A/N: A lot of my oneshots consist of Keefe stuff- dw ima try to do one with ALL the gang thats more fun and not pure tragic angst i promise-
This takes place right after Unlocked!!
TW: ANGST. JUST ANGST T-T
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Sophie felt like Keefe had numbed her all over again when she read his note. She couldn't feel anything.
But then,
She felt something.
Anger, wait. No.
She felt Rage.
She felt so. Much. rage.
How could he? He was supposed to always be there for her. He had already run away once, and it didn't end well. So why would he do it again? She reread the letter, pausing at one of the sentences.
I'm just trying to make sure I don't hurt anyone.
Sophie knew that Keefe would NEVER hurt her. Or any of her friends and family. She reread the letter one more time, her eyes stopping at another sentence.
You mean a lot to me Foster, more than you'll ever know.
Quickly, the rage turned to sadness. Then to tears. She flopped on her bed and wept. After a few minutes, she heard footsteps. A pair of arms wrapped around her in a squeezing hug. Sophie buried her head in Grady's chest, sobbing. He rubbed her back.
" I know I usually disapprove of that b-.. Keefe, and I REALLY dislike him now at the moment, but he was just trying to protect you Sophie. He's trying to protect ALL of us. And for some reason, this was his best idea. It may not be the best but....maybe you should leave him be."
Sophie stopped crying and wiped her eyes with her hand, and looked at Grady reading the letter with a scowl.
" I'm NOT giving up on him,dad."
Grady looked at her, then sighed.
" I figured as much, but PROMISE me that no matter what happens, you will NOT go to the forbidden cities looking for him. You KNOW how big they are. It's practically impossible to find him. He could be ANYWHERE."
Sophie thought for a moment before saying,
" I promise." Grady sighed again, but with relief this time.
" Good. You can tell your friends about everything in the morning. It's late, PLEASE try to get some sleep." He said as he hugged her one more time, and left the room.
Sophie let out a sigh of her own as he left. She sat on her bed again. She felt bad having to lie as she pulled her fingers apart from behind her back.
She had crossed them when she said she promised.
But she wasn't going to forget about him, and she didn't hate him. No matter what Keefe thought, it didn't matter.
She was going to find him, and bring him home safe.
................................................................................................................................
The next morning, she got up early and reread Keefe's letter for any clue he might've left behind. She'd tried to find him with her telepathy when she went to bed, but of course, he'd stayed silent. She tried not to read too much into what that might mean as she got dressed that morning. As she sat at her desk, Sandor informed her that he'd be patrolling Havenfield's grounds if she needed him, and that Flori would be right outside her door just in case.
Sophie read the letter for what seemed like the millionth time, and her eyes caught on something.
My mom will be waiting for you to track me down- and since I know how stubborn you are, I want to make sure you understand who you'd be putting in danger.
I'm going to be hiding the same way the Black Swan hid you.
Did that mean....Keefe went to her parent's house?
But just by going there, he's putting Amy in danger too.
Wow, he really was bad at planning. Sophie groaned.
" UGH Keefe! Why there of all places?" She hit her head on the desk.
She heard a knock at the door, and Flori's voice filled her room.
" Sophie? Your friend's are here to see you."
Great. Grady probably hailed them. Now she had the chance to tell them about everything. She got the letter and headed downstairs. But when she got there all her friends had sad eyes, but their smiles were real as they saw her walk in the room.
They know.
Grady must've filled them in before inviting them over. Fitz's teal eyes held anger, but not at her. Dex's periwinkle eyes looked sad. Biana's teal eyes looked sad as well, and so did all of her other friend's. Even Tam's.
" Hey guys." She said.
" Is that the letter?" Dex asked. She nodded and handed him the paper. He read it as Fitz, Biana, Tam, and Wylie read over his shoulder. They were all silent after they finished reading it.
" Wow. He's really scared." Biana said as she sat. She sighed as she twisted her intricate braid. Fitz's eyes flashed in anger as he punched the wall.
"...Sorry." He said apologetically. He sat. Tam rolled his eyes.
" Figures that he would choose to run away from his problems, AGAIN." He said as he tugged on his bangs.
Wylie clicked his tongue.
" His new ability can't be THAT terrible...can it?" He asked.
" It is," Dex told him as he set the letter down.
" I visited him after he went to Elwin's. He was TERRIFIED. I could see it in his eyes. He even asked me to make him an ability restrictor."
They all looked at him with surprised faces.
" Yeah, he was THAT scared. I told him I would never make another one of course. Me and my dad tried multiple elixirs. I even made a new gadget. But nothing worked. I promised him we'd keep trying, but I guess he knew that his ability couldn't be stopped. And he was tired of trying." He told them. Sophie put a hand on his shoulder.
" You did your best Dex. No one can ask for more than that."
He nodded sadly. Edaline brought them slices of Mallowmelt and drinks, and while they ate Sophie explained how she thinks that Keefe went to her parents house, and her opinion on it.
" I mean, why go to my parents? He could've gone literally ANYWHERE in the Forbidden Cities!" She said as she waved her arms in emphasis. Dex snickered,
" Amy DOES have those human cookies. Maybe he went for that." Tam laughed at that.
" Maybe he wanted some advice from Amy about how to impress Sophie." Biana laughed along too. Sophie blushed angrily as she glared at them.
" You guys are really going to laugh about this?" Fitz told them angrily. They all stopped laughing.
" I mean, we all know why Keefe went to AMY'S of all places. He likes to tease Sophie, though I've never understood that." They all gave each other a knowing look. Then glanced at Sophie.
" What?" She said. Fitz groaned.
" He...UGH!..... He...went because knew it was the one place you wouldn't go, because you want to keep your parents safe. Anywhere else in the world and you would've followed him."
Well....
That actually made a lot of sense, as she thought about it. Fitz leaned on the wall next to Tam, a bit pouty. Tam covered his snicker with a cough.
Sophie had never seen Fitz pouty like this before. But she didn't bother to question it as she told them how it did make sense.
Sophie asked where Linh was, and Tam told her she was training with Maruca, Marella, and Stina for the day. Sophie gave Biana the task of telling them about Keefe. And for some reason Fitz took a few extra slices of mallowmelt home.
After everyone had left, Sophie went back up to her room. She stopped in her tracks when she noticed footprints on her flower carpet and the smell of ash. She saw a note on her bed and ran to it, hoping Keefe had left a note saying it was all a prank. But the note wasn't in Keefe's handwriting.
Meet us where trees grow and souls are never lost
Tomorrow night, don't be late.
We have some very useful information regarding my son.
I can tell you everything you need to know, don't make a dumb decison like my son did, Sophie.
This is a temporary truce, no strings attached.
Lady Gisela
Xoxo! ( PS. you can bring a friend that's NOT a bodyguard. )