The Neverseen's Last Resort

59

"The Neverseen had her. They trapped us in shields and almost killed the Collective until..." He didn't want to lie, but if Sophie were to be waking up soon, would she want the world to know she'd committed the ultimate betrayal? No, but at the same time...

"I understand the difficulties of going through these things over again, and I won't force you to tell me. But I will tell you that the more I know, the easier it is for me to help her. And anything you feel you'd rather keep quiet, I can promise they'll remain secret." It was as if she'd read his mind. Sighing, Keefe knew she was right.

"They did something to Sophie," he explained. "She was working with the Neverseen." The faintest of gasps escaped Livvy, but she said nothing more as she continued to work at restoring color to Sophie's face.

"I think they also triggered another ability, and enhanced all her other ones, too. Maybe even her skills. I watched her smash Fitz into a wall with more force than any other elf I've seen." Livvy nodded.

"I'll look into the new ability thing, though I'm not sure I'll be able to detect anything that has to do with her skills. I'll try." Keefe nodded, his heart still pounding in his head as he watched her work with anticipation. If Sophie had been brainwashed... A dot of fear wedged its way into his mind. What if it was permanent? Her abilities, whatever he should call them, never disappeared? What if they got too strong? Would the council banish her? Would she be sent to Exile with the rest of the crazed elves? Would her mind break once she learned of Biana's condition?

Day turned to night and Livvy had left hours ago to aide some other patients. Meanwhile, Keefe had remained at Sophie's side, sending her more "colors" as she'd once called it, every time she stirred. He hated to see her so weak, and though she wasn't being sedated, per say, it felt close enough that it made Keefe's insides squirm every time he had to do it.

In that time, no one visited. Not their friends, not Livvy, not the councillors, and not Mr. Forkle. It made sense, as they were all still probably recovering from the shock, wounds, and more. Still, it felt as though Sophie should have an audience surrounding her, praying for her to be okay, to wake. It made him almost wonder... He shoved the thoughts before they could form. Before him, Sophie stirred again, her eyes fluttering groggily. Keefe reached for her hand, ready to send her back into whatever dream she'd been having. But... It hurt too much to do that again, especially when Sophie hated sedatives. He couldn't do that to her. Not again.

So, he let her wake. Her lips opened to take in the cool, night air. Her eyes fluttered open, staring into the blackened sky above them, not a cloud in sight. And he watched her eyes wandered, inspecting her surroundings. And then... her eyes found Keefe.

//

Sophie's heavy eyes pried themselves open, and she found herself staring up into a black, starless sky. The moon provided the only light, shining down on her as if a spotlight. Her lips were chapped, her throat was dry. Water. The thought of it alone made her mouth water, but that wasn't her concern at the moment. Time had obviously passed since... She couldn't remember. How long had she been out? What had happened?

Frantic, her eyes darted around the area in search of answers. Instead, she found a pair of ice blue eyes, watching her with regret, it seemed. And relief. His eyes watered as they locked eyes, and Sophie's stomach tickled as she examined him. Where did she know him from? Why was he watching her? Sophie moved to sit up, before falling back down again. The boy with ice eyes rushed to catch her, but too late. She grunted as her head slammed into the ground beneath her, and she cursed.

"Where am I?" she demanded, though it didn't sound as threatening as she'd wanted, her voice cracking as she spoke.

"Just outside of Atlantis," the boy answered, frowning as he studied her. Sophie tried a second time to sit up, but before she could fall again, the blonde boy placed a hand on her back and raised her into a sit. She glared at him.