Full Summary: NEVERSEEN SPOILERS. A flash of light. Sophie was gone. Because of him. Now he had to pay the consequences. Or the telling of what happened to Keefe when he helped Sophie escape. Nothing he wasn't ready for. Well, there was one thing. First chapter set directly after Sophie left Keefe at the end of NEVERSEEN. NEVERSEEN SPOILERS. This is basically Keefe talking to himself too, but what can you do?

Hiii! I know I have my other story to deal with at the moment but this thought came to me (while I was in the shower, in case anyone was wondering, which no one was) and I just had to write it down. My school has the science fair going on (yes, I'm "smart" but I HATE the science fair) and that has been taking up most of my time so that is one of the reasons I haven't been on as frequently. But enough with the excuses! This story is in Keefe's POV (I guess?): it focuses mostly on him (because I am team Keefe? Yeah, probably) and has him being him.

Disclaimer: Characters and some of the ideas belong to Shannon Messenger. Also I'm a 12 year old girl. Yeah, no, I'm not Shannon Messenger.

A flash of light.

Sophie was gone.

Because of him.

There will be consequences for failure, Fintan had said.

Keefe stared at where she just was, not yet wanting to look up at his future.

His future.

What future?

Then he was thrown to the ground, his face slamming against the cold earth of the ogre territories. His teeth ground against each other and he could practically hear the cracking of his jaw. Time to pay up.

Two thick hands pulled his wrists together behind his back. Keefe could feel a heavy weight on top of him, something straddling him to hold him down.

Oh yeah, that future.

Cold cuffs snapped around his wrists.

Why is it so freezing here? Do the ogres melt in extreme heat?

Fintan paced before the Empath that had been wrestled to his knees before him, the Councilor's cache that he had managed to retrieve for him resting in his left hand. The Pyrokenetic examined it appreciatively, and then gave Keefe an impressed look.

"Finally, someone gives me what I want," he said with an exasperated sigh. "If only everyone else was like this."

Keefe remained silent.

Yes, I need a million me's. We can rule the world.

"Are the chains to tight for you?" Fintan asked.

Keefe gave him a quizzical look. "What?"

Fintan bent down. "Are the chains to tight for you," he repeated, "because I can have them removed if you like."

"Oh, in the name of…" Alvar muttered, crossing his arms over his chest.

Fintan turned around slowly, an eyebrow raised.

Alvar scowled. "You can't be serious! He's just a child!"

"A child that has managed to get me one of the things none of you imbeciles have managed to!" Fintan gestured to all of the other Neverseen crowded around them. Some of them cowered, but most of them glared at Keefe.

"And maybe, it's time to make this whole thing official."

Alvar's eyes widened. "You can't! He'll betray us! And he let the Moonlark go!"

Fintan though for a moment. "And that is the one thing tickling my side." Fintan turned. "What do you think Brant: is he worthy?"

Brant gave a wicked smile from his perch on a jagged rock. "Absolutely." He stroked his chin in thought. "But..." In a flourish, Brant swooped down, a great ball of Everblaze igniting in his hands. "Do you see this, boy?"

Keefe nodded, his eyes locked on Brant's and his lips slightly curved upward.

Yay, heat.

Brant examined his face, his eyebrows furrowing when Keefe simply smirked.

"Mmm...I've seen grown men cower at the sight of my fire, yet...you don't seem afraid."

Keefe laughed, making all of the elves around him start. "I'm an Empath. We know how to hide our feeling's, though I doubt anyone here even has a heart other than one made of coal." Good one, I've wanted to use that one for a while now.

Fintan laughed. "Well, at least he has a sense of humor."

Brant smiled. "Indeed."

"So?" Keefe questioned. "Am I worthy?"

Brant stepped back and Fintan stepped forward. He grabbed Keefe by the collar of his cape and pulled him forward roughly.

"Listen to me, you could easily become one of the youngest and best Neverseen agents I have ever seen, but if you ever pull another one of those tricks—"

Keefe raised an eyebrow, as if to say who me? Pull a trick? Ha.

Fintan gave a humorless laugh. "Don't. You know what I mean. If you ever let a chance to take the Moonlark slip away like that, I will personally be the one sticking the blade of my knife through your heart."

Keefe's blue eyes hardened to ice. I see; I'll just play dead next time, save you the effort.

"With that said," Fintan let go of Keefe's cloak, though his face was still in a scowl, "would you like to join the Neverseen, Keefe Sencen, even with your life on the line?"

Keefe stared at the leader of the rebel group rebelling against the other rebel group that was rebelling against the Council and all Elvin laws. Part of his mind was fighting, saying that he should run while he still could, there was a leap crystal in his back pocket…and the other side was saying it was okay, it was for her—for them—and it was winning.

"So be it."

Fintan smiled. "I admire your courage." He stood as the other elves removed the chains from Keefe's wrists. His eyes latched on something.

In a swift movement, Fintan reached out, snatching the pin from Keefe's cape: his Sencen crest.

Keefe gapped as his cloak slid to the ground. "What are you doing?"

"Well, like every one of them, I need to...brand you. Show your mine, part of the Neverseen, and you obey MY orders and you never betray me or death." Fintan's hand heated, and the crest glowed a dull red as it burned.

He leaned closer. "Hold him."

Agents walked up and grabbed Keefe's arms, holding him in place but knowing he would thrash anyway.

"Try not to move," Fintan whispered in Keefe's ear. "It'll hurt less."

Then he lunged, pressing the burning hot metal to Keefe's collar bone. Keefe cried out, burning tears appearing in his eyes and clouding his vision.

After what seemed like infinity, Fintan pulled away, laughing as Keefe slumped and fell to the ground like a rag doll, clamping his hand over the burn. Fintan threw the steaming crest at the ground, where it cooled almost instantly.

"Keefe, betrayer of the Black Swan, is now of the Neverseen. You will be our guide," Fintan grinned, "our Lodestar. You will lead us to victory, and you," Fintan grabbed Keefe's chin, jerking his face up to look him in the eye, "you will kill the Moonlark. It's time to own up to what you were made for."

Fintan stood, and then called out: "Aeolus!"

The crowd of Neverseen all seemed to take a step back as one when a blurry figure suddenly came to stand next to the Pyrokenetic. It seemed to be wearing a black mask, the hood attached to his jerkin type thing up, and his eyes glowed with an electrifying blue.

"This is your partner, try not to kill him," Fintan said, though Keefe wasn't really sure to which one of them he was talking to as he walked away like he didn't have a care in the world.

Blackness started to take over Keefe's vision, and as his eyes finally closed, all he saw was the blurry figure that was to be his partner staring down at him, and fire.

Yes, I am in love with the Flash. That might be an explanation for Aeolus, but right now, I really have no idea. I will probably be creating more of my own original characters, because we have not yet ventured into the world of the Neverseen with Shannon Messenger, so I'll have to do it for us. Comment, favorite, follow, do whatever you can do to tell me how you felt about this whole thing.

(P.S. I will be updating Through the Spyball soon, and yes it will be…unexpected. Aeolus will be there. There will be Keefe-stalking. And you will probably end up hating me.)

Forever Flash (but at the moment I'm seriously hating on the show) (no offense Flash, I LOVE YOU.)

~Sassy di Angelo :)