Nathan and Sophie stood on the tarmac of the airport next to Cole and Kavi, staring out into the distance. A pne was being loaded with some bags as they waited to board. Cole gnced over at them, smirking.

  "If the two of you even think of running off, I will have Kavi shoot you. I don't care what we've been told for our orders. I won't hesitate." He growled. Kavi frowned.

  "Well, I'll just hit you with the tranquilizers, I'm not about to kill someone against orders unlike this guy." She expined, nudging him with her shoulder. Cole grinned at her before turning away and walking to one of the attendants, discussing something about flying times with them. Kavi watched him go and sighed gently, cocking her head to one side. Nathan put his arm around Sophie and pulled her closer to him.

  "Listen. We're going to have to be very careful here. I don't trust these people one bit. I don’t care how they're acting now, they're vicious when they need to be and will kill anyone at any costs." Nathan growled. Kavi gnced back at him, her pale eye staring straight at him as it began to turn a pale purple.

  "Keep that attitude up and I'll tell her every detail about all the thoughts you've been having tely." Kavi mocked, a cold smile growing across her face. Nathan shivered as he retracted his arm from Sophie's shoulder.

  "Fucking dream see-er." Nathan snarled. Sophie looked up at Kavi who smiled at her more genuinely.

  "Some of them might make you blush, sweetheart!" Kavi teased before turning back around as Cole returned.

  "I asked him nicely to speed things along" he said, smiling. Kavi raised an eyebrow.

  "I presume by asking nicely you mean you used your ability?" She asked. Cole shrugged.

  "You wouldn't be mad if I did, would you?" He asked. Kavi smiled.

  "Of course not. I trust your every judgment." She chirped. Sophie gnced over at Nathan whose eyes darkened.

  "Should've known he was a dream talker." Nathan growled. Sophie frowned.

  "Nathan, you shouldn't be talking about other people like that." She muttered. Nathan sighed.

  "I just... the way they're using their abilities... it's not right..." Nathan said softly.

  "What do you mean by that?" Sophie asked. Nathan looked over at her.

  "She's using her abilities for emotional extortion. He's using them to tell people what to do against their will." Nathan expined. Kavi gnced back at Nathan.

  “you’re just upset because I threatened to spill your dark secrets. If you didn’t have any, I wouldn’t be able to extort you.” Kavi said nonchantly. Nathan gestured over to Kavi as if to say ‘See?’.

  "But... why?" Sophie asked. Nathan shrugged.

  "Because that's what they're taught, and what the LDPD uses them for." Nathan expined. Suddenly Cole spun around to look at them.

  "Alright you two, that's enough of your whispering. Time to fly!" He called out as a few of the attendants ran over with a staircase, connecting it to the pne. The door from the top was suddenly opened. Kavi and Cole walked onwards, going up the stairs. Nathan and Sophie exchanged another gnce before following them into the pne. This was it. There was no turning back now. The inside of the pne looked rather nice, with the chairs looking more like lounge chairs than the ones Sophie had seen in pictures before. Cole crashed into one of the lounge chairs, putting his feet up on another in front of him. Kavi looked a little taken aback when he did this, and Sophie assumed that she had meant to sit there. Instead, Kavi took another chair and sat in that one. Sophie gnced around. Despite all the seating, she felt unsure of where to go. Kavi gnced over at her and smiled.

  “Don’t worry about it sweetheart,” she said sweetly, “just sit wherever you want. We’ll be taking off soon, so you’ll want to find a seat quickly.”

  Cole nodded, “not to mention it’s a long flight so wherever you sit make sure you’re comfortable.”

  Nathan touched Sophie’s shoulder gently and the two of them made their way to two armchairs in the corner next to each other. They grabbed their seat belts and buckled themselves in just as the door to the cockpit opened up to reveal a woman inside.

  “We’ll be leaving now.” She stated before shutting the door again. Cole snorted.

  “Well good to know there will be no pre-flight service. I was hoping to get a drink before we took off.” Cole scoffed. Kavi frowned.

  “Didn’t you ask the pilot to hurry up? And don’t worry, we can find a pub when we nd.” She suggested, “or we can go help ourselves when we level out. I can even make you a drink if you’d like.”

  Cole smirked.

  “it’s fine, Kavi. I probably shouldn’t be drinking on the job anyways. And the st time you made me a drink I almost colpsed from one sip.” He reminded her, ughing. Kavi smirked as she rolled her eyes.

  “Not my fault you can’t handle your liquor.” Kavi retorted. She sighed as she leaned back into her seat. Nathan looked over at Sophie.

  “Did you want a bnket or anything?” he asked. Sophie shook her head.

  “Well, that’s good because I don’t know where we’d get one.” He muttered, causing Sophie to giggle a bit. Suddenly all of their thoughts were interrupted by the engine roaring to life.

  “Ah! Looks like they finally decided to take off!” Cole shouted, leaning further back into his chair. Kavi looked at him then out the window not saying anything. Nathan sighed as he closed his eyes. Sophie looked around at everyone rexing unsure of what to do. But it would seem the universe would decide for her as she felt her eyelids grow heavy and sleep begin to overtake her.

  “Sophie… Sophieeee… Sophie!” a voice shouted. Sophie opened her eyes but all she saw was darkness…. And a pair of bright green eyes blinking in the darkness, quickly accompanied by a wide grin.

  “There we go! You would not believe how long it took to get you moving!” the voice compined. Sophie narrowed her eyes.

  “What do you want?” Sophie grumbled. The eyes seemed a little sad as the smile faded a bit.

  “Now, now Sophie! There’s no need for that! But I did want to know… what are you doing?” the voice asked. Sophie tilted her head to one side.

  “I’m going to Engnd to find Bir Hatter.” Sophie expined. The smile returned as cackling echoed in the darkness.

  “Do you even know why they want her back?” the voice asked, “wouldn’t you think if she was a traitor, they’d just leave her as is or order her assassination?”

  Sophie frowned again.

  “What do you mean?” she asked. The grin furthered as suddenly the room was filled with light. Sophie groaned as she blinked to get used to the sudden brightness of the room. She wasn’t on the pne anymore. Instead, she was in a grand field of flowers with a Victorian style pink house in the distance. The sun shone brightly as Sophie found herself strangely at ease… simir to how she felt in the forest in Marigold. Before her sat the girl, her hair was now long and pink, with blunt bangs. Her dress was now a bck fluffy coat, with bear ears on the top. Some white tulle stuck out underneath. She grinned, though her grin made Sophie feel a little unsettling.

  "Where are we?" Sophie asked. The girl cocked her head to one side.

  "What do you mean, where are we?" She asked, then gnced around, "we're obviously in a field surrounded by flowers with that house over in the distance."

  Sophie narrowed her eyes.

  "Yes. But where is this?" She asked. The girl raised an eyebrow.

  "Shouldn't you be focusing on the real question at hand? Why do they want that girl? Have you put any thought into that?" She asked. Sophie frowned.

  “I mean, they did say she was working on inventions, and that they didn’t want her in the wrong hands... But if it helps Nathan then why would I worry about what happens to someone I don’t even know?” Sophie asked. The girl cackled.

  “Looks like despite your accident you still haven’t changed one bit, Soph.” the girl gasped between fits of ughter. Sophie’s brows furrowed.

  “What do you mean by that?” Sophie asked. The girl stopped ughing and just stared straight into her eyes, smiling gently.

  “it’s time to wake up now Sophie…” the girl said softly. Sophie stood up shaking her head.

  “No! Tell me who you are and why you keep bothering me!” Sophie roared. The girl looked a little sad at Sophie’s words but just continued to smile.

  “Rise and shine, sleepy head.” She said, then everything went bck again.

  “Time to get moving Sleeping Beauty! We’ve got work to do.” A voice barked. Sophie jumped up, her eyes shooting open. She gasped as she lunged forward, panting heavily.

  “About time you got up. Listen, I get you’re tired, but we can’t just sit here forever on a pne while you rest up.” Cole grumbled. Sophie gnced up at him, then over to Nathan and Kavi who stood by, looking a little worried.

  “You were really out there…” Kavi murmured.

  “Are you sure you can do this?” Nathan asked, pcing a hand on her shoulder. Cole snorted.

  “Of course, she can. Just because she took an extended vacation to snoozeville doesn’t mean she can’t help out. Besides, trust me when I say Bir is not going give either of us a chance to get close to her” Cole said, scowling, “Sophie is our only hope that she’ll let us in. As a single woman living on her own, she’s more likely to trust her than any of us.”

  Kavi frowned and turned away for a moment, then quickly snapped back and cocked her rifle, her expression bnk. Sophie felt a chill run down her spine as she witnessed the change in Kavi’s body nguage and face.

  “Alright then, are we going now?” Kavi asked coolly. Cole nodded.

  “let’s move out.” He ordered, opening the door of the pne. Outside, the stairs to the tarmac had already been set up. Parked near the pne was a bck Mercedes. Nathan snorted and leaned over to Sophie.

  “You have to wonder where all of this money is coming from…” He grumbled. Sophie nodded quietly but said nothing as Cole and Kavi climbed into the front seat. Cole rolled down the window, looking at the two of them.

  “Now I assume I don’t have to drag you both in here, correct?” He said sternly, his gaze shifting between the two of them. Nathan and Sophie exchanged gnces. There was nowhere really to run at this point. Sophie assumed that car doors could not be gateways, as she had never heard any different, so there was no hope of escape. Nathan took her hand gently, looking up at her.

  “It’s going to be okay. Just remember. You can leave at any point; you don’t have to stay here with me.” Nathan whispered. Sophie shook her head.

  “I’m not leaving.” She stated, staring straight into his eyes. They stood there for a moment before Cole started honking his horn.

  “Okay, okay we get it. Let’s go. We have a terrorist to apprehend!” He snarled. Kavi gnced at him, unamused.

  “Cole. Enough.” She growled, smacking him on the head. She looked over to Nathan and Sophie, smiling.

  “We do need to go though in order for our bargain to be upheld. I’m sure you understand this is a time sensitive situation!” She called over at them. Nathan sighed reaching over and opening the car door. He gestured towards Sophie.

  “After you.” He stated. Sophie looked at him briefly, then got into the car. They headed off down the road, riding in complete silence for what seemed like an eternity before Cole reached over, turning on the radio to some pop song. The music began bring through the car as Sophie gnced out her window. Despite the fact they had just left the airport, the city already seemed to be around them. Many buildings surrounded them, towering over them like they had in Lucidia. But the buildings here seemed to be older. Nathan leaned towards her.

  “London is known for having much more heritage than Lucidia, and they pride themselves on that. Lucidia tends to throw everything old out, including the original name, in favour of more space for new technology, but London still has some buildings that are hundreds of years old.” Nathan expined. Sophie watched as the buildings went by as the area around them became more and more dense. She could see new, shinier buildings coming out of the top of old, historical buildings. Before too long, the car came to a halt, stopping in front of a tall hotel. Cole got out of the car as the concierge and his assistant ran over, removing the luggage from the back of the vehicle. Kavi got out of the car, handing her keys to the concierge as Nathan and Sophie got out of the car, joining them and heading into the hotel. Kavi walked forward to the reception desk. Sophie gnced around the lobby. It was a beautifully ornate lobby, decorated in an art deco sort of style. In the middle was a rge chandelier with six lights hanging down from it. It seemed to be made out of crystal and gold. In one corner, 2 red and dark wood velvet lounge chairs sat, with people sitting in them chatting with drinks. The floor was made up with a simple pattern of bck and gold lines all running down the span of the lobby. She looked up just as Kavi walked towards them, handing her a key, before turning towards Cole.

  “Okay. We’ve got conjoining rooms and theirs can’t lock from their side, as requested” Kavi said, handing him another key. She turned back to Sophie.

  “Sophie, I’m trusting you with the key. So don’t lose it.” Kavi said, then turned back to Cole as the group headed towards the elevators. Cole turned towards them as they rode up to their floors.

  “Now, remember. This isn’t a vacation. Those trackers have recording devices in them, and we can hear everything you’re saying at any time of the day. We’ll unpack quickly and then get ready to head out. There’s a bar in town that Bir frequents apparently. You two will wait until she appears tonight, then approach her.” Cole stated. Sophie and Nathan exchanged gnces then looked back to Cole and nodded.

  “Got it.” Nathan replied. The rest of the elevator ride was silent as they made their way to their floor. Finally, the elevator dinged, and they headed down the hall, stopping at 2 doors next to each other. Sophie gnced over at Kavi and Cole who opened their door, then Kavi reached over with the second key for Sophie and Nathan’s room and opened the door for them.

  “This is just to remind you; we have access to your room at all times. Even if you try to barricade the doors.” Kavi said calmly before turning back and entering the other room with Cole. Sophie and Nathan entered their own room. Sophie had never been in a hotel room, or at least never that she could remember. The room looked very clean and simple, with mostly white furniture. A single TV was on one side of the room, and on the other were two double beds sitting side by side. It was at this moment it dawned on Sophie that she and Nathan would be sharing a room and in fact, sleeping in the same room together. She supposed they had slept together in an open space before, but this felt… different some how. Sophie slowly looked over to Nathan who was facing away from her, suddenly very interested in the tv. She figured he must’ve already thought about this. Sophie sat down on one of the beds. There were no bags to unpack as neither Nathan nor Sophie seemed to have any belongings.

  “Do you have a preference?” Sophie asked. If it had been possible, Nathan would’ve jumped out of his skin at that moment. He turned slowly to look at her, as she sat on the one bed, trying not to think of how they’d have to sleep in the same room that night, and for every night in the foreseeable future.

  “Uh, well… you’re already sitting on a bed so why don’t you just take that one?” He asked.

  “Okay…” She responded, then walked over to the window and looked out. She hadn’t really thought about what floor they were on. They seemed to be pretty high up. She could see the cars below, driving along the roads. Their headlights shone in the dark as the sun had almost entirely gone down. It was so different from Marigold, everything still seemed so busy even though it was now nighttime. Suddenly, a door to their left swung open, Cole bursting into the room.

  “Alright, Kavi is taking a shower, so she asked me to pass along some clothes for both of you.” He grumbled, tossing a duffle bag onto one of the beds. Sophie turned around and walked over, opening the bag. She looked at it, puzzled, as she looked at a pile of clothes inside.

  “Kavi mentioned you both would probably need something to change into once we got here.” He stated, “These were packed before we left. Provided by the LDPD.”

  Sophie wasn’t sure what she should say. Should she be thanking Cole and Kavi, even though they wouldn’t have even needed the clothes if it hadn’t been for the LDPD forcing them to complete this mission. Then again, they technically didn’t have to complete this mission. Technically, Sophie could’ve walked away and left Nathan to figure this out on his own… and probably go to jail… or worse. Sophie sighed, but before she could say anything, Nathan spoke up.

  “I suppose we should thank you?” He asked, with such a visceral disgust in his voice Sophie was shocked he managed to keep his expression neutral. He was now turned towards Cole, his arms crossed as he stared over at him. Cole stared back at him; his expression also neutral but yet… Sophie could feel the disdain oozing from his being.

  “Well. We could’ve just let you go out there. I don’t think Sophie would have an issue, but you smell horrible after being on the run, and you’d offend every patron in the bar we’re going to tonight. You only get your freedom after we get Bir Hatter and that dream door she’s building. So, if you’d like to live in eternal servitude to the LDPD, keep it up. Maybe I’ll ask to mark you myself, would love to carve that needle into your arm and see you squirm.” Cole spat, then smmed the door behind him. Sophie flinched as she turned to Nathan. Nathan turned to look at her, clearly upset.

  “I can’t believe you sold us into the LDPD’s service.” He growled. Sophie frowned.

  “I thought…” She started, but Nathan gred at her.

  “No, you didn’t think. You don’t think about these things. I don’t think you’ve had a single sane thought since I’ve met you.” He snapped. Sophie grimaced.

  “If anything, I think I have too many…” She said softly. Nathan sighed, exasperated.

  “Next time. Don’t come back. Leave and never come back.” Nathan snarled, storming towards the bathroom. Sophie sat there, looking down at her feet. She thought Nathan had been fine with her coming back for him… that he had been happy even… but he seemed madder than ever. She heard the shower start in the bathroom. She gnced down at the bag and let out a sigh. Digging through, she pulled out a blue long sleeved shirt, a bck skirt, and a brown cardigan. She slipped them on while Nathan finished up in the bathroom, pulling out some items and pcing them by the door. She knocked on the door, but didn’t hear anything. She sighed.

  “Nathan... I’m leaving some clothes by the door” She called through, before turning away and heading back to the window. After a few moments, she heard the door open and saw Nathan’s arm grab the clothes and pull them back into the bathroom with him. He finally came back out, dressed in a pair of blue jeans, a bck t-shirt, and a green fnnel over top. He looked over at Sophie and nodded.

  “You look nice.” He said, then turned away. Sophie stood up, walking over to the door between their room and Cole & Kavi’s before knocking. Kavi entered, holding some items.

  “Oh good, you’re ready to go. Before we leave, we need to hook you up.” Kavi expined, beginning to pin things to both Nathan and Sophie. Everything was hidden discreetly in their clothes, and after a few minutes of Kavi wiring them up, she pulled away smiling at them.

  “Okay, you’re ready!” She said, then handed Sophie a wallet. Sophie opened it, looking to see some money inside. Sophie looked back up at Kavi, confused.

  “Its so you both can buy a drink, so you can blend in. But don’t drink too much. You both have a job to do, after all” Cole expined from the doorway. Sophie and Nathan turned to look at him, but Sophie quickly turned away as she realized he was in nothing but a towel with his hair wet. Kavi turned and gred at him.

  “Cole, get back in the room.” She snapped, then turned back to Sophie and Nathan, “Get a few drinks. Enjoy yourself. But you do have a job to do, so make sure you stay on task while you do it. And remember. If you try to escape, we can track you. Even if you run through a dream door”.

  Nathan and Sophie exchanged gnces before turning back to Kavi and nodded. Kavi smiled.

  “Good. Okay, here’s the directions to the pub Bir was spotted at. We’ll be here listening in to every word you say.” Kavi said, waving them off.