✧The Earthe of the Elves✧

38

Mia's POV

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The squeak of the door opening makes my heart jump to my throat, and I spin around, sword raised. But it's just Knox. He has a shallow cut on his cheek and a bruise forming on his neck. His gaze drifts from the woman on the floor to me. His eyes look distant, though.

"Come on, let's get back on the bus," is all he says, taking my arm and leading me out into the open of the main part of the building. I notice that the man behind the counter isn't there anymore. I hope he's on a lunch break, not on the floor with a pool of blood.

What is up with Knox? Why is he being so weird? What happened?

"What happened," I ask as I walk- actually more like a limp-, our feet slapping the tile floor as we rush forward. I try to slow down, but Knox seems intent on getting out. "Knox, stop, what happened, where's-"

"They're dead," he snaps, finally stopping and turning to face me. He's angry, but I can see the anger leaving. Below it is a sorrow, a tired form of sadness. I know Knox didn't know the adults enough to grieve for them for too long, but he's obviously upset right now.

Knox sighs, running a hand over his face, smearing the blood on his cheek. He scoffs to himself and wipes the blood on the inside of his coat.

"Three Cin attacked us. I wasn't winning, so Rhydell stopped fighting his guy to help me, and... The Cin are dead, but so are Rhydell and Clolas. They protected me."

The anger is back, and I have a feeling I know why. He thinks he should be able to fend for himself, that he's strong enough that he wouldn't need help. But some elves are better, stronger than others. Obviously the one trying to kill Knox was very good.

My throat aches suddenly. Our whole team is gone. All four killed, in one day. They were just supposed to help us, keep us safe. I guess they did, just not for as long as we were hoping. 

They were nice, too, Rhydell and Clolas. They were smart and kind. I barely knew them, but I feel a momentary weight press on my chest so heavily it feels harder to breathe.

I feel like we already failed.

"Are you kidding me?!" I hear Knox exclaim, and I'm snapped out of my thoughts like someone just smacked me. The sound of an engine rumbles through my senses, and I look outside just to see our bus rounding a corner and disappearing, our stuff thrown onto the parking lot.

"Do humans have no patience?" Knox asks incredulously. I manage a tight, fake laugh and shake my head.

"Nope. It's okay, we can wait for another one. there's a bus schedule over here."

I hobble over to the fireplace and pick up a pamphlet, noting that the next bus to stop here will be in an hour. Great. An hour behind schedule. I guess I can get cleaned up, though.

"Oh, I didn't kill that lady, by the way. I just knocked her out." I inform Knox of what happened. I don't tell him that I don't have the guts to kill anyone, but I think he knows that.

While Knox goes to deal with the woman in the bathroom, I grab our stuff, bring it inside, then stalk into the 'employees only' part of the place to try and find some bandaids for me and Knox. I find some, along with some antibiotic ointment and gauze. I grab a water bottle and a few candy bars while I'm at it. As I'm brushing past the sheet blocking off the employees only part of the visiting center from the rest, I can't help but almost laugh at myself. I'm stealing food and water and bandaids from a visitor center in California while on a mission to retrieve some magical object. I feel like I'm in some weird, fantasy- apocalypse movie.