Shut Up and Talk to Me! A KOTLC FanFic

Chapter Two: Fitz

Fitz had successfully made it to lunch at his first day in the Elite Levels. Though... this was definitely different. In the Gold- and Silver Towers, you brought or made your own lunch, and non-residents sat in the Study Room to eat it. Only a few people were sitting with another person, and not more than two people per one table.

All of a sudden, someone was putting their lunch down on Fitz's table and sitting across from Fitz, slinging their bookbag onto the floor next to them. No doubt about it, it was the girl from earlier.

"Can I sit here?" She asked.

"I'm assuming so," Fitz said, taking a slow bite of his lunch. "You're already sitting down." He smiled, but was only slightly irritated.

The girl looked at him with an invisible grin on her face before opening her own lunchbag. "What's your name?"

"Fitz," he said, tapping his foot against the floor. Something about the girl made him fidgety.

"Interesting," she said, searching his eyes. "Fitz. Fitzzz. I like it. It sounds like something carbonated."

Fitz raised his eyebrow. "And you are?" He prompted.

"I'm Sungrey," she held out her hand. "Call me Sunny."

"Will do," Fitz said, hesitantly taking her hand. She was sunny, all right.

Her grip was strong. Sunny wiped her hand on her tunic. "Your hands are sweaty."

Fitz raised his eyebrows again, but pursed his lips. "Sorry...?"

"No," Sunny said. "Mine are too. Are you nervous? I guess, though, just because your hands are sweaty doesn't mean you're nervous. Mine are, and I'm not nervous."

Fitz looked at this girl. He didn't know why she said all that. He would never say all that. "I'm not nervous," he said, not sure if he believed himself.

Sunny shrugged. "Whatever you say, quiet boy."

Fitz couldn't wrap his head around those words, and he couldn't figure out why until her realized that he probably WAS coming off as quiet. This wasn't him... was it?

After an antagonizing 60 seconds, someone very familiar with spiky blonde hair pulled a chair from a different table and sat down next to Fitz and Sunny.

"Keefe!" Fitz exclaimed, trying not to sound too enthusiastic.

"Hey!" Keefe leaned back and started digging around in his bag. "I don't know about you, but I've been dreading lunch since before I got to school this morning. "Daddy Dearest insisted he make me lunch," Keefe made a face. "He really does think his cooking is amazing."

Keefe turned to Sunny. "I'm Keefe, by the way! Who are you?"

"My name's Sungrey," she said, shaking his hand too.

"So how is everyone's first dayyyy?" He asked.

Fitz shrugged.

"Pretty good!" Sunny said. "This place is so cool. I'm staying here, and I have my own little kitchen and everything! The staircase is so fun." She grinned.

"I know!" Keefe exclaimed. "Well," he said, turning to Fitz. "My day is going GREAT."

Fitz smiled half-heartedly.

Keefe and Sunny got into talking about school-related stuff, and the boarding system. Fitz half listened to their conversation and half drifted off, sort of eating and picking at his lunch.

"Hey," Keefe eventually said quietly, mostly to Fitz. He had decided not to ask him why he was sitting with a girl Keefe had never seen before. "Do you want to sneak down to the Main Levels and find the rest of our friends? This place is laaame."

"I agree," Fitz said, "but there are Mentors in the hallway"- he motioned to the two adults talking just outside the room- "and our lunch break is almost over."

"Ughhh," Keefe whined, probably missing Sophie. "Can we go tomorrow, then?"

"If we can get away."

"Good. That won't be a problem." Keefe smirked.

"You guys have friends in the Main Levels?" Sunny asked, and Fitz had almost succeeded in trying to forget she was there.

"Yeah!" Keefe was still smirking. "Seven in Level Five and two in Level Six."

"You counted?!" FItz asked.

"Indeed."

"Wow," Sunny said. "That's a lot. Well," she said, still smiling. "Your friend Fitz here has a very interesting range of emotions."

"You're an Empath?!" Keefe exclaimed excitedly, at the same time Fitz started to wonder if he should run away and find a different spot to finish lunch.

Sunny grinned at Keefe. "Assuming you are, as well?"

"YES!" Keefe fist-bumped her. "Oh my gosh! I'm so excited to finally meet another Empath here who's not Stina! She's one of our friends down in the Main building." He explained.

"I don't know if you'd call her our friend," Fitz protested.

"You know what I mean," Keefe said.

"Well," Fitz said after a moment, stuffing the rest of his lunch into his mouth. "I should be going."

"What do you have next?" Keefe asked.

"Telepathy," Fitz responded, avoiding his friend's eyes.

"Oh. Tell Foster I said hi!"

"Sure," Fitz slung his bag over his shoulder. "See you guys later!

"Who's Foster?" Sunny asked Keefe.