The Apparition || Bad Omens || Noah Sebastian

Chapter sixteen

The day of the opening of the art studio dedicated to Ruby had finally arrived. The air was thick with a strange energy, a mix of relief and nostalgia. The school was bathed in a soft light, the sun setting behind the trees, and the final preparations had been completed. Noah stood in front of the mural that Nicholas and Emma had finished, an extraordinary piece of art, vibrant with colors and emotions, where the work Ruby had done at the school seemed almost to come to life.

He hadn’t seen her since she had fled from the dream, from him. He had looked for her everywhere. In the world of the living, beside him during the days. In his dreams. He had tried so hard to summon her back to him, but she had never answered his desperate cries. He couldn’t believe she was gone, though a part of Noah hoped that the girl had at least found the peace she had long sought.

John, Ruby’s father, approached slowly, hands in his pockets and a tired look in his eyes. When he reached Noah, he stared at him for a moment before speaking.

“I think it’s time to thank you, Noah,” said John, his voice rough and broken. “You didn’t know my daughter, yet... you did all this for her.”

Noah turned, struck by John’s words. “It was her who wouldn’t let me go. I felt there was something unresolved, something that deserved more than a faded memory.”

John nodded, his gaze shifting toward the mural. “Ruby would’ve loved this place. And I know you did this for her, not for your stupid band,” he said with a sarcastic smile, similar to the one Noah had come to know well from Ruby’s face.

“Thanks, John, I appreciate the compliment,” Noah joked, playing along.

John placed a fatherly hand on his shoulder. “You know, when all this started, Katie said something, and I’m beginning to understand it. Maybe the universe took our daughter from us, but it gave us someone else to love in the same way. You’ve been a gift, Noah.”

Noah felt tears well up at the base of his eyes as he heard those words. He, who had always felt alone in this world, may have just found a place to call home.

He thought that Ruby had indeed given him a wonderful gift by entering his life.

The moment was interrupted by a distant voice. Noah saw Jen and Brendon once again in the middle of an argument outside the school gate. Jen seemed furious, gesticulating animatedly while Brendon stood there, seemingly exhausted, staring at the ground. After a few minutes, Jen turned abruptly and walked away, leaving Brendon alone.

“Those two always manage to ruin everything” said John with disdain. He gave Noah a pat on the shoulder and walked off to avoid witnessing the continuation of that ridiculous fight.

Noah couldn’t take his eyes off them. He wanted to intervene, but something held him back. Brendon, motionless for a moment, finally approached the studio and stopped in front of the mural. He stared at it for a long time, then made a small gesture, as if he were saying goodbye to the woman he had loved more than anyone else, despite everything.

“Noah,” called Nicholas, arriving with Jolly and Nick. “It’s our time. Ready?”

Noah nodded, trying to shake off the emotions of the past few minutes. “Ready as ever.”

The band exchanged a few lighthearted jokes, trying to ease the solemn atmosphere. Between them, as always, there was a sense of complicity and irony, but Noah felt that something deeper was waiting for him.

Emma introduced them to everyone and praised the generous donation the boys had made to the school.

Noah was supposed to speak at that moment, but something inside him kept his feet rooted to the spot. Nick, sensing the situation, spoke in his place, as if it had always been meant to be this way.

“We didn’t know Ruby, but she knew us. And I think she saw a lot of herself in our work. And now we see a lot of her in us. We didn’t know Ruby, but thanks to you, we’ve discovered an incredible woman, someone capable of so much love that she could mobilize an entire community for her students. We didn’t know Ruby, but we know the way your faces light up when you tell stories about her. And we hope they continue to light up every time you come to pick up your children from school and look at what you’ve accomplished with your strength. Thank you for welcoming us into the place that once belonged only to Ruby, but is now filled with all the memories we’ve created together, thanks to her. Goodbye, Ruby, we hope you like all of this.”

The crowd of parents and children erupted into applause, and Noah felt a gentle breeze brush against his face.

He smiled.

After the ceremony, Noah returned home, but something had changed. Throughout the day, he had the strange sensation of being watched. And every time he looked up at the schoolyard, he wished Ruby were there. He imagined her among the children playing, her face sweet and carefree. Their eyes meeting. He would run toward her, hold her in his arms, Ruby taking shape under his touch. No longer a ghost, but a living person.

Too bad none of that happened. She hadn’t shown herself, and the hole in Noah’s heart grew deeper.

That night, when Noah entered his house, the air felt different, charged with an invisible tension. He knew she was there, somewhere. He felt her presence. When he entered his room, he found Ruby sitting on the edge of the bed, her face sad and defeated.

“Ruby...” Noah whispered, his voice breaking with emotion.

She looked up, her eyes filled with regret. “I’m sorry for how I ran away last time,” she said, her voice fragile. “I didn’t mean to hurt you, Noah. But I thought it would be better this way. I thought I could leave it all behind... move on. The veil to this world is getting thicker, and I can’t always cross it.”

Noah approached slowly, his heart in turmoil. “You don’t need to apologize,” he said gently. “I thought I had lost you forever.”

Ruby gave a sad smile, looking down at her transparent hands. “Nick’s speech was beautiful, and my dad seems to have found someone else to love like a son,” she said, smiling at him, warming Noah’s heart. “Maybe it’s my time now. Maybe I can finally... go.”

Noah’s heart pounded. “Do you think you’re ready?”

She nodded, but something was wrong. No heavenly light appeared, no invisible force came to take her away. Ruby remained there, as if trapped between two worlds.

“Noah... I don’t know how to do it,” she asked, her voice cracked with desperation. “Why am I still here? Why isn’t there a light or a sign showing me the way?”

Noah looked at her, his heart breaking, but suddenly something clicked inside him. An intuition, like a flash of lightning. His phone vibrated in his pocket, interrupting the moment. When he took it out, he saw John’s message.

The message informed him that the autopsy results had arrived. Noah stared at the screen for a long moment, holding his breath. It wasn’t what they had expected, but it was the thought that had crossed his mind just two seconds earlier.

“Ruby...” he finally whispered, looking up at her. “I know why you can’t find peace.”

Ruby looked at him, confused and scared.

“You didn’t die from a sudden illness,” Noah said, hearing those words echo like thunder in the room. “Someone killed you.”