The pain apperead on Sophie Foster's face immediately. The screen behind her flashed on, showing a video of the machine searching her Mind, as if it was prowling like a predator ready to kill its prey.
It swerved through her past before landing on a memory from the lost cities.

Sophie groaned in agony as the memory started playing.

"SOPHIE! Where were you. We were so worried Mr Sweeney was about to cal the police. " her mom from the lost cities practically screamed.

"there was this guy at the museum. He had my newspaper article he started asking all these questions and was looking at me wired so I g-got scared ran away. Sophie whispered her voice shaking slightly Deciding that lies we're easier with part truths.  "I'm-I'm sorry"Sophie finished

"Why didn't you go to an adult" her mom asked her voice switching to concern.
" I guess I just didn't think of that" Sophie replied.

"This is exactly why your father and I were upset by that article it not safe to stand out"

"I'm fine mom. Okay?"

Her mom seemed to deflate " I just wish...." her voice trailed off and Sophie closed her eyes, hoping she could close of the thought.

You could be more like your sister.

The clip of Sophie's memory froze and a black almost shadowed shape of a monster formed
"Awww. Did the Moonlark realize even her parents new how freakish you were?" The mister teased
"Your fault." Seemed to echo through the room.

I looked at Sophie who had a tear dripping down her beaten face her eyes filled with fear. This must be the echo monster from her shadowflux injury I realized.

The video moved again sweeping through more memories before selecting another forbidden cities memory.

There Sophie was walking through the halls of what looked to be a human school. She had a dark hood pulled all the way up with ear buds dangling from her hood. She was trying so hard to block the loud thought of the high schoolers who were glaring from all around her. They were awful  thoughts.

" she's so freaky"

"Nerd"

"Never belong here"

"Skipped so many grades"

" try hard"

"Freak"

The clip froze again. The monster spoke again "Sophie foster, the freak of the high school"

The monster got bigger as he felt Sophie's emotions rise more and more.

It swerved through so many more memories before images of dex being hauled by forkle with bruises and burns.
Then images of Dex's permanent scar from the kidnapping.
Then my broken rib from the flight on Silveny, then Biana's scarred red body, Fitz's sick self from when the bug impaled him. Fitz screaming you've done enough. Linh crying after tam left. Then flashes from Kenric's planting, oriale sobbing, Wylie yelling about his father. Images of sick gnomes and calla's sacrifice. Wylie after being tortured. Prentice's mind. Jolie. Edaline and Grady's dark worry lines. Her human parents bruised bloody and traumatized. Amy being all alone. Sophie and Dex's wanderlings. Maralla saying you forgot me. The moment of Keefe's unlocking of abilities. Flashes of parents hiding their kids from sophie to protect them. More of her friends sobbing. More scars. More blood. More losses.

This was all your fault so many people got hurt and died and yet your still here.
You are still loved and you don't deserve any of it. They all get hurt for you!
This. Is. All. Your. Fault.

Your fault. Your fault. Your fault. The monster repeated over and over. Until....

I screamed"DONT LISTEN TO IT! ITS WRONG I- I was cut off by a cloaked figure covering my mouth with tape.
Sophie let out a scream raw and primal. Like nothing he had ever heard before. Tears streaming down her face as the monster continued to yell. "Your fault!!"

I had never wanted to yell no! More than in this
moment watching this happen with tape around his mouth was the most heartbreaking thing ever.

Sophie screamed louder " STOP PLEASE, 
P-PLEASE STOP. I CANT." And with that she stopped moving.And the emotions of guilt. So much guilt. Spiked higher and higher.