So sorry this is late (and really short) but July is 100% booked for me. I'll write the next chapter soon so this week there will be three (hopefully)!

Keefe was going along with the plan he had been given. The Neverseen promised that his service was almost up, his mother's debt to them almost paid, but he wasn't really sure if he wanted to stop. At least by following through with their orders, he felt something. He mostly only felt an emotion he could barely name anymore when he was betraying who he pretended to call his friends, or hurting someone- he definitely felt something there.

Pretending to be the old Keefe was hard only in the sense that he had to remember what he acted like, but other than that, it was fairly easy. His 'friends' ate up the act, especially his 'girlfriend' Biana. Keefe honestly would've rathered to 'date' Sophie, but the Neverseen had insisted upon Biana. He hadn't even shown up to their last three 'dates'.

Speaking of Biana, her Winnowing Gala was coming up this week, and she was busy planning it out- of course, she had already made plans, but now was the time to officially book and prepare the dance hall, catering, decorations, etc. so she didn't seem to notice his absence and flightyness. Currently, he was in a planning meeting with the Neverseen about what move on the Black Swan's little nest for the Moonlark: his 'friends'.

"We must make a move, and soon. I think we should infiltrate the Vacker Girl's Winnowing Gala, and cause a scene. It's soon enough, and Keefe could get us in," suggested Fintan.

He didn't know why, but there was we something about it he didn't like, "We could do it during Sophie's, that way they'll have confidence of one going well, and we strike it away in the second."

"Yes, but that's unnecessary, the Vacker girl's is sooner," a goon reasoned.

Keefe couldn't identify this emotion anymore, but he just couldn't let Biana's special night get ruined, "Sophie and Fitz are more suspicious of me now, waiting could give us an edge."

"What kind of edge?" Another goon asked.

"Biding our time, watching the moves they make, calculating ours exactly to hit him where it hurts-" Keefe tried, but no one seemed convinced.

"That's what we've been doing, it's time to act," Fintan decided. "Of something goes wrong in prep of this attack, we'll do it on Sophie's so we have a backup plan, okay? Keefe, you're the key to this plan, so you've got to be in, are you?"

He nodded, quietly spinning a plan in his mind, "I'm in."

"Good," Fintan nodded and they moved on to the next phase of the plan and planning it.

Keefe decided that the attack would happen on Sophie's night, she was way too nervous for the thing anyway. Biana had dreamed about it for too long. It was the least he could do for being so awful to her. His emotions were mostly gone, not his memories. He would give Biana one last gift: the perfect night with the perfect boy, so he also decided to skip it. That way, she would have a good memory with some other guy, and the neverseen would do the attack on Sophie's night. It might get him sent to the poles, but somehow, Keefe could live with that. It would be worth it. He may never have loved Biana the way she did him, but he did care for her.

It's barely 600 words, I know, but the moment is short- a teaser. I'll make it up in chapter 26!