Sophie fidgeted nervously with the key around her neck as she sat on her couch, waiting for her friends to arrive.
She had called them over because she thought it would be best if they opened the box together.
After Katherine had given the box to Sophie, she said how they were still keeping Nick's dead body for evidence. They needed to still run some tests and stuff before they decided what to do with his body.
Sophie had also brought up to Katherine about how Alvar was in prison when he shouldn't be.
Sophie then had to explain the whole Wylie and Alvar situation so hopefully Alvar would be released soon. Sophie then realized how long Alvar was in prison for and how it must feel to be in there when he was innocent.
Luckily Sophie could tell the police the truth now since the Neverseen were already defeated and Wylie didn't have to worry anymore.
Defeated...
Sophie bit her lip and kept telling herself that they were defeated once and for all...
Sophie then heard a knock at her door. Sophie quickly glanced at the box that was sitting on the table in front of her.
Sophie then got up and went to see that it was Keefe who had showed up earlier.
"Hey Keefe," Sophie said, letting him in.
"Hey Foster," Keefe greeted, shutting the door behind him.
Sophie then hid her face behind her hair as she started to walk away.
"Woah," Keefe said, grabbing Sophie's shoulder and turning her around.
"What?" Sophie asked dryly.
Keefe then tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear to keep it from covering her face as he said, "you don't look so good."
Sophie rolled her eyes. "Jeez thanks."
"I'm guessing you aren't holding up well?" Keefe said, both of them plopping onto her couch.
"Not really," Sophie grumbled.
Keefe seemed to wait for her to continue but she didn't.
He then noticed the box and said, "so that's it? What we've been waiting for all this time?"
"I guess. Katherine said she found it in one of Ken's bags," Sophie explained, gesturing to the box.
"It's seems unreal," Keefe breathed.
"I know right. It's like we spent so many months fighting the Neverseen off, going through pain, and so much more trouble and then finally...we're here. It's crazy," Sophie mumbled.
"So what do you think the box has in it?" Keefe asked.
Sophie shrugged. "Maybe part of my parent's project?"
The doorbell then rang again.
"Excuse me," Sophie said as she got up. "Keefe, you can grab some chips or something to snack on," she called to Keefe as she got to the door.
Sophie then opened it to see that it was Fitz. "Hello Fitz," Sophie said, noticing that Fitz had dark circles under his eyes.
"Hi," Fitz said, walking in.
Sophie then narrowed her eyes. "Um why isn't Biana with you?"
Fitz then gave her a long stare and then bickered, "she's with Stina."
"Stina? Why?" Sophie questioned.
Fitz then rolled his eyes as he plopped onto the couch and ran a hand through his messy hair.
"Um Fitz what's going on?" Sophie asked, sitting next to him.
"Stina, that's what," Fitz grumbled.
"What about her?" Sophie asked.
"It's complicated. She just reached
out—well we just got in a fight. And then she went to Biana for help," Fitz explained.
"Why Biana?" Sophie asked.
"I don't know!" Fitz exclaimed.
Hmm the only thing that Biana was really good at helping with was relationships and boy problems...
Unless that's it.
"Maybe there's a misunderstanding. Maybe you and Stina need to sort...um some things out," Sophie said, remembering what Stina told Sophie about her and Fitz's history.
"Trust me, there's nothing to sort out," Fitz bickered.
"You sure? Maybe she was just in a mood because of the whole...N-Nick thing," Sophie mumbled, holding back her tears. "After all, he was her step brother," she added.
"I don't know, maybe. But I'm not speaking with her," Fitz said. He then looked at Sophie and gave her a strange look.
A familiar look—
"Um—"
"Am I interrupting something?" Keefe asked, interrupting Sophie as he snacked on a bag of Cheetos.
"Yes," Fitz said, the same time Sophie said, "no."
Sophie and Fitz then awkwardly looked at each other.
Luckily the doorbell rang again!
Sophie then opened it up to reveal the rest of the friends: Biana, Stina, Dex, Marella, Linh, Wylie, and Tam
"Hello guys," Sophie greeted as she let them in.
They all eagerly ran the sit on the couch. However, Stina looked like she was in a really bad mood and sat on the complete opposite side of the couch as Fitz.
Awkward.
"Alright guys, as you know, I spoke with Katherine. She handed me over the box we've been waiting to open all this time. This time...it's shouldn't be fake," Sophie announced, grabbing the box and holding it up.
Everyone then gasped eagerly.
"Biana and Fitz, I also informed Katherine about Alvar and she said that he should be out of prison soon," Sophie added.
Biana and Fitz then looked at each other in shock.
"Now, given all the people that got hurt because of me and had their lives partially ruined...I'm sorry. Which is why, you guys can stop helping me and do your own thing. Thank you guys for all your help—I appreciated it—but now that the Neverseen are defeated, you don't have to help me anymore," Sophie said.
Biana jumped up. "Are you kidding me?! There's no way we are backing out now! We still want to know the secrets behind your parents and everything else!" Everyone then nodded in agreement.
Sophie then nodded slowly and decided that it was fair enough.
Besides...the Neverseen can't hurt them anymore...
"Alright, lets just take a moment to—"
"Just shut up and open the box!" Stina exclaimed.
Sophie then blew out a breath. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry, it's just too crazy."
Sophie then slowly pulled the key off from around her neck and brought the box closer to her, the keyhole facing her.
Sophie then blew out a breath as she stuck the key inside the keyhole. "Everyone ready?" Sophie asked.
"YES!" Everyone yelled.
"Okay, okay," Sophie mumbled as she slowly turned the key and heard a satisfying click.
Slowly then took a deep breath again as she took the key out and placed it down. She then gripped the hard wooden box and started to slowly lift the lid.
Sophie then gasped when she looked inside and saw...
A slip of paper.
Sophie then reached for the paper, her hands shaking.
Sophie grabbed it and on the front it read:
Our dearest Sophie. We hope this lands in your hands and you're getting closer. Stay smart and strong.
Sophie realized that that was her biological mom's handwriting.
Sophie then quickly flipped the paper over to reveal a random list of numbers and variables:
(~r3(@€(3r
Sophie blinked and reread the random numbers.
What the heck were these for?
"What is it?" Dex asked.
Sophie then shook her head and said, "I don't know." She then passed the slip of paper around to everyone so that they could see it.
Everyone then seemed to be just as clueless except when it got to Keefe. He stared intently at it and eventually jumped up and exclaimed, "I know what it's for!"
"What is it for?" Sophie asked.
"It's the password to the file we found that day in the warehouse!" Keefe exclaimed.
"Omg! You're right! That file has all the information on my parents' project! We must unlock the file now! Let's go!" Sophie exclaimed already jumping up and going to get her phone.
"Wait now?" Tan asked.
"Yes now! Let's goooooo!" Sophie exclaimed.
"Alright, I guess it's better now than later," Wylie said.
Sophie then sent a quick text message to Grady about where she was going since Edaline had left the house for work before the friends came.
"Let's go," Sophie exclaimed, running out the door.
***
"Jeez! This place is even creepier than the last time we came here!" Keefe exclaimed. Sophie nodded in agreement as all the friends slowly walked into the warehouse after trying to find it for about an hour.
The warehouse seemed a lot darker and just had a scarier vibe to it.
As if someone was watching.
Sophie then said, "alright let's just go straight to the lab room where the computer with the files was. We can't waste much time."
Sophie then started to make her way in the direction she remembered from last time but it was a bit difficult. For some reason, the place was a lot messier and things were all over the ground.
As if someone was here or had come here...
"Um I don't think I remember all this stuff being knocked down," Tam said, gesturing to a pile of boxes and papers and cans on the ground.
"Same...maybe it was just an...animal," Sophie reasoned.
But when Sophie got closer to the lab room, she saw footprints made out in the dust on the ground. But they looked a few days old.
"I think the Neverseen came here before they got arrested," Sophie mumbled. Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Maybe they were looking for something?" Linh guessed.
"Maybe the same thing we were looking for last time," Sophie guessed.
But really it could be anything.
"This stuff is super cool though!" Dex exclaimed as he wheeled all over the place in his wheel chair.
"Like look at this!" Dex exclaimed as he picked a bottle off the ground.
"This bottle says 'Taste Paste,'" Dex said as he examined it. He then flipped to the back and read, "this paste will make you taste anything you desire for a whole day with a simple few customized drops."
Sophie then looked at it and shrugged. "Maybe this was a small invention my parents made."
Pretty cool.
"Oooo! Check out this one! This one is called 'Sturbo.' It gives you lots of energy and can make you go super fast," Dex read.
"Ooo I want some of that!" Marella exclaimed, grabbing the bottle and drinking some. "Wow I feel so refreshed now."
Marella then sprinted faster than she ever had before to the other side of the warehouse. "Cool!" She shouted.
"Oooo! This is probably my favorite!" Biana exclaimed, picking one off of the ground. "This is called 'Slick Trick.'"
"What does it do?" Sophie asked.
"It says it can change your appearance by using customized drops. Basically you can look like a whole different person—or even look like a person you know!" Biana explained. "Maybe I can use it to look like a famous model or movie star!"
Sophie rolled her eyes.
Typical Biana.
Sophie then noticed the door to the lab up ahead. "There it is guys!" Sophie exclaimed, dashing over to the lab.
She then opened the door up and ran to the computer she used last time.
She frowned when she saw that it was turned on.
Had the Neverseen come and tried to figure out the password too?
Sophie then laughed to herself.
Haha! They were too slow and late! Sophie already got the password before them!
Sophie's friends then came up behind her as she clicked on the files.
She then clicked on the file that was named of the huge project her biological parents made.
Immediately, the password bar showed up and Sophie eagerly typed in the password on the slip of paper.
Sophie then gulped as she clicked enter.
The computer then went blue as it started to process the password.
After a long and tortuous couple of minutes, the computer beeped and it read:
Password correct!
Sophie then smiled eagerly as she hit the "Next" button.
When she clicked it, Sophie frowned when another bar popped up and read:
You successfully got one password! Access the second password here in order to access to the full file.
A SECOND PASSWORD?