7th November 2019

NOAH

The minute she stepped into the room, every rational thought evaporated from my mind.

Her honey-coloured eyes peered around the room, before landing onto my blue irises, fluttering away at the contact and making my heart skip a beat. I swallowed nervously, before averting my gaze from her presence, wondering why I felt so uncomfortable all of a sudden.

I could feel Augustus's beady eyes watching me carefully for any reaction. I cleared my throat, before throwing him off with my look of nonchalance.

Augustus smiled back as if he knew exactly what was going on in my head.

"Lord Augustus?"

It was her once again, her smooth voice gliding over my ears like music. I stole another discrete glance at Miss Honey Eyes here, noticing that her face was the deepest shade of ebony, glistening in the white light of Lord Augustus.

Beautiful.

"Welcome, Melody Davies," Augustus told her warmly, a stark contrast to the cruel tone he'd used on me earlier. "This is Noah Stark."

I could feel her gaze upon my face, my cheeks heating up at the thought that someone so ethereal was looking at me. I was embarrassed by my appearance, from my worn-out clothes to my barely glistening form.

Blame the Pit for that.

"Well, I'll leave the soulmates to talk," Augustus cleared his throat as he got up, offering his chair to Melody, who nearly collapsed into it as if she couldn't bear to stand anymore, like the delicate flower she was.

I cringed at my words. Why did they sound so poetic when they described her?

"Hi, Noah," She spoke my name, making my heart rate shoot up so high, it was medically impossible to measure me.

"Erm... Hi, M-Melody," I told her, hoping I didn't sound like a stuttering idiot. She giggled, confirming the fact that I did sound like a stuttering idiot.

I gave her a sheepish grin, pretending to be confident and not as insecure as I felt. My simple action made her pupils dilate considerably, and she turned her head away, almost shyly.

I swallowed. Every single thing she did affect me, I wondered if it was even normal.

Was this normal?

Is this what love felt like?

I sat up, narrowing my eyes at my choice of words.

Love?

I'd barely met Melody! How could I love her already?

This was bad. Dangerous, even.

"So, Uhm," I cleared my throat, putting a stop to my love-struck actions for a while. "You do know that I'm a criminal, right?"

"Of course," Miss Honey Eyes replied swiftly, her voice strangely titillating.

It took me a moment to shake away my poetic thoughts. And once I did, I narrowed my gaze, trying to focus on what was important.

"And, you're okay with that?" I raised an eyebrow. "I mean, Mel..." My eyes widened at the instant nickname I'd conjured up for her, which I'd thankfully turned into a cough.

She sat patiently, waiting for me to continue.

"I mean, Melody," I emphasized on all the syllables in her name. "I'm going to be stuck in the Pit for five years. Are you sure you're okay with that?"

Melody nodded, her curly hair bobbing up and down with the simple action. They looked perfect, glistening faintly in her light and framing her heart-shaped face.

This girl was beauty personified, to such an extent that it physically hurt to be in the same place as her.

Is this what Isaac and Shay had felt about each other?

Isaac and Shay.

The Astrascends.

Renee Durvont.

My Renee Durvont.

Suddenly, I could feel the beads of sweat running down my face, jolting me back into reality. My face turned pale, so sickly pale, that I felt like I needed to puke at the instant.

I rose from my chair, much to Miss Honey Eyes's shock, and blurted out an apology.

"I'm sorry, but I need to leave," I told her.

"Why?" Her features drew out pain so beautifully, from the way her eyebrows danced in anguish, to the darkening of her amber eyes, how her mouth turned down quickly, her soft lips pouting in sadness.

It almost made me want to fall back into my chair, and make her happy again.

But that wasn't my job, no matter how much Augustus forced me to do it.

"Goodbye," I told her politely.

"Noah, don't leave me," She pleaded, tears lining up at the corners of her eyes.

I hung my head, completely ashamed of my inability to console her. Every nerve in my body screamed at me to engulf her in my arms, and wipe away her tears and burdens.

And yet, I walked through the door, no turning back once.

It was the harshest thing I'd ever done.

*****

10th November 2019

That wasn't the last of Melody Davies.

Two days after the incident, Augustus sent Melody again, hoping that she could charm me into being one of Augustus's right-handed men.

And I tried my best to make her understand that I could never love her.

"Melody," I'd said, my voice shaking from how much I was going to hurt her, "I don't need a soulmate."

Melody smiled at me, her cheeks glowing in understanding.

"I know, Noah. I'm not just your soulmate, I'm going to be your companion for the rest of eternity," She said softly.

Well, that's not what I meant.

"Y-you don't get it," I tried again, my breathing erratic. "I already love someone else."

Even saying the words felt wrong like it was forbidden to fall for Renee.

"Obviously you do," She said calmly. "You love your family like the perfect son you are."

"No, I don't have a family..." I tried again.

"I'm ready to be yours," She answered immediately, her honey eyes latching onto mine.

She looked so beautiful, breathtakingly beautiful, that I admired her for five whole minutes before realising that I had to answer.

"Mel, I can't," I sounded helpless. Also, I couldn't restrain the nickname any longer.

"I love you," Melody blurted out, twirling her fingers into mine. "And you love me too."

Wherever Augustus was, he was probably enjoying how much this was tormenting me. I felt cruel for rejecting Melody's advances, and I found myself questioning my love for Renee.

This was dangerous.

I might as well carry a white flag, surrender to Augustus, and be prepared to be brainwashed into a soulless Spirit who abided by the ISA.

I had no hope.

I was falling for Melody like a drug, and she was so efficient in flushing Renee out of my system.

This wasn't natural, was it?

I groaned in frustration, pulling at my hair, trying to remove Melody from my head. At this point, I was convinced that she had charmed me somehow, that some sort of magic was involved, and that Augustus had done this on purpose.

He had given me a week to think about my decision.

I didn't need a week. I knew clearly that I only wanted Renee in my life.

No matter how pretty Melody was, she wasn't anything on my Renee.

Right?

"You seem conflicted, boy," Johannes came strolling up to me. "What did Augustus want?"

I hadn't told Johannes the whole deal about Melody, since I couldn't stand to hear his gloating voice if he ever found out.

"Is there some kind of magic that can make you fall in love with a person?" I asked him carefully.

Johannes didn't miss a beat.

"You saw Melody, didn't you? I knew it, Noah Stark, it was bound to be love at first sight!" He clapped his hands in delight.

"Shut up, Evil guy," I groaned. "I love Renee, not Melody."

"Sure, Romeo," Johannes chuckled.

I rolled my eyes. He was as useless as always. I had to figure out a solution by myself before Augustus lured me to his side with Melody.

"There is a kind of magic that can be used to deeply attract a person," Johannes told me suddenly, his voice low. "That's exactly what Augustus used on both of you, something that made you forget Renee, and left Melody tongue-tied."

He made sense.

"That's... Scary," I admitted, trying to calm the palpitations in my chest.

"It is," Johannes muttered. "And Augustus will use it again."

"Is there any way to resist it?" I questioned.

"Ha! If only it were that easy," He threw his head back and laughed.

"Are you done mocking me?" I snapped.

"Ah, you're as impatient as always," He continued to shake with laughter.

I groaned, frustrated with my life. And Johannes was being irritating as usual. My mind swivelled back to the love magic Augustus had used on me, wondering if it would be powerful enough to make me forget Renee forever.

I couldn't even bear to remember such a scenario.

"The question is why? Why does Augustus want to lure you in with Melody?" Johannes seemed to be in a deep conversation with himself.

I decided not to interrupt him.

"Is he trying to influence you, so that you join his side? Ha! That's exactly the kind of sneaky thing Augustus would do! Trying to blackmail his enemies into his allies!" He exclaimed.

I stayed quiet, letting him continue his monologue.

"I don't think he offered you a pretty soulmate, there must be something else," He pondered. "Maybe he offered freedom? Power?"

"He told me that I could get out of the Pit," I spat out. "But I had to forget Renee. And the Astrascends too."

Johannes looked stunned.

"But, that's terrible! How could you forget Renee, you love her so much!" He sounded disturbed at the thought.

"Quit the act, Johannes," I rolled my eyes. "Why do you even care?"

"I hate Augustus too, boy. I cannot see him trap you under a love spell... Not when Renee is out there, waiting for you to return," He sounded so devastated.

"So, what should I do?" I asked curiously, wondering what he was going on about.

"My offer is so much better, my boy! Not only does it offer you freedom, but you can evade evil Lord Augustus too!" Johannes sounded akin to a salesman desperate to sell his product.

Ahh right. His offer.

"I'm not taking that shit up," I told him immediately. "That's a suicide mission."

"Fine," Johannes replied sarcastically. "I wish you a happy married life with Melody, Noah Stark. Can't wait to meet your Spirit children."

His words evoked a visceral emotion in me, so similar to suffocation, that I found myself rethinking his offer.

Of course, it wasn't all rainbows and daisies like he'd claimed. His plan had drawbacks too.

First of all, it was highly risky. If I got caught, my future was permanently ruined by the ISA.

Secondly, no one, apart from Johannes, had been successful in carrying it out.

Thirdly, it wasn't complete freedom. Johannes would monitor me throughout, in case I had some sort of difficulty, either with the ISA or otherwise.

Fourthly, since Johannes hung around all the time, there was a high chance he could manipulate me into some evil scheme if I wasn't careful enough.

However, I would be careful. I was Noah Stark, and I always double-checked every motive of every person I ever crossed.

"It's your call, my boy," Johannes sighed. "Either accept Melody and parade around with Augustus...or join me."

He gave me a slow grin and widened his arms as if he wanted to give me a hug.

Gross.

"Are you sure? What do you gain by helping me?" I asked him again, highly suspicious of his plan.

"Peace of mind, and much-needed freedom from this Pit," Johannes huffed.

"I thought you loved the Pit."

"I lied!" He admitted. "It affects me as much as it does to you, I just have better ways of hiding it."

"How can I know that this isn't a huge lie?" I asked carefully.

"No! Heaven forbid you to think of something like that," He appeared appalled. "I'm the only one trying to help you, and you don't trust me?"

"Nope," I told him. "I don't trust you, and neither does anyone else."

"Why can't anyone give me another chance?" He cried out aloud, throwing his hands up in the air. "Why can't you trust me, Noah Stark, when all I'm doing is acting out of the goodness of my heart?"

Big, fat tears leaked out of the corners of his eyes, and they peered up at me, filled with self-pity.

"And end up like Mike Durvont?" I asked coldly. "Not a chance."

"I promise you, I will protect you with my life. I will make sure that no one can raise any harm against you, till the last minute of my existence. And in case we're caught by the ISA, I agree to take up all the blame!"

His chest heaved from the words he'd sworn up, looking so desperate and genuine that I almost felt sorry for him.

The keyword being 'almost'.

I smirked inwardly. He'd said exactly what I wanted him to say.

Not only had he agreed to protect me, but also agreed to take up the blame in case we got caught.

"What if you make me do your dirty work?" I asked him sharply, still wary.

"I won't!" Johannes pleaded, tears rolling down his wrinkled face. "I told you, I'm doing this all out of sympathy."

"I don't want to be involved in your evil scheme," I repeated.

"Of course!" He brayed. "Besides, my schemes aren't evil!"

"Yeah right..." I rolled my eyes.

Johannes blabbered to himself, while my heart continued to drum erratically.

Was I taking up Johannes's offer?

Was this really worth trusting him?

I thought about Melody, how Augustus would brainwash me into falling for her. Whereas, Johannes's plan brought me closer to my Renee.

I smiled. I was doing this for Renee after all.

I'm not going to forget her this easily.

"Johannes," I interrupted him. "I agree to take up your offer."

He watched me keenly, stroking his goatee as if he were deep in thought. Then he nodded.

"Let's do this, Higher Spirit Noah Stark," He grinned and shook my hand.

I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding.

This was it.

I'd just sealed my fate with the criminal mastermind, Sir Johannes.

Only time would tell if I'd made the worst decision in my life.

*****

(A/N: I'm so excited because we're finally getting closer to the plot.

What do you guys think about Melody?

Do you think Noah acted too soon?

And any guesses on what Johannes's offer could be?

Thank you so much for your support!!)