After her experiences with ogres, Sophie hoped never to see them again. Now one of her worst enemies was part one.
Sophie stared at Keefe who was grinning as he kept clenching and unclenching his hands.
"You gave up part of your humanity so you could beat us." Tam smiled as Keefe frowned at his direction.
"How thoughtful." Tam wiped a fake tear.
"Haha very funny Shade, but you're not worth this. Only the Moonlark is. You and your pathetic hydrokinetic of a sister are nowhere on my level now." Keefe cracked his knuckles menacingly and turned toward Sophie.
"Come on Foster, we have to end this. You know that while the Neverseen is still around. As long as I am still around. Your world is never going to be normal. We'll come at you with everything we've got until the Moonlark is no more and the Neverseen can finally conquer the world and rid all disgusting humans off this plane--"
"The only way you're going to end the Moonlark, I mean Sophie, is over my dead body." Tam had released Linh and stepped forward until he was in Keefe's face.
They looked at each other dead in the eye, straightening up to each other. Keefe with his inhuman green eyes and Tam with his pale blue ones.
Everything in the room stayed silent and the tension between the two increased more.
Coldness crept into Sophie's bones and she looked down at Tam's shadow crossing over her.
Look, I can't keep looking at him. You go near Linh and wait for my signal, Tam shadow-whispered.
Sophie slightly nodded and moved towards Linh, watching as Keefe shift his eyes slightly to look at what Sophie was doing.
She looked up at Linh whose eyes seemed glossed over as she stared directly at the back of Tam's neck, slightly nodding every few seconds.
Biana was looking between Tam and Keefe and Sophie noticed that a small smile appeared everytime she looked at Tam.
Sophie looked back at Linh who seemed to be reaching in my pocket for something. Sophie gasped as Linh took her a small pocket knife and threw it at Keefe.
Keefe dodged it and the knife implanted itself in the wall behind him. Keefe laughed. "You missed."
"Check again." Linh said with a smirk on her face.
Keefe looked confused and felt the right side of his face where a long cut was produced from the knife. Though the city was red, it oozed with green blood. Sophie had to keep herself from retching at the disgusting sight.
"You really are a monster now. In the inside and now the out." Biana said with her hand near her mouth, seeming shaken.
Sophie looked and saw that Biana's eyes were back to their teal color and had a confused and shocked look on them.
"No Biana, I'm not a monster. I'm the Keefe you knew--"
"THE KEEFE I KNEW WOULD NEVER LET ME FALL NEARLY TO MY DEATH! WHO BETRAYED HIS OWN FRIENDS! WHO WAS SICK ENOUGH TO INFUSE HIMSELF WITH OGRES BLOOD! WHO WOULD TRY TO MAKE ME FORGOT WHO'S SIDE I WAS ON! YOU THOUGHT YOUR MEMORY POTION WOULD WORK BUT YOU FORGOT THAT I'M A VACKER AND MY MIND DOESN'T BEND FOR ANY OTHER!" Biana shouted as tears ran down her cheeks.
Keefe looked shocked at Biana's outburst.
"You weren't affected by the memory potion?"
"THAT'S ALL YOU SAY?! YOU TRIED TO MAKE ME LIKE YOU AND TORTURE ME AND ALL YOU SAY IS "YOU WEREN'T AFFECTED BY THE MEMORY POTION!" OF COURSE I WASN'T! I WAS FAKING IT!"
Keefe's mouth formed a thin line on his face and the bleeding on his cheek stopped. "That means the time we spent together, focusing on our plan. You were faking?" He quietly said.
"Yes! Why do you think I practically begged you to let me come with you here?! This would be my escape and I would never have to see you again!" Biana crossed her arms over her chest and looked angrily at Keefe.
Keefe kept looking at Biana with confused eyes as if trying to detect any lies on her face. His shoulders slumped when Sophie realized he didn't. Then he looked over at Linh.
"This is our fault.." His glare turned murderous and he tried to get to her but Tam pushed him back.
"Put one finger on Linh and I'll literally rip you into shreds." Tam hissed.
Keefe scoffed and punched Tam right in the stomach. He smiled as Tam doubled over, clutching his gut.
"Tam! Leave him alone, freak!" Linh took another knife out of her pocket.
Keefe let out a loud growl and lunged at Linh, only to be swatted away by Tam, who got back up on his feet inhumanly fast. Keefe flew into the couch on the other side of the room and shadows engulfed him.
Tam breathed heavily and looked over at Biana. Biana shivered as his shadow crossed over her and tested her potential.
"She's not lieing." Tam let out a sigh and put his hand on his stomach again.
"Tam, are you ok?" Linh walked over to him and put her hand on his shoulder but Tam pushed it off and looked at her.
"I'm fine, let's just get out of here." Tam looked over at the couch then back at the girls.
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Silence stayed in the air as the group walked in the night. Since there was no sun, they couldn't leap home and the only way to get back was to teleport which Sophie wasn't hoping for.
The sleeping gas should have wore off by now, Tam shadow-whispered.
So? Sophie transmitted.
I know you kissed Fitz.
"You what?!" Sophie yelled, causing the others to look at her.
"What is it?" Biana said.
"Nothing." She quickly replied.
"Sophie kissed Fitz." Tam smirked as Sophie gave him a death glare.
Linh and Biana's mouths dropped.
"You what?!" They said in unison, both grins on their faces.
"Jeez, why do you guys even care? We just got away from trouble and you're more excited about this." Sophie walked on ahead but Tam grabbed her shoulder.
"Don't go walking away from us." Tam said with with a serious tone but a smirk was still on his face.
Sophie snorted and pushed his hand off her shoulder. Tam looked at her with a full smile but then hunched over and clutched his neck.
"Tam!" Linh crouched next to him and lifted his face up to hers. His eyes were slowly changing from light gray to pale blue.
"Keefe...he broke through my shadow trap. He's coming this way." Tam got up and looked at everyone who had shocked looks on their faces.
"We have to get back to the Lost Cities. Sophie, do you know anywhere that we could teleport from?" Biana said.
Tam, Linh and her looked at Sophie and she heaved out a sigh. "The only place we could jump from without getting seriously hurt is the Golden Gate Bridge but--"
Tam let out a yelp and covered his mouth as he turned red. Biana covered her mouth to keep herself from laughing as he glared at her. Tam cleared his throat and looked away from Biana. "Keefe's coming this way and surprisingly fast too. He just ripped off one of the shadow links I had on him and that's why I made that......sound."
"We have to go then. Move! Move! Move!" Linh ran away from them and everyone followed.
As soon as they reached the bridge, Sophie regretted even suggesting this place. The way down looked really far and she seemed to get dizzy this by looking at it.
"Keefe is a mile away. We have to jump now." Tam climbed onto the railing and with excellent balance, helped Sophie, Linh and Biana up too.
"Ok on the count of three, we jump." Tam said.
Sophie nodded and gulped. She put all her energy into the teleport and imagined the place where they would land.
"One."
"Two."
"Stop right there!"
Sophie turned around to see an enraged Keefe standing behind them. "You honestly thought you could have gotten away." Keefe chuckled.
Biana groaned. "Just when I thought we did." She said in a perfect imitation of Keefe's voice.
Linh snorted and tried to cover her laugh. Keefe glared at them.
"Why don't you just leave us alone and go back to the Neverseen?" Sophie said.
"Because it's my mission." Keefe replied.
"Are you sure it's your mission because I'm pretty sure it was your mom's that she hopelessly failed at." Sophie spat.
Keefe's face was twisted with more rage and he took a step closer. "What did you just say?"
"I said your mom failed at killing me, that's why her worthless self got killed first!" Sophie yelled.
Before she knew it, a pair of hands wrapped around her throat and she was falling.
She looked into Keefe's eyes, which seemed to be burning like Greek fire. Dark spots flooded her vision as Keefe screamed incoherently at her.
Keefe's hand were ripped off her throat and she saw as Tam kept Keefe back as they fell. She saw as the water zoomed into them and she grabbed Tam's hand. She looked to see her other hand in Linh's whose eyes were closed.
"I'll kill you! I'll make sure you'll never have a happy ending until I kill you!" Keefe screamed. He pulled his fist back and Sophie closed her eyes so she wouldn't see the impact but it never came.
She opened one eye to see only Tam in front of her.
"Sophie, teleport us now!" He yelled.
Sophie nodded though still confused on where Keefe went. She closed her eyes again and though of the safe haven where she lived the first time she visited the Lost Cities.
She grinned as the familiar clap of thunder came and they fell into the void.
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Her back hit against a hard surface as the void had dropped her onto the pathway of Everglen.
She groaned and tried to sit up but then Linh landed on top of her followed by Biana and Tam.
Warm liquid started to flow down her arm and she looked down to see blood. She gasped and practically pushed everyone else off of her to see who was bleeding.
She, Linh and Biana had minor scratches but Tam...
Sophie screamed bloody murder as she looked at the gaping hole in Tam's chest.
Linh instantly sat up and looked at what Sophie was screaming at and she screamed too.
Soon loud footsteps came over and she saw as Alden, Grady, Edaline, Elwin and Della look at the teenagers, bloody and bruised on the ground.
"Sophie, Linh! Calm down!" Grady grabbed both their shoulders, Sophie stopped but Linh didn't as she took in the sight of her injured twin.
The water in the fountains around them shot up and dosed everyone except Linh. She wouldn't stop screaming as tears ran heavily down her cheeks.
She grabbed Tam's arm but a small shadow lashed out at her, cutting the back of her hand.
Suddenly Linh stopped screaming and closed her mouth as if it had been zipped shut. Sophie looked over at Grady who was staring at linh.
"I'm sorry." He whispered. He got up to his feet and pulled Linh up with him. With no resistance, he pulled her away from Tam, who was still bleeding know the ground.
Sophie could still see tears running down Linh's cheeks as Grady pulled her into the estate.
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"I can't help him." Elwin said defeated.
They were all sitting in the living room with Tam laying down on the ground before them.
"There has to be a way to." Biana said softly as Fitz wrapped his arms around her.
"I tried but he's not responding to any of my remedies.
Everyone looked down and tears streamed down their cheeks. Dex hung on to Sophie as she stared down at the ground, making sure that she would never forget this was her fault.
"Because Shades don't use medicine. They use their shadow-vapor to heal themselves." A weak voice said.
Sophie looked down at Tam and saw that his eyes were back to their pale blue color and the hole in his chest was covered in darkness.
Linh tore herself away from Grady and ran up to Tam and hugged him fiercely.
"Wow, even you thought I was a goner." Tam kissed the top of Linh's forehead and Linh smiled softly.
"Why aren't you speaking?" Tam said. Linh pointed over at Grady.
"Sorry it's just that she was screaming and I forced her to stop." Grady looked away from Tam's cold glare.
"It's ok. I know I would have reacted way worse if something happened to Linh. But honestly this is a favor too." Tam smiled and Linh punched his arm.
"Ow." Tam smirked and the darkness around his chest disappeared, leaving no trace of the hole.
"That's a really cool thing." Dex whispered.
"I know." Tam said.
"Just saying, don't ever let Keefe near me again. Also I got something back for you, Sophie." Tam pulled something out his pocket and threw it at her
Sophie caught it in both hands and opened her palms to see.
It was Kenric's cache.
"Oh my gosh...." Sophie mouthed.
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Later on that night when Sophie, Grady and Edaline went back to Havenfield while Tam and Linh stayed with the Vacker against to make sure of Tam's full recovery, Sophie went into her room for a well deserved sleep.
First, she put the cache into a secret compartment in her dress. Then she pulled out her memory log.
Sophie looked at her memory log and flipped through all the pages, trying not to see the painful memories trying to seep into her head.
She finally stopped at a blank page and projected the one thing she had to protect.
She looked at the faces of her human family and nearly teared up.
They looked so peaceful as if they were sleeping but Sophie knew what they were really doing.
And she was the one who had put them there to make sure no one else could harm them again.
"Sophie, we miss you." Her mother said through the paper.
"I know you do." Sophie said and closed her memory log.
With the new space occupied in her head, she could hear the thoughts of her family as they explored the house that Sophie imagined for them.
She changed into her pj's and climbed into bed, falling asleep to the sound of Amy's voice as she complained about how small her room was.
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OMG TAM ALMOST DIED!
Still not my best chapter 😢
Anyways I can't do a sneak peak this time because too much is up ahead.
There'll be a sneak peak next chapter.
Cresent out. ✌
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