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Sophie has avoided caves for a while now.
Most of the time she doesn't really need to worry about them much, but every once in a while the Black Swan will have a dark underground base. When the rare occurrence does happen, it's not that big of a deal—but it definitely gets on her nerves.
Every single time, she feels shaky.
Cave means danger.
Avoid it.
All of this avoidance ended up being for nothing, because the Neverseen were able to abduct her and Keefe anyways. In plain sight, right in front of their other friends. It was nobody's fault. Nobody but the Neverseen, of course.
Sophie—and Keefe too, probably—got drugged just like her and Dex had all those years ago.
Now, they were in a cell.
A lot was different from her first kidnapping, some things better, some worse.
To try and stay positive, she tried to only think about the good things. They were together. They weren't blindfolded or chained up. She wasn't starving or thirsty to the point of discomfort.
But the bad things were just... so overwhelming. She didn't know what was going to happen next. Keefe was clearly on the brink of a panic attack. She had a headache from whatever drug they had used. Her abilities had no effect because of all the precautions the Neverseen had learned to use. And the worst of all... they were pissed. Clearly whatever they were planning for them was bad.
Keefe started breathing heavily again.
Sophie looked up at him. "Keefe, try and calm down."
He was pacing back and forth, and she was sitting on the cold hard ground, nervously watching him.
"Sit down with me." She said, voice soft despite all the worry. "Come on."
He didn't reply. Just stood there and looked at the wall. His breathing was still wacky.
Fuck.
"Keefe." Sophie said, sterner this time. "Keefe!"
Still nothing.
Elwin would know what to do. Ro would too. Sophie has been told she can handle it well, but she wasn't too convinced in her ability to calm him down. She wasn't exactly a panic attack specialist or anything close to a doctor or physician.
She shakily got up and walked over to him, standing where he was staring.
He finally glanced at her.
Thank goodness.
"Hey." Sophie whispered over his labored breaths. "It's going to be fine."
She was trying to convince him, but also herself.
The air was cold in the cell, but not horrible. She was able to do body temperature regulation to make it better, but it seemed like Keefe wasn't thinking about it. Or didn't have the energy. She wouldn't have blamed him, considering she felt practically the same way.
Sophie took his hands in hers. "Feel my emotions, Keefe. What do you feel?"
Sometimes it grounded him to think about somebody else's feelings. She knew she had plenty, so maybe this would work.
"Uh..." he closed his eyes for a solid five seconds. "W-Worried."
"Yes, I am." She agreed, mostly just glad he was speaking. Even if it was about how scared she was.
"And—but you're also just... exhausted?"
"Yeah, that's good. Exactly."
"Overwhelmed but also maybe kind of calm?"
Well that's good to hear.
"Yeah, I am." She nodded, even though it felt like a lie. "Because it's going to be ok."
He hummed in response.
Neither of them were convinced.
Sophie kept her hold on his hands, moving to sit down against the wall again.
She patted the ground next to her, "Sit down with me. Please."
He joined her, slumping his head against her shoulder.
She leaned her head against his.
Under better circumstances, maybe it would have been romantic. Another step in their relationship. But right now it felt like the calm before the storm.
"Sorry Foster." He muttered. "Happens."
"It's ok." She promised. "I'm not upset."
And she never would be. Not at him.
Any form of calmness left her body when Lady Gisela let out a cackle.
They didn't even see her, but they could hear her.
Keefe turned his head, tucking it more into her shoulder as if to block out the sound, whimpering.
Sophie felt so terrified she was honestly surprised Keefe could be so close to her. His emotions must be in shambles.
The boy's blonde curls were covered in sweat, falling over his forehead in a messy style. His ice blue eyes were glued closed in—what could only be—fear. He started breathing heavy again, but not quite as bad as before. He was in control, somewhat.
"It's ok." Sophie shushed, trying to calm him down, but knowing there was nothing she could say.
When Lady Gisela finally stalked up to the cell bars, Keefe didn't seem to notice. Sophie knew her heart rate must have spiked, but he didn't react.
Lady Gisela cocked her head to the side, giving them a fake pout. "Aww—"
Keefe jerked his head off Sophie's shoulder immediately, eyes snapping open faster than lightning.
His horrible "mother" only smiled at his reaction. "Glad to see I have your full attention."
Neither of them responded.
Sophie subtly squeezed Keefe's hand, and he didn't move it after, so neither did she.
"Enjoying the little joint custody situation we've got going on here?" Lady Gisela laughed, "I decided to be nice."
"Likely story." Sophie managed to spit out.
The woman raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. "Wow, it appears like the Moonlark finally grew a brain."
"Shut it." Keefe scoffed, "You don't get to talk to her like that."
"Keefe..." she tutted, "Don't talk to your mother that way. It's disrespectful."
"Good. That's kind of what I was going for."
"Enough." Her expression hardened to ice. "You two will give up the Black Swan base's location. The one you guys have been hiding in all this time."
No. No! Everything is there—including our friends. Every secret and every lead is at that base.
'We can't.' I transmitted the words to Keefe, so only he could hear. 'Everyone is there right now.'
'I know.' He responded immediately, thinking the words back into her brain.
"It's not happening." Sophie told her.
Keefe nodded.
"Oh Fintan?" Lady Gisela called, turning towards the hall that she had came from. "They don't seem to want to spill their little secrets quite yet!"
Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no—
Fintan walked into their line of sight, looking every bit as terrifying as Sophie remembered. Her brain thought up his face a lot, down to every last scar on his body.
"Hello." He grinned evilly at them. "Miss Foster? Mr. Sencen? I hear you're being... difficult?"
Sophie and Keefe both glanced worriedly at each other when Fintan pulled out the key to the cell.
This was not going to be good.
He stepped into the cell, and before Sophie could even consider trying to tackle him—or do something else that could result in their escape—he lit his hand on fire.
She flinched back further against the wall when he approached.
"What?" He grinned, eyes reflecting the flames. "You're not still afraid of fire, are you?"
With the hand that wasn't on fire, he grabbed Sophie's arm, yanking her painfully into a chokehold. He wasn't choking her—yet—but she was fully pinned against him. Sophie tried to kick him away, but it was useless.
Keefe started yelling, getting on his feet and trying to help her. But the second he got close, Fintan lowered the flames closer to Sophie's head.
She could feel the intense heat, and started to slightly panic, because she knew he wouldn't hesitate to do damage to her—as she had done plenty to him.
"Tell me the location." Fintan said to Keefe. "Or else your little girlfriend suffers."
"Don't." Sophie gasped out, "Keefe please."
She knew he wanted to.
She wanted to as well.
But they both knew what the consequences would be.
Fintan's fiery hand moved from the top of her head to right next to her neck. "Nothing to say?" He asked.
Sophie did her best to shake her head at Keefe, another silent plea.
She could handle it. The others would be in so much danger if she couldn't. All her and Keefe needed to do is hold out until they're rescued.
The pain was worse than she had been expecting.
Her knees felt weak.
Head spun.
Fintan kept her upright as he pressed his burning hand against her throat.
Sophie gasped out in pain when it got hotter and Lady Gisela kept telling Keefe he could end it all with just a few words.
Keefe was having another panic attack.
Sophie thought she might pass out.
The two Neverseen members seemed like they were finally satisfied, and Fintan dumped Sophie onto the floor.
They then locked them up again, promising to be back.