Keeper of the Lost Secrets

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN: Stina Heks is a (BLEEEEP)

I hung around the locker area, collecting my books for the next lessons. The last week or so has been tough. Everything with Sophie's adoption being cancelled... no one was in their highest spirits.

Of course, this makes sense to me. I might not have been adopted, but that feeling of being unwanted rung a little too true. Keefe stood next to me, fiddling with his uniform.

"I don't understand why they make these so uncomfortable." Keefe groaned. "I'm trying to learn, not model – well, to be fair, I'd prefer the latter, but this isn't how you do it!"

I was inclined to agree. The stuffy necks and the ridiculous half-capes were a mockery of Elvin culture. But somehow, Keefe managed to pull it off. He looked enticing in the several layers of clothes piled on top of him. And maybe I was imagining it, but Keefe was wearing the slightest eyeshadow, the colour palette I'd stolen from the Forbidden Cities. Just a touch darker than his skin tone, but enough to stand out to the observant eye. That's me, I'm the observant eye.

Note about Foxfire: Everybody can hear anything you say. Sound echoed louder and projected more, making every whispered secret the whole school's gossip. But this time, it wasn't a whisper being heard, but rather Stian Heks yelling at Sophie and Biana.

Ah. Stina Heks. So much potential to be a good person and yet so awful. I cannot stand the bullies. People like her add coal to the fire of gossip. And she was smirking so much it almost looked like Keefe, except she had the sharpest angles to her round face.

"You," Stina snaked a finger at the two of them. "Are very good actors. I'm quite impressed with the performance."

Sophie's face contorted to reveal her worry. "W-what do you mean?"

"Oh, not you, Foster – you suck at everything. I'm talking about Miss Vacker over here."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Biana said, lips pressed thin. She was paling, and I suddenly understood why.

Stina laughed, though it was closer to a cackle, the kind witches make in movies. "How impressive, you still want to try and keep up the charade. Well, I'll tell you right now, Sophie, it's all fake."

Biana turned quickly to Sophie, shaking her head violently. Her curls blurred her face from my view and settled messily on her shoulders. "Sophie, please just listen, I-"

"Oh, Foster, when will you get it? Your Vackers friends? They had to be forced into hanging out with you. They aren't your friends, they're a ploy. I hear Alden had to do a whole lot of bargaining to get it to happen, especially with this one." She kicked her foot at Biana. "Isn't that right?"

Biana's breaths were short and shallow now, and her teary eyes were watery. I was the same, standing off the corner, trying to ignore the guilt bubbling inside me. Keefe finally turned over and noticed my panicked state. He shifted closer to me, careful of our surroundings. In a quiet whisper he said, "Fitz? What's wrong?"

I couldn't say a word, but simply tilted my head toward Biana, Sophie and Stina. Keefe followed my gaze until it reached them. He opened his mouth to say something else, but no words came out. He pressed his shoulder against mine, pushing our backs to the locker and grabbed my hand, hiding the gesture behind us.

"Biana?" Sophie asked, and it was too calm to be any good. "Is this true?"

"It was at first, okay? I didn't like you and I didn't want to know you, but it became truer the more we hung out. You're my friend, Sophie. Please, please, please be my friend. I'm sorry, Sophie, I'm so sorry."

Sophie's hard eyes softened for a moment, reflective tears clouding them. She turned her head away from Biana and stormed off without a word.

I slumped against the locker. The crowd that spectated the show dissipated so it was just Keefe and I alone. I fell to the floor, embarrassed of my sudden outburst. Keefe squatted down beside me, rubbing his hand against my back.

"What's wrong? I didn't really hear their conversation." He stared at me with big eyes. I couldn't bear the intensity of them.

"You're going to hate me." I said quietly.

"That's pretty hard." Keefe chuckled. He looked back at me and shook his head, face brimming with sincerity. "And I'm always going to want to hear out your side, okay?"

I breathed hard. "When Sophie first arrived here, I was super apprehensive of her. I didn't really like her as a person, and I didn't want to hang out with her. So... my dad put me and Biana up to it. It's wrong I know, but I think he was desperate, and I was stubborn. Now she knows that I never really wanted to be her friend, even though I do. I do want to be her friend."

I stared into Keefe's eyes, conflict bouncing between the flecks of lighter and darker blue in his eyes. "You know what I think?"

"Only if I'm allowed to."

"Ha-ha. But I didn't mean it like that. No, I was thinking about how this is mostly Alden's fault."

That piqued my interest. "My father? How so?"

"I mean, how is it fair to put you to befriending someone you don't like? And now that's it's gotten out, what's there for him? No guilt, no sweat off his back, only yours. Don't get me wrong, I love Alden, but it's not alright."

I felt tears prick my eyes and then fall onto my palms. Keefe did make a valid point. Who was Alden to put me up to that? To even suggest that? And who was I to accept? To think that was remotely okay?

I shook my head. "I don't think shifting blame is going to fix what's happened."

Keefe blew out a breath. "Fitz, this is going to sound terrible but... what's happened has already happened. We can't sit and wallow in the past, believe me, I've tried, but it doesn't work, okay? What we need now is a plan to move forward. Things have got to change. Starting now." Keefe got up and pulled me up with his outstretched hand. "Step one: you talk to Sophie and explain what happened. But not immediately. Wait a bit, okay? Let her cool off, let yourself cool off, and then talk."

"Then what?"

"We'll figure it out."