FOURTEEN

                                    

                                          


                          
    Sophie woke up with a smile, glad for the weekend. She rolled out of bed and made her way downstairs, following the smell of blueberry pancakes.
                          
      "Good morning," Sophie told Edaline as she skipped into the kitchen and then to the fridge to find a drink.
                          
     "Good morning, Sophie—and don't you dare touch that milk," She said right a Sophie was going to grab the carton and pour herself a glass.
                          
      Sophie begrudgingly put the milk back and leaned against the counter. "Are we doing anything exciting or out-of-the-ordinary today?" She asked, watching Edaline flip a pancake over. 
                          
      Edaline thought for a minute before shaking her head. "No, I don't think so. Grady's going to be working with the animals, and I'm going to the store around two-thirty."
                          
    Sophie looked at the time on the microwave. It was nine-fifty. They still had hours until it was time to go.
                          
     "When you go to the store," Sophie said. "Can I come with you? I want to get out of this house so bad,"
                          
     Edaline laughed. "Sure—but what are you going to do in the meantime?"
                          
     Sophie's shoulder's slumped. "Ugh! I don't know," Sophie thought for a minute. She'd love to go see Fitz or Biana, but she wasn't going into town until 2:30, so that plan was a bust. All of her old friends were no longer her friends anymore, so that idea was down the drain too. What could she do?
                          
     "Oh!" Sophie exclaimed, finally realizing. "I could go see Keefe,"
                          
     She'd never been to Keefe's house before, but there was a first time for everything. She just wanted someone to talk to.
                          
     "I think that's a good idea," Edaline said before handing her a plate of pancakes. "Just eat and get dressed first. But once it's two twenty-five I want you to come back so we can go to the store. Alright?"
                          
     Sophie nodded, grabbing her plate and sitting down at the dining room table. She stared to eat—and as much as she loved savoring her food, she scarfed the pancakes down and put the plate in the sink in only 2 minutes.
                          
     She ran up the stairs and into her closet. She decided to wear a red sweat-shirt with a pair of blue jeans and boots. As she walked down the stairs she threw on a coat—because it was starting to get colder outside—and then she walked out the door.
                          
     Keefe's house was probably fifty feet across from her front door, so it only took her a bit to get there. As she walked across the street, she saw something she hadn't noticed before. Surrounding Keefe's house was a big metal gate that was half the size of the three story building. 
                          
     As Sophie came up to the gate, she noticed a button with a speaker-thing attached to it. She shrugged before pressing the button. Suddenly, a woman's voice came through the speaker.
                          
     "Yes, who's there? If you're selling girl-scout cookies—we don't want any."
                          
     Sophie tried to hold back a laugh. "Um...I'm Sophie Foster—I live across the street—and I'm here to see Keefe Sencen."
                          
     It was silent for a few minutes before the voice finally came back. "You may come in,"
                          
    Then the gate opened and Sophie walked down the stone path, all the way to the front door. The house was as tall as it was wide and was very pristine.
                          
     Just as Sophie was about to knock on the metal knocker—because that was one of her many life goals—the door opened and a woman with purple tipped hair and a stern expression stood at the threshold.