18th August 2019

That was it?!

No... It couldn't be...

Not when she had a million questions...

Renee scrambled forwards, hurriedly scrolling through the pdf, but it only threw empty pages at her, making her hopes sink like the titanic. It frustrated her, that despite being so prepared and writing down everything, she still felt clueless as to what lay in store for her.

What lay in store for Noah.

Renee had no idea as to what this pit of darkness was, but the name sounded so terrifying, that Renee could only imagine the horrors that it contained.

And to think that Noah was going to spend five years there, along with the evil Sir Johannes...

Renee didn't know which was worse, it was like being stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea.

Noah. Just thinking his name caused a whirlwind of emotions to surge through her like her heart tried to make up for all that her mind didn't remember. Tears fell down her cheeks, she had loved him so much, she could feel the pain inside her, slowly breaking down her courage.

Would they really see each other again?

Renee didn't know, and facing the question headfirst made her panic more than anything.

What if they didn't see each other?

What if... This was it?

The ultimate end to all her adventures in the Spirit Realm?

Renee stood up abruptly, she had to catch hold of her annoyingly imaginative brain. But fear stood before her, in plain sight, and she knew that it was no use hiding away from it.

"Renee?"

It was her dad, holding out his phone. "It's Clover's grandmother, she wants to talk to you... Something about her turtle missing you-"

Renee nearly grabbed the phone and placed it against her ear.

Phyllis would know. She knew everything, right from the ISA hunting her down to Noah being her boyfriend.

"Hello? Renee?" Phyllis asked doubtfully.

"Phyllis!" Renee gasped into her phone. "They've done it, I've been severed."

She noticed that her dad was still there, now watching the meditation Stimulator on her desk with keen interest. He was still keeping an eye on her, and that left Renee slightly bitter.

"I know, Renee. And they've also erased your memories," Phyllis said sadly. "That's terrible."

"But, Noah has it worse-"

"He does," Phyllis agreed. "The pit of darkness is a horrifying place to be in."

Renee sucked in a breath. Phyllis had just confirmed her worst fear.

"The pit is a place that is the inverse of the White Realm. A place that does everything to dissolve a Spirit into nothingness. In other words, it is like a slow and painful death."

Renee swallowed.

"Phyllis, please, there has to be some way to save Noah," She nearly cried. She watched her dad shift slightly at the mention of Noah's name, but Renee knew that he didn't usually pry.

Not like how her mom did anyway.

"Noah isn't alone, Renee," Phyllis said after a pause.

"Exactly! He's chained with that evil, twisted Johannes," Renee answered furiously.

Phyllis remained silent as if she was choosing her words carefully.

"Noah is resilient, Renee. He's much stronger than what he seems to be. He has lived with his void of pain for a year. The pit of darkness may be sinister, but Noah can handle it..."

Renee remained silent. She knew that Phyllis was only trying to be supportive, but she was still worried about him.

"Go to the Before Realm, Renee," Phyllis answered. "It is nearly impossible for you, now that you've been severed, but there's a way for everything..."

"What way? Phyllis, can you please tell me -"

"I don't know, Renee. But, there is a way. You just have to keep trying," Phyllis's tone was gentle.

"How are you so sure?" Renee frowned.

"Trust me, Renee. You'll figure it out soon," Phyllis sounded positive, hopeful. "And Clover will help you too."

Renee sighed. Phyllis said goodbye, complaining that her turtle was chewing on her carpet again.

Her dad watched Renee steadily as he took his phone back.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" Renee asked him, and he shook his head.

"What can I say?" He questioned her.

But he looked like he wanted to say a lot.

After a pause, her dad extended his arms, and Renee leaned in for a hug. "You know, your mom didn't want you to talk to Phyllis," He said.

"Why?" Renee pulled back.

"Oh, the usual. She's still scared of Phyllis, she doesn't want you associating with her," Her dad shrugged.

"But Phyllis is amazing," Renee protested.

"Just pretend like your life is normal, Renee, at least for her sake. She's already embarrassed with me, and Mike. She can't deal with whatever you're going through too."

Right on cue, her mom entered, looking distressed. Renee remembered her crying earlier that day when she had given her toast.

This was all hard for her too.

"Lunch is ready," She muttered and left abruptly. Her dad followed her mom, not before giving Renee a nod.

Renee would've left, but something upon her laptop screen caught her eye. It was another pdf that she hadn't seen before, and completely intrigued, Renee clicked onto it.

It was a single page, containing a poem.

A poem by Noah.

So Close, but So Far

So close we seem to be,
And yet we're still so far,
Just a single thought away,
At other times, Realms apart.

Silence is unknown to me,
For you fill up my mind,
Your thoughts, laughter, jokes and dreams,
They are also mine.

Loneliness is just a word to me,
When I am with you,
I know you're always there for me,
Even though I can't see you.

So close we seem to be,
And yet we're still so far,
Wish we were together all the time,
And not just Realms apart. 

-Noah Stark.

(Yeah Ren. I know that you're cringing at this, but hey, it's my first poem, and I really should be getting some credit for it. I sneaked it onto the website when you weren't looking: I didn't want you to see this. But now I kinda do, because who knows when we'll see each other again?
So that's why you know about my secret talent: poetry. And, this sounds terribly cheesy, but you're my inspiration.
....
You know what? I'm going to stop blabbering this very instant, I can already imagine the look on your face as you read this. Stop judging me Ren, at least this is so much better than my leather jackets and lame jokes. Which I still think are cool, but whatever.
Love,
Your Noey/ Noah / Babe ;)

P.S: Are you smiling? I am. )

Renee was smiling, her heart warming up at the poem he'd written for her. It was incredibly sweet and so perfect, it made her melt like ice cream on a sunny day.

She took a screenshot of the page, and saved it on her phone, wanting to read his last message to her all the time.

Despite his void of pain, Noah Stark always walked around with that charming smile and cheerful personality. Nothing really affected him, he was always cool and collected, and he wanted others to be too.

"Calm down, Ren," He'd said countless times. "There will be a way."

Renee exhaled, feeling the smile upon her face.

He was right.

There will be a way.

And Renee would find it soon.

*****