No Place I'd Rather Be PV Elena Jones Finished

Min-seo looked up at the high ceiling and just thought about everything. She could barely focus on one thing at a time, it was difficult. She could if there wasn't any type of distraction, but if there was, she was screwed. She didn't know why, she just guessed it was just because she was just that type of person. She ran her free hand through her hair, undoing the cream ribbon in it and twirled it around her fingers, her hair now flared out on the floor. She started to hum slightly. Elena's voice brought her out of her head.

"I'll definitely have to get you one then, what's your favourite colour?"

She said.
Min-seo tapped her chin in thought. "Well, I like pastel colors, if that helps." she said with a soft smile.

"It's nice to see someone else has the same thing, I was thinking of getting something to help me focus, like maybe an earbud or something. It would be pretty cool to hear music at the same time, that usually helps when I'm studying. Do you have any tips? I know break isn't that far away, but it's still a bit difficult to focus sometimes."

"Well, I usually listen to music while I study, I obviously don't during class, and also try to clear your head of anything you're thinking about. It's not much, but those are the only tips I have."

"Those are pretty good tips, thanks Min. I'll try clearing my mind next time." Elena didn't mention that clearing her mind was extremely difficult. Even now, sitting with Min-seo, she couldn't calm down, it felt like she was either sleeping or absolutely completely awake.

The only time she didn't have that was when she was in the tea shop in Hogsmeade, there was something in the air there that helped a lot more than anything else. When she'd asked one of the waiters about it they'd just told her that herbology helped them make the teas and she must be smelling something. So she'd bought a relatively large bag of favourite tea, it helped an odd amount whenever she had it, so it was almost a need by now, to kick back with it was almost routine, like writing in her journal. She needed to go back to the shop soon, there was little to no way to get peace other than sneaking to Hogsmeade.

"Pastel, yes, I'm pretty sure I can use that. I'll make sure it's nice!" That meant that Elena only really needed to visit the stationary shop, and also something to get some stuff for her other friends, she was sure it wouldn't be too hard to do.

"Those are pretty good tips, thanks Min. I'll try clearing my mind next time."

Min-seo nodded and smiled. No problem, I hope it helps." she said quietly. She looked through the window, seeing snow. She suddenly started to feel sad. She got like this sometimes, and it was just uncontrollable. She got a flashback...

"Ugh, mom, I just can't hit THAT note!" 6 going on 7 Min-seo said. Her mother smiled from the piano. "Min-seo, I do not expect you to hit every note. The song you chose is difficult, and the song is meant to be sung by an adult. Your vocal range isn't big right now, you're only 6, my dear. Deep breaths. Just listen to the piece. Come here." her mother patted the empty space beside her on the piano seat. She walked over and sat down. Mi-lin smiled at the little girl and started to play and sing the song. Min-seo leaned into her, the snow falling outside. Everything was so beautiful.

Min-seo started to feel tears go down her face and she tried to quickly wipe them away. Was it the music room and the snow that triggered it? She didn't know. No, she couldn't cry. Not in front of El, she had to stay happy. She looked away from her and wiped the remainder of them and turned back with a smile. "Thank you for thinking of that type of present." she said with a smile that masked the pain.

Elena barely managed to notice the tears on Min-seo's face. Thank god for that hyper vigilance or she would never have seen them, "Min, what's wrong are you okay?"

Elena was worried about her friend, was this something about the piano? Was she hurt? Did she want to go. She had nothing but concern in her eyes as she scrambled to a sitting position, "Do you need the first aid kit? I have one hidden around here somewhere..."

Then her eyes darted between the piano and the girl, "Was it a memory? I know how much those can hurt, if you want to talk about it..."

Memories were difficult things to deal with. For Elena they were all out of order, she could vaguely figure out which events came before which but uneventful days blurred together and swapped themselves around in order. Important days were easy to remember, like today or when she first came here. That's one of the reasons she had a journal, to keep track of her memories by putting them to paper, it was easier that way, to keep her mind in order as she went along. Sometimes she could use particular classes to fix her recollections, sometimes it was broken beyond repair.

"Min, what's wrong are you okay?"

Min-seo sat up and hugged her knees. She looked up at Elena, a few tears coming down her face, and her doe eyes sparkling with them. She didn't know why Elena was so worried about her. She rocked back and forth, shaking her head. She just looked at the piano while El scrambled around in confusion. The El looked at the piano and then back to her. Then the realization hit her.

"Was it a memory? I know how much those can hurt, if you want to talk about it..."

Min-seo nodded quietly, shuffling over to her. She was still slightly curled up in a ball.
"Storytime by Min, I hope you enjoy. My.....my parents died when I was seven, and I thought back to when....to when my mother and I were singing and playing the piano. I kept on messing up on one note when I was singing, and I was bashing myself up about it. She told me it was alright, that she was here and would help me, and we just looked outside into the snow. I j-just, remember her saying she would be there always, but I see now that that statement wasn't true." she said, more tears falling down her porcelain face.

Elena looked at Min-seo for a moment then did something very strange, she pulled the other girl into a hug, "I'm so sorry Min, if it makes you feel any better. Nobody truly leaves you, for better or worse they're always in you mind, at least until the memories fade away."

The happy and optimistic exterior that Elena showed melted away, showing the haunted young girl that hid behind it, "I'm full of tattered memories Min. Happiness is a rare thing where I come from, whenever a memory like that hits you. Just tell yourself that you got to remember it."

"There's a song I can play you, if you want. It's pretty calming, if you want that is, I um, I can only play that song on piano. It's actually the first song I learned to play on anything. The people that taught me moved me onto instruments that I could carry around with me after that, so I don't know anything else on piano..." Elena was hoping her weird rambling and broken confession had made Min feel better, it wasn't every day that she told people the dark side of her past. Not even Bella knew this much, and only Griffith would really know what the people she used to run with were like.

"I'm so sorry Min, if it makes you feel any better. Nobody truly leaves you, for better or worse they're always in your mind, at least until the memories fade away."

"I'm full of tattered memories Min. Happiness is a rare thing where I come from, whenever a memory like that hits you. Just tell yourself that you got to remember it."

"There's a song I can play you, if you want. It's pretty calming, if you want that is, I um, I can only play that song on piano. It's actually the first song I learned to play on anything. The people that taught me moved me onto instruments that I could carry around with me after that, so I don't know anything else on piano..."

Elena didn't bother to put her front back up again as she got up to the piano, she started to play the high note opening, she was glad she got to help Min, if only a little bit. She seemed a tiny bit better after what Elena said, so she closed her eyes and remembered the music.

"How many days have passed like this? The city, the crowd is fading, moving on." Elena sang softly, "Sometimes I have wondered where you've gone. The story carries on... Lonely lost inside."

Elena started playing the deeper notes, "I had this dream so many times, the moments we spent have passed and gone away..."

"Could there be an end to this? What I'm feeling deep inside." A tear formed in Elena's eyes as she remembered how much she loved playing the piece, "You know, there's no, looking back."

"Glassy sky, above. As long as I'm alive, you will be part of me." Elena started to sing the chorus, "Glassy sky, the cold, the broken pieces of me."

"The mystery of it I recall. Suddenly the truth will change the way we fall." The playing got a bit trickier for her, "I didn't want to hurt you, hope you know... Empty promises, shattered dreams of love."

"How many days have passed like this? The city, the crowd is fading, moving on." Elena sang softly, "Sometimes I have wondered where you've gone. The story carries on... Lonely lost inside."

"I had this dream so many times, the moments we spent have passed and gone away..."

Elena finished the song and noticed she'd sung Min-seo to sleep, it was sweet. To see her so calm was heart-warming, the girl was so sad when she was awake but sleeping she looked at peace. Elena looked at the storm outside for a little bit before picking Min-seo up, she figured it wouldn't be too hard to carry her to the common room. Elena was strong for her age, and Min was very light, so Elena simply started to walk off with her. She needed her sleep, and even though the Rehearsal Room was a nice place to sleep, what kind of friend would she be if she let her friend stay out past curfew.

It was about seven pm according to the clocks lining the walls, which means most of the other students would be eating in the great hall. Elena planned a route that avoided the noisy halls and sang softly to her friend as she carried her back, "Hello sweet grief, I know you'll be the death of me. Feel like the morning after ecstasy, like I'm drowning in an endless sea. Hello old friend, is a misery that knows no end, so I'm doing everything I can. To make sure I never love again..."