The Big Sleepover Sofia The First Novels & Stories

"I tried." "That's all anyone can do." --- Winter is coming. Sofia is reading chapter books now, disappearing into worlds of magic and adventure. Celeste reads to her at night, the two of them curled on the couch, the fire crackling. "Read another chapter," Sofia says. "It's late." "Please." Celeste looks at me. I shrug. "One more," Celeste says. Sofia grins. "That's the same thing." --- The waves crash.

That night, Sofia knocked on my door, asking if she could sleep with me. As I tucked her in, I felt her trembling. "What's wrong?" I asked. Sofia peeked out from under the covers, saying in a muffled voice, "I watched the movie you mentioned, and it scared me." I chuckled and then soothed her, "Don't be afraid, Sofia. That's just a movie." From then on, Sofia often called me Mom. Soon, Sofia approached school age.

Eli curled under her arm, and the movie started—bright colors, loud sound effects, and the booming voice of a superhero who never stayed down. Halfway through, Eli spoke without looking away from the screen. “Did you know Sofia promised to give me some of her comic books?” he said casually. “The rare ones she said are limited editions.” Calla blinked, remembering the dinner they had in Rico's mansion. She could remember her brother and Sofia chatting, but she couldn't remember or hear what they talked about. Mainly because of a cold figure in their midst. Rico's whole existence during that dinner was too intimidating.

she asked, a small smile touching her lips. "I can hear you," Nomo said. "The whole world can hear you now." "Good," Sofia said, looking out over the city as the first hint of a true dawn began to touch the horizon. "Because I have a lot more to say." "What’s the first thing?" Somito’s voice asked, joined by the sound of Pella’s laughter. "The first thing," Sofia said, her eyes flashing with a brilliant, sapphire light. "Is that we’re going home."

Luca's POV The house felt troppo quiet without Mamma. The kind of quiet that made my stomach feel weird, like when I ate too many Nutella cookies and Nonna caught me. Sofia was lying on her bed, staring up at the ceiling with her “thinking face”—the one where her nose scrunched up like she’d smelled rotten mozzarella. “I can’t sleep,” I whispered, even though I didn’t need to. “I know,” Sofia said, rolling over to look at me. “Me neither. It’s because Mamma’s not here. She always kisses our foreheads before bed. It’s like… magic.”

Sofia's breath catches in her throat as she looks me over again, and my mouth speaks before I can catch up and think. "Stay with me, sole." Her eyes widen as she looks around the room like someone will jump from underneath the bed and grab her. "Please, sole." She licks her lips, a small smile on her face. "Of course, Rafael." After cleaning her up and getting her to wear one of my T-shirts, Sofia falls asleep nuzzled into my chest. My eyes are wide open staring at the ceiling, and I methodically rub her scalp in the small circles she calls her melatonin. I can't believe this girl is mine.

Sofia had this mischievous glint in her eyes that I was starting to realize usually meant trouble—the fun kind. "Okay, enough," Sofia announced, clapping her hands together. "The vibe in here is a little poor. It’s Friday night at the Ivory Spire girls. We have been eating junk food and reading about 'Lunar Rotations' for four hours. My brain is turning into actual mush." "What are you thinking, Sof?" Freya asked, her eyebrows shooting up in curiosity.

Livian would have swept Sofia's food off the table if he wasn't trying to keep a low profile. "Why are you so lively?" Gemma walked over and took a seat. Sofia was the first to smile brilliantly in apology. "Master, I didn't watch my tongue this morning and ended up offending you. I prepared a special meal to apologize." "A specially poisoned meal?" Gemma chuckled. "No! I wouldn't dare." Sofia shook her head in horror. She had really not poisoned it this time. Gemma gave a hearty laugh. "Ah right. You are waiting for me to lower my guard. Keep waiting."

He tucked the blanket. "Better?" "Better." Sofia crawled inside the fort. "Come in, Daddy. It's cozy." He crawled in beside her. The fort was small, dark, warm. Sofia had brought her dolls, a flashlight, a bag of popcorn. She clicked on the flashlight, pointed it at the ceiling. "Look, stars." She had punched holes in a paper plate, taped it over the flashlight. Tiny dots of light danced on the blanket above them. "That's beautiful, monkey."

Sofia nodded vigorously, "of course, do you?" "Yes, I want to meet him. He is my dad." Sofia sighed while resting her head on brother's shoulder. She yawned after a while, "I don't know about you brother but I'm already sleepy" she yawned again. "Then sleep. I'm not feeling sleepy yet so I'm going to stay in the balcony for a little while." "The balcony? But it's already so late. What if the boogieman catches you or you get kidnapped by a big friendly giant?"