what happened after unlocked

chapter fifty-four ~ the confession

In the very early morning, an hour or two before the sun rose, Sophie woke up with a realization.

All she'd been thinking about was what Biana told her, about her obliviousness and the fact that she was not as aware of her feelings as she should be.

Sophie was very determined to prove her wrong, and she knew that she would figure it out someday. So maybe today was the day!

In her dreams, before she'd woken up, the same face kept popping up, but each time it would lean in closer. The creepy thing was, was that she didn't know who it was.

And then the mask faded away, and before her eyes snapped open she saw the face of Keefe Sencen.

The realization was this – her deeper mind knew more about it than she'd ever thought. And she'd figured it out.

After three years of knowing him, knowing his smirk and his ice-blue eyes and the horrors he'd been through and the things he'd sacrificed, she came to this.

It was Keefe Sencen all along.

She sat up and recollected her memories.

Since the first time she'd met him, they'd always had a strange connection, unlike anything she'd had with anyone else, even Fitz. Her eyes roved down to the drawings she'd snatched from him, the ones he'd made with such precision, and then her mind flashed to the golden notebook, and she felt her cheeks flush even though he wasn't there to freak her out.

All the times he'd made her heart race and her face go warm...they were real, just not what she'd focused on. She'd always thought she loved Fitz. It was like the explanation Keefe had given her before they rushed to Nightfall; the one where he explained what they thought in their heads and what they thought in their minds.

Sophie laughed to herself. Her friends were always right.

The rest of the night was sleepless, but Sophie had an extra bounce in her step, like she'd drank a few more bottles of Youth. Her parents noticed the changes, collectively glancing up with confused looks.

"What's up with you?" Grady asked her. "You look perky."

"I...um...nothing!" Sophie mumbled, but her face showed otherwise.

"Was it another boy?" Edaline asked insightfully, peering over her morning mug of coffee-scented liquid. "Or is it just a sunny day or something? Oh...Prentice!"

Sophie smiled didn't falter at this, but she still couldn't help wish they saw through it. She spent an extra half hour for breakfast with her parents than usual, because she wanted them to realize.

Was this what love felt like? Was she supposed to feel so elated now that she finally knew about her feelings for Keefe Sencen?

Or maybe she was just going to fast. Jumping to conclusions. Being stupid. Not thinking it through.

It had only been five hours since she had that dream.

But this was too right to be wrong.

Further proof that her feelings were true, she nearly fainted when her Imparter stared buzzing in her pocket. She quickly excused herself, and ran up to the privacy of her own bedroom. She intercepted the call, but not before she started panicking again.

It was Fitz's face in the screen, but next to him was Keefe. Fitz pushed the Imparter further from himself so Sophie could see them both.

"Hi, Sophie," he said awkwardly. "We're trying to find more of Keefe's memories to see if we can figure out who Gisela's parents are. Do you think you can help us?"