“Oh Sophie, what happened to your hands?” Gabe cried.
Sophie jerked her hands from Gabe’s grasp.
Arching her back she sharply hissed as she flipped her hair back and glared at him.
Gasping, Gabe fell back onto his butt, crawling towards to the door backwards on his hands.
His beloved Sophie’s blue eyes were gone; instead a deep full blackness stared back at him.
Her lips were dry, cracked, and appeared almost blue in color.
At least at the places that weren’t covered with spots of dried blood.
Unlike the skin on the rest of her body, her face her face was the color of ash.
It was marbleized by black veins that crawled up her neck and splintered around her eyes, making them appear even more haunting.
“Oh God, Sophie!” Gabe shrieked.
“Hst!” Sophie spat and bared her jagged, sharp teeth at Gabe, the spaces filled with a rotting blackness.
She hovered close to the ground like an animal.
“Sophie, please!
It’s me, Gabe.
Don’t you recognize me?” Gabe begged as he searched for any part of Sophie.
Blankly, the creature stared back at Gabe.
There was nothing left of her true eyes, nothing of what they had been, nothing of his former love.
“I’m so sorry.” Gabe whispered as he hung his head in his hands.
He felt the overwhelming weight of failure.
Everything he had done to try and help Sophie was a waste, leaving Gabe drowning in helplessness and hating himself for his inadequacies.
As Gabe sat there, he heard several curious popping noises in front of him.
Glancing up, his eyes now fully adjusted to the dim lighting, Gabe could not believe what he was seeing.
Sophie’s contorted and misshapen body was bending and shifting in ways he never imagined a human body could.
Gabe had no idea what was happening.
He wanted to run for help but he couldn’t stop staring at the breathtaking display of horror.
At last, it appeared that her body was actually beginning to resemble that of his Sophie once again.
The former shell of Sophie was now in a kneeling position, head hanging down where her hair hid all view of her face.
Slowly she rose into a standing position, her head still hanging.
She somewhat appeared human again with her corrected posture.
Gabe’s stomach twisted as he watched her, waiting for her to move or do something.
Surrounded by the eerie silence, he was scared to even breathe.
“How could you?” Gabe gasped as he heard Sophie’s soft voice from behind the thick covering of hair.
“Sophie, is that you?” Gabe cried, so thrilled to hear her voice again that he didn’t seem to notice what she was saying.
“You said you loved me.” Sophie continued, still not lifting her head and standing perfectly still.
The candlelight flickered, causing Sophie’s presence to appear even more unsettling.
“Oh Sophie, I do love you, and Michael is going to help you.
I know he can.”
Gabe wanted to run over and hold her, hold onto the small piece of her that was left, but something held him back.
“How could you leave me here, alone?”
“I didn’t want to.
I had to, don’t you see?
I went away to try and help you.”
Gabe explained, taking two steps closer to his beloved.
“You let them do this to me.” Sophie said flatly.
“I’m sorry, I had no idea.” Gabe pleaded.
“But we’re going to get you out of here right now, alright?”
Gabe cautiously moved forward and reached out his hands to Sophie.
She did nothing in response.
Just continued standing there, head bowed.
Gabe was sure now that she was back.
Sophie must be fighting the insurmountable evil that lurked within her.
He moved forward again and wrapped his arm around her shrunken waist.
She did not respond to his touch.
“Come on, Sophie,” he added, turning to face her and placing his free hand on her other hip.
“Let’s get you out of here.”
Without warning, Sophie’s head jerked back wildly.
Her arms shot up and wrapped themselves tightly around Gabe’s torso, locking his arms at his side.
Gabe managed to look up at her face just as she hissed, “Die Guardian scum,” and sunk her jagged teeth into his shoulder.
“Ahhggghhhh!” Gabe cried out.”
In an instant, Haim was in the room pulling Gabe free of Sophie’s grasp, a chunk of his flesh tearing away in her mouth as he did so.
As Gabe was pulled out of the room, darkness creeping in from all sides, he managed to look back only to see his dear Sophie spitting his flesh to the ground.
Then everything went black.
Gabe opened his eyes, Michael leaning over his lifeless body.
It didn’t take Gabe long to realize he was lying on Michael’s sofa.
Gabe thought about how many people he had seen injured, laid out on this exact spot in the short time he had been at the manor.
It seemed to be a common theme that people were always getting hurt in one way or another.
Gabe attempted to sit up, but failed to do so.
He tried to lift his hand to assist himself but again it would not respond to his brain’s commands.
“Michael?
What’s going on?”
Gabe asked panicked.
“You’re going to be alright.” Michael assured him.
“I don’t feel alright. I can’t move.” Gabe cried.
“It’s just the numbing tea, trust me, better you have it with that nasty gash.” Gabe heard a voice behind the couch.
“Uri?” Gabe called out.
“Is that you?”
A moment later, Uri was popping his head over the edge of the couch, a big grin on his face as his hair hung down in his eyes.
“The one and only.” Uri replied.
“I thought you were at Iron Gate.” Gabe tried to make sense of the situation.
“I was and now I am not.
Crazy thing how those Alicorns work.” Uri added sarcastically.
“Wait, how long have I been out?” Gabe asked confused.
“I’d say a good six hours.” Michael answered.
“Yeah man, your girlfriend did a number on you.
What kind of kinky stuff are you two into?” Uri moved around to the front of the sofa, clearly proud of his joke.
“Sophie!” Gabe exclaimed remembering every horrific detail of what had happened in one second.
“Uri, stop it!” Michael snapped.
“How long has she been like that?” Gabe inquired.
“Haim says a while.
She seemed to progress faster than the others.” Michael replied.
“Oh God, she’s awful.” Gabe said as he tried to sit up again.
“A little help here.
Can you all sit me up?”
“Yes, of course.” Michael replied reaching out to Gabe and motioning with his head for Uri to come help.
“Careful Uri, the flesh patch is fresh.”
Gabe’s stomach turned at the talk of flesh patches.
Once Gabe was securely propped up, Michael and Uri sat down in the side chairs nearby, ready to assist Gabe at his first sign of distress.
“What were you thinking, Gabe?
There is no way you should have been in there alone with her.” Michael reprimanded his injured pupil.
“I had no idea she was that bad.
She wanted to kill me!”
Gabe shrieked.
“Of course she did, numb nuts!” Uri boasted.
“She’s kind of evil right now.”
“Michael, we have to do something!” Gabe urged.
“Gabe, we have been trying spells, and the elders apparently had tried an ancient elixir before we even returned.
None of it has worked.
But I am sure we will figure it out.
We just have to be patient.”
Michael explained.
“No!
Don’t you get it?
She’s a monster.” Gabe argued.
“Gabe, I’m sure Michael is doing everything he can.” Uri commented, dropping the comedian act when he realized how upset his friend truly was.
“No, I don’t think he is.” Gabe snapped.
“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Uri began to feel as though he had to defend his trusted leader.
“He can wipe her.” Gabe suggested firmly.
“I said no!” Michael yelled quickly.
“You know it will work.” Gabe insisted.
“Gabe, it’s not about it working, it’s about wiping away any trace of the Sophie we know.”
Michael asserted.
“You don’t know that will happen.” Gabe stressed.
“Gabe, I would have to go so deep I don’t know how it could not happen.”
Michael tried to explain more calmly.
“Uri, what’s better, a Sophie who has to get to know us again or a psychotic demonic version of Sophie who tries to kill you with her teeth if she can?” Gabe asked in a sarcastic tone.
“Gabe, Michael has a point.
Artis had no idea who I was, not even when I left.
Can you really deal with Sophie having no clue about who you are or what you had?”
“More than I can with her trying to kill me!” Gabe exclaimed.
“Gabe, it’s not just her not knowing who any of us are, it’s also if her mind can handle the stress of it.
Some people are never able to adjust to their new realities when they begin to learn about it.”
Michael explained.
“I think that is more of a chance for her than locked in a box, being treated like an animal.” Gabe argued.
“I think you’re exaggerating a bit.
We are trying to keep her and everyone else around her safe.” Michael reassured Gabe sternly.
“Look at what happened to you!”
“I’m not going to let up on this, Michael.
You could wipe her right now and her suffering stops.” Gabe insisted.
“Michael, maybe Gabe has a point.
Nothing the elders have done has worked, you have no clue how to help her and she’s getting worse.”
“Uri!”
Michael exclaimed, clearly feeling betrayed.
“We can’t do this to Sophie.”
“I don’t see how we cannot.” Gabe added.
“And, considering you were the one that had her work with relics in the first place, I would think you would feel some sort of sense of responsibility to fix this.”
“Gabe!” Uri exclaimed.
“I think that’s a bit harsh, come on now.
Michael was only doing what he thought was best for you and Sophie.”
“And I’m telling you, wiping Sophie is what is best for her, I know it.”
Gabe insisted.
“Would I have you do something to her if I really thought it would hurt her?”
Michael sat silent, it was clear he was considering Gabe’s words.
Gabe held his breath as he waited for his answer.
The two boys stared at their teacher, almost ready to leap from their skin.
“Gabe, I think this is the wrong decisions but leave me, let me think about what you have said.
I will discuss it with the elders and let you know what we decide.”
Michael replied.
“That’s all I ask.”
Gabe said, positive his teacher would come to the right answer.
“Uri, help Gabe to his room.
He needs to rest tonight.
The flesh patch should take a solid hold by morning.
I will give you my decision then.”
Michael said, hanging his head immediately in deep thought.
“Come on, Nancy,” Uri said giggling and picking Gabe up as though he were a damsel in need.
“You’re just loving this, aren’t you?” Gabe asked annoyed.
“Oh yeah!”
Gabe ran his fingers over where the flesh patch had been.
He was amazed that just three days ago there had been a gaping hole in his neck where Sophie had bitten him.
There really had not been much of a change in her condition.
Gabe wiggled in his seat a little.
Sitting still had never seemed like such an impossible task than it was right now.
He had been begging Michael to wipe Sophie’s memory since he returned home from Iron Gate and now it actually seemed like he might get his way.
Standing up and walking over to the fireplace, Gabe stoked the embers and wondered when Michael would return.
Though it seemed like he had left to meet with the council of elders hours ago, Gabe knew it had actually only been about thirty minutes.