddess glory.
“Mum.” Sophie breathed in her mother’s fresh strawberry scent and pulled her into a tight hug.
“How are you feeling?” Danna said, pulling back from Sophie’s embrace. Her silver hair was pulled into a loose braid, and she wore a long, white linen sundress.
Sophie moved through the front door and pulled it closed behind her, linking her arm with her mother’s. “Somewhere between vomiting and elation.” Sophie laughed nervously.
“I’m sure it’ll be quick,” Danna assured.
“Oh, had your memories wiped for the better part of your life, have you?” Sophie quipped. She knew it probably twisted the knife a little when it came to her mother’s guilt, but hey, Sophie was hurting too.
Danna clicked her tongue as she let go of Sophie to pull herself up onto Spirit, the pearl-coated arion. Sophie followed suit, swinging her leg over the mythical horse.
Danna clicked her tongue sharply, leaping them into the air. She waited until they soared gently across the Isle of Deos.
“Listen, Sophie.” Danna leaned back slightly. “I’m truly sorry. I know what I did wasn’t right.” She swallowed deeply. “At the time, I thought I was protecting you, but I can see how my actions have impacted you. I hope that one day you’ll forgive me, Sophie. Just don’t shut me out, okay?” Danna looked back over her shoulder to Sophie.
The words her mother spoke patched up a tiny part of her heart, but were they enough? Only time would tell, but one thing was certain. She would never shut her mother out. “I won’t. I promise,” Sophie said softly, leaning her chin onto her mother’s shoulder. They flew across the Isle in comfortable silence.
The Stagnum De Memoria.
The Pool of Memory, as Danna had called it, was situated on the edge of the Isle. To access it, one had to work through a hedge maze but once you got through . . . Sophie was left utterly breathless.
Eight gargantuan marble columns stood tall behind a deep pool. They lined up to create a crescent shape that hugged the edges of the bioluminescent water. The stars shone brightly above, making the water itself glitter. Beyond the columns lay the edge of the Isle. Nothing but pure, night sky.
Four beings, with the skin of marble, stood along the grassed path to the pool. They had elongated elf ears, their eyes were all milky white and they wore golden chains that clinked and sashayed as they moved to greet Sophie and Danna.
“Welcome,” one of them said in a soft, monotone voice.
The rest said nothing. They wordlessly handed Sophie a white dress similar to theirs. The four mysterious beings looked to Danna with expectation.
“I’ll see you outside when you’re done.” Danna smiled sweetly at Sophie, pointing to the other side of the hedge maze. “Good luck,” she said, before swiftly moving back to where they’d come from.
The four beings before Sophie remained silent as they reached out to grab a hold of Sophie’s hands and arms.
They ushered her behind a hedge with the white dress in her hands. Sophie obeyed, quietly moving behind the hedge to find a mirror. Her skin was numb, and her head felt like it had been shoved into a glass bowl. She was moving, she was breathing, but she felt like she was barely there. Sophie mindlessly shed the pants and top she wore and slipped into the dress the beings had given her.
The white dress was stark against her tanned skin. She looked at herself in the mirror. She was taller than she was over a year ago. Wiser than she was. More whole. More at peace. The last missing piece to the puzzle to who she was, was just within reach. Half goddess. Fae. Human. Sure, she was all these things but deep down she was merely Sophie – a girl from Melbourne who loved her books, her friends and her family.
Sophie sighed, nervous for what was about to unveil itself.
She moved quickly out of the hedges, back to where the four white-marbled beings were waiting for her. The one that spoke guided her to the edge of the glowing pool, while the others moved reverently around it. Fountains, carved into celestial figures like the moon, the sun and the stars, spurted the luminescent water into the crescent pool. Flower petals of blue, white and purple floated serenely on the water’s surface. A soft, harp-filled melody echoed through the air, calming Sophie’s furiously beating heart.
“The Stagnum De Memoria will bring to light what has been locked away,” the being said.
Sophie swallowed, finding her throat a touch dry. “Will it hurt?”
“Physically? No.”
“How long will it take?” Sophie now stood on the edge of the pool. Small incremental steps led down to the depths of the water.
“As long as you need.”
The being that spoke left Sophie’s side to join the others, standing directly across from Sophie.
“We will begin our song for the moon and when you are ready, submerge yourself in the water. Float on your back and close your eyes.”
And so they began to sing. Their four angel-like voices melded together in an entrancing hymn. A song for the moon, they said.
Sophie let out a shaky breath.
This is it.
She dipped her toe into the edge of the pool. The water was piercing cold and where it rippled, the water glowed brighter.
The haunting hymn continued.
Slowly, Sophie descended into the water. Chills ran across her arms and through her entire body. She hoped to the Fates that she was doing the right thing here and that this blessed pool would give her the answers she desperately needed.
When the water reached her neck, Sophie leaned back as instructed and floated among the flowers, their fragrance spilling into her nostrils and their soft petals caressing her skin. The voices of the four beings amplified into the water as her ears filled. Their calming tones eased the fire that surged through her veins.
Sophie’s eyes fluttered closed, heavy with the burden of a past unknown. A high-pitched chime sounded through the water, to crescendo in her ears. And where the glow of the water around her seeped into the skin of her eyelids, darkness claimed them and guttered them out.
The hymn of the four beings ceased, and suddenly, Sophie was all alone.
Sophie’s eyes opened to a soft, kind voice. Riviera’s. The memory was clear and crisp as if Sophie were really there.
“When you put these together like this”—Riviera showed how the sleeping sun pierced the centre of the flaming heart, unlocking with a small click—“you’ll find this.” She fished out the fragment of multicoloured stone. Streaks of emerald, ruby, amethyst and citrine swirled throughout it. Sophie could feel her young self marvel at the shining stone as she sat next to a younger Ash. Sophie’s heart squeezed. He was so much clearer now. Gone were his hazy edges.
Riviera placed the fragment back into the flaming-heart necklace. “And when you’re old enough, you will wield the power hidden inside. Together.” Riviera placed the flaming heart necklace over Sophie’s neck and then moved to place the sleeping sun necklace over Ash’s.
“It’s the key to Father’s power, isn’t it, Mama?” Ash asked, his little face screwed into worry.
Riviera gently brushed the dark hair off his face. “That’s right.”
“But doesn’t your father need it? He’s the king. Kings are super powerful,” Sophie pointed out.
Riviera smiled sadly and knelt in front of them. Her long dark hair spilled over her shoulder. She cleared her throat. “When someone has that much power, bad people often try to take it.”
“But we can make the bad people go away right, Mama?” Ash asked, a little urgently.
“You’re right. We need to make sure we don’t ever let the bad people take your father’s power, so we put it in something like this.” Riviera touched the necklaces that lay on each of their chests. “A part of the power lies safe and hidden. While the other part is kept in Sofreya’s necklace.” She turned to put a hand on Ash’s shoulder. “And the key to the missing part is your necklace, Acki.” Riviera leaned back on her haunches. “This way, the only people that can get to it, are you two. Our beloved heir”—she squeezed Ash’s cheek—“and our little princess.” She turned to caress Sophie’s cheek.
Sophie leaned into the warm touch. A mother’s touch.
“We promise to take care of these with our lives, Mama.”
Sophie nodded feverishly.
“Good.” Riviera stood up, sighed heavily, then put her hands on her hips. “How do you both feel about going on an adventure?”
“Now?” Sophie beamed.
Riviera nodded.
“Yes!” Ash and Sophie shouted.
“Well, you better be quick then!” Riviera teased as she ran out the front door.
Sophie and Ash ran after her in a flurry of giggles.
Sophie dashed down the few steps to the cottage, the summer heat thick in the air. She waited as Ash turned to lock the front door. She knew that front door. She’d been here before. Not in her memories but more recently.
Sophie almost gagged as she figured out where this memory had brought her. To Kaine’s cottage.
Ash turned to smile at her, grabbing her hand as he rushed past. Sophie could feel her little self absolutely giddy with joy. They ran into the Summeiran forest without a care as the memory faded along the edges and Sophie found herself floating in the empty darkness again.
Her chest ached and tears were on the verge of spilling as another memory glittered into view.
Her throat was raw as she was wrenched into the arms of her mother. “Sophie, stop, we need to go.”
She knew this memory. She’d seen it before, except there was sound here.
“We need to take Acki! We need to take him with us!” Sophie screamed and kicked. Her heart ached painfully as the distance between herself and her best friend grew.
“Sophie, stop.” Sophie was abruptly put back onto the ground. Her mother wrapped a blanket tightly around her. “Listen, Sophie. Acheron is going to a safe place. He will be okay and maybe one day you will see each other again. He will be safe, Sophie. I know it hurts, but we need to get onto the boat. Can you do that for Mummy?” Danna said.
Sophie nodded wearily, trying to stifle her sobs.
She looked back to her best friend again, he was screaming and running for her but Sophie’s father, Lou, held him back. Sophie could just hear Ash’s words.
“Come back, Sofreya! Come BACK!” he screamed with all his might as he was wrenched away.
She needed to touch his hand one more time. Just so she wouldn’t forget. Just one more time. Sophie ran for Acheron across the grassy knoll, but strong hands lifted her away. The memory faded back into darkness.
The memories that the Pool of Memory unlocked seemed to hasten, crashing into each other like a chaotic sea storm.
Sophie opened her eyes again to find herself at Flinders Street Station in Melbourne. It was dark and the train platforms were crowded. Everyone was wearing coloured football scarves as their warm breaths billowed out into the cold. Sophie stood with her mother, waiting for a train. She was still much shorter than her mother, perhaps ten years old.
In the distance, down in the depths of a train tunnel, Sophie spotted something glowing and purple. It was only for a second, but Sophie saw it flicker twice. She scrunched her eyes and tried to focus.
There it was again.
“Hey Mum,” Sophie said, tugging on her mother’s hand, “do you see that purple glowing light?” Sophie pointed down the tunnel.
Danna leaned down to try and spot what Sophie was pointing at. She hummed. “Hmm, I don’t see anything, honey.”
The purple light sparkled again.
“There! Did you see that one?” Sophie turned to face her mother.
Danna moved down to Sophie’s level and brushed a hand across Sophie’s forehead. The faintest glow danced into Sophie’s vision. “It must be some railway workers fixing something. What do you think?”
A pang of confusion shot through Sophie. “Yeah . . . it must be.” Sophie looked back down the tunnel and found darkness.
The memory faded out.
Holy shit.
She’d seen the portal to Faery when she was just ten and her mother withdrew it from her memories.
Before she could even begin to digest the memory, another memory danced into Sophie’s periphery.
Sophie was standing in her childhood home kitchen in Melbourne. The sound of cicadas barrelled into the room on a hot summer’s day.
Her father . . . who wasn’t her father, propped down to her level. The greying ringlets of hair bounced down to frame his face. His features were much sharper than she had remembered. He had a tattoo on his neck that looked like small claw marks. Sophie hadn’t remembered that either.
“Stay safe, kiddo,” he muttered sadly as he mussed her hair before turning to exit the kitchen through the security door.
It clanged to a close.
Sophie looked to Danna with an emptiness so profound. Danna looked defeated, her silver hair tied into a messy bun and her tear-stained cheeks bright red. She didn’t say anything. She didn’t explain anything. She just turned and walked down the hallway.
As darkness pulled the memory away, Sophie could feel the deep ache of her throat as tears spilled from her own eyes.
And when she opened her eyes, she was dressed in her high school uniform, waiting in front of the principal’s office. She could just overhear what her mother and the principal were saying.
“I’m so sorry, Mrs Gilfeather, she’s just a teenager you know,” Danna said apologetically.
“Teenager, sure, but this level of aggression is borderline criminal. She burned the girl’s hair to a crisp. We do not allow lighters or flammable substances at school.” Mrs Gilfeather’s voice was high and shrilly.
“Then what’s your policy around bullying? Is the other girl going to get punished for this?”
“That’s not something I can discuss with you, Mrs Taliesin. I’m sure you can understand.”
“Fine,” Danna said firmly. The sound of a chair screeching backward spilled into the waiting room. Sophie could hear her mother’s stomps as she almost pulled the principal’s office door apart.
Sophie stood as her mother stormed toward her. She hadn’t ever seen her mother this angry before.
“I’m so sorry, Mum. I don’t know what happened. She called me an alien because of my eyes and then kept saying how Dad left because I was an ugly alien. I just got so angry. The next thing I know . . .”
Danna grabbed Sophie’s wrist, pulling her out of the hallway. “It’s not your fault, honey. Trust me.”
The memory sucked away from her vision and was instantly replaced with another.
She was at Flinders Street Station again.
“See you later guys!” Sophie’s voice was obnoxiously loud, given how late it was in the night. She stepped back into the train, holding on to one of the handles for dear life. She stuck her head out as her friends waved her goodbye.
“Happy eighteenth, bitch!” they shouted over the various beeps and announcements at the train station.
Sophie laughed to herself before taking a seat and popping on her headphones. She leaned against the glass window, drumming her fingers to her current favourite song. She was slightly inebriated. Slightly? No. Completely inebriated.
Getting lost in the music, she drummed and sang away, with no one else in the carriage to judge her. When she opened her eyes again, a flash of a sky with green-and-blue swirling lights danced in her vision.
What was that?