Chapter Two

"What?" The blonde boy gasped, a shocked hand falling onto his face to stifle and already-escaped gasp.

"She assumed that was to be your reaction." Gethen continued, the smirk still pulling at the corners of his mouth.

"It can't be...." The Empath looked shook to his core.

"They're lying, Keefe, this is how they get to you!" Sophie pleaded.

"I assure you, we are being truthful." Gethen cut across the moonlark's words, still working his mind games.

"Take your assurance and get rid of it, I don't need it or care for it." Keefe snapped, then took a seat on the ground.

"Keefe-"

"Foster, let me think for a second, okay?" He asked, sinking his blonde head into his hands. He was not caring, for once, that his hair was getting demolished.

She fell silent, blonde hair draping over her shoulders as her accusatory glare turned to Gethen.

"Would you like us to prove it to you?" The Telepath ignored Sophie.

"Yes, please do." The Sencen looked up before his friend could prevent him.

"Hello, Keefe." Lady Gisela appeared in all her immaculate, evil glory, decked out in shade of burgundy and black. Stones lines the nape of her neck, rubies that gleamed brightly.

"Ah, yes. I bought myself a more sufficient necklace after I revealed my true nature. Cassius' was much too gaudy." Gisela's hawklike gaze noticed where Keefe's line of sight strayed.

Keefe snorted at that, but sounded broken nonetheless.

"Moving on to more important things." She turned to fully face Sophie before continuing.

"You have something we need, Miss Foster."

"I threw out your intelligence in the garbage. Sorry." Sophie retaliated snappishly.

"No, no, we still have our wits. I was talking about the crystal." Gisela purred.

"What crystal?" Sophie asked.

"You gave it to her, did you not?" The Neverseen leader turned to her son.

Keefe looked at the ground, scuffing his shoe.

"Keefe, what is she talking about?" The moonlark turned to her friend.

"There was a hidden crystal in the necklace I gave you outside of the Sanctuary." He murmured reluctantly.

"You did what?" She demanded, not sure whether to be furious or scared.

"Yeah, I, um, needed somewhere else to put it, and since I was apprehensive of it's power, I, erm, gave it to you."

Her glare softened as he went on.

"You're the bravest person I know, and the one who seemed most capable of handling it, whom I could trust not to notice it right away and go to the adults or the Black Swan."

"But, Keefe, you put a massive target on my back. Surely you realized they would come after me for it sooner or later." She told him, tone contained within the boundaries of reason.

"I know, and I'm sorry." He lowered his head in shame, staring at the ground beneath his feet as he tapped it with his foot.

"Hey." Sophie waited for Keefe to raise his head before speaking.

"It's okay, I get it. You panicked. We all do, and it's fine."

We'll get out of this. She added telepathically.

They turned to face the Neverseen.

"Come and get it." Sophie challenged, narrowing her eyes.