The Apparition || Bad Omens || Noah Sebastian

Chapter thirteen

Noah ran a hand through his hair, carefully observing the wing of the school they were renovating. A group of volunteers, composed of parents and teachers, along with himself, Nick, Jolly, and Nicholas, were working fervently as the building gradually took the shape of what would become Ruby's dedicated art studio. The sound of hammers and saws was a constant background noise, yet Noah couldn’t tear his eyes away from the man who made his blood boil the most: Brendon.

John stood next to him, his hands stuffed in his jacket pockets, his gaze lost in the scene. Although he had accepted Noah’s presence in that sacred space honoring the memory of his daughter, the tension between them was palpable every time Brendon approached. The man Ruby had remembered as the one who left her heartbroken. The man who now acted as if nothing had happened, helping others with a mask of normalcy that sent chills down Noah's spine.

“It’s like he doesn’t care at all,” John whispered, his eyes narrowed in restrained anger. “Do you see it? Do you see how he behaves, Noah? It’s disgusting that someone like him can participate in this, knowing what he might have done to her.”

Noah held back from replying immediately, preferring to reflect on what to say. The information he had from Ruby fragmented, but it seemed like he was just a dickhead, not a bad guy. He needed to understand more before openly hate Brendon, and in any case, he couldn’t do so without destroying the fragile balance he was maintaining with John.

“I know,” he finally replied, keeping a neutral tone. “But we can’t do anything for now. He's just someone who's giving some help. You just don't like him”

John shot him a sidelong glance, clearly dissatisfied with the response. “I don’t know how much longer I can stand this. Ruby deserved a better man. Sometimes I think she deserved someone like you. At least, you don't have a wife and kids”

A long silence fell between them as they continued to watch the work in progress. Brendon, either unaware or indifferent to their stares, moved among the volunteers, engaging in light conversation as if he were a man with no burden on his conscience.

Later that evening, Noah returned home exhausted. He collapsed onto the couch, the thought of Brendon still vivid in his mind as the words John said to him. It was a weight he couldn’t shake off. Ruby hadn’t appeared that day, and for a moment, he wondered if the distance between them lately was due to the pain she was reliving through her memories. Or maybe it was because of what they had discussed the night before.

But as he reflected, a darker sensation began to creep in: the fear that Ruby was slowly drifting away. It was a thought that tore at his soul. Was he losing even that tenuous connection he had with her?

He massaged his temples, closing his eyes, trying to slow his thoughts. John’s words kept echoing in his head: Ruby deserved a better man.

And it was true. Noah thought that he could be the one for her, if they met in other circumstances, instead of fighting to make her find peace and leave him alone while she has tea with god.

But how could he give her peace when Ruby’s memories were so unclear?

It was then that sleep overtook him, pulling him into a world he didn’t know, but in which he had hoped to live.

In the dream, Ruby was there.

The dreamscape unfolded before him, bathed in a soft golden light, like that of an autumn sunset. He found himself in a familiar yet surreal place: the art studio they were building for Ruby. But in this dream, it was already completed. The walls were covered with paintings and sculptures, as if Ruby’s creativity had filled every inch of the space.

And in the center of the room stood Ruby, alive, in the flesh. She was wearing a light dress, her loose hair cascading over her shoulders. When she saw him, her face lit up with a smile, though there was a note of melancholy in her eyes.