ALL IN. sokeefe.

014

Sophie scrambled out of the bed, causing multiple sleepy insults to be flung at her.

She fell onto the floor and ran to the couch where he had been sleeping and found a note.

Her legs crumpled and she fell to her knees, re-reading the note over and over again.

He's gone.

He's gone. The words echoed in Sophie's mind, and she didn't realize she was crying until hands gripped her shoulders.

"Sophie? Sophie! Sophie, wake up!" Biana's voice called, becoming increasingly worried. A hand gripped hers, and a white breeze drifted through her consciousness. Keefe. Where was Keefe?

"Foster!" A voice called desperately, higher than normal. Sophie snapped upright, coated in cold sweat. She looked down at her hands, Stina was gripping one tightly—the source of the white breeze, she'd assume. Her other hand was being gripped so hard by Biana that she thought it might lose circulation. Linh was on the bed, frantically moving pillows around to create a headrest for Sophie. Tam and Dex sat at the foot of the bed, trading worried looks. Even Fitz was here, face guilty. She didn't care right now. She needed to know about Keefe.

"Keefe. Where's Keefe?" Sophie rasped, her voice croaky. Biana cringed, her face crumpling. "H-he's gone," She choked out, tears welling in her eyes. "There was a note."

Sophie froze. Keefe was gone. He was... gone? It couldn't be possible—she was dreaming. The room started to blur around the edges as tears pricked her eyes. "Give me the note," Sophie said, strangely numb.

Dex hopped to his feet, sprinting to Keefe's couch, where a piece of white parchment lay. Dex sprinted back over, and quickly handed the note to Sophie.

You'll never see him again—and don't come looking. We know how to ruin you, and we will. Just a reminder, no one can be trusted. He certainly couldn't be.

"You'll never see him again." The words scraped through her mind, her heart, stabbing and slicing. Keefe... He was gone. But she was going to get him back. She would do anything for him. Anything. So she let her mouth wobble, let the tears fall, let Fitz comfort her. Her friends were all sobbing, eyes red and puffy.

But Fitz... he looked strangely relieved. Happy, even. She shuddered at the thought of touching him. It disgusted her.

She leaped back to Havenfield, eyes red and swollen. She had to get away from them. She was in her bedroom, writing letters frantically. She never sent them.

She left a note outside Havenfield every night, always with the same sentence.

"Take me instead."

She continued her act at Foxfire, wearing matching teal crush cuffs with Fitz. Laughing with Biana. Gossiping with Marella. Teasing Dex, studying with Tam, and taking care of the animals with Linh.

Nobody noticed what she was doing. Nobody noticed.

Until it was too late.

They were in the Alicorn pasture at Havenfield, lying in the grass and snuggling with Wynn and Luna.

All was peaceful. Sandor and Grizel held hands, looking worriedly at the ogre princess. Ro had been like Sophie after Keefe was taken.

A shell.

Sophie stood up, untangling her hand from Fitz's, ignoring his protests. She strode over to Ro, and said, "I have a plan."

Ro brightened, looking up. "You do?"

Sophie nodded, "Will you help me?"

"At your service."

Ro placed Sophie's note outside of Candleshade every night, as Sophie placed one of her own outside of Havenfield.

No responses came. Not a whisper.

More than a month had passed. Keefe had been gone for more than a month. Her bottom lip quivered. She missed him.

Sophie stared up at the darkness of her bedroom, and fell into a sleep.

She was in her bedroom, sitting on her bed.

"Hey there, Foster."

He was lounging on her desk, eyes glittering.

"Keefe?!"

"Yup! It's me. I bet you missed me, huh?" His careless smirk was plastered on his face, his hair perfect as always.

"I really have missed you. Why did the Neverseen take you?"

Keefe snorted, "Uh, Foster? The Neverseen's defeated. They have been for a couple of months."

Sophie's heart sank. It was a dream. Not a transmission, not a trick. It was just... her memory of the blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy. Her heart cracked a little.

She hated this. Hated that she was 'with' Fitz. Hated that Keefe was gone. But for now, she could pretend it didn't happen.

"Yeah, I kinda forgot..."

Keefe smirked at her, "Aww! You're so adorably oblivious, Foster."

Sophie faux-glared at him, "Really, Sencen?" He smirked lazily,  flicking his eyes up to hers. "Feisty." Her heart caught in her throat. She choked back tears, smiling weakly.

"I really do miss you, Keefe." Sophie whispered softly, tugging at her itchy lashes. Keefe moved from the desk and sat by her. "Fos- Sophie, what's wrong?" Sophie startled at his use of her first name, quickly recovering. Sophie smiled sadly at him, "None of this is real." Keefe smirked at her, confused. "Foster, what? I'm right here, and I'm pretty sure I exist." Sophie bit her lip, "That's not possible. You're gone. The Neverseen took you."

"N-"

A sharp stab of pain woke her. Two figures with black cloaks were in her room, white eye emblems showing. "The Moonlark." One whispered, in a distinctly feminine voice. "Gisela." Sophie spat, "You took him."

She shrugged, hood sliding off. Her face was gaunt and pale from months in Lumenaria's prison. "I needed to complete his legacy." She laughed, high and cruel. "Anyways, you had the Vacker boy to enjoy. How was he?" Sophie stiffened, "I don't like him!" She snarled, red blurring her vision. "He's horrible."

The other figure snorted, the voice decidedly male. "In more ways than you'd think." Sophie stilled. Ruy. Keefe had once said that he could be turned. Was he right?

Sophie snorted, "Let's just get on topic. Did you finally accept my offer?" Lady Gisela's red lips curled into a wide smile. "Why else would we be here?" Ruy sighed, "To tell her who betrayed her?"

Betrayed? Her?

The note. The one that the Neverseen left. 'Just a reminder, no one can be trusted. He certainly couldn't be.'

'You had the Vacker boy to enjoy. How was he?'

'In more ways than you'd think.'

"Fitz," She breathed. "He's working with you."