after unlocked: a sokeefe fanfic

Chapter 64-Keefe

"Can I have some more wire?" Keefe hollered.

Dex, not looking up from his painstaking craft of melting down Cadence's jewelry, elbowed Sophie. She also did not look up, but the wire came flying at him quickly. Keefe caught it just before it hit his nose, and unwound a string of it long enough to fit his finger. He counted the divets in the wire under his breath and then cut it with the heavy wire cutters Dex had handed to him with a don't lose these look. Keefe had then and there decided he would "lose" them just to annoy him. After he was done using them, of course.

"I need a new gem," Sophie yelled. Dex's melding was loud enough where her voice barely carried to him. Using his telekinesis, Keefe let a small pile of gems float over to Sophie. A few moments later, her voice reverberated through his head. "Showoff."

"Only for you," he added a mental wink.

"Or everyone."

The sound of Dex's machinery shut off abruptly. "You two gonna stop flirting and actually help me?"

"She was the one flirting."

Sophie shot him a look.

"You were." He shrugged.

Dex rolled his eyes though there was no malice in the snark. He reached sup, holding the stretch for a long time. Blowing out a long breath, he popped his fingers. "Lunch time?"

***

It was, indeed, lunchtime.

But they didn't end up eating it.

They were dishing out their meals just as a rustle made them look up.

Forkle stood in front of his tents "Ms. Foster, please join me," Forkle said quietly. His expression was grim. "You two as well." He added, beckoning the boys over.

Keefe put his hand to his stomach, beginning to feel sick at the raw emotions that sprang into the air—the worry from Sophie and Dex, and the frustration and bit of fear from Forkle.

He motioned for them to sit. Sophie remained standing, and Keefe thought Forkle would protest, but he just watched her a little sadly.

"I have some good news and bad," he said quietly. "Which would you prefer first?"

Sophie bit her lip. "Good news, I guess?"

"Well," he gave a slight smile. "I received word today that they've finished adding supplies to the safe places in America and England, and that they've begun supplying cots and blankets to the other stations."

"That's good," Sophie said tentatively. She still looked worried.

"Now the bad news," Keefe prompted.

Forkle nodded slowly and pulled a folded up parchment from his pocket. Keefe watched his wrinkly hands smooth it out, resisting the temptation to rip it from his hands and read it himself. Forkle hesitated.

"Come on, Forkle," Keefe said, his calm voice belying the anxiety rising in his chest. Some of it was from Sophie and Dex. "Just say it."

"This is a correspondence I received just an hour ago from Blur," he began. He hesitated, but plunged, '"Council is in motions of bringing as much of the population as they can to the major cities. Stop. Currently trying to determine location of families as follows: Ruewens, Vackers, Dizznees, Songs, and Sencen. Other major families are being located by Granite. Stop. Previously missing families have been subject to injection booster. Stop. Will update in a week," Forkle folded the paper slowly. "Stop."