Circles

Chapter III

The hours passed, and there was no sign of Noah. Lizzie hadn't been able to go home and leave the situation like that, but it was well past midnight now, and she was growing increasingly worried. She hadn't wanted to call Mr. Alister, as he was on a very important business trip, and the last thing she wanted to do was alarm him. But she had to admit that things had spiraled out of control.

Noah wasn't answering his phone and had been missing for over 8 hours. Given his increasingly erratic behavior over the past few days, she couldn't expect anything good. She would have to call him.

She picked up her phone and, still looking out of the window in case a last-minute miracle occurred, slowly dialed the numbers she knew by heart, afraid of how he might react. Mr. Alister usually didn't lose his composure. Never. Except on the rare occasions when something had happened with Noah. And if he had to settle scores with someone, Lizzie had always seen him composed and emotionless. The blow would come without warning, and that's what she feared the most.

"Lizzie?" The voice on the phone sounded somewhat surprised. "Did something happen with Noah?"

The girl knew how important he was to him. In fact, she thought that nothing and no one had been as important to Mr. Alister as Noah was at that moment, so she was more than nervous.

"He..." She took a breath before continuing. "He left in the afternoon and hasn't come back home yet."

The silence on the phone lasted a few seconds that felt like an eternity.

"Thank you for waiting for him. It's well past your usual leaving time. Don't worry. He'll come back."

"Mr... he wasn't in a good state when he left, and I..."

"Don't worry. He won't do anything; he promised me. And he knows what would happen if he disobeys. Now..." He sighed. "I'll give you a bonus for the trouble, and you can stay there. I don't think it's the right time to go back home. When Noah returns, I need you to tell me everything you see in detail. That's all."

"Alright..."

"Don't tell him you spoke to me."

"Yes, sir."

"Oh, and Lizzie, one more thing. Tomorrow, don't let him go out, and when you leave, lock the door and take all the keys with you."

"Huh? But he..."

"I don't want him to escape. Understood?"

"...understood."

Alister abruptly hung up after that.

The next morning, as the sun barely peeked over the mountains, Noah collapsed at the front entrance of the house, utterly exhausted.

Lizzie rushed to open the door to help him inside, just as Mr. Alister had asked her to. She took note of everything she saw: his disheveled clothes, the strong scent of alcohol and cigarettes, and the faint, reddish marks that covered his pale skin.

The boy could hardly walk, so Lizzie did her best to bring him upstairs and lay him on his bed, all the while Noah cheerfully talking about how happy he was now. She left him there and went down to the kitchen to get him some food, sending a quick text message to Mr. Alister. She was so tired that she hardly knew what she was doing.

"Damn kid..." she muttered as she prepared the tray.

Noah slept peacefully throughout the afternoon, and when Lizzie went to bid him goodbye at 8 o'clock, the boy barely raised his head to say farewell.

Just as instructed, she searched the entire house, making sure there was no spare key, and when she left, she looked pityingly at the shadow of the staircase. She closed the door with a small click and walked away, the orange sun staining her back.

A few hours later, Noah opened his eyes in the middle of the night's darkness. He was sure he had heard a noise. He turned over in his sheets and switched on the lamp on his bedside table. A dark figure was outlined at the foot of his bed.

The boy recoiled, pressing himself against the wall, stifling a scream.

"It's me," the man reassured him.

Noah stood frozen for a few seconds before feeling his heart start beating again.

"Why are you here?"

"Alister sent me. He's not too pleased after what happened yesterday."

"Don't lie! How could..."

"Why do you trust Lizzie so much? Don't you think she's far more loyal to Alister than to you?"

"She's my friend..."

"Then how did Alister find out?"

Noah fell silent. He was right.

"Did you come because he asked you to?"

"I came to look after you."

"Yeah, right."

"Don't get angry. I actually want to help you."

"Liar. Everyone prefers Alister. Why would you help me? Why should I trust you?"

"Because I can show you something interesting. You need it."

"I don't need your damn help."

"So, you've figured it out, haven't you? I guess it was pretty obvious even for someone like you..."

The boy looked at him, puzzled.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You're too stupid to get it, huh?"

"Damn it..." Noah lay back down on the bed, covering himself with the sheets. He didn't want to hear another word.

"Do you want me to tell you?"

"You'll probably want something in return, like everyone else."

"Not really. It's a favor for someone else, which will also benefit you."

"..."

"Do you want to hear what it's about first?"

"Fine. But I won't do anything I don't want to."

"As you wish."

Noah sat up on the bed and looked at him intently.

"Do you remember asking Alister about your father?"

"Yeah..."

"You remember that I'm a close friend of his, right?"

"Yes. Get to the point. I'm getting bored."

"Your father has a message for you."

Noah's eyes and mouth widened, and his hands began to tremble slightly.

"My dad is dead..."

"Don't be scared. Do you want to know what it is?"

"No... my dad never cared about me, never considered me his son, so..."

"He's sorry about that. Does that interest you now?"

Noah hesitated for a moment, trying to decipher the man's intentions from his face, but he gave up immediately, getting up from the bed. He needed to know what was going on, and he wouldn't be able to figure it out on his own.

The man smiled pityingly.

"I can't help you open that door."

"Then what...!"

"Lizzie has the key. Figure it out. I must leave now."

The man walked away down the stairs, leaving Noah sitting in the hallway, leaning against the door of the old room, tears flowing uncontrollably.

He needed to open that door. He needed to confirm that what Alister felt for him wasn't just an illusion.