Crystal Hearts hide no more secrets

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You were loud. You knew this, your neighbors definitely knew this, and the entirety of Arcadia might know it at this point. But where was the fun in singing if it wasn't while putting your whole heart into it?

"IF YOU WANNA BE MY LOVER, YOU GOTTA GET WITH MY FRIENDS~" You belted, cleaning the counter with the song blasting through the newly installed speakers in the ceilings of your store. You laughed, letting yourself dance to the upbeat pop song, your movements relaxed and at ease. You were many things; a dancer was not one of them. But who cares? This was fun!

"You're having a dance party without me?" Eli asked as he walked in, his gaze downcast and disappointed.

"That entirely depends on whether or not you like the Spice Girls or not," you joked, turning the music down slightly and turning your attention to him. "What's up, my little man?" Eli sat at the counter and you turned to make his tea. You really were starting to feel like a barista with the amount of drinks you were making lately. 

Almost immediately he perked up and went off about the book he'd just recently read, his hands gesturing rapidly as he talked. You almost went and grabbed a piece of tape to tape his glasses to his head, the big frames constantly sliding down his nose. But he looked happy, wrapped up in his own little world, so you didn't. He didn't even pause to take a drink of his tea as he talked, only taking his first drink once he'd finished. 

"I'm really glad you enjoyed the book, Eli," you said softly as you smiled at him, letting him take a long drink. 

"It was really weird, though, because the whole time I was reading it, I kept thinking of you," Eli said, his brows scrunching in confusion. You frowned in confusion.

"Really? What book did you buy?" you asked, watching as he pulled a very familiar book out of his bag, having to bite the inside of your cheek to keep from smiling too big. That book was yours; you'd written it years ago. You'd almost forgotten it was being sold. The money made from the book was still being dumped into a fake bank account that you withdrew from very rarely; after all, you didn't want people to get suspicious as to why this young woman was collecting money for a book written fifty years ago. 

"Weird, right?" he said. You nodded, still biting your cheek. 

"Great minds think alike, I suppose," you finally said, allowing yourself a small smile. 

"Yeah! Hey, maybe you should read it!" Eli suggested, pressing the book towards you. You laughed.

"Eli, I own that book. I own the store, remember? I can just grab a copy," you said, shaking your head fondly. He blinked.

"Oh, right," he said, laughing awkwardly. You ruffled his hair fondly.

"Don't sweat it, my little alien enthusiast," you reassured him. He beamed at you and you sighed softly, taking a moment to enjoy that small moment of contentment. He was a good kid. 

"By the way, have you heard about Jim?" Eli asked you. You shook your head; you hadn't seen Jim yet that day. Now that he said something, you realized you hadn't seen him the day before either. Strange. "He's got Jim Lake disease!" Eli exclaimed.

"He has what now," you deadpanned. 

"Jim Lake disease! He wasn't at school, so we all asked, and it turns out he's sick!"

What.

No, that couldn't be right. Where were Toby and Claire? They would know what was going on with Jim.

"That's... interesting," you said, laughing nervously. That couldn't be what it was. Was it a Trollhunting thing? Oh dear lord he better not be dead. 

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