"Keefe, we can't just move to the Forbidden Cities," Sophie argued, pacing in front of the panakes tree, reaching for her registry pendant to fiddle with, only to remember that she had cut it off.
The pair were now twenty or so and hiding out in Sophie's old home, Havenfield.
"We can, though. Soph, we're going to die. This is the only way to live!" he argued back.
"But-"
"But, everyone we love is dead. My mom's after us next."
He stood up and took her hands into his. "We can live a simple life. Change our names. Please, Foster."
The telepath let out a huff of breath and leaned her forehead on his chest. "Okay. You have any ideas?"
"We live in a cottage in the countryside of someplace called France. I've researched and found a nice place. I created a crystal that will light leap us there and, please don't be mad, I've already built the house. I knew this was the only way out so I decided to just save us some time."
Sophie laughed and shook her head. "You think f everything, don't you?"
"You know it, missy."
She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and he pulled out the crystal.
"You already have it?" Sophie asked.
"I've been carrying it around in case they find us and we needed to escape right at that moment."
She nodded and took hold of his hand. He held up the crystal and they stepped into the beam of light.
When they reformed, Sophie found herself staring at a small, white-brick cottage overgrowing with flowers. A creek ran behind the house with a pen with a few cows out in the front. A henhouse stood next to the pen and had a small, wooden fence around it to contain the chickens. Flowerbeds ran along the side of the house and flower boxes sat on the windows on the front of the house.
"How long did this take you?" she asked, running her hand atop a few white and pink roses.
"Awhile. There are new clothes inside and everything we need, a stove, oven, fridge, toilet, it's all there and ready."
Sophie laughed and a grey, fluffy kitten with big, green eyes jumped out from a baby's breath bush. She picked up the animal and stroked her head.
"Who's this cutie?" she asked.
"I....don't know. She wasn't here when I last visited," he responded, tickling the cat's stomach.
"Well, she's ours now. What should we name her?"
"Gracie?"
Sophie smiled and kissed the top of the kitten's head. "It's perfect. Now we should probably change and learn french before we draw suspicion," she said, noticing the other houses about a hundred yards away.
One year later
"Keefe, come on in! The bread is ready!" Sophie shouted in perfect french from the door of her house, wiping her hands on the apron she wore. Her boyfriend looked up from the cow he as milking and smiled.
"I'm almost done!" he shouted back, in french of course. He quickly finished milking the cow and carried the tin bucket back inside. He set it on the counter and Sophie poured it into their stainless steel pot, heating the stove to one-hundred and forty-five degrees Fahrenheit.
"Hey Soph, can I try?" he asked, eating a piece of the fresh bread and watching over her shoulder. Now that they were inside, they switched to the Enlightened language.
"Sweetie, we know what happened last time and I don't want that to happen again."
Keefe groaned and Sophie laughed. As she pasteurized the milk, he sat down on the bench at the small, wooden, white dining table, eating the slice of warm bread and looking out the window onto the creek.
"Hey, do you know where Gracie is?" he asked, turning towards the kitchen.
"Last time I checked she was up in our room."
Keefe nodded and ate the rest of the slice before heading up the stairs and to their small bedroom. And as Sophie said, she was stretched out on their bed. He was about to pick her up and bring her downstairs when there was a loud crash outside.
Sophie ran outside and Keefe rushed downstairs and stood in front of her.
"Missed me?" a shrill voice asked.
"Mother," Keefe acknowledged, not letting Sophie step in front of him despite her many attempts.
"How are you and little Miss Baker doing here?" Gisela asked.
"Perfectly well, thank you. Why are you here?"
"You know why. I can't have any more Black Swan members running around."
"But we aren't even trying to stop you! We're letting you win! Just leave us alone, please."
Gisela sighed and rubbed the spot between her eyebrows. "Fine. I mean, we have taken over all the cities, so I guess I could let you live. Under one exception."
"Anything," Sophie said.
"I get your first-born child."
Sophie shot up, a scream escaping her lips. Keefe immediately sat up, too, holding her in his arms.
"Foster, you okay?" he softly asked.
"I......Gisela.....no."
"Ssshhh, it's okay. She can't hurt you."
Sophie nodded and sunk into his arms, a few tears spilling out.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Keefe asked.
"Later, maybe."
He nodded and slowly rubbed her back. "We need to milk the cows. Wanna do it this morning?"
She nodded they got up, threw on some clothes, and they headed out to the pasture, all the fears of their past life behind them.
