Bad Omens

Four

The world was dark, the only light coming from the rising moon and the twinkling city lights. Noah pulled his jacket closer to himself as he shuddered softly against the biting autumn wind. He stopped in front of a large house and stopped to examine it for a moment. There were multiple windows facing the front of the home and he quickly ducked behind a tree when he saw Emma's mother step up to the kitchen window to draw the curtains. He sighed softly in response before turning his gaze to the upper windows. He noticed a trellis with a shriveled flower vine reaching up towards a window decorated in sheer curtains, and then he saw it.

He smiled softly at the bright red cloth that blew softly in the wind as it held onto her closed window for dear life. Noah went to the trellis and took in a deep breath, beginning to quietly climb it like a ladder. He made it onto the small roof area that sat flush with the girls window and tapped lightly against the glass.

Emma appeared suddenly, her short curls wild with precision and thick framed glasses perched on her nose. She opened the window quietly, and stepped back to let the boy crawl inside.

"Do you always let strange guys into your room, Red?" He asked softly as he tripped over a pillow in her windowsill. Emma hushed him softly, glancing nervously over at her bedroom door.

"Of course I do," she joked in a hushed tone. "You're the seventh one this week." Noah put a hand over his heart as he mocked being wounded. Emma let out a soft laugh as she sat down on her bed. Noah sat beside her and took in a breath, realizing that he had no idea what he should say. It felt odd, because although he barely knew her, he felt safe in her presence -- a feeling he wasn't quite used to.

"How are you feeling?" He asked suddenly as she pulled her oversized sweater around herself tightly.

"A little weird, to be honest," she admitted. "Yesterday I felt horrible. The chemo just wiped me out. Today, I'm just bracing myself for the side effects of having my brother's stem cells translated into me... but so far I feel fine." Noah sighed as he turned to face the girl.

"What kind of cancer do you have?" He asked softly.

"Chronic Myeloid Leukemia," she answered, almost as if she had rehearsed the answer regularly. "I was diagnosed when I was twelve. Today I had a stem cell transplant, so... maybe it's going to be over soon..."

"That must be rough," he said softly.

"It is," Emma said, lowering herself softly to her floor. "But honestly, I'm just tired of it ruling my entire life." Noah lowered himself to sit beside her and nodded in response.

"I know what you mean," he muttered. Emma turned to look at him, noticing a bruise on his cheek that had mostly healed as she recalled their last conversation.

"How are you in the city right now? I thought you said they were going to take you away..."

"They did," he whispered, wrapping his arms around his knees. "I was passed around a few times before they ran out of willing fosters in the surrounding areas... I'm staying with a couple across town now."

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "Why were you passed around so much?" Noah ran a hand through his curls and looked over at the girl as a soft breath escaped his lips.

"People have a hard time looking past where I came from. They look at me and just see a thug kid with a shakey past and they throw me away..."

"What could possibly make you a thug?" Noah smiled softly and looked down at the ground.

"My dad," he muttered. Emma just stared at him expectantly.

"Your dad isn't a nice guy... I remember you telling me that." Noah scoffed lightly and looked back towards the girl with tears prickling his eyes.