Always & Forever

Chapter 1

          Wake up. Wake up. Please, wake up!
          I have a pounding headache and my eyes are burning from no sleep, but I stay where I am. I had to be there when Keefe wakes up, even if it meant letting go of myself for a while. It's been about a week since the battle and Keefe has barely moved in his sleep. It has been the worst week of my life. The days have melted into each other, and the only way I've kept track of time is when the sun dips below the horizon, the only thoughts in my head as I watch Keefe are, another day without him. Without his laugh. His jokes. His smile. I had rested maybe twice, and that was only when Edaline and Elwin forced me down and made me take a sedative.

          The rest of my friends come by every couple of days but never stayed longer than maybe a day or two. But I don't blame them, I knew Forkle was pressing everyone to work on his new plan. I was always here, though. Making sure Keefe would have someone the wake up to.

          "Please," I whisper, my voice raw from not using in a long time. "Please, just open your eyes."

          Everyone has had a different tactic with Keefe. Fitz tries bribing him, Ro will threaten him, Biana promises thing, and me, I plead. None of it works. Elwin had tried giving him different elixirs at first, trying different remedies and mixes. But finally, he decided that the best option was to let whatever was happening, run its course and he just tries to keep Keefe's vitals steady and him hydrated. I hated this plan, I thought he could do something more, but I gave up fighting after awhile. So all I can do for now is sit, wait, and think, over and over: wake up, wake up, please wake up.

-----

          I've been at the Healing Center for two weeks now, and Keefe has shown no progress. I can barely keep my eyes open. The last time I slept had to have been a week ago. Elwin has given up on trying to sedate me. I may hate the looks my friends give me when they come to visit Keefe, but I'm not sleeping till he wakes up. 

          "Hey," an accented voice says from the doorway.

          I pretend that I'm sleeping so they won't bother me about sleep. But it doesn't work.

          "Soph, I know you're not asleep." I open my eyes to see a teal eyed boy leaning up against the doorway.

          "Don't you dare lecture me on sleep Fitz. I'm tired of you bugging me about it," I say resting my head on the wall. 

          "I'm your Cognate Sophie. I need to worry about you and you seriously need to sleep." I've had enough of it.

          "Well if you want me to sleep, then figure out how to wake up Keefe!" I yell, all my rage boiling over.

          "Soph, calm down. He'll be alright, Lady Gisela said she was helping him. She wouldn't have done that if she thought it could kill him. Remember, she said he was her legacy." Fitz comes and sits next to me, wiping tears off my cheeks.

          I didn't realize I was crying. But a couple of rebellious tears escaped. Fitz wrapped me in a hug and let me cry into his shoulder.

          "I'm sorry," I sniff. "I shouldn't have yelled at you. I'm just..."

          "Tired?" Fitz finishes for me. "See you need to sleep."

          "Nope, nice try but, nope. I'm awake until he wakes up," I replied pointing at Keefe. 

          "Sophie, you're going to kill yourself if you keep this up." Fitz gives me a worried look. "You sleep. I'll sit right next to him until you wake up."

          Although sleep sounded good, I couldn't. Not knowing Keefe could wake up any moment. But the next thing Fitz said hurt,

          "Don't do this for me or anyone else. Don't do it for yourself. Do it for Keefe. What would he say if he found out you hadn't slept for..." He trailed off, probably because he didn't know how long it's been.

          "Eight days," I sighed.

          "Sophie!! Eight days!! Keefe would scold you for not getting any sleep for eight freaking days! Soph, please just lie down for like, 30 minutes." Fitz looked horrified. "Please Sophie, you're hurting yourself." 

          I thought about how worried Keefe always was he found out how much sleep I got. Which before the latest attack, had to have been maybe two days of sleep a month.

          "I can handle it," I say crossing my arms over my chest. "If I can go a month without sleep then I can handle this."

          "Sophie, you need to try. If you don't and Keefe wakes up to you looking like this, he'll not think about what happened to him and he'll try to help you. Or he'll blame himself for what you're doing to yourself," Fitz pleaded. He grabbed my hand and transmitted,

          Sophie, please, for Keefe.

          I nodded, Fitz squeezed my hand and walked out of the room.

          I knew Fitz was right, but I just couldn't fall asleep. I tried to, but I couldn't. So, I didn't.

-----

          Three weeks, no change. I have to stand up to stay awake. Without anything to distract me with, it's hard to keep my eyes open. Fitz now comes to the Healing Center daily to check on me and Keefe, but the next day is always filled with more worry than the last. I don't know if the worry is aimed towards me or Keefe, so I like to think it is aimed towards Keefe. But today, Fitz brought everyone.

          "Sophie?" A small voice says behind me. "Fitz told us that you haven't slept."

          "Soph I had to," Fitz said. "If you won't listen to me, you might listen to them." 

          I rolled my eyes and turned around. Biana gasped, Tam turned around, Dex and Linh came and hugged me. 

          "Guys," I said once Linh and Dex pulled away from the hug. "I'm perfectly fine. The exhaustion isn't as bad as it has been in the past."

          "But Sophie, have you seen yourself? You look pale," Biana said

          "Who looks pale?" Elwin said walking into the room

          This time Tam answered, "Sophie does. She looks as if she might pass out." 

          Elwin looked me up and down, "Alright Sophie, I don't want to do this, but I have to give you a sedative."

          I screamed, "No sedative!!! I don't think I could handle the nightmares!"

          "Tam and Fitz I need you two to hold her down. Linh and Biana, calm her down. Dex, help me find the right sedative and Sophie," He waits till I answer.

          "What?" I say not strong enough to fight both Fitz and Tam.

          "I'll give you a sedative that doesn't allow you to dream. You'll only wake up when I think you're ready to wake up. Understood?" He explains.

          I nod, but then Tam and Fitz start to tie me down to the cot and I start to struggle.

          "Why are you tying me down? I can't wake up until Elwin lets me. Don't tie me up," I plead.

          "You tend to fight me in your sleep when I try to give you sedatives, so we're tying you down so you won't fight when I need to give you more sedative," Elwin explains, holding an elixir. "Ready?"

          "Not like I have a choice," I complain.

          "Soph, you need sleep.  You can't keep this up. We're trying to help," Biana states grabbing her hand. "You'll be fine."

          Then Elwin forced the sedative down my throat. I heard someone say my name but I was already drifting. Before I knew, I was out cold.