12th November 2019

NOAH

"YOU FOOL!" Johannes let out, his earth-shattering scream enough to alert the whole neighbourhood.

Fergus gulped nervously, blood draining off his face as if he'd just seen a ghost.

"Can't you understand anything with that blubber of a brain?" Johannes fumed. "You absolute disgrace to a Spirit! You-"

"Fergus, Melody can't know that!" I interrupted Johannes, trying to understand the depth of the situation. "We told you before, didn't we?"

"I-I asked her to keep it a secret, Noah Stark," Fergus's eyes lined up with tears. "I swear to the Enlightened, I never meant to cause any harm."

"Bah! Take your pitiful apology somewhere else!" Johannes scowled at him.

"And, will she keep it a secret?" I asked Fergus patiently.

"She promised that she would," Fergus looked sincere. "All she asked was where you were, and I told her that I didn't know-"

"At least your brain has that much sense," Johannes interjected.

"I trust her, Noah Stark, and I think that you should trust her too." Fergus looked straight at me, ignoring Johannes.

I nodded. As brainwashed as Melody was, I could tell that she wasn't a snitch and that she would keep our secret. Maybe, telling her the truth was a better way to handle her. If she hadn't known, she could've gone straight to Augustus, and cried about missing me. Which would've led to an investigation I would've regretted.

What Fergus did was actually the right thing.

"I do not want to see your face for at least another week, Fergus," Johannes threw another dirty look, before prancing away like he was superior to the rest of us.

Not noticing that I was still on the call.

"Can't you see how two-faced he is?" I whispered to Fergus. "He calls you his son when he needs your help. But when you mess up, he insults you, Fergus," I pointed out.

"Noah Stark, do you really think I don't notice that?" He asked me gently. "I have been the prison guard for the Pit of Darkness for the last five years. I have seen Sir Johannes treat me in various ways, sometimes even worse than today."

"Then why do you put up with him?" I questioned.

"Because, he has helped me out in times of need," Fergus had an intense look in his eyes. "And as long as I'm a vessel to his pity, my life will be everything that I've ever wanted it to be."

"You mean that your crying is-"

"An act? Yes, Noah Stark. A man must do what it takes to save his family. If I must evolve to be a bumbling idiot to the criminal mastermind, then so be it."

I gulped nervously. What could've possibly happened to Fergus that made him depend on someone like Johannes?

And then I remembered myself, heavily dependant on the very guy.

"Never show that man your real face, Noah Stark," Fergus warned. "That's the only way to deal with him."

*****

13th November 2019

I couldn't sleep that night.

The dusk deepened into ultramarine blue, gracing herself with stars and a soft, round moon, the world quietened down to sleep. Only I wasn't affected by this magnetic spell, laying awake at night and trembling at what I'd been told.

Never show that man your real face, Noah Stark.

Fergus's warning kept echoing in my head like a siren, making me tremble all over. I couldn't help but think of the way I'd childishly struck a deal with Johannes, not fully realising the consequences of my actions.

Despite keeping my guard up around Johannes, I'd done nothing to hide my true self. I answered back without thinking, fought like a toddler, even insulted him like I did with my friends. He knew exactly how sharp and wary I was of him, how much I loathed him, how I would never trust him, no matter what.

And what he did with that knowledge, I never knew.

I turned around, watching the pearly moon floating low in the sky. Stars were a rarity, and I did my best to squint and point out one or two from the view of my window.

Fergus's warning led me to another thought. Was Johannes revealing his true face when he was around me? Was all his screeching, his unnecessary drama, a part of his personality?

Or was that an act he was putting up so that I wouldn't get to see what a twisted old crook he really was?

Tendrils of sleep curled onto my eyelashes, a soft yawn escaping my lips. My mind urged me to think about Johannes tomorrow, that he wasn't someone worth sacrificing sleep over.

And one day, when Renee finally knew who I was, I guess I'd have someone to share my worries with.

*****

18th November 2019

High school would be amazing if Chantelle didn't exist.

The she-devil was always spying on my whereabouts; appearing suddenly at the oddest times, and twirling herself upon me like a vine. I spent the next few days at school running away from her as if it were all an elaborate game of cat and mouse.

The only good thing that resulted from my running was that Josh, the captain of the football team, had noticed my athletic skills and invited me for the tryouts next week. He gave out non-bully vibes, despite being a buff tall guy with a buzz cut and serious brown eyes.

"Man, I don't normally hand out invites, but I asked Miss Claire and she mentioned that you were a football player before," He tried to explain.

Wow, I'm learning new things about myself every day.

"Yeah, I must be," I coughed out, still panting and clutching my stomach from running up three flights of stairs to evade Chantelle.

"Must be?" Josh raised an eyebrow, just as the lift dinged. Out stepped the she-devil herself, strutting up to me with her sultry smirk.

"Oh no," I muttered, cursing myself for forgetting the existence of the lift.

"Get yourself a girlfriend, and she might go away," Josh suggested, watching me explode in panic as Chantelle approached.

"I already have a girlfriend. But Chantelle doesn't listen," I told him wearily, still gasping for air.

"Then convince her that you do... That's what I did," He advised, looking genuinely like he wanted to help. "Well, see you later, dude. Good luck with her."

I nodded, before breaking into a sprint to arrive at fourth-period physics, evading Chantelle before she could reach me.

By the time we had lunch, I was completely exhausted, while Chantelle had not so much of a smudge on her makeup. Maybe Josh picked the wrong person for the football team, this girl had more stamina than I did.

As she approached my lunch table, Clover thankfully apparated at the perfect time, waving a bowl of soup menacingly at Chantelle's face.

As weird as it was, it worked. Chantelle backed away, consoling herself by blowing out kisses in my direction. I sank lower in my seat, pulling my hood over my face and wanting to disappear into thin air.

It would be so much easier if I were a Spirit.

Noticing my trauma, Renee discretely slid marshmallows into my tray and gave me a comforting smile. Today, she looked much better, with her hair brushed neatly, half of it tied into a cute ponytail and the rest reaching around her shoulders. Her wispy fringes ran past her eyebrows, and I had to consciously stop myself from brushing it away.

I still hadn't told Ren who I was. Running from Chantelle had zapped away all my free time.

At least Ren and I were friends now.

"We need to do something about that bitch, Oliver. You can't run around like this every day," Clover frowned, lining up her crystals on the table, and glaring at Chantelle.

"Ooh, tell her that you're gay," Sam told me, snapping his fingers as if he'd arrived at a eureka moment.

"She. Doesn't. Listen," I gritted my teeth. "She selectively turns deaf whenever she's around me."

"Then you need to prove that you already have a girlfriend," Renee muttered, deep in thought.

"Exactly, that's what Josh said too," I sighed, before focusing on taking a huge bite of my burger.

"Josh? Do you mean the Josh Sawyer? The captain of the football team?" Clover gasped.

I looked up to see all three of them gaping at me with their mouths open.

"Yeah, it's the same Josh," I muttered incoherently. "He asked me to come for the football tryouts next week."

If they were shocked before, it was nothing compared to the way they were watching me now.

"Guys, please stop staring at me like that," I muttered, trying to hide my face with my hoodie.

"But, this is huge," Renee broke the silence, lifting my hoodie and peeking at me through the little gap. I gave her a tiny smile.

"Yeah, because, Josh is literally a God," Sam sounded awed. "They've got a huge wall in the fourth floor dedicated just to him."

"I heard that some people worship that wall daily. Although, the incense they use smells funny to me," Clover pondered.

"Cloves, that's not incense, that's weed," Sam rolled his eyes.

"No it isn't!" Clover protested. "Grandma Phyllis has it too."

"No wonder your grandma is crazy, she's probably high on weed all day," Sam guffawed.

They continued to argue, while Renee and I laughed, my head finally emerging out of my hoodie cocoon. I had to admit that I had fun hanging out with them, they reminded me of my buddies back in the Spirit Realm.

After lunch, I found myself walking back to the lockers with Renee, to pick up books for our next class together.

"How are you going to convince Chantelle?" She asked, her grey eyes filled with anticipation.

"I don't know," I fumbled.

I didn't know why I still hadn't told Renee who I was. It was like an unknown fear was holding me back from revealing my true identity.

Was it a good time to tell her now?

"If you get your girlfriend to visit you at school, maybe Chantelle would finally stay away," Renee stated.

"My girlfriend?" I replied blankly.

Renee is my girlfriend.

"I know that you have a girlfriend, Oliver," She avoided my gaze, yet her cheeks glowed red a dead giveaway. "Sam told me that you were arguing with your dad about it."

I vaguely remembered my argument with Johannes at the mobile store.

"Yeah, I do," I said blandly, suddenly picking up on the click of Chantelle's heels or stilettos or whatever she wore.

Renee stiffened too.

"She's here," I scowled, hating the universe for forcing me to run again. I made an effort to jog away, but I felt Renee's strong grip on my forearm, urging me to stay.

"Don't go, Oliver," She looked strangely determined. "Maybe I'll talk to her for you."

"You don't need to," I shrugged, not wanting her to unnecessarily get stuck in this drama.

"I want to," She shot back, her pristine gaze reassuring my worried one.

Internally melting at how grateful I really was, I bit my lower lip, nervous about the whole situation. Renee moved closer, her hand still resting uncertainly on my forearm, her fingers on my pulsating veins. Her touch calmed me like she'd brought out the whole White Realm to relieve me of my misery.

The doors burst open, revealing Chantelle marching through the crowd, calling out 'boo bear' as if it were her pet. I pulled down on my hoodie, hoping to blend in, but her beady eyes had already spotted me.

I gulped. Renee's gaze shuttled between Chantelle and me before her fingers entwined with mine. I turned towards her, stunned at the gesture, right as Chantelle landed in front of us.

"Boo Bear! I missed you!" She whined.

I opened my mouth to retort, but Renee was quicker than me, pulling me down by the hood, her eyes shining with a rare intensity.

And without waiting for a reaction, Renee kissed me right on the lips, just as Chantelle's mouth fell open.

*****

(A/N: I'm so excited to share this chapter with you guys, it's one of my favourites!

Do you think Melody will keep Noah's escape a secret?

What do you think of Fergus's warning?

And what do you think will happen to Renee and Noah? 🤭)