Noah sits with her while she reads and gets lost in his own thoughts. He remembered how he got those books…

Noah had been in the hospital again after his body gave out. He had been wanting to run around and play with the other kids and kick the soccer ball around.

He managed to play for about twenty minutes before his body fell to the ground. He started spasming and couldn’t catch his breath. He knew that he shouldn’t try to play, that his lungs were underdeveloped or something.

He had been born three months pre-mature and was not given very good odds of living. Of course, Noah didn’t care what anyone else said and he tried to live his life to the fullest extent. Tried being the key word.

“Noah!” his mom screamed and ran to him, having seen him collapse and seize. She had wanted to let him play for a little while.

Her and her husband both had demanding jobs, making it hard for her to let Noah go out to play. She knew that it couldn’t be good for his development to be hovering over him all the time. She knew to watch for the signs that he wasn’t doing well, but she must have missed them this time.

She felt like an awful mom, and she ran over to the thirteen-year-old Noah. She scoops him up and gets him in the car immediately, shouting a quick apology to the kids he had been playing with. She hoped that this incident didn’t scare them too badly, she really wanted him to have friends.

Noah was brought to the hospital and was checked in quickly to his normal room. By that point he wasn’t sure if he lived at home or at the hospital. His mom wanted to stay with him for a bit longer, but she was unable to as she had a case for a big-name client that she could not be late to. She hated leaving him alone and Noah knew that.

“It’s okay mom, I know you have to go. I love you.”

“I’m sorry that I have to leave you alone again Noah. But I bought you something. It is in the car. I’m going to go get it for you, so just wait here okay?”

She hugged him as she left the nurses started prepping him for something. He was out of it and never thought to ask. He didn’t want to know and closed his eyes.

When he had come to there they were, the first books of the series.

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Noah shook his head, wondering how long he had been out this time. He realized that when he loses himself time often passes by much faster than when he is awake.

It looked like Aurora was going to stop reading now. He walked along beside her and read over her shoulder as she wrote in her journal. It was acceptable because it was just a journal, and not a diary. His notes making her happy embarrassed him so much that he closed his eyes tight.

When he opened them he was back in his room. “Mmmrrghhh.” He exclaims. He was so embarrassed that he poofed and he was also embarrassed for having poofed.

Poofing is what he called it when his emotions overwhelmed him, and he pops back into his room from wherever he had been. He groans and is glad that Aurora can’t see him.

As he is leaving his room, to see where she is and what she is doing, he hears her shout that

she is going to take a bath and not to follow. He feels his cheeks grow warm, and dashes back to his room.

“Eep. I hope she doesn’t think that I would actually follow her into her bath! I have boundaries... And I’m a gentleman... And, and… I would cease to exist from the sheer embarrassment of it!” he stutters to himself. Then proceeds to pull the covers up over his ghostly head.

It took several minutes for the embarrassment to fade. It was so strong he didn’t notice it at first, but something was wrong. He felt a sinking feeling in his gut and had an overwhelming desire to run to Aurora.

Not bothering to use the door he ran out into the hall and sped to the stairs. He didn’t give any time or thought to what he could do, he had to do something.

“Calm down, Bastet with her. All safe.”

The words didn’t calm Noah down, but that stare was enough to freeze him.

*************************************************************************************************************

I come out of the water and sputter. For a moment I had thought that something had been holding me under the water. “Bastet was there anything in the bathtub with me?”

“No, I could just sense that you were getting lost in your own mind. There doesn’t have to be anything around to hurt you. If your own mind wants to hurt you that’s something to worry about.” Feeling satisfied that the new human was okay she sauntered out of the room and kicked the bathroom door shut behind her.

My own mind huh? I guess that makes sense. I never needed a haunted house before to make me paranoid when I started feeling upset, especially from memories. Any other explanation did not bode well for me, so I choose to accept it.

I start to drain the tub. I thoroughly scrub down in the shower before pulling on some cozy pajamas. I make a warm drink and snuggle onto the couch. Normally I would read, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to focus, so I was going to watch a movie.

“We join.” Anubis said and pushed his way onto my lap, nearly knocking the drink out of my hands. “What’s that?” he says almost sticking his entire head into the mug.

“Hey now be a little more carful okay, you could accidentally end up burning the both of us and that would be no good, right?”

“Hmm, like warm no like burning.” He said in a voice that sounded a touch contrite.

“You’re okay. You are a good boy.” I stroke him fur and am rewarded with a soft purr. It was low and soft and pleasant. I could almost fall asleep to it.

“Excuse me, but I would also appreciate pets. Love me too.” Bastet said and pushed her way next to me.

I laugh softly and reach out and pet her. “Good girl Bastet and very brave too. You risked water for me.”

“Bastet like water, I’m not like most cats. But you did not know that, so it is okay.” She also snuggled in and starts purring. It seems on a slightly different frequency than Anubis, which somehow made the two together so much more soothing.

“Noah!” I call out, hoping that the loud voice doesn’t cause the cats to scamper away. “Come join. We are going to watch a movie and sing along to it. I am not sure if I plan to sing badly or not just yet.”

I wait for a few minutes before starting it. I wasn’t sure if I was doing this because I hated myself or what. I put on one of the musicals that they had been considering casting me for. Well, before I decided to leave… had to leave that school for a little while and focus on myself.

I bite my lip and decide that it might be cathartic to watch it. I would sing along well instead of badly, proving to myself that I would have deserved the role. I would have played it magnificently, though if I’m being honest, I am much better at dancing then singing.