Confessions and Realizations - A Sokeefe Story

Chapter 2 - Darkness

Keefe's POV:

It was dark. And when Keefe said it was dark, he meant it was really dark. When he looked around, all he saw was an inky black stretch of nothingness. He didn't even know what he was doing here, wherever that was. He kept seeing faces drift towards him, but then fade away as quickly as they had come. The most frequent one was a girl with silky blonde hair, and brown eyes with flecks of gold. She had a peach complexion, and she looked about 15 or 16. She was so beautiful. But he could see the hurt and pain in her eyes, like she was grieving for someone. The other faces were duller; a boy with movie star looks, followed by a girl who he assumed was the movie star's sister because of their almost identical features, and a few other people of similar age. 

The strangest thing was that he didn't know these people. All he could remember was that his name was Keefe. After that, he was clueless. Were these people his friends? Did he even have friends? And where were his parents? He didn't even know what he looked like, it was like he was watching the blackness on a screen and he couldn't see his body. He decided to try to walk around a bit, to see if this blackness had a purpose. 

Soon he found himself at a riverside, beside the blonde girl.

Wow, she was beautiful. But he didn't want to freak her out so instead he commented on the scenery.

"It's beautiful, eh?" he said, trying to catch her attention.

"Keefe?" she said, turning to face him.

So someone did know him. Suddenly he felt a tingling in the back of his head, like his brain was telling him something. Sophie. That was her name. She already looked so sad, he didn't want to hurt her by telling her he didn't remember how they knew each other.

So instead he said, "Sophie, I'm so sorry."

What are you doing, he asked himself. How would she know what he was sorry for. She didn't know that he didn't know her. Now he was just confusing himself. But it just seemed like the right thing to say, as if someone was guiding him.

She looked confused, and sure enough she replied with, "What for, Keefe?"

"Nevermind," he said. Again, his brain guided him and he said, "Sophie, I need you to know something in case anything happens, but you can't tell anyone." His voice sounded shaky. Jeez, he thought to himself, get it together. He had to admit, it was kind of weird that his subconscious knew exactly what to say.

"You can tell me anything, Keefe." Her voice sounded so certain, so calm, that he proceeded without a doubt.

"I....I" he stuttered. Wait what was he even going to tell her again? He closed his eyes and thought. When he opened them again, she was gone.

Wow, he thought, well that went well. She was probably just an illusion. He explored the dark void some more, but all he found were more of the same faces he didn't recognize.

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A while later, he felt something on his left hand. It was warm and soft, but of course, he couldn't see it because his mind was somehow disconnected from his body. His hand grew warmer, and he could feel a warm tingly sensation running up his arm and into his head. He could vaguely hear someone talking to him, saying they needed him. Maybe this was just another one of his mom's tricks. Wait. He remembered something. His mom was Lady Gisela, the evil leader of the Neverseen. His memory returning had something to do with whatever was on his hand, he just knew. Or maybe it was a whoever. Was it Sophie? As his head raced a mile per minute, he felt something wet slowly soaking his shirt, and then the skin on his chest. Tears, he thought. Even though the tear-stained spot stayed where it was, his whole body started warming up like his arm had done not a minute before.

As the memories rushed in, he remembered everything. About the Neverseen, the Black Swan, and Team Valiant. He remembered Sophie, and how he felt about her, but also how he never was able to tell her because of her crush on Fitz, who also happened to be his best friend.

He knew that the wet feeling on his shirt was Sophie, crying on him. Since he was an empath, the feeling of grief washed over him and he was tempted to stay in this dark corner of his mind forever. But he knew he couldn't. That was just Sophie's sadness affecting him. He knew she was inside his head, which wasn't her fault because she wasn't doing it on purpose, but he decided to communicate with her just to see what would happen.

Sophie, he thought. A minute later, he felt her stiffen.