UNLOCKED, kotlc

Chapter 2

"Where do you think you're going?" Sandor grumbled, shoving his body in front of the door to block Sophie as she hung up on Biana and rushed to the door.

"I really need to get to Everglen. Fast!"

"Hang on a second!" Sandor snarled.  "Why do you need to go there so quickly?  Edaline said she's making dinner and-"

"Biana said she needs to tell me something important.  Bring the whole arsenal if you need to. Bo and Nubiti and Flori, for all I care.  I need to get there. It's about Keefe-"

Sandor sighed, reluctantly letting Sophie through and following Sophie as she dashed over to the Leapmaster 500.

What could Biana possibly want?  Did Councillor-Liar-Who-Doesn't-Deserve-To-Be-Mentioned say something about stellarlune? Could Biana wake Keefe up?

Sophie's mind flashed to a ridiculous human movie she'd watched when she was a kid, Sleeping Beauty, where a handsome prince woke up a princess under an evil curse with a true loves' kiss.  A slight grin played on her expression but she reigned in her thoughts and let the light whisk her and Sandor away.

___

Biana was waiting for them.  She stood impatiently tapping her feet, fidgeting with her dress, glancing around the area.  When Sophie and Sandor stumbled into the clearing, Biana gasped and ran over to them, squeezing Sophie in a hug, and nearly unbalancing both of them.

"What is it?" Sophie demanded.  "Do you know how to get him to wake up?"

"Oh, of course not," Biana deadpanned, her voice laced with heavy sarcasm.  "I just wanted to show you my new mallowmelt recipe- of course I know how to!  I'm not sure if it'll work but-"

"It's worth a try," Sophie finished, and let Biana take her hand and guide her toward the luxurious Vacker house. 

Sophie followed Biana all the way to her room, a wide area filled with colorful, frilly gowns and a large king sized bed with a pink comforter and Lady Sassyfur, her stuffed Yeti, sitting proudly in the middle of it all. 

Biana sat down on her bed, and pulled out a notebook from one of her pillowcases.

"Oralie told me about stellarlune," Biana said quietly, looking down at her feet.  "I think... well I was thinking-okay.  You and Fitz were attacked by shadowflux. And stellarlune counters shadowflux. So maybe if you could find some way to- reverse the echoes then maybe- I mean- arg, this was a stupid idea."

"It's not. I think you're on to something.  I'll hail Magnate Leto and talk about it to him, okay? Thank you."

"I just-" Biana sighed.  "I want him to wake up just as much as you do.  But I've never felt so helpless you know?  I choose to do whatever I can to protect my friends but I couldn't stop him from getting hurt.  And I'm not blaming you. I know there was nothing we could do but-" Her voice cracked and she wrapped her arms around Lady Sassyfur.

"I wish so too," Sophie whispered.  "But all we can do now is hope we can save him, okay?  I know he'll be different in some ways, but he'll always be Keefe Sencen and nothing that his mom does is going to change that."

And Sophie knew she was trying to convince herself just as much as she was to Biana.  And for the first time in days, she might've actually believed it.