"Did yo get some rest like I told you to?" Edaline asked me the next morning, placing a plate of custard bursts on my night stand. I still lay in my bed, unable to walk downstairs for breakfast. The tears were gone now, I just felt... empty. Like my energy had been sucked out of me.
My adoptive mother sighed, "Look, honey, if you can, please eat some custard bursts. You need some food."
"I'll try," I said—well, whispered is a better word.
"Er—your friends will be here in around three hours, do you want to tell them, or should I?"
"I'll tell them."
"Okay, good. It's best they hear it from you." Edaline leaned forward and kissed my cheek.
"Love you." She whispered.
"I love you, too." I said back.
I lay in my bed, staring out the unnecessary long wall of windows for what must have been an hour and a half. Maybe even two hours.
Then I remembered Edaline's words: Your friends'll be here in around three hours. Which meant I only had an hour to get ready.
I sat up ad rubbed my temples and eyes. I sat like this for a while, just to let myself get used to the bright light of noon.
Then, I got up and walked over to my bathroom's door. When I walked in, I wasn't very overwhelmed by my reflection. So I took a quick shower and brushed my teeth.
Once I was done, I put on a plain black tunic and pants. I brushed out my hair and put it up in a low ponytail.
"Sophie, Dex is here." Grady informed me.
"Coming." I called back.
I took a final look in the mirror. My eyes puffy, my face pale and—te cherry on top—I had dark eye bags. It was my turn to sigh.
I opened my door to see Sandor and Flori waiting for me, and—
"Ro?" I asked, not quite believing it.
"That's right." The ogre walked toward me from behind Sandor, "The Council ordered me to be your bodyguard until we get Hunkyhair back."
If we get him back, I thought.
"Come on, Mr. Dizznee is waiting." Sandor walked to the stairs.
"And Mr. and Ms. Vacker are here." Flori informed us.
The gnome followed Sandor down the stairs. Then me, with Ro behind me. "Do you know where he went?" Ro asked me with a more serious tone. One I didn't know she was capable of using.
"I have a hunch, I just hope I'm wrong." I answered, I knew the question was going to come up once I told everyone. So I decided to save it for when they asked me. I'll be hiding the same way the Black Swan hid you. That could only mean one thing.
When I was finally on the last step, I spotted Dex, arms crossed and tapping his right foot impatiently standing behind the couch, his strawberry blonde hair a bit messy. He had a belt strapped around his waist, goblin throwing stars dangling from it. Fitz sat on the couch, his right leg on his left one horizontally. His hair was styled and he wore a simple blue tunic, black pants, and he too had a belt equipped by a few goblin throwing stars and brown boots. Biana sat to her brother's left side, legs crossed. Biana looked like she was going to a ball. She wore her turquoise dress with golden highlights and puffed sleeves, her hair and eyelashes perfectly curled. Her eyelids were painted a teal colour, matching her eyes.
"Morning, Sophie," Grady greeted me, "We'll wait for he others to get here." I nodded.
Sandor positioned himself by the door, Flori next to the couch and Ro stood beside me. Grizel moved by the windows, Louise on the other end. Woltzer was behind the couch across from his charge.
"So," Dex broke the silence before it turned into an awkward silence, "what did you call us for?"
I cleared my throat, "Well, I have some news—"
"Correction: she has revolutionary news." Ro interrupted.
"Well, heartbreaking is a better word to describe it," I countered.
"Yeah, but some of your friends'll find it a relief or just won't be bothered about it."
"No, everyone's gonna be affected." I told my ogre bodyguard.
"Even Tammy Boy?" Ro leaned down and questioned.
Good point, "He won't be as affected as the others, but," I pictured Tam's face when I would tell them Keefe left, "Yeah, you're right."
"I know I am," Ro straightened herself, "One thing you don't know about ogres is—"
Dex cleared his throat, "Could you not?" He asked Ro. She groaned and walked over to the Technopath smack the back of his head.
"Oh, no, Ro woke up and chose violence, the world might as well end," a new voie said from the door. It was Bo with Line and Tam trailing behind him. And Sir Tiergan, well Granite actually. I looked at him in a silent question, "Well, not the whole Collective is currently available."
"Ro always choses violence." Dex corrected. He was right, of course. Ro was probably the only one in this room who would kill us all for a million dollars. It never was a matter of anger issues like Fitz just the matter of being an ogre with weapons and aggressiveness.
"And Linh brought the murcat," Fitz noted the kitten-looking creature now in his lap.
"Apparently, he likes you," Linh chuckled, then called, "Come one, Princess Purryfins."
Tam and Ro scoffed.
"Shut up," Linh told them both, the murcat now back in her hands, "I couldn't leave her alone."
"No, wouldn't dream of it," said Tam in a mocking tone. "Not Princess Puffypins." he dramatically covered his mouth with his hand.
"Purryfins," Linh corrected, angered.
"Whatever." Tam stuffed his hands in his pockets. Linh formed a small ball of water and splashed her twin in the face.
"Thank you. You've made my day, truly." Tam grabbed the cloth Granite handed him and wiped his face.
Edaline snickered and clapped her hands once, saying, "Well, now that all of you are here, I'll let you discuss the—um... thing,"
"What about Keefe?" Fitz countered.
"He won't be joining you," she glanced at me before going up the stairs.
"Okay," I sat on the couch across from the Vackers, Tam and Linh now seated next to them and Dex had a glass lushberry juice, "the news... um," I looked up at Ro and she nodded, "Keefe left."
Dex choked on his lushberry juice and Fitz handed him a cloth, suddenly very pale and in utter shock. Biana looked like she was about to cry her lungs out. Linh covered her mouth, dropping her murcat. Tam, surprisingly looked taken aback and shocked.
Dex finally asked, "What do you mean by 'Keefe left'?"
"He left me a letter saying he left because he's afraid what Lady Gisela will make him do to us."
"Where?" Dex held out a hand, eyes starting to water and fill with what I couldn't believe was rage.
"He said he would be hiding the same way the Black Swan hid me."
"Forbidden Cities," the Tecnopath murmured. I nodded.
Biana gave up and let a tear slide down her cheek, setting her head on Fitz's shoulder. Who was clearly holding in his own tears. Bo turned to Ro, "Why didn't you stop him?"
"I tried, buddy. I tried," Ro raised her eyebrows as she spoke. Bo inclined his head. "He commanded me to not stop him."
"Will," Fitz cleared his throat, breaking the long look between Bo and Ro, "Will he come back?"
I turned to him, "I hope so. I mean—he has to. Right?" Fitz let out a quiet 'yeah'.
"It isn't supposed to be like this," Biana said through her tears.
No it wasn't. Not at all.
Suddenly, Tam got up and whispered something to Granite. The Collective member nodded. Tam snapped his fingers and turned into mist and shadows, disappearing from the room. Whilst Biana sulked and sulked, head in her hands, Dex fidgeted with the end of his cape, Linh stroked Princess Purryfins, probably to soothe and calm herself and Fitz—he was getting up and walking out the door. I wondered what he was doing until I heard a scream and a lot of throwing stars clanging and hitting a tree outside in the pastures. Fitz Raging Mode was now activated.
And me? My eyes were beginning to water again, but I sniffled the tears away. A more pressing concern was how I was going to get Keefe back. Because there was no way I was living the rest of my long life without that stupid boy.
1461 words
AHHHHHHHHHH that last sentence ended me. IT'S BUSSING. Anyway, as promised the next chapter is Keefe's p.o.v., which is the REAL pressing concern and the whole point of this fanfic.
Unnecessary info: I was watching Aladdin while writing this and sang 'Friend like me' the whole time, which kinda upped my moral, cause this chapter was sadddddddddd. Yeah, the first few chapters are basically the characters reaching for the tissues all night.
