Chapter 10: Keefe

"For the last time, stop hitting me from behind like that," Keefe yelled after his third exercise with Jolie. His whole body was aching and he was very annoyed.

"Is there any other way to trigger a reaction in me instead of hurting me like this?" He was getting desperate.

"Well... I do have another idea but... you probably will think that it's worse than what I'm making you do right now." Jolie replied, getting off his back and offering her hand to help him get up.

"It honestly can't be worse than this," Keefe hoped optimistically.

"Nope. It's worse but... okay." He breathed a sigh of relief. "Close your eyes. This will get interesting."

Keefe did as he was told, wishing that he hadn't voiced the idea after all. Still, he sat quietly, adrenaline pumping through his veins, preparing for the worst andddd...

Nothing happened.

Nothing felt different.

Wait... what was that?

A cool tingling sensation racing down the sides of his arms.

A heavy thumping in his heart.

And scenes behind his eyes.

So. Many. Things.

He couldn't make sense of anything. Except... her.

All the images settled down morphing into one girl.

The girl he wanted to be with him at that moment.

Sophie.

Sophie laughing.

Talking.

Crying.

Holding his hand,

Helping him suffer through the transformation,

Bringing him cookies,

Looking through his memories,

Hugging him tightly as he clung to her,

Everything.

It all started shifting, changing, and he wouldn't-no couldn't- let her leave him again. Not like this. She looked back at him.

"Don't leave, please," he pleaded.

"I have to," Sophie insisted.

Everything was overwhelming. Mixed thoughts, emotions. Pain, sadness, anger.

And it was all coming from her.

But one thing was missing. Something Keefe had not felt from her since he had left. A shadow that would never return.

Unless-

"LOVE!"

Keefe yelled the word. The one word that would change everything. The word that filled in the spot.

Time stopped.

He felt as if it all stilled.

And she crumpled, disintegrated, disappeared. Left his mind forever.

...

"Keefe. Keefe! Wake up, Keefe!" The voice again. Couldn't they leave him alone? Keefe settled farther back into the hazed darkness.

"Keefe seriously. You're freaking me out. Answer me now or you won't like what I will have to do."

Seriously? Did they have to keep interrupting him? He just wanted to rest!

"Ok Keefe," the voice warned. "Last chance." Keefe ignored them. And regretted it.

Everything started spinning around him, faster, then faster, and...

Keefe jolted back to reality.

"WhereamIwhathappened?" He yelled. His surroundings were still slightly spinning but he could see a blurred outline of a face.

"It's me, Jolie, Keefe. You fainted and wouldn't respond to me at all."

Oh. So that was the noise.

Keefe groaned and sat up. "Ohhhh. I remember now. What the heck did you try on me this time?"

"Well... I wanted to give you something to force another command out of you. So I grabbed your wrists and tried to see what would happen. Suddenly I felt this weird swirling sensation and..."

Jolie paused and looked down at the floor.

"I don't know, I can't explain it but I think you did something to me that caused me to control how you felt. Like I was warping your emotions. When I opened my eyes you were unconscious so when you didn't answer I sent a sharp burst of surprise into you. Care to tell me what happened?"

That explained the jolt.

"I don't know. Just a lot of weird images were going through my mind. I said the only thing I could think of to stop them," Keefe lied.

Well partially lied.

What happened in his mind was not okay. It was terrible. Keefe knew what it meant. Something that would change him forever. Because he knew now. Sophie would never love him.

"Then why did you say the word love?" She asked skeptically, interrupting his downward spiral. Sheesh, it was hard to lie to another Empath.

"Uhhh... I... um..." Jolie interrupted Keefe's stammering.

"It's fine. You can tell me when you're ready to tell me. It doesn't matter."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't think you need anymore practice using your ability on me. This exercise did the trick. And now it's time to test my theory out."