Noah got home in the middle of the night and still didn't get much sleep in the end. After a long journey through the empty deserts the suburban house stuck out to him in a way, like it was too unnatural for him to have a house so big.
Or it might just be that I'm not used to living in the suburbs.
He looked down the long row of white houses, perfect lawns and nice cars. This seemed more like a place he would come to rob someone. But no one seemed to be watching, which was good for him.
He walked to the back of his house without being seen. There was a row of vines there that he used to climb up to the second floor. Before finally sliding his room window open. With a puff of effort, he jumped into the room and landed on the bed groaning.
"Too soft, too warm. This is all a dream."
If it was a dream, he didn't want to wake up. It would be cruel to have all this then wake up in hell or something. The kind of cruelty he was used to all his life.
For a second he remained face-planted in the bed, then he rolled up and decided he had to go take a bath, but the sight of the room froze him.
It was fully blue, the type you'd think was cool as a boy, with walls plastered with comic posters, and shelves holding rows of manga and DVD tapes of his favorite movies.
As the memories of the Noah in this world stocking those movies came back, he actually thought he was cool for the first time.
The childish desire to take a movie off the shelf and just start watching filled him, but it was eleven p.m., and he needed to sleep today.
He got off the bed and walked over to his laptop on a desk opposite his bed, just scrolling through documents for a second. He found movies, books, porn… that's so sad. He never really watched in his past life, never had the time, and if he wanted a woman, he could just ask Perry.
But back then, he never really felt the longing to be close to anyone. Isabel was the first person he even felt sexually attracted to.
Maybe I'm the eunuch, and this world's Noah is the normal one.
He put on one of the videos and let it play on mute, humming and laughing at their exaggerated expressions and the strange logic of the situation.
Then his door opened with a sudden click, a young girl entering quietly. He quickly turned off the video, but he didn't doubt that his sister hadn't seen it.
Fara was a bit more tanned than him, her green eyes were emerald and alluring where his were striking. Her jaw was always set in a frown.
"That's the first thing you want to do after disappearing for more than twelve fucking hours?"
Noah shrugged awkwardly. He didn't know what to say; she looked so similar to his mom, someone he hadn't seen in more than ten years. It sent a strange knot down his throat.
"Sorry, I got caught up with some friends."
"You don't have friends," Fara countered, glancing into the hallway and closing the door behind her. "You look like shit. What the hell ran over you?"
He got up and looked at himself in the mirror. His white shirt was brown with dust, and there were mysterious stains on his trousers.
"I was… I was somewhere you don't want to know about, and I don't want to tell you."
"Were you out with those druggies again? You have to stop talking with that Dalton guy, he's disgusting," Fara complained, staring hard at him. "And get your life together, you're like the worst big brother."
Noah nodded. Dalton was disgusting, and he was a terrible big brother. It was mortifying to know his own sister knew what he was doing with his life.
From the memories this body had, Noah had hidden his addiction from everyone. Fara must have just noticed the signs, maybe. Or she talked to someone.
"You didn't tell Mom or Dad, right?"
"No, I'm not a snitch, just worried about my irresponsible brother," Fara grumbled, turning away from him. "I told them you snuck out to go to a party."
She was about to step out when Noah rose to his feet and grabbed her shoulder. She looked back at him, shocked, like this had never happened before.
"Fara, I'm sorry. And trust me, I'm going to get my shit together. I'm sorry for also being distant."
He only met her today, but the former Noah was rather twattish with her and barely spoke to his sister. He didn't understand what a blessing it was to have a family.
Fara shrank from his grasp but offered him a little smile.
"Wash up, don't let Dad see you like that. I kept some dinner in the fridge for you"
The moment the door closed behind her, his expression became very serious.
Dad.
He hadn't seen his father's face in years, the last time was as a child at the funeral. A few years after his parents died, he stuffed everything they owned up in the attic. He didn't want any reminders of the people that abandoned him.
But now that he was older and knew more about how despair ate you up, and how most suicides were regretted the moment your feet kicked the chair… he just understood them more.
Not forgiveness, just pity. Life is hard; sometimes it felt like things would never get better. That was why he was so scared right now, scared he'd wake up from such a perfect second chance.
He almost decided to swear off violence and forget about the Ironfield Mob.
But those fuckers already booked their ticket to hell, and he would be the one to punch it.
As he showered, he kept thinking of how the world would look without them—without a blight that pressured kids into drugs then bled them dry for money. A world without leeches that don't drive kids' parents to death, then use them as child soldiers.
He got out of the shower and cleaned the fog from the mirror, a pair of venomous green eyes staring back at him.
"They all have to die."
He walked over to his bed and fell into it, too tired to go downstairs and get the meal that Fara left for him. He also wanted to see his dad, but that would have to wait till tomorrow, during breakfast or something.
Sleep seemed to come quickly, but his body had other plans. Suddenly he was falling through his bed, through the hard wood floor and into the kitchen below his room.
By the time his mind registered what was happening, he crashed into the kitchen island with a rattle.
He looked around. Thankfully he didn't break anything; this body was strong after all.
But someone heard him. And they were coming downstairs.