Unlocked

Two - Keefe

Keefe wished the moment didn't have to end. He wished he could soak up the happiness radiating off himself and bottle it to save for later—he'd probably need it, considering the drastic turns his life had taken. In other words, he'd almost died for the umpteenth time—committed by his own mother, not to mention. He'd totally Fostered it back there.

He sat on his cot, stroking Sophie's hair while she cried on his shoulder for what felt like a lifetime—in his case, a lifetime would never be long enough. He truly loved her.

But of course it had to be interrupted. Elwin strode into the room, his gremlin covered tunic smeared with black sludge and a thick yellow goop.

He was holding up a vial filled with a thick grayish brown liquid. Keefe really hoped Elwin wouldn't make him drink it.

Turns out he didn't have to.

Elwin opened his mouth to say something but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Keefe sitting up, wide awake, with a sobbing Sophie hugging him tightly. He dropped his vial and it shattered on the floor.

Sophie startled the sudden glass breakage, and nearly toppled over off the side of the bed, but Keefe managed to leap out from under his covers and catch her before she ended up breaking yet another limb. That happened much to often for his taste.

He steadied her, sitting her down on her own cot—which of course, had her framed photo above the headboard. It was a picture she always claimed was embarrassing, but she honestly looked adorable in it.

Keefe turned his attention back to the Elwin, who he found hard not to laugh at, considering his dumbstruck expression. He bit his lip to choke down a laugh and sat back down on his cot, realizing he felt a bit faint. But it didn't stop him from saying, "Miss me?"

For a second the physician stood stunned, even reaching up to rub his eyes, almost like he thought Keefe was a hallucination. Then he went all Ultimate-Elwin and practically hurdled the cots in his way, desperate to reach the teenagers side by side on their respective beds.

When he reached Keefe, he was immediately flashing a million lights in his face, his torso, even the tips of his toes. Man, that guy was thorough.

All the while he was asking him hundreds of questions. They all blurred in Keefe's mind, not helping his already muddled-feeling head. He did his best to answer them, ignoring his spiking headache.

"How do you feel? What do you remember? Manifested a new ability yet? Where's the pain? Your head? Or your stomach?"

Keefe did his best to keep up with the questions fired at him. His head hurt, but not too bad. He remembered the shadowflux process, but not much after. And as far as he could tell, the only ability he had was the one he'd inherited from his awful father: empath.

Then—to no one's surprise—he made Keefe chug a dozen elixirs and a nasty tasting nut that he had to practically choke down his esophagus. Sophie stood by his side through it all, squeezing his hand and smiling at him. It was the only thing that kept him grounded.

He hadn't seen her smile in so long it hurt, but seeing it again was like a breath of fresh air, clearing his mind and calming his heart.

At one point Edaline came in, gasping in surprise when she saw Keefe awake. Elwin had to restrain her when she tackled him with a hug, lecturing her on how it wasn't okay to break someone's ribs in such a heart-warming gesture. So she stood silently with Sophie, watching Elwin take care of him and brushing away tears.

Keefe was surprised to find himself shedding his own tears. Edaline felt like family, and he'd never acknowledged how much she meant to him. Even Grady meant much more to Keefe than he could express in words, despite his efforts to keep him away from Sophie and constantly calling him "That Boy."

After he'd finally drunken the last vial of sludgy green liquid, Elwin gave him a sedative, telling him he needed to rest. Keefe didn't want to take it of course, but he definitely needed some real sleep. And he'd be able to catch up with his friends after a good nights sleep.

Before he took the sleep-inducing drink, he looked up at Sophie. He saw something in her he'd never seen before, like her beautiful brown eyes sparkled with a new found light. She squeezed his hand once more, and kissed his cheek, her lips lingering for a couple seconds. Her face turned pink when Edaline gave her a goofy smile and a nudge as she stepped back.

He grinned up at her. "See you in the morning?" He asked, desperately hoping she'd still be there when he awoke.

She returned the smile, her hair gleaming in the moonlight. "Definitely."

Keefe's heart warmed with joy and peace—something he hadn't felt in a long time. So he tipped the sedative down his throat, knowing with a sense of serenity that there was a light at the end of the tunnel.

And her name was Sophie Foster.