+Biana had overheard the entire meeting between Tiergan, her family, and Sophie's. Nobody noticed as she had her ear pressed to the slightly open door, or as her hands shook against the frame. She hadn't even vanished! Her best friend was going to leave her for Fitz, just like all the others.

She didn't mean to spy on the meeting, but her vanishing mentor had sent her around the school to practice her vanishing skills, to see if she could sneak around without getting caught, and it turned out that Biana didn't have to let light pass through her body to be invisible. She did that well enough on her own.

As soon as she saw the seven of them start a group hug, she ran. What about her? Did Sophie realize that she would have to leave her behind for a year? She had wanted to graduate with Sophie, her best friend, but now Fitz would get to live that dream. Why did she always have to lose her best friends to Fitz? First Vaela, then Jivren, then Gallie, then Maurca, and now Sophie? This was too much.

Tears stung in her eyes as she sped down the hall, not quite paying attention to where she was going. Biana only stopped when she slammed into someone. "Sorry! Are you okay?" She kept her hair around her face and her eyes trained upwards in an attempt to hide her distress, but she knew who it was before he even looked up. Oh no.

"Biana, what's wrong?" Keefe Sencen asked, looking down at her like a little sister. She hated that look.

"It's nothing, I'm sorry I ran into you. What class are you skipping this time?" She replied calmly and tucked her hair behind her ear.

"No, no, no, don't you change the subject on me." He wagged his finger at her playfully, "I'm one of the best empaths I know."

"Oh are you?" Biana tried again to divert his focus, "because I thought it was Hester Javench in the third year."

Keefe winced, "ouch, babe, that stings."

"Babe?" She raised an eyebrow, her cheeks red.

"Yeah, you're two years younger, so compared to me, you're a baby." He chuckled and booped her nose childishly.

Rage bubbled in her stomach, "how crude. If you're going to be like this, then you can just leave me alone."

Biana started to walk past him, but he caught her arm. "Babe, what's wrong?"

"I'm not your babe."

"Oh come on, you are, now spill. What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Keefe. Can I go back to practicing?"

"Practicing what? Avoiding my question? You wound me, Biana Vacker." He smirked playfully, but she refused to let her heart flutter.

"Vanishing around school without a pass, if you must know. Now, am I free to go?" She sighed exhasperatedly.

"Nuh-uh, you haven't answered the question of the day, babe."

Angrily she huffed, "what question?"

"What's wrong?"

"No!" She shouted, and threw his arm off. "Why won't you just leave me alone?" She vanished and started running as quietly as she could. Somehow, it wasn't quietly enough. Keefe ran after her, following her more closely with every turn she made to throw him. How can he follow me like this, he can't even see me. To try and get him off her tail, she stepped to the side and stopped, hoping he would just run by, but he didn't.

Keefe stopped, his back facing her and said aloud, "look, I know you're here. I can't see you, but your emotions are so strong, I can feel them without having to be in contaffct with you." He paused, "Now that I have run after you, I understand that you may not be so keen on sharing what's going on, but I just want to help you like you helped me. You don't have to tell me anything, just let me make you laugh, its what I'm best at, am I right?"

Biana couldn't help but giggle at that, and he whipped around, an awkward smile on his face.

"That's better. Laughing is good. I still can't see you, mind coming out of hiding?"

She stayed quiet, and sat down against the wall. She suddenly realized that this was the spot she comforted Keefe in. Did she mean to run here deep down?

Keefe sat next to her with a sigh. "Okay, um... So I can't ask you what's wrong, and I don't know what happened... so... Oh! I got kicked out of alchemy today?" She raised an eyebrow, confused, and he continued, "yeah. I was messing around with some of the ingredients and accidentally set the drapes on fire."

Biana giggled quietly, and when she realized what she was doing, she stopped. Keefe looked over at her, though he couldn't see her, he smiled softly. Biana had never seen that kind of tenderness on his face. So gentle and warm instead of spontaneous and wild. It was nice, but almost out of place.

"It gets worse..." Keefe continued on with his story for about ten more minutes, Biana quietly laughing for most of the time. The animosity in his face and motions as he told the story with his voice adding drama was incredible. She was seeing a side of him that she had never seen before, and loved every part of it. He wasn't like this around their friends, was this all just for her?

When he finished, she sighed a little and quietly admitted, "I don't want Sophie to go to the silver towers yet, not without me. It feels like she's leaving me behind for Fitz like all the rest."

Shock spread across Keefe's face, probably because of the fact that she had actually told him what was wrong. "Wait- Sophie is going to the silver towers next year?"

Biana scooted slightly, to add distance between them. "Yeah, she's going to study over break."

Keefe smiled widely, but it faded quickly, "but she's leaving you and Dex... oh man, he's going to be heart broken. We better stock up on tissues."

Biana smiled a little, "yeah, that'll be important."

"And you- oh man, your best friend is going to the silver towers ahead of you for your brother. There is no way that doesn't sting."

"Yeah, it does," Biana's voice got quieter, and her eyes started to water. She tilted her head back to keep from crying.

"Oh man," realization continued to hit him, and his palm slid down his face. "Oh Biana..."

Tears spilled down her cheeks, and the light stopped passing through her body, making her visible. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and buried her face into his neck. Keefe wrapped an arm around her waist, and his other around her shoulders tightly. "You can still visit her, and you'll be there next year. You still have Linh and Dex."

"Sophie's my best friend, and she's leaving me for Fitz! I know they like eachother, but still, what about me?" Biana whispered, hugging him tighter.
"Wait, you know for sure they like eachother?" Keefe frowned, "like, they've told you?"

"Isn't it obvious? They've liked eachother for years. That's got to be the reason she's going." The tears started coming faster.

Keefe was quiet for a moment before suggesting, "maybe you should talk to her about it, to try and keep her from going. You guys are close, she might listen to you."

She sniffled, pulling away slightly to look at him, "you really think so?"

He nodded, though it seemed a bit hesitent, "yeah. Sisters before Misters or whatever that human phrase is."

Biana giggled and hugged him tightly again. "Thanks Keefe, you always know how to make me feel better."