Board Thread:Short Stories and Fanfictions/@comment-37582711-20191230004209

-Hi guys!!! Okay, so this is a sad one...


 * Also, this has death in it, some violence, and is heavier- it's not happy- so please don't read if this is something you are not comfortable with!

-this only has one update, this is just a one-part story!

Alright, here we gooooo:

“What happens if the sun doesn’t come up?” 

'''Keefe laughs at the question, shaking his head at the girl in front of him. “I get why you’re always stressed, Foster- is this really what you choose to worry about?”'''

'''Sophie frowns. “It’s theoretical, you know. So what would happen?” '''

'''He shrugs and offers a half-hearted answer, something about it being really dark. '''

'''That gets him an exaggerated eye-roll, even though Sophie can't quite stifle a giggle. She shakes her head turns back to her book, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ears.'''

And that leaves Keefe to hide a grin because it's Sophie Foster, so forgive him if he’s absolutely smitten.

'''They’re sprawled across the couches in Havenfield- he hadn’t been able to stand another moment with his father, so he’d chosen to escape to Sophie, to work more, he’d claimed. '''

His smile drops as he remembers what exactly he came to work on- analyzing the strategy that the Black Swan has set up for the next week, the one where they try to launch a surprise attack on the Neverseen.

(He thinks they’ll fail. They always do.)

'''It’s not that their plan’s bad or anything- actually, it’s foolproof, seemingly- show up, bust out the Balck Swan’s strange mish-mash of rare and excellent powers, take a few prisoners, get out as fast as they can. Simple. It’s just a simple strike to try and reduce the Neverseen’s numbers- the Black Swan had gotten a whiff of their location and wanted to make use of it. '''

'''But he knows (and everyone, he thinks, knows, a little, too) it’s not going to be like that. Somehow the Neverseen will be ready, and they’ll hit back with twice the force, and then someone’s going to get hurt. '''

“Keefe.”

'''And his mom (god, his mom) will stand there, watch the blood spill, and laugh, laugh and disappear into thin air. '''

“Keefe, hello?”

He hates her, hates them all so much, so much he can’t even breathe, he can’t-

“Keefe.”

He looks up and finds Sophie watching, eyes on his hand, knuckles white around the pencil he’s holding.

“You alright?” 

He meets her eyes, golden-flecked and beautiful, and then nods and laughs at her, as if she’s concerned over nothing.

It’s scary how good he’s gotten at lying, he thinks bitterly, watching Sophie turn away, reassured.

(His mom would be proud, wouldn’t she?)



The fight comes and goes in the blink of an eye.

'''Well, not really. '''

'''It lasts hours, a bloody, exhausting ordeal that is neither simple nor expected. The Neverseen hadn’t predicted them, but it turns out that’s alright because they had just perfected a new weapon, one that allowed them to disable abilities at will, meaning the Black Swan was left with hand to hand combat against their still-powered enemies. '''

The worst-case scenario, really.

Escape isn’t an option, the Neverseen have made sure of that, trapping them in- they’re trying to accomplish something, but Keefe can’t quite figure it out.

He’s too busy slicing, kicking, stabbing his way through the dark cloaks that haunt his nightmares.

He’s close to collapsing when he hears the scream.

'''It’s deafening and inhumane, piercing him through the heart, and then... well, then the Neverseen are gone. '''

He blinks and wonders why they’re running away, suddenly light leaping away, exits clear for the Black Swan to leave.

'''Is it because of the scream? '''

'''Who screamed? He can’t place it, the sun blinding him as he whirls around, searching.'''

And then he sees.

(He wishes he couldn’t)

He finds her glinting, golden hair first, dirt woven into the shining strands.

Then her closing eyes.

Then the red staining her side, slipping off her dangling fingers.

Sophie Foster is dying, he realizes, and he can only watch as Edaline wails and cradles her close, Grady on his knees, head in his hands.

“No,” Keefe whispers.

'''The Neverseen accomplished what they wanted. '''

They killed the Moonlark.

“No, no, no, no-” the words tumble out of his mouth as send him scrambling over to her “-no, please, no, no, no.”

'''He sees the tears glinting on Biana’s face, sees Linh’s ashen, wide-eyed despair, Tam’s shadows gathering into a monstrous reflection of the rage boiling inside him. He hears Fitz’s screaming, Dex’s frantic denial of her injury floating away into the sky, hears his own heart breaking into tiny pieces. '''

“Sophie,” he whispers, finding his way to her side (he notices everyone moves away for him as if they know… whatever it is, they know).

'“Sophie, Sophie'', please.” he twines their fingers together, not even feeling the wave of pain that suddenly crashes over him. '''

Her eyes focus on him from behind shuttered eyelids, but then they close with a sickening finality.

“Please,” he begs, and he feels Grady’s hands slip around his shaking shoulders.

“It’s over,” he tells Keefe, voice breaking as his universe shatters.

'''Keefe shakes his head. '''

Please.

'''The world isn’t spinning anymore, not now, not ever, he thinks. All the colors he used to see around him, the vibrant blues, reds, yellows he spilled onto papers, they’re burning to ash. '''

'''His hand tightens around hers because he thinks he needs to know what it feels like to die. '''

'What happens if the sun doesn’t come up'', Sophie had asked a million years ago, curious and happy. Oh, he hadn't even been able to fathom how that would feel. '''

'''Keefe watches Sophie shudder out one last breath. '''

What happens if the sun doesn’t come up?

He knows.

'''He knows it now. '''  