✧The Earthe of the Elves✧

40

Mia's POV

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I turned the t.v on at around 9:30. It's been half an hour, and Knox is still curiously watching HGTV with me.

"What is the point? Is a show about people buying houses you can't possibly afford fun?"

I laugh, shrugging. "It is for me, yeah. I don't know, it's just... Normal for me. I watched it with my mom every night."

Watched. Past tense. Just that little thought sends a wave of longing through my bones. Knox tightens his arm around me, and I smile faintly at him. Stop being such a debby downer Mia.

Hoping I'm not about to embarrass myself, I turn off the t.v and get my phone, opening up Spotify and plugging it into a charger I got at the store. Scrolling through my playlists, I laugh silently at myself and play my 'Main character vibes' playlist. Might as well play my life story by now. Tongue Tied comes on, and I grin. Knox smiles, tilting his head to listen to the music, listening carefully.

"So this is your kind of music?"

"Yep," I say, crossing the room to where he's still sitting on his bed. I hold my hands out for him to take. "It's the best. Come on, I'll teach you how to human dance."

I expect Knox to look reluctant, but he just looks... Happy. Which makes my smile in brighter. I turn the volume up, deciding the neighbors can deal with it.

I'm not very good at dancing, mind you, and although I'm a little self conscious, I try to just listen to the music and pretend I'm at a party, dancing however feels right. Knox joins in after a moment, at first just kind of hopping, which is essentially what I'm doing, but it looks so funny to see him I can't hold in the laugh. Knox just laughs with me.

"What? Am I doing it wrong?" He asks. With that he grabs my hand and spins me towards him lightning fast, and I land in that 'final beat of the dance dip your partner' pose. I smile and spin back up just as the chorus hits.

"No, just do whatever feels right, there is no choreography." I sing along with the chorus, surprisingly not out of tune, and we both dance around the hotel room like we really are at a party.

It feels really nice, to have fun like a normal teenager again. By the time we finish dancing a steady patter of rain has started on the roof above us, and I'm slightly out of breath. Of course, Knox isn't.

I keep the music on but turn it down, smiling with I Need You by M83 comes on, one of my favorite songs. It always made me feel like running through a field in a renaissance dress by a castle. You know, classic main character stuff. I guess my story is a bit different than the ones I always wanted to go on.

Knox sits on the edge of his bed, a content look on his face. Light flashes through the window of our room, and a second later thunder crashes loudly overhead. I nearly jump out of my skin in surprise. I never used to be scared of thunderstorms. I guess even now, even when I'm relatively safe, I feel on edge at the slightest surprising thing.

I place a hand on my chest and laugh, looking over at Knox, who's smiling and shaking his head. His smile fades into a thoughtful, reluctant look in a minute. I think he wants to say something, but for the remainder of the song we both just sit and listen, and Knox even says the music is pretty.

"I hate to, but can we quickly talk about tomorrow?" Knox asks. Reluctantly nodding I sit next to him, weaving my hands together in my lap as Wanna be Yours by Arctic Monkeys comes on.

"So, hopefully we can just go to your school, find it, and get out." 'It' being the Heartstone. I nod, not knowing what else to say. I probably won't know where it is in the school until we get there. I still don't get why my dad hid a super important stone in my high school.