Chapter 44

                                    

                                          
They all rushed to the front door, and Sophie felt her heart swell with hope as she swung the door open. A lush, green forest welcomed them, and birds chirped cheerfully but nothing else in sight. So how would they find the tracker? Well, they knew that one in the Collective would probably have it, though Mr. Forkle said he was coming back. Still, it hadn't been a full day yet. A few troubling seconds passed.

                          
"Where's the Leapmaster?" Tam asked, clearly the only one thinking straight.
                          
"I'm not sure," Sophie responded, relieved that there still could be a way for transport.
                          
"But aren't there any gnomes around?" Dex asked. "Or maybe not."
                          
"I don't think so," Sophie replied. "After all, it is an emergency hideout. Anyways, where would the Leapmaster be?" 
                          
"Uh - this place is really big," Biana said worriedly. "How will we ever find it in time?"
                          
"Let's split up," Linh suggested. "We'll cover ground way quicker."
                          
"Sure!" Biana agreed without hesitation. As did Tam. Though Sophie was a bit reluctant. The past treacherous events while being separated had caused her quite a bit of trauma. When she was only with Fitz and Grizel, Sandor, the Neverseen attacked severely. They had underestimated the Neverseen again. Where they thought they were safe, they were not. The walls blocking threats made an illusion. An illusion that the pretty world was safe. Not anymore. Sophie snapped her thoughts out of it before they became darker. 
                          
"Fine," Sophie's voice wobbled a bit, but she noticed that Fitz and Dex, looked as discouraged as her. Of course. Dex had gotten kidnapped with her in the caves. She should've expected that she wasn't the only one with horrors roaming her brain. She knew that Biana, Tam, and Linh probably had a bit of trauma as well, though maybe dealt with it differently. Biana was pretty fierce. She had taken two of the Neverseen members on herself. While Linh, Sophie wasn't going to lie, pretty underestimated. Linh could look delicate, but Linh also knew what was coming for her. Everybody else had gotten targeted already, anyways. While Tam... Did already have a surely and threatening demeanour. 
                          
"It's okay Sophie," Linh told her, sensing the unease that Sophie was feeling. "We can split into two groups." 
                          
Sophie nodded, feeling a bit better with the future. She didn't like not recognizing her surroundings. She had never gotten a chance to explore, like Mr. Forkle had told them to. Maybe that was the reason why he'd told them. He did know her pretty well.
                          
"Before we do -" Fitz raised his voice. "We should eat."
                          
"But how? We don't even know where the kitchen is?" Sophie protested, half using the reason to cover up her real intention. 
                          
"We're exploring," Linh reminded her. 
                          
"But if we find the kitchen we can regroup and call for breakfast," Biana added. Dex grinned, and suddenly a loud growl filled the room. 
                          
"Dex!" Biana mocked. "I think it's the gorgodon."
                          
"Sorry," Dex said, cheeks blushing profusely. "I'm hungry." Sophie felt her dark emotions lift as more jokes arose, like music to her ears. She missed the humour. Most of the time, Keefe had filled in the job, spreading jokes at every second. Now that he was gone... It felt like something was missing. Sophie smiled grimly. She hoped they could get Keefe back soon.
                          
"Anyways," Tam interrupted, a shadow crossing his eyes. "I call going to Linh's group." That was expected. Tam would do anything to protect his sister, and the past events had caused him to be even more paranoid. The thought reminded Sophie of her over-cautious bodyguard, Sandor. She missed him, more than she realized. He was in a safe place, though for some reason, she didn't want him because he would protect her, but she would feel better knowing that he was there beside her. As for the rest of the bodyguards.