Rewritten

Chapter Eight~ Keefe

Keefe and Dex glittered back to Rimeshire.

"Is he that annoying in your world?" Dex asked

"Sometimes..." Keefe conceded. Fitz could be a little testy...

"Well, you know you can stay over here tonight if you don't feel comfortable at your house," he told him.

Keefe gave him a sad smile. "Thanks, Dex." he said, "But I'm gonna stay at Candleshade tonight."

"Okay." Dex nodded.

"Bye Dex."

"Bye Keefe." he said and Keefe commanded "Candleshade!" into the leap master and stepped into the light.

"Keefe! Where have you been? It's so late!" Gisela cried as Keefe stepped through the front door.

It wasn't that late when Keefe glittered into the grounds of Candleshade's large estate. But...Keefe may or may not have taken ten laps around the entire estate to avoid having to go in alone.

"Sorry," he mumbled as his mom crushed him in a hug. "Can I go to bed?"

Gisela studied her son. "Sure sweetie. Are you okay? You've been acting out of sorts all day."

"I'm fine," Keefe said, then trudged to the vortinator and headed up to his bedroom.

When he reached his room, Keefe flopped onto his large bed. For the next hour, he tossed and turned. Sleep didn't exist for him.

"Keefe?" his mom said, gracefully coming into his room. "Can't sleep?"

"Nope," he said.

Gisela smiled sweetly at him. "I know what you need," she said.

"What?" Keefe asked.

His mom got under the covers, brushed the hair off his forehead, and placed a kiss on her son's head. Then, she started to hum.

Keefe knew that tune.

It was an old Ogreish lullaby she used to sing to him when he was a baby. He never knew the words because he wasn't a polyglot. But tonight... he could understand.

I love you more than you'll ever know

Even when it might not show

Everything I do, I do for you

If all is forgotten, remember one thing,

Hear this song, let your heart sing.

The lyrics pounded at Keefe's heart.

He tried to hold his emotions in as long as he could, but when he rested his head on his mom's shoulder, all he could feel coming off of her was... love...

Everything bubbled over inside Keefe. He started to cry.

"Oh Keefe," Gisela whispered, "Why won't you tell me what's going on?"

"I'm so confused Mom." her son sobbed. "Everything... Everything's wrong!"

How could he tell her that she was evil and he'd never felt love coming off of her like he did now?

Everything felt so intense. But Keefe knew one thing.

He was not giving this up.

Even if that meant not going home.

"I love you, Mom," he said.

"I love you too, baby," she said, pulling him close.

There, they fell asleep peacefully. A mother and son. Just how Keefe always wanted it to be. 

Wow... This was a sappy chapter...

Who wishes Lady Gisela was this nice in the books? (I DO!!)

Yes. I actually made up the lyrics to the song above. And I'm kinda cringing... Please let me know what you think of them in the comments! 

Question: How would you like to be a polyglot? (I think it would be so cool but I'd still want a second ability...) 

Love y'all!