i know you move your fingers when you sleep because i have felt them move and i know i must do the same.
and i must wonder how many times we have unconsciously, in dreams or nightmares, reached for each other's hands and never even known.
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" and the stars blinked as they watched her carefully, jealous of the way she shone. " — atticus
elsie hummed to herself, wiping off the counter with a wet washcloth. she thought back to the past week, smiling at the thought of a forming relationship with elijah. the two had seen each other nearly ten times over the past two weeks, and their relationship was blossoming.
it was the end of dinner at the small bar/cafe, and people were clearing out. only a few small talkers and couples remained at tables, filling the small building with quiet chatter. she would have to close up in only a few moments, softly notifying the lingering people that they needed to leave. once everyone had dispersed and exited, elsie began to sweep and mop the floors. she heard the bell chime, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "i'm sorry, we are closed.." she turned her head, falling silent at the sight of two men with bloody mouths.
her hand frantically reached for a weapon, fingers wrapping around the handle of a butter knife. she held the puny weapon in front of her, putting on the bravest face she could conjure. "what do you want from me?" she questioned with a shaky voice, clearing her throat as the stalked towards the girl, baring bloody fangs that made her scream. she turned on her heel, beginning to run but was suddenly shoved to the ground. elsie smashed her head against the tabletop, cutting open the skin. she reached up, her fingers coated in the sticky red substance known as blood, her blood.
before one of the two men could attack, they were nearly ripped to pieces by an angry original, but elsie didn't see what went down. she took shaky breaths, feeling a hand on her shoulder. she instinctively turned, placing the dull blade of the butter knife against her attackers neck. "elijah.." she breathed out once realizing who was kneeling before her. the girl dropped the knife, reaching up and throwing her arms around him. "thank you.." she whispered quietly, squeezing her eyelids shut in an attempt to rid herself of the horrid memories that were made by the two men moments before. "thank you so much."
elsie felt elijah's arms wrap around her figure, gently rubbing her back. "it's alright, they're taken care of." he pulled away from her embrace, staring deep into her eyes. "you won't remember what happened, only that you fell and hit your head and i found you." he stated, his compulsion clearing elsie's brain of the horrific events. she inhaled sharply, looking around in confusion. "my head hurts.." she muttered, feeling elijah's thumb wipe away the blood that was trickling down and towards her eyebrow.
"here, let us stand." elijah held the dizzy girl, helping elsie to her feet. he held onto the girl, a small smile on his face when he realized that she was, indeed, alright. "i haven't seen you since our library date. how are you?" he rested his hand on her cheek.
elsie thought back to only two days ago, where elijah took her to the library on her lunch break. he, unfortunately, had to leave early due to family matters. elsie didn't mind, she understood. the brunette couldn't help but smile as she reminisced on their quiet day. she remembered catching his stare on multiple occasions as she sifted through piles of books, along with his soft touch on her shoulder when he told her of the unfortunate circumstances within his family. elsie blinked her eyes rapidly, pulling her mind away from the memory.
