The purple crystal

chapter 14

Sophie and Fitz made there way to the fungus cave. This was where they had started to understand each other in new ways. They started to see and feel one another's emotions and it took their telepathy and cognate training to a new level. Over the years when Fitz was anxious or nervous Sophie could feel it and calm him down and when she was overly ambitious Fitz would talk her down and bring her back to reality. They balanced each other and gave support and encouragement.

The cave was exactly the same with the oversized brightly colored mushrooms covering the floor making the perfect seats for them to continue their talk about their dream house from earlier.

They had already decided that it needed to have open fields like Havenfield but also gardens and a lake like Everglen. Sophie also liked the idea of a big kitchen where Fitz could bake for them. He grinned, pleased that he could spoil her with delicious treats. After years in the Forbidden Cities they also decided on a movie room as they had grown fond of watching movies cuddled up together. They were just about to start discussing how many bedrooms for the house when Keefe walked in.

“You had to pick the fungus cave to hideout in!”

“What do you want Keefe?” Fitz asked curtly as Sophie said, “we need to talk.”

“Woah, I come in peace,” Keefe joked again. “Fitz calm down I am not here to cause any problems but could we take this outside the fungus is making me Foster emotional seasick. Seriously how do you feel so much so quickly, first your happy then your nervous then excited then nauseous then scared. Seriously whatever it is that has you going crazy, Fitz will be ok with it and not to mention all the emotions that I felt when I actually walked in the cave.”

Fitz gave Sophie a sideways look, why was she feeling all those crazy things and why did Keefe think he wouldn't be ok with it.

“We need the council to reassign us to work in the Lost Cities again, can you help make that happen?” Sophie asked giving Keefe the don't ask any questions right now look.

“Uh I am pretty sure that can be arranged, I thought things were going well for you guys there. Is there trouble with the humans?” Keefe asked not taking his eyes off Sophie. He could tell she was faking some emotions and trying to cover up something he just could figure out what it was.

“No things are fine there, we just want to come home.” Fitz piped up, taking note of Keefe staring at Sophie.

“Your hiding something, even after a 100 years I know when something is up, but that's not what I came to talk to you about.” Keefe said finally dropping his eyes to the ground. “But seriously can we take it outside the cave, I'm starting to feel Fitz’s and I haven't felt that much hostility since Ro told her dad she wanted to move to Eternalia permanently.”

Sighing Fitz and Sophie agreed and headed back out of the cave. When the three of them were in the forest Fitz finally broke the silence.

“Why did you have to screw everything up, you were my best friend. You didn't need to betray my trust, my family's trust and hurt Sophie. Seriously I just don't get it.”

“You want to know the truth?” Keefe asked not sure if he was really ready to tell them everything.

“I think you owe us that at least.” Sophie spoke up softly.

Keefe looked at them before telling the story of how back when they were trying to take down the Neverseen when ever he was around Sophie he could feel the adrenaline of liking someone pulsing off her. He knew she liked Fitz because it was always stronger around him but then when it was team Foster-Keefe time he could feel the same level of adrenaline and he figured Sophie had started to shift her feelings. He didn't realize at the time that the missing piece he didn't have was her thoughts, and that he figured out that she was always thinking of Fitz. So even though the emotions felt the same as liking him they weren't. He continued with how one day after Sophitz started openly sharing their feelings it was too much for him and he started to go numb to his own feelings.

Sophie's eyes grew in shock knowing how scary that was.

Keefe than said he realized how Alvar was able to cover up doing all the bad things by overcompensating his emotional draw to other people and thus started the serial dating and eventually dating 2 girls at the same time. It worked for a while but he still wanted the level of love he felt radiating when he was with Sophie or hanging out at Everglen with the Vackers. That was what led him to Biana. He had known for years she had a crush on him and a few carefully directed flirts and compliments she was back in full on team Keefe. The only problem was he had to be touching her to get the emotional high so whenever he wasn't with her the numbness returned. He hated the numbness and just wanted to feel something real again. That was when he turned into the horrible Keefe they were all trying to forget. He was willing to do anything to get a reaction from everyone to just feel something.

“I had no idea.” Sophie stuttered before feeling nauseous again.

“I didn't want you to, I knew you already felt weird about me feeling everything and then to know it was literally killing my natural emotions I knew the guilt would destroy you and unless the Blackswan had another Sophie stashed somewhere you couldn't heal yourself and our world still needed you. So you got the worst version of Keefe.”

“Why didn't you tell us sooner?” Fitz asked his tone more sympathetic towards Keefe than he had been earlier.

“I didn't get a chance before you went off to the Forbidden Cities and Biana and your parents wouldn't respond to any of my hails. I knew Dex was working through his own issues and I wasn't that close with the twins so it just made sense to shut it down and start over. Ro invited me to hang out in Ravagog with her and since I can't feel anything weird around Orges it helped a ton. Eventually my normal feelings returned and than Terik said I should be on the council. I figured I could continue to do what we promised with the Blackswan and do anything in my power to help my world. I could actually make a difference and fix somethings and I did and it felt good but it didn't make me forgive myself for splitting up the group. I've missed everyone.”

“Even bangs boy?” A voice piped up from a tree and slowly Biana, Tam, Linh, Wylie and Dex came around the tree.

“Yes even you Tam. I had no idea how to fix my hair with this dang circlit.”

The group laughed.

“It feels good to finally get it out there. Secrets suck, but I guess that's why having a cognate is so awesome huh, no secrets.” Keefe said giving Sophie a sideways glance.

She shot him the look again.

“I guess what I am asking you guys,” motioning to Fitz and Sophie, “can you forgive me for my huge mistakes and can we all be friends again?”

“Only if you can forgive yourself,” Fitz replied. “I know Sophie can fix you if the guilt breaks you but it's a lot of work and we just want to get back to normal.”

“Deal, but I don't think normal Is happening anytime soon.”