Sokeefe AU: The Farmer's Daughter

Part Three

Keefe hated feeding the animals.

It was dumb, of course, because animals were usually nice and all, and they needed food just as much as anyone else, but he couldn't stand the job. He couldn't help it. They scared him, as dumb as it seemed.

Grady had shown him how to do it, of course. How to get close to the cage without scaring the poor creature away, how to toss the food into the enclosure without bruising the fruit, how to get the less friendly animals to trust him.

Still, he couldn't get over their incredibly sharp teeth that always seemed to snap extra hard around him, or the claws that were so sharp they sparkled in the sun.

"Dude," Fitz had said when Keefe had complained to him one day while at Everglen. "They're not gonna hurt you."

"I know!" Keefe had replied, glaring. "But you try feeding a vermin and tell me how you feel about it!"

As silly as his fear was, he did know that the creatures wouldn't hurt him. They only ate vegetables and fruits and plants. They didn't eat elves, or meat at all.

But he couldn't seem to clear his head of the image of a T-rex tearing into his flesh, no matter how hard he tried.

Other than that, his job was actually mostly okay. It was hard, of course, but he had been expecting a lot worse, from the way his dad had talked about it. As if working on a farm would ruin his sanity.

He was almost happy to go to work if it meant getting away from a man who thought all animals were stupid.

Not to mention how grateful he was for Edaline. She always greeted him in the mornings with a soft smile and tired eyes that still shone with kindness, despite the reason they were so tired. And after learning that he never had a lunch with him, she never failed to make him something to eat. It was the nicest thing someone had ever done for him.

Of course, the only reason he didn't have a lunch was because of his father. But he didn't tell her that.

"Hello, Mrs. Ruewen," Keefe said one morning, spotting her standing at the bottom of the hill that overlooked Havenfield.

She looked up from the flowers she had been studying, momentarily surprised, but then her expression melted into a warm smile. "Hello, Keefe. You're early today."

Keefe's face warmed for no particular reason, but he returned the smile anyways. "Yeah. Figured I might get a fast start. You know, 'early bird gets the worm' and all."

Edaline chuckled, eyes bright. "Come on, I have your lunch ready, but it's in the kitchen."

Keefe nodded, walking down the hill he had glittered onto. The beauty of Havenfield never failed to amaze him. It always seemed to be sunny, with a cool breeze, and if it was rainy, it was a warm summer type that was always fun to be in. It was nothing at all like the stuffy tower he was forced to call home, and he couldn't have been more grateful.

They arrived at the house a few moments later. Edaline pushes open the door, gesturing for him to follow her inside. He did, fiddling with his hands the way he always seemed to be doing. He had tried to break the habit, because his dad didn't like it, but it had managed to stick around.

"This way,"  Edaline guided him down a hallway. A picture of a sunset caught his eye, and he stared at it for a minute before hurrying to catch up.

They turned to the right and entered the kitchen. Keefe stared at the room, trying to take it all in. He had been in there once before, when he had first requested a job, but he had been so nervous that he hadn't had a chance to take in the decor.

Now, he stared at every detail, at everything, his eyes devouring the scenery.

Everything sparkled. The floors, the walls, the ceiling. All of it. There were chandeliers and fancy vases and potted plants and so much to look at.

More than anything, though, was the presence. It felt like someone lived there. Little photos on the walls, a piece of paper with neat writing on the table. A half full glass on lushberry juice.

There was nothing like that at Candleshade.

"Hello, Sir," Keefe said. spotting Grady at the table, reading a newspaper.

"Ah, you're here." Grady nodded at him, hardly glancing up, which was typical. "There's an enclosure that needs patching up today. Some animal broke through it last night."

Edaline glared at her husband, but an amused smile was tugging on Keefe's lips. A few days ago, the task would have been met with a groan, but now it didn't seem so out of the ordinary. Just another thing to do. He didn't mind so much.

"Okay, Sir," he responded, pushing the smile away as best he could to try and be polite.

Edaline turned to Keefe again, smiling lightly. She held out a bag almost shyly. "This has got a sandwich and some fruit, and a small piece of mallowmelt, if you like that."

"Who wouldn't like mallowmelt?" Keefe wondered aloud as he took the bag, smiling.

Edaline laughed lightly, and Keefe grinned. "Thank you, ma'am."

Her eyes turned soft. "No problem."

Keefe turned to walk back out, to start working, when an angry voice tore through the house. He flinched as someone screamed, "I am going kill Dex! Did you see what he did? Iggy looks like a alien!"

Edaline pursed her lips, watching Keefe carefully. "Sorry, Sophie," she called, not sounding sorry at all.

A blonde headed girl stomped into the room, mouth opened to continue yelling, but she froze when she saw Keefe.

Keefe stared back at her. She had brown eyes. He didn't know that was even possible. Her hair fell about halfway down her chest, and she had a fierce look to her.

She was shorter than him. He had the inappropriate urge to laugh.

Realizing he had probably been staring a little too long, he managed a small, awkward wave. A small smile pressed on his lips.

The girl continued to stare at him. She did not smile back. She did not wave. Keefe dropped his hand back to his side awkwardly.

He gripped the bag he was holding, feeling like he had just walked interrupted something important, even though technically it was the girl who had walked in. His face felt uncharacteristically hot.

"Who's this?" The girl asked, turning to Edaline. She didn't seem to be mad anymore, just a little annoyed.

Edaline smiled, but it looked a little tight. "Sophie, this is Keefe. The farmhand."

Confusion filled her strange eyes, but then clarity. She turned back to Keefe, and he swallowed under her intense gaze. "Your name's Keefe?"

"Uh, yeah. The one and only," Keefe managed, wondering how she knew his name.

Sophie, as Edaline had called her, narrowed her eyes, as if she was studying him. After a second, she muttered. "You look a lot like your dad, you know."

Keefe felt a strong urge to roll his eyes even as warmth filled his cheeks. "Unfortunately," he joked.

A quizzical expression crossed her face, suspicion creeping in, but before she could speak, Grady looked up from whatever it was he was reading and glared at Keefe. "Fence. Now," he said, voice stern, though Keefe knew he wasn't really mad.

"Yes, sir. Sorry." Keefe clumsily turned to Edaline, attempting a smile. "Thank you again for the meal."

She returned the grin, smiling sadly at him. "You're welcome, Keefe. Don't work yourself too hard."

"I'll try." He cracked a smile, then turned to walk out the door.

On his way out, he heard Sophie start ranting again, as if he hadn't been there at all.

He slammed the door.