Book Two: KOTLC One-shots and More

Alternate Ending: Lodestar 70 (part 4)

The day passed surprisingly quickly. Sophie was actually grateful for the routine. When she leapt back home, it was to find Keefe still in the pastures with Grady. She approached them but they were both filthy after cleaning, feeding, and otherwise rehabilitating who knew how many of the strange creatures currently being held at Havenfield.

"Hey, kiddo," Grady said with a smile. "I'd hug you, but..." he gestured toward his clothes, which were mud stained and covered with feathers, flecks of gnomish produce, and what looked suspiciously like animal drool.

Keefe looked, if anything, even worse.

Well...not worse. Just...even dirtier than Grady, with a few neon colored feathers sticking out of his hair and dirt smudges on his face.

But somehow he still looked ridiculously good.

Had he always looked this good???

Trying to pretend she hadn't noticed, she laughed and reached out, pulling one of Verdi's feathers off of Grady's shoulder. "I appreciate that."

"We're actually wrapping things up out here," he assured her. "Then we can go inside and get cleaned up."

"Finally," Keefe said with a smirk. "Grady's a slave driver."

Grady rolled his eyes. "Says the boy who sent Edaline inside because, and I quote, 'I've got this, you can just have some time off'. And then, he proceeded to let Verdi drag him all over her enclosure while helping me bathe her."

Keefe snorted. "Please. Verdi loves me."

Were Grady and Keefe...getting along?

"Well I'm not going near either one of you until you've showered," Sophie told them, meeting Keefe's eye. "But then I have a few things to fill you in on."

She turned to head inside, but after a few steps she thought she heard Grady said, "oh, go on, the gnomes and I can finish up out here."

Sure enough, Keefe caught up to her after a few more paces.

"Don't worry, I heard you," he told her. And he did seem to be keeping a couple of feet of distance between them. "No coming close until I've showered. Even if I can tell you think I look totally hot like this."

Sophie blushed, making him laugh. "Okay, fine. You look like a walking ad for volunteering at the local zoo."

"I'm going to take the world's fastest shower," Keefe told her as they walked through the front door, "and then you're going to tell me exactly what a 'zoo' is."

Sophie laughed and watched as he turned to head upstairs, then wandered toward the kitchen in search of Edaline.

And there she was, making mallowmelt--one of Sophie's favorites. "Hey, sweetheart," Edaline said with a smile. "Between Keefe, Grady, and the gnomes, I was starting to feel redundant outside. I thought maybe my time was better served in here. Especially after the way Keefe talked about the poor food quality he endured while he was...away. I'd like to get some more good food in him while he's staying with us."

Sophie, feeling strangely overcome, reached out and hugged her. Edaline laughed lightly, hugging her back.

"You know, Keefe worked really hard today. I think he's trying to impress Grady, if you ask me," Edaline told her with a wink as she pulled away. "And between you and me, I think he's succeeding."

"He's just grateful," Sophie told her. "He'd rather be here than back at Candleshade."

"Yes, I'm sure that's part of it."

Sophie just shook her head, choosing not to address it.

Not before she talked to Keefe.

She headed upstairs to change out of her school uniform, choosing instead to wear a simple tunic and leggings. When she came back downstairs, Grady had come inside. He'd just walked into the pristine kitchen, still looking dirty, and was trying to convince Edaline to let him kiss her.