Sophie 2.0 - Keefe x Reader

Goodbye

The next two days passed by frustratingly slowly. Mom wasn't at work, so you had to be careful about when you studied the information Mr. Forkle had sent. You mostly looked at it at night while Mom was sleeping, and the more you read, the more sympathetic you felt. The Neverseen really were horrible, and you wanted to help, but . . . it sounded like they didn't even really know what the Neverseen wanted, let alone how to stop them. 

Pretty much all you thought about was if you should go or not. Your mom noticed your distraction, and seemed concerned. She kept asking if you were all right and what was wrong. You really wanted to tell her the truth, and deflecting her questions became harder and harder, but you kept everything in. 

You remembered that once you'd binged Doctor Who together. Rose had just run into the TARDIS, leaving her friends and family behind, which had given you an idea.

"Hey, mom, if I ever get the chance to go on an adventure like that, can I take it?"

"I believe if something amazing happens, you should let it happen. I'd never keep you from a chance for adventure if you could take it. Besides, I always wanted something like that for myself, but I never got the chance. So, yes. If you get the opportunity for an adventure, go on one."

If mom knew about this, she would probably tell you to go.  They'd told you not to tell anyone. You'd get in trouble if you did. But maybe . . . No. 

Telling her would put her in danger.

On Sunday night you stared at the packet of paper. After reviewing and memorizing all you could—which really wasn't much—you finally started packing. Putting your belongings in a suitcase made it all feel too real. Like . . . like you were leaving forever, instead of a short time.

You'd never traveled much, so your suitcase wasn't that big. You put a few changes of clothes in, the packet, some toiletries and books. Once that was full, you shoved as many art supplies and personal keepsakes as you could into your backpack. Your MP3 Player and earbuds were last to go in. You weren't too worried about only taking a few outfits; surely they had clothing stores there.

As an afterthought you shoved half your life's savings—one hundred fifty dollars—into the little pocket in your backpack, then put the other half in the travel jar in the kitchen.

Just before you turned in for the night, you looked around your room. The dresser and nightstand were crowded with cheap jewelry, hand-made decorations, extra art supplies, and old birthday cards from your mom, leaving no room for anything else. The walls, hung with drawings as old as first grade, were as ugly a beige color as ever. The light flickered above you, and you remembered that James hadn't had the chance to fix it before . . . . Oh well. It wouldn't be bothering you anymore, anyway.

You'd miss it, though.

~*~

Your alarm went off at the unreasonable hour of five o'clock a.m. Your fingers brushed the snooze button, and you wanted desperately to sleep some more, but you remembered why you were getting up and forced yourself to sit up and turn off the alarm instead. After a minute, you stood and shuffled across the room and turned on the light, squinting at the sudden glare. It flickered and dimmed. 

After dressing, you carried your bags as quietly as possible to the front door. You didn't know exactly what time they'd arrive, but you were pretty sure it would be before your mom got up. That would be easiest. Plus it was always good to be prepared.

After a quick breakfast, you started tidying the house to pass the time. An hour in, you finally heard a soft knock at the door. You startled and rushed to the door, but stopped just short of opening it. Reaching over to the light switch by the door, you turned on the porch light and peeked out the window. Mr. Forkle stood outside, patiently waiting for you to let him in. Softly, you pulled it open.

"Are you ready?" he asked. 

"Almost. I'll be right back." There was one more thing you needed to do. You left him standing on the porch, the door hanging open, and tiptoed to your mom's room. The door creaked when you opened it, and you cringed. Your mom didn't stir. Tentatively, you crept to the edge of her bed. You gently brushed stray hairs out of her face and kissed her forehead.

"Bye, mom," You whispered, even as your nose stung and your eyes teared up. You'd miss her most.

Back at the front door, you wiped your eyes and nose with one hand and saw that while you'd been gone he'd let himself in and lifted your bags.

"The washers are on their way," Mr. Forkle said, heading for the back. "They've already taken care of your mom's boss and coworkers, as well as your school administrators, the police, and the prison staff."  

You followed him, taking your backpack just before he reached the back door. "Wow . . . I didn't realize how much work you'd have to go through for this." 

"It's no trouble at all, Miss L/N. If all goes according to plan, we will more than compensated for any trouble we've gone through." He handed you a thick black bracelet once we were outside. "This will help keep you from disintegrating as we light leap." You gulped and shoved it onto your wrist as quickly as you could. 

The sun was barely cresting over the low hills in the distance, but there was enough light for Mr. Forkle's crystal to send shining beams to the ground when he lifted it.

"After you, Miss L/N." He gestured politely to the beam that would take you away from your home and family. The light that would change everything forever.

You looked over your shoulder, through the little living room window. In a few minutes, your mom would get up and make herself some breakfast. Read the newspaper, maybe. Get ready for work. Go into your room to say bye before she leaves and see that you're gone.

"I know it's hard," Mr. Forkle said gently. "But you won't be alone. Sophie has gone through the same thing, and when the Neverseen are defeated, you'll be able to come home."

It wouldn't really be home, though. You'd all have different names, a different house, different lives.  

You took a deep, sad breath, knowing what you had to do, and stepped into the light.