Keefe// Sophie

Sophie... Sophie... Sophie...

Keefe couldn't think. He couldn't speak, he couldn't breathe. Sophie... was Keeper? She had been his enemy? The one he'd fought against? The one he'd used his new... He swallowed the lump in his throat, wincing at the memory. He had used it on her, even after swearing never to use it again. Tears pricked, but he forced them back. He couldn't worry about his own feelings now; Sophie needed his help, even if she didn't seem to know it.

She'd been kidnapped by the Neverseen, and now, she was their puppet. He bit back a scream. He'd failed her. Since forever, she'd always worried she'd hurt her friends, let them down, watch as another one of her friends died before her, and being helpless. Calla... Kenric... The deaths had nearly broken her, and now, she had nearly killed Mr. Forkle, alongside the rest of the Collective, not to mention the council itself and her friends. How would he be able to tell her about that after they saved her? She'd break, and being the only one with the ability to heal minds, she'd be broken... forever. His eyes widened. Did Sophie know about Biana? Did she know about Biana's capture? Her mind breaking?

So many feelings, a mix of anger and confusion, swelled inside him, begging to breathe. The feelings were followed by heartache and longing-- forcing Keefe to blink back more tears. He longed to have his Sophie back-- His 'Foster' back. He missed that; being able to tease Sophie until she was on the verge of snapping, sharing those long talks at night. He missed it so bad. 

Looking back at her, he no longer saw the awkward, nervous human-raised girl he'd met all those years ago, but a confused, scared girl who only knew to hate. His nails dug deep into his palms until they bled. The Neverseen had done this to her. It was their fault she was hurting. And they would pay. 

Keefe straigtened, eyes following another flash of movement that darted across his peripheral vision. Eyes trained on the left, straining to find what he'd seen, his eyes came to a rest on... Fitz? Panic washed over him. No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Alvar, Sophie-- not the best combination for an action-craving, sister-grieving, anger-issued kid. Surely the scene wouldn't look at all like it actually was, and Keefe worried just how Fitz would interpret everything. What would he do?

His watch never left Fitz, who seemed to simply be watching from a distance. Thinking of a plan? Had he seen Alvar? If so, things could only go downhill-- hopefully not too far. 

"LIAR!" Sophie continued to scream, breaking Keefe's heart. She seemed as though she were struggling to wrap her head around the fact that Alvar was the enemy. Had they brainwashed her? Convinced her to join them? Had they lied to Sophie about her human family? She'd mentioned it once as Keeper, so maybe she truly believed her human family had been murdered. But did she seriously think it had been the Black Swan's doing? Would she really listen to the Neverseen?-- after everything they'd done? What was Keefe missing? 

He glanced back to Fitz, paling as he found his friend had disappeared. What was he planning? In that moment, Keefe wished more than anything he were a Telepath. 

"Linh," Keefe said, voice barely audible through the force field. "I think--" he stopped as he realized she wasn't listening. Eyes glossed over with tears, Linh's focus was fixed on the raging Sophie, and he could practically see the wheels turning in her head. Beside him, Dex was no use, either. Keefe was on his own. 

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Tears stung, and the smoke from the fires before now burned in Sophie's lungs as she continued to scream, pouring everything into her cries. Alvar was a liar. He'd done something to Sophie. He'd done something, and he'd lied about it-- the person she trusted most. Anger, sadness, confusion; they all blurred into one messy emotion, unreadable and indescribable. If asked for a definition, her only answer would be: pain. It hurt. So, so, much. Maybe, she realized as she continued to cry, maybe she wasn't mad with Alvar. He'd only wanted to protect her after all... Right?

Maybe, Sophie thought, she was angry with herself. Maybe she'd known he had been lying all along. Maybe she'd simply decided to ignore all the signs, not wanting to lose another family. Maybe... Maybe she'd let Gisela control her, pretending she fit in, when in reality, she didn't belong. Not there in the Neverseen, not with the elves of the Lost Cities, and not with the humans. Because she was a mistake. Unnatural. And that was why she felt so lost.

More tears fell, though they no longer meant anything. Her hands fell to her sides, knees caving in, and she slid to the floor. Empty. She was a mistake, angry with herself for being so pathetic-- so weak. Noticing her, Alvar bent down to her level, eyes glossed with tears. She avoided his gaze, determined not to fall for his regretting act. Another lie. Another falsehood. Another deception. He had lied once, so why not again? Did he truly feel sorry? Or was he trying to fix things so their plan could get back on track. Either way, Sophie was done. 

"I'm sorry, Sophie. I..." Alvar tried, pausing as he seemed to think about something. "I did lie to you, and I really am sor--"

"Are you sorry?" Sophie asked, refusing to lock eyes. If he took that as offense, good. He deserved it. "Or is this another act? Did you really trust me, or was that all a lie, too?" Her attitude came from nowhere, surprising even Sophie. And while part of her wanted to apologize for her words, the other half was applauding.

Alvar deserved every ounce of regret he felt, and if it wasn't sincere, nothing changed and he still deserved everything he got. A pain of guilt stabbed her heart as she saw the hurt in his eyes, but she didn't show any of her own emotions. She was Sophie Foster-- proud member of the Neverseen, so putting on a mask was easy. She climbed to her feet, finally meeting his eyes with a deadly glare. Though without a mirror, she was sure if looks could kill, Alvar would be dead. 

"It's not an act, Sophie. I promise." Alvar's face was pleading, and Sophie doubted anyone could fake this amount of sorrow. Still, she didn't falter. 

"Really?" she scoffed. "You've promised a lot of things, Alvar. How am I supposed to trust you?" 

She waited. And waited. And waited. Alvar remained silent-- thinking up more lies to save him? Excuses? If he were waiting for her to say more, saving him from having to answer, Sophie didn't dare play his game. Instead, she closed her lips shut and waited, the world as though someone had pressed pause. She could see the remorse overflowing inside him, the guilt behind each tear that slipped past him. Finally, he spoke.

"I'm sorry. Truly. I haven't been honest, Sophie, and if you want the truth, ask me anything." Sophie narrowed her gaze.

"How do I know you won't lie?"

"You're a Telepath, aren't you? If something doesn't add up, feel free to read my mind." She didn't want to believe him. He didn't deserve a second chance. Yet, seeing his trembling self, and knowing without even being an empath that he truly regretted it, she relented. 

Speaking, Sophie kept her voice low so only Alvar could hear. "In Gisela's mind, I saw a memory-- one she didn't want me to see." Alvar's shoulders, once slouched, straightened with curiosity at the mention of an off limits memory. 

"We were in this... cave? There were monsters, chasing us and--"

"Who's 'us'?" Alvar asked. Sophie hesitated, thinking back to the memory she'd seen. Thankfully, her photographic memory had recorded every blurry detail she'd seen inside Gisela's mind. 

"Ruy and Gisela were there," she paused a moment, giving Alvar time to absorb the information before continuing. "And the Traitor." 

She glanced back to the blue-eyed blonde, scowling when he stared back. Something flickered in his eyes, though Sophie couldn't decipher the emotion. She looked back to Alvar. "Does that sound familiar?" 

"A... cave, I remember. Monsters, are you sure?" She gave a firm nod, pushing down the temptation to peer into his mind. Of course, she had every right to do so, but invading his mind no matter how deserved it was, felt wrong. So, she counted the seconds to distract from the passing seconds. 

"Anything else?" Alvar's eyes focused on the floor beneath them, studying one pebble in particular. The temptations resurfaced, nearly taking over, but Sophie held them back. She'd been controlled by her "creator" and Gisela; she wasn't about to let her own "wants" get the best of her. 

Squeezing her eyes, she replayed the entire agonizing memory in her head, eyes snapping open as the Traitor's words sounded, and for a moment, she nearly thought the words had been whispered directly in her ears. As if she could actually hear it.

"The Traitor... saved me?-- or tried to, I guess." The crease in Alvar's forehead made Sophie's fingers twitch, and to still them, she allowed herself to pick out a couple eyelashes. What was he thinking? Her brain was screaming, begging to dive into his mind and pluck out all his secrets. Then, maybe she could decide whether or not trusting him was safe. 

Seconds passed, 356 seconds of agonizing silence. All eyes were on the two, Fintan included, while Sophie twisted her lashes free, and Alvar just studied the ground. Finally, Alvar let out the smallest but surest gasp, eyes widening. Sophie inhaled, not daring to breathe until she knew what had caused Alvar such confusion. 

Growing restless, Sophie gestured for him to lean closer. He obeyed, and without warning, Sophie pressed her hands to his temples and played the memory in his mind. She flinched as the words once again sounded, the Traitor's voice once again filling her mind. Alvar flinched too, and once the memory had ended, he stepped back with widened eyes. 

"I want to know why he saved me," she said, her voice as low as it could be while still audible for Alvar. "And why Ruy and Gisela were there."

Alvar's expression relayed his confliction, and for a moment Sophie wondered if he was going to stay silent. Until...

"I'll tell you," he finally decided. "But I want you to understand, everything that's happened these past few months... They were real. I do trust you. And I truly believe you will fix this world some day." Sophie stayed silent, prompting him to explain. "Sophie, the--"

The next few moments sped past in a blur, and in those moments the only thing that registered was sound. The sound of metal piercing flesh, the sound of a scream, a thud, and heavy panting afterward. Seconds passed, Sophie only able to stare as warm red left the body before her, eyes still open, and noticeably dull and lifeless. Her eyes drifted to his back, where the hilt of a dagger poked out, the entire dagger plunged straight through the skin. 

Seconds ticked by, though they felt like decades to Sophie as she stared-- stared at the body of the man she'd always considered family, stared at the dagger covered in blood, stared at the man who stood above Alvar, breathing heavily and hands stained red. Brown hair mussed and eyes focused on the blood the spilled from the body, Sophie recognized the boy as Fitz, Alvar's younger brother. 

The scariest thing to Sophie, was the fact that she could barely kill someone, while this boy her age did it with ease. His eyes showed his rage, and no remorse. Sophie opened her mouth, but no sound came out. No screams. No cries. Only silence; heavy and agonizing silence. Sophie watched the blood extend towards her, but she didn't back away, instead letting the warmth of the blood soak into her clothes, cape, and leggings. It was a smothering type of warm, reminding her of the life they had once held not minutes ago. She shuddered as the red crept up, moving farther out past her. Her hands, placed behind her, were now covered in what used to be Alvar's life. 

"Sophie," said the boy, Alvar's brother, Fitz. His expression faltered with relief as he saw her, but she didn't return his smile. How could she? He... He... Her stomach lurched as time seemed to slow back down, allowing her to process everything. Alvar had been right. The Black Swan had corrupted this boy. She'd promised to fix him, but seeing this, was it even possible? He'd just killed his own brother!

And with those thoughts, reality settled in. The blood she coated in was Alvar's, the dagger was also covered in his blood, as were the hands of Fitz Vacker, brother to Alvar. And Alvar... Alvar was dead. 

A/N- I know I haven't been updating as often, and it will probably be this unplanned and crazy for the next few months until I get my new computer, my old one is still broken. I'll do my best to stay consistent though. Thank you!!