"Who is she" she cried. The cracked tempered-glass looked as broken as the soul beneath her hazel eyes.
Jared took the phone and pulled her to a hug, "I'm sorry" Jared uttered, "but that should only be answered by Noah himself. It's not that I don't want to tell you but we respect each other so I hope you understand" he said.
"You know her then. Since when?" Namine asked.
"Before you," Jared answered. "She is..." Jared paused, unable to continue what he's going to say and Namine held him. Tight.
"Jared, don't you think I should know?" She asked, "You knew what I've been through, the questions I had inside my head that were never answered. People tell me to stop, my psychiatrist tells me to stop searching for something that could fill this, this...dangerous void inside my heart but I can't... I can't" she said.
Jared looked at Namine in the eyes then he gently brushed his thumb to wipe a tear on her cheek, "Your psychiatrist is right, Namine. Stop" he said.
"Can I speak to you Daniels?" Noah declared as he stood outside the door of room 40E, a chemistry lab. The noisy classroom fell silent and Daisy stepped forward to meet with Noah outside.
As they reached the back of the school, Noah looked back at her. "I'm going to summon you at the red room after your last class" he announced.
"Wait, what?!" Daisy exclaimed, "How can you do that? What did I do?!" She asked. Son of a bitch. She thought.
"I could not accept any explanation from you given the fact that you just literally put my life in danger" he said.
"How?!" Daisy asked.
"You told Namine Scott about Savannah Preston" he said, "Why would you do that?" He asked and Daisy's eyebrows furrowed followed by a devious smirk with arms crossed.
"And for that you are taking me to the red room?" she scoffed, "You know, you can make me suffer but at least I'm trying to save a girl from you" she said, "You don't save people, Noah. You let them drown and I pretty much know that's what you do to Savannah. You are sick" she hissed.
Noah smirked, "How much do you know about me?" he asked.
Daisy just turned her back. Leaving him. Noah breathed deeply as he turned around to look at sky. I had to keep close anyone that threatens me, that includes Daniels and the nosy girl, Scott. He thought.
After the talk with Jared, instead of going to class, Namine went to Parsley St. She feels the need to play. Part of her wanted answers but who! Who is Noah Heinsteele and why does he trouble her so much?
She cried in the elevator while she's on her way to the second floor. It almost feels like he was a ghost that haunts her. Sean wasn't inside so she'd probably be partnered with someone else. Another stranger with consent to touch her body.
She starts wondering if she likes it. Back at home she was always taught her body was sacred, almost everyone that goes to sunday schools. Now she feels estranged to the important lessons her mom has taught her. Like she never puts them at heart.
"Namine?" Maureen called as she sees Namine sitting alone on one of the high stools inside the room while drinking some water in a wine glass.
"Why did you suddenly call for a play?" She asked. Namine doesn't trust her. She just felt like she couldn't.
"I find it boring at school" she lied but it was partly true. She's fading out.
"Really?" Maureen said as she sat beside Namine. "Then you'd have to wait then until someone's free at this time" she said, "It's actually the reason why we keep people's schedules. With time running fast, some of them just becomes unavailable to have fun and we invite them" she continued, "Because it's fun in here" she declared.
"Yeah. I agree it's fun here" she said, half a lie.
"Namine" Maureen uttered, her nails tapped on the marble counter while looking mesticulously towards Namine. "You need to stop hanging out with Daisy Daniels" she advised and Namine looked at her.
"How...how do you know Daisy was my friend?" She asked.
"We study our members so we basically know everything" Maureen said, "We need to" she added.
Namine's heart beats fast. She starts to question her choices. She starts to regret her choice of coming here. "Why...I mean, do you follow us or something?" She asked, "That...that sounds like you're...CIA or something" she added.
Maureen smirked, "I've known about you before you even step a foot here" she said, "Daisy was a tool to lure you to us" she admitted, "Kid regretted it" she chuckled.
For a brief moment, her world starts to swirl around her. I've known about you. She thought. "What do you mean?" She asked.
"You know Noah right?" She asked and Namine nodded. "He keeps a lot of secrets and you are one of them" she said, "But it's not safe Namine. It is not safe getting linked to Noah and this house will keep you safe, at least for the mean time!" she added. She looked and sounded serious. Too believable...or not.
Namine got confused. She had never felt so confused her whole life as Maureen, a complete stranger, telling her about being safe.
"What? Why? What is going on?" Namine asked. She is annoyed like she wanted to squeeze all the answers out of Maureen's mouth.
"Are you naive?" Maureen mocked. "Since you came here, Noah had been acting strange until we figured out he dated you in high school" she started, "We were surprised you lived together. That is so not Noah" she said, "You are changing him" she announced and Namine chuckled.
How could she change Noah? Noah doesn't feel any bit of care or love for her. He's just confusing and a jerk. But suddenly she just started to realize tears are starting to form around her eyes and they burn.
"How can I change him? How did I do that? You don't know our story! So you can't say that!" She said.
Maureen rose up and she took a step nearer to Namine, closing the gap between them. "Noah is perfect right? That no matter how broke he is, you still go after him hoping to fix him but there's nothing that can fix Noah. We all have masters in life and Noah's hands are tied" she said.
Namine looked at her. Noah's hands are tied. She thought. Savannah Preston.
Maureen smiled then she turned her back, "Don't let yourself be the one to break those ties. It will not be good" she advised then she left the room, leaving fragments of a mystery. A puzzle that don't seem to fit.
Namine immediately left the house. She run to Daisy's apartment but she's not answering. Confused she just run to the library, to the research section, reading random books. Her mind's jumbled but she'd like to think about what Maureen said. Ties.
"Noah..." Namine uttered softly. The people in the library were staring at her, she hadn't realized her hair wasn't in place and her face deeply expresses the stress she's feeling.
At night, Namine decides to buy dinner but with the money she has, she doesn't think she'd survive until she receives the scholarship allowance. She decided to skip and drank some water then went to bed but with a hungry stomach she was too disturbed to sleep so she went out.
"Hi" Noah greeted as he sees Namine going out the door.
Namine fell surprise as she sees Noah outside, sitting before his door. "It's..10 o'clock" she said.
"Sorry about last time" Noah said. Wow, he says sorry now. Namine scoffed in her thought.
"Don't mind that" she said.
"Did you eat?" Noah asked and it raised Namine's eyebrows. He sounds like a caring boyfriend now. She thought.
She swallowed. She wants to nod but at the same time she wants to tell him she's really very hungry. "Yes" she lied. I'm definitely hungry I could eat the grass in the field.
Noah stood up from being seated and Namine watched him until she's looking up at him. He was definitely tall. "I haven't" he announced, "I'm gonna go for some drive through so... see you around" he said.
Namine pursed her lips as she held her stomach and squeezed it. He was getting far and her thoughts are fighting each other. "Noah!" She called and Noah turned back.
"Can...can I go with you?...please?" She asked while at the back of her head she watches her pride getting smashed by a hammer.
"Okay" Noah answered and she runs to him, a little bit shy but extremely excited. She had no choice though she can call anyone. Jared, Daisy...maybe? But why, why should it be Noah?