Renegades: KotLC

Memories-12

"Anything over there?" Elysia called. 

Keefe rolled his eyes, pretending to dig through Sophie's drawers before very unenthusiastically calling back, "Nope. Not a single thing of use." 

"Nothing over here, either!" Biana added, though she was very much eager. Fitz was too, probably happy to finally have a chance to get some answers. 

"Keep searching." 

Keefe grinned. He had lied. Then again, he shouldn't really be smiling. Sophie had taken her Spyball with her, meaning she could be watching him. Or anyone. At anytime. Right then, even. What made him uneasy, however, was why she might've taken it with her. What had she needed it for? Was she planning on coming back when it was safe? Simply wanting to spy on them? Or plan another-- no. Sophie wasn't a murderer, no matter what the council might think. 

"You alright, Blondie?" 

Elysia smirked, and Keefe rolled his eyes, hating how she used Ro's nickname for Sophie. She didn't have the right. 

"Yeah," Keefe said. "I just hate how little evidence she left. She's definitely thought of everything." 

"Yeah," Elysia agreed. "Hey! Maybe instead of searching for evidence of the murder, we look for the murderer."

Biana and Fitz paused their search, turning around to look at Elysia. 

"How would we do that? We have no idea where she might've gone!" 

"Well, does she have any relations with any of the Forbidden Cities?"

"San Diego," Fitz suggested. 

Elysia pumped a fist. "Bingo! So, we head there first!"

"How? The Council would never permit--"

"I'm leader of Team Valiant. I can do whatever I want." She flashed a cocky smile, taking Keefe and Biana's hands. "Fitz, take Biana. Marella, you... do whatever." 

Marella grumbled a string of naughty words, though Keefe couldn't agree more. He flinched as she snatched his free hand, glaring at no place in particular. 

Once Marella had taken Keefe's hand, Elysia led the group to the Ruewen's Leapmaster.

And then, they were gone. 

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When Keefe opened his eyes, he found that the group now stood in the middle of a road before a house. 

"This is it." 

The voice was Fitz's, which confirmed it. This was the place. This was where the most amazing person in Keefe's life had grown up. Keefe wouldn't deny that he half-wished Sophie weren't in there simply because he wanted to search that bedroom, if any. He wanted to know what twelve-year-old human Sophie had liked, had accomplished, had lived in. 

"That must be where Mr. Forkle lived. See the gnomes?" Elysia pointed over to the neighboring house's yard was. Overgrown and untouched. 

"It's strange that the city hasn't cleaned this place up, even after all this time." Biana was the first to move, stepping onto the porch and turning the knob. "It's unlocked." 

"Maybe the Washers did too good of a job? They could've caused the world to forget about the entire neighborhood." Marella followed Biana into the house, and Fitz after her. 

"It's strange that the other neighbors moved out too, though," Keefe muttered. Elysia turned to him, wearing an assuring grin. 

"I'm sure that was the Washers' doing. Anyway, let's get to it!" 

Keefe was the last to enter the house. Biana could already be heard rummaging through some things upstairs. Marella was over in the kitchen, Elysia had headed into some other room and Fitz... was staring at a spot behind the couch and closer to the front door. 

"What's up?" Keefe swung an arm around his friend, bringing him out of his daydream. Fitz flinched. 

"Nothing. Just..." His eyes softened, for the first time since Sophie's disappearance. "This is where I first realized just how much Sophie was going to have to leave behind for the sake of other people." 

"What do you mean?" 

"Her relationships, family, personal things, memories? She gave it all up. Because she was told to, no explanations. She was mad about that, of course, but... she still did it." 

Keefe looked to the spot Fitz was so drawn to. It looked like an ordinary floor to him. What had he missed?

"What if she didn't murder Mr. Forkle?" 

"What?" Of course she hadn't murdered him. Yet, hearing those words coming from Fitz? Keefe hadn't misheard... 

"That day, she'd just drugged her family when I had tried to pull her out. At first, I was a little annoyed when she didn't move, but then she collapsed and started crying, and I realized how stupid I'd been. And how strong she is." He sighed. "I'm stupid, aren't I?" 

Keefe nodded. "Yep. But don't worry. If you're stupid, then I'm a total idiot." 

"You're only here for your own personal investigation, right?" 

Keefe tensed, only able to shrug when Fitz eyed him. "That's what I thought. You've only ever wanted to help her, even when it didn't benefit you. I'm the idiot, Keefe." 

Keefe tried to imagine Sophie, collapsed on the very floor he was standing on. He tried to image what it must have been like, watching her break down while he could only stand there, no way to comfort her. Only Fitz truly understood what Sophie had gone through that day. Maybe someday, Keefe would be lucky enough to be that useful to her, make up for all the lies he's told her, all the promises he'd broken. 

"Hey! Lookit!" Biana called from upstairs. Keefe and Fitz followed her voice into a small room. 

"Was this Foster's room?" 

"It was," Fitz confirmed. "Ella was sitting right there." He nodded to the floor beside the bed, where Ella must've fallen from. On her desk were half-finished homework papers and some books. Little doodles had been drawn on the back of each paper. Hot air balloons, stars, hearts, and flowers scattered across the blank space. Keefe smirked. 

Fitz nodded. "Right. Anyway, have you found anything important?" 

"I found this." Biana took a framed photo from off Sophie's old nightstand, handing it off to Fitz who then passed it to Keefe. Inside was a picture of Sophie, with Amy and her parents. They were at a beach, and Sophie was... She was beaming. Keefe felt his cheeks turn pink. It was the happiest he'd ever seen her, since the Neverseen had shown up. Unhooking the latch, he pulled the photo out. There was writing on the back: Imperial Beach 6/15/ 2010.

Keefe tucked the photo into his pocket, careful not to crease it. 

"Get downstairs! Now!" 

Once again, everyone followed the voice until they reached Elysia, who stood by the front door. "I found recent traces leading back to Sophie's DNA. She was here, but only briefly. She must've brought a visitor, because someone was with her. There was also no sign of anyone walking up to the house, so I'm assuming she'd teleported them."

"It must've been Amy," Biana said. "Sophie's sister is the only one in the Forbidden Cities who knows about Sophie's abilities." 

"Thank you, Bi. Can I call you 'Bi'? Of course I can, anyways, let's get going." 

Biana frowned, though she made no attempt to correct her. Meanwhile, Keefe, Fitz, and Marella all glared at Elysia. 

Marella rolled her eyes. "How did you even notice the traces? How did you find out she'd brought someone with her, and shouldn't we report our findings to the council?" 

"Nah. If we leave it to them, they'll get all the credit. And as for how I found out, I've got my ways. Now, Bi, I want you to go talk to Dex. I know he won't want to, but we need him to set up some cameras around the area just in case she returns. The rest of you will accompany me   to Amy's house." 

"If he says 'no' he says 'no', but I'll ask." Biana leaped away.