Reunited: A Keeper of the Lost Cities fanfic

Chapter 2: Sophie

       Sophie woke up to a familiar face.

       "Fitz?"

       "Oh, hi Sophie," said Fitz, nervously fidgeting with the corner of his tunic, his teal eyes cast down.

       "Why are you here? And wait- how long have I been sleeping?"

       "Well, it's midday sooo..." Fitz started with a slight grin.

        "MIDDAY?? AH I SLEPT FOR SO LONG!" Sophie scrambled out of bed, eager to make up for lost time, but stumbled dizzily and would have fallen over if Fitz hadn't caught her.

       Fitz chuckled at her clumsiness. "Woah there!" She slipped out of his arms and sat down on her bed. Fitz's face quickly fell and became accusing. "And I'm here because Grady sent me. He said you have something to tell me? About...Keefe." 

       Grady? Oh no. Sophie had two theories as to how Grady found out. Either Sandor told him what he knew, or he already knew about the note and saw it before Sophie did. This would imply that he let Keefe go, or saw it and didn't even tell her. She REALLY hoped it wasn't the latter option.

"Ugh. I REALLY don't want to talk about this right now," grumbled Sophie, feeling a lump form in her throat. She didn't want Fitz to see her crying, and for some strange reason, she didn't want him to read the note, either.

"Please, Sophie? Keefe's my friend. I want to know." The hostility and accusation had melted away, and his eyes softened with concern.  Sophie eventually had to give in.

"Fiiiine. Well... You see... Keefe- ugh I don't know how to say this." She could feel the lump in her throat starting to grow. She really hoped Fitz didn't notice.

"Sophie, are you crying?"

Was she? She couldn't tell. Fitz looked like he was about to wipe her tears away, then settled for a hug. He hesitated a moment- their friendship was still very shaky- but eventually stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Sophie. And she didn't even feel fluttery. It just felt like... friendship.

"Thanks, Fitz,". Sophie smiled and franticly pulled away from the embrace. "And you know, I'm feeling a whole lot better now, so you don't have to stay here with me. Bye!" She hurried over to the door and opened it for him, gesturing to the hallway and giving him a big smile.

"Sophie. What happened to Keefe?" His tone was soft but firm.

Sophie hesitated. Should she tell him, or would it hurt too much? Would he get mad? She was still quite unsure, but.... he was her friend. Her cognate. And if she didn't start mending things with him soon, that delicate bond could be severed. And the determination in his eyes... she knew he wasn't giving up.

"Sophie? Please?"

Sophie took a deep breath. She knew that she had to tell Fitz.

"Okay. Here's what happened."

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Fitz was sat on Sophie's bed, twiddling his thumbs. His face showed everything. He was confused, angry, sad. Simple emotions that ate up your brain and blocked all reasoning. Just like she felt when she read the letter. She saw something else, too. Hopelessness. Sandor's words came back to her. 'There's nothing you can do.'

"But... What if there IS something I can do?" Sophie didn't realize she spoke out loud until she saw Fitz's confused expression.

"You want the same as I do, right? You want Keefe back?" She asked, the start of the first smile in a long time beginning to creep up her face.

"Yes, I do. I really want my best friend back," Fitz confirmed. "But... he's gone. We can't do anything about it until he comes back."

"And that, Fitz, is where you are wrong. We are getting Keefe back. I have a plan."