Keeper of the Lost Secrets

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR: I Love Food (And Dinner Interrogations. Woo!)

The best part of midterms was the presents. The second best was the dinner my family hosted every year.

It was tradition after all, and the Vackers aren't anyone if we don't stick to age old traditions. Thankfully, this one was my top three.

My mother and the gnomes had been working tirelessly to make the feast. Every fifteen minutes gnomes would rush in with fruits and vegetables that I'd never seen before. Some were more appetising than others, and each more exquisite than the one before. I offered my hands in the kitchen, but my mother refused to let me near it and shooed me away. I called Keefe over and pulled him to the secluded gardens of Everglen.

"Just so you know, I would love to taste your cooking." Keefe said, lying on the grass, squinting at the evening sun.

"Cooking and baking are different." I pointed out. He guffawed.

"Tomato, tom-ah-to," Keefe said, flicking his wrist. "You measure stuff, put them in a bowl and make it. Basically, the same thing."

I laughed. "Fine then, I'll cook you something and then you judge."

He smirked. "You're going to cook for me? So hot." He fanned himself with his hands. "I've always loved a man in an apron."

"You didn't even know you liked well just a year ago." I snorted.

He shrugged. "Still. Always a dude in an apron. I have taste, you know."

We were cuddling on the grounds, trees shadowing the grass when the shrill ring of my imparter cut the silence. I scrambled to pick it up, flashing a smile as my mother's face lit the screen.

"Ah! There you are. I had the gnomes searching all over the house for you. Where are you?" She squinted at the surroundings, trying to make head or tail of the place.

"At the gardens behind Everglen. With Keefe. He wanted to see the garden," I added quickly, cursing my cheeks for blushing.

"Okay, well fine, but Sophie is here, so maybe let her tag along?" My mother said, as a gnome yelled something in gnomish.

"Can't Biana take Sophie?" I complained. It's not like Sophie was terrible, or anything, but it's not I want her interrupting my time with Keefe, especially since all she does is complain constantly.

"Biana's too busy getting ready. You know how she cares about her appearance." My mother shook her head in disapproval, as if she didn't have the exact same problem. "Besides, Sophie and Biana aren't exactly close. Just hang out with her, okay?"

"Okay," I said, but I let the word slip through a sigh. "Bye, mum."

She clicked away from view. I glanced up at Keefe, who just shrugged. "Foster's alright. She's a bit pessimistic, but she's also great to tease."

I rolled my eyes and dragged Keefe all the way back to Everglen's gates, where Sophie was waiting. She donned a simple dress that fell right above her knees. Her hair was the same as usual, though this time it looked like she actually combed it, and she might have been wearing the tiniest bit of lip gloss.

"Hi," I said. I never really knew how to talk to Sophie unless we were having some sort of conflict. "Want to come inside." Sophie nodded stiffly and joined us in the living room.

"Sophie?" My sister said, walking into the room. She was wearing a similar sort of dress to Sophie's though hers was around fifty times more sparkly. Biana noticed the similarity, eying Sophie's dress, and I could tell she didn't like it.

"Do you want to play Bramble?" I offered. Keefe, Biana and Sophie glared at me and started laughing.

"In these dresses? No way. You'll win too easily." Sophie said. Biana dipped her head in agreement.