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DAWN FELT DIFFERENT. She felt uncharacteristically mellow, as if something were calming her mood. Maybe it was Iris's store. Maybe it was the soft scent of incense that burned quietly in the air, filling her nostrils with the scent of white sage.
Percy was looking better now. His face wasn't pale anymore, and Dawn was sad to say that the Casper jokes couldn't be used anymore. She could tell Percy secretly found them funny, though.
Problem: why the hell was she starting to get along with him? Was she sick or something? Dawn blamed it on the incense.
A question raced through Dawn's thoughts, though. Less of a question, and more of a feeling actually. She felt a gentle sense of calm as she laid down on the wooden paneling of Iris's store, watching the enchanted sky through the ceiling. It was very Harry Potter.
She could see the burning stars, and the infinite space between them. Her deep blue eyes reflected the universe in endless spirals of atmosphere and wonder. She couldn't remember ever seeing the stars shine so brightly—laugh and play and watch her so gently. As if they were writing poetry in the skies. It was like being on a boat, and being surrounded by only water, except instead of feeling alone the stars were there to hold her.
Dawn felt a presence next to her. A salt water smell mended onto her own lavender one. Blue and purple.
"Wanna go skinny dipping?"
Dawn tilted her head to the side to face Percy with an amused smirk.
"Won't the water just fall right through you, Casper?"
Percy rolled his eyes and said nothing. He only moved closer to Dawn. Close enough to hear her quiet breaths, and close enough to lay his head on her stomach as they watched the stars.
What were they doing? They were supposed to be enemies. Last time Dawn checked, enemies didn't put their heads on each other's stomach and run their hand through their hair. Enemies didn't count each other's breath, or trace each other's freckles with soft gazes.
Dawn blamed it on the stupid incense.
She just wanted to get back to teasing Percy, and messing with him. She liked that. She didn't have to feel anything but pride when she did that.
But now, as Percy's jet black hair spread over her stomach like ink in the sea, she felt as if a star was placed right on top of her.
And Percy was not a star. Dawn wanted to scream.
"You're a good pillow, you know."
And there he was, his green eyes looking up at her. His nose soft against her light skin. Her shirt had moved up slightly.
