Page 22 of Secrets That Bind Us

Noah

Present Day

Noah Huntington was exactly like other six-year-old children. He loved to play, color on rainy days, and consistently tell his mother he did not need a nap when he absolutely did. He also loved his gerbil, Clifford. But out of all of his favorite things, Noah Huntington loved to laugh .

He especially loved to laugh with Mommy, Aunt Zoey, and his very cool big sister, Savannah.

He adored it when his mother was silly and danced to old rock songs she played while she cleaned or had to shake it out while writing her books for adults – not children – because they were not appropriate, no matter that he got older every day .

Mommy’s old house was big, and so his room was big now, too.

Bigger than his old room in New Haven, and because it was summer when they moved, he still hadn’t made any new friends.

His backyard was too big, and he didn’t want to play in the barn because Mommy said it was still under ‘struction so it was best just not to. Noah Huntington felt like he hadn’t laughed in a very long time .

(No matter that he had just been tickled to death by Savannah).

Excitement filled him when he spotted a girl in the tall, budding sunflowers in the back portion of the field that was fenced off. Mommy said they would be blooming soon, but it didn’t look like it to him. To him, the buds looked trapped.

A new breeze in the tall stalks caused them to move lazily, drawing his attention back to the girl waiting in them.

Finally! A friend!

Sneaking downstairs and outside was easy stuff.

Uncle Eli and Mommy were having a business discussion loudly in the study behind the living room that ‘nected to Mommy’s even bigger room.

He didn’t understand why she needed such a large room- she didn’t have any toys.

Just books and work stuff. Sometimes, Mommy was very boring.

Once he was out on the back porch, he ran past the trampoline, the new pool, and the swing set Uncle Evan installed at lightning speed thanks to his new light up shoes, and went straight to the fence, where he stopped immediately because there was something wrong with his new friend.

She was shivering, and her hair looked a little wet even though the sun was shining and it was hotter than testicles.

Her skin was a little gray, but that didn’t matter.

At his old school, he had lots of friends with different-colored skins and the only one he didn’t play with was Adriana because she was ugly on the inside .

But maybe if Noah had looked just a little closer, instead of being so excited over the prospect of having a new friend, he may have noticed she was a bit dirty and looked unwell.

Tilting his head to the side, Noah recognized her from the picture books Mommy had found in the attic before the ren…

um… renservations on their rooms had started.

She looked like Noah’s Mommy when she was little.

“Hello. Are you cold?”

She shook her head slowly, side to side and when she put her hands on the fence and her fingers slipped through the metal holes, gripping them, he noticed her fingertips were blue.

“Are you hungry?”

Again, she shook her head. Her little dress didn’t sway in the breeze, and even though Noah felt his belly swoop and somersault, he still wanted a friend.

“Noah! What are you doing out there, honey? Come back inside, it’s gonna rain soon.”

Noah turned to look at his Mommy and tell her about his new friend, but when he turned back and pointed to her, she was gone.

Probably hiding in the fields. And now he wanted to hide and play in the fields, too.

He wondered if his new friend knew there were snakes and mice in the field?

Mommy had told him it was dangerous being out there alone, and that’s why there was a fence.

While heading back in hesitantly, Noah tried to peek between the chain links to see if he could spot his new friend. When he couldn’t, and heard the thunder rolling in, Noah simply shrugged and asked his mom if they could watch The Lion King again.

Every day since they moved in, he’d notice the girl getting a little closer and closer to the house, until one day, he woke up, and she was swinging on his swing set!

Again, Noah used his powers of ingenious slinkiness and snuck downstairs, past his mother who was making breakfast, slid the doors to the porch open, and walked down to his swing set.

"Hello." He greeted. "I'm Noah Huntington. Who are you?" Noah had a second last name, but he didn’t like using it.

“I’m Sarah.” The girl answered softly.

"That's my great-grandma's name." He replied, taking a seat in the swing next to hers, and began to move his legs backwards and forwards, swinging only enough so she could still hear him.

He then went off and told her the story of the photo albums in the attic and how his Mommy told him all about Grandmama Marie Huntington, and Mommy's grandma, Sarah Silva.

There was a light breeze, and again, nothing on his new friend moved, as if the breeze hadn't touched her.

“Is it?” she asked.

Noah nodded, his toes tapping against the ground. “Mmhmm. Mommy showed me the photo album from the attic. My mom was in it. Her mom was in it. Her mom, too.”

Sarah hummed softly, shimmering in the breeze. “Maybe I am your grandma. Because that was my house. But it was different then.”

Puzzled, Noah stopped swinging, tipping his toes deeper into the ground so he could fully stop. Blinking, and a little afraid of what his new friend said, Noah leaned closer to inspect her and simply stated, “But you look my age.”

Hair dripping onto her greyed nightgown, Sarah nodded- and then…

flickered . Her face and body changed from a child, to a teen, to a grown woman, and finally, to a grandmother, only to flicker back to the seven year-old-girl Noah decided was her best self.

Sarah looked down at her hands. “I think you see me how you need to see me.” she replied, ashened eyes seemingly looking through him.

Noah tilted his head, in awe of Sarah’s flicker trick. "Why are you wet?"

She blinked, eyes unfocused, as if trying very, very hard to remember. "I was very sick… and I took a bath.”

Noah frowned. "Do you feel better now?”

"Sometimes.” Sarah nodded, looking back at the house when the porch door opened. "I think so."

"Noah! Breakfast is ready!"

“Your mommy is very pretty,” she smiled, and Noah did, too.

"I know. Will you come to play with me later?" He asked as he jumped off the swing and hoped Sarah thought his light-up shoes were very cool.

Sarah looked at Noah pensively, and a smile broke out on her little gray face. "Okay."

Noah also smiled widely, showcasing his missing front teeth just as his mommy called his name again.

"Okay!" He huffed, and when he turned to face the house, he was surprised to see her up in the window of his room peering down at him. It gave him an eerie feeling. Like maybe she shouldn’t be inside the house.

But as his mommy called him one more time, he shrugged.

Then waved up at Sarah. And she waved back.

“Who are you waving at, honey?” Verity asked, running her fingers through his curls.

“Hmm? Oh, Savvy.” He lied. “Are there bananas?”

“Of course. Only the best for you.”

Heading through the threshold of the house where his new friend awaited him, he couldn’t wait to be done with breakfast so he could go play.

He wanted to show Sarah all of his cars.

Noah Huntington had a funny feeling he shouldn't tell his mommy about Sarah.

Not right now. Besides, he liked that he had a secret.

A big one, and it was all his. It made him feel. .. special.

Like Savannah and Mommy.

Even though they always told him he was special and important, this made him feel special and important. Besides, he had a new friend to play with! One that could do magic tricks and disappear!