after unlocked: a sokeefe fanfic

Chapter 47-Sophie

Sophie opened her mouth to speak, but Keefe held up a hand. "Wait," he whispered.

This time, she responded right away.

And they heard the footsteps just in time to duck behind a formation, as the the group of Neverseen agents rolled past in a cluster of angry arguments.

Keefe sucked in a breath beside her.

"What?" She whispered, careful to keep her voice nearly inaudible.

"Mom," Keefe said in a strangled whisper.

Sophie rolled through a list of expletives in her head that she'd been holding in without the vent session at her guard earlier that day.

Gisela was in the center of the group. Her previously neat hair hung in loose strands around her neck, swinging enough every time she stepped to see the bruises surrounding her throat.

One looked unnervingly like a hand.

Her hands were cuffed, legs were shackled, and a chain of flowers hung around her neck.

The Moonshades were obviously a second protection against her, though Sophie had no idea what her Polyglot abilities could do against their fully armed forces.

Sophie glanced at Keefe, taking his tensed shoulders and clenched fists in a split second. She didn't have to be able to read his mind to know he was seething.

And that he was probably going through the same curse words as she was.

The group passed, still arguing and Sophie waited until they drew out of earshot before she spoke to Keefe.

"They must've found out."

Keefe stared down the path, face stony. "Did you see her neck?"

Sophie nodded, wincing as she recalled the dark red marks.

"They looked like hands," Keefe continued.

The darkness in his voice reminded her of Grady when he'd threatened Brant.

And the unspoken threat on his face looked identical to Grady's.

And Sophie made a decision.

"Go."

Keefe looked at her, abruptly pulled from his clearly dark thoughts. "What?"

"Go get her." She smiled slightly at the surprised look on his face. "Look, I can't say anything for the council, but at least she'd be safer than with them."

"You don't mind?" He asked quietly.

"Of course I mind, Keefe." His face fell. Sophie continued, "But she's your mom, and she's important to you, and you've always helped me with the people who are important to me. So go. Go get her."

He hesitated. "Call me if you get in too deep."

Sophie gave him a brief smile, pulling the Melder away from the folds in her cloak. Her other hand gripped the leather of a knife she'd hidden away. "I will. Go get your mom."

A grin flashed across his face, and he'd disappeared.

Sophie took a deep breath, exhaling carefully as she stared down the tunnel.

Her finger loosened around her knife and drifted into her pocket where it rested on an object that she'd been trying to forget about.

She pulled it out, staring at the morphing liquid. "Just in case," she whispered.

In one smooth motion, she uncapped the vial and downed the Umbruna extract. It had a cool taste—like liquid moonbeams.

But she gagged at the aftertaste—metallic blood.

Spots danced across her eyes, maroons and purples and whites. She shook her head rapidly, blinking as her vision cleared.

Then the blaring headache hit her.

It was like a migraine, but one hundred times worse. And her vision flew away as she stumbled into the wall.

Sophie mouthed a word, begging for the migraine to dissipate, for the pain to melt away, but it continued throbbing in sharp needle-like thuds.

"Okay," she breathed out. "It's... it's fine."

She blinked away tears groggily, inhaling a breath of air and brushing away the strands of hair sticking to her damp forehead.

Sophie straightened, gasped as the throbbing thickened for a split second, and promptly yelped. She grabbed her Melder and unsteadily flicked the safety off.

Took a deep breath. Waited for the pain to fade to the back of her mind, where it still pounded, but slightly less so.

"Hurry up, Keefe." She whispered.

Updated: 6-27-2021

A/N: the fact that I've been waiting to write this chapter for over half a year makes me really happy that I finally got to write and publish it. Plus we're getting closer to the plot and the endgame and the confession—oop. I've said too much.

I'm weird today people.

Like really weird.

Like if you knew what I'm like in person you'd understand how weird I am. Especially today.

Anywaysssss

See you at the next update!