I Know Now━ 𝐊𝐎𝐓𝐋𝐂

Chapter Nine

  After many more rounds of truth or dare, which didn't get much more interesting, they decided to call it a night. They got into their PJs, then the boys went into Fitz's room to sleep and the girls went into Biana's room to sleep. There was one teensy little problem: Fitz wanted nothing to do with Keefe and therefore wouldn't let Keefe sleep in his room.

So they all decided to just sleep in the giant living room downstairs. They were able to spread out, and some set up on the couches.

Soon everyone was asleep. Except Sophie. She just kept tossing and turning, thinking about how Fitz had reacted and wishing that he hadn't caught Keefe and her in that room. She was glad to finally have Keefe, but it made her feel a little bad for Fitz. Why do these kinds of things have to be so hard? Sophie thought.

Sophie looked around the room, looking at everybody's sleeping faces, especially Keefe's. He looked so peaceful when he slept. He was happier than ever, finally knowing how Sophie felt about him. After studying Keefe's face for way too long, Sophie got up and decided to go on a stroll outside.

She quietly slunk over to the back door that Biana had showed her earlier in the day, and slipped outside. The night air was refreshingly cool, and the stars and moon illuminated the ground just enough that Sophie was sure she wouldn't trip over anything. No promises, though.

Sophie started walking towards the lake, knowing at this time of night that the water will reflect the stars, creating a beautiful scene. But as she strolled, she heard the door open behind her. She whirled around, and to her relief, Keefe stepped out.

"Hey, Foster," he said softly. "Can't sleep?"

"No. I thought coming out here would help," Sophie answered.

"Good idea. The stars are really pretty tonight. But not nearly as pretty as someone else I know," Keefe said, striding closer and closer to Sophie, hands in his pj pockets. Sophie knew it was cheesy, but she blushed at his words, then blushed even more when she realized how close they were. She simply couldn't help blushing around him. She thanked the gods that it was dark and he couldn't see how red her face was.

Keefe turned and offered Sophie his arm, smirking. She smiled softly and looped her arm through his and they strolled off together, towards the lake.

Soon they got to the lake. "Hey," Keefe

whispered, not daring to disturb the peaceful quiet of the night. "Follow me."

He pulled her towards a tree, then let go of her hand and started climbing it. When he got pretty high, he turned around and sat on a large branch. He looked down, and when he realized Sophie was still on the ground and hadn't followed him, he frowned. "What is it, Foster? Scared to climb up here with me?"

"Im not scared, Keefe. But I am worried. About myself. You know my coordination is... a bit worse than most. Maybe we can just stay down here?" Sophie replied anxiously.

"I don't know what you're thinking, but it seems like you missed something, Foster," Keefe said. When Sophie looked at him in confusion, he continued, "You can levitate, Foster. I only climbed the tree because my concentration's horrible and I couldn't levitate all the way up here. But you totally can."

"Oh, right. I forgot," Sophie said, then she rallied her concentration and floated up to the branch Keefe was on. She plopped down beside him.

The view from the top of the tree was amazing. The bright stars reflected off the crystal-clear lake, creating a spectacular mirror image. It was one of the most beautiful things Sophie had ever seen.

Sophie leaned her head against Keefe's shoulder, and said, "Wow. This is beautiful."

"Not nearly as beautiful as you," Keefe answered, looking down into her big, brown eyes.

As Sophie leaned forward towards Keefe, and Keefe leaned down, his eyes fixated on Sophie's lips, suddenly the world was thrust into darkness. Something had slipped over their heads, and Sophie could smell a familiar sickly sweet scent trying to pull her under.

That smell. She hated it. She had hoped that she would never have to smell it again. But here she was, the scent overwhelming her, tugging at her consciousness. Begging her to give in. Give up. She would not let that happen. But her eyes closed, and her breathing slowed, unable to fight the drugs.

A/N

there's a lot i could talk about in this chapter, but i won't.