Chapter Twenty-Four: Part I

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The Sunflower Field

There were as many beds as desks, set out in pairs per room. Noah and Hannil slept in one room while the girls slept in another across the hall. Despite the comfort, Noah was unable to fall asleep; he stayed awake staring at the ceiling and wondering what would happen in three days. Hannil hadn't told him much more than that there was a man in a city, a light on the hill, that would somehow solve all of their problems like magic. It was nothing more than a story, Noah worried, but Hannil had all of his faith pushed onto that magic. 

In the early morning hours, he wondered what look Hannil had given him before he tore himself away and forced himself down the steps. It had to be gruesome, Noah decided, Hannil looked almost as if someone had struck him from a pleasant dream. It had to be from the Academy, he thought. Yet, he couldn't believe that was the case. Hannil had seen everything Noah had and put on his brave-face and moved on, even if his body, mind, and heart was begging him to stop. He was brave, Noah thought when he rolled over to look at him in the other twin-sized bed.

It allowed Noah's anxiety to worm its way back to the forefront of his mind. It wondered if Hannil regretted being near him. If helping him was a bad decision. Noah thought it must have been, Hannil would have probably made it all the way to La Ville de Vert if he didn't have to drag Noah along, maybe even back in England. He would be better off without him. 

Even when the sun came up, Noah was no-less anxious. If anything, he grew even more so watching Hannil sleep. He looked peaceful; the glow of the sun in his hair and on his skin was more beautiful than that of the moonlight. Noah liked it better, it reminded him of statues and paintings. Hannil might as well have been made of gold or marble and in a museum, Noah thought, he felt just as off-limits.

Yet he wasn't, Noah considered after a while of the sun coming in through the windows behind their beds. Hannil was there but he felt far away, only further the more Noah noticed the distance. Noah could reach out and touch him but convinced himself not to; Hannil felt like a mirage, soon to disappear if he tested it. A perfect sleeping beauty, never to awake. 

Yet, Hannil awoke. Either from Noah's staring or simply the light of day. He sat his head up and looked around before he dropped back into the bed and rolled over. His back faced Noah and Noah wondered if Hannil even knew where he was by how he grumbled and looked around once again. His back looked broad in the bed, his hair stuck up. It was cute, he thought. 

Noah wondered, for a moment, whether the person that normally occupied the bed he used ever looked across the aisle to the other person and felt guilty for doing so. If they felt guilty for having another exist inside their head. For memorizing all they could and stashing it away as if they were a small mouse preparing for winter.

Noah waited until he heard the girls' door open before he sprung out of bed and put on his pants and went to the door. Ines was awake first and did not seem pleased about it. She greeted him normally and made breakfast for them. She managed to get across that she did not want his help in cooking; he thought she even said that he would be useless at it.

For a while, in efforts to calm his anxiety, Noah wandered around the school and wondered how different his life would have been if he had gone to the small house in the forest instead of Leuthold. Despite that it didn't seem to be haunted or have any strange things about it--if anything it was warm and inviting--Noah felt even more guilty considering that he would be anywhere else. That he wouldn't have known Hanna or Liam or Hannil or even Mi Na. He flinched at the thought of her, he hadn't thought of her much beyond her scream of pain and fear. He tried to stash the memory of her away. 

When Hannil finally got out of bed, Noah decided it would be strange if he wanted to eat alone and went to the dining room (that sat ten) and ate with the three of them. They talked for a while about their plans before they cleaned up the kitchen and themselves and climbed back into the car to head out once again.

Hannil left a note on the counter of the kitchen, stating that he thought he had to leave something for the people that owned the school to bill his parents. Noah frowned at the idea; the credit card bill was enough, but now another school would send them a check. Noah almost dared to think that he would not want to meet people that were so forgiving.

Hannil gave very precise instructions and Noah kept picturing the lights in his mind and where they must be in the mountains. Noah got so turned around by Hannil's instructions that he was happier than ever that he wasn't driving. Hannil had Ines turn so often on and off of roads that Noah was convinced Hannil was going to get confused and soon they would run off of a cliff. Yet, each time, another road appeared and they continued down it until Hannil instructed another turn.

It was still a major road, but Noah thought it must have only been a technicality. No real cities or villages existed along the route. Everything they had to eat and drink came from either Celeste and Ines's apartment or the school they had left. Even with snacks and drinks, they were hungry for food as Hannil instructed them down a mountain and passed many, many lavender fields until the lavender turned to sunflowers that towered over the car.

"Where are we?" Ines asked him after a minute or two of driving up a singular path, only two lines in the gravel and grass, sunflowers as far as any could see. 

"Hopefully a farm that will welcome us," Hannil replied.

"A farm?" Noah asked, uncertain of his ears.

"For sunflowers and lavender," Hannil nodded.

Noah watched the road go by, the towers of sunflowers beamed down at him in the pinkened sky.

Soon, the road took them along a road that went up a hill covered in gardens and a parking lot.

"A church?" Ines asked in French.

Noah looked through the windshield to see a tiny, wooden church that had three steps that lead to narrow, wooden double-doors, one was open and a large dog only raised its head to watch them pull into the parking lot. Celeste and Ines talked about it quietly, Noah ignored their conversation and anxiety as he had enough of his own. From his window, he could see a large barn at the end of the parking lot that was slightly open.

"You have taken us to the Catholics?" Celeste turned in her seat to Hannil.

"He's...friendly...ish," Hannil replied.

"What do you mean 'friendlyish'?" She repeated with caution.

"Don't worry about it," Hannil said before he opened his door.

Noah snapped his attention back to him, Hannil sounded the most unsure Noah had ever heard him. Especially since they went on their trip. He looked uncertain too, the way he stayed outside of the car and fixed his hair before he adjusted his clothes made him look much smaller than he was. It reminded Noah that he was only a bit older than him, months were not years and he looked boyish when he headed toward the church. Noah might have even said that he was afraid. 

"I do not want to get exorcised today," Ines whispered after Hannil had disappeared for more than a few minutes inside of the church. 

Noah moved and opened the car door, he was overtaken by the low voice that spoke French out of the church. It was low and spoke so rapidly Noah couldn't understand what it was saying. Hannil spoke back in a respectful tone from inside, his voice sounded further away. After a few seconds of listening to them speak, Hannil walked back out of the church, only to stop when the voice called to him. 

Celeste and Ines got out of the car after Noah had taken a few steps toward Hannil and the man inside. Noah was surprised when a young man stepped out of the church in dark robes, a gold crucifix around his neck; he wasn't much older than any of them, had dark hair and eyes, his skin was tan but paled to his black fabrics. He talked with Hannil for a moment before his eyes flicked to Noah, fixated on him, then moved to Celeste and Ines.

"Oui, oui," the Priest said before he went back inside of the church.

Hannil let out a sigh of relief and turned back to them to gesture for them to come forward. He looked more confident already. 

"Are you Catholic?" Celeste asked Noah as they approached the church.

"No," Noah replied.

"Christian?"

"My parents didn't raise me with religion." 

"Makes us more comfortable," Celeste said to him. 

The church was rickety and had only a few benches inside. A fan spun above them, the alter sat on the other end with a large crucifix on the wall. The priest had walked to the altar and shut a book that was on the podium. He was fixated on it before he walked it through a door behind the altar. 

Noah walked until he met Hannil on the church's main floor, behind the benches and near an object Noah thought looked like a bird bath.

"His name is Father Antoine and he does not like strangers," Hannil whispered to them.

"Why have you brought us here?" Celeste whispered.

"He's not going to try to convert you," Hannil replied, "He is here and willing to give us food and shelter for a night."

"But he doesn't like strangers!" Noah worried.

"No!" Hannil shook his head and held up his hands; his tone steadied, "Just be quiet and he'll leave you alone."

"We must have gone far from our path," Ines muttered.

"No," Hannil replied, "We haven't gone far at all. He regularly goes to the City of Green. We are very close."

"But he doesn't like strangers!" Noah whispered, "We are strangers!"

"He has agreed to help us," Hannil said. "He won't let four young people go hungry and cold, he only asks that we be as quiet and respectful as he will." He paused, "There is nowhere else to stay unless we stray far from our path."

Celeste took in a deep breath and sighed as though the task was difficult enough without restrictions. Noah looked at her for a moment before he nodded to Hannil, agreeing to the terms. Ines agreed long before Celeste finally caved.

In the small space, Noah felt too close to Hannil. It was uncomfortable; his anxiety told him he had to leave. That he could not stay and risk some malfunction to their friendship. 

"I'll get some things," he said nervously before he walked back up the steps and onto the church's small porch. 

Celeste's voice was inside, whispering to Hannil worries in French and Noah blocked them out. He stayed on the porch for a moment, feeling as though the air was very thin there but very, very refreshing and the sight was more beautiful than anything he could have imagined. The church sat in the middle of a sunflower field, lavender was the only thing other than the great forest that broke the sunflowers apart. 

On the porch, the dog stayed on its belly, calm as could be. Noah had thought it must have been chained to the porch, but it seemed so lazy that it neither needed to be chained nor wanted to roam. He saw no chain for it, it only watched; it was so full of wrinkles and had such large eyebrows that they moved with the smallest glance around its scenery. 

"Good dog," Noah said to the dog that made the dog watch him go down the steps.

He felt as though he had trapped himself into helping carry things in. Celeste and Ines weren't going to stop him, he gambled, and Hannil hadn't immediately come out after him. With their worries, Noah guessed that Hannil had to take time to talk to them. Noah wasn't uncomfortable to be in a church, he just couldn't remember the last time he was inside of one. If Father Antoine wasn't going to take it personally, Noah thought, he had no choice but to accept. Despite his lack of strength, Noah didn't ask for help. It gave him time to think a bit more. 

The car door opened easily and Noah began to rummage around for what he actually needed to bring in. He left Celeste's designer bag for her and took out a duffle bag that he slung over his shoulder. It nearly fell open and Noah scrambled to catch the clothes and things that fell out. He swore under his breath when things fell to the ground and began to pick them up one-by-one. 

"I'm not the bad guy," a voice came over him after he had collected the second item. 

Noah's eyes followed along the car hood until they landed on a familiar set of dark eyes across from him. His attention screwed onto the sight of Mi Na standing on the other side of the car. She was panting and looked a bit panicked, her brow was sweaty and her hands shaking at her side. 

He stumbled away from the car, dropped what he had collected and pointed at her, unable to speak, unable to scream. 

"Noah, Noah," Mi Na came around the side of the car, "Calm down." 

"Where—wh—where did you come from?!" Noah managed to squeak out at her.

"Stop, stop! I'm not here to hurt you!" She said.

Noah couldn't fixate on anything other than her dark eyes that were equally fixated on him. He stumbled a few times in the gravel but she stayed a few feet from him. Noah couldn't think of anything more than to point at her in hopes someone else would save him. 

"I thought you might come this way," she explained as she followed him.

"Noah, I'm your friend!" Mi Na said when he did nothing but stumble and point. 

"You are not!" Noah exclaimed; his voice was so loud that he could hear it echo back to him. 

"Noah?" Hannil's voice came from the church, worried and Noah tore his eyes from Mi Na to look for him. "Are you alright?" Hannil asked. 

"I need you to listen to me for a minute!" Mi Na said to Noah, trying to talk over Hannil. "A couple of minutes!"

"No!" Noah shouted, both at her and Hannil.

"I'm not here to hurt you!"

"You're Berg's daughter! You—You helped them!"

Mi Na stopped walking and threw her hands up in frustration. She turned on her heel and looked out into the field before she turned back. 

"Mi Na!" Hannil's voice came quickly before Noah heard him racing across the gravel toward them. 

"Hannil, you motherfucker," Mi Na pointed to him, "You are making me out to be terrible!"

"I did not make you do anything!" Hannil replied as he got between them, Noah was more than glad to have Hannil as a buffer.

"You can't do this, Hannil!" She exclaimed. 

"Neither can you."

Mi Na looked surprised by his answer, then angrier than before. She took in a deep breath through her nose and turned her dark eyes to the field. She looked hurt and angry, her jaw tightened and loosened several times as she seemed to want to scream but forced herself not to. 

"Go," Hannil whispered over his shoulder. "Go!" He pushed Noah when he didn't move.

Noah stumbled a step or two before he started to run and took off toward Celeste and Ines that gestured for him to come with them into the barn. They ran through a path that was clear in the barn, between horse stables and tools before they ran out of the other side and went straight into the sunflower field.

The flowers whipped by them and on them. The stalks were so thick Noah felt as though he were running through trees, the flowers didn't break and the stalks only felt like wooden spoons striking him. Yet he didn't stop running, Celeste's golden ringlets amongst the golden sunflowers were salvation.

"Come, come!" Celeste's voice called out to him as they went further and further into the field.

Suddenly, Ines stopped and Noah saw why, the sunflowers ended into lavender and they moved along between them until they came across another entrance to the higher plants. They skidded to a stop as they ran into Father Antoine on the path. He still had a strange accent and way of speaking French, his tone was less-than-enthused but he also didn't sound annoyed. Almost as if he didn't care about the whole ordeal but felt he had to tell them whatever he was saying. 

Ines understood him and brought Celeste and Noah into the sunflowers before they laid down in the dirt only a few feet from the path, the sunflowers towering above them. Noah could still see Father Antoine through the stalks, his dark robes made him think of the cloaked figure he saw outside of the bar and he suddenly became aware how many shadows were around him.

Soon, another figure ran by the priest and the sunflowers moved in waves as they were disturbed. Noah followed it until he saw another kind of green amongst them.

"Hannil?" Noah whispered at the pair of eyes.

"Shh!" He replied as he laid in the dirt near them.

They all quieted and turned their attention back to the priest as he started speaking and soon Noah heard Mi Na replying to him. They argued for a few moments in French, but their words were lost amongst the swaying of the stalks and flowers. Noah could just make out one of Mi Na's legs. She stomped for a moment before she turned to leave, her arguing with the priest didn't seem to end but their voices faded. 

When Noah began to sit up, he felt a hand on his back and found that Hannil had crawled toward him and was pushing him back down. 

"Not yet," Hannil whispered.

"I cannot believe he is helping us," Celeste whispered.

"Shh," Hannil said as he kept his hand on Noah's back. It was warm and somehow calmed him while making him more anxious; he wasn't alone, but there was a bad taste in his mouth. 

[ A/N: I really want to stop splitting the chapters into parts but oh well I have written several very long chapters. This one will be split into only two parts (the amount I'm trying to keep them down to) Anyway! if you enjoyed this half of the chapter, please let me know by voting and/or commenting. Got a lot going on. Not so many chapters left. Ohhhh boy there's a lot going on. Lmk what you think! ] 

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