The Noise
557 Words
The Noise
Ellora’s world did not allow for chaos.
Everything had structure.
Everything had limits.
Everything had consequences.
Which was why
when the front doors slammed open
she knew exactly who it was.
“Ellora!”
The voice echoed through the house like it didn’t recognize authority.
Or care for it.
Ellora closed her eyes briefly.
Then walked out of her room.
By the time she reached the main hall, her friend was already there, in the middle of an argument with two guards who clearly regretted being assigned to the door.
“I told you, I’m not leaving,” she said, arms crossed.
“And unless you plan on physically removing me..,, honestly, I’d like to see you try. you’re wasting your time.”
“Miss, you can’t just—”
“I just did.”
Ellora stepped forward.
“Let her go.”
The guards hesitated.
Then stepped aside.
Her friend turned instantly.
“There you are.”
Ellora studied her.
Unchanged.
Unaffected.
Like this house hadn’t wrapped itself around everything else.
“You’re not supposed to be here Isabella,” Ellora said.
“I figured,” she replied, glancing around.
“Your house feels like it’s watching me.”
Ellora didn’t respond.
Because it was.
“Come upstairs,” Ellora said instead.
Isabella raised an eyebrow.
“No explanation? No dramatic reveal? Just ‘come upstairs’?”
“Yes.”
A beat.
“Alright. Now I’m definitely staying.”
She cackled.
Ellora’s room felt different too.
Not safer.
Just… hers.
The door closed behind them.
The noise from downstairs disappeared.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
“Okay,” Isabella said, dropping onto the edge of the bed.
“What’s going on?”
Ellora didn’t answer immediately.
She walked to the window.
Looked out.
Not seeing anything.
“I went somewhere I wasn’t supposed to,” she said.
Isabella snorted lightly.
“That’s not new.”
Ellora didn’t react.
“I saw something,” she added.
That shifted the tone.
She sat up slightly.
“What kind of something?”
A pause,
Ellora turned slightly.
Not fully.
“A person.”
Silence.
“That’s vague,” Isabella said carefully.
“I don’t remember him,” Ellora continued.
“But I think I should.”
She frowned.
“What does that mean?”
Ellora exhaled slowly.
“I don’t know.”
And that was the first honest answer she had given all day.
A beat passed.
“Okay,” Isabella said. “Start from the part where this becomes my problem too.”
Ellora hesitated.
Just for a second.
"Come with me.”
"Elle love, you know I'd walk into ends of the earth with you but I'm not walking into the trap that your dad has set up
I still have a lot on my wishlist and you know that"
"Come on Isy, we've done things more dangerous than this a hundred times and more"
"It never involved your dad. You know I don't really care about him and what he thinks but we both know he's crazy"
"You need to see him"
" Why?"
"Maybe you can help me place the missing piece "
"You definitely know that's not true"
"Isabella!"
She collapsed into laughter
"You know I'm messing with you. Lead the damn way"
"You brat!" Ellora muttered, leading the way.
- Writer
