Keeper Of The Lost Cities - Sotam, Sophitz, and Sokeefe

Chapter 6

Writer: Elia <3 (

Sophie crumpled against a tree, crying with big, ugly sobs. 

I want it to be you. 

Fitz's crisp voice echoed through her head. She closed her eyes, trying to pull herself together. 

It could have been a dare... right? 

Her mind replayed the scene of Fitz and Linh in front of her, kissing. 

She tried to ignore the niggling feeling in her gut. 

It must have been a dare.  Fitz wouldn't do that. She wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. "Stop being such a wimp, Sophie," She scolded herself.

I want it to be you. 

"Yo, Foster! Care to explain what's going on? 'Cuz I think I speak for everyone when I say I want to know what is going on!" Keefe shouted from somewhere on the property. She heard the sound of bone hitting flesh then harsh whispering.

"You aren't supposed to approach her like that, you idiot!" Biana hissed to Keefe before raising her voice. "What he means to say is 'are you ok?'"

I want it to be you.

"I'm fine, guys, I just overreacted to something." Sophie called down the hill, proud of her voice for not shaking. 

"I'd say that was more than 'overreacted'," She heard Keefe mutter. 

"Shut up!"  Biana shot back.

Despite her current emotional state, she mustered enough strength to smile. 

I want it to be you.

"I'm sure she's fine." Tam said. She could imagine him tugging on his bangs. "Of course you do!" Keefe snapped back. "It's not like you care or anything." 

"Keefe!" 

"What? I don't believe that it's my fault that Bangs Boy here doesn't care about our Foster Fan club mascot, The Foster herself. He isn't even in the club! But of course, you would stick up for your little boyfriend, Biana." 

"Keefe!" 

It took Sophie a second to realize that voice was her own. She cleared her throat. "I'm fine!"

I want it to be you.

"I'm fine." She repeated. "I'll be right there, ok?"

"Sure." 

Sophie could sense the sarcasm in Keefe's voice, but she ignored it. Right now, she had something to do. 

I want it to be you.

Keefe tiptoed up the stairs, determined to know what upset Sophie so much. He didn't like seeing her like that. She never cried. EVER. If Fitz did something again...

Keefe swore under his breath. Reaching for the knob of the door, Keefe pulled it open. His eyes cautiously swept over the room. No one was there, and everything seemed normal... He frowned, then shut the door, and strode back down the hall, confusion whirling through his head. 

Sophie hurried around the property,  stopping around at the side of the lake. She focused on the singing moonlarks and opened her mind until she felt the whisper of Fitz's mental voice. 

Thank goodness Linh won't tell Sophie, He was thinking. 

She rummaged a little further, careful not to give anything away that she was there. He was thinking about the kiss, and when he'd nearly kissed herself in the Vacker's reception hall. She was glad to feel a twinge of guilt from him. But then, she slowly realised, that meant he purposely kissed her. She sank to her knees, concentrating on Fitz's thoughts in her head. 

I won't tell Sophie this, He thought. Not yet. 

Sophie felt a stab of anger hidden with the pain. She took slow breaths and exited Fitz's mind. He deserved to be with whoever he wanted to be with. She...she didn't matter. Not to him. Not in the right way. 

But for now, she'd play along. 

She'd make sure they'd slowly drift apart. He wouldn't be hurt. He would be spared the pain. Sophie tucked her current wave of thoughts in a locked mental chest, making sure it was well hidden, and that no one, NO ONE, would get in. 

A moonlark chirped, and she looked up. She had no idea how long she had been sitting there, but the sun was already high in the sky. She sighed and trudged back to the house, preparing cannonballs of questions. 

But when she entered the dining room for some lunch, nobody mentioned anything. Sophie smiled gratefully to them and took a seat next to Keefe. She was on her second spoon of mushy purple stuff when Fitz walked in the room with Linh trailing behind him. She forced herself to look up. 

Fitz looked sheepish when he said, "Sorry, we were cleaning up." 

Sophie smiled at Fitz, and he smiled brightly back. "That's fine." 

Keefe eyed them but said nothing. He must've felt her emotions spiking all over the place, though because he squeezed her hand. Fitz's eyes narrowed ever so slightly, but he looked at Linh and relaxed again. They sat down, and everyone returned to eating, although Keefe glanced across the table at Linh and Fitz ever so often. Sophie wondered what he knew. 

She tried to break the tension. "Uh, so guys? Do you want to play Base Quest?" 

"Sure," Fitz said. "But only if you're on my team." He gave her his movie star smile, and she felt her traitrorous heart flutter.  

"No way, no going all Fitzphie RAWR on me," Keefe announced, waggling his finger at both of them. 

Biana giggled,"Yeah, Sophie's pretty much unbeatable on her own, we'll be no match for the Cognates!" 

Sophie blushed and Keefe smirked. "Okay, what if I sat out the--" 

"No, you aren't sitting out anything." Biana interrupted. "We'll do it with no abilities." 

Everyone at the table nodded reluctantly. 

"Okay, here are the teams. I call Foster and Fitz. Tam, Linh, and Biana you are on the other team." Keefe said. 

Okay, act natural. 

Sophie glanced at Fitz, and he grinned back at her. 

Act natural.