Legacy (Keeper of the Lost Cities #8) - Shannon Messenger Page 0,104

me for not being prepared or noticing what was going on until it was too late. So please stop taking that responsibility upon yourself, Miss Foster. You know the dangers that come with guilt.”

Sophie winced as her mind flashed to an image of Alden’s pale, lifeless face after his mind had shattered from his regrets over Prentice.

“You have nothing to feel guilty for,” Mr. Forkle assured her. “And I need you to start believing that, otherwise we can’t proceed any further—and you’re going to need the information in this memory for the decision you have ahead.”

“What decision?” Amy asked.

“One I can’t explain yet,” Mr. Forkle told her. “Not until your sister’s in a proper position to make it.”

“It’s a new power, though, right?” Sophie guessed, surprised at how calmly she could ask the question.

But it was the only explanation that made any sense.

In fact…

“I’m assuming I manifested another freakish ability that day and used the power to hurt Amy,” she admitted as the pieces of a nauseating theory snapped together. “So you and Livvy decided to reset my brain with limbium, and then discovered I was allergic to it and had to rush me to the hospital so the human doctors could save me. And then you took the memory away so I wouldn’t know what I was capable of and so Amy wouldn’t figure out that I wasn’t human. And now you’re going to make me relive it all so you can ask me to let you almost kill me again to turn that creepy ability back on.”

Stunned silence followed the outburst. And Sophie tried to use that shock to finally pull her wrist free from her sister’s death grip—but Amy held strong as she turned to Mr. Forkle and asked, “Is that what happened?”

“It’s… on the right track,” he admitted, causing Sophie’s queasiness to level up. “But it’s still wrong in several significant ways. So I urge you to keep an open mind, Miss Foster. I can tell that you think you already know what your decision will be once the choice is presented—but I assure you, it’s not as simple as you’re imagining—”

“Uh, it is if you’re going to do something that could kill her,” Amy interrupted, shaking Sophie’s arm until Sophie looked at her. “You’re not going to agree to that, are you?”

“She better not,” Sandor growled.

“And this is why I’m giving your memories back,” Mr. Forkle told them, “to avoid these kinds of hasty conclusions. For the record, no one will be asking anyone to put their life in serious danger, so can we please focus on what we’re here for?”

Sophie studied his face, searching for some clue to what was coming, but the ruckleberries made him impossible to read.

“Fine,” she said quietly. “But I still don’t agree with you dragging Amy into this. Haven’t we put her through enough?”

“You haven’t put me through anything,” Amy argued. “I mean it, Sophie. I’m never going to blame you for what happened.”

“Even if that’s true,” Sophie mumbled, torn between wanting to believe her and knowing how impossible it would be for Amy to keep that promise, “I’m sure this will end up being your most vivid memory of me—and I hate that, since it’s not like you have a lot of good ones to make up for it.”

“Uh, are you kidding?” Amy asked. “I have tons of good memories! Why do you think I fought so hard to keep them? And I don’t just mean the stuff in the Lost Cities—though the whole flying-with-an-alicorn thing is pretty hard to top. But there’s also this.” She pulled back the quilt on her bed, uncovering something white and fluffy.

“Is that Bun-Bun?” Sophie asked, feeling a tug in her chest when Amy held up the well-loved stuffed bunny.

Bun-Bun had been Amy’s version of Ella ever since Amy was four years old, and Sophie couldn’t believe her sister had been allowed to keep him through all the moves and identity changes. His shaggy fur wasn’t as white as it used to be, and he looked matted in a few places—but that made him more perfect, since it proved he was the real, original stuffed animal.

“Do you know why Bun-Bun’s my favorite?” Amy asked quietly, making his ears flop from side to side.

Sophie shrugged. “I figured you liked how soft he was.”

“Well, I do. But the real reason is because of you.” She held Bun-Bun closer to Sophie’s face and squeezed his neck to tilt his head a little, pitching her voice