DECEASED BUT NOT DEAD:

Sophie was kidnapped by the Neverseen, along with her best friend (Dex Dizznee). But their disappearance at first seemed to be a tragic accident. Evidence at their last known location, as well as the recovery of their registry pendants from the bottom of the ocean, led the Council to believe that both Sophie and Dex had been washed away by a tidal wave. With no evidence to suggest any alternative, both Sophie and Dex were declared “deceased.” Plantings were held, and their Wanderlings remain in the Wanderling Woods to this day, since it would be wrong to destroy innocent trees simply because they were planted prematurely.

AN ABUNDANCE OF BODYGUARDS:

After Sophie escaped from her kidnappers and returned to the Lost Cities, the Council reached out to Queen Hylda and requested that she supply Sophie with a goblin for protection. Queen Hylda complied, assigning one of her best warriors (Sandor) to serve as Sophie’s bodyguard—and he takes his job very seriously. Sandor’s motto appears to be “I go where you go,” and he does his best to never leave Sophie’s side. He’s also reportedly hidden trackers in her clothes in case she’s ever abducted again—or tries to sneak away. And while Sophie doesn’t always appreciate being shadowed by an overprotective, seven-foot-tall goblin (particularly since so many of her “investigations” into the Neverseen require a hefty amount of risk), she and Sandor have still managed to form a unique friendship. In fact, when Sandor considered resigning after what he viewed as “failing Sophie” during one of the Neverseen’s recent brutal attacks, Sophie begged him to stay and even agreed to adding additional bodyguards to her detail to make Sandor feel more confident about her level of protection. Sandor in turn surprised everyone by opting for a multispeciesial approach, which is how Sophie ended up with an ogre bodyguard (Botros), a gnomish bodyguard (Flori), a dwarven bodyguard (Nubiti), and a trollish bodyguard (Tarina). (Because of certain dramatics in the trollish and dwarven worlds—as well as one of Sophie’s friends needing a bodyguard—her detail is currently reduced to only Sandor and Flori.) It was quite the spectacle when her full group of protectors was gathered, and almost inspiring in a way. Proof that our world could be so much stronger if all the intelligent species truly found a way to work together.

NEXUS AND REGISTRY PENDANT EVENTS:

Sophie was given Fitz Vacker’s old nexus when she was first brought to the Lost Cities, and she kept it as her primary nexus until it was stolen during her kidnapping—which was also when her first registry pendant was removed by the Neverseen (in a somewhat successful attempt to “fake” her death). Upon her escape and recovery, Sophie was given an updated registry pendant with heightened security measures to prevent tampering or removal—though Alden Vacker managed to cut it off before Sophie fled the Lost Cities to join the Black Swan. She was issued a third pendant when the Council lifted her banishment, and that one seems to have lasted (but sometimes the feed appears to get interrupted). Della Vacker also gave Sophie a new nexus after her kidnapping, which Sophie was ordered to wear despite how strong her concentration had gotten, as a precaution after Sophie nearly faded away. Additional leaping problems resulted in Sophie being given a second nexus to wear on her other wrist, but neither turned out to be necessary once her abilities were reset. Alden Vacker removed both before Sophie joined the Black Swan, to prevent anyone from tracking her location.

UNMATCHABLE:

If school gossip is to be believed, then Sophie has “liked” or dated (or may currently be dating) a number of different prodigies—but none of that has been confirmed. What has been confirmed is that Sophie has attempted to register for the match (according to a report from the Matchmaking Office), and the system has denied her request. Without record of her genetic lineage, she cannot be safely matched, as there is far too great of a risk that she could be paired with a biological relative. And a second investigation into her genetic parents’ identities (in addition to one performed when Sophie first arrived in the Lost Cities) has been recently completed by the Council—and turned up nothing. So unless Sophie’s biological parents come forward—or she discovers their identities on her own—her status will remain unmatchable.

THE “FOSTER OBLIVION”:

Admittedly, there is little actual fact to report on this subject—but given how often the term is used (particularly by Keefe Sencen’s ogre bodyguard), it seemed necessary to include a brief mention. Theories suggest that what the phrase means to imply is a certain lack of understanding on Sophie’s part when it comes to the feelings of others—and her own feelings as well. Which does make one wonder why the Black Swan didn’t also make her an Empath. Little is known on that subject either.

FINAL NOTE:

Tampering has occurred in the past—and possibly still occurs—to Sophie’s pendant feed, both for her protection and to hide certain activities she’s participated in. For that, and numerous other reasons, the Council remains divided on whether Sophie is trustworthy.

 

 

MEDICAL RECORD FOR

Sophie Elizabeth Foster

INCIDENT: Emergency House Call to Everglen

DETAILS:

Rushed over to check on someone that Alden found hidden in the Forbidden Cities—and I’ll admit: Part of me wondered if this was going to be some sort of prank. But… I just met a girl with brown eyes and elvin DNA.

SYMPTOMS/INJURIES:

Poor kid. I can’t imagine leaving my whole life behind like that! She seemed pretty tough, though. And she was surprisingly healthy, given all the chemicals she’s grown up with—but she needs a major detox.

TREATMENT:

Gave her what I’d brought and made a list of elixirs to get from Slurps and Burps. Also told her to drink two bottles of Youth every day.

NOTES:

I need to check on her in a couple weeks, and she did not look happy about that. I can’t blame her, given what I know about human medicine. But hopefully I can prove it’s different around here.

 

 

INCIDENT: First Healing Center Visit

DETAILS:

Sounds like Sophie’s first attempt at alchemy was an adventure. (Really wish I could’ve seen the explosion!)

SYMPTOMS/INJURIES:

A pretty nasty acid burn on her wrist.

TREATMENT:

Tried my favorite balm, and it worked perfectly. Also checked Sophie’s detox progress, and her cells are looking much happier.

NOTES:

Starting to think I’ll be seeing a lot of this kid, which will be tough since Sophie’s still afraid of me. It’s a good thing Keefe was there to distract her this time.

 

 

INCIDENT: Second Healing Center Visit

DETAILS:

Things got strange during the Ultimate Splotching Championship, and Sophie (and Fitz) ended up launching backward across the room and slamming into the wall.

SYMPTOMS/INJURIES:

Nothing major—which is surprising, considering Sophie was unconscious when they brought her in. I’m sure she’ll be sore tomorrow.

TREATMENT:

Cool compresses and a painkiller—and taking it easy for the rest of the day.

NOTES:

I don’t think Sophie has any idea how powerful she is. It sounded like she did a brain push today—and if I’m right, I’m betting that’s only the beginning of what she can do.