She'd never been one to like the quiet.
Growing up in San Diego the house had always been loud. Her mom had always had the radio on when she worked and her dad liked to cook with a podcast going. Amy was easy to find just from the sounds she emitted at all times whether it was the TV, her newest celebrity obsession, or her ever-present need to close the cabinets with a slam. In a full house, there was never a dull moment. Even Morty made himself heard.
It was one of the things Sophie noticed when she first 'moved' to the Lost Cities. Edaline and Grady were very quiet people, especially in their grief. That paired with the entire floor that was only her bedroom made for a very quiet house. She could hear the birds in the morning, rain on the roof, wind in the trees. All serene and no chaos. Even the animals in the sanctuary kept to themselves at most times. No human thoughts bombarding her brain. It was devastatingly beautiful and nothing at all like her original home.
She couldn't sleep.
Around the nightmares and the ache in her heart, the silence was what really kept her up those first few nights. She adjusted to it over time but the silence kept buzzing in her mind, reminding her just what was missing. The familiarity of her mother's thoughts no longer there to keep her company in the dark. A cuckoo bird finally returned home wanting nothing more than to be returned to its beautiful lie.
All it took to fall asleep after all these years was some music off her iPod to keep her company as she drifted into dreamland, only waking up a handful of times. The silence no longer consuming but familiar once again.
It had finally turned a corner after the night she spent at the Vackers.
The sleepover wasn't much different than the ones they had in the past. Just like usually they played games and made lots of food while Sophie tried to introduce them to human music. Most of them, having not heard any kind of music like this before, gave her a polite smile and tried their best to enjoy it. Though Tam seemed into it.
Eventually, the moon would reach its height and they would make their way to bed. Sophie would inevitably wake and sneak herself into the living room where she could ride out the silence without waking anyone else.
But this time she wasn't alone.
One look at the ruffled blond hair and she knew just who it was.
Keefe was looking out the window when she entered, trying to be quiet and not disturb him. Sitting down on the other couch in the room, she tried to see why he was awake before making herself known.
Looking across at him she noticed a small line on his face reflecting in the moonlight.
"Keefe..."
The word slipped out of her mouth before she even knew she was saying it.
His head whipped around, eyes confused before landing on her.
"How did you know-" he started voice raw, wiping the tear from his face.
"I didn't know you were out here," she interrupted, "I usually come out here when I don't sleep well."
His eyebrows furrowed and he shifted so he was facing her. He shook his head, "I was going to ask how you snuck in here so well. The floorboards squeak when they shift a lot."
Glancing at the floor she bit her lip. How was she going to explain to him she memorized which floorboards creaked without sounding crazy?
"As I said, I'm used to coming out here. I don't always sleep so well."
He blinked, looking very much like he wanted to say something but didn't.
Sophie shifted so her legs were underneath her, "What are you doing out here?"
He let out a sigh and looked back out the window. The Vacker house may be known for the bright gates that enclosed it but the view was rivaled by few. The grassy hills surrounding the pond were a picturesque example of what paradise must be like for those who made it. It was one of many reasons Sophie came to this particular room to ride the night out.
"Everything that's going on is just getting to me I guess," he finally murmured.
Sophie wasn't used to seeing him like this, lost of all humor and confidence. Something inside her yearned to give him a hug but she restrained herself.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"Talk about what!" he huffed, suddenly angry. "Talk about how my family sucks. How I have to go to school every day and watch everyone go home to their happy little families. Or how about the fact that I keep making all these mistakes and how no matter how hard I try," his voice cracked, "I keep hurting people."
"Keefe you can't put that on your shoulders, trust me when I say making mistakes comes with the territory of trying to help. You have to forgive yourself and remember that you are doing your best, nobody is perfect."
She glanced at him and noticed his eyes closed tight.
"I've been trying so hard," he choked out, "but how do you accept your mother's a murderer. How do you look at a family like mine and not assume that everything that they are, is exactly what makes up me?"
His chin wobbled as he tried to keep the tears from falling and her heart broke for him.
"They were my parents and they never tried to love me."
Keefe covered his face with his hands and Sophie panicked. What was she supposed to do? Usually, the roles were reversed but she was determined to be there just as he had been for her.
She moved across the room and nealed in front of him.
"I can't speak for your parents, though if I could there would definitely be some choice words involved,"
Keefe gave her a small smile.
"But I can speak to losing your family, and I know it's hard no matter how you lose them. While I will never know what it was like for you, I know that the loneliness you feel right now will fade. That you will fill your life with the people who love you."
She took his hands in hers. Looking into his icy blue eyes she saw just how vulnerable he was at this moment. How badly he had been hurting.
"You aren't like your parents Keefe, while you may have similar hair and eyes that's where the similarities end. Where your father is cold you have always been kind, where your mother is selfish you have always put others first, and where your parents forgot to love you have loved everyone around you."
He blushed and looked away before releasing the breath he'd been holding. Sophie's heart slowed with relief as she saw how her words had helped.
"I'm sorry if that was too forward," she murmured and let go of his hands.
"No, it was perfect," he whispered and gave her a grateful shy look. "I needed to hear that."
Her heart sped up, suddenly flustered in front of this boy she had always considered a friend.
"Glad to help," she almost squeaked and stood up to leave.
"Wait Foster," he grabbed her hand, stopping her.
"Yeah?" She tried not to think about how nice his hand felt in hers. How his pj's suddenly didn't look so childish anymore. His hair all that much more handsome.
"Why do you sleep in here when you visit?"
She cocked her head trying to understand his question.
"I don't sleep in here I sleep in Biana's room."
Keefe, still holding onto her hand, furrowed his eyebrows.
"Why do you come in here so much then?"
She mentally smacked her forehead.
"Oh, sometimes I find it hard to sleep with the silence. At home, I can play music to help me fall asleep but I don't want to accidentally wake anyone up so I come here to hang out until I fall asleep or it's time to wake up."
"And you don't like taking sleeping elixirs," he remembered.
"Bingo."
They stood there awkwardly for a moment, Keefe's hand grasping hers, while he thought about her words.
"Come lay down next to me."
Sophie stiffened, "What?"
Keefe, seeming to understand what he just said, blushed, "I meant, like, well... maybe you could come and lay down and I could talk to you until you fell asleep so it wouldn't be so quiet..."
Sophie's heart lurched, "That would be...lovely Keefe. Thank you."
She made her way next to him and laid across the couch, her back against his front as he murmured stories to her.
She didn't know any of them, they must have been Elvin children's stories, but she listened to his words and the kindest behind them until she managed to fall asleep.
It was the first time she woke up to sunlight.