Keeper of the Lost Cities One Shots

When Keefe Died

When Keefe died, Sophie temporarily stopped living. She couldn't eat. She couldn't sleep. She couldn't function. Her mind was a blur of pain and sadness. But, when she remembered what Keefe said, that changed. She looked through the journal he gave her and remembered. Remembered the last time she saw Keefe...

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"No! Y-you can't... I can fix this. Elwin... I need to find Elwin!" Sophie sputtered as she searched for her imparter.

Keefe gave her a pained smile while he lay against a wall. "Don't,"

"Why!? Why don't you want to be saved? Why don't you want to live?" Sophie asked, holding back the tears.

"Don't cry, please," Keefe said, taking Sophie's hand after she sat down next to him. She looked up and met his eyes.

"Why are you doing this?" She asked.

Keefe sighed and said, "You really don't know, do you?" Sophie gave him a weird look.

He shook his head, smiled, and said, "Your cute when you act all oblivious, Foster."

"What? What do you mean?"

"I mean, I'm doing this because I love you,"

"You... you what?"

" I can't have you stressing out and being hopeful for the next few weeks just to be twice as upset," He paused, met Sophie's eyes, then said, "I need you to promise me you won't give up, and that you'll keep fighting. But not too hard; don't get hurt. I love you so much. Always remember who you are and what you stand for."

"I... no," Sophie said, shaking her head. Keefe looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"I- I love you too. I can't live without you. I finally realize this... and you- no. I can't say it. I can't believe it. You can't... you just can't."

"It's going to be okay. I want to give you this; I think you deserve to know what's in it," Keefe said, handing her his gold journal.

"You're giving this to me?" Sophie asked as she took the journal.

"Yes, but you have to promise me that you won't look in it until I'm... just look in it later, okay?" He said, his expression pained.

"I promise,"

"What about what I said before? Do you promise that?"

"Well... I promise that I won't give up and that I will keep fighting. I can't promise that I won't get hurt. You of all people should know that. But I don't know who I am or what I stand for."

"You're Sophie Elizabeth Foster. You care so much about your friends and will do anything for them. I understand that this is hard... trust me, I can feel your emotions loud and clear. But I know you can get through this, and anything else that comes your way."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I know you, and I believe in you. You are so amazing and talented; if you can survive the Neverseen, you can survive this," Keefe said. Sophie was about to protest when she noticed his breathing started to get slower.

"Keefe?" Sophie said, looking over.

"Never forget what we talked about, okay?" He whispered.

She didn't know what to do. She felt so hurt, lost, and confused. She wanted to make this moment last as long as possible. She wanted to have a good ending, not a sad one. That's when Sophie knew what she wanted to do. Needed to do.

She leaned towards Keefe and met his lips with hers. She pulled away when she felt his lips curl into a small smile.

"You don't know how long I've waited for that," Keefe said with a soft laugh. Sophie wrapped her arms around him and laid her head on his shoulder.

"Don't show that journal to anyone, please. Remember what we talked about, okay? And never forget that I... I love you," Keefe said, drifting off.

"I love you too," Sophie said, tears rolling down her face. She held on tightly to him and stayed with him as long as she could bear the pain. When she couldn't handle it any longer, she leaped home and told Edaline and Grady everything. They asked her if she was okay, but she didn't respond. She walked up to her room, closed the door, sat on her bed, and opened the journal.

She flipped it open to the first page and teared up. It was a drawing of her and Keefe flying on Silveny to reset her abilities. The moment when their friendship truly started. She continued looking through the journal, every page filled with memories of them together.

She eventually reached the last page of the journal; it was a drawing of her down to the last detail. Below the drawing, in fancy lettering, it said, "I will always love you, no matter what happens,"

She held on tightly to the notebook as she curled up on her bed. This was the end of a chapter in her life. It was time to start a new one. One where she would make Lady Gisela pay for killing her son. One where she would always remember the love she felt and feels for Keefe. She'd be okay. Keefe believed in her. The least she could do was do the same.

A/N

So this broke me writing this, but I hope you liked it. If you have any criticism or ideas, I'd love to hear them!