The alarm clock started ringing at seven o’clock. Noah lazily got out of his bed and put on the first clothes he found on his closet, as well as his grimy blue beanie, before realizing that there were several unread messages on his cellphone.
“Three in the morning? Who the f…?”, he muttered to himself. They were from Dan.
Dan was talking nonsense about going back into the woods, that Mr. Red was real… Immediately Noah angrily threw the phone inside his backpack. What the hell was Dan thinking going back to where Jane…?
But after taking a deep breath – as he would always do when he felt angry or helpless, something that occurred more often than he would like –, he grabbed the phone again and sent a message:
“sorry, just saw ur msgs… are u ok?”
He waited for an answer, but nothing. After several minutes, he finally walked out of his bedroom.
Dan never replied.
He and mom didn’t talk very much during breakfast, as usual. Actually, he just said “morning”, which the woman replied with an “don’t forget to take out the trash”. She was too busy applying some make up, getting ready for work.
And Noah couldn’t help but think…
If Jane was here…
They’d all be talking and laughing together. Dad would be here too. Jane seemed to have this ability to brighten everyone’s day and bring everybody together.
“I’m going.” – he announced after cleaning the plates, but didn’t get any answer.
He stepped out of his house and looked up to the gray sky above his head.
If Jane was here…
It was the first day of his senior year in that hellhole called Westchester High.
Noah couldn’t help but feel anxious about the future. What would he do after graduating high school?
If Jane was here…
Probably she would be his number one supporter on going to the culinary school, like he wished. She would make him cook all the craziest and fanciest foods she wanted, and he’d happily follow.
She’d never let him give up.
But she wasn’t here.
Noah closed his locker and started walking down the hallway, when he noticed a little commotion ahead. Throughout the corner of his eyes, he saw Britney, Jocelyn and Cody arguing with Lily, Ava and MC. Hurriedly, he blended through the crowd of students going to the gym, avoiding the bullies.
Once inside the gym, he saw the rest of his old friends. Stacy warming up with the cheerleaders on the back and Andy doing the same with the basketball team on the other end.
There were a lot of empty seats, so he sat in the second row of benches. Ava came alone a little after and went upstairs, sitting on the top. The girl didn’t notice him, she was scribbling something on an old sketchbook.
Noah turned his head to the front. Lucas was talking to Mr. Cooper right next to the entrance.
Dan was nowhere to be seen.
A flash of thought crossed his mind.
If Jane was here…
Would they all still be friends? Or they would have fallen apart anyway?
Noah came to his senses when he heard some shouts from behind. The gym was now packed with students. He looked upon his shoulder.
Cody and Jocelyn were yelling to MC to sit. They turned to him.
“Hey Noah, do you mind if…? – MC muttered, pointing anxiously to the empty seat next to him.
“Knock yourself out.” – he heard himself saying, before scooting to the side.
MC squeezed beside him, their perfume hitting him hard. He didn’t remember how small they were… Or it was him who grew up too much?
Immediately his mind started racing, remembering of something that happened a long time ago…
He and Jane stepped out of the house, Mom shaving then to “play outside”, like she always did after an argument with Dad. “You’re giving me a migraine”, she said before closing the door behind them.
Noah looked at his twin, her eyes still watering. She always cried when their parents fought.
“C’mon, Jane…”
“Did you hear it? They said the d-word! – she cried. Yeah, he heard them.
The fights were worsening and, to avoid each other, Mom and Dad preferred working late at night, leaving him and his sister alone. And so he started cooking for themselves and Noah discovered something he was truly good at.
At least Jane said his food was “amazing”.
“…Yeah, I heard it too. But don’t think about it now.” – he squeezed the girl’s shoulder, trying to comfort her. – “Why don’t we go play?”
Jane whipped out the tears of her face and smiled slightly.
“Can we call MC?”
Of course she wanted to play with MC. It was always everyhting about MC.
MC moved to Westchester with their family a year before and lived just a half mile away from the twins. MC and Jane got along instantly and became best friends, doing practically everything together and spending all the time together.
And Noah wasn’t very happy about it. Before they came and took his place, he and Jane were a team like it was supposed to be.
He even attempted to runaway from home a couple of nights before, because he felt that Jane liked her best friend more than him. But after he confessed this to his sister, she just laughed and told him that he was her twin and that he was irreplaceable. Noah felt slightly better after it, but the boy couldn’t control the way he felt, so he still was a little jealous of MC.
“Yeah.” – he finally answered, forcing a smile.
“YAY!” – Jane jumped in excitement and grabbed him by the arm. – “Let’s go see if she’s at home!”
MC was at home. Their mom let MC play with them, but if they were going to play outside, they better be back home for dinner.
“Where do you guys want to play?” – MC asked. The three of them were at the living room deciding what to do.
“We could play with Mr. Red!” – Jane proposed, happily. But Noah said no. – “Why? You never want to play with Mr. Red!” – she screamed, her face turning red with anger.
“I just don’t trust him!”
“You liar! You don’t want to because you’re scared!”
The boy’s face turned bright red too, while he yelled:
“I’m not scared of anything!”
“Guys…” – MC tried to interrupt, but the twins didn’t hear them.
“Yes, you are!”
“No, I’m not!”
“GUYS!” – they both imeddiately stopped yelling at each other and looked at MC. – “Stop fighting!”
The redhead girl pull her friend’s arm:
“MC! Don’t you agree with me? Noah is being a big baby!”
“I’m not a baby!” – Noah answered back, feeling that he had lost the argument.
Of course MC would be on Jane’s side. They were her best friend.
Besides, MC was never afraid of anything. That’s why Jane told them about Mr. Red first, instead of him. How could he compete with MC? They were just so good at everything!
And not a coward or weak like him.
Actually, MC was the bravest person he had ever met.
“…No, Jane, Noah is right.” – he heard MC saying.
“What?!” – the twins screamed together.
“We can’t play with Mr. Red. Not today. Everyone plays together.”
“But…”
“…And not everyone can come play today. Lily is on that summer camp, Andy is out of town with his and Tom’s family, Dan is on his grandma’s birthday party, Ava is grounded, Lucas has to study and Stacy said that her mom won’t let her come, after she found out that we were playing in the woods last time.” – MC explained. – “It might be dangerous just us three. Don’t you remember the first time we went there? Just the two of us? Mr. Red almost took you.”
“But this time will be different! He is our friend now!” – Jane stubbornly insisted. – “And you promised that you’d protect me no matter what!”
“I know, but…”
“But it’s safer if we don’t play with Mr. Red today, Jane.” – Noah said, firmly. He and MC shared an agreement look. – “It’s settled then, we won’t play with Mr. Red.”
“We could play something else. Like Twister!” – MC proposed, but Jane’s face was red again.
“Screw you both!” – his sister yelled, but she ran upstairs to MC’s bedroom anyway.
Noah and MC looked at each other before chuckling together.
“…Thanks, I guess…” – he muttered, shoving his hand inside the pockets of his striped hoodie. – “I’m her brother, but Jane only listens to you.”
“She listens to both o fus.” – MC answered, with a warm smile on their lips. – “Jane told me about your parents…”
“Of course she did.” – he rolled his eyes, wih an annoyed expression on his face.
“…And that you’re always taking care of her.” – their smile widened. – “You’re an amazing brother, Noah.” – MC giggled when he blushed.
And that was the worst part.
Despite being jealous of MC, the boy was incapable of hating them, even though he tried really hard. MC was so nice. And he kinda liked when they smiled or laughed at him. In fact, he liked MC too, since the very beggining, when they met them, a year before. But MC became more friends with Jane. The truth was that he was jealous of them both.
“Let’s go play.” – MC said and he nodded, a small smile on his lips.
“Yeah, let’s go play.”
Suddenly, he was back to the Westchester High gym, the pep rally about to start. And MC was talking to him.
“So… What’s been up to you? We haven’t really talked since…”
His heart ached a little. Noah knew right away about what they were talking about.
“Yeah… I know.” – he said with a blank face, trying to hide his feelings.
Thankfully, the pap rally started, with Lucas walking up to the podium.
While MC was commenting about their old friends, Noah couldn’t help but think, again.
If Jane was here…
Part of him kinda hoped that he and MC would still be friends. But… Just friends?
Looking at MC now, sitting right next to him… He felt an urge to wrap his arms around them and feel the warmth of their body against his.
He watched their lips moving, saying something about the cheer squad, and he wondered if they were soft and what was their taste.
Noah suddenly clenched his teeth, mentally ordering himself to stop imagning things. MC would never be interested in him. They even weren’t friends anymore.
Somehow, he managed to answer them without showing any emotion.
And then, it happened.
The lights flickered before shutting down. Lucas tried to say something, but then the gym doors were blown open with a loud bang.
And he could hear it. With the wind. Him.
The lights flickered back the same time Noah grabbed MC’s arm.
“Gah! What are you…” – MC jumped, startled by him, but he interrupted them:
“Shut up! Do you hear that?” – he screamed, feeling a cold chill going down his spine.
“Hear what?”
“Ssssshhhhh!”
MC finally shut the hell up and their eyes widened when they heard it.
“Oh no…” – MC muttered, before the lights went down one more time and the music completely stopped.
And then, Noah heard it again. The horrible voice of that monster who ended with his life without killing him.
The voice of that bastard who killed Jane.
“Everyone… plays… together…”