A/N: Yep, that's right, people! I'm baaaack! Well, it's barely been two weeks, so it's kind of a record lol. There was a sudden burst in reviews, which reminded me, 'Cary, you have to update, girl!' I'm so sorry for the relatively long wait. I felt kind of uninspired for a while and kept procrastinating the next update. And sooo here it is XD right after the reviews:
Guest: Heeere it is! Aww, thank you 3!
Fan Person (2): Done :). Thanks for reviewing twice on the same chapter lol. It kind of lifts my spirits up to know that the first fanfiction I started here on FF has a few dedicated readers :D.
I'm A Person: Awww, thank you so much! :D You're probably boosting my ego level too high XD. Thank you SO MUCH for letting me know that. I'm honored to be the first fanfiction you reviewed for :). 3 Thanks for reviewing and I hope you'll like this chapter.
Fan Person (1): No problem. 3. Aww, you literally don't know how happy that makes me lmao. I'm so glad to hear that. :)
*Chapter 21*
Keefe wrapped an arm around Sarah. "No, no, no. We're not doing that," he told Mr. Forkle.
"Um, Keefe," wheezed Sarah. "Can't... breathe."
Keefe loosed his grip a little but did not remove his arm from Sarah's shoulders. Mr. Forkle's wrinkly face made by ruckleberries contorted into a small frown. "I'm afraid we don't have a choice, Mr. Sencen," he answered with a note of regret.
"We're not turning Sarah over to the Neverseen!" spat Keefe, his ice-blue eyes swamped with terror. "She barely escaped this time. And I was there! How would she-"
Sarah cleared her throat. "Keefe," she remarked coolly, "might I remind you that you were unconscious at the time? I had to drag you the whole time."
Keefe's stony expression shifted into something softer. "Well okay. That part's true. But still!"
Mr. Forkle wanly smiled. "I know, Keefe. But don't worry. She seems to be capable of protecting herself. I dislike putting her at risk- or any of you! But having a double agent could serve us well. The Neverseen is unaware that we have already met Ms. Karcey-"
"Sarah," she corrected curtly.
Mr. Forkle nodded respectfully. "Sarah," he corrected himself, "and therefore we have an advantage over them."
Sarah shrugged Keefe's arm off. "He has a point, Keefe," she admitted, crossing her arms on her chest with an expression of realization.
Mr. Forkle nodded. "I'm sorry, Mr. Sencen. But clearly she is important for their Initiative of sorts, and you've seen how she wasn't harmed."
"Unlike me," mumbled Keefe.
"Exactly," Mr. Forkle answered. "You know that. If you go with your sister, you endanger yourself and possibly her."
Keefe's shoulders slumped and he lowered his gaze to the floor. "I know," he whispered. "But I don't like the idea of leaving Sarah to fend for herself."
"Again, must I remind you I basically fended for myself AND rescued you just yesterday?" Sarah reminded him matter-of-factly.
Mr. Forkle nodded and walked outside, gesturing for them to follow.
Sarah turned her head around only to see her brother, clenched fists held by his sides and a pale face. "Keefe," she murmured, linking their hands together. She used her other hand to lift his chin up. "Keefe," she repeated annoyedly.
"Yeah?" he grumbled. "What is it?"
Sarah squeezed his hand and pulled gently. "C'mon. It's gonna be okay," she said softly.
"How do you know that?" Keefe cried. "Do you even know how I feel right now, Sarah? In the course of one week, I learn that I apparently have a twin sister that the Lord of Lameness and our oh-so-nice mumsy hid from me all my life, lose her, get her back, and then lose her, and then get her back again. Sheer luck won't help you every time, you know."
Sarah pursed her lips, her pinkish-now-fading-to-blonde-hair falling flatly down her back and touching the tips of her chin. She pulled her hand out of Keefe's. "Yeah, believe me, I know that, Keefe. It's not sheer luck, though. Luck helps but I definitely don't rely on it. Do you guys? With your... issues... that I'm kept in the dark about, remember, do you rely on luck to save the day?"
She didn't wait for his response. "I bet you don't. 'Cause you can't. Luck is coincidence. If you rely on nothing but luck you can be sure you'll be very unlucky. So you can't just say that, Keefe. I'm much stronger than you give me credit for. And I'm your sister. Do you know how I feel when you brush off any achievement I make? Yeah, go ahead and say it's because you're 'worried about me.'" Sarah held up her fingers and wiggled them in air-quotes. "But is that really it? Maybe you just want to be the better twin.
"I know everything flipped 180 degrees when I came. When we discovered we're twins. I know after that, nothing was ever the same for you. I know now people will judge you. Judge me. Judge us. I figured that didn't matter.
"I was happy, Keefe. Jeez. You know, I had to leave my supposed family behind, back in the Forbidden Cities. That hurt me more than I'd like to admit. I thought I was on my own now. I thought I had to rely on nothing but myself. I thought I'd be my own cheerleader from then on.
"And then you know how I felt when I found out we were twins? A little indignant first, heck, I was even paranoid after that. But once I realized what I had... I appreciated it. Having a brother to confide in, a twin. Someone to connect with. You know? And when you dismiss me like that, it stings, Keefe. It's not a nice feeling," Sarah finishes, her breathing labored as she slammed her hands onto the walls.
She peeled them off and whirled around to glare at her twin. "I'm gonna go now. And I'm going to return to the Neverseen whether you like it or not. At least there, my talents will be appreciated by both sides of the war."
She spun on her toes and stalked out of the house, returning to Mr. Forkle.
Meanwhile, Keefe was running his hand through his dirty-blond hair, the messy strands sweeping through his fingers. He gritted his teeth and stared at the wall. "Did I say something? Why did she overreact like that?" he muttered to himself.
He lifted his eyes to the open door, outside where Sarah was probably long gone by now.
Keefe rubbed the back of his neck and raced after his sister. The wet grass brushed his shoes and there was a pleasant rainy smell in the humid air. "Did she go?" he rushed to ask, but his tense stance relaxed when he spotted his twin sister standing beside a tree, Mr. Forkle instructing her on what to do should any suspicion arise with the Neverseen.
Mr. Forkle raised his eyebrows when he noticed Keefe walking towards them. "Keefe, this is her decision to make," he reminded him sternly.
Keefe nodded sheepishly. "I know, Forklenator."
A hint of a smile played on Mr. Forkle's wrinkled cheeks. "So the name's back," he mumbled. "Great. And I thought I'd finally lost it."
"Haha, nope," Keefe's trademark smirk spread on his rough lips. "Not if I can help it." He joined his sister, who was doing a good job of ignoring him. "Look, Sarah, I'm sorry," he apologized. "I swear I care about you. You're right, in a way. It... did change everything. But it was for the better. Having a sister, having you, Sarah, it balances the weight. I never had someone I genuinely cared about who was actually related to me-" Sarah cracked a weak smile at that. "-and yeah, I guess maybe I got a little too overprotective. But it's just 'cause I don't wanna lose you."
Sarah shrugged. "Fine. I forgive you. On one condition."
Keefe quirked a small smile. "What?"
"Hug?" Sarah whispered.
Keefe grinned. "I wasn't gonna let you leave without one." He wrapped his arms around Sarah tightly. "I love you, Sarah," he mumbled. "You better not die."
Tears sprung in Sarah's eyes as she pulled away. "I won't," she grinned.
Mr. Forkle cleared his throat. "Is everything in order now?" he asked, lifting a hand to dab at his eyes. Apparently this forgiving brother-sister reunion touched him.
"Yup," Sarah replied, patting Keefe's arm. She hummed the Mission Impossible theme as she approached the tree with a ready smirk on her facade. "Time to become a double agent."
A/N: *sniffs* Gosh, that kinda got me emotional. Anyways, this chapter has like 1,200 words, (not including the a/ns) which is longer than most of the more recent chapters of this fanfiction. I call that progress lol.
3 I love you guys. Stay safe!
