Chapter Fifteen

a/n: So I was in my school library on Thursday looking for a book since I finished We Were Liars (which is fricking amazing please go read that book), Reality Boy (had a lot if swears if you don't like that), Eleanor and Park (has even more swears than Reality Boy if that's possible), and The Testing (it's like Divergent, The Hunger Games, and The Maze Runner all mixed together). I was minding my own business and decided to look at all the books on the stands (like, the featured books, I guess) and there on a stand in all its glory was Let the Sky Fall. I checked it out and told the librarians (who I'm like best friends with) about Keeper Of the Lost Cities and Shannon Messenger and they were like "Man, we should get this book in out library" and I was like "hell yeah you should" but then I remembered it's middle school rating and I'm in high school so they probably won't.

Also, on Friday someone threatened to shoot up at my school so we had like seven police officers at each entrance and like, half the school went home early. Nothing happened. But good news, my mom says she might buy me a phone because of this since no one told her- she said she would've pulled me out of school if she knew. (gosh darn it that she didn't know)

Okay sorry for the rant.

But hey, longer than usual chapter. . .

NOT EDITED BECAUSE SCHEDULE 

"Does time go the same amount as the Forbidden Cities?" Sophie asked out of no where. Mr. Forkle looked at her, confused. "I don't know, I'm, just wondering."

"That's actually a very good question, Sophie," he commented, smiling. "And yes, they do go the same time."

She nodded. "Okay, I was just wondering. So, how is my family?"

"They're doing great. You sister is getting married, actually," he told her. "I would ask if you would like to attend the wedding with me but you know how that's forbidden and everything."

She nodded in understanding. "Of course. I wish she knew me so I could say congratulations, though." She sighed.

He smiled softly. "How are things there."

"Great, actually. I was asked to become a keeper for the council last week. The ideal choice since only two people have ever slipped past my defense," she said with a wide grin on her face. "I'm not sure how it works out, though. I'm going to go meet with Maisha about stuff next week."

"Maisha?"

"She's a councilor. We're not close but she's okay. She's a vanisher, I think, but her older brother is a keeper and so she knows more about being a keeper than all the other councilors, really," Sophie explained. "I thought you know all the councilors."

He shook his head. "I know all, but I only know a few by name," he told her, frowning. "You probably know more than me, actually."

She nodded. "But," she said, "how? Like, you've been alive for so long and. . . "

"I've been with the Black Swan since forever, and we weren't exactly all 'rah rah go council'," he explained, rolling his eyes. "My main focus in life wasn't to memorize each and ever single one of their names."

"Oh."

"So, other than your new job, how are things there?" he asked.

"Good, I guess," she said.

"What do you mean you guess?"

"It's just that. . . I feel like I'm letting Keefe feel bad. Fitz and Ashla are getting married, Dex said he's going to ask Biana soon. . . And Keefe is waiting for me to say it's okay to ask me and I just can't say it's okay right now and I feel like the worst girlfriend ever."

"Why does that make you feel like the worst girlfriend ever?" He frowned.

"My own boy friend, the love of my life, doesn't feel comfortable with asking me to marry him because he's scared of how I'd react," she explained. "Heck, I'm scared of how I'd react!"

"What is it that scares you?" He frowned. "Like. . . What is it about getting married that scares you? The commitment, the possibility of having a family together afterwards. . . ?"

"I think I'm scared he'll get bored of me eventually, but that's not all of it. I'm not scared of commitment. I've already promised my heart to his, and I don't think I'll ever be able to love someone as much as I love him. He's an empath, he can feel how sure of that I am."

"I don't think that's the only thing he can feel when you're around him, then," Forkle pointed out. "He probably doesn't feel comfortable asking you to marry him because he can feel how nervous you are. He can feel how unsure you are about your future." 

"I am sure about our future-"

"Then why are we having this conversation?" He cut her off. 

She sighed. "I don't know."

He shook his head. "Sophie, do you truly love Keefe?" She nodded. "Can you see you two having a future?"

"Well. . . Yeah, I can see us getting married-"

"But can you see a future? Living together, raising children together. Talking about your day at work, helping each other out with everything. Going to Foxfire to see your kids test scores, and being happy to tell them they passed and can stay there. Figuring out your child has an ability." He looked at her sternly. "Can you see yourself doing that with Keefe one day?"

She bit her lip and nodded. "Yeah. . . I can see it."

"But that's what your scared of." He tilted his head to the side. His eyes widened. "You're scared that it won't happen."

"Mr. Forkle. . . I'm basically made. Can I even do stuff like that? Like. . . You know how hard it is for elves to have children most of the time. Don't you think with my DNA it will be even harder." She bit her lip. "I'm scared I'll never be able to have a happy marriage with the man I love. We can't just say, 'oh it's fine, we'll just adopt' because we can't adopt here."

"Oh, Sophie. . ." He took in a deep breath. "Sophie, when we made your DNA and changed it up and everything, what we did had nothing to do with your ability to have children."

"So. . . You mean. . ."

"Sophie, you are perfectly capable of having children," he confirmed. "You have nothing to be scared of."

She nodded. "I have nothing to be scared of?"

He took her hands and looked her straight into the eyes. "Please tell me you understand what I'm saying," he begged.

She nodded. "Am I ready?"

He smiled. "More than ever."

___

"Hey, how was your time with Mr. Forkle?" Biana asked, sitting down in Sophie's beanie chair.

"He. . . " She hesitated. "He. . . Brought me to a realization," she said, sitting up on her bed. 

"Realization? What did you guys talk about?"

"My new keeper job. . .My old family. . . Keefe. . . " She trailed off each thing. "Mostly we talked about Keefe."

Biana rolled her eyes. "What is this realization he brought you to? That you love him? We already know that."

"Why I don't want to marry Keefe," Sophie said.

"What?"

"He made me realize my reasons for being so scared of it and and me realize that-"

"You don't want to marry Keefe?" Biana asked, confused.

Sophie shook her head. "No, I do. That's what he made me realize. I really really do wanna marry him."

"But we already knew that," Biana pointed out.

"But she didn't," Ashla said, walking into the room. "Sorry I'm late."

"It's fine," Biana said, before turning back to Sophie. "Why didn't you in the first place?"

"I did," Sophie said. She then explained, "I've wanted to marry him for so long. . . I was just scared of it for a reason that Mr. Forkle understood and basically explained to me that I had no reason to be scared and now I'm sure of it."

Biana smiled. "Welcome to the club. I wish Dex was as sure of me as you are of Keefe and Keefe is of you."

"What do you mean?"

"In every relationship one loves the other more. It's not bad, it's normal. . . And in my relationship I just love him more." Biana shrugged. "I'm okay with it."

"I love Fitz more than he loves me," Ashla said. "But Keefe loves you more than you love him."

Sophie's eyes widened. "That is really impossible."

"Did you know that people will request empaths to test this and the one who says they love the other more is usually wrong," Biana said. "Fitz and Ashla had theirs tested for fun and Ashla loves Fitz more. Keefe is an empath and can tell by himself, and he knows that he loves you more than you love him. He knows you love him, though. I asked him to tell me but not tell Dex and he says I love Dex more, but Dex does love me."

Sophie frowned. "Oh."

"I think it just makes me love Dex more, which is just horrible." Biana frowned.

"What?"

"That in everything, he's just better than me at everything but the one thing I wanted him to best me in and it just makes me realize how much I really do love him and in a twisted way, makes me want to love him more."

"That's really depressing," Ashla said.

"What about you? Your loving him more?" Biana looked at her. "How do you feel about it?"

Ashla scoffed. "There's no real real reaction to that. Yeah- I love him more. So what? At least he loves me. People would kill for the one they love to love them back. I would. . . And then the one I loved did love me back. I'm happy. I didn't ask for him to love me back just as fiercely, I just asked for him to love me. He did."

Biana nodded. 

"Him loving me more makes me feel like an awful person," Sophie said, laying down on her bed. "But knowing how much I love him. . . It's kind of weird someone can love me more than that. I love him so much. . . And he loves me more. I thought it was impossible. Leave it to Keefe to do it."

Biana laughed. "Leave it to Keefe."

Ashla let out a giggle, and jumped onto Sophie's bed. "Leave it to Keefe!"

Sophie kicked her leg. "Sit down!" 

Laughing, she sat down just as Sophie's door opened and Edaline walked in. "What are you girls doing in here?"

"Talking about our love lives. We have a new motto."

"Leave it to Keefe," Biana said.

"Wait, when did we agree to this?" Sophie sat up, frowning.

Biana laughed at her distressed friend. "Just now."

"Well, that's not my motto."

"But we made it special for you!"

"And you're the one who said it first," Ashla pointed out.

"I don't even know with you girls anymore," Edaline said, shaking her head.

With a grin, Ashla shouted with excitement, "Did you hear? We're adults!"

"And I love Dex!" Biana added.

"And I'm getting married!" Ashla added. 

"And your daughter wants to get married," Biana said, smirking.

Sophie threw pillows at both of them.