"So, hypothetically, how angry do you think Grady would be if I pranked him later?"
Sophie glanced up from her homework at Keefe, who was laying upside down on her bed, staring at her.
"Hypothetically? Angry enough to mesmerize you into dancing in front of the whole school, probably." She turned back to the problem, one that was causing her trouble. She hated Alchemy.
It sucked.
She heard a rustle from Keefe, then, "Hmm. I'll take the chance."
"Terrible idea," Sophie commented.
He changed the subject. "What's with the homework? You've been on the same problem for like the last ten minutes."
"Shut up. You haven't even done your work yet."
Keefe propped his chin on her shoulder, making it difficult, very difficult for Sophie to breathe. He didn't seem to notice her sudden stillness. "Circle B."
Sophie shivered involuntarily. She pressed the pencil against the page, her fingers barely able to move to write it down.
She could her the smirk in his voice. "You good there, Foster?"
She tried to speak, squeaked, and immediately turned red. Keefe chuckled, still not moving an inch. Sophie turned her head slightly, breath hitching when she realized how incredibly close they were. He met her eyes, his glacier eyes holding an expression that made her heart beat faster and faster.
"Your eyes are gorgeous, you know that?" The question was so random, so strange coming from Keefe that Sophie didn't register it at first.
"My eyes?" She said hesitantly.
Keefe watched her, a smile curving on his lips.
"Yeah. All of us here have blue eyes, that it's startling seeing yours, the only brown eyes. And then they have gold speckles, which look so much prettier on you."
Sophie, once again, found it difficult to breathe.
"But..." she faltered. "But blue eyes are... so much prettier. At least for elves. Brown eyes are just... boring. And they're weird. Flat."
"Not on you."
"I don't know. I wish I had normal eyes. Blue eyes. They're so much prettier." She repeated.
"Teal ones?" Keefe asked. Something about his question sounded tentative.
Sophie hesitated. "No. They're pretty, but they're not my favorites."
Keefe bit his lip. The way he did it made it seem like he was nervous. "What are your favorites, then?"
"I don't know. Maybe..." She faltered. Again. "I like light blue ones. Yours are pretty. Probably my favorite shade."
She looked down at her homework, hoping Keefe wouldn't notice how red her cheeks were at the confession.
"Ice blue, huh?" He mused softly. She felt him take the edge of her chair, spinning it so that she was facing him.
"Yeah."
His gaze flicked over her face, her hair, her eyes, her lips.
Her eyes again.
Sophie swallowed.
"Is there a specific reason?" Keefe whispered
"Maybe."
A light grin touched his lips.
Keefe leaned down slightly, taking the time to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.
A thrill spread down Sophie's spine as his hand remained against her cheek, where he cupped it gently.
And she found herself leaning closer to him.
Keefe's eyes flicked down, and his hand moved to the back of her neck.
And he was leaning.
And...
The door knocking made them both jump.
Keefe stepped back, releasing her and and clearing his throat awkwardly.
Sophie was positive that her face was flaming. It felt like it. Even Keefe, who seemed almost immune to blushing, was slightly pink.
"Come in," Sophie called.
Mr. Forkle opened the door. He took in Sophie's flushed face and Keefe's pink cheeks.
"Am I interrupting anything?"
"N-no, no, nothing," Sophie stammered.
Wow, when did she become such a bad liar?
...
Scratch that, she'd always been a bad liar.
Mr. Forkle obviously didn't believe her. He seemed to be enjoying her discomfort, and the way Keefe wasn't making eye contact with either of them.
"Hm. Well, it's good that both of you are in here. I have a special assignment for the two of you."
"Please tell me it has nothing to do with Mommy Dearest, or my 'Legacy.'" Keefe said, moving to her bed.
Mr. Forkle shook his head. "No. This... is something a little different."
Sophie sat down next to Keefe. The way
Mr. Forkle was acting was very suspicious.
"What is it?"
Her leg was touching Keefe's.
"Well..." He paced the room. Then stopped. "How do you feel about the Forbidden Cities?"
"What?"
"What I'm asking is, will you go to the Forbidden cities?"
"What for?" Keefe asked.
He hesistated. "Before I say, the blame is to be placed on no one. Not anyone's fault, only the Neverseen's, understood?"
Sophie noticed that Keefe hesitated slightly before nodding.
"So?" She said.
"There are a minority who know about the Lost Cities."
"Minority meaning humans?" Keefe asked.
Mr. Forkle nodded. "Yes. This minority has some information on the Neverseen that we will need. I would retrieve it, but, unfortunately, I have a meeting with the Queen of England this week."
Sophie wondered if he was trolling her. But, no, his expression was serious.
"You... have a meeting... with the Queen?" She asked. "How many disguises do you have?"
"Better not to count them all. It has been very hectic keeping track of them all since..."
Since the death of his brother.
The atmosphere in the room turned somber.
He cleared his throat. "Anyhow, the Neverseen, found out about them. They found the, ah, minority, and we had to relocate them. There were casualties. Not many, but they are not prepared for war."
Sophies gut clenched. She saw Keefe rub his stomach, as if her emotions were causing him pain. Keefe glanced at her, giving her a wry smile. She could see, however, the pain of knowing his mom was responsible for a majority of all the pain, the heartache everyone had had to suffer.
"Not your fault, remember?" She transmitted.
Keefe took a deep breath. He nodded.
Sophie turned back to Mr. Forkle.
"So why us?"
"Well." His gaze ran over them, the room. "You are one of the only members of the Black Swan who has seen their location."
Sophie blinked. "Huh?"
"Ms. Foster. Their location, is in the museum where Mr. Vacker found you."
A/N: and here's the update! Hope you enjoyed!
Updated: 2-21-2021