a/n: I've decided chapter forty will be the last chapter so around two more chapters until this is finished. *cries*

So I was doing my graphic comp and the same person who won round 1 won round 2 so I told everyone in the comp:

I place my hand on my only copy of Keeper of the Lost Cities and in Sophie Foster's name I swear on Keefe Sencen's life that this is not rigged.  

and one person understood it. I feel like a proud mother even though I'm their friend and they just barely understood xD

chapter question: what do you want to be on the cover of Lodestar? 

tbh I just want Keefe on there. I just want assurance he'll show in the book. I know she said he will but I need assurance. If he was hugging Sophie or something like that that would be a bonus but I'll take what I can get. Or a cover that holds clues to what's going to happen in the book.

BABY SENCEN IS COMING VERY VERY  VERY SOON... LIKE... SOON O.O

not reread or edited

"Don't break my favorite student," Sophie said sternly to Fitz.

"What about Kamry?" He questioned, frowning. 

"She's obviously not my favorite student if I'm forced to leave her with Bronte," Sophie stated.

"I thought you're okay with Bronte," Keefe cut in from his place on the couch. 

Sophie looked at him. "Well, yeah. I'm cool with  Bronte. That doesn't mean he's become best friends with everyone in the Elvin world. Are you best friends with Bronte?" 

Keefe held his arms up in defense. Fitz laughed. "What's got you all angry?" Fitz asked. 

She shrugged. "Someone got me pregnant," she said, glaring at Keefe. 

"You wanted kids," he said, not even looking up from his papers that he was filling out. "We have this argument everyday, by the way," he explained to Fitz.

Fitz tried not to laugh. "It's been so long since Ashla was pregnant with Adela. I forgot what it was like to have a pregnant wife." He rolled his eyes. "Thank you, Sophie, for reminding me why she's currently not pregnant."

Sophie glared at him. "Get out of my house and go teach my prodigy one of the three telepathy tricks you can actually do."

"Okay, you're extra grouchy today," Keefe cut in. "What's up?"

She shrugged as Fitz stepped out slowly. She closed the door. "I don't know. I'm just not feeling to well. Elwin says the baby is due sometime this week and I remember the monster came out a week late or around and it's just... ugh." 

Keefe sat up. "Hopefully he or she will be willing to come a little earlier to help their Mommy," he said, smiling slightly. "You alright? Do you need anything?"

"I still need to have a bottle of Youth," she answered. "Can you grab it for me while I get Kenric?" Keefe nodded and walked to the kitchen while she walked over to where Kenric sat in the dining room with his toys. "Baby, it's time for breakfast," she told him, smiling slightly. 

He immediately stood up. "Momma, why is your stomach so big?" He questioned. 

She rolled her eyes. "You baby sibling is in there."

"Do they know they're making you look fat when you're not?" He asked curiously. 

She held back a small smile at that. "Probably not," she answered. "You can ask him or her when he or she comes out."

"How does it come out?" He asked.

She shook her head. "It doesn't matter how the baby comes out. All that matters is that the baby comes out," she answered cryptically. 

He nodded. "Where's Daddy?" He asked.

"He's getting me a drink," she replied. "Tired of me already?"

He shook his head. "No. You're tired of me."

She frowned. "What do you mean I'm tired of you already?" She narrowed her eyes. "Why would I be tired of you?"

"You're getting a new baby because you're tired of this baby," he explained. "I figured it out myself."

She shook her head and lifted him off the ground even though she wasn't supposed to lift anything. "Honey, I could never be tired of you," she stated honestly. "Yeah, I'm tired a lot. Just not of you. You're the best thing in my life." She placed him on her hip.

He shook his head. "How come you're getting another baby?"

She smiled. "I don't want you to grow up an only child, honey. I had a little sister growing up but after I came here, when I was alone sometimes I'd wish I had a sibling again. Having a sibling helps a lot. Your dad was an only child and Lord knows that messed him up in his house."

He nodded. "So I should be happy?"

"Really happy. It's like a permanent Adela," she responded, walking into the kitchen where Keefe was. 

Kefe instantly walked over and traded Kenric with her bottle of Youth. "What are you two talking about?" Keefe asked curiously, smiling at Kenric. 

Kenric frowned. "I'm going to have a permanent Adela?"

Keefe rolled his eyes. "That's how you explained his future?" Keefe rolled his eyes at Sophie, who shrugged. He looked at Kenric, who had started to squirm in his arms. He let Kenric stand on his own feet but Kenric sat down on the ground instead, looking up at his parents. "It's basically, you'll have someone to be friends with. You know how you love to play with Adela?" He nodded. "Well, with the person in Mom's stomach, you'll get to play with them all day everyday, unless you're sleeping."

He grinned. "That's awesome!" He cheered. 

Keefe nodded while Sophie cut in. "See, permanent Adela," she said. 

Keefe raised an eyebrow. "Uh, Foster, Adela is permanent either way. Unless someone murders her or something like that."

"Why'd you call Mommy Foster?" Kenric asked.

"Because that's what he used to call me when we were kids," she answered. 

"What do you mean?" He questioned. 

"Well, you know how your last name is Sencen? Kenric Sencen?" He nodded. "Well, mine was Foster."

"Mommy Foster?"

Sophie laughed. "No, Sophie Foster. Now I'm Sophie Sencen like you and Daddy."

Kenric looked confused. "Your name isn't Mommy?"

"Only you call me that," she said. 

"Why?" He asked.

"Because I'm your mom and that's your way of recognizing it," she stated. 

"What does Daddy call you?" He asked. 

"I call her Sophie, Soph, or Foster," he answered. 

"What does she call you?" He asked. 

"I call him Keefe," she said. "That's it, really."

Keefe nodded. "Like Mommy, Daddy is your way of recognizing me as your dad."

He frowned. "That's stupid," he said. 

Keefe laughed but was cut off by Sophie's glare. "Who taught you that word?" She asked. 

"Daddy," he said, grinning. 

Keefe took a step back. "You sold me out, you little traitor," he said with a pretend glare. 

Kenric laughed but was cut off by Sophie slapping Keefe in the arm. "Mommy, why'd you hit Daddy?" He asked.

"To get his attention," she stated calmly. She looked at Keefe. "I really want to know the baby's gender," she said. 

Keefe looked at her in confusion. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"We should probably go to Elwin's and find out," she said, looking at Keefe with wide eyes. "And ile-whay we're ere-thay -"

"Stop with the pig Latin, I can't even really speak English. Never mind when you start messing it up." He frowned. 

She sighed. "Baby's coming, but don't get Kenric hyped up," she whispered. 

"Wait, what? Baby's coming and you're worried about Kenric getting too hyped up?" His eyes widened. "Well, let's go. Come on, come on."

___

"All students who will need to go to the nurse should go to the office if they need anything," a teacher told everyone in the cafeteria. "Elwin was needed somewhere else and might not return until tomorrow."

"What do you think Elwin is doing?" Caine questioned, frowning.

Julia shrugged. "Who knows. Luckily all I have is telepathy next so that means that I won't need Elwin."

"Isn't Lady Sophie going to start taking time off today?" Callia asked, her head resting on Jensen's shoulder. 

Julia nodded. "Yeah. One of her friends, Fitz, is going to take over the class until she comes back in a little. Fitz is cool, but I like Sophie more. I hope he doesn't find out-" She was cut off by a mentor, Fitz, walking up to the table.

"Sir Fitz," Julia greeted, frowning. 

He frowned. "Yeah, Sophie's right, the titles are weird. Just call me Fitz," he said. She nodded. "Anyways, I'm just here to tell you that Sophie is having her baby right now, which is why Elwin left since he's an honorary uncle and the reason doctor. I'm going to end the lesson early to go see her, just so you know."

"Lady Sophie is having her baby like... Right now?" Callia gasped.

Fitz grinned and nodded. "Everyone is taking bets on what the gender will be," he told them. "Anyways, I should be going. I'll see you at the lesson."

"I can't believe she's having another baby so soon. I remember when we first came and she brought Kenric to school and he was a tiny baby. Is it possible to have babies so close in age?" Jensen frowned.

"Well, Kenric is a year and about nine months," Julia commented. "I'm pretty sure that's possible."

"What if they're mistaken for twins? Poor babies." She frowned. 

Julia narrowed her eyes. "What's wrong with that?" 

Callia commented. "It's just so uncommon, you know."

"Doesn't Sophie's best friend have triplet siblings?" Caine asked Julia. 

Julia nodded. "Lex... and two other names I can't remember right now." She frowned. 

Callia sighed. "Do you guys want to skip next class?"

Caine shook his head. "I have my ability training, which I like."

"Me too," Julia added. 

"Jensen?" She looked to her boyfriend. 

He shrugged. "Sure. Didn't need to know the ins and out of empathy anyways," he said. 

___

"Has it been born yet?" Fitz asked with his Imparter. 

Ashla answered, "No. We're still waiting. According to Keefe, Elwin accidentally slipped about the gender when she got there so they know the gender but they're not sharing."

Fitz nodded. "Okay. I'm going to leave here early. I'll see you when I get there."

Ashla smiled. "I'll see you too. Bye, love you."

He smiled back. "Love you too."

"I wish they weren't so secretive with the gender," Julia said with a sigh. "It sucks."

Fitz laughed lightly. "You should stop by to see her later. I'm sure she'd be honored to have her favorite prodigy visit."

Julia shrugged. "It's up to my parents but I'm sure they'd be fine with me visiting. Where is she having the baby?"

"Did she ever tell you where she had Kenric?" Julia nodded. "Well, she's having this baby in the same place," he answered. 

She smiled. "I'm really excited for some reason."

___

"Hey guys," Fitz greeted, walking up to the large group waiting. He sat down next to Ashla and handed her a drink. "Is he or she born yet?"

Ashla nodded. "Yeah. We're not allowed to go in yet but they let Kenric and Sophie's parents in." She shrugged. "They didn't even tell us the damn gender."

Fitz laughed just as the door opened and Grady and Edaline stepped out in shock. "You guys are going to be shocked. Really shocked," Edaline said, smiling expectantly. 

"What do you mean?" Ashla asked. "Did it inherit a disease? Is it deformed? What's the gender?"

Edaline rolled her eyes. "You guys can go in."

"Yay!" Biana shouted, jumping up. Due to her holding Dex's hand, he was forced to jump up after her. Ashla and Fitz trailed after them slowly. "Where's Adela?" Fitz asked her suddenly. 

"Maeve is watching her," Ashla answered. Fitz nodded as they walked into the room. 

Sophie grinned at everyone while Keefe sat in a chair next to her with Kenric in his lap, holding the baby.

"Oh my gosh, that's got to be the most adorable thing I've seen ever," Biana said, referencing to Kenric holding the baby while Keefe held Kenric. 

Sophie nodded. "Yeah, I made them do it," she said, laughing slightly.

"So we can't tell right now but... What's the gender?" Ashla cut in.

"Girl," Sophie answered, smiling. 

"Aw, Kenric is an older brother to a little sister. That's just too cute to handle. Literally, you guys need to stop being cute," Biana said. "What do we have to be shocked about?"

"We told Edaline not to even tell you guys that," Keefe said, rolling his eyes. "Now you'll be less shocked because you knew you were supposed to be shocked."

"Oh hush, just show them," Sophie said, rolling her eyes. She took the baby off Kenric's lap, making Kenric frown and lean into Keefe more. 

"Why'd you take her away? You said I could play with her after she came out," he mumbled with a frown. 

Keefe rolled his eyes. "She's a person, not a toy," he told Kenric. "Plus, your mom wants to show them the you-know-whats," he said. 

"The what?" He frowned at Keefe. Keefe leaned in and whispered into his ear.

Sophie rolled her eyes. "Guys, come meet baby Rowan Sencen."

Everyone crowded around and Biana let out a loud gasp. "Holy crap. That's awesome."

Sophie nodded. "I don't know how I feel about it but it's definitely something."

"How did this work out?" Fitz questioned, confused. 

Sophie rolled her eyes. "I guess my genes dominant Keefe's in her," she stated, looking at her daughter's brown eyes.