Enemies to... Lovers? - By SilvenySlays :)

~The Day I Lost Her, Chapter 15~

(Keefe's POV)

I started running after her, when Dex grabbed my arm and pulled me back. "Don't run after her!"

"Why not? She needs me!" I exclaimed.

"Girls just need space. Trust me, I learned that the hard way. Give her some time." Dex assured me. Sophie was just a speck of golden light in the darkness now. And then she was gone.

*****

(Sophie's POV)

I didn't know where I was going, but I kept pushing my legs farther. Faster. Even faster. Even farther. Until I reached a river.

I had never seen this river before. But now I stood in the darkness, the moon my only light. I stared down at myself in the water. My stupid eyes turned blue.

I tossed a rock into my reflection in the water and huffed as I sat down in the grass and became a Sophie ball, tucking my head into my knees. I felt tears run down my chin. I shivered in the darkness.

Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, I suddenly felt heat in the cold darkness. I lifted my head to see Fintan sitting on the other side of the river, a ball of Everblaze in his hands.

He wasn't looking at me. He stared at his reflection in the river, smoothing his hair. He whispered something to the fire and it snuffed out. His piercing blue eyes finally focused on me.

"Hello, Miss Foster." He said calmly. He didn't do his creepy smile or anything. He even looked... Empathetic.

"What do you want? Don't you think you've ruined my life enough?" I snapped.

"Oh, Miss Foster, I want many things..." Fintan whispered, standing up and tracing his fingers across the bark of the tree next to him. I watched his every move, like prey inspecting their predator. "But there is nothing I want from you specifically. I just want to talk."

"How did you find me?" I demanded.

"Oh, dearest, I'm afraid that doesn't matter right now." Fintan said.

"Dearest?" I scoffed. "You definitely want something. What is it?"

Fintan's expression flickered for a second, like a fire in his eyes that could never be extinguished. Then that fire was hidden by his eerie smile.

"Miss Foster, did anyone tell you the full story about me?" Fintan asked quietly.

"No." I admitted. Fintan's smile widened.

"Then why don't you settle in? There's lots for you to learn."

*****

(Keefe's POV)

I laid in bed that night, staring up at the ceiling. Sophie still hadn't come to talk to me. And it was hard to give her space when all I wanted to do was hug her and apologize. The truth was, he really had made the bet with Dex. But... He tried to call it off that day, because he had forgotten about it after actually falling in love with her. She had overheard. And now everything was ruined, like Dex said.

I flicked on my lamp and pulled out my drawings. I sketched the memory of me and Sophie dancing on the dance floor. I smiled, falling asleep peacefully.

*****

(Sophie's POV)

"When I was a young elf, much like you, my parents didn't understand me. I didn't have any siblings to compare against me, but I vowed to never return to that life. I was... Handsome. And respected for my ability. It was rare, and powerful, and I would use it for good." Fintan flicked his wrist, and the flames in his hand changed colors as he stared at it, like he was being consumed. He snapped his fingers, and the fire vanished. He sighed heavily and stared at his hand like he wanted to summon another flame.

Yeah, I thought, this guy definitely isn't mentally stable.

"Um, is that it?" I asked after a full minute of silence. His eyes met mine, and he seemed to come out of a trance.

"Ah, no, I'm afraid not." Fintan said finally. He stared up at the moon. "I was in a group of friends. They were... My only friends."

"You had friends?"

Fintan glared at me, his stare as cold as his heart. He rolled his eyes and continued, "My friends, one day, decided it would be funny if I was the victim of a prank. They humiliated me. I went to confront them that night. Keep in mind, I wasn't exactly the best at controlling my pyrokenisis. I was a young, young boy. Anyway, I lost control." Fintan sighed, sitting back down in the grass so that we were eye level.

"They all died that day. Except for me. Not only that, but suddenly, I wasn't the center of popularity. I was an outcast. My ability was banished. I was deemed too dangerous for society." He gave me a knowing look. "Sound familiar?"

I rolled my eyes. "If you're trying to make me feel sorry for you, then it's not going to work." A cloud suddenly covered the moon. Now the only light was Fintan's flames. He grabbed a couple of twigs from the tree next to him and set them up, guiding his flames over. He glanced up and nudged his chin at me, welcoming me over.

I narrowed my eyes and slowly levitated over the river. I sat next to him by the fire.

"I'm not trying to make you feel sorry for me. I'm trying to make you see how alike we are. I believe you once said that villains aren't all bad. That's what makes them so scary." He whispered.

"How..."

"It doesn't matter." He spun his finger in a circle over the fire and it crackled. His eyes turned sad. "We both want the same thing."

"What?" I asked, my voice trembling.

"Respect. Revenge. And all of that leads to... Peace. I know it might seem barbaric, but we have to burn things down before we can create something fully good."

I laughed bitterly. "Yeah, right."

"Think about it. What good has the Council done? Caused a divided species? Oh, goody, that's not gonna issue any problems! Oh, and look! They're hiding a bunch of stuff that could destroy the world! Sounds amazing!" He shook his head, chuckling softly. "And you think I'm the bad guy here. I'm just trying to make things new. Better. And you're going to be the start of all that."

"Why would I ever work with you?"

"Because you're the force of change. And all your side is going to do is repair some things. We need to completely start over. Don't you think?" Fintan suggested.

"You think I would ever join the Neverseen? Absolutely not." I snapped.

"Keefe did it." Fintan whispered. I froze. "He wanted to help you. And he failed. You're going to help him AND the rest of the world. You'll have him all to yourself. He'll be head over heels for you, more than he already is. And the Neverseen? Maybe we'll be able to start that change, and the Black Swan will come to their senses. You could run the world. You've achieved so much already, haven't you? You have thousands of years before your life becomes boring. Maybe it never will. But you have a long time to change this. So what's it gonna be? Do nothing, or start over and allow something amazing to rise from the ashes?"

My eyes narrowed as Fintan stood up, holding out his hand. I placed my hand in his and he helped me stand up.

My eyes were no longer brown. "Okay."

*YES THE CLIMAX OF THE STORY!!!! SO EXCITED 😆

Anyway, Bible verse!! "And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith." Matthew 21:22.

Have an amazing day! Btw I'm having a sleepover with my bestie tonight, so we're gonna giggle and listen to music for like an entire day. I'm so excited.

TEAM FOSTER-KEEFE FOR THE WIN!

-SilvenySlays :)