kotlc-deleted-scenes

[kotlc-deleted-scenes]

KOTLC Annotated Edition Deleted Scenes

Hey there, Keeper readers!

I hope you enjoyed all of my annotations. (And, you know, the book itself!) And good news: The fun isn’t over quite yet!

Another interesting fact about Keeper: the published version you just read is draft twenty! (Yes, really! I had a lot to learn about writing a book!) And because of that, I have an abundance of deleted scenes tucked away in my old writing files.

So I thought it’d be fun to share a few of my favorites with you guys, along with quick introductions explaining where the scene used to be and why I chose to cut it. Hopefully this will provide a small glimpse of how drastically things changed through all that revision—and maybe even give you some new insight into the world and characters.

Happy reading!

~xo,

Shannon Messenger

1. This scene used to come immediately after Sophie drugged her family and left the human world forever. I felt like she needed a moment to regroup, and I thought Fitz would feel bad after seeing her so upset and would try to cheer her up. But I cut it because it slowed the pacing and really wasn’t adding anything to the plot. Plus, I realized Fitz actually felt a bit responsible for what she was going through. So when I cut this, I added that quick scene where Fitz apologizes after Sophie meets with Elwin.

“Salty ocean winds whipped Sophie's face as they reappeared in a small cove with a crescent-shaped beach. Strange, almost melodic barking sounds echoed through the night.

Sophie frowned at Fitz. “This isn’t your house.”

“I know.” He plopped down on the sand, which glinted gold in the moonlight, and patted the spot next to him. “Have a seat.”

She slipped her backpack off her shoulders and sat beside him—but she couldn’t bring herself to let go of Ella. She hoped Fitz wouldn’t notice in the darkness. “What are we doing here?”

“You’ll see when the next wave hits.”

Sophie followed his gaze, surprised at how still the dark water was. The beaches in San Diego always had constant waves.

A few minutes passed without anything happening, and Sophie started to wonder if Fitz was messing with her. Then the water slowly swept backward, its glassy surface curling into a crest.

The swell rose so high, it absorbed most of the tide. Then it just sort of hovered there—a tower of water in the center of the cove. The strange barking stopped, and the wind calmed, like everything was holding its breath, waiting for the wave to crash. And when it finally pounded against the sand, it was like hundreds of fireworks erupted.

Neon blue and green and red and purple flashed through the water, so bright Sophie had to squint. Then it faded to a glittering mist, twinkling all around them as the winds returned and the barking resumed and the waters slowly retreated to a calm.

“Pretty cool, right?” Fitz asked.

Talk about an understatement. Sophie waved her hands, trying to catch the sparkling particles. But they evaporated at her touch. “How is that possible?”

“Selkies.” He pointed toward a jagged shadow far on the horizon. “They live on the rocks out there, andtheir skin secretes an oil that calms the waves and causes the light show at night.”

“Is that what that weird barking is?”

“Yep. And be glad they’re far away. They smell almost as bad as gulons.”

She had no idea what a gulon was, but she was pretty sure she didn’t want to find out. “What do selkies look like?”

“Imagine if a seal, a snake, and a penguin had a baby.”

Sophie shuddered. That did not sound cute.

“This is the only place you’ll find selkies in the entire world,” Fitz explained. “The Council moved them all here a few centuries ago to protect them from humans. They were hunting them to extinction. Thought their skin was ‘magic’ or something.”

He laughed, and Sophie tried to smile. But it was hard to hear him talk about humans like that. Especially since she still felt like one.

“You know, once you get used to it, you’re going to be glad you’re an elf,” he added quietly. “Elves are way better.”

“I hope so,” she whispered.

“Trust me, we are.” He nudged her with his elbow. “I know I’m happy you’re an elf.”

“Really?” Her heart jumped into “double time, making her head feel swimmy.

“Yeah. Now I don’t have to go on any more quests looking for you. It was really eating up my free time.”

“Oh.” She hated herself for thinking he was going to say something else.

And how many quests had he gone on?

Was finding her really that important?

“Feeling any better yet?” he asked, standing up and dusting the sand from his legs. “We should probably get home before my dad starts to worry.”

Actually, everything inside her felt like it’d been squeezed into a tight knot, and she wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to untangle it. But she couldn’t tell Fitz that. So she stood and took his hand, clutching Ella as Fitz grabbed her backpack.

“Nothing bad is going to happen when we get there, is it?” she whispered as he held the pathfinder in the moonlight.

Fitz squeezed her fingers. “No. You’re already through the hard part.”

She released the breath she’d been holding. And she tried to believe him as the light whisked them away.

But she had a horrible feeling it was only the beginning.

2. Originally I wrote about the entire week of Sophie’s detention, because the scenes were just so much fun. But for pacing reasons, I whittled it down to only the three where we learn the most important things. This scene used to be Day Three and led into the day with Lady Galvin as the Detention Overseer. But nothing actually happens in this scene, so I cut it and had Keefe mention Lady Galvin at the end of Day Two to make the transition work.

“This has to count as cruel and unusual punishment,” Sophie grumbled, plugging her nose as she recorked the glass vial. The clear liquid inside smelled like sour milk mixed with morning breath.

Keefe laughed. “Don’t be such a baby.”

But he looked a little green as he sniffed a similar-looking vial and quickly shoved the cork back in. “Okay, I can’t prove it—but it’s possible something died in there.”

They both stared at the stack of vials they still had to inspect.

“Have you ever thought about labeling your bottles?” Sophie asked Elwin as he collected the vials they’d already checked. He had everyone searching for one filled with sasquatch tears, which apparently would smell like sweaty socks soaked in BO.

Elwin grinned. “Thought about it. But where’s the fun in that? Besides, what would I have you guys do for detention?”

“Oh, I can think of lots of things we could do,” Keefe said with a smile.

“I’m sure you could. And I’ll be needing that vial you slipped in your pocket a few minutes ago—don’t think I didn’t see that.”

“Aw, man,” Keefe mumbled, digging out the tiny glass sphere and handing it to Elwin.

Elwin uncorked it and took a whiff. “Ghoul droppings? I can’t even imagine what kind of havoc you’d cause with that.”

“Give it back to me and you’ll find out.”

Elwin laughed. “I’m supposed to keep you out of trouble—not help you get into it. Now get back to work. I need those sasquatch tears so I can make my next flavor for your lockers.”

Everyone groaned.

“Oh, you love it. I keep things exciting around here.”

“But we have Foster for that now,” Keefe reminded him. “As long as she’s taking alchemy, it’ll always be an adventure. Will today be the day she blows up the school?”

Everyone laughed.

Sophie sighed, pulling her hair around her face to hide her blushing cheeks.

She was not going to blow up the school.

Well… she hoped she wasn’t.

“Tomorrow should be especially interesting,” Keefe added, gagging as he sniffed another vial. “Lady Galvin’s monitoring detention. So I hope you’re good at ironing, Foster. It probably wouldn’t be good to burn more holes in her capes.”

The bell rang before she could ask him if he was joking.

3. This scene used to be a few days after Sophie accidentally bottles the quintessence. I’d wanted to show what the elves used the starlight for (a tradition I’ve never ended up working into the series)—and I felt like I should let Sophie recover from everything she’d discovered and lighten the mood a bit. But it felt really out of place and like it was killing the tension and momentum I’d worked so hard to build. And I felt like maybe Dex wasn’t the right character to truly make her feel better, since his motives aren’t always about friendship. So I chopped this and eventually added the scene where Tiergan leaps her back to the human world, which felt much more appropriate and let me reveal a whole lot more.

Billions of stars glittered overhead, but Sophie kept her eyes glued to the blades of purple grass, which looked almost black in the moonlight. She wasn’t sure she’d ever see stars the same way again.

“Why are you way over here?” Dex asked, plopping down beside her.

Sophie shrugged.

The rest of the school was gathered toward the center of Foxfire’s purple field. Apparently it was Foxfire tradition to have the Universe Mentors present a special light show using all of the starlight they’d had the prodigies bottle.

But with everything Sophie had on her mind, she didn’t really feel like talking to anyone—especially since Keefe kept teasing her about her “mysterious disappearance” during the evacuation. She just wanted to be alone.

Not that Dex seemed to notice.

“I was worried they might have to cancel the show this year after what happened,” he said. “But I guess not.”

“Yeah,” Sophie agreed, hoping if she didn’t say anything else, he’d take the hint and let her be.

No such luck.

“Are you okay?” Dex asked. “ ’Cause you don’t seem like you are.”

Of course she wasn’t okay—how could she be?

But Dex wouldn’t understand.

No one would.

“I’m fine. I’m just… tired.”

Dex stared at her for a second, and she had a feeling he was going to ask another question. But instead, he said, “Well, if you ever want to talk…”

“Thanks.”

She waited for him to get up, go join his other friends—the ones who didn’t break the law or almost blow up the school. But he stayed by her side. Which was actually… nice.

A low chime rang through the night, and everyone fell silent.

“Here we go,” Dex whispered as a blinding flash lit up the dark sky.

Sophie had expected the light show to sort of be like fireworks. But it was more like the elves were painting in the sky. The chimes played a soft melody as streaks of color stretched across the darkness, forming a vivid red bird. Sophie blinked and the bird was moving, soaring among the stars until it vanished in a flash, replaced by a giant orange saber-toothed cat. It raced and prowled through the sky, leaping at them in a terrifying pounce that blinded them with a flash of color. And when Sophie opened her eyes, she was staring at a purple dinosaur with narrow wings. It opened its mouth and shot yellow flames that swallowed up the stars.

On and on it went, the soft chimes paired with images so real, so intense, Sophie didn’t even notice she how close she’d moved to Dex until the last of the lights flashed away, leaving them in darkness.

Warmth flooded through her arm, and Sophie was stunned to realize she was leaning against him.

She jumped back slightly, hoping Dex couldn’t see her blush. “That was… wow.”

“Yeah,” Dex agreed.

But something about his smile made her wonder if he was talking about the lights.

4. Once I cut the previous scene, I added this one, but it still wasn’t right. (Ha—you’re getting to see multiple stages of this process. I was SUCH a wasteful drafter with this book.) It got chopped almost immediately because it was distracting from the important plotline with Sophie’s hidden memories. Plus, it was talking way too much about boys and crushes for this early in the series.

So…,” Keefe said, dinking uninvited into the seat next to her. “A suspicious substance got the whole school evacuated—and Sophie Foster was nowhere to be found. Coincidence? I think not.”

“What—you think I had something to do with that?” It was hard to keep her voice steady.

Keefe snorted. “I know you did. And I don’t hear you denying it.…”

She suddenly became very interested in her slice of mallowmelt.

He laughed. “Fine. Keep your sense of mystery. But I’m watching you, Foster.” He pointed to his eyes and then to hers. “I’ll figure you out soon enough.”

She refused to look at him as he walked away.

“You and Keefe seem to be pretty friendly,” Biana mumbled when he was out of earshot.

Sophie stabbed her dessert harder than she needed to. “That’s only because he loves annoying me.”

Marella snorted. “You say that like it’s a bad thing! He can annoy me anytime he wants. Right, Biana?”

“Yeah,” Biana agreed—and then turned pink. “I didn’t mean it like that,” she added quickly. “I mean, why would I? He’s my brother’s friend.”

“Uh-huh,” Marella replied, not looking convinced.

“Isn’t he too old for you guys?” Dex grumbled.

“No!” Biana and Marella answered immediately.

“He’s only fourteen,” Biana added.

“Really?” Sophie asked. “I thought he was the same age as Fitz.”

“Nope. Keefe’s a year ahead.” Biana explained. “He’s a genius.”

Her eyes turned dreamy, and Sophie had a hard time not giggling.

“Sounds like someone’s got a crush,” Marella teased.

“I do not,” Biana insisted, but her face was bright red.

“Can we change the subject, please?” Sophie asked, deciding to come to Biana’s rescue.

“Sure,” Marella agreed. “So who do you like, Sophie, if the Keefster isn’t your type?”

Everyone at the table fell silent. Dex seemed to lean a little forward in his chair.

“No one,” Sophie mumbled, hating her voice for cracking.

“Come on,” Marella insisted. “There must be someone. There always is.”

Sophie looked down at her hands, afraid of what Biana might read into her silence. “I swear—there isn’t.”

“Seriously, enough girl talk,” Dex jumped in, pretending to gag.

“Aw, do you feel left out, Dex?” Marella asked him. “ ’Cause we can talk about your secret crush if you want.”

Dex gritted his teeth as he blushed from head to toe. “I don’t have a secret crush.”

“Sure you don’t,” Marella agreed, rolling her eyes. She glanced at Sophie and then back at Dex. “Whatever you say.”

5. In much earlier versions of Keeper, Sophie stole Gildie from a classroom at Foxfire. The fires also weren’t in the human world back then, so any pathfinder could leap her there to bottle a sample. She still needed help getting access to a pathfinder, though, so I chose to use Keefe (since he would be in the halls between classes), and that’s what you see in this scene. BUT, I ended up getting rid of Sophie’s cryptozoology session at Foxfire because I was worried it felt too similar to the Care of Magical Creatures class in Harry Potter, which meant I had to have her steal Gildie from Havenfield instead. And I decided I needed more “clues” planted throughout the book to keep the mystery present, so I went back and added the necklace in Sophie’s locker and moved the fire to a human city. All of which makes this scene feel especially lost now—but it’s a moment I still love nonetheless, and I thought it’d be fun to show you guys an example of just how much things changed throughout all the different revisions.

The Leapmaster won't work,” Keefe announced behind her.

Sophie covered her mouth to muffle her scream and spun around, finding the shadowy corner where he crouched.

Keefe laughed. “They turn it off during sessions to prevent ditching—which makes it a perfect place to hide.” He walked over to her, folding his arms. “Going somewhere?”

“I—uh…”

“Let’s see… you’re ditching session, leaving school grounds, and”—he pointed to Gildie’s cage—“stealing school property? Are you trying to show me up, Foster?”

She knew she could tell some pathetic lie and retreat with her tail between her legs.

But… she needed help. “You told me if I ever needed help ditching…”

“I meant skipping session, not breaking enough rules to get expelled.”

“Please,” Sophie said, meeting his eyes. “It’s important.”

“I don’t suppose you’ll tell me what you’re up to?”

“It’s probably better if you don’t know.”

He laughed. “You keep claiming you’re not mysterious.…”

She stared at her feet.

He sighed and pulled his pathfinder out of his pocket. “Fine. Where do you need to go?”

“Moonglade.”

He started adjusting the crystal. Then his hands froze. “Wait. Isn’t that where the fire is?”

“Like I said. It’s important.”

He studied her for a moment, clearly piecing a few things together. “You’re sure you want to do this?”

She nodded.

His eyebrows pinched together. “And how are you planning on getting back?”

“I… hadn’t thought about that,” she admitted.

He shook his head. “Okay, here’s the deal.” He held out the pathfinder. “I need this back, agreed?”

“Agreed.”

“And if anyone catches you with it, you didn’t get it from me.”

“Of course.”

He nodded. “Do you know how to use it?”

“Um…”

He sighed again and held the crystal in front of her. “See the way these markings line up with the cuts in the crystal?” He pointed to a pattern of parallel lines. “Recreate this pattern exactly, and the path will take you back here. Got it?”

“Yes.”

He spun the crystal again and handed it to her. “I set it for Moonglade.”

“Thanks.” She took the wand and held it up to the light.

“Hey, Sophie,” he said, going with her real name—and not smirking or smiling. “Be careful.”

“I will,” she promised. Then she tightened her grip on Gildie’s cage and let the light pull her away.

[kotlc-deleted-scenes]

Hey Just wondering if you have any updates on book 9.5 if there is any deleted scenes, POV's ,ect.

Thank you!

Unraveled has the Keefe POV of the Stellarlune kiss, but as far as I know it is included in all versions of the book. I am deliberating on whether to post it, as this blog is dedicated to posting less accessible deleted/bonus scenes. If anyone has any thoughts on this, or is aware of any editions of Unraveled without this bonus scene, feel free to comment.

[kotlc-deleted-scenes]

Hi @inevitable-plothole, I’ve added images of the pages and linked them in the masterpost! Hoping to transcribe the text and notes when I have the time.

Hi, there is a deleted scene in the B&N exclusive edition of Legacy that has annotations from Shannon's editor, assistant editor, and Shannon herself. I noticed it wasn't included in the master list, is there any chance of this scene being added to this blog?

Hi! Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I forgot that scene was different from the final published version. I definitely want to include it, knowing that.

However, the annotations are dependent on their physical placement next to the text. I am still not happy with how my post of the annotated deleted scenes from Keeper Illustrated look for that reason, and I imagine I’ll have similar problems with this scene as well. Give me some time to figure out how best to go about the formatting on here, and I’ll get it up. Perhaps I’ll just post a scan of the scene in the meantime, since I own the B&N edition.

[kotlc-deleted-scenes]

Legacy B&N Exclusive Edition Annotated Excerpt

[kotlc-deleted-scenes]

Hi, there is a deleted scene in the B&N exclusive edition of Legacy that has annotations from Shannon's editor, assistant editor, and Shannon herself. I noticed it wasn't included in the master list, is there any chance of this scene being added to this blog?

Hi! Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I forgot that scene was different from the final published version. I definitely want to include it, knowing that.

However, the annotations are dependent on their physical placement next to the text. I am still not happy with how my post of the annotated deleted scenes from Keeper Illustrated look for that reason, and I imagine I’ll have similar problems with this scene as well. Give me some time to figure out how best to go about the formatting on here, and I’ll get it up. Perhaps I’ll just post a scan of the scene in the meantime, since I own the B&N edition.

[kotlc-deleted-scenes]

It's official—the Keeper Summer deleted scenes, while still advertised on the official Keeper website, are gone from their external hositng site, Issuu. Glad I archived them all here in time.

Remember to save your favorite digital media!

[kotlc-deleted-scenes]

Lodestar Deleted Lines (Raw text, screen-reader friendly)

1. Deleted Dex line. Quote text:

Dex reached for Sophie's hand, giving it a quick squeeze. "I guess I'll pass—but you better not leave me out again!"

2. Deleted Biana line. Quote text:

"Agreed!" Biana shouted. "Or you'll have to face the wrath of Dizznacker!"

3. Deleted Biana line. Quote text:

Biana tossed her shiny hair. "Happens all the time. And by the way—did you say something about dancing?"

4. Deleted Tam line. Quote text:

"I'm only intense when I'm right!" Tam argued.

5. Quote text:

"So what are you going to make Fitz do for the favor he owes you?" Biana asked.

Fitz snorted. "Oh please."

"If you need suggestions, I have lots." Biana grinned. "You should be very kind to me right now. I'm a Vanisher, remember? You think I've never seen that little dance you do when you think no one else is home?"

"What dance?" Sophie had to ask.

"There's no dance," Fitz assured her. "Biana's just making stuff up to mess with me."

"Am I?" Biana asked, twirling gleefully. "Or should I demonstrate?"

6. Deleted Grady line. Quote text:

"Not sure I like this attitude, Sophie," Grady warned. "Just because you have these abilities doesn't mean you get to do whatever you want. If we're telling you something's too dangerous, we expect you to listen."

7. Deleted Edaline line. Quote text:

Edaline kissed Grady's cheek. "Don't be long. I know you're Mr. All-Powerful-Mesmer, but I'm still going to worry."

8. This quote contains a redaction for spoilers, but it is easily inferred that the redacted character is Fintan. Quote text:

"And what will you do, Miss Foster," Fintan demanded, "when your illustrious Councillors finally decide that the human problem must be taken care of?"

Sophie's mouth went dry. "I would do my best to make them see the good that exists in humans. And hope it inspires a solution that everyone—even humans—could be happy with."

"And what if no such solution exists?" Fintan countered. "Just because we want something to happen doesn't mean it will."

"And just because we haven't thought of a plan yet, doesn't mean we won't," Sophie snapped back.

9. Quote text:

"The triplets got in my room and let's just say I'm brewing a very special elixir for payback," Dex grumbled.

"YEAH BUT WE FOUND IT!" Bex shouted.

"AND WE ADDED A FEW DROPS OF AMARALLITINE!" Lex added—or maybe it was Rex.

"YOU DID WHAT?" Dex asked, racing for the stairs.

Kesler ran after him, and then there was a whole lot of thumping and banging, followed by what sounded like a small explosion and a smell that was definitely burning hair.

"Everything's fine!" Kesler called down. "We'll be back down in a few minutes."

"YEAH, DEX CAN'T WAIT TO SHOW YOU HOW COOL HE LOOKS WITHOUT EYEBROWS!" Rex shouted —though it might've been Lex.

Sophie glanced at Fitz and Biana, who were doing a good job holding back their laughter—until Dex joined them a few minutes later. Then they all burst into giggles.

10. Quote text:

"You're wasting your time. Keefe's way too clever to hide something there," Sophie warned.

"Is he now?" Grizel asked, drawing out the word as she glanced over her shoulder at Sophie. "Did you know your voice usually shifts when you talk about him?"

Sophie's cheeks warmed. "It does not! Or if it does, it's only because I'm annoyed with him. "

Grizel smirked. "Denial is so adorable."

11. Quote text:

"I love how you make that sound normal," Biana said with a grin. "It's like, 'yeah, the goblin queen asked me to personally support her most valuable agendas during a special treaty meeting that only our world's elite are invited to. And now a Councillor and one of the leaders of a secret rebellion are helping me research it all. No big deal."

Tam snort-laughed.

The absurdity of the situation definitely wasn't lost on Sophie either—nor was the insane amount of pressure.

She sighed. "I know my life is weird—"

"That's not what I meant," Biana interrupted. "I just meant...maybe you could use some help? If nothing else, at least let me pick our your dresses for the Summit!"

[kotlc-deleted-scenes]

Neverseen Deleted Lines (Raw text, screen-reader friendly)

Any relevant description provided by Shannon on the quote image will be included before the quote itself.

1. Deleted Keefe Line. Quote text:

"And no more of that lazy writing stuff!" Keefe told them. "We expect our clues to rhyme!"

2. Quote text:

"Darkness is only temporary," Mr. Forkle said when they reached the bridge that would separate them. "And it helps us appreciate the light."

3. Deleted Dex line. Quote text:

Dex snorted. "Sophie can Telepath you under the table."

4. Deleted Fitz line. Quote text:

"I hate when you call yourself that," Fitz told Sophie. "You're not a freak. You're…kind of amazing."

5. Deleted Biana line. Quote text:

"Does that mean we're walking there?" Biana asked, probably realizing that purple kitten heels hadn't been the best shoe choice.

6. Deleted Tam line. Quote text:

"I've learned to embrace the darkness."

7. Quote text:

"I drank that tea stuff this morning," Fitz said, stretching his shoulder and wincing. "It tasted like banshee toenails."

"How do you know what banshee toenails taste like?" Sophie wondered.

"DON'T TELL HER," Keefe shouted from down the hall. "WHAT HAPPENS AT A LEVEL THREE MIDTERM PARTY STAYS AT A LEVEL THREE MIDTERM PARTY!"

8. Deleted Keefe line. Quote text:

"Will you two quit stalling?" Keefe asked, marching into the dim bedroom. "I mean, I know Fitz is jealous that my human costume is way cooler than his, but he's just going to have to get used to it."

9. Quote text:

"What's the password?" Keefe asked, blocking Sophie from entering the treehouse. "Hint: the answer is the same as whichever one of us is the best looking."

"Not now, Keefe," Sophie begged.

"Keefe! You answered correctly! Welcome to the Fortress of Awesome!" He stepped aside to let them pass, then blocked them when he saw Biana. "Okay—what are you wearing?"

Biana turned as crimson as her furry onesie—which zipped up over her head. "The Black Swan has horrible taste in pajamas."

10. Quote text:

"Physic will be here soon to check on you," Mr. Forkle told Fitz. "In the meantime, you should curl up with your Mr. Snuggles and try to sleep."

"Ugh, Keefe told you about that?" Fitz asked.

Mr. Forkle nodded. "I believe he's currently trying to convince the rest of your friends to call you the Snuggler from now on."

"I thought it was Lord of the Snuggles," Sophie corrected.

Mr. Forkle cracked a smile. "I'll say this for Mr. Sencen. He's definitely creative."

"AWWWWWW—I KNEW THE FORKLENATOR LOVED ME!" Keefe shouted from down the hall.

11. Quote text:

"I think you need a day off," Sophie told Calla. Let me cover your 'To Do' list."

"You cannot sing to trees. And you should be training. Not washing dishes."

"Hey, my human mom used to say, 'if you have two hands you can put them to work.'"

Calla smiled at that. "I'm glad they gave you a good mother—mothers, actually. Lady Ruewen has always been one of my favorites. As has your genetic mother.

Sophie froze. "You know who she is?"

"I suggested her. Please do not ask more than that."

12. Quote text:

"All right then," Physic told them. "I think you can all survive without me for a few hours. Then again, this is the famous Sophie Foster, so there may be another medical disaster soon."

Keefe snorted. "Sounds like word is out in the Physician's circles."

"Oh, it is," Physic agreed, tossing her braids. "And not just on Sophie. You have quite a file as well."

Keefe shrugged. "It happens. You hang with the Foster, you get hur…"

His voice trailed off as he seemed to realize his joke was a bit too close to reality.

Physic cleared her throat. "What you're experiencing right now is what we call 'foot in mouth disease," she told Keefe. "And sadly, I have no cure for that."

13. Quote text:

"Where do you live?" Tam asked.

Sophie chewed her lip. "I'm not allowed to tell you that either."

Tam tilted his head to study her. "Sounds like you have a lot of secrets."

"So do you," she reminded him.

"Maybe," he agreed. "But I'm the one asking questions, trying to figure out if I can trust you."

"You can," Sophie assured him.

"Said the girl standing in my camp, who won't trust me enough to tell me where she lives."

"It's not just my secret! I live with my friends—and it's the Black Swan's hideout."

His eyebrows raised. "Let me guess. You're not going to tell me what the Black Swan is?"

"Not yet," Sophie admitted. "Hopefully someday."

[kotlc-deleted-scenes]

Nightfall Deleted Lines (Raw text, screen-reader friendly)

1. Deleted Tam and Linh line. Quote text:

"Well for the record," Tam said, "there's no way I'm dancing in any costumes at the opening ceremonies.

"Aw, but you'll be an adorable dragon!" Linh assured him as she tousled his bangs.

Tam's scowl turned to a death glare.

2. Quote text:

Marella gasped as Biana grabbed her wrist and the vanishing spread to her as well. "Okay, this is cool and all. But how long do you think it's going to take for the three of us to trip over each other when we're trying to walk like this?"

"With Sophie in the mix, about a minute," Tam said from somewhere in the shadows.

Marella snorted. "He's not wrong."

"I know," Sophie grumbled, once again cursing the Black Swan for forgetting to give her a little coordination when they messed with her genetics.

"Awww, I think our little moonlark is pouting, now," Marella said, patting Sophie on the shoulder. "Need me to call Fitz over here to cheer you up?"

"NO!" Sophie said—too loud and too fast. "Can we focus please? We're trying to figure out how to not die."

"Eh, we're probably going to end up in the Healing Center no matter what," Marella told her. "So I'd rather gossip about boys!"

3. Quote text:

"Does that mean you'd rather be called Amy?" Sophie asked.

Her sister flopped back onto the pillows. "I probably should. But that doesn't feel right either."

"So should I just call you 'hey you,' then? Or maybe"—she pointed to her sister's TARDIS shirt—"You'd prefer a title like The Doctor?"

"Okay, that would be awesome!" Her smile faded. "You guys probably don't have TV here, huh?"

"We don't." Sophie admitted. "But there are lots of other cool things to do! Like..." Her voice trailed off as she tried to think of something a human would be able to do in the Lost Cities. "Well. There are tons of books."

Amy snorted. "You brought me to a secret elf world and you're telling me to spend my time reading."

Sophie sighed. "I know. I sound like Mr. Forkle."

[kotlc-deleted-scenes]

Flashback Deleted Lines (Raw text, screen-reader friendly)

Any relevant description provided by Shannon on the quote image will be included before the quote itself.

1. Deleted Keefe Line. Quote text:

Deleted Keefe "But I believe in the all-mighty Fitzphie! Or, I guess I should say I believe in the Mysterious Miss F, and Wonderboy can be her cheerleader or something."

2. Quote text:

"Thanks," Sophie mumbled, trying—and failing—to smooth the abundance of ruffles. "I'm never going to stop hating these stupid gowns."

3. Deleted Tam line. Quote text:

Tam rolled his eyes. "That's because your murcat is evil."

4. Deleted Grady line. Quote text:

"Oh good," Grady grumbled, adding something under his breath that started with, "That Boy."

5. Deleted Edaline line. Quote text:

"I'll admit—the mom in me wishes you could rest a little longer before jumping back into the fight. But I do understand why you're eager to dive in. And...I'm really proud of you."

6. Deleted Edaline line. Quote text:

"Well, as long as it also freaks out the Neverseen, I can live with that." Edaline told Sophie.

7. Deleted Elwin line. Quote text:

"Well," Elwin said, brushing his messy brown hair out of his eyes, "on the Sophie scale of injuries, I'd say we're somewhere in the middle."

8. Deleted Elwin line. Quote text:

"You have a pet murcat?" Elwin asked, cracking up when Linh nodded. "Bet that's an adventure."

9. Deleted Elwin line. Quote text:

"If I don't see you heading to the Leapmaster in the next five seconds," Elwin cut in, "I'm dragging you there by your ears."

"Am I the only one who wants to see that?" Ro asked.

"I'll drag you too." Elwin warned.

"Now that I need to see," Ro told him.

10. Deleted Ro line. Quote text:

Ro snorted a laugh. "Elves are such wusses."

11. Deleted Ro line. Quote text:

Ro yawned. "Yeah, I know. You elves are the wonder of the universe. Nothing can stop you—oh except anyone with claws or fangs or battle training or weapons or—"

12. Deleted Ro line. Quote text:

"And how is this little anecdote proving our sweet little Blondie is tough?"Ro asked. "I mean, don't get me wrong—it's an adorable story. It's like Team Foster-Keefe: Where it all Began! But as far as toughness goes...meh."

13. Quote text:

Bo snorted. "Elvin senses are worthless. The only thing worse are goblin senses."

Sandor growled.

Elwin chuckled. "Sounds like everyone's getting along as well as I expected."

"I don't need to make friends in order to fulfill my duties," Bo argued.

"I suppose not." Elwin handed Sophie a vial of medicine. "But it's usually a friend who saves your life when you need it."

Bo flashed a cold smile. "Then I guess it's a good thing I won't need saving."

14. Quote text:

Tiergan smiled. "Well. It sounds like you two are almost ready for the next level of Cognate training.

Keefe groaned. "There's another level?"

"There are many levels. The Cognate Connection is one that can always be built upon." He turned to Fitz and Sophie. "I'll bring the next workbook to you once you've finished your recovery."

"Why can't we start now?" Fitz asked. "We can practice in the Healing Center."

Tiergan shook his head. "The next level of Cognate training is much more intense."

"Ugh. I feel a Fitzphie nightmare coming on," Keefe grumbled.

15. Quote text:

"That's why she's the moonlark," Flor said quietly, and Sophie spun toward the tiny gnome, wondering when she'd joined them. Flori's gray eyes studied the dagger in Sophie's hand before shifting to Bo when she added, "The moonlark excels at whatever she puts her mind to."

Sophie wasn't sure that this was something she wanted to excel at. But the pain coursing through her arm reminded her why she needed to.

"Don't worry," Flori told her. "You can be gentle and formidable. My aunt always told me that. Then she'd sing a song about roots tearing deeper into the earth, shredding everything in their path in order to keep their tree strong."

16. Quote text:

"Hey! Foster's the toughest person in this room." Keefe argued. "I knew it the moment I met her."

Sophie shook her head. "Uh, when we met, I was about to have a meltdown because I thought I'd just failed alchemy."

"Actually, you were about to have a meltdown because you were afraid to go to the Healing Center and get your burn treated," Keefe corrected.

Elwin whistled. "That was a nasty wound."

"Yep. And Foster barely noticed it. She barely noticed anything—including the guy with the best hair in school! I'll never forget it. I was sitting there, bored out of my mind—as always—and then wham!" His eyes locked with Sophie's. "I'd never had emotions hit me like that before—without contact. Without even seeing you. All I could think was, 'that's new.' And then the mysterious girl everyone had been gossiping about rounded the corner and I knew nothing was ever going to be the same again."

[kotlc-deleted-scenes]

Stellarlune Deleted Lines (Raw text, screen-reader friendly)

Any relevant description provided by Shannon on the quote image will be included before the quote itself.

1. Quote text:

"Trees dig their roots deep into the earth, preparing for the wind to try to knock them down." Flori sang the words like they were Iyrics in a song.

"I'm not a tree," Sophie told her. "I have to do more than protect myself."

2. Quote text:

Ro draped her arm around Sophie's shoulders. "Nope, you're not getting rid of me, Blondie. We're in this together!"

3. Quote text:

Lord Cassius's eyes narrowed. "It's strange how quickly life can change, isn't it? One minute, you're a highly respected Emissary. The next..."

"Yeah, we all feel very sorry for you." Ro mimed gagging.

4. Quote text:

Ro smirked. "Only Lord Pretentiouspants would have a private thinking spot."

5. Quote text:

Honestly, Miss Foster, you really should try managing your anxiety, Lord Cassius told her. You endure so much unnecessary stress.

I'II keep that in mind once I don't have people constantly trying to kill me, Sophie snapped.

6. Quote text:

But Sophie wasn't ready to give up on Keefe yet. Even it everyone else was.

7. Quote text:

Either way, Sophie had lots of weird feelings about family. It was so odd feeling like she had too much—and not enough—all at the same time.

8. Quote text:

"Hear that, Sophie?" Stina asked. "You're earning the Neverseen's respect. Doesn't that make you feel super-great about your recent life choices?"

9. Quote text:

"I gotta say—the more I think about it, the more it seems like a super bad idea to mess with people's memories," Ro told her.

"I agree! Sophie said. "And I say that as a Telepath!"

[kotlc-deleted-scenes]

Everblaze Deleted Lines (Raw text, screen-reader friendly)

Any relevant description provided by Shannon on the quote image will be included before the quote itself.

1. Deleted Keefe Line. Quote text:

"Now that they're counting me in on this little game of theirs, the rulebook just went out the window—and how awesome is that, by the way? Team Foster-Keefe is officially A Thing!"

2. Deleted Grady Line. Quote text:

Grady laughed. "Vertina has no idea who she's messing with."

3. Quote text:

"Oh, I'm sorry." Kenric said, shaking out the scroll harder and filling the room with more crunching and crackling. "Am I distracting you?"

"You know very well what you're doing," Bronte snapped.

"I do," Kenric agreed. "I'm making notes on everything I see happen today."

Bronte sighed. "There's no need, I'll be giving the Council a full report tonight."

"Oh this isn't for the Council. This is for Grady. I figured he'll want to know exactly how you're treating his daughter." Kenric grinned when Bronte scowled. “There's nothing quite like an angry Mesmer, is there?"

Sophie had never been more tempted to hug him.

4. Quote text:

"Try to imagine yourself somewhere peaceful," Sophie told Bronte. "Like…a babbling brook ."

He snorted. "That is not a peaceful place, Miss Foster.

Sophie sighed. "Fine. Then think of somewhere you like to relax."

She fully expected Bronte to tell her it was his job as a Councillor to never relax. Instead he said, "Okay I'm picturing a library."

"That's…good," Sophie mumbled, surprised that Bronte's peaceful place actually sounded peaceful. "Now try to relax."

"Done. What now?"

"Uh, you don't sound relaxed." Sophie noted.

"Shocking, given that I'm currently taking Inflicting lessons from an untrained child!"

5. Quote text:

They're not real, Sophie transmitted as Silveny focused on the cloaked figures from her nightmares. Just dreams.

But they both knew it was more than that. And Silveny's mind filled with the same horrifying memories that Sophie was trying to ignore.

Her reaction was very different, though.

BITE? Silveny asked.

I'll never let them get that close to you, Sophie promised.

But Silveny seemed excited about the prospect, flooding Sophie's head with an endless string of BITE! BITE! BITE!

I think I like it better when you're begging for treats, Sophie told her. Or bugging me about seeing Keefe.

Which of course meant she was soon bombarded with a whole lot of BITE! TREATS! KEEFE!

[kotlc-deleted-scenes]

Legacy Deleted Lines (Raw text, screen-reader friendly)

Any relevant description provided by Shannon on the quote image will be included before the quote itself.

1. Deleted Dex Line. Quote text:

"Then what's the point of Team Wow-We-Need-A- Much-Cooler-Name?" Dex asked, "if you're just assigning us to do stuff we were going to do anyway?"

2. Quote text:

Sophie had no doubt that Dex would make the triplets bow and call him Lord Dex before the night was over. She was also sure he was going to wake up and find his hair a big white poofball and Rex, Bex, and Lex calling him Lord Tomplehead.

3. Quote text:

You're no good to anyone dead, either," Sophie noted.

"Then it's a good thing I'm not planning on dying," Keefe argued.

"No one plans on dying." Sandor reminded him.

Keefe shrugged and glanced at Ro. "That's what I have her for. You up for it, Princess? Think you can keep me safe??

Ro unsheathed another dagger. "Bring it on."

[kotlc-deleted-scenes]

Exile Deleted Lines (Raw text, screen-reader friendly)

Any relevant description provided by Shannon on the quote image will be included before the quote itself.

1. An Alden-line about Grady. Quote text:

"I'm guessing this is another of Grady's creative punishments," Alden said behind her. "One time Jolie ditched school to go to Atlantis with her friends and he made her help the gnomes harvest reekweed. She smelled like moldy feet for days. His smile turned bittersweet. "It's good to see him returning to his old self."

2. Sandor & Sophie FTW!!!! Quote text:

"I need you to wait here," Sophie begged, "because you'll wake Grady and Edaline up if you stomp down the stairs with your giant goblin feet."

"I have giant goblin feet?"

"Really? That's a surprise to you?"

Sandor frowned as he examined his toes.

Sophie sighed. "I'm sorry. You have very nice feet. Perfect and gray and why are we talking about this? Will you help me or not?"

3. Quote text:

"Anyone hungry?" Grady asked, striding into the room again, carrying a tray of mallowmelt. "I brought you guys a snack!"

Sophie narrowed her eyes as he set the tray down in a place that forced Keefe to farther away from her. "You never bring up snacks when Dex is here."

"Awww. I think your dad wants to make sure I'll come back." Keefe snatched a piece of mallowmelt and took a bite, spraying crumbs as he added, "Don't worry, Gradyio, I'll be over here a lot."

"You will?" Grady asked.

Keefe nodded, taking another huge bite. "What can I say? Foster needs me."

It was impossible to tell who sighed louder: Sophie or Grady.

4. Quote text:

Sophie tried to redeem herself after the awkward start, but everything she did right only made things worse. Lady Cadence kept shouting random words at her: platypus, stellarscope, chandelier, tribunal, stegosaurus. And with every correct translation, Lady Cadence grew more annoyed, until she sank into the high-backed chair at the front of the round, mostly empty room and buried her face in her hands.

"Do you realize what I've had to give up to be here?" she snapped. "Decades of research—gone. All so I can train a little girl who doesn't even need me."

"I'm sorry." Sophie mumbled, fiddling with her, oversized silver cloak. "I can tell Dame Alina—"

"You think I haven't already tried?" She rubbed her temples. "I've been fighting the decision since it was handed down weeks ago. Sadly Miss Foster, you and I are stuck with each other."

They stared at each other in silence until the chimes rang and Sophie was free. Until next the week, at least. It was going to be a very long year.

[kotlc-deleted-scenes]

Hey everyone, great news! As you may know I run @kotlc-deleted-scenes , an archive of all of KOTLC’s bonus content. I have all the edition-exclusive short stories, the deleted scenes from Keeper Summer 2021, and the deleted lines that have been shared on Shannon’s Instagram sporadically since 2020.

As of today, I have officially finished digitally transcribing all the deleted scenes (in addition to the already-transcribed short stories).

These are useful if you:

use a screen-reader

don’t own the special editions of the books with short stories

need to easily refer to these scenes when making fan content

just want to revisit the bonus content

I am also currently working out the best way to transcribe the deleted lines, as well as the deleted scenes from the Annotated Edition of Keeper 1.

[kotlc-deleted-scenes]

Keeper Summer Week #12

Deleted Scene from Flashback 

I cut this scene because the Healing Center sequence was such a huge chunk of the book that I needed to limit it to the most essential moments. I had to cut anything where Sophie wasn't learning something significant or making progress on her recovery. And since this was neither of those, it had to go.

—Shannon

“Okay—enough chitchat,” Ro said, marching over to Elwin's office. "I was promised ooze!" 

"Yeah, let the Great Fitzphie Ooze Fest begin!" Keefe commanded, pumping his fist. 

"It's going to be a few more minutes," Elwin warned them. "I'm still finishing up one of the poultices." 

"Is there gross stuff in it?" Ro asked hopefully. 

"Some of the worst I've ever seen," Elwin agreed. 

Keefe smirked at Fitz and Sophie. "Excellent." 

"But hurry it up!" Ro added as she paced around the room. 

The third time she passed Sophie's cot, she paused to ask, "Are you aware of your hair situation?" 

"Situation?" Sophie repeated. 

"Disaster zone' might be more appropriate," Ro warned as she pulled a compact from the back of her breastplate and held the mirror up to show Sophie. 

Sophie blinked. "Oh wow." 

She wasn't sure how hair could stick out in so many different directions and also be plastered to her head. And the more she tried to pull it into a ponytail, the more it rebelled. 

"Okay, now it's getting pathetic," Ro said, smacking Sophie's hand away and taking over. "You can all thank me later." 

"Uh, what is happening right now?" Keefe asked. 

"I'm helping your girl look less like a newborn yeti." She used her claws like a comb, trailing them gently across Sophie's skull. "Worried I'm going to shred the skin off your scalp?" she asked when Sophie flinched. "I could, you know." 

"I'm sure you could," Sophie agreed. 

Just like she was sure that Ro could crush her head like a grape. "It's weird, isn't it?" Ro asked, separating Sophie's hair into sections. 

"This truce between our species? I mean, if someone had told me last year that I'd get this close to an elf and not want to rip out their throat—especially one of the little brats who attacked our capital city- I'd have broken every bone in their body. But here I am: styling elf-y hair in Sparkle Town. And the weirdest thing is—I don't totally hate it. I mean, I could do without all the glitter—and the perfumy smell. But the drama and obliviousness make it pretty entertaining." 

"Obliviousness?" Sophie asked. 

"The fact that you need me to spell it out for you kinda proves my point. But don't worry: Someday you'll figure it out—and then things will get very interesting. In the meantime—behold!"

She held up the mirror again, revealing the two messy buns she'd twisted Sophie's hair into—which was a little Princess Leia meets Minnie Mouse, if Sophie was honest. 

Ro sighed. "Clearly you need to start seeing yourself the way others do. Check out the staring boys if you don't believe me." 

She pointed to Fitz and Keefe, who were indeed staring. 

"What?" Sophie asked, heat creeping up her neck. 

Fitz blinked. "You look… different in a good way." 

"Dude, is that the best you can do?" Keefe asked. 

"I don't see you doing any better," Fitz argued. 

"Oh, I could. But I'm trying not to make you look bad. And can we be done with the makeovers? I came here for ooze! Come on, Elwin—you're killing me!" 

"One more minute," Elwin called back. "Still finishing up the new poultice."

[kotlc-deleted-scenes]

Keeper Summer Week #11

Deleted Scene from Nightfall 

I removed this scene because it felt like it destroyed the tension/danger that had been building in the story. It also didn't seem believable that Sophie would waste time in that moment, when she needed to get her parents to safety and get them medical attention.

—Shannon

“I need to check something,” Sophie told Fitz, reaching for her temples and closing her eyes. 

"Need a boost?" he offered. 

"It's probably better to save your energy."

She stretched her consciousness toward the gorgodon, trying to listen—feel—connect. Further and further she reached, until… 

There. 

There were no sounds. No images. But there was a swirling pool of life, filled with shadows of what used to be. Anger and terror and confusion swirled, but they were smothered by something bigger—deeper—darker than everything else. A constant, pulsing ache that never stopped, never eased, never let go. 

"Whatever you're doing," Fitz said, his voice a lifetime away, "it's looking at you. Like, really looking at you." 

Sophie opened her eyes.

All she could see was yellow—her world narrowed to the gorgodon's relentless gaze. And as she stared into those slitted pupils, the ache pulsed harder, reaching out like clawed hands as those shad- owed memories curled into shapes—nightmares—

"She saw the other gorgodons get slaughtered," Sophie whispered, feeling tears stream down her cheeks. "And she's been down here ever since, all alone no light, no food, only the command to guard my parents…" 

Sophie clutched her chest, the ache too raw for words. 

I'm sorry, she transmitted, even though the heartbroken creature wouldn't understand the words. 

She shared her own sorrow, her own grief, let the gorgodon feel that hole that still lived deep inside her after so long worrying about her parents—the same people the creature was trying to protect. 

The gorgodon landed right in front of her, its eyes never leaving hers, and a different thread of emotion wrapped around her heart. 

There was no word for the feeling—no comparison that quite fit it. 

But it felt like a truce. 

"So, I know you're having a moment here, Foster," Keefe said, his hand squeezing her shoulder. "But Dex got the door open, and we've got your parents. We need to go." 

The words were so huge and hopeful, they should've knocked Sophie over. But her mind was split—part of her still connected to the creature, lost in those shadowy depths.

If you let us go, we'll come back, she transmitted. We'll take care of you. 

She poured out any images she could think of to help explain the words—memories of Silveny and Greyfell, and Verdi, and Iggy, and the hundreds of other creatures in the Havenfield pastures. 

And she sent that strange emotion back, the one that felt like a truce. 

And the gorgodon sent it back again.

"Okay," Sophie said, struggling to her feet even as she held that yellow-eyed gaze. "We're going now. But we'll be back." 

"Uh, we will?" Fitz asked. 

Keefe snickered. "Looks like Foster just adopted a new pet."