Empath of the Forbidden Cities

Chapter 6

(A/N I honestly can't believe that there are almost 25 reads already. I know that it doesn't sound like much, but before I started writing this, this was just a silly little story in my head that hadn't even been coherently set up! It's amazing how many things have already started clicking into place. Thank you all so much! ☺️ (Also small shoutout once again to my friend A who gave me a snarky comeback to write into this chapter :) ))

Thelia's reply was the last thing Keefe remembered before he blacked out. He woke up on his bed. Thelia was sitting on a chair, staring at him.

"...You okay?"

Keefe blinked, trying to figure out what happened.

"Did I pass out?"

Thelia stared at him. "No, you died and came back to life. Yes you passed out!" Keefe noticed that Thelia was acting more snarky than usual. Why, he didn't know.

Thelia sighed. "I was explaining... it, to you, when you just suddenly fell to the floor. I brought you back up here."Keefe tried to remember why. They were talking about Thelia's past, he knew. So what happened? He felt like he forgot something, like it was on the tip of his tongue.

Before he could ask about the conversation, Thelia stood up suddenly. "...Well, I guess I'll be going." She seemed confused about something. Keefe wasn't sure what. She paused in the doorway, looking back towards him. "I'd recommend staying here for another hour, just in case you get disoriented again." She gave a small wave and walked out of the room.

Keefe laid back down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. The mystery of what had happened was still niggling in the back of his mind.

He sat up suddenly.

Stellarlune.

They were all a part of it.

Himself included, though they didn't know. He had never suspected that others may have had the same thing happen to them. And that meant that... They were all victims of his mother.

He decided he wouldn't tell them. It would just complicate things. And he didn't want to be on his own again right after finding people who understood him.

Someone knocked on the door.

"Yeah?"

Dynamite stepped into the room.

"Hey, Thels wanted me to let you know that we were gonna watch The Office, if you wanted to join." Keefe was confused. "What's The Office?" Dynamite chuckled. "It's a human comedy TV show." He paused. "Thels also told us that you knew about... everything." Keefe nodded. Dynamite sighed, sitting down next to Keefe. He drew his knees into his chest. "Guess that now you think we're all super weird." He huffed. Keefe was startled. "Of course not!" Dynamite looked back up at him, surprise on his face. Keefe paused. He shouldn't be doing this. But... someone should know.

"Can I tell you a secret? You have to promise not to tell anyone."

Dynamite nodded, and motioned for him to continue.

"...I am part of Stellarlune too." He mumbled, looking away.

He heard Dynamite suck in a breath. He spoke after a moment, but it wasn't the question Keefe thought he'd ask. "What can you do?" Keefe hesitated. He'd never told anyone, not even Foster the full extent of his abilities. But, he felt like he could trust Dynamite. He had gone through the same things Keefe had. Eventually he just said the truth.

"I don't really understand all of them yet. I do know that I can control people with these weird command things, and that I can sense someone's abilities before they manifest." Dynamite blew out a breath of air. "Pretty interesting." He murmured. Keefe was slightly taken aback by the statement, considering that he himself feared his own abilities, but maybe it didn't matter to someone who had also gone through it. The two sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes until Dynamite spoke up.

"Phaler." "What?" Keefe wasn't sure what the word was supposed to mean. "My real name. It's Phaler." Keefe was surprised. The nicknames seemed like such a right of passage, he was astounded that Dynamite- Phaler shared his real name so quickly.

"Why would you tell me?" Keefe couldn't stop the question from coming out. How could he when he couldn't even find a reason to trust himself? Dynamite shrugged.

"I don't know. Just felt like I should tell you. Besides, saying the full 'Dynamite' name is such a hassle, but there aren't really any nicknames for it. I usually just go by Phal." Keefe nodded. It probably was a bit annoying to have a name that long with no alternative.

Phaler sat up suddenly.

"I can't believe I forgot why I came here! If you want to watch the Office with us, we have to go now. The others usually don't wait for me because I take too long."

Keefe nodded as he chuckled and followed Phal out of the room. As they were watching, Keefe realized that he felt... home, for the first time in a while. It was an odd scene to be in. A group of elves all watching a human comedy show with jokes that he didn't always get. But it felt all the more genuine. It was messy, and chaotic, but there was so much love and belonging that held it all together. Maybe that's why Keefe liked it.

Maybe because it reminded him of himself.