Agent Moonlark

Chapter Twenty Two

Keefe put his hand under her chin so that she was forced to look at him. "This may sound cheesy, but she'll forever be in your heart. If you think that was the last of what you had of her, you're wrong. The last is there." He pointed to her heart.

Sophie's eyes landed on the jar in his hands. She closed her eyes, then opened them slowly.

"Let's go," she said.

"Whoa," Keefe said. "Back the T-Rex up. It's ok if you want to take a break. I mean, you did just Foster it."

Sophie smiled reassuringly at him. "No. She would have wanted me to continue. She would have wanted me to get the Panakes petals to the Black Swan as fast as possible."

Calla had sacrificed herself for this knowledge. Sophie had to put it to as much use as possible. It would honor Calla's memory, something that Sophie had neglected to do over the years. She had mourned Calla, but she had also tried to forget her. Calla did not deserve to be forgotten. She deserved to be remembered. As a hero.

Sophie took a deep breath and got up. She brought the petal to her lips and kissed it. She did not care that it was dirty. This was her goodbye.

As the petal fluttered gracefully to the ground, Sophie finally let go of her aunt.

Keefe

There was something in Sophie's eyes. It was like she finally got the closure she needed. And he was happy for her. The peaceful look on her face was one Keefe had not seen since he'd met her.

"So, which way are we going?," he asked, interrupting Sophie's moment of silence.

"That way," Sophie said. She pointed to the left, rolling her eyes playfully.

"Are we gonna walk? Because let's be honest, we're never going to make it there by nightfall." Keefe observed her, knowing full well that she had a plan.

"No," she answered. Keefe breathed a sigh of relief. "We're going to run," she finished.

Keefe groaned. "Um, I'm a little hurt. Just pointing that out, Foster." He motioned to his leg, which he'd wrapped a strip of fabric around in the car. The fabric came from his Neverseen cloak. He had had to tear it up, which gave him immense satisfaction.

Sophie broke into a sprint, leaving Keefe in the dust. Keefe blinked, then ran after her. Normally, he would have been much faster, but the flaring pain that went through his body every time he put weight on his leg was kind of distracting.

"Faster, Keefe," he heard Sophie yell. He huffed and tried to run faster. He watched her blond hair swish as she ran.

"How do you know the directions?!," he yelled. He had no idea where they were going, and zero recollection of passing through here.

"Photographic memory," Sophie yelled back. She paused. "And a brain."

Keefe smirked. He loved her witty comebacks. "Good one, Foster." He sped up until he was running beside her.

While he wasn't looking, Sophie snatched the jar. Keefe tried to take it back, but when he couldn't, he stuck his tongue out at her.

"Wait!," Sophie exclaimed. She stopped abruptly. Keefe was so startled he tripped on air and fell.

"Shiitake mushrooms!," he shouted for the second time that day. A million curse words passed through his mind. He looked up to find Sophie silently laughing.

"Ow." His wounded leg throbbed, which would have disturbed Keefe had he not experienced this many times during training.

"Look," Sophie ordered. She pointed to a sign. "I found our solution."