Chapter 16

The Third Person

Noah taps Evan’s shoulder and they jog to the back of the kindergarten room where Ella waits. She waves at Evan with a bright smile. He awkwardly waves back and the three of them sit at a round table.

“I got something for you,” Ella loudly whispers to Evan. His face perks up. He watches as Ella pulls a small bottle from the bag beside her. “I snuck it out from Mommy’s things! It’s a potion that can temporarily change your eye color!”

“Mom’s gonna be mad when she finds out. You shouldn’t have taken it!” Noah whines with a frown and shakes his head. He swipes the bottle from her hands. Ella rolls her eyes and snatches the bottle back.

“Oh, stop pretending it’s bad, Noah! You were standing guard for me when I took it!” Ella shoots back with a scoff.

Noah’s face flushes and he quickly shuts up. He looks at his hands on his lap. Ella hands Evan the bottle.

Evan awkwardly holds the bottle in his hand. He inspects it and glances at Ella, who nods reassuredly at him. He twists the top open and pulls out a dropper. Evan tilts his head back and squeezes a drop in both eyes.

Ella and Noah suck in a breath. They watch in anticipation. Evan brings his head back down but his eyes remain closed. Noah and Ella lean in. Evan opens his eyes and reveals a vibrant green color, the same color that Noah has.

Ella gasps and claps her hands together. Her gaze flickers between Noah and Evan, who look completely identical to one another, except for their differing clothes.

“No one can tell you two apart!” Ella covers her mouth and giddily laughs. Noah and Evan smile and look at each other. They laugh and mimic each other’s movements.

Evan hesitates for a brief moment. He sighs and balls his fists in his lap.

“Noah, do you…” he pauses. Noah and Ella stare at Evan, waiting for him to continue. “Maybe we could switch places. Don’t you want to know what kind of person dad is?”

“Who cares about some dad?” Noah’s face sours. He scoffs and turns to Ella, crossing his arms over his chest. Ella elbows his side and frowns in disapproval.

Noah sighs and looks at his lap. The idea of meeting his dad, a man whom he has dreamt of and has come to resent, tugs at his heart. His curiosity begs him to go.

“Okay…let’s do it!” Noah agrees. Evan and Ella cheer together. She stands and pushes the boys to the door.

“Go switch clothes!” Ella says. She sits back down at the table once the boys leave. They come back minutes later and show off the outfits to Ella. She nods in approval.

“Hey!” Noah catches Evan’s attention. “Don’t do anything weird while pretending to be me.”

“Same goes for you.” Evan takes his sunglasses off and hands them to Noah. “And don’t let anyone see your eyes!”

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Miranda's POV

I smile at Noah and Ella as they rush out of the classroom. Ella immediately goes to hug me but Noah hesitates. He’s usually a bit more on the calm side, but he never passes up an opportunity to hug me. I let it slide, though, and help them into the car.

As I drive them home, I cannot help but stare at Noah through my rearview mirror. He looks out the window while talking to Ella and is a lot more quiet than usual. I frown.

“Hey, Noah,” I begin. He doesn’t look at me. “Are you feeling okay?” My brows furrow and my voice is filled with concern.

“Noah just has a sore throat today!” Ella interjects, her head barely popping into the reflection. Noah looks at her then me and nods in confirmation.

I nod back and mouth an ‘okay’ to him.

Once we’re home, the kids run to their rooms and change into new clothes. They hustle back down and Ella collides into my side, wrapping her arms around my leg.

“Mommy?”

“Yes, my love?”

“Can we make a cake? Please?” Ella looks at me with the biggest puppy dog eyes.

“Maybe another time, Ella.” My heart breaks when Ella frowns. She tugs on my shirt.

“Pleeeeease? It’ll help Noah feel better, too!” Ella counters. I chuckle and look away. Ella jumps up and down, whining some more.

“Oh…okay! Why not? We have to be careful so we—” My sentence goes unfinished as Ella sprints away and up the stairs. She yells Noah’s name and I can’t help but chuckle.

I move into the kitchen and take out all of the things needed to make a cake: a bowl, plenty of rubber scrapers, flour, eggs, sugar, milk, and even cocoa powder since chocolate is his favorite flavor.

I quickly set everything up and pulled up two chairs for Noah and Ella to stand on. They throw the ingredients into the bowl.

Our laughter bounces off the wall and the kitchen soon becomes a big mess. I look at Noah, who was hesitant to join at first but quickly joined in. He attaches himself to my hip and whines whenever Ella misses the mixing bowl.

Ella pokes her tongue out at him and her hand brushes against a bowl filled with whipped cream. She gets it on her cheek. Noah and I laugh. I grab a towel and reach over, helping wipe it off her cheek.

“Let me help you, little kitten,” I coo. Ella smiles and Noah bursts into laughter, pointing at her.

I take a step back and watch as my children bicker. My eyes settle on Noah and my chest warms. He’s come out of his shell today and for that, I am proud.

Later that night, when things have settled down and the cake we made has been devoured, I find myself in my study. I go over the printed sheets of paper with possible solutions and sigh.

The door creaks open. I turn in my chair to see Noah, wrapped in his blanket, slowly inching towards me.

“Noah? Come here,” I open my arms. He slides himself into them. I put the back of my hand against his forehead, murmuring, “Are you feeling worse? Do you need some medicine?”

Noah shakes his head. I nod and sigh, rubbing his back. He looks up at me and gulps. I tilt my head to the side and smile.

“Can you…sing me to sleep?” Noah quietly asks. I blink at him, surprised by his question. Noah has always been so fiercely independent. He’s always managed to comfort himself. This isn’t like him…

Oh well. He’s not feeling good. That’s probably why. After all, he is just a kid and every kid seeks comfort when they aren’t feeling well.

I nod and stand from my chair. I take his hand and we walk out of the study, down the hall, and up the stairs to his bedroom. Noah climbs into bed and I tuck him in under the sheets, making sure I do it just the way he likes it.

I sit on the edge of the edge of the bed and smile down at him. Noah tiredly smiles back, his eyes already droopy from sleep. I begin to sing him a lullaby, one that my mother sang to me, and gently stroke his hair.

“Mommy?” Noah yawns. I hum in response, wondering what he has to say. “Why don’t you live with Daddy?”

My hand stops mid-stroke and I quietly stammer. My eyes focus on a nearby toy. I shake my head, unable to come up with an answer for him.

How can I explain to him that the way his father and I met was less than satisfactory? That it was all a big ploy that Lily conjured to torture me? He didn’t even bother to try and find us, nor has he been here for them since they were born.

I turn back to Noah, ready to explain, but am met with closed eyes. He quietly snores and I can’t help but smile despite the weight I feel in my chest. He looks so peaceful.

I wish I could find peace in my sleep, and life, like he does.