tangled (mileven au)

show me how

๑ 4 ๑

"Wow, Mike! This is so cool! Is it really your car?"

Mike couldn't resist shaking his head from where he trailed behind her, truly not understanding why El was looking at his car like it was a rocket ship or something. It's just a car? Why is she so amazed by it?

"Yepp, that's really my car."

"How do you know how to work it?" She questioned, her eyes wide as she looked back at him for an answer.

"It's really not that hard, you just have to learn how to drive." He shrugged, making his way over to the driver's side.

Surprisingly, El hadn't followed him, instead walking over to the passenger side and opening the door. She obviously knew what a car was if she did that all on her own, so he figured maybe she just hadn't seen one this nice. That would explain why she's so amazed by it.

Once they were both inside, Mike started the car and put his seatbelt on. El watched closely as he did so, then proceeded to do the same.

"Do I get to look out the window?" She suddenly asked, an incredibly hopeful look on her face.

"Uh, yeah?" He eyed her skeptically, not getting why she was even asking that, but chose to pay it no mind. There was really no telling what was going on up in that head of hers.

"Do you wanna listen to some music?"

"Oh yes! I love music!" She beamed, nearly bouncing up and down in her seat. 

"Alright then." Mike turned the knob on his radio a couple of times, before settling on a random station. Then they were off, headed toward a day full of doing whatever the girl seated next to him felt like doing.

There wasn't much conversation between the two as they rode into town, El being too preoccupied by what was outside of the car, rather than inside. He couldn't help but notice just how intently she was staring out at everything they passed by, like someone who hadn't ever gotten the chance to do so. She'd get all excited over the simplest of things, like when they'd drive by someone walking their dog or when the wind would blow her hair back from her face.

Really, he was surprised she didn't pop her head out of the car and stick her tongue out like one of the many dogs they'd seen. The behavior would definitely fit, seeing as how odd he had already found the girl to be.

Mike could safely say this girl was not like any other girl he'd met and no, he didn't mean that in the cliche kind of way.

She didn't understand certain things he would say, things that any normal person would know. She didn't know how to act in certain situations, like how she'd freaked out and covered her eyes when he was shirtless. She was even afraid to step foot outside of her house, like she's never been out in the world.

He clearly remembered her saying that she'd been in that cabin her whole life, but surely she hadn't literally meant her whole life. It's just not possible. Why would anyone stay in one place their whole life, never leaving or having normal human experiences? Why would someone have no interaction with the outside world for almost eighteen years?

His thoughts ran wild until he managed to come up with one reason as to why someone would live that way— they were being forced to.