Dating : All That Glitters

It was a dreary Tuesday morning as Noah walked the from his bus stop to The University. Darkness clung to the early morning sky. A deep pink glow was just visible between the tall buildings in the distance. He yawned as he trudged through the old, aging neighborhood that surrounded the campus.

A sprinkle of new construction dotted the rows of abandoned houses that rose on either side of him. The more modern homes outshined the older ones like shiny new teeth in a mouth full of broken decay. To outsiders, the change was good. But they were people who didn’t know this place the way he did. Noah sighed contentedly as he walked.

The new houses changed the feel of the neighborhood. It wasn’t home anymore. The expensive new brownstones didn’t deliver shelter and comfort the way the older houses did. They spoke to a place that wouldn’t be as welcoming. The hollow shells, shrouded in shadows, stood open and gaping as he passed. Shaking off the melancholy of forced change, Noah turned his thoughts to upcoming assignments. A few moments later, his mind swirled with lecture notes as a rumbling gurgle from his stomach turned his thoughts to breakfast.

I can grab some food and go over my no- “Ah!!” Noah yelped as his foot slammed into something hard, sending him sprawling. The sidewalk rushed up to greet him in a flash of pain. His hands and the side of his face broke the fall.

Noah groaned and rubbed his cheek as he got to his feet. He stood, scanning the sidewalk but couldn’t find whatever boulder he’d run over.

What the hell? He thought. His brown face flushed red with embarrassment. He sat, huffing as he rubbed his scraped hands together. The air smelled of wet grass, dirt, and something that burned his nose. Noah breathed deeply and started to cough. A grey tendril of smoke caught his attention. He turned to the small structure behind the chain-link fence to his left.

The building was nothing but a blackened, burnt frame. Broken beams of scorched wood and an ash stained concrete porch were all that remained. Tiny ribbons of steam rose from the patchy roof into the crisp morning air.

Is it still burning? He wondered. There were no other signs that the house was a recent casualty.

Noah stared at the scorched wreckage, abruptly forgetting his stinging hands. The house leaned towards him at an almost impossible angle.

How is it even still standing? He thought, leaning towards the fence for a closer look. Noah frowned, reaching for the gate. The chain-link fence creaked as he grabbed it, biting into his scraped hand. He hissed, drawing his bleeding hand back when a speck of gold glittered softly in the dark. Something about the leaning house and the shine in the darkness made his stomach lurch. A sharp, chastising sting in his cheek shook him out of his daze. Cursing, Noah got to his feet and turned to leave.

The bright ping of metal rang loud and clear in the silence that followed. Noah turned back to the house. Something small and shiny rolled out of the burnt wreckage. It bounced down the concrete stairs and rolled down the walkway towards him. The little light hit the gate, bouncing through the fence and landed spinning at his feet.

Noah stared down, frowning. Without thinking, he reached down to pick up a golden disc the size of a silver dollar. It sat heavy in his hand. He raised it for a closer look.

“Is this a coin?” The metal was strangely warm and buzzed gently in his hand. “What kind of weird piece is this?” He mused aloud as he hefted it into the air. On one side was the raised image of a broken tower. The face of a peacefully sleeping woman with long flowing locks adorned the other. He rubbed his thumb across the strange symbols of a language he didn’t recognize. The gold twinkled along its scalloped edge.

Maybe it’s worth something? Noah thought excitedly. He stuffed the heavy coin into his pocket. What if it’s an antique or something? He mused. He imagined stumbling upon a coin that would change his life and continued his on to his first class.

The day sped by in a blur of droning lectures and rushed changing of classes. Noah was so distracted by his course load that he’d nearly forgotten lunch. His stomach, however, had not. It grumbled as Noah spotted his brother, Nathan, waving a building away.

Noah walked over to his brother smiling, happy to see him. As always, Nathan was his mirror image. They had the same curly black hair, warm brown skin, and deep brown eyes. Noah shook his head ruefully. You would think twenty years would be long enough to get used to being an identical twin.

“Hey, Noh!” Nathan called.

“Sup Nate,” Noah gave his brother the familiar handshake that only they shared.

“You going to lunch?” Nate asked. Noah nodded softly.

“Yeah. I don’t know what I want, though.” Nate rubbed his head, frowning the way he always did when he was thinking. “I was going to grab a burger, but I’m suddenly feeling like the taco truck.” He said, huffing.

“Both of those sound good, though.” Noah sighed.

“Flip a coin?” Nate asked, shrugging.

“Sure.” Noah reached into his pocket for the heavy coin, deftly flipping it into the air. It reflected brilliant golden sunlight into their faces as it rose to tumble into the sky. Nate frowned quizzically at the gold piece but said nothing. At its pinnacle, Noah placed his wager.

“Heads. We do tacos. Tails, we do burgers.” He said. Noah caught the coin in one hand and flipped it onto the back of the other. The raised edges of the broken tower looked up at him. Nate peered over at his brother’s hand.

“Looks like burgers.” He said excitedly. The spicy smell of seasoned meat from the nearby taco truck wafted over to them, making Noah’s mouth water.

“Nah. Let’s get tacos.” He said. The coin gave a barely noticeable electric buzz as he placed it back in his pocket. Wagging his tingling fingers, Noah walked over to the food truck. His brother followed. They ate their fill. With only a morning load for the day, the two brothers went home. Noah found himself fingering the strange coin in his pocket whenever his thoughts drifted.

He woke in the night to the sounds of his brother retching in the bathroom. He sat up quickly, his stomach roiling in protest.

“Nate?” Noah called. His brother answered with more retching. Noah stumbled out of bed, weak and nauseous, on his way to the bathroom. He heard a low groan from inside as he banged on the bathroom door.

“Nate… “he panted. “I need to get in there, man.” His stomach clenched, Noah pushed his way into the bathroom to find his brother curled on the floor. He nearly tripped over Nate’s legs on his way to the toilet. Nate didn’t even stir in the horrible sounds of his brother decimating the bathroom. He lifted his head and groaned weakly.

“We should have gotten the burgers.”

The brothers spent the night in the restroom. They woke up the next morning with barely enough strength to stand. After disinfecting themselves and their bathroom, the boys debated the virtues of attending morning classes.

“I can’t miss class this close to finals.” Nate moaned warily. “Most of the ick seems to have passed anyway.” Noah didn’t think his brother looked as hopeful as he sounded. Absentmindedly, he pulled the coin from his pocket and tossed it in the air.

“Heads, we stay home. Tails we go to class.” Golden light flared one again as the coin spun. Catching and flipping it onto the back of his hand, Noah stared at the sleeping woman’s face. A familiar buzz radiated into his hand, and a chill washed through him.

“Her eyes,” Noah thought. Her eyes were slightly open. He shivered. Her eyes were closed yesterday, weren’t they? Noah’s stomach churned with unease.

“The coin says we stay.” He whispered shakily. But his brother was already packed and headed to the door.

“I can’t miss the review. I’ll see you later,” Nate said and shuffled from the house.

Noah spent the day in bed, drinking juice and binging his favorite shows. As the day went on, his stomach quieted substantially. He had forgotten his earlier apprehension when his brother stormed into the door, red-faced and moving fast.

“Hey!” Noah called, but Nate rushed to the restroom, slamming the door behind him. Noah was on his feet. He sped to the bathroom and banged on the door.

“Hey! You good, man?” He called. “What’s wrong?” He only heard his brother’s pitiful moans through the door.

“I shit myself in the lecture hall.” Nate cried. “I shit myself and almost passed out. In front of the entire class.”

A putrid smell wafted through the door, and Noah recoiled, gagging. He covered his mouth and flinched when the warmth of the coin touched his lips. He looked down at his hand. The glittering gold face of the woman shone back. Her eyes were half-open. The corners of her mouth now turned upwards into a tiny sneer.

When did I grab this?! Noah thought, shakily. Nate’s bitter cries filled the silence as a single thought made Noah’s mouth go dry.

The coin. The coin is always right.

By the next morning, Noah had completely recovered. He slept peacefully and woke up filled with energy. His brother lay still in his bed.

“You staying in?” Noah asked. Nate only groaned in response. Noah walked over and put his hand on his brother’s shoulder. He was shivering beneath a sodden sheet.

“Hey,” Noah said softly. “You don’t look so good. Maybe I should stay here with you?”

Noah didn’t realize he had the coin in his hand until its strange shine flashed. The words “Heads. We stay.” escaped his lips. He caught it and stood with coin clasped between both hands. Why did I flip the coin?! Dread curled in his stomach. He slowly pulled his hand away. Noah looked down at the broken tower on the back of his palm. His heart racing as he watched his brother shiver.

It’s just a stupid coin, He thought. But one piercing fear screamed in his mind. Why did I flip the coin?! The gold piece buzzed lightly in his has as he skulked out of the room.

Despite a nagging, persistent stomach ache, Noah’s day went by happily. A favorable twist of luck appeared at every turn. He aced a test when he hadn’t studied for it. He stumbled upon a hundred dollar bill in the park. To celebrate, his classmates bought him lunch. But thoughts of his ailing brother never left him. Noah flipped the coin obsessively once every hour.

“Should I go back home? Should I check on Nate? Should I call Nate?” Every toss of the coin went against him. And with each toss, his unease grew.

He and his brother shared a unique bond. They couldn’t do the impossible, like read each other’s thoughts or finish each other’s sentences.

That’s silly and fake, Noah chuckled. But they did share something. He thought back to the summer when they were eight. They spent their summers in the country with Grandma Ruth. Grandma had a big plot of land, and they were always encouraged to explore. One day they discovered the ruins of an old house. It was two stories, but so overgrown with grass and trees that it was almost indistinguishable from the surrounding forest. The boys spent most of the day exploring the remains.

After much consideration, they ventured upstairs. A few minutes later, Noah’s stomach suddenly clenched with pain. His palms were sweaty and shaky as he watched his brother a few feet away.

Thinking back on that day, he still didn’t remember why he ran. He didn’t remember the loud creak or wood protesting beneath his feet. All he remembered was dashing across the room and snatching Nathan’s collar a second before the floor gave way. Instead of plummeting to the floor beneath, both boys went home scraped, bruised, and just a little shaken.

Noah could remember at least half a dozen instances where he saved his brother, or his brother had saved him. They never spoke about these feelings to anyone but each other. But somehow, one brother always knew when the other needed help.

Noah sat on a bench in the hallway, waiting for his next class. His stomach was tied in knots, and the coin buzzed softly in his sweaty palm. He was touching the coin again. His hand pulled the coin from his pocket and tossed it without his permission. He drew a shaky breath.

“Heads. I go home.” The broken tower came up once again, and his heart sank. His stomach lurched, filled with pain and fear.

“It’s ok,” Noah stammered. “He’s ok.” He paced the quiet hallway with clenched fists. “Nate didn’t toss the coin. And he didn’t ask. I asked. And I listened. It’s ok.” He panted. He pushed thoughts of their shared food poisoning away from his mind. He had asked the question that day, but they both suffered for it.

“The coin only punishes you if you ask it a question. It’s ok.” He fumbled for the coin again and looked at the broken tower.

“Nate is ok. You can’t hurt him. I asked you if we should stay. I asked…” Noah froze, a shiver turning his veins into ice. He panted, forcing himself to remember the exact wording of his question before leaving the house.

I asked if WE should stay. Noah turned the coin over. The eyes of the sleeping woman were wide open. Her teeth bared into a snarl.

NO!

He broke into a run. Noah hurtled across campus, racing for the bus. His feet grew heavier with each step. His hand was burning. He opened his hand and saw the coin glowing menacingly, a red ring of seared flesh extending out beneath it. As if his mind had somehow disconnected his hand, the pain took a minute to reach him.

“AAAAH!” Noah cried. He shook his hand violently, but the coin stuck tight. Desperately shoving his hand in his pocket, Noah felt the coin thud into his pants. He continued to run.

He nearly collided with traffic as he ran across the street to the bus stop. Peals of honking cars and angry yells followed as he climbed aboard the bus and tripped on the stairs. Alarmed, a kind-eyed bus driver helped him up.

“You got to slow down, baby!” She said as she reached out her hand. “You ok?” Noah hurriedly stuffed some coins from his pocket into the fare collector. All save one.

“I’m ok.” He said, hurrying to his seat under the scrutiny of concerned passengers.

The bus moved at a snail’s pace through the old neighborhood. Noah’s heart thrummed faster with each mile. His stomach got worse as they went on.

“Hey, kid.” Someone called. Noah rubbed his hands nervously, lost in a panic. What was the worst that could happen to them for disobeying?

“HEY!” Noah looked over at a bespectacled older man.

“Sir?” He stammered. The man pointed a knurled, shaky finger in his direction.

“Your pants are smoking!” He yelped. Noah stared at him stupidly.

My what? Then he felt the heat. He jumped up, patting the smoldering coin in his pants pocket as someone screamed.

The kind-eyed bus driver brought the vehicle to a halt and gasped as she looked into her rearview mirror. She grabbed the loudspeaker.

“What’s going on back there?” She yelled. The blaring horn of an oncoming truck flying into the intersection was her only answer.

The vehicles collided together in a crunch of broken glass and twisted metal. The passengers were shaken like dice in a cup as the bus flipped over and over. Noah woke to the coughs and cries of the injured. The world was upside down. He crawled towards a window, bracing himself against a seat. A swift kick with both feet was all it took to knock the window out. He crawled out of the mangled bus and through broken glass to the wail of approaching sirens.

A crowd gathered. Murmuring worriedly, a few people offered Noah help. Others were trying to get the rest of the passengers off the bus. They plied him with questions, but he couldn’t hear. A buzzing his ears drowned out all sound.

Noah teetered and spun, trying to get his bearings. His gaze fell on a familiar burned house.

I’m only a few blocks from home. He thought, panicked. He broke into a shambling run, barreling through a pair of approaching police officers.

“Hey! Stop, kid!” The officer bellowed. But Noah ran on.

Minutes later, he skidded to a stop in front of the little house he and his brother called home. The coin spit sparks into his pants pocket as he raced to the door and fumbled for his keys. When he finally unlocked the door and stepped through, Noah screamed.

“AAAAAHHHH!!!” His pants were on fire, the fabric burning and sticking to his leg. Hopping, Noah tore off his jeans and threw the burning pants across the room. They hit the curtains, igniting them as he raced to his room. Noah burst through the door to find his brother still in bed. He ran to him, shaking his shoulder violently.

“Nate!!! Get up!!!” The sheet was soaked, and his brother’s skin burned with fever. He was almost too hot to touch. Noah pressed his fingers to his neck and nearly cried. His pulse was faint.

We need to get out of here! He thought frantically. Noah tore the sheet away from his brother and pulled him onto his back. He dragged him out of the room in the hallway and turned to the door.

The living room left Noah gaping in horror. The front of the house was awash in flame. The coin, now glowing, bounced into the hallway with a familiar ping-ping, trailing little bursts of fire in its wake. It spun and fell at his feet, burning the carpet. The sleeping woman stared up at him, eyes glowing red, mouth gaped open and filled with pointed teeth.

Nate shifted on his back as Noah’s burned hand reached for the coin. His brother coughed, breaking him from his trance. Noah fell back a step with a loud yell.

He turned and stomped through the hallway to the kitchen and the back door. Flames climbed the walls around them as he and his brother stumbled through the kitchen door, landing hard on the concrete porch.

Noah lay stunned beneath his brother, winded. The flames licked his feet as a chorus of shouting reached his ears.

“There are people back here!!!” Someone yelled. “Someone help!!!” Darkness settled in as hands lifted his brother off of his back. More hands grabbed Noah’s arms and dragged him away. The world was dim, but the buzzing subsided in his ears as he was laid on something soft and lifted. Someone put a mask over his face, and his lungs expanded painfully. Noah opened his eyes to see a soot-stained man in a fireman’s helmet.

“My brother…” he croaked.

“Your brother’s going to be fine, kid.” The fireman answered. “You will be too.” Noah turned his head to see Nate loaded on another stretcher. The house he had come to love was a bonfire behind him. The twins were loaded into the ambulance as the roof gave way with a groaning crash.

A single spark flew out of the front and bounced on the sidewalk with a distinctive metallic ping.

It rolled to the foot of the fireman as he closed the door to Noah’s ambulance. He gave the ambulance two knocks, and the vehicle pulled off. He looked down to see a speck of glittering gold shining next to his boot.

“Is that a coin?”