01_-_The_Alchemyst

this Awakening in case something goes wrong,” he finished quickly.
“We have to do it. Nicholas said—”
“I’m not entirely sure I trust him,” Josh interrupted. “I have a feeling
he’s up to something. He’s too eager for Hekate to Awaken our powers
despite the dangers.”
“He said it’s our only chance,” Sophie persisted.
“Yesterday, he said he had to get us away from the shop to keep us
safe…now, all of a sudden, we have to be trained so that we can protect
ourselves from Dee and these Dark Elders. Trust me, Sophie, Nicholas
Flamel is playing his own game.”
Sophie’s gaze drifted to the Alchemyst. She’d known him for a couple
of months, and she remembered writing in her blog that she thought he was
cool. Of course, now she realized that she didn’t really know him at all. The
man she’d thought of as Nick Fleming was an imposter. A lie. Flamel was
staring intently at her, and for the briefest of moments, she imagined that he
knew what they were talking about.
“Both of us don’t have to go through this Awakening,” Josh continued.
“Let me do it.”
Again, Sophie looked into his eyes. “And how do you think I’d feel if
something happened to you?”
This time it was Josh who found he couldn’t speak. The idea that
something terrible could happen to his sister had only occurred to him a little
while before. But the very thought of it terrified him.
Sophie took her brother’s hands in hers. “From the moment we were
born, we’ve done everything together,” she said, her voice low and serious.
“And with Mom and Dad away so much, it’s really always been just you and
me. You’ve always looked after me, I’ve always looked out for you. I’m not
going to allow you to go through this…process by yourself. We’ll do this—
just like we’ve done everything else—together.”
Josh looked long and hard at his sister. “Are you sure?” he asked. He
was beginning to see a new Sophie.