Forbidden ~ after unlocked

Chapter 47 - Sophie

It'd been a week since Sophie was released from the healing center.

She spent a few more days recovering at home, letting her bearings return, and then it was back to school. Today had been her first day.

Grey clouds were starting to form in the sky as Sophie sat beneath Calla's panakes tree. She leaned her head against the rough bark and closed her eyes. A part of her was hoping Keefe would be at Foxfire today, but he wasn't. Of course he wasn't. Should she really have expected otherwise?

She hadn't spoken to Keefe since, well, Paris. She didn't remember anything between light-leaping to the Lost Cities and waking up in the healing center. They'd been avoiding each other, and somehow that felt worse than when Keefe was really gone. He'd tried to hail her a few times but Sophie didn't answer. He was finally back, but she wouldn't talk to him and he wouldn't talk to her.

It was tearing her apart.

Sophie wanted to make things right. She wasn't really sure how Keefe felt about her at the moment, especially since she'd been treating him so horribly in her anger.

Every morning she woke up and dragged herself out of bed, only half present. A constant dread seemed to be weighing her down, and even though her friends and family noticed, they didn't mention it.

She just felt so confused and angry and sad, all at the same, and her heart was screaming at her to talk to Keefe. But she didn't know what do to.

A cold wind swept over the pastures of Havenfield, making Sophie shiver. It rustled the leaves on the panakes tree, pink and purple leaves spiraling down from the strong breeze.

Sophie glanced skywards, embracing the chill. The temperature reminded her of what fall felt like when she still lived in the Forbidden Cities, except it looked like it was going to rain. The grey sky above wasn't ironing out; it seemed to be getting darker by the second. A few beams of sunlight snuck through the clouds, illuminating the fields in random streams of light. The weather seemed to reflect her mood perfectly.

Sophie stood, rubbing her arms to try and rid herself of goosebumps crawling along her skin. She was about to turn and head back inside when she saw it. A bright flash of light not far from the entrance to Havenfield.

Sophie turned, confused. Someone had light leaped here. And then she realized.

The cold seemed to spread further throughout her body. She couldn't breathe. Her heart was beating faster and faster.

He turned towards her, and even all way across the fields Sophie recognized him. Golden hair glowing in the wind, the way he stood...

They stared at each other for a moment. All the emotions running through her at once had her frozen in place. Each of them seemed too scared to take the first step forward.

Until he did. He started walking towards her, tentatively at first, then faster.

Sophie finally moved and tore her gaze away from him. Her breathing, which was gone not a moment ago, was now hard to control. She turned her back to him, focusing on the way Calla's branches shook in the whipping wind.

"Sophie?"

The sound startled her, but not because it was spoken softly with a hint of tenderness, causing unwanted butterflies to erupt everywhere in her chest. Because she felt she was able to tell so much from just the way he said her name.

It took everything in her not to turn, but Sophie kept her feet planted into the dewy grass.

"Sophie, please," he whispered, his voice breaking like glass.