Still

Chapter Thirteen

The elf's name was going to be Lyda. Of course, Lydia didn't know this yet, and I wasn't planning on telling her until today, when we'd go visit Harry at the hospital.

My visits were cut down to three times a week, now that Lydia's brother was giving us rides home from the library soon afterwards. We would work on the story for however long we needed, then do homework after.

Poor Harry had to hear the story twice, since Lydia would now bring her laptop with her, and write down every word that came out of my mouth. We had now gotten ten or so chapters in, and were finally caught up to Ashlyn and The Soldier. As the story got longer, the days got shorter, and winter soon arrived.

Okay, it wasn't technically winter yet, but that was what everyone here called it. We were in the middle of November, and it had been snowing nonstop the past two weeks. It was almost like I was home again, except now I was constantly being picked on, and I only had one real friend I could talk to. Sure, I had Noah next door, but we hardly ever spoke.

Lydia was the only thing in Gopher I had. And Harry, too, I guess. Harry and I were going to be the closest people imaginable, once he came back; I was positive of it. Just like Marian and The Soldier were. He was my Soldier, fighting through the pain.

I had been so excited to go see Harry, and to tell him my story.

But now I was at home, in bed, and disgustingly sick. I was feeling a bit gross the day before, and I thought I could pull through today, but then I ended up vomiting Captain Crunch cereal all over the kitchen. Dad had pulled me back into my room, and told me to stay home from school.

At least Dad actually set up a real bed stand for me now. I sat in bed, The Beatles playing on my CD player, as I stared at the clumps of snow falling onto the ground from my window. It was quite a lovely sight. I could also see into Noah's room on the other side, since he never bothered to add curtains or blinds to his window.

"Eleanor Rigby..." I tried to sing, but the mucus in my lunges said no, and I ended up coughing.

I looked out the large window again, and fixed my blankets so I was fully covered in their warmth. Something in Noah's room moved – a shadow, I believed. It made my heart skip a beat, but I tried to ignore it. I was probably just going crazy. My stupid cold made it so I couldn't sleep last night, and it wouldn't be surprising if I was hallucinating.

There it was again! It was just by Noah's door, and it had looked like a hand. It grabbed something from the floor, before disappearing. But no one should have been home by now. His parents worked, and Noah was at school.

I closed my eyes, and leaned back on my pillow. A headache was starting to blossom, which probably was from me playing my music too loud, but I was here for a good time, not a long time. At least, that's what Lydia kept saying. It was how she liked to live her life: disastrously and without a care.

Someone knocked on the door downstairs, and I groaned. I couldn't pretend I wasn't home, because duh, I had my music on. I turned it off and walked downstairs. My blanket held me in a protective embrace as I opened the front door to whomever was out there.

"Noah?" I asked before coughing into my blanket. "Shouldn't you be at school?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Noah said, smiling. He was bundled up in a bright yellow snow coat that came with a gray hat and scarf. "Can I come in?"

"Um, yeah, sure."

I opened the door a bit wider, and let Noah in before shutting it again. Once inside, Noah took his snow boots and coat off, already making himself at home. His cheeks and nose were a playful pink, and his already pale skin look paler. He wouldn't stop smiling, though, as he also put a totebag onto the floor besides his shoes.