Another Sokeefe Oneshot Book

One shot 5: The Ruewen Spring Gala Part 1

"God I hate this thing," Sophie muttered, glaring judgmentally at herself in the small ornate mirror that hung on her wall. She tugged at a lock of curled blonde hair, simultaneously fidgeting with her red tulle skirt. That morning, with the help of Vertina, she had picked out a very fancy dress, that she had practically been forced to wear for her family's annual spring gala. They had been celebrating it for 5 years now, and Sophie still wasn't used to dressing up for it.

If it wasn't for the reason the gala was celebrated, Sophie probably wouldn't even go. But as it was a yearly celebration of the day they had finally defeated the Neverseen, every spring she forced herself to attend. Even if it was one of the hardest days of the year, when horrible and terrifying memories always resurfaced. But just like she had made herself to dress up, Sophie forced herself to act normal, not wanting to ruin the celebration.

She sat down on the edge of her bed, taking deep, calming breaths to collect herself before the guests arrived. Specifically, one guest, who, if she didn't hide her panic and sadness perfectly, would know something was wrong. Someone who she knew also both hated and loved this day, but who's terrifying memories were always there, lurking right beneath the surface.

"Hey Soph?" A knock at the door. "The guests are arriving. Need any help getting ready?"

Edaline, Sophie's adoptive mother, poked her head into the room, eyebrows raised questioningly. But Sophie shook her head, plastering on a fake smile.

"No, I'm ready." She proclaimed, standing up and smoothing the fabric of her long, flowy skirt.

"Good to hear," a voice announced from the door. Sophie looked up to see Grady standing behind Edaline, smiling at them. "Your friends are waiting downstairs for you."

                                                                 ____________________

Sophie watched as Edaline gracefully descended into the reception hall they'd added on to the house a few years ago, envying the elegant, non-clumsy way she navigated through the guests. Sophie on the other hand knew that she would probably trip just walking down the stairs. So, wanting to delay that for as long as possible, she scanned the guests from her vantage point by the railing, looking for a familiar face. The first person she spotted was Keefe, who was looking even more handsome than usual in a dark blue embroidered tunic, fitted perfectly to his leanly muscled torso. Even his hair seemed extra tousled, some strands falling down to cover his ice blue eyes, forcing him to reach up and brush them away every once in a while. And when his gaze settled on her, a grin stretched across his face and he gave her a small wave. She smiled back, and started walking over to him, dodging random elves and ducking her head as she went.

"Hey Foster. Might I say that you look even cuter than usual today? I mean, not as cute as me," he said, smirking at her as she reached the spot where he stood. "But then again, who is?"

"Stop teasing her," Biana scolded jokingly, appearing out of nowhere beside Sophie, and causing both her and Keefe to jump. Rolling her eyes at them, Biana pulled Sophie and Keefe into a hug. "I haven't seen you guys in forever!" She exclaimed, pulling away and beaming at them.

"Well, that may be because we all have jobs now, so we're busy all the time," Sophie said, almost groaning at the thought of all of the work that she still needed to get done before Friday.

"Actually," Keefe cut in, "As an artist, I get to make my own schedule, so I'm barely ever busy." He said with a smug smile, that didn't quite reach his eyes. Something sad flickered there, and Sophie was about to say something to him, when a familiar accented voice said;