A COMPLICATED ADOPTION PROCESS:

Upon the discovery of Sophie’s existence, Alden and Della Vacker applied to be her guardians—but their application was rejected because Alden’s search for Sophie had not been authorized by the Council. Sophie was instead placed at Havenfield with Grady and Edaline Ruewen, and adoption proceedings were initiated shortly thereafter. But several months later, the Ruewens canceled the adoption, citing emotional distress due to their ongoing grief over losing their daughter (Jolie Ruewen) sixteen years earlier. Alden and Della Vacker then renewed their application for guardianship, and the Council was willing to grant permission. But Sophie’s kidnapping—and brief presumed death—ended the proceedings once again. After her rescue and recovery, both the Ruewens and Vackers applied for adoption. The Council opted to leave the decision to Sophie, who chose to permanently return to Havenfield with the Ruewens.

THE CONSTANT SHADOW OF GRIEF:

Finalizing her adoption was surely a relief for Sophie—but it was still only a “step” toward truly feeling like a family. A period of adjustment is expected in these situations, so it wasn’t surprising that Sophie initially struggled to use terms like “Mom” and “Dad.” But for the Ruewen-Foster family (assuming that’s what they call themselves), there was the added complication of the loss of Jolie. Reports indicate that Sophie initially worried that Grady and Edaline wished she were more like their lost daughter, and she tried to avoid the subject as much as possible. She evidently also tried to avoid Jolie’s old bedroom, out of fear that she might not be allowed in there. But all of that changed when Sophie discovered that Jolie had been involved with the Black Swan.

A MIRROR THAT’S PERHAPS TOO HONEST:

Spectral mirrors are one of Lady Iskra’s numerous inventions—and while they were quite popular when they first went on sale, many soon found their mirrors’ style and fashion “advice” to be obnoxious (and at times even insulting). The gadgets have since become nearly obsolete, but it appears that Jolie Ruewen kept one in her bedroom at Havenfield, and had even befriended Vertina (the tiny “girl” programmed to appear in the corner of the mirror). So when Sophie was looking to learn more about Grady and Edaline’s deceased daughter, she opted to move Vertina’s mirror to her bedroom—a decision she likely regrets at times, given Sophie’s general lack of interest in clothes and makeup. But reports indicate that Vertina has proven to be quite useful at times, even helping Sophie locate Jolie’s secret diary, which led Sophie to identify Jolie’s killer.

A MYSTERIOUS MIND:

Sophie has a powerful photographic memory, but it had two blank spots when she arrived in the Lost Cities—both connected to traumas in her childhood that led to her waking up in human hospitals (one when she was five human years old, and the other when she was nine human years old). Our investigation shows that both memories were erased by the Black Swan “for her protection” and have since been returned. Her mind also appears to be filled with numerous bits of information about the Lost Cities—much of which is highly classified (like the location of the unmapped stars)—which were planted as part of her “preparation” for her role as the moonlark. She also struggles to read words written in the primary runic alphabet because her mind has been trained to instinctively recognize them as the Black Swan’s cipher runes.

THE BLACK SWAN’S MOONLARK:

Details on the so-called “Project Moonlark” are still vague at best. But the secret—and highly illegal—genetic experiment was carried out by the Black Swan and resulted in the creation of Sophie, who was designed with specific abilities in an attempt to make her a valuable asset against a rival band of rebels now known as the Neverseen. She was also raised with no awareness of who she was or where she belonged in order to give her a unique perspective on the Lost Cities. And she was hidden among humans, both to keep her safe until her abilities manifested, and also to provide her with a different level of insight into the human species—perhaps to someday help determine how to resolve the problems arising from humankind’s destructive behavior. Many suspect that some larger purpose for the moonlark still has yet to be revealed. Only time will tell—assuming Sophie continues to survive the numerous attempts on her life.

A GIRL OF MANY TALENTS:

Sophie is the only elf to manifest five special abilities—and it’s unclear whether she will continue to manifest any others. She’s the youngest elf on record to manifest, becoming a Telepath when she was only five human years old. The ability was triggered by the mysterious Mr. Forkle, who also triggered her inflicting and Polyglot abilities after rescuing Sophie and Dex Dizznee from their kidnappers. (He let Sophie and Dex make their own way back to the Lost Cities in order to keep his identity hidden, and presumably triggered the new abilities to help her through that challenge.) Mr. Forkle additionally triggered Sophie’s enhancing after she chose to accept the talent. But Sophie’s teleporting triggered on its own, possibly from the adrenaline of nearly plummeting to her death.

GREAT POWER, STRUGGLE, AND RESPONSIBILITY:

Sophie’s telepathy was a burden for her as a child, often exposing her to harsh or hurtful things and causing headaches because she did not know how to shield her mind from the constant bombardment of human thoughts. She also had to hide the ability, because humans would have either doubted her or studied her—or both. And when she moved to the Lost Cities, her problems amplified. Sophie has faced suspicion, judgment, and gossip because of her past, and because of the strength and abundance of her abilities—all of which became worse after Sophie made several missteps in regards to the rules of telepathy, including attempting to cheat on her Level Two alchemy midterm and illegally invading King Dimitar’s mind. Her telekinesis also proved somewhat unwieldy when tested by Councillor Bronte during her Foxfire qualification exam—and there was a very suspicious incident involving Fitz Vacker during Foxfire’s Ultimate Splotching Championship. After Sophie nearly faded away, her abilities also began to malfunction, requiring a dangerous “reset” performed by the Black Swan. She needed a second “reset” later, for further refinement to her inflicting. And initially, her teleporting required her to jump from dangerously high places in the hope that the momentum would help her slip into the void before the fall killed her. Despite those challenges, Sophie’s abilities and skills are, in short, incredible—even with her lack of proper training and practice. Her unique telepathy allows her to transmit astoundingly long distances, track the thoughts of others to their precise locations, communicate with animals, and heal broken minds. She can also slip past anyone’s mental blocking, while her own mental shields remain nearly impenetrable. (Reports indicate that only Fitz Vacker, Mr. Forkle, and the alicorns have ever been able to bypass her guard.) As if all of that weren’t impressive enough, she has now become Cognates with Fitz Vacker, and when the two of them work together, they’re able to accomplish numerous feats that many would consider to be impossible. Her inflicting has been somewhat less reliable—though the recent reset has given her significantly better control. She’s also proven that negative and positive emotions can be inflicted—something previously unknown to her inflicting Mentor (Councillor Bronte). And while her linguistics Mentor (Lady Cadence) finds Sophie’s mimicking to be seriously lacking, she has noted that Sophie’s grasp of languages and pronunciation is flawless. Enhancing is Sophie’s newest ability, and another talent that she has recently learned to master. Thanks to the guidance of Councillor Oralie, Sophie no longer requires gloves—or the special gadgets the Black Swan’s mysterious Technopath designed for her—in order to “switch off” the ability. And Sophie’s teleporting, which already allows her to go nearly everywhere she desires without needing a leaping crystal, recently became much stronger. Reports indicate that she can now reach the void by simply running, without needing a falling sensation first.