Keeper of the Lost Cities: Forbidden

Chapter 2

Sophie couldn't speak. Couldn't move.  Couldn't breathe. She felt someone touch her arm. Fitz.

"So...what does it say?" he said gently. Sophie numbly handed it to him. 

It was passed around, provoking different reactions from different people. Fitz seemed a little angry, a little annoyed, a little sad. Biana just let a few silent tears slide down her cheek. Dex sat down and covered his face with his hands. Tam seemed a little guilty. Linh kept trying to comfort everyone while hanging her head.

And Sophie? Last time she had been sad, but anger had later overruled that. Now she just felt grief. And numbness. And the slightest bit of annoyance as if to think, AGAIN?! She didn't realize she had sat down. She let out another sob and a tear came. And another. And another. She tried to hold the rest back but they just. Kept. Coming.

"I...need a minute," she choked out. Her friends nodded and slowly dispersed until it was just her and Fitz.

"I'm always here if you need me," he said softly. She tried to nod but didn't have the energy. Fitz seemed to understand, and got up to leave with Biana, leaving her alone to sob.

                                                                                             .    .    .

"We need to get him back."

The entire crew was gathered under Calla's Panakes tree, talking about what to do. Before they had come, Sophie had had a long conversation with Grady about That Boy. There had been a lot of...emphasis. She had gotten the heck out of dodge when everyone had arrived.

"But didn't Keefe literally say don't come looking for me?" Tam said. "Isn't that kinda sorta what Lady Gisela wants?"

"Yeah, well obviously he doesn't know me that well otherwise he wouldn't have bothered to say that because WE'RE DOING IT ANYWAY," Sophie said forcefully. "Plus, Lady Gisela doesn't know where in the Forbidden Cities Keefe is either."

And so the debating began. Camp Go Looking for Keefe had Sophie, Dex, Fitz, Biana, Marella, Tam, Linh, Maruca, and Wylie. Camp Absolutely Not featured pretty much every adult and bodyguard.

"Enough!" Flori said, surprisingly loudly. "We all know that if we try to stop any of the kids they'll just find a way to do it anyway. So... it's pretty much pointless arguing with them."

Camp Absolutely Not grumbled their agreement.

"I agree with Flori," Mr. Forkle said, surprising everyone. "I'm not saying I want to let you kids go, but I see no choice. I will let you go so long as there are at least two or three bodyguards with you and maybe an adult. Don't even try to fight it, that's the only way you have anyone's permission to go." Everybody reluctantly agreed.

"I'm for sure going to be one of the bodyguards going!" Sandor exclaimed squeakily.

"Same, I'm not going to miss a chance to give Hunkyhair a few amoebas for what he did," Ro said a little menacingly. "And I really don't think all of you should go." This made every single kid start arguing, sparking a whole other debate. Eventually, they decided to divide into three groups, with three kids and one bodyguard each. Group 1 had Sophie, Fitz, Biana, and Sandor. Group 2 had Marella, Wylie, Linh, and Bo. Group 3 had Dex, Tam, Maruca, and Ro.

"Alright," Ro said, gritting her teeth. "Let's go Hunkyhair hunting!"