UNLOCKED, kotlc

Chapter 77

"Sophie!"

A million voices seemed to shout at her at the same time as she stumbled into the Healing Center where everyone was waiting and practically collapsed onto the nearest cot. Her head was spinning so fast that her vision blurred- probably from a mix of exhaustion, devastation, and confusion.

Somebody passed her a Bottle of Youth and she mustered up enough strength to pop open the lid and down the whole thing in one swig.

"More," she rasped, reaching her hand out for another bottle of the warm liquid- but somebody grabbed her wrist instead and she forced herself to clear her vision and look her adoptive mother in the eyes.

"Sophie, tell us what happened first," Edaline insisted, sounding more concerned than firm. "Are you okay? Is Keefe okay? Who's-"

"Not now," Sophie muttered, reaching for another bottle that was lying on her bedside table and drinking enough to clear her head.

"Now can you explain why you came here with five Neverseen members, Mr. Forkle's evil sister, and an unconscious boyf...er, Keefe?"

Sophie caught her little slip, but forced herself to ignore it as she obediently gulped the sloshy liquids that Elwin handed her, effectively clearing her head.  "It's a long story- ask Maruca."

"She said to ask you," Edaline pressed, and Sophie shot a glare at her Psiniopath friend. Maruca shrugged, but Sophie felt bad after seeing how equally exhausted she looked.

Sophie explained the entire thing- ignoring three things. One: How useless Oralie had been, seeing as everyone except for Keefe, Tam, and Biana knew that she was her biological mother. Two: Lady Gisela's cache. And three: The odd shaped magsidian she'd found lying on the floor.

Maruca gave her a questioning glance, indicating her tiring expedition down the hidden stairs- but Sophie looked at her pleadingly and Maruca gave a brisk nod in response.

"Okay..." Grady said slowly. "But what about That Boy?"

He gestured to Keefe who was in a frustratingly familiar state- unconscious, in that same stupid bed all the way at the end of the wall. She could practically imagine herself sitting in the chair beside him, transmitting until her head throbbed all over again.

"What about him?" Sophie asked, wanting to flop down underneath the blankets and sleep for eternity.

"He's alive- but Fitz couldn't get into his mind. Or he did- but..." Elwin shrugged helplessly. "He's not talking. He tried to get in- or maybe he did? -and then he just shook his head and left. Alden's asking him about it now, and Forkle's... catching up with Adela."

Sophie barely waited for their okay and ignored the fact that her head was still drained like somebody had funneled all her mental energy out. She dove into Keefe's mind and-

Everything was shattered. Bits and pieces of memories were strayed, flying across his mind like broken glass. Sophie caught glimpses of memories, dreams, thoughts- but nothing seemed to fit together. As soon as her mind focused on one thought, it cracked and sent its contents flying into a hopeless oblivion.

"Foster?"

Sophie could feel herself freezing. Keefe?

And walking towards her- at least in his mind -was.. herself?

"I know this is creepy," she- or the other Sophie -promised. "But this is Keefe. It's just..." Real-Sophie didn't need to be an Empath to sense his humiliation. 

Sophie remembered when Prentice's mind had broken and he'd appeared to her in the form of Cyrah Endal, his late wife, because she was the tiny bit of reality he'd been able to hold onto. And apparently for Keefe... it was her?

Keefe? What's going on?

"I don't know," Keefe-Sophie said miserably. "I remember the fire coming down and I didn't have a cloak. And then something... I don't know. It clicked. It hurt so much and I felt like I was going to die. And then there was this voice. And it lured me in. It felt so safe and I followed it and then everything just started cracking..."

His/Her voice faltered and Sophie felt her heart wedging itself out into pieces for him.

Is there anyway we can get you out of this? Sophie asked helplessly.

A bit of Keefe-Sophie's smirk faltered. "I don't know. You did it with Prentice and Alden..."

But that was from guilt- or at least Alden's was. The Council directly broke Prentice's mind. Yours just...

"Can you tell me something Foster?" Keefe-Sophie asked quietly.

Anything.

"What happened to my mom?"

Sophie didn't want to say... his mind was so fragile right now. She remembered what Keefe had been going through when he thought that his mom had died- just cut himself off from everyone. And if he cut himself off from her, she'd never be able to bring him back.

"Please tell me Sophie. It's so much worse not knowing.."

He sounded like Prentice begging to know what had happened to Cyrah- but when Sophie had told Prentice, the last wisps of him had floated away.

And if Keefe floated away, she had no idea if she'd have the strength to bring him back.

She's... dead.

Silence followed. Heartbreaking silence where Sophie wasn't sure whether she wanted to take it back, or scream or cry or maybe just wrap Keefe in a hug and hold him that way forever.

But Keefe didn't float away- and Sophie was filled with so much relief that her head felt lighter.

I have her cache, Sophie transmitted. It's going to be-

"I don't care about her!" Keefe-Sophie shouted and Sophie's mental voice flinched. 

Okaaaaay. But I do have her cache.

"Open it with me," Keefe-Sophie begged. "Please. It'll make me feel so much better."

Caches are sanity shattering, Sophie reminded him. And your mind is already shattered. If that happens, I won't be able to bring you back for sure-

"So it's true then," Keefe-Sophie said hollowly. "My mind is shattered?"

Sophie held her breath. Do you want me to go?

"I'm not mad at you," Keefe-Sophie promised. "I just need time to think about.... stuff."

Okay. Sophie let her mind out and up and away, her head still stuck on the fact that she was the tiny piece of reality that Keefe had held onto.