DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS. THEY ARE ALL BY SHANNON MESSENGER FROM KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES.
A/N: I honestly got lost track of time and forgot to update yesterday so I'm updating a lot today
By a lot, I mean longer chapters than usual.
Some curses and the likes below, so beware !!!
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3RD PERSON
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Sophie changed into her sleep clothes and decided to put on a blazer because there are boys with them. She was still drying her hair when she went out of the bathroom.
They were talking with each other, but Sophie saw how Biana and Linh were covering her bag from them. They sat perfectly in place where neither of the boys can grasp it.
Biana looked up and waved at Sophie, who also sat on the bed.
"We were going to continue the game the moment you're back, so here we go." Dex said, looking to Sophie. "Sophie, truth or dare?"
"Dare, I guess." Sophie answered.
"Woah, I kinda did and didn't expect that." Dex answered back. She went near Sophie and whispered the dare.
"Are you sure about this?" Sophie asked and Dex nodded. She bit her lip, hesitantly standing up and walking over to Keefe.
Before anyone could process what was happening, she bent down to Keefe's height (take note: he was sitting on the floor) and hugged him, planting her face on his chest.
"Woah!" Keefe can't help but be surprised. "Is hugging me the dare?" Keefe asked. Sophie stayed silent and hugged him tighter.
"Dude, how long does this last? Keefe asked Dex. Dex only shrugged, saying "It's up to you?" while looking at him like he's innocent of whatever the dare is.
Keefe was obviously blushing as he told Sophie "Foster, that's enough." But Sophie held him longer and still said nothing. He kept muttering more words, until he gave up and stayed silent.
After a long moment of Keefe's silence and the gang's giggle, Sophie finally released Keefe. Her face was definitely no better than Keefe's tomato face.
She looked at him and said "If you hated it that much, you should've stayed silent. The dare was to hug you where the time depends on your words. 1 word equals 1 more second, do you get that?" Sophie hissed, hiding her face from the rest of them.
"I didn't hate it though?" Keefe answered and smirked at her.
"Okay, 5 more seconds Sophie!" Dex said laughing while Sophie said "No more! Next!" as she sat back down. "Fitz! truth or dare?"
"Uhh, truth." He said nervously.
"That's no fun. I'm supposed to know everything about you already." Sophie rolled her eyes, but her lips form a small smile.
"Okay. Truth it is. Tell me your first impression about all of us in here. The impression must not be something physical." Sophie said, returning to drying her hair again.
"Oh, cool." Fitz started. He looked at everyone of them before speaking again. "I'll start with my sister. Biana was ambitious. It feels like the moment she was born, she wanted to manifest already if she hasn't."
Biana scoffed at his brother and said "I am a Vacker. It runs in the blood." She said, flipping her hair dramatically.
"Keefe was a lost cause. No explanations there." Keefe didn't argue, rather he agreed instantly, looking smug.
"Dex, I don't know how to explain it. The first time I saw him, I hated him. It's probably because he doesn't need to live up to a family legend." He said, and instantly added "No offense there." as he peeked at Dex. "It's just that, even if he fails or not, he won't be disappointing a lot, and he'd be happy either way. I think I was envious of that."
Dex looked at him, realizing that Fitz has just said something from the bottom of his heart. He didn't know what to say, because all this time he hated Fitz for being a Vacker, a family so high that's basically unreachable.
"Sophie was magical. I felt that the moment I saw her, she'll shake the very foundations of our world or something. I didn't expect it to be quite literal though." He said, letting out a small laugh as to which some of them joined.
He saw Biana's look at him but he ignored it, trying not to think of anything Sophie might pick up from his mind.
"Tam was mysterious. I didn't know if I could trust you back then, because you just seem so shady." He said, trying to relieve the first time they heard of him in Exillium.
"If you did a pun right there, then tell me if I should laugh." Tam said, pointing out the word shady that Fitz spoke of.
"The same goes for Linh. She was mysterious, but in a good way. I mean, she did help Sophie from being roasted on the first day." This statement made Linh laugh as she remembered saving a girl and the school from burning.
She ended up making Sophie get caught in the waves, though.
"Well, who knew saving her that day would bring us here now." She said, pointing to Tam and herself. Tam nodded at her statement, acknowledging the fact that Sophie has been their life-changer.
"Okay, I'm done." Fitz said as he clapped his hands. "Biana, truth or dare?"
"I'm going for a dare." She said, whistling a song that sounds fairly human.
"I dare you to call your ex-boyfriend on your imparter and tell him all the pent-up frustrations you shouted at me instead." Fitz said, with a triumphant look on his face.
"Oh you did not." Biana said, but walked away to get her imparter. Sophie and Linh were curious about this ex-boyfriend of hers, which she kept saying was only a fling.
They followed her to the other side of the room, when Biana said "Show me Senry." to her imparter.
In the time of confusion, the boys nodded at each other. Keefe took Sophie's bag and took her matchmaking scroll, scanned it quickly and put it back.
"Did you get it?" Fitz whispered and Keefe showed out an "OK" hand sign. Keefe was too occupied memorizing the contents of the scroll that it took him seconds later to realize it.
"Crap." He said, covering his mouth with a hand. The boys looked at him in confusion, and before they could ask, they realized Biana's doing her dare.
"Hey, Senry." She said, looking unenthusiastic.
"What's up?" The Senry guy said. From the imparter, Sophie could see that he was good looking, but nothing compared to the boys with them right now.
"I just want to tell you... that you were such a dick you bastard! I should've never look your way and gave you a chance. I'm sorry I'm saying it just now but I felt that I need to calm down or else your balls would find its way to Exile you piece of shit! If I hear you using me and my family name to boost your ego and pride then get ready for a whole lot of crap coming your way, including your future." Biana said, taking a breath after that long speech and turned off her imparter before the guy could even speak.
"Wow. That was pretty hardcore." Sophie whistled which she was answered with an irritated eye roll.
"He was the one who proved to me that looks aren't everything." Biana shrugged as the girls went back to her bed.
"I can't blame you though. He looks good enough." Sophie blurted out, which she regretted immediately.
"Did you just really say that in front of the most handsome elf ever?" Keefe said with a mocking tone.
Sophie raised her hands and the air and said "I just said good enough. I mean, his face features were placed perfectly. You can't deny that." She said, looking at the two girls who nodded in agreement.
"Anyways. Keefe, you're the last. Truth or dare?" Biana said.
"Dare, of course." He answered.
"I dare you to not fix your hair tomorrow!" She exclaimed, laughing like a maniac.
"Why do you all want to mess with the hair! You must realize by now that Keefe Sencen isn't Keefe Sencen without the hair!" He said, looking like doing a monologue.
"Oh well, messy hair do turn on some girls." He said as he winked at Sophie's direction.
"Okay, fine, whatever you say." Biana said. "You guys get out first, take a shower or something. We'll be placing your sleep mats." She said, pushing them out of the door.
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3RD PERSON
Boys' side of the story
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The boys decided to take a shower, with Dex and Tam going first. Dex used the main one while Tam used Fitz's bathroom.
"So." Fitz started. "What did you see?"
Keefe looked at Fitz, raising an eyebrow before realizing what he meant.
"Crap, I remembered again." He said, running a hand through his hair as he nervously chuckled.
"Of course you do. I need your photographic memory." Fitz said, elbowing his bestfriend softly. "So... can I?" He said, pointing at Keefe's mind. Keefe nodded and thinked of the scroll's content.
After a few seconds, Fitz dropped to the floor, wide eyed and one hand over his mouth.
"Now you know why I acted like that." Keefe hissed and helped his best friend stand.
"Knowing we're her number ones was crazy enough, but I thought Dex and Tam were supposed to be number two?" Fitz whispered back.
"That's what I want to know too." Keefe said, looking back at Biana's door to see if no one's eavesdropping on them.
"When I was reading it, I was too focused memorizing the content that I barely realized it. Good thing though, because I might have been too shocked and ended up gathering their attention." He added.
"I think they know." Fitz said, trying to think of the previous days. Biana dragging Sophie and Linh when she showed her matchmaking scroll. Sophie hiding her matchmaking scroll after the scream, according to Dex.
"Yeah. They're pretty much guarding it with their lives." Keefe said.
They were both silent, knowing that there's an unspoken question between them. No one wanted to ask the other, so they just stand there looking at each other. Finally, after picking himself together, Fitz broke the silence.
"You.. already know, right?" Fitz said, hoping Keefe would get what he meant.
"About what?" Keefe asked. "On your little crush on Foster and her little crush on you? Yeah I know everything, which I wished I didn't." He said, putting his hands on his pockets.
"Little crush on me?" Fitz repeated, making Keefe look confused.
"Dude, I thought that was what you're asking?"
"I meant my feelings for her." Fitz answered back.
"Oh." Keefe said, falling silent again.
"But, seriously?" Fitz asked again.
"Everyone probably knows. You're just too dumb not to." He said, teasing Fitz.
"Since when?"
"Probably since the beginning. When I met her, I already felt it." Keefe said, shrugging.
All this damn time? Fitz thought, staring at the floor. At first, he never saw Sophie anything other than the girl he was tasked too find for. Then, she became a little sister in his eyes.
It took him a year after that to realize that she's not just any little sister in her eyes. She was everything. And to think that she looked at him that way, it was beyond unbelievable.
But, a thought entered his mind. "You said you felt it when you met her, but that didn't stop you from falling too, right?" He said, looking back at Keefe.
Keefe looked back and said "You can't just tell the heart what to feel. Even if I did feel it, and convinced myself not to fall for her, do you think the heart will listen? When it finally found the one worth beating for?" and without saying anything, they both knew the answer.
"Anyways, I thought you never knew. My feelings, that is." Keefe added, elbowing his side softly.
"I didn't." Fitz shrugged. "Biana may have said it just recently."
"This whole thing-" Keefe said, raising his hand and motioning to everything happening, "I was a bit happy. I felt like, finally, I had the chance to win her heart this time around."
He clenched his fist as he continued "Of course, her well-being is my priority. But, a chance like this won't come again. I thought that I'd try to do it right this time, and finally live with no regrets."
He looked at Fitz, and Fitz saw his bestfriend's hurt expression in his ice blue eyes.
"If she still ends up with you, I'd still be happy. It's more reassuring to know that she'll be in your hands." He said, patting Fitz's shoulder.
"I... actually don't know what to tell you." Fitz started. "You have realized your feelings earlier, but I don't think mine would lose to yours. I feel the same way, and honestly? I wouldn't mind you having her in the end."
Keefe looked at Fitz as if he was not himself and Fitz sent him a death glare for that. "Yes, I'd want her for myself too. But you saw the scroll. Heck, I did too! She's probably confused with the two of us, more so that she doesn't remember us yet. I don't want to bring you down to get her, we'd fight fair." Fitz said.
Keefe was glad to hear that, because after hiding it for so long, he kinda decided to hide it forever. But now, things were different. They acknowledged each other's love for Sophie, and decided to win her heart in a fair manner.
"May the best man win?" Fitz said, holding out a fistbump.
Keefe looked at it for a while, before smiling and saying "Yeah. It's surely gonne be me, though." as he returned the gesture.