My Moonlark

Part 2-Sophie's POV

"Okay, we're here," Sophie heard Keefe as her feet touched solid ground once again. Sophie opened her eyes and found herself in front of the familiar building of Foxfire. The glass pyramid shimmered irregularly as rays of moonlight danced around it. A small chuckle escaped her lips.

"Foxfire?"

Keefe grinned sheepishly. "I know today was hard, so I thought the best way to recover would be to go somewhere familiar. Aaaaaaand...by that I mean we're raiding the secret cafeteria with the fancy desserts for the second time."

Sophie's mouth dropped open. When the Neverseen had brutally attacked Sophie and Fitz with shadow flux, Keefe had taken her to a cafeteria filled with confections for the Mentors to distract her from her bedridden state. She had needed the trip to regain her confidence for the long road of recovery ahead. It was one of the sweetest things he had done for her, and going back to the secret cafeteria together sounded extremely inviting. 

But she wasn't going to admit that just yet.

She crossed her arms over her chest, a coy smile taking over her face. "I wouldn't have expected this on our first date."

"Yeah, well... I'm not normal," Keefe said it with a smile (that didn't quite reach up to his eyes), but Sophie could sense the grief behind his carefully crafted mask. Her heart couldn't handle the sight of Keefe in sorrow; especially when she knew it was because of her. So she reached for his hand, twined their fingers together, and whispered, "I love it."

Keefe's eyes shot to the ground, and Sophie noted with pleasant surprise that the tips of his ears had turned pink. But his voice had become teasing again as he said, with a smirk, "You love the cafeteria, or me?"

Sophie knew what he was doing, and she wasn't going to fall for it. She matched his smirk with one of her own and, without giving it a second thought, stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek.

"Both," she stated.

Keefe was now positively glowing, his hair ruffled, his cheeks a vivid red as his eyes met hers. Sophie couldn't help but notice how adorable he looked. He didn't say anything, just held her hand tighter and pulled her closer to him as they walked towards the entrance together, a grin plastered on both their faces.

The hallway, usually coloured by the sunlight hitting the stained glass, was now bleached of colour. Moonlight streaming through the transparent glass walls sliced the darkness, giving the atmosphere a soft glow. Sophie tried to memorise the path Keefe was leading her through, but she kept losing track in the middle. So she focused on counting her breath instead as excitement and anticipation bubbled in her.

At around the 200th breath, Keefe stopped in front of a large, mahogany door. An intricate network of swirls was engraved through the entire length of the door. Upon closer look, Sophie realised the engravings were actually faint outlines of all 6 mascots of Foxfire. She brushed her hand over the carvings, feeling the ebb and flow of wood beneath her fingers.

"Behold! The ultimate betrayal of trust when you learn just what the Forklenator has been hiding from us." Keefe paused and took a dramatic breath; Sophie fought the urge to roll her eyes.

"Keefe, I've already been here before."

"You should be feeling the hurt every time you even think about why such a place is forbidden to us."

Sophie's cheeks hurt from grinning. "Just open the door."

A smirk flashed across his face as he pushed the door open. Sophie was immediately met with a tantalizing aroma of sweet, savoury, and salty altogether that made her mouth water. She took a slow, long breath, letting the aroma fill her up.

"What is that amazing smell?" she whispered, closing her eyes and taking another long whiff.

"That would be the combination of every existing dessert in the Lost Cities." He seemed to be speaking very slowly as he shuffled into the room.

The cafeteria was just as grand as the last time she had come here. The reflecting pools at the feet of the throne-sized chairs were still and free of movement. The wall to her right was filled with rows and rows of delicacies in glass cases that stretched from the ceiling to the floor. She could see a new type of dessert every way she turned—Rippleruffs, Butterblasts, Mallowmelt, Custard Bursts, Fluffcreams, Blitzenburry Muffins and so many others she didn't know the name to—and they all seemed to be calling her name. Her stomach growled in response.

'You're right." Sophie took a step towards Keefe, who had been staring at a row of desserts in front of him for a while now, his back to her. She spotted a row of butterblasts, each one seemingly more perfect than the other under the glow of the flickering lights. Keefe tore his gaze from the glass wall and raised his eyebrows at her.

"Mr Forkle has a lot of explaining to do." She smiled as he let out a chortle.

Sophie reached for a butterblast but stopped as Keefe turned abruptly to face her, his right hand behind his back. There was something about the way he looked at her that made her instantly suspicious. She gave him a questioning look as he took a deep breath.

"I've been waiting for this moment for a long time." He lowered himself slowly until he was down on one knee. Sophie's heart stilled.

"I never thought this day would ever come, but here we are." He met her eyes as his right hand started moving towards her. She took a small step back, needing to put space between them. Her heart pounded against her ribs; her breathing hitched. Keefe bit his lip and was quiet for a painfully long time.

"Keefe, what-"

"Sophie Elizabeth Foster."

Sophie swallowed hard. Her chest felt tight and constricted.

"Will you make me the happiest man alive and have a butterblast with me?"

Keefe thrust his right hand in front of her as a smile finally broke free in his face. He held out two small, perfectly round butterblasts.

Sophie's mouth fell open, and the tightness in her chest disappeared in an instant as air rushed into her lungs. She hadn't realised she had been holding her breath until she felt her lungs scream with relief. As Sophie stared at the butterblasts in Keefe's hand, she let out a surprised snort. Then another. And another. Soon, she dissolved into fits of laughter, her breath coming in quick gasps in between. She could hear Keefe chuckling beside her as he stood up, which did nothing to control her own laughter, but merely spurred it on. Sophie finally managed to calm down when she caught Keefe staring her.

"What?" she choked out in between giggles.

"It feels so good to hear you laugh." He stepped closer to her, running a hand across her cheekbone softly. Sophie sobered as goosebumps scurried up her arm, and she rubbed at them.

"It feels so good to laugh." She placed her hand over his for a moment, giving him a grateful smile.

Sophie took a butterblast from Keefe as they walked towards the throne-sized chairs facing them. As the adrenaline rush faded, a million thoughts and emotions clouded Sophie's mind in its wake. She pressed her hand at her diaphragm, where she felt her tangle of emotions twist. The rush of relief in her died down, and Sophie was surprised to find disappointment settle heavily in her chest.

But that made absolutely no sense. What was there to be disappointed about? Her brows pulled together in confusion.

And then she knew.