Cognates Can't Keep Secrets Forever

Chapter Five

"Fitz, no, I don't want to dance with you," Sophie mumbled in her sleep. "I want to dance with Keefe. Of course, I'd love to dance with you Keefe. Fitzphie is so two years ago."

A loud thud coming from the back of the house jolted Sophie awake from her fictional dance with Keefe. She sat up in bed, listening intently. It had gone quiet once more.

She wrapped herself in her blankets, creating a Sophie Burrito, when the thud sounded again. Okay, why in Bronte's name would Keefe be awake at three in the morning?

Her heart tightened. He hadn't heard her sleep talking, had he? If he had, she would have to go jump off the nearest cliff and disappear. "Keefe?"

No response.

"Keefe Sencen, is that you?" When there wasn't a response, she sighed and forced herself out of bed.

The thud sounded again and she crept quietly down the hall, attempting not to step on any squeaky floorboards.

When she got to Keefe's bedroom door, she pushed it open and was about to tell him to stop being annoying and go to sleep when her heart dropped. Keefe was passed out in bed, a droplet of drool falling onto his pillow. His hair was styled perfectly and he was half out of the bed.

She tried not to stare too long at him.

So that wasn't Keefe. Then...what was it?

Steeling her nerves, she turned toward the back of the house and quietly pulling the melder she'd grabbed from her nightstand out (Yes, Sandor had insisted.) She pointed the weapon in front of her and quietly opened the side door. Whoever or whatever it was would get caught red handed.

When she peeked around the corner of the house, she saw someone in a black hood. A hood that didn't have the Neverseen's symbol on it but it still paralyzed her. Had they found her?

The mystery person heard Sophie step on a twig and without a second thought, bolted into the woods.

Sophie wasn't sure how or when she started running but soon she was chasing down whoever the person was through the forest.

"Hey! HEY!"

The person skidded in front of her and changed direction toward where Sophie could hear loud whooshing of water. Since when was there ever a waterfall here?

Branches smacked Sophie in the face as she ducked and ran after them, her feet getting sliced up from losing her slippers awhile back.

"WHO ARE YOU?!"

Sophie broke through the woods and was face to face with the person, their hands holding tightly  to the hood covering their face. Their voice was light as they said, "You need to get away from here."

"What?" Sophie had to yell over the waterfall and she shivered as the wind whipped her hair around. "Why?"

"It isn't safe here. They'll come for you, just like they came for them."

"Who? The man, Charles, who had the journal?"

"Go." The person glanced back at the waterfall before turning back toward Sophie. "GO!"

"I need—"

The person held her arms out wide and tipped backward, towards the ground and the depths of the water below.

"WAIT!" This is the dumbest idea you've ever had, Sophie.

Sophie took a deep breath and jumped over the edge of the cliff, praying she'd land at the bottom safely. Or that she could catch up and teleport them to safety.

The person's cloak was whisked away in the wind to reveal a lovely girl with long raven black hair. In a blink of an eye, Sophie heard the all familiar crack of the void opening and the women disappearing inside.

Sophie's eyes widened. Another teleporter. But how?

The ground was inching ever so closer and Sophie would soon be an elf pancake. She imagined the front of the house and soon, she was falling through the air toward the front of the house.

Keefe's POV

When you wake up to a loud scream and no Sophie in her room, the mind thinks up the strangest things. Did Fitz kidnap her and take her home? Had she started a habit of sleep walking? Or, Keefe's least favorite theory, has she become sick of him and just up and left?

He shook his head. She wouldn't do that...right?

"Foster! Foster?!" The panic had officially begun to set in as he ran into the living room but, to no avail, there was no Sophie Foster. And the side door was cracked open just a bit...

Crap.

He couldn't lose her. Not now, not ever.

A loud scream sounded from the front of the house and he sprinted towards the front as fast as his legs would take him, slamming the front door open with his shoulder and nearly breaking its hinges.

"Foster?!"

The blonde was flipping through the air fifty feet above him and rocketing towards the ground way to quickly. "Foster, stop! Catch yourself!"

"KEEFE!"

He closed his eyes and focused his energy on her to try and stop her fall. But the ground was way to close and she was coming towards him...that's how Keefe ended up sprawled on the grass with the Lovely Lady F on top of him with her hair a crazy mess.

Her breathing was ragged and she pulled herself from him, face nuclear. "Sorry, Keefe."

He stared at her, at how pale her face looked after she calmed down, before pulling her to him and burying his face in her hair. "Don't ever do that to me again!"

"I'm sorry." She choked on the words again, hugging him even tighter. "Just-"

"Just what?"

"Nothing, it's nothing."

He gently pushed her away from him so she could look him in the eyes. "That wasn't just 'nothing,' Foster. You were falling out the sky. And screaming, I might add. Where did you go?"

"Nowhere, nowhere." It was like she was saying the words to convince herself. "I'm fine, we're fine. Can...can we just go inside again?"

"Fine, but you're telling me about whatever happened in the morning." When he helped her to her feet, he gave her one of those I'm actually being serious for once in my life looks.

"Fine."

When Keefe made sure she was tucked back in bed (safely), he noticed she kept glancing out the window in her room. He was ninety nine percent sure she wasn't going to sleep tonight.