Empath of the Forbidden Cities

Chapter 1

             Keefe was tired. Really tired. But he couldn't afford to rest right now. Not when his mother could be watching.

It had taken him a few days of light-leaping to get to London, and even though he wanted to be here to find out what happened, Mommy-dearest probably did have some kind of surveillance.

He knew that the Black Swan did as well, but he learned how to spot their cameras a few days ago, and remained 'off the radar' since then. At least he hoped so. He knew Foster would be desperate to find him. But she couldn't. He hoped she could see that. Or else Foster would be in danger. Because of him.

That was the only way he could resist leaping back. Reminding himself of the simple truth; it was all his fault. He clarified. It was his moms fault. It was dangerous for the elvin mind to experience too much guilt.

His head jerked up as he heard a group of humans walk by.

Right. Humans.

Their world still didn't really make any sense to him. Though, he didn't really expect to understand it after only a week. It was also pretty weird now that he was a Polyglot, considering he could understand everything everyone was saying. He wasn't really sure what he had been expecting from the Forbidden Cities. Even though he had been there, the visits were usually pretty brief. And his friends were usually with him. And he was usually pretty loud and vocal. This time, he was staying indefinitely, alone, with a fear of talking. Times really had changed.

But... regardless of what he had expected, it hadn't been this. They had all been taught through their school days that humans were dangerous, and that they couldn't be trusted with the truth of the elves, yada yada. But after a while here... he saw how much that perspective was 'outside looking in'. He saw parties, study groups at libraries, even some couples walking together, engrossed in conversation with their partner. Keefe had never realized that... Humans were like elves. Sure they didn't have hyper intelligence or flawless beauty, but they were almost like slightly altered copies of the other.

He was so deep in his own thoughts that he didn't notice someone walking towards him until they were standing right in front of him.

"Are you lost?"

Keefe looked up.

In front of him was a girl, about two to three years older than him. Her face was slightly twisted with a mix of curiosity, and maybe a bit of concern as well.

"Well..."

Keefe wasn't exactly sure what to say.

Eventually he just said the truth.

"I don't really have anywhere to go honestly."

The girl paused, then smiled and offered him a hand up. Keefe hesitated, then took it. "You can come stay at our place if you want." Keefe was confused. "Our?" The girl nodded. "My friends like helping people like you, people with nowhere to go. We have a few rooms, and you can stay in one of them, and you can stay as long or as short as you want."

Keefe was slightly taken aback by the offer. He knew that he probably shouldn't trust a human he just met, but something about her seemed... different, than the rest. And this was probably the best offer he could get, with the circumstances.

He accepted.

She smiled, and told him that she was just going to call her friend to let her know he was coming with her. She quickly dialed, and her friend answered even quicker. As she talked, Keefe took the time to study her.

She was brunette, with a few lighter strands mixed in, and her hair was long and pulled into a ponytail, with a few short strands loose near her face. Her black dress had elbow length sleeves, and the skirt fanned out, stopping at a space near her knees, and the bottom was covered with gold glitter, creating a sort of ombré effect, and she had a pair of simple jeans underneath. Her eyes were the most interesting feature though. They were a mix of brown and green, and they seemed to shift color in the light.

She hung up, and gestured to follow her.

Keefe kept pace behind her. Without turning around, she asked "What's your name?" "Keefe," The girl seemed slightly startled for an instant, though she recovered quickly. "What's yours?" The girl paused, then turned over her shoulder to face him and said, "My name is Thelia."