Realm of Noah

Chapter 27

5th December 2019

NOAH

The clatter of plastic plates and the buzz of bored students welcomed me as I entered the cheerful cafeteria. Usually, I found Ren or Cloves in the line, but today they were already seated, engrossed in a deep conversation.

After picking up my food, I sauntered over to our usual table, highly curious about what they were discussing.

"I can't believe it," Ren whispered out aloud. "Are you sure you saw them together?"

"Yes!" Clover looked positively mad, her eyes bulging out in disbelief. "They were holding hands!"

I threw them a curious look, as I set my tray on the table. Today's lunch was relatively boring, with more vegetables than I could name. Maybe I should've been happy that my school was so health-conscious, but it only reminded me of Johannes's stews and salads.

Maybe he was secretly influencing Miss Claire to torture my life with veggies.

"Noah, did you see them together?" Ren asked me, her pretty eyes lined with worry.

"Who?" I asked, clueless.

"Sam and Chantelle," Clover answered, holding her fork upright as she looked murderous. "What's up with them?"

"Oh, them," I smiled as I thought about giving them marshmallows in the morning. "They're okay."

"Okay?" Ren repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, don't worry about it," I reassured her.

"Noah Stark, I can't sit and pretend not to worry as my friend Sam fights the She-devil!" Clover blurted out, nearly making me fall out of my chair.

"Shit, Cloves, calm down-"

"I will not calm down!" Clover raged, making even Ren cower behind her bag. "She tortured my life, she tortured yours, and now you're okay? Maybe you don't care about Sam, Noah, but I do. And I can't see him being-"

"Cloves?" It was Sam, now holding his lunch tray and looking slightly terrified.

Behind him, Chantelle peeped through, watching Clover cautiously, who now lowered her fork and reduced her glare.

"Can we sit?" Sam asked hesitantly.

"Why not?" Clover laughed mirthlessly. "I guess my crystals have been useless in warding off evil!"

I exchanged a glance with Ren, who motioned her to calm down. Clover fell back into her chair, looking defeated and surly, as Sam resumed to speak.

"Hasn't Noah told you guys?" He inquired. "Chantelle is my friend now."

"Yes I am," Chantelle answered defiantly, throwing Clover an extra look, who picked up her fork again, paired with another death stare.

"How did this happen?" Ren asked, trying to look nonchalant as if she were asking about the weather.

Sam recalled the tale this time, about how he'd seen the messages to how they'd sought help from Johannes. Chantelle and I nodded in the right places, hoping that it would somehow calm the fiery Clover.

"I don't buy it," Clover frowned, the minute he'd done narrating.

"You don't buy it, because you want to hate me," Chantelle corrected. "We don't need to be friends, Clover."

"That's fine," Clover sulked. "You can't take back four months of insults you've thrown at me."

"I'm sorry for that, but I didn't have a choice!" Chantelle yelled. "Do you think it's fun to see your sister being possessed?"