Keeper of the Lost Cities- Deathgrip

Kiss. Marry. Kill

"I dare you to tell everyone your most embarrassing moment," Fitz challenged, staring at Keefe.

Keefe smirked. "Easy. The time my dad yelled at me in front of the entire school. I dare you to explain why you're so angry."

Fitz glared. "Because of you. I dare you to tell everyone why you were hitting on my girlfriend."

Keefe paled. "Why don't you say why she left you, huh?"

"Omigod, guys! Stooop! Sophie isn't a competition even though you idiotic boys keep fighting for her! I've had enough of your stupid bickering. You're best friends and if you need to go grunt like cavemen then go outside and not in front of Sophie! But otherwise, you can play Kiss, Marry, Kill with the rest of us, okay?"

Sophie barely registered what they said after that. Did Keefe feel the same way that she felt? Not that she felt anything of course. Of course. What was happening? Fitz was jealous?! No. She was probably just looking into things too much. She was going to play kiss, marry, kill like Biana suggested and focus. She snapped back to reality when she noticed everyone was staring at her. "Sophie?" Linh asked, gently.

"Sorry, what?" Sophie looked around. Oops.

Linh let out a breezy laugh. "Biana said kiss, marry, kill with Dex, Fitz and Keefe."

Woah. Um, no? "Can I pass? Please?"

Keefe chuckled. "C'mon Foster. You know. Don't worry about hurting anybody's feelings."

Sophie looked at Dex. He was giving her thumbs up. Fitz had, once again, a challenging look sketched on his face and Keefe had an encouraging expression on. But no way in heck was she doing that. "Let me think about it. Somebody else should go first."

Biana shrugged. "Okay. Keefe. Kiss, marry, kill with Linh, Sophie and me."

Keefe answered immediately and didn't seem to have any hesitation about killing somebody like Sophie. "Kiss Linh, Marry Sophie and kill Tam."

The whole group laughed, and the tension was cut like a knife. Sophie was glad Keefe hadn't led Biana on, thinking about their conversation after her kiss with Dex and instead had chosen to include Tam.

The rest of the night went generally smoothly and Sophie even got out of answering her kiss, marry, kill question.

* * *

"Hey. Foster. Wake up."

Sophie jolted awake to someone shaking her shoulder and whispering into her ear. She turned around, squinting to see who it was. A blonde boy crouched in front of her, his white teeth and bright eyes glowing in the dark. "Keefe? What are you doing?"

"C'mon Foster! I think we need to talk. And- you owe me our annual exploration of Foxfire."

Sophie rolled out from her sheet in her PJs and they walked out into the hall. There was a draft out there and the thin cotton she was wearing didn't do much to warm her.  Keefe wordlessly removed his cloak and draped it around her. "Keefe! Now you'll be cold!" His cloak was warm and smelled like him and every part of her wanted to wrap it tightly around herself, but instead, Sophie tried to take it off and hand it to him. 

He put his arm on hers, stopping her. "Then let's share." Keefe scooted in next to her so that they were both wrapped in the cloak, arms and shoulders pressed together. 

Every part of Sophie knew this was a bad idea. Touching an empath was not a good idea when you were hiding feelings, especially one as powerful as Keefe, but she tried to act as normal as possible and steered the conversation to something else. "So. What did you need to talk about?" 

"I think you know." A voice said from behind them. Sophie jumped but didn't bother turning around. She recognized it as Ro's. Of course there was a bodyguard with them.

"Shut up, Ro," Keefe sighed, turning his icy eyes to look at Sophie. She tried to ignore how close their faces were together. "But you do. What Biana said..."

Sophie cut him off. "No, no Keefe. I know none of that was true, don't worry, it's fine. I know you two aren't fighting over me." 

Ro snorted and Keefe held her eyes for another loonng moment before he turned to face forward again. Then, he spoke quietly. "Right." 

"C'mon, Hunkyhair! You brought her out here to talk, member?" Ro called out.

Keefe flushed and Sophie resisted the urge to call him out on it the way he had to her earlier. "Keefe?"

He seemed to remember she was standing beside her, because a goofy grin was on his face and he looked back at her, his eyes playful again. "Let's go put fizzlestars in all of Lady Galvin's beakers. That way, all her potions will blow up."

Sophie laughed a little, sort of disappointed that he didn't feel comfortable talking to her. "What are fizzlestars?" 

"They kinda make any liquid fizzle and pop."

"Ohhh. So like pop rocks!" 

"Is that a human thing?" 

"Yeah." 

Keefe's eyes twinkled. "You know you're so cute when you talk about humans. Your eyes light up and you get so excited."

Sophie flushed, looking away. "So do you have these fizzlestars?"