The Aegis of Noah Hart

6-A Bad Dream

Noah and his mother share a laugh on the couch. Another episode of Gilmore Girls, or rerun for that matter, helps to pass the evening hours.

Abigail carefully cradles the blue mixing bowl in her lap full of sweetened caramel popcorn. Noah squints at his cellphones he reclines beside her in an orange t-shirt and grey shorts. Though enjoying the show, he has been multitasking by customizing his "house" with cooking furniture on a mobile game. Though it seems relatively simple, Noah's fingers are just big enough that he can't place an item without moving others in the process. He grumbles to himself and stretches with a yawn.

"Time for bed?"

"Huh?" Noah answers, "No, I'm...fine."

"You don't have to come with me if you don't want to. I know you have school tomorrow morning."

"Are you sure?"

Noah checks the time on his phone display which reads "10:56PM."

"Geez, you should probably head out or you'll be late!"

"I said that like ten minutes ago or were you listening?"

Noah frowns. His aunt Susan would be flying into Nashville from Montreal after visiting with his distant relatives. He should be happy to see family, but it was late and a school night.

Expecting his mother to be disappointed with him, the Hart boy finds a kind smile spread across her face as she gets up to fold her blanket into a square. He does the same with his blanket then hands the wool cover to her to place in a basket by the couch before turning around to rake her hands through his hair.

"MOM!"

"Sorry, I just love you hair! So handsome. You're starting to look just like your father, you know?"

"Yeah? Where is Dad anyway? Shouldn't he be going with you to be pick up Susan? She is his sister."

"Noah, you..." her smile fades as she looks away, "he's on his way back, Sweetie. There was a massive accident on I-75 this evening. Your father just got past Chattanooga awhile ago. He's rushing to get back here but won't make it probably until 1. Then he has to turn around and go to Nashville at 8."

"OH."

"'OH' is right. Now if you're not coming to the airport with me to get your aunt, I want you to go straight to bed. Don't wait til I'm gone to play games again."

"I'm not! Trust me I'm tired."

"Good! Be back soon. Love you!"

"Love you! Night!"

Abigail waves at her son then turns for the kitchen. As Noah lumbers up the staircase to his bedroom, he hears the sound of his mother grabbing the keys from the rack by the kitchen door, opening and finally shutting it behind her. 

Without stopping to brush his teeth, the boy staggers into the bedroom and falls face first onto his brown comforter. The house becomes a quiet chamber filled with darkness. He can clearly hear his puttering ceiling fan. See the shimmer of moonlight peeking in through the seams of his curtains. Turning his head to the side, the boy listens to the muffled crackling of the garage door as it opens then moments later as it closes.

All alone! I could do whatever I wanted. Stay up late, run outside in the street, watch late night shows or...

But despite his best efforts to resist sleep, Noah feels his eyes shutting on him.

"Noah Hart?"

Noah's eyes bolt open at the sound of his name. Though he expects to see his pillow in front of him and feel the bed beneath his chest, he finds a wall before him and cool, white marble torching his chin.