Sophie didn't know which was weirder.
The fact that Keefe had willingly believed her with the prototype.
Well, she didn't actually know if it worked.
Dex hadn't really tested it on Alina yet.
Oops.
Or.....
That Sandor hadn't come, and it had gone far longer than fifteen minutes.
Grayd was probably holding him back.
Keefe's sigh brushed through her hair.
Sophie expected him to tell her that he could feel her guilt.
He didn't.
"How well does it work?" Sophie asked.
She felt his fingers tap into her back.
Then, softly, "I can only feel some of your emotions."
"Which ones?"
"The good ones."
Keefe pulled back slightly. Locked eyes with her. He smiled wearily at her and stepped back.
"So you'll come?" She asked.
The seconds ticked by.
"Yes."
Yes.
He said yes.
Keefe Sencen was coming home.
***
Sophie hadn't had a nightmare in a while. Ever since Silveny had been staying there, she had gotten good full nights of sleep—even when Keefe had been unconscious.
Unfortunately, Silveny was a full time momma now, so she couldn't transmit every night without exhausting herself.
So, Sophie had begun to have nightmares.
So many nightmares.
It was, however, kind of soothing to hear Keefe's soft inhales and exhales. He was on the floor, cocooned in several blankets and surrounded by the multiple pillows that Edaline had conjured after hugging the stunned boy. Almost as soon as she had turned off the lights, after Sandor and Bo made their thorough rounds about the room, he had passed out.
She focused on Keefe's steady breathing, hugged Ella closer to her chest and shut her eyes.
***
They were gaining on her. The dark figures, shrouded by shadows chased her. They seemed to float over the ground. No matter how quickly she teleported, they appeared right behind her.
Their ominous chanting, the whispering voices, never-ending.
She was against a tree.
The Panakes blossoms were dark purple in the gloomy mist. The figures slowed as they approached. One broke off, getting closer, closer, until he was right in front of her.
The familiar voice echoed around her, growing louder as he neared.
"Run, Foster!" Keefe screamed desperately at her, as the shadows wreathed around his neck, the black veins running up his face.
She couldn't run.
"Run!" He croaked.
She couldn't run.
His eyes.
"Run." But as she watched, they darkened, shifted until they were red as blood.
She couldn't run.
"Run."
She couldn't run.
"RUN."
Her mouth opened to scream, but no sound escaped.
"There is no escape," the boy said, his voice no longer familiar.
No longer comforting.
A snake's hiss.
She should've ran.
***
She bolted upright. She stared around the slowly lightening room, the sunrise casting a pink glow around it.
"Foster?"
Sophie whipped around to see Keefe sitting up, watching her. As she looked, his mouth split into a yawn.
"You okay? Your emotions are going wacko."
She tried to ignore his worried, albeit sleepy, expression, and changed the subject. "You can feel them?"
"Uh huh." Keefe stood up and promptly tripped over his pillows. He stumbled over to her. Rubbing his eyes, he sat down on her bed next to her.
"I would give you a breeze, but..." He held up his hands, "You know. Trying not to find out what happens if I get out of control."
Sophie hugged her knees to her chest, trying to dispel the image of the red eyes on Keefe's face.
The black veins running up his face.
And those shadows.
All those shadows.
"Do you want to tell me?"
She shook her head. "Not right now."
It was too fresh.
And Keefe was talking normally now. She didn't want to worry him with a dream about him.
Didn't want him to stop.
"I'm fine, Keefe." She told him.
"You sure?"
"Yeah." She smiled wanly at his sleepy face. "You should go back to bed. I think I'm just gonna get up and take a shower."
Keefe looked around. "What time is it?"
Sophie squinted at the sunrise. "I'd say about five."
Keefe looked horrified. "Five?! Do you usually get up this early?"
She shrugged, glad that the images were fading into the back of her consciousness. Glad that she could almost laugh at his horror. "Sometimes."
He stood up, muttering, "Five. You're crazy, Foster."
Sophie stood up, going to her closet to grab some clothes so she could shower.
She shut the door gently and cranked the hot water.
After her long shower, Sophie tiptoed past Keefe and sat back on her bed. Apparently, Flori had already snuck in and made it.
Sophie reached over to her nightstand and found her moonlark memory log, when she happened to glance over at Keefe.
His eyes were still closed, his mouth parted slightly. A lock of hair fell on his forehead. He looked so much more peaceful, much younger without his smirk on display. A corner of his mouth curved upwards, as if he was smiling in his sleep.
Sophie smiled back.
She'd missed having him around.
***
Two hours later, Keefe began to stir. Sophie was flipping through the pages of the log, trying to find any memories with Lady Gisela in them. She found one particular page with Gisela, smiling, in a very self satisfied, cocky way, which really made her want to punch something.
"You know glaring at my mom isn't going to make her disappear, trust me, I've tried."
She jerked her head, connecting it with Keefe's unfortunate nose.
"Geez, Foster, you have a hard skull." He blinked at her rapidly from the ground.
He pushed himself up with one arm, then slumped back down. "On second thought, I'm just going to stay down here for a sec."
"Sorry," Sophie said, cheeks flushing.
Keefe opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by her imparter.
Fitz's face came into view.
"Hey, uh, so, Ro is kind of going insane over here... She's saying weird stuff, about Keefe, and as much as I miss him, why couldn't he have taken his insane bodyguard with him?"
Keefe popped up next to her.
"Aww, Fitzipoo, you missed me?"
Fitz's mouth opened then closed. Then opened again.
He finally managed to say, "What?"
Sophie cut in before Keefe could say something embarrassing—for either of them. "Uh, yeah, I actually found him yesterday. He, uh, had to stay over, because it was pretty late when we got back to the Lost Cities."
Fitz looked like he wanted to say something, but at the last second changed his mind.
"I'm going to break you for leaving, dude," Fitz said, a wild look in his eyes. "Can we come over?"
"Uh. Sure. Make it later though, like afternoon-ish."
Fitz stopped. "Why?"
"Long story. We'll explain everything when you guys get here. Could you hail everyone?"
Fitz nodded. The imparter clicked off.
Keefe jumped up from the ground. "Could I use your shower?"
Sophie nodded.
Keefe grabbed his now clean clothes of the floor and hopped up. He had borrowed a tunic and breeches from Grady so that the gnomes could clean his clothes. The clothes were too big for him, but it was kind of cute watching him swim in the extra fabric.
Sophie stood up and walked downstairs. Grady and Edaline were sitting at the table, talking in low tones. When they saw Sophie, they stopped and exchanged a look. Edaline snapped her fingers and a bowl of red mush appeared in front of her.
"Edaline," Grays warned.
She rolled her eyes. "It won't hurt me to feed my daughter."
"You know, Sophie gets that—" Grady motioned to Edaline's sarcastic expression, "from you."
"Yeah, and she gets her stubbornness from you," Edaline retorted.
Sophie looked back and forth at them. "Uh, guys, you remember that I'm adopted, right?"
"Okay, well, her three year old self sassiness is from you too." Grady said.
Sophie stared at them as they gave her cheeky grins.
"Okay, I now get how parents can get embarrassing really quickly," She told them.
They chuckled, and Edaline motioned for her to eat.
Sophie dipped a spoon into it and stared dubiously.
"It's good," Grady said.
"Try it," Edaline urged.
"What were you guys talking about?" Sophie asked, ignoring the food for now.
They exchanged another look.
"Just... something I have to think about." Grady supplied vaguely.
Sophie arched an eyebrow at him.
He looked over her shoulder.
"Ah, Keefe. Good to see you."
Her other eyebrow rose. Grady didn't like Keefe. He was really hiding something.
The boy sat next to her as Edaline conjured some more of the red goup.
His hair was still damp. As she watched, he ran his fingers through it, fluffing it, pushing it out of his face. Somehow, it still looked good.
But she was not going to follow that thought.
"I told you the Gradester likes me," He told Sophie smugly.
Grady huffed. He muttered something about That Boy and hours every day.
Sophie rolled her eyes, cracked a grin. Keefe seemed to have a knack for getting under Grady's nerves. And he also seemed to be bouncing back, though Sophie noticed he was being super careful with how he phrased his words.
But he was talking. And that was what mattered.
Keefe dipped a spoon into the food and took a huge bite. He swallowed and took another. She watched him swallow another and glance over at her.
He grinned.
"You should try it, Foster. It's actually really good."
Siphie shook her head. "I'll pass."
He leaned over to her conspiratorially. "Tell you what, if you try it and you don't like it, I will let you dye my hair pink."
Sophie grinned evilly. "Oh yes," she reached for the bowl, but Keefe stopped her.
"If you do like it though, you have to—I mean," he shook his head, already frowning, and Sophie saw her parents exchange glances in the corner of her eye. Keefe forced a smile onto his face, his voice turning soft. "You could do one of my favors."
Sophie shook her head quickly, trying to pretend she didn't notice the change in atmosphere. "Oh no, I know what your 'Favors' are like."
"Scared, Foster?" Keefe challenged. The smile was real this time.
Impulsively, Sophie grabbed his hand. She shook it. "Deal."
Smirking, Keefe slid her bowl over to her.
She scooped up a spoonful, holding it to her mouth, and...
It tasted like strawberry waffles.
Keefe chuckled. "Ahh, the sound of having one favor to cash in."
She glared at him, still stuffing the food in her mouth. Grady and Edaline looked back and forth at them.
"Teenagers make no sense," Grady muttered to Edaline, standing up.
Keefe and Sophie burst out laughing.
Grady walked out, still muttering about teenagers, and Edaline shot Sophie a sly look as she followed.
Sophie looked back at Keefe. He ducked his head as she saw him looking at her. A pink dusting spread over his cheeks, so faint, she thought he was hallucinating.
Keefe blushing?
Yeah, definitely hallucinating.
She cleared her throat.
"So... living arrangements, I guess?"
"Elwin's maybe?" He said, staring into his bowl.
"Maybe. Vacker's?"
"Definitely not. Biana will try to give me makeovers all day, and I won't be able to stop her 'cause I can't say any stupid commands because of my stupid power," he joked.
"Okay, scratch the Vacker's."
"I could go back to Candleshade."
"No."
Keefe arched an eyebrow.
"You aren't staying at Candleshade." She told him with a shrug. "When do you want to go to Shores of Solace to get your stuff?"
"Rapid subject change, but okay," Keefe muttered, "whenever works. Hopefully before my dad gets back. You know."
Sophie stood up. "Does now work?"
Keefe shrugged and followed her to to the leapmaster. They stepped onto it, but Keefe swallowed, not saying a word.
She squeezed his hand. He looked down at her, surprised. His fingers were hesitant, but they tightened around hers.
"Shores of Solace," Sophie said.
They landed in the sand, about three yards from the waves. The crystal green waves brushed up agaisnt the beach, leaving clumps of foam on the edge of the wet sand.
The tip of the house glinted above the dunes, probably fifty yards away. An inviting fifty yards.
Sophie and Keefe looked at each other and grinned.
Then they sprinted up the dunes, Sophie accidentally blinking in and out. She appeared a couple feet from the mansion and grinned triumphantly at Keefe.
He watched her with a surprised expression. "What was that?"
She shrugged. "Just something I figured out when I was saving your life."
Keefe blinked, then mock scowled at her. "That's cheating," He whined.
Sophie shrugged. "You never said we couldn't use our abilities."
His smile broke through and he bumped her shoulders as they walked up to the doors. She bumped back into him and he mock staggered. Sophie rolled her eyes and went to open the door. Keefe hurried ahead of her and opened the door, bowing as she passed.
"You're an idiot," She told him.
"Yep," He said happily. He followed her in and closed the door.
Seconds later they were on Keefe's floor. He opened the door and stepped in. Sophie surveyed the room from the doorway.
To say that it was a mess was an understatement. His bed was unmade, covered in papers. The floor was covered with sand, food wrappers, and stuffing.
...yeah, that was probably from the ripped up pillows in the corner. A beanbag with a huge tear sat in the middle of the room, surrounded by two upturned chairs.
The only thing that was not destroyed or a mess was his desk. Several notebooks were stacked neatly on it, along with pencils, charcoals and some type of drawing utensil. It was shaped like a pencil, but the end was coated in a different colored crystals.
Sophie stepped gingerly around the upturned furniture.
"Did some redecorating?"
Keefe scratched his neck sheepishly.
"Heh. I got kinda frustrated before the, well... you know."
Ro stepped into the room. "Ah, yes. Funkyhair almost proved me wrong when I said he didn't have any muscles."
"Oh." He turned to Sophie. "Please hide me." Then he jumped behind her, using her as a human, well, technically, an elf shield.
She tried to back away, but it was Keefe, so he easily evaded her attempts to escape. "Uh uh. I am not getting in the middle of your prank wars, your revenge cycles, whatever you call them."
"Watch your back," Ro whispered to Keefe, stepping around Sophie to grab his shoulders.
"Hey!" He yelped, wriggling and protesting.
"Puny elf," she muttered. But then she did something weird.
She hugged Keefe.
Sophie's jaw dropped open.
"You should work out more," Ro said as she stepped back. "You barely made my hands move."
Keefe cleared his throat and turned to Sophie, his expression morphing from slightly touched to disbelieving. "You've seen my abs, Foster! You've gotta tell her!"
The tension disappeared.
She frowned at him.
"The only reason for that was because you challenged Dimitar." Her cheeks reddened when she thought of him shirtless. There was also the time when Ro has forced her to expound the Unmatchable info, but she decided not to bring that up.
Keefe smirked at her. "I know, Foster. My abs are amazing."
"You don't even have them anymore," Ro reminded him.
"Oh, I do," Keefe assured her. "Wanna see?"
"Shut up."
Keefe shrugged still smirking, as he walked to his closet. He said something, but it was muffled.
"What?" She asked.
He reappeared, holding a leather bag and a handful of clothes. "Why'd you wake up last night—or was it this morning?"
Sophie grimaced. "Nightmare."
Keefe glanced at her. "Do you have them a lot?"
"Not since Silveny's been at Havenfield."
"And last night?"
"Doesn't matter."
"It does, Foster. You're my friend. You should be getting rest. Plus, you're leader of Team Valiant, and they need you to be able to function and not be exhausted all the time."
She shrugged. "I can't stop them, Keefe. I can't control my dreams. And I don't like sedatives, so..."
Keefe stared thoughtfully at the wall.
He shook his head and started stuffing the leather rucksack with clothing.
"So..." Keefe drawled. "What's happened around here? I heard you blew up a building..."
He grinned as she started to flush. "Oh yeah. Grady told me about it."
"Yeah, well we aren't talking about it, got it?"
"I'll let it go. This time." Keefe flashed her a grin and walked over to the desk. He picked up the pencils and withdrew a pouch from his desk. He started pulling other drawers open, putting pencils and pens and paint brushes and other items Sophie assumed were used for art into it.
Sophie stepped next to him and picked up one of the notebooks. It was just a normal sketchbook. A piece of paper fell from it and drifted to the ground. She picked it up. It was the type of paper that people wrapped sandwiches in. Keefe had obviously picked it up in the Forbidden Cities. It was actually clean, and had a raw ripped edge. Unused.
Sophie flipped it over.
The side facing her held a happy scene. A smiling Keefe, maybe nine, ten years old. In his hands he gripped a stuffed animal. To his right, a younger Gisela, smiling cheerfully. To his left, Lord Cassius, also smiling, but at his son. His hand was on Keefe's shoulder.
His gaze held love.
Pride.
"When did this happen?" Sophie asked softly. Keefe looked at the drawing.
"It never did. I always imagined... it did. One of those scenarios you make up in your head. But... you know. They are my parents. The Sencen's aren't exactly known for lovey-dovey public affection. Or affection, in general. I think it gives them indigestion." He smirked, as his tone took a joking edge. "But look at us now! Psycho mother, jerk face father, me. I don't know how they ended up with such a perfect son. I'm amazing, they're not. It's pretty simple. I mean, just look at The Hair!" He ran a hand through it, tousling it further.
Something in his voice rang false, though.
He didn't believe he was perfect.
"They don't deserve you," Sophie said softly.
Keefe shrugged, looking slightly embarrassed, but he gave her a small smile. "Maybe. My life is pretty messed up, and I can't even say a word without saying please, but... thanks."
Sophie shrugged. "I'm right. Just saying."
He cracked a full grin at that. "Now! Once I finish packing, we should to do some serious rigging around here. Can't let dear old dad have some peace and quiet!"
Sophie considered this.
She groaned.
"I can't believe I'm 'bout to say this, but let's do it."
A/N: hey hey hey! Sorry this was kinda random, but here's a chapter! I don't know how it happened, but I wrote this yesterday, quickly, so I figured I would upload it! Hope y'all enjoy!
Uploaded: 12-26-2020