what happened after unlocked

chapter thirty-three ~ apologetic realizations

Keefe yawned and slumped down on his bed.

Sophie's heart still ached when she saw him.

"Can you all please just stop apologizing?" he asked the others in the room, aiming the question at Tam.

Tam looked away from him.

"Keefe," Sophie said, lowering her voice, "give him a break."

Keefe rolled his eyes and slouched even further down on his bed.

Linh, Stina, Maruca, Marella and Biana were all conversing in the room next door, but Jensi, Dex, Tam, Fitz and Sophie had decided to stay with Keefe.

Wylie had visited hours earlier, but had rushed back to Solreef after an hour of catching up, so that he could continue his studies.

All of Sophie's friends and herself felt guilty about something, but for different reasons.

"So, um . . . " Jensi said to clear the awkward silence. Dex was clinging to his arm and staring at Keefe with tiny tears in his eyes.

Fitz looked at his hands and then glanced up, right at the second that Sophie glanced at him.

They both cringed, but no-one else seemed to notice.

"I don't think now is a good time..." Dex said to Jensi. "Anyway, Keefe...are you still going to stay in the Lost Cities?"

Keefe groaned. "Only if there's some way for me to turn off my abilities."

Sophie slumped. The only way for Keefe to have his abilities muted would be to give him an ability restrictor, and she didn't want him to suffer the way she did. Dex must have realized this too, because he looked at Sophie with a pleading expression that said, If there's some other way to help Keefe, then we need to figure it out before he asks for an ability restrictor! 

Sophie nodded at him, and then turned to Keefe, a new idea blossoming in her head. "I actually do have a way, come to think of it."

Keefe sat up. "Well, that's a relief. It's hard to stay away from you all for a while anyway."

Sophie's heart warmed. "It won't take very long, but how about we just walk around Elwin's house for a bit and discuss it, okay, Keefe?"

Keefe shrugged limply. It seemed like even he didn't want to turn off his abilities. "Oh, don't go looking all guilty and sad for me, Foster."

Sophie sighed. "I'm just really angry about what your mom did to you, that's all."

"Well . . . if there's one thing I'll miss, it's reading your fluffy feelings for me."

Sophie felt her cheeks warm. "Ugh...come on."

Dex and Jensi sat next to each other on Keefe's bed, Fitz stayed next to the door with an adorably flushed face, and Tam stood in the corner, covering himself in shadows, which looked somehow therapeutic for him. Sophie and Keefe left the room together, Keefe dragging his hands through his hair self-consciously, and they found the girls next door sitting in a small group circle.

Linh seemed to be taking charge of another Truth or Fate game, smirking at Biana as she stumbled for words.

Sophie smiled at the group, who looked up at her with painfully wide eyes, and then she turned to spot her parents, Sandor, Flori, Grizel, Woltzer, Lovise, Bo and Ro.

Keefe grimaced when he saw his bodyguard.

Sophie, meanwhile, bounded over to her parents and swiftly wrapped them in a family hug, and before she knew it she was crying. "Guys, I'm sorry - I should never have tried to push the whole me going to fight Everblaze by myself thing, Dad, or disrespected your search for the spyball when you just wanted to help me, Mom, and I should never have been so distant and horrible..."