after unlocked: a sokeefe fanfic

Chapter 46-Keefe

Keefe was very grateful that he couldn't feel Sophie's emotions.

For one, he was doubting more and more that she didn't hate him, and he didn't want to prove that correct. Second, he was wearing a Neverseen cloak, and standing close to his mom. It wasn't on purpose, since the paths were so slim.

Third, she somehow found it easy to stay as far away from him as possible.

That didn't help with the first reason.

"How close are we to the surface?" Sophie asked, speaking for the first time since they'd broken her out of the cell. She was shivering visibly, but Keefe had already offered her his cloak and she'd adamantly shook her head to his peace offering.

He wondered if she'd take the cloak if he ripped the Neverseen patch off.

Gisela examined the path. "73 minutes."

Sophie arched an eyebrow. "That's exact," she muttered.

"So what if it is?" Gisela countered. "If someone is down here for too long, without the proper protection, many things can mess with their head. The darkness, the silence, and," she motioned to the stalactites and stalagmites, "the Moonshades."

"The Moonshades?" Sophie drawled. "That's what those are? 'Cause, the Moonshades we've dealt with enhance abilities. They don't mess with our heads."

Keefe seized upon that opportunity to agree with Sophie. Maybe that would get him on her good side. "She's right."

Gisela rolled her eyes. "Yet another area the Black Swan has failed in educating their youth. It's a wonder that you're winning this war."

"We're winning the war?" Keefe and Sophie related in unison.

They glanced at each other, and Keefe was relieved to see the slight smile on Sophie's face.

Gisela snorted. "Not for long."

They walked past three more doorways before Gisela stopped.

She turned to Sophie, determination written all over her face. "I know you hate the Neverseen, but we'll be passing multiple members, along with the sentries. I have to insist that you wear a cloak. It's the only way to keep from causing suspicion."

Sophie's jaw clenched. Her eyes traveled over the small room they had stepped into. Over the rack of cloaks over the weapons over Gisela, and finally to Keefe.

Her eyes searched his, then were off again before settling on the patch on his shoulder.

She sighed. "Fine. But I'm burning it as soon as we get out of here."

"Same," Keefe muttered.

Gisela set out finding a cloak, long enough to cover all of Sophie, since she wasn't wearing the all black garb most of the members wore—though, Foster was very dusty, so her clothing was almost as dark anyways.

While she was doing that, and Sophie was scowling at the line of black cloaks, Keefe browsed along the wall of melders and swords and battle axes and daggers.

He wrinkled his nose at the daggers, slipped a tiny knife in his boot, and went straight for the melders. He grabbed a modified version, which was a matte black, and tucked it into the built in holster on the inside of his cloak.

Keefe glanced up, meeting Sophie's eyes, which he suspected had been following him the whole time. He winked at her, (reassured when she flushed slightly) and pressed another melder into her hands.

"Just in case," he whispered.

The fact that the first group of sentries didn't so much as look at them when the passed kind of made Keefe wish he could take off the hood of the cloak to see how they'd react to a prisoner escaping. They all looked bored, lazy, and senile, (hah senile sentries) and Keefe seriously wondered if they could run.