A/N: omg I can't believe it's been three months *grabs a tissue and wipes eyes* oml I'm so sorry! I'm alive, I'm alive! I'm just rlly inactive on ff. I can't believe ppl are still reading it even tho I haven't updated in a century. it made me feel so fricken guilty to know that yall are still awaiting an update... so I wrote this for you guys 3.
btw, i made an account on wattpad and this fanfic is uploaded on there although the updates will always be posted here first :) I'm ilikethemsaltyy if anyone wants to check my prof out. thanks!
reviewssss:
totallynotobsessedwithfiction: oml this made my day tysm. haha thanks :) I hoped I'd captured his character well. awwwww that makes me feel so happy like you wouldn't believe. :) ty for reviewing.
LokiLover3000: ty! ahhhh ik ik I'm so sorry it's been forever!
Swizzlespice: awww omg thank you so much! :)
Fan Person: yesss it's such a great fanfic! lol i get it dw. if you keep allll your fangirling energy inside you it's bound to explode someday. awwww omf i'm literally so honored rn. you too :) haha i read everything! i think i read some of that too! it's rlly good but i ship sokeefeee!
I'm A Person: awww it's no problem bby :) awww yesss some do, i like to. lolll unfortunately brothers irl aren't like that. thanks for your input :) yeah, idk, a lot of the characters tend to accept crap really fast in my fanfics. it's not my strongest point whoops. ty for reviewing!
jefuc2021: thank youuu! lolll sorry! awwww tysm for reading n reviewingggg!
Sokeefe54335: thank you! oh really? sure I will :) sounds interesting.
*Chapter 22*
Her fingers pressed against the wood, and she breathed in to steady herself. Sarah glanced over to Mr Forkle, and then at Keefe. A small smile unfolded on the corners of her cheeks, and she pushed a stray curl out of her eyes.
"Ready?" Mr Forkle checked.
"Bye, Sarah," Keefe softly whispered.
"Bye," Sarah answered, and she spread her fingers out on the bark, closing her eyes in concentration as she struggled to remember the vaguest of details. She couldn't remember if the hideout had any trees but-
She narrowed her eyes determinedly as she realized the perfect spot, the image of the cedar tree springing in her mind. "I'm ready," she murmured, and funneled all her energy into the tree.
Sarah flashed through the tree, her body rolling down the grass and hitting a shoe. "Oof." She rubbed her head, groaning. "I swear I'm never gonna get used to that." She sighed, dusting off her pants and climbing to her feet, only to come face to face with none other than Alvar. "Well this is a little awkward," Sarah mumbled, her cheeks heating up as Alvar grabbed her by the arm.
He narrowed his eyes. "You kissed me as a distraction to escape, of course it's awkward! What are you doing back here, anyways?"
Sarah bit her lip. "Believe it or not, I thought long and hard about this. You said I have to pick a side in the war. I hate both options but I decided to return to you guys."
Alvar scoffed, his clutch on Sarah's arm tightening. "And I'm supposed to believe that?"
"I said, believe it or not." Sarah shrugged. "Please give me a chance, Alvar," she pleaded, her ice blue eyes fixating on him beggingly.
Alvar rolled his eyes. "You honestly expect me to fall hook, line, and sinker for that? You're probably a double agent for the Black Swan." The way he sounded the last few words made it seem as though they were taboo.
Ouch, thought Sarah. That hit the nail right on the mark. Well, Mr Forkle did tell me not to expect them to believe me immediately. I have to work for their trust. If they'd trust me now after I've ditched them endless times, it'd obviously be a trap. She shrugged. "I mean, my brother is a part of them. I see why that'd seem like a viable option. Except, I don't care about Keefe anymore."
Alvar raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" He tugged at Sarah's arm, forcing her to walk alongside him.
"We barely know each other. For sixteen years we've been living our own lives. I don't see why now any of that should change," she lied.
"You seemed like you cared about him a lot the last time I saw you both," observed Alvar, quirking the sides of his lips up in a sort of smirk. "Remember the whole manipulation act you pulled? Which, I gotta say, was pretty impressive. I thought you had actual feelings for me, but that was some excellent acting."
Except it wasn't really, thought Sarah with an inward sigh. I do have feelings for Alvar, as much as I hate to admit it. She shrugged. "I was pretty good in my high school adaptation of Hamlet," she admitted. "I guess some of that theater skill resurfaced in me." She grinned, although it felt very much forced.
Alvar frowned, pausing in his tracks. "Wait a minute. How were you able to flash through the tree to here? Gisela put up security measures so no one, not even you your Quercatemming, could bypass it."
Sarah frowned. "I don't-"
"Karcey, back so soon, I see? Yes, Alvar, I knew she'd return, so I took the liberty of readjusting our security."
Sarah pursed her lips at the familiar snide voice. Her head whipped around, her long and worn blond tresses bouncing over her shoulders. "Lady Gisela," she breathed.
"Karcey," Gisela curtly acknowledged, making Sarah's blood boil. Couldn't she just call her by her preferred name? No, she had to keep using 'Karcey' purely because it triggered her so much! "Put her in the dungeon," she snapped at Alvar.
Alvar's eyes widened. "But, isn't she-"
"No traitorous daughter of mine is going to have a comfortable quarters until we know the exact reasons for her return. So, Alvar. Leap her to the hideout and put her in the dungeons."
"Alvar?" Sarah tried. Alvar didn't answer as he clapped a gauntlet over Sarah's ankle. "Alvar, I know you kind of hate me for what I did but if you'd just listen-" Kind of? Oh, he definitely hates you, a voice inside Sarah's head piped up.
Alvar snapped his head and his intense cobalt blue eyes clouded over with several emotions that Sarah could hardly distinguish because they were all mixed into a violent storm of swirls. "Shut up," he coldly ordered, grabbing another gauntlet and chaining Sarah to the wall, forcing her to lower her body to the ground. The cold metal pressing against her skin wasn't the pleasantest of feelings. Not to mention the concrete she had to sit her butt on.
She sighed, putting her face in her hands. "I'm sorry, Alvar," she muttered. "I swear I never meant to... Can you forgive me?" Inside she was cringing. She sounded so fake. Probably because displays of affection that required real emotion to pull off were really hard for Sarah to recreate.
Alvar ignored her, and after finishing attaching her chains to the wall, he walked right out of the cell, sliding the door shut. Sarah heard the faint click of the lock and then the faint footsteps that faded with every second. Until eventually she was in complete silence.
"God, what mess have I gotten myself into now?" Sarah whispered to herself, her back sliding against the wall. She buried her face in her hands and rubbed her eyes, staring at the grey walls surrounding her.
At least Keefe's safe, she reminded herself, and that was the thought that kept her going through the entire night.
A/N: pleeeeaaassseee review! was this chapter any good? I'm sorry, it's been a while since I last wrote anything on ff, so I might be a little rusty. 3 love you guys. ty for reading.