Agent Moonlark

Chapter Eighteen

Keefe

Keefe stared out the window, drumming his fingers on the small side door. He watched the scenery change, from grassy fields to woody forests. He even spotted a sheep and some cows. He was bored out of his mind. Plus, he had a massive headache and felt nauseous. Carsickness really sucked.

"Can you stop that?"

"What?," Keefe asked. He had started nodding off.

"Your fingers. It's getting on my nerves." Sophie took a hand off the wheel for a second to gesture to his hand.

"What about them?," Keefe asked innocently.

Sophie tore her eyes off the road to give him a look.

"Fine, fine!" Keefe lifted his hands in the air, as if to say 'I surrender'. "I stopped."

Sophie sighed. She looked back at the road.

Five minutes later, Keefe started tapping the door again.

"Stop."

"..."

Two minutes later, Keefe asked, "Are we there yet?"

"No. We still have at least four hours."

"Oh. Are we there yet?"

"You just asked that."

"Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?" Keefe enjoyed watching her roll her eyes. He loved how even when she was annoyed at him, she couldn't keep the small smile off her face.

"It's hard to believe that Agent Gisela's your mother."

"I'm just that awesome," Keefe said sassily.

Sophie chuckled. "You're right, it's a good thing. I'd rather be here with you than Agent Gisela." Sophie didn't seem to realize the effect it had on Keefe. Keefe's eyes lit up. His heart felt ready to burst. He knew she'd never feel the same way about him (A/N: wrongggggg, Keefe), but even just as friends, she managed to make him happier than ever.

"Well, who would rather be with my mother?" Keefe grimaced playfully.

"Good point."

The conversation died down from there. Keefe went back to looking out the window and mentally cursing his carsickness, and Sophie turned her focus back to driving.

Keefe had only been at the Black Swan for a few days, but he could already see how different it was from the Neverseen. In the Black Swan, the members often were more likely to reveal their real names than their code names. For example, Fitz seemed to have no problem with Keefe knowing his real name, but he flat out refused to tell Keefe his code name. During the days Keefe had spent in Alluveterre, he had learned almost all of the trainers' names and Sophie's friends' names. The exceptions in all this were the collective and Physic. On the other hand, in the Neverseen, Keefe had yet to know who most of the members really were. He had tried in vain for years to take off Glam's hood, but he had never succeeded. Eventually, he had given up, deciding that Glam was way nicer than most of the others.

"Hey, Sophie?"

"Yeah?"

"How come the Black Swan let me in so soon? I don't get it." He had been pondering the question since Dex and Linh had brought him to the Black Swan.

"The fact that you have potential is what sparks the Collective's interest. But being good at spying doesn't make it a done deal. Agent Forkle always looks to see if people look like they have good intentions, if they have a good heart. And...he's rarely wrong."