Chapter Text
Sophie made her way back down the hall, nails digging into the palms of her hands. She was running through a list in her head of possible next moves, but none of them seemed entirely plausible. The best she had was: storm the collective and put Mr. Forkle in a chokehold until he agreed to meet with Keefe.
As she rounded the corner, the sound of soft chatter and laughter echoed down the hall. She slowed her pace to creep along the side of the beige walls until she spotted Biana’s room. Her door was cracked open, the voices she’d heard slipping through the cracks. She gently pushed the door open to find nearly all of her friends sitting around the room, lost in conversation. Biana laid on her large bed on her stomach, feet swinging in the air behind her. Marella and Linh sat across from her, Linh resting her head on Marella’s shoulder. Fitz, Tam, and Dex were scattered across the lush carpet. When Sophie peaked her head in, everyone turned and smiled at her.
“Sophie! Come in! Join us.” Biana waved her inside excitedly.
Sophie glanced around the room. “What did I miss?” She made her way to the ground where Dex sat, settling onto her knees on the fluffy carpet.
Fitz answered, “Not much.”
Dex shot her a dimpled grin, adding, “We tried looking for you, but you weren’t in the healing center.”
“Oh, yeah…” Sophie bit her lip, glancing sheepishly at Biana. She’d known where Sophie was, but clearly she hadn’t spilled. Biana tilted her head at Sophie, eyes glinting with curiosity. Sophie shook her head, just enough for Biana to see. Her hopeful face fell, but their interaction was small enough to get lost in the sea of conversation. Sophie tried to pay attention to her friends, but she couldn’t keep her mind from wandering back to Keefe. She hoped he’d manage without her help for a while.
She zoned back into the conversation just in time for the usual Biana makeover proposal. “Come on, it’s the perfect way to cheer us all up, I swear! Feeling cute always makes me feel better.” When met with several eye rolls, Biana added, “Pleeeeaaaseee?”, dragging out the word and fluttering her eyelashes.
She met Sophie’s gaze, and with the flicker of genuine hope in her eyes,
Sophie sighed. “Fine. But no glitter.”
“But glitter makes everything better!”
Sophie shot her a glare, and Biana reluctantly agreed, scurrying across the room to gather supplies. With a stash of makeup products piled in her shirt, she plopped down at her desk, patting the floor in front of her. As soon as Sophie took her seat, Biana pulled her hair back with a fluffy, pink headband and began dotting different products on her face. Sophie wouldn’t have admitted it, but the cool liquids and soft brushes felt kind of nice on her skin.
As the chatter started back up around them, Biana leaned in and whispered, “Forkle said no?”
Sophie glanced over her shoulder. When she confirmed that no one was paying them any attention, she nodded, careful not to move too much as Biana patted her face with a soft sponge. “He never trusts me. I’m getting real tired of it.”
Biana pouted. Her eyebrows knit together as she went still for a moment, the fluffy brush in her hand frozen in mid-air, before her face turned determined. “Well… then we have to show him he can trust you.”
“But how? ”
Biana dipped a smaller brush into a palette, before tapping its handle against the palette’s rim, sending a puff of powder into the air. “Not to defend Forkle here, but… you have kind of been lying to him for weeks - close your eyes.” She gently pressed the powder onto Sophie’s eyelid. “We need to earn back that trust.”
Sophie fought back an eye-roll. “I haven’t been lying . I just… You know I couldn’t tell him everything. He never would’ve let me work with Keefe - and working with him is the only reason we’ve all survived the last few weeks.”
“I know, I know. I just… I just mean that we need to prove to him that you can be trusted.” She picked up another color, tapping the brush against the palette before pressing pigment onto Sophie’s skin. “If we can’t prove that the Neverseen kid -”
“Keefe.”
“ - If we can’t prove that Keefe is trustworthy, we can at least prove that you are, right?”
Sophie sighed. “Okay… but how?”
“I don’t know yet. But I think the first step is to come clean - to everyone.” Biana glanced over Sophie’s shoulder.
Sophie followed her gaze to the people behind her. They were all smiling brighter than she’d seen since their kidnapping. They hadn’t looked like themselves for years, but in this moment, they almost did. Biana was right, her friends deserved to know the whole truth. She just didn’t know how to have that conversation - especially not when they were all so happy and carefree.
Biana spoke up. “I know it doesn’t seem like the right time, but I don’t think it ever will. I think you should just tell them - tonight, while we’re all here together. We can help you, but only if you let us.”
Sophie pursed her lips, exhaling. “Yeah, maybe you’re right.”
Biana continued to dust Sophie’s face with various pigments and, against Sophie’s will, sparkles. She tried to put mascara on Sophie’s eyelashes, but Sophie refused, insisting she could do it herself. She did not trust anyone to get that close to her eye. When she finished, Biana sprayed her face with something that was oddly refreshing.
“Ta-Da! What do you think?” She handed Sophie a round mirror.
Sophie’s eyes had been painted a deep red and shimmering gold. Her cheeks and lips were a little lighter, but still matched the tone well. As much as Sophie despised wearing makeup, Biana’s talent never failed to amaze her.
Biana grabbed Sophie’s shoulders and turned her towards the group, announcing, “Look at how gorgeous she looks!”
To Sophie’s surprise, several jaws dropped. “Oh wow,” Linh breathed, “that red is so your color.”
“It really brings out the gold in your eyes.” Fitz said with a small nod.
Sophie blushed at all the eyes on her, unsure how to respond. She didn’t have to, because Biana stood up and shouted, “Who’s next?!”
This time, Linh raised her hand.
***
Everyone had decided to sleep in Biana’s room that night. They’d thought a sleepover might give them time to plan their next move. With Tiergan missing, the Black Swan couldn’t afford to waste time. Unfortunately, that also meant Sophie had no more excuses.
She cleared her throat, interrupting the smiles and laughter around her. Her friends turned to look at her. She found Biana’s gaze, and Biana gave her an encouraging nod.
“Uhm…” She cleared her throat. “I think I know a way we can help Tiergan.”
The faces around the room grew eager.
She gulped back the nervous butterflies that rose in her throat. “This is going to sound crazy, and I’m sure you’re all going to be mad at me…” She had to look at the ground to continue, “You guys know Keefe Sencen? Lady Gisela’s son?” Everyone nodded suspiciously. “We’ve been talking, and he wants to join us.”
When Sophie finished filling everyone in, she was met with several seconds of silence and blank stares, before Biana spoke up. “I personally think we should do it… I’m not sure the Black Swan can fight this battle alone this time. I really think Keefe could be useful.”
Linh, Marella, and Tam all gave a slow nod after a beat. Dex and Fitz both stayed still, before Fitz crossed his arms. “You can’t be serious.” Sophie opened her mouth to speak, but he continued, “Like, are you actually serious right now?”
She swallowed.
“Why would you keep this from us?” A mix of anger and hurt flashed across his face. When she brought up the courage to meet his gaze, she regretted it instantly. There was something unrecognizable in his eyes. He watched her cautiously, like he would a stranger and not a friend.
She tilted her head, pleading for forgiveness in their stare. “I’m really, truly sorry, Fitz. I shouldn’t have -”
He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. I think it’s an awful idea. Whatever he told you, he’s not one of us. He’s Neverseen - he was literally raised to be Neverseen!”
Sophie bit her lip, unsure how to respond, until Tam spoke up. “Let me meet with him.”
Fitz shook his head as Sophie asked, “What?”
“Let me speak with him. That’s the only way I’ll trust him.”
Sophie pinched the bridge of her nose. Her mind was still trying to process every bit of the exhausting conversation she’d just had.
Before her head got the chance to catch up, Dex cut in. “Me too.”
Fitz sighed, rolling his eyes at both boys. “I don’t trust him. End of story. But if you’re all meeting this guy, so am I.”
Sophie glanced at Biana, who nodded. She blew out a breath. “Okay.”
_________________________
Sophie hadn’t even made it to the rooftop when she spotted Keefe. As she approached, the dead expression on his face grew clearer. He sat on the sidewalk next to Ro, leaning against the brick wall of the building where they usually met. She was glad he hadn’t wandered too far. His hair was as much a mess as it had been when she’d left him, and he was in the same clothes - though they certainly looked more worn. The bags under his eyes made her wonder if he’d slept at all since their last meeting.
Ro greeted her, without even glancing in her direction, “Hey Blondie.” Her casual tone made Sophie wonder how long ago she’d noticed her approaching.
Keefe shot up, his eyes quickly finding her own. She put on as much of a smile as she could and waved. “Hey.”
Ro grinned at her before Keefe could reply. “Let me guess, not good news?”
Sophie pulled out an eyelash before humming. “Yeah.” Keefe’s face fell, all the hope he’d had during their last interaction suddenly drained from his features. “But I still think we can make it work - If you can do me a favor.”
He looked at her suspiciously.
“My friends want to meet you. I think if we can convince them, then we can convince the Black Swan.”
He cringed. “Oh, I don’t know about that, Foster…”
She couldn’t quite hide her disappointment. “Why?”
“Don’t your friends, y’know, like… hate me?”
“They don’t hate you… mostly…”
He let out a scoff.
She added, “But that’s why I think you should meet! They’ll never trust you if you refuse to talk to them.”
Keefe sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I’ll do whatever you need me to. I just don’t think it’s going to go well. Your buddies and I aren’t exactly on great terms.”
“Neither were we.” She shrugged.
His lips quirked. “And we are now?”
She narrowed her eyes. “That’ll depend on how cooperative you choose to be.”
His face finally broke into a smile. “Oooo, there’s the Fiery Foster I’m used to.”
She rolled her eyes. “We’ll be here at midnight. Don’t wander too far - and I’ll bring you a change of clothes. You look like you haven’t showered in weeks.”