Back to the Future

Chapter 22

Mr. Forkle walked into the house, a worried expression already on his face. Sophie was the epitome of calm, her face showed nothing. It showed nothing of her anger, it showed nothing of how her soul was darkening.

"Hello, Mr. Forkle. Have a seat," Sophie gestured over to a chair across from her. Mr. Forkle moved warily over to a seat.

"If you decided you want to know who your father is, I must remind you I can't tell you."

Sophie laughed coldly, "See, but the thing is, I already know," Mr. Forkle's eyebrows shot up in surprise, "Yes, I know the reason you can't tell me who my father is, it's because he is evil. It's because you can't come to terms with the fact that half of my DNA is shared with a Neverseen member, or should I say the leader now: Gethen."

"How did you–"

"He told me," Sophie interrupted, "But I want to know what you have to say for yourself."

Mr. Forkle rubbed his face, groaning, "Gethen wasn't always a part of the Neverseen. He was a good person and a part of the Black Swan. And because of his powers, he was a prime candidate to be your father. Shortly after he gave his DNA, he decided that we weren't doing things fast enough and left to join the Neverseen. He vowed to never say anything because he was embarrassed by his involvement in, what he called, 'a weak attempt to fix the future of our world' and he hated that we were 'putting everything on the shoulders of an unborn child.'"

Sophie's brows furrowed, "Wait, so he cared about my well-being, and you guys didn't?"

Mr. Forkle shook his head, speaking quickly, desperately hoping she would believe him, "We cared about your well-being, but we also knew that you were needed to save our world, and that came with responsibility."

Sophie stood up, "And yet, the Neverseen are as strong as ever and we lose everything. What have we truly changed? Have we stopped the prejudice against the talentless? Have we stopped hatred of bad matches, or in my case being unmatchable? Because I still certainly get rude looks on the street. I could continue going, but I don't think I have to."

Mr. Forkle stood up slowly, confusion and fear evident in his face, "What do you mean?"

"You don't get it, do you? I want to be a part of change and clearly that isn't happening here. Put simply, I'm joining my father," Sophie's cold voice shifted into a mocking sympathetic voice, unnaturally similar to Gethen's, "I wouldn't have told you, but I thought for all you have done for me, you know forcing me into a life I didn't want and giving me powers I'm only burdened by, I would tell you that I'm leaving you. I'm going somewhere I will actually be appreciated."

Mr. Forkle stared at her in shock, "What? Why?"

Sophie shook her head in annoyance, "I thought I made it pretty clear, and in case I didn't, I don't really owe you an explanation." She turned on her heel and marched up to her room to grab her already-packed bags.

She walked in and saw Keefe sitting next to her bags, "I know what you're doing."

She closed the door, shaking her head, "No, you don't."

"I know what you're doing because I did it. And you were there for me the entire time, convincing me to come home." Keefe stood up, walking over to her.

"Then you be there for me, just don't convince me to come home because I'm not going to,"

Keefe put his hands on her shoulders, "Do you remember when I told you I wasn't going to cross hard lines when I joined the Neverssen? I'm guessing you also remember how you didn't exactly know if you could hold me to that. Are you going to stop at those lines, or are you going to cross them?"

Sophie looked down, but Keefe tilted her head up to look at her, "Keefe...I know who I am. I'm not evil,"

"I hate to say it, but are you sure?"

"I know the lines. I won't cross them. I just want to be an instrument of change, not a figurehead for a group that doesn't do what we say we want to do." Sophie pulled out of Keefe's grasp, and walked over to the window looking out at the animals in the pastures, "If you can't see that then maybe you should leave."

"No!" Keefe yelled, the loud noise jarring the quiet atmosphere causing Sophie to jump and spin around to face him, "No. Sophie, you don't get to run away from me when you condemned me for every time I did it. I'm finally at a place where I don't immediately want to run when things get tough. And that's because of you. I never saw you as a hypocrite, do I have to reevaluate that?" Keefe stared at her, when she stayed silent he turned towards the door.

"Keefe, wait," he turned back to face her, waiting for her next words, "You're right, I shouldn't have said that. I just–" Sophie's voice broke, "I don't know what I'm doing. I don't know who I am and I'm hoping this will help me," Tears started to well up in her eyes and she tried hopelessly to blink them away.

Keefe walked over to her and pulled her into a hug, Sophie sobbed into his shoulder soaking his shirt, "I know, I know, you'll figure it out, I promise."

"Don't leave me, don't hate me please," Sophie begged.

"As you wish," Keefe said, Sophie laughed a choked laugh at his reference to The Princess Bride.

"I love you too," Sophie said, pulling away to look at him.

(If anyone gets that reference and loves The Princess Bride like I do, I want you to be my friend. And if you haven't seen it, GO WATCH IT RIGHT NOW)

Keefe wiped the remaining tears from her face, "I have to insist that you at least keep in touch with me."

"Ok, I can do that," Sophie gave him a kiss, it was the last time she could do that for a while.

Keefe pulled her in for a tight hug, "I'm going to miss you,"

"Me too," Sophie turned from him slowly, grabbed her bags, opened a portal, and walked through.