what happened after unlocked

chapter forty-seven ~ prentice

Sophie gripped a chunk of her hair in an iron-fisted hold. The concerned blond boy in front of her listened intently, but it was obvious he was worried for her sanity by now.

"Look, I know I should have visited it a few more times just to double-check I was right, but I was just so confused and understanding of it at the same time...so I thought, I should tell Keefe this, now!"

Keefe looked at her like she was a wounded puppy. "Okay, Foster, chill out. Remember what I told you? And you don't have to visit it anymore! I think we both get the picture!"

Sophie had completely left out the part about visiting the last secret. "I guess you're right," she conceded. "But I still feel like I should be doing more..."

"At least now I know that I should genuinely be fearing for my life because both my mom and Gethen both hate me now!" Keefe said unhelpfully. "I'll just avoid going outside. Maybe focus on recovering more memories or something."

Sophie gave him a small smile. "Well, now that you know...I should probably go remind Ro to stay by your side at all times because I think she's gotten a little sidetracked."

Keefe stood up quickly. "No, no, it's fine. I'll be fine. Seriously, stop worrying about me! You know, I'm sure there are cuter boys out there just waiting to be worried about."

Sophie blushed a little, avoiding his gaze. "Just...be careful, then. Make good on your promises. Don't do what Old Keefe would do."

"I know, Foster," Keefe smirked.

He headed out the door, but before he could escape down the hallway, Sophie grabbed his hand so that he would turn around.

There was a confused look on his face before she enveloped him in a warm hug, smiling against his shoulder.

Sophie pulled back and went back into her bedroom before she could hug him any tighter.

Look at you, Sophie, she thought to herself. Worrying about strangling people.

Or worrying about him seeing the look on your face?

She wasn't sure why she had another arguing thought.

It must have just been the exhausting day.

She sat back on her bed, throwing pillows over her chest and behind her neck so she could properly slump in what was officially the most lazy position.

She almost didn't think for a minute.

And that was when her Imparter began to vibrate.

Sophie inwardly groaned and drew back, digging around in her pockets before locating the screen. She intercepted it, relieved when seeing Linh's face.

"Hi, Sophie!" Linh said brightly. The torches behind her head were lit up in all the colors of the rainbow, making her appear extra cheerful. "I just thought I'd let you know that Prentice came to Solreef today. I was pretty surprised at first, but it turned out that he wanted to see what Wylie was making such a fuss about, and now he's fully recovered, which is good."

"Oh!" Sophie smiled. "So do you want me to go and say hello? Or more than a hello? I mean, that's fine, I've got plenty of time, I was just thinking I could fit in a few hours of midday napping..."

"Any time suits," Linh told her, "Just arrive when you can, he's pretty interested in finally meeting you properly."

Sophie picked herself out of the cushiony mess, wincing as pins and needles settled in one foot. "Yeah, I'll be there in a minute." She dropped the Imparter, waving hastily, the hall to the next set of stairs.