Team Foster-Keefe United✔

Part Three

Keefe's POV:

As soon as I saw Snowball fly through my window with a letter, hope and excitement welled up in me before I could think to put it down. Someone else could've seeing Snowball and decided to give him a letter for me, but the chances of that were slim.

My thoughts flew out the window as I opened the letter. Her handwriting was the same, familiar and loopy.

Tears welled up in my eyes. After 4 years she finally replies. I had thought that she didn't want my letters, that she was annoyed at their arrival, but that would be a bit out of character for her.

Go where you don't want to go.

What did that even mean?

Five minutes later, I face palmed myself. Why didn't I see it sooner? She wasn't in the Lost Cities, and the Black Swan probably wouldn't put her back in the Forbidden Cities, since they were crawling with Neverseen members, which left the Neutral Territories because it was still- technically -elven land.

My father always said that I would end up in Exillium, so I've always resented the school's existence, and Sofie knows this (or I assume she does, if she actually reads my letters). I didn't want to go to Exillium.

I laugh at the complicated, ironic simplicity. Foster was right under our noses the whole time. Dex and I never thought about Exillium. Dex helped me try to take down Foster over the years, yeilding to my stubbornness.

All I needed to do was get into Exillium and bring her back home. Easy peasey. I think.

I quickly do The Hair and swagger out of my dorm, into the main hallway. Being in the Silver and Gold towers was cool for a hot second, then sucked because of all the homework and studying and Elven History. I would not choose to have Elven History in a thousand years. On top of that, we had curfews! I couldn't skip any classes since all the hall moniters know everyone's skedual (it was part of their job), and you got three days of detention every time you're caught skipping or don't do your homework.

Every time I consider dropping out, not that I would actually do it, I thought of the benefits. No father, more freedom, more independence, no one to tell me what to do every second of the day.

I reach my Elven History class and immediately zone out. What the mentor didn't know was that a stink bomb that I planted the week before would go off in 5. . . 4. . . 3. . . 2. . . 1. . . Now.

The mentor gagged at the rancid stench, even I was disgusted by my own creation. I had managed to bottle some of Iggy's stinky burps and farts, then turned the toxic gas into a liquid. Iggy was passed to Dex when Foster left. He would've been Biana's, but either of the Vackers didn't want reminders of Foster.

"That. Is. It. You zone out in class- don't think that I didn't notice -rarely do your homework, and now, you land a STINK BOMB ON MY DESK!!!" The mentor yelled, his face beet read and his body shaking in anger. My eyebrows slowly rise in surprise. Mr. What's-His-Name's name just changed to Mr. Feisty-Pants.

"I hereby suspend you for three days. If you don't clean up your act by then, you can kiss your future goodbye!" He said, more stable as he pushed up his glasses.

Long story short, Dame Alina supported the suspension and told me to pack a small bag and get out of the Tower after I finish the day's classes. That's right, I'm not even allowed to stay in my own dorm!

At least I have time to find Foster. All I needed to do was get into Exillium!

~

"Please, Dex!" I whine, pouting with my best puppy eyes.

"Let me get this straight. You want me to hack into Exillium's records, enroll you as Calvin Klein, and get out of the system without being traced?"

I nod, "Exactly."

Dex sighed and cracked his knuckles. "Okay."

"Look, I know it's a lot to ask for- wait. . . you'll do it?" I say, shocked. While I was talking, Dex was on his computer doing what technopaths do.

"You're in," Dex said smugly, flashing a dimpled smile.