The Realization (A SoKeefe/Keephie story)

Chapter 16 - Keefe

Keefe stumbled into Jolie's old room, now a guest room. Edaline had let him stay at Havenfield, insisting that he needed a good night's sleep. And though Grady looked disgruntled, he didn't say anything.

After a dinner of starkflower stew that tasted like dust, Keefe wandered up into the guest room. He ignored the freshly laundered and folded clothes on the dresser, and instead collapsed into bed, too exhausted to do anything but sleep.

But sleep did not come easily. Thoughts and fears about Sophie plagued him, and he spent half the night tossing and turning until he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

~•✴︎•~

"Do you think we should wake him up?" A floaty, disembodied, and sounding female voice whispered.

"I don't think so," A more masculine voice said. "Let's just let Keefe sleep."

At the sound of his name, Keefe jolted awake and nearly screamed when he saw all of his friends, plus Marella, Stina, Maruca, and Wylie crowded around his bed, staring at him.

"What are you guys doing here?" He asked, drawing the blankets up to his chest, then remembering he still had the dirty tunic from yesterday on.

"We wanted to check on you," Linh piped up, watching him with concerned eyes. He noticed the dark circles underneath her eyes, under everyone's eyes.

Stina jumped in. "Biana hailed us last night and gave us the news," she said, stifling a yawn. "She made us come early in the morning." She glared at her, though it contained less venom and more of a mild annoyance.

Keefe shifted in his blankets, then, in a small voice, as if he was almost afraid to say it, asked, "Have you guys find Sophie?" He hoped so bad that was why they came to call him.

One tiny shake of Fitz's head destroyed all his hopes. He burrowed back under his blankets, blinking and trying to ignore the tiny pinpricks of tears forming in his eyes.

After a few minutes of silence, he peeked back up, Fitz's face was a mask of anger. He was whispering not-so-quietly to Biana, hissing words like, "How dare he be sad!" "It's his fault" "Sophie..."

When Biana saw him, her face transformed, clearly unsure of what Keefe had heard. "Fitz is wrong," she said, trying to cover up. "It's not your fau—"

"No, you're right," Keefe interrupted. "It is my fault." Everything always is, he thought glumly.

"Just go," he said. He forced a harsh laugh. "I get it, Fitz. You probably don't want your shiny Vacker reputation to get tarnished by a loser like me."

"We don't think you're a loser," Linh said, watching Keefe with concern.

He turned away. "Then just go."

He heard rapid, worried whispering amongst the girls, and also heard something drop on his desk before everyone shuffled towards the door.

Soon after that, a plate of umber leaves and five butterblasts appeared on the nightstand, accompanied by a glass of cinnacreme.

Keefe took one look at it all and burrowed back under the blankets, too worried and negative to eat.

~•✴︎•~