The world seemed to slow down. Keefe ran, but it wasn't quick enough. He leaned over the bridge, holding out his hand, but his arm wasn't long enough.
He wasn't enough to keep Foster alive.
"NO!," he screamed, but what good did it do? She had already splashed into the water, swept away. There was nothing, nothing he could do. Keefe hated it.
He tried to think of a loophole, somehow Foster could be alive, but his common sense and nerve seemed to die right along with her.
All that was left was recklessness and broken fragments, all of which were begging at him to do one thing, a very stupid thing to do. But Keefe didn't care. Nothing mattered anymore.
So, without turning around to take another look at the Neverseen, and his mother, he jumped off the bridge.
Their surprised shouts never reached Keefe as he tumbled into the icy water below.
He gasped and spluttered. Cold and injured. But alive.
The chaos in the river was much more than he had been expecting, but he fought through the currents, icy water splashing in his face, he looked around, turning and twisted, swimming and slowing down, until he saw a flash of blonde hair swimming right by him.
Keefe's heart did a sudden leap and he dove under.
The river was murky underneath and almost impossible to see through. But he squinted and saw Sophie's limp, unconscious body. He swam towards her, and pulled her up to the surface.
It was hard, and Keefe was only able to get her head out of the water. He panted, holding Sophie as he swam to the nearest bit of dry land that he could see.
He paddled slowly through the water, just able to keep his and Foster's heads resting on the surface.
Finally, Keefe felt shallow water beneath his feat and he let out a small sigh of relief.
He pulled Foster onto the sand and laid her head in his lap.
She looked terrible.
A side of her face was covered in blood, and there were deep gashes in her legs and arms. Her eyes were closed.
Keefe leaned in closer, trying to feel for a pulse. He felt a heart beat. Once. Twice. He could her her breathing ever so slightly.
Sophie wasn't dead.
A sob crawled up Keefe's throat but he didn't try and hold it back. A teardrop fell and landed on her cheek.
He reached for her limp hand and held it gently.
"Foster?," he whispered, his voice vibrating.
Slowly, two little brown eyes opened, and looked at him.
"Keefe?"
Her voice was barely audible. But it was the sweet, beautiful voice Keefe knew. His favorite voice he longed to hear. And the voice that made him pull her into a giant hug.
His tears soaked Sophie's shirt as he began to cry.
He couldn't let her get that close to death again, and he didn't even try to find anything funny about the situation. Nothing was.
"We need to get you to Elwin," Keefe said quietly.
Foster gave him a weak sort of smile before she gave out a cough.
He stood up, his knees shaking, with Foster in his arms.
Keefe found a new strange strength running through him, pumping adrenaline through his veins.
YOU ARE READING
Petals of Gold (A Sokeefe Fanfic)
Fanfiction"this is the last time," sophie knew it in her heart. it was the last time she'd make anymore mistakes, hurt other people. she couldn't fall for anything like that again. but how long could she resist until she fell apart? "this is the last time,"...
