Build Me Up + Blow Me Down

Fade Out - Death

Noah looked down on the kitchen tabletop and ran his fingers over its surface, reminiscing on all the experiences that he'd had around it. 'Odd. This thing used to be nothing special, now everything in this house gives me a rush of nostalgia. Why do I feel like this? I don’t even know if my parents are dead.’

His internal monologue was cut short by his uncle walking through the door.

“You're here. How are you feeling?”

“Alright, I guess. You didn't want to tell me over the phone anything more than you needed for me to take the drive out here. I did it, three hours out of my life. So, tell me, are my parents really dead? Both of them?”

“Why, yes. Yes of course. Why would you ask that? Did you think I would lie to you?”

Gill’s response showed that he was taken aback but it also left Noah a fair bit confused himself. ‘Why did I ask that? I guess just because I haven’t seen the bodies yet?’

“Yes, you’re right. That was an odd question. I’m sorry. I’m just a bit shaken up right now, that’s all. Please, tell me what happened.”

Gill motioned to the chair to Noah's side, which Noah took as a request to take a seat. He obeyed, and Gill pulled up a chair and sat facing him.

“Well, we're not entirely sure what happened to them ourselves, Noah. Jonathan and Daria went to dinner last night somewhat early, around 6:30, and 45 minutes later, quite simply dropped dead in public.”

Noah's eyes widened albeit only momentarily as he quickly became of conscious of it and forced his face back into a more neutral state.

Gill made no sign of noticing this peculiarity and continued on.

“Usually this would have been assumed to be a heart attack, it appears as though they went through all the signs and stages of cardiac arrest, although at a somewhat faster than expected pace. However what made it so unusual was the fact that they both died almost at the exact same time. Your mother fell first and as the rest of the restaurant crowded around, your father followed suit. They were both dead by the time first responders arrived.”

“So what was it, some sort of food poisoning? Was no one else in the restaurant affected?”

“No, it was most definitely not contracted from the restaurant. The toxicology report named their killer as a chemical called hebenon and it doesn't work that fast. But Noah, it's also a poison that's not really used for anything else. There's no likely situation where it could have gotten into something they'd consume unless someone intentionally put it in there. The police are confident that your parents were murdered.”

Noah paused to think for a long moment before responding,

“And Amy? How is she taking this?”

“Your sister is very upset Noah, we haven''t told her any of the details yet. You should talk to her before we do anything else.”

Noah nodded. “I agree. Where is she? With you?”

“Yes. She's staying at my house with your aunt. A lot of the family is there. We should go.”

Noah’s younger sister was still a high school student and although she lived away from their parents at a boarding school, it was noticeably closer to their childhood home than Noah’s university and Gill and his wife had already picked her up from her school the previous night.

Noah walked into the house to find Amy on the couch with a sort of blank look on her face, half-heartedly watching the television. She took notice of him quickly and rushed to meet him at the doorway, spreading her arms out for a hug.

As Noah embraced his sister he couldn't help but take note of the program on the television.

‘Looney Tunes. I guess we both get nostalgic for childhood at a time like this.’

He was soon roused from his thoughts by Amy beginning to speak to him.

“I just can’t believe they’re gone Noah. So soon and with so little warning. I always thought I’d be there when it happened, but it was so sudden.”

Noah moved away from his sister and held her by the arms.

“Don't be harsh on yourself, Amy, no one could have seen this coming.” She began to tear up slightly. “Be strong, ok? That's what they would have wanted, alright?”

Amy wiped the tears off her face.

“Yeah, you're right. I promise you I will.”

“That's my girl.”

Noah pulled her in for a hug once more before moving away. He scanned the room to find his aunt Eliza a meter away, observing. He moved towards her and dived into his inquiries in a hushed tone as not to alert his sister.

“How's she been holding up?”

“Alright enough for a girl her age going through what she is. She cried last night, but not for too long.”

Noah nodded along.

“Listen, Noah, do you want to be the one to tell her about what happened?”

Noah nodded more vigorously now.

“Yes, definitely, I should be the one to tell her. Just give me a little time. She's handling their death hard enough as things are already, she doesn't need to know it was a murder yet.”

“Alright, if that's what you think best. Just try to do it sooner rather than later, ok? Besides that, most of the rest of the family is here as well, you should see them.”

Noah nodded as his aunt turned to walk into another room, with him following close.

In the next room over, the room was filled with a variety of people, plenty of which Noah hadn't seen in a very long time, and even a few of which he couldn't recognize at all.

Included among these ranks were two pairs of Noah's maternal uncles and their wives as well as a lone aunt, Noah's mother's only sister, as well as a number of family friends or associates. The presence of so many people so quickly did not surprise him, he was well aware of the fact that he had chosen to live significantly far from the city where the rest of his city was well-rooted.

Two people in particular caught Noah's eye, his orphan cousins, the son and daughter of Noah’s father's and Gill's brother, who along with his wife, had died in an accident years ago, when they were merely young children.

These two were also closer to Noah's age than his sister. It crossed his mind that with all these things considered, they very likely could understand his current plight well, and that it could perhaps be wise to talk to them. Noah quickly dismissed this idea on a whim, feeling inexplicably uncomfortable with talking to them all of a sudden. This mattered little however, for just as he decided against approaching them, the male of these two noticed him and came to initiate a conversation himself.

“Hey, Noah, remember me? I'm Jared. Been a long time, how have you been?”

Noah blinked, his cousin was acting awfully casual at what was little other than a wake.

“I've seen better days, I guess, but in all I'm fine.”

After a moment's hesitation, it occurred to Noah that it could be beneficial to distract himself from his issues for a short while, that is, while he still could.

“So what have you been up to since the last time we saw each other?”

Jared was not able to reply before the loud sound of the door closing grabbed the attention of the entire room.

Gill guided in a balding, stressful-looking, man as he spoke up to gather the attention of the room.

“Everyone, this is Mr. Atkins. He was Jonathan and Daria's lawyer, and he's here to read us their last wills and testaments”