UNLOCKED: Reversed

Chapter two p1: SOPHIE

Keefe's awake!

Sophie's mouth had dropped.

And so had what she was doing as she immediately excused herself without any explanation - though she had a feeling Oralie knew that there was a good reason.

Or maybe she didn't. And in that case, Sophie still couldn't bring herself to care.

It wasn't like Sophie owed her an explanation for anything. It wasn't as  if Sophie didn't have any reason to actively keep her most enormous, consequential secrets away from Oralie for the rest of her life.

But she didn't have time to let her thoughts go sour about the person whose DNA was apparently in her blood - the person who had kept that secret for much too long.

Because only one think mattered right now.

Keefe was awake.

Her excitement and jitteriness, paired with her worry and concern, slowed her down a bit, but she managed to overcome all the excess energy, get her crystal, and find her way to the Healing Center that she knew so well.

She let out a soft, sardonic laugh when she remembered that this used to be the equivalent of a human school's nurse's office. Now it had become the hospital for dealing with the reckless kids caught up in the Black Swan.

As she rapidly approached the Healing Center - so fast that her steps echoed throughout the halls - she began to hear voices.

"...already believe it." Was that Keefe?

That just made her walk faster.

"Even if I'm right, it's not like it's a bad thing. So you're a polyglot and an empath." Sophie stopped at the door and blinked as Fitz continued. "That -"

"You are?"

And that was when Keefe looked over at her - awake. Eyes open and everything. Exactly what she wanted to see.

If she wasn't so worried about hurting him (and if it wouldn't be extremely awkward to do in front of her ex-boyfriend), she'd crush him in a hug and stay there forever. 

But - a polyglot and an empath?

What had she missed?!

"'Bout time you got here, Foster!" Keefe said, but Sophie was too busy blinking and sorting through her panic and confusion and joy and fear and frustration - and everything else she was feeling that Keefe admittedly probably had a better read on than her.

"Uh, you should probably step back Sophie," Fitz warned. "I think your emotions are too strong for him."

Sophie took a step back. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt Keefe. He'd already been hurt enough.

"No, they're not!" Keefe argued - or, tried to argue. She didn't miss the strain in his voice, even when he cleared his throat and tried again. "Nothing's wrong. I swear, I'm fine."

"He keeps saying that," Fitz told her, and when Sophie looked over at Keefe, he was glaring daggers at him. There was no point though - Sophie could have guessed it. Keefe just loved to say he was fine, and Sophie had assigned herself the job of making sure he always meant it and calling him out when he didn't, or didn't know it.

Keefe's glare got even harder when Fitz added, "But Keefe's been picking up on all of our emotions without even trying. And he's always been able to do that with you, so I think you're overwhelming him right now."

"Okay, I'm done liking Captain Perfectpants," Ro announced, reminded everyone of her presence.

And then Keefe said, "Uh, for the record, most of the emotions are coming from you, Fitzy. You wouldn't happen to have unresolved feelings for anyone in this room, would you?"