Sokeefe - Until She Was Ready For More

Chapter 9

"Keefe, hail Elwin!" Sophie cried, frantically trying to stop the bleeding with her tunic. 

When Sophie and Keefe had finally come downstairs, the first thing they noticed was Kenric. He was lying on the ground with his eyes closed, a knife sticking out of his chest. Ashton was kneeling next to him, a confused and pained expression on his face. Alora was crying. She ran straight into Keefe's arms and buried her face in his shirt. 

"Ashton! What happened to Kenric?" Sophie asked, hysteria clear in her voice. 

"I don't know! I was outside, and, when I came inside, Alora was crying and Kenric had a knife sticking out of him!" Ashton responded. Alora's bawling seemed to magnify and she burrowed her head further into Keefe's chest. 

"Alora?" Keefe asked quietly. "Do you know what happened to Kenric?"

Her crying turned into body-wracking sobs. 

"I-I don't know!" she wailed after a few quiet minutes filled with only the sound of her heart-breaking sobs. "I think I did it!"

Keefe and Sophie made eye contact, exchanging frightened and alarmed looks. Sophie stood up and walked over to where Keefe and Alora were, leaving Ashton to take Sophie's place in stopping the bleeding. 

"Alora, sweetie, we need you to tell us what happened so that we can help your brother." Sophie said softly, not letting Alora see her panic.

"I-I saw him taking more of Grandma Edaline's blitzenberry muffins and then-" she said before another sob wracked her body. Sophie nodded, encouraging her. "Then I said I was-wa-was gonna tell you guys. He said 'over my dead body.' I said I'd murder him be-because that's what I hear Kenric and Ash say to-to each other sometimes. He said-"

"What happened?" Elwin shouted from the doorway, interrupting Alora. 

"We're not sure." Keefe responded. Elwin rushed over to Kenric with panic set into his features, and Ashton stood up to give him space to work. 

"Honestly, Sophie! What is it with you and your family almost dying all the time?" Elwin said, throwing his arms up in the air in exasperation and shaking his head. Well, Sophie thought, looks like some things never change. 

Elwin flashed different colors around Kenric's chest and took out multiple different colored vials. He opened Kenric's mouth and poured the liquids in, seeing as Kenric was unconscious and unable to do so himself. 

"Luckily, this is something I can fix and there's no severe damage to any of his organs. He'll need to be very careful, but he should be good as new in a few days." Elwin said while cleaning the wound. 

"Oh thank goodness." Sophie said, sighing in relief. Even though he's technically not my kid right now, I still feel very maternal towards him, Sophie thought. 

"Do either of you know how he was stabbed?" Elwin asked calmly. 

"Alora was telling us when you came, but didn't finish. She told us something about Kenric taking another blitzenberry muffin and Alora telling on him. He apparently said something like 'over my dead body' and Alora said she'd murder him." Keefe responded. "As a joke." he added as an after-thought. 

"Ahh, I see." Elwin said, deep in thought. After a minute, Elwin turned to Alora and said, "Hello, Alora. Do you remember me?" 

She nodded. 

"Could you tell me about what happened to your brother?"

She nodded again.

"Just start where you left off with your parents." Elwin said supportively. 

Everyone was silent for a moment before Alora continued her story.

"Kenric told me to do it. Then, Ashton came in and Kenric was on the floor. I can't remember anything other than that." Alora said, starting to tear up again. 

Sophie, Elwin, and Keefe all exchanged confused looks. How did someone just forget someone being stabbed? And did Alora actually do it?

Sophie nodded. 

"Okay, sweetie. Thanks for telling us. Now, let's get you to bed." Sophie said, pulling Alora out of Keefe's arms and into her own. 

"I think that's probably a good idea." Keefe said.

"Keefe, can you take Kenric upstairs when Elwin's done patching him up?" she asked. Sophie turned to Ashton. "Go upstairs and go to bed, okay?"

"Okay." both Keefe and Ashton responded. 

Sophie trudged up the stairs to the second story with Alora in her arms. She walked into Alora's room and flipped on the light switch. Her room was spacious with pretty, pastel pink walls and a soft flower-petal floor, similar to Sophie's carpet at Havenfield. There was a large bed in the corner with baby blue bedding. 

Sophie walked over to the bed and gently laid Alora down on it. When she turned to leave, she felt a hand pull on hers. 

"Can you sing me a lullaby? The one that daddy sings to me?" Alora asked. Sophie froze. I don't know any lullabies that Keefe sings, she thought, alarmed.

"Umm, can I sing you a different lullaby?"

"I guess." Alora replied. Sophie began to softly sing a lullaby that her original parents, Emma and William Foster, used to sing to her when she was young.

"I thought you said you were going to sing a different song." Alora said sleepily. This is the song Keefe usually sings? How does Keefe know this song?, Sophie thought. 

"I guess I just decided not to." Sophie said, not bothering to come up with a real reason. She sang a few more lines before she noticed Alora's eyes closing and her breathing evening out. She finished out the song and slowly removed herself from her daughter's grasp. Sophie looked up to see Keefe leaning against the doorway, a sweet smile on his face. She blushed. 

"How long were you listening?" she asked timidly. 

"Only for the last few lines. No one told me that Lady Fos-Boss was a good singer." he replied, bumping her hip with his and smirking faintly, a bit of the previous smile still there.

"I'm really not."

"Don't underestimate yourself." Keefe said as they walked out of the room and back downstairs. Sophie shrugged. 

When they reached the living room, Elwin was pacing back and forth. 

"What is it, Elwin?" Sophie asked, mysified. 

"I have a theory." he responded, slowing his pace slightly. 

"About what?" Keefe questioned. 

"About why Alora couldn't remember what happened between Kenric talking and Ashton coming in."

"Okay." Keefe said. "So what's your theory?"

"Well, your unnamed ability has to do with commanding people, correct? Similar to a mesmer?"

"Yes." Keefe said slowly. 

"What if, when Kenric said 'do it', it had an underlying manipulation to it?" Elwin continued. Sophie gasped, suddenly understanding what he was trying to say. 

"I'm still lost." Keefe said. 

"You think Kenric has Keefe's ability and he just manifested." Sophie whispered.