Keeper of the Lost Cities: Unlocked: A Fan-fiction

Chapter Fourteen - Sophie

Sophie got out her imparter and called Mr. Forkle, updating him on all the details about what she had learned – minus the embarrassing part. She just told him that she thought she might have way to help Keefe and asked him to meet her at the Healing Center. He agreed without hesitation, but Sophie could tell they was going have a long talk before anything important happened.

Sure enough, when Sophie arrived at the Healing Center with Ro and Sandor on her heels, Mr. Forkle was waiting for her, pacing across the floor.

Ro explained their plan to Mr. Forkle, Sandor stationed himself at his usual post, and Sophie found herself wandering over to Keefe's cot. Though a small part of her reminded her that it was pretty creepy to watch someone while they were unconscious, the bigger part – the part that had been in charge for the past week – didn't care.

His eyes were closed, his face was pale, and his current hair-style – limp and plastered to his forehead – would have sickened him. But to Sophie, he was beautiful.

She turned back to Mr. Forkle and Ro as their conversation registered. They were arguing, of course, about the pros and cons of the experiment. Ro was firmly team "Let's save Hunkyhair!" and Mr. Forkle was undecisive. Sophie didn't care which way the argument went, because if there was a chance to help Keefe, she wasn't asking for permission. Her friends – minus Wylie, Linh, Maruca, and Stella – arrived then, with, once more, various reactions to what was about to happen. Mostly, though, it was a huge butterfly fest.

Mr. Forkle, after another ten minutes of overprotective planning and arguing and reasoning, finally gave Sophie permission to undertake the experiment, and, after a fifteen-minute lecture about everything that could happen and what to do if it did, everyone finally gathered around the bed, worried looks on every face.

None were as scared as Sophie, though.

She hadn't expected to be so nervous. It took her three tries to simply approach the bed. What was wrong with her? They had done these kinds of experiments so many times before, and nothing had happened. She hadn't been nervous then! But maybe that was why she was nervous now.

Somewhere in her gut, some small part of her knew that this time, they had a real chance. This time, it was a solid plan. And, though it would be embarrassing, and incredibly humiliating, once it was over-with, Keefe would be awake. And that was all she wanted.

"What are we doing?" Fitz asked, coming to stand next to Sophie and looking down at his best friend laying out on the cot with a slightly green look. Sophie took a deep breath. She knew they were stronger together, but she still couldn't shake to intuitive feeling that somehow it would work better if she did it alone.

"Trying something that will hopefully fix Keefe. But I think... I think I want to do it alone this time," she said. Fitz looked up at her and blinked in shock. Sophie didn't remember the last time she had done a telepath thing without Fitz, except for the thing with Cassius's memories, and that hadn't exactly turned out well. Would he freak out now, too?

For a second, she saw a hint of anger in his eyes, and Sophie flinched. But, after a moment, the rebellion in his eyes faded, leaving only disappointment, though about what, she didn't know. To her relief and gratitude, he only nodded and stepped back, giving her a small smile, which she returned.

Then Sophie wiped her suddenly sweaty hands on her pants and placed them, trembling, on Keefe's head, diving into his mind like she had so many other times.

Keefe's thoughts were scattered – senseless. It broke Sophie to see him like this. He'd always had one of the sharpest minds she knew of, and even more so with his photographic memory. Now...