Chapter Text
Rain pattered incessantly on her window.
She'd tried burying her head under her pillows, drawing her curtains and plugging her ears, but still, the sound persisted.
Groaning, Noelle gave up and flopped backwards. She stared at the ceiling dejectedly.
How much time has passed since she'd last been outside? She would say she missed it, the sweet breeze against her face and the smell of damp leaves drifting in the air, if it weren't for the stupid rain keeping her up. She huffed. Dumb rain. She hated water.
Her eyes drifted to the clock in the corner of the room. Maybe her lack of sleep wasn't all about the rain.
A week had passed since the incident with the police. A week since her parents had locked her in the house. She couldn't say she didn't deserve it. Noelle was the first to know how precarious their position in the Silver district had been ever since Gigi, and yet she just had to create a scandal.
But, still, it was hard to stop justifying her actions. Her older sister had practically been a hostage, she couldn't leave her, no matter how scared she was.
Either way, Noelle wouldn't be locked in here forever, only until she learnt her lesson.
So, here she was, antagonizing mother nature over her decision to create rain.
A clatter in the hallway made her jump.
What the-
Noelle tried getting out of bed to figure out what that had been, when she felt the sheets tangle in her legs.
She yelped as her face broke her fall. With the strong taste of iron flooded her mouth, she groaned. She rolled over and wiped at the warm feeling of blood trickling from her nose. She reached for a tissue on her nightstand and hobbled to the door, mood worsened.
Whichever maid that was was about to get an earful.
The door rocked open and she scanned the hall.
She almost dropped her handkercheif in surprise.
Louis and Lottie St James. In her house.
Noelle stood there, frozen for a second. Then, she slammed her door shut.
Her back hit the wood and she slid down until she was seated. All at once, she was hyper aware of her disheveled state, from the bloody tissue she held, to her flowery pajamas. Her face burned in embarrassment. Suddenly, the rain didn't seem so bad...
The sound of knocking behind her made her stiffen. Louis' voice spoke up, "Noelle? We heard you. Come on, we just want to talk."
Noelle held her breath. Maybe if she pretended not to exist, they would get tired and leave. That was something she was good at.
Another knock. "It's nothing bad," he tried.
"Morrigan sent us," Lottie offered.
Noelle stiffened. What did she have to do with any of this? The last time they'd spoken had been at the police station. The two hadn't exactly been on friendly terms.
She considered her options. Option, actually. She combed her fingers through her hair and threw her handkercheif away, taking a deep breath, and opened the door.
For the record: she was going to blame this desicion on her week-long isolation. Her brain wasn't working at its full potential.
She ended up face-to-face with the St James, both wearing identical looks of surprise.
"Say your piece, then leave."
"Uh, can we come in or..?" Louis asked.
Noelle moved out of the way. The siblings awkwardly shuffled past her, unphased by the hostility.
They each took a seat, Lottie on the bed and Louis on her desk chair, spinning in circles as Noelle stared, unimpressed.
It was weird, seeing the St James in her bedroom. Before... everything, they'd been friends with Gigi. To them, Noelle had been the wierd little sister who'd cry when she wasn't included. Ah, the memories. Neither had ever really given her the time of day back then and she never thought they would. Yet, here they were in this day and age, at odds.
The two were settled, but seemed at a loss for words. They decided to stall and study their surroundings instead of starting a conversation.
"Nice pig," Louis said, pointing to the stuffed animal lying next to her pillow.
Noelle's face burned. "How about you guys start talking before I kick you out?"
Lottie sent her brother a glare. He raised his hands in mock surrender. She turned back to the youngest. "Uh, look. Morrigan wanted us to... Let you in on a little something."
Noelle narrowed her eyes, suspicious.
"You may be wondering how we got here," Louis said with a slight laugh, trying to alleviate the tension.
"What does that mean?" Noelle interrupted. "Did you break in?" Her voice pitched.
"Uhh," Lottie chuckled, "look, that's what we're here to talk to you about!" She kicked her brother's leg.
He took this as his cue to explain. "Noelle, you grew up in the Silver District like us. That means you know first-hand just how stifling life can be here." He paused, fidgeting. "See, a long time ago, someone found something... very interesting."
Noelle crossed her arms. She raised a brow, inviting him to continue.
"They discovered a chain of... doors, of sorts. They act like... portals. In a single jump, you can get almost halfway across the Silver district."
His sister easily took up the story, "and some even lead into the city."
Noelle blinked, "O...kay?" What exactly did they want her to do with this information?
"Noelle, it means you can use them to get in and out of the Silver District whenever you want."
The brunette paused, computing the information. Then, her eyes widened. "You can't possibly mean to tell me you want me to... sneak out," she said, whispering the last part, scandalized.
Louis laughed, "of course we do."
Noelle shook her head. What would her parents do to her if she snuck out? "Alright, that's it, thanks for your input. The door's this way."
"You don't have to if you don't want to," Lottie amended.
But Noelle's hands were shaking now. "Get out," her voice cracked, the mask slipping for a second.
"Noelle-" Louis started, but his sister cut him off, grabbing his arm. "Wait! Lottie, let go. Come on, we promised Morrigan," he protested.
"If she doesn't want to come, then she doesn't have to," she said.
It took a moment before he sighed and followed her out. Noelle stood there alone, mind running. When would Morrigan even have time to spare her a second thought? Shouldn't she be busy, what with her whole Wunsoc gig. This must have been some sort of... well thought-out plan to humiliate her and test her gullibility. Right?
But what if...
Noelle padded after the twins discreetly, watching as they made their way to the central staircase, turning right toward a little doorway of sorts with an extruding lintel. She blinked and rubbed her eyes. She'd lived in this house her entire life and she could confirm that that had never been there before. She watched in dumbfounded shock as Louis gripped the top of the mantle and-
Flung himself through.
Noelle clamped a hand over her mouth, stifling a cry of shock.
She watched in morbid curiosity as Lottie did the same right behind him.
What in the seven pockets..?
The crisp autumn air whipped her face and blew her hair in every direction. Leaves crunched under her boots and she wrapped her coat around her a little bit tighter. Morrigan shivered as she wandered through the streets of the Silver District.
She pulled her hood down at the sound of haughty laughter in the distance.
Soon, the Devereaux estate came into view, tall and imposing. Morrigan read the names on the placard as she neared the door. She blinked when only two were found. It seemed like Noelle's parents were set on pretending Gigi had never existed.
She winced, memories of Crow manor flashing in her mind. She could sympathise.
Morrigan took a deep breath, then gave as firm a knock as she could. The sound rang out in the silence around her.
She waited, breath fogging in the cool night air. She'd rehearsed what she would have to say to Noelle's parents.
It had been a few days since Louis and Lottie and come back to her with news on Noelle. From what they'd said, she'd looked miserable. Morrigan hated to admit it, but ever since Noelle's stunt with the police, she'd realised she'd been wrong about the other. Noelle might have been horrible to her, but at least she was more honest then some other bourgeoisie she could name...
Either way, Morrigan felt compelled to try and speak to her.
Minutes went by with no answer.
Morrigan frowned and knocked again. Her hands shook less this time around, confusion over-taking anxiety.
Still, no answer.
Morrigan took a step back and looked up at the house. All the lights were off. Was no one home?
Should she leave and come back? The twins had snuck her in through the lintel-hopping chain tonight, but she didn't know if she could ask them for another favour again so soon. She was just resolving to try again later, when a sudden movement caught her eye.
She turned and watched a pair of curtains zip closed on the second floor.
Morrigan knocked on the door once more. She waited a while, but soon, it creaked open and a voice spoke quietly.
"Go away." The words were muffled and rough, but she could recognize their melodical quality.
"Noelle, I just want to apologize."
The door shut in her face.
Morrigan grit her teeth. She gave three firm knocks before Noelle peeked at her from behind the door, scowling.
"Go. Away," she repeated.
This time, Morrigan stuck her foot in between the door and its frame. She winced as Noelle tried slamming it again.
"I'm sorry I sent Louis and Lottie here on my behalf."
There was a pause. "Fine. Great, now leave."
"Noelle. I'm not going to leave until you let me talk to you."
A second of silence, then, hesitantly, the door slowly opened.
Morrigan had to take a moment to process what she was seeing. Noelle's face was red, eyes puffy from crying. She was avoiding eye contact, staring at the floor intently. "Hurry up," she said.
Now Morrigan knew why her voice had sounded so rough. "Are you alright?"
Noelle glared but didn't answer.
That was probably the best she was going to get. She was afraid that if she pushed more, she'd end up dead in a ditch. Morrigan sighed. "I just- I want to apologize. For the train station, I mean. I was kind of... rude to you while you were trying to do something heroic."
Noelle scoffed, "I'd hardly call that 'heroic'. Why are you actually here?"
Morrigan frowned, "I know we haven't always seen eye to eye but-"
"Maybe this has something to do with you stealing my place in the Wundrous Society. Came here to gloat?"
Morrigan pinched the bridge of her nose. "It's been three years, Noelle."
The other just glared at her.
"Gosh, you're impossible! Fine. I'm leaving." So much for being the bigger person.
"Wait!"
Morrigan paused.
She couldn't help but glance back at Noelle. She could see the way her hands curled into fists at her side, like she was trying to keep them from shaking.
Morrigan recognized the look on Noelle's face. She didn't want to be left alone.
She felt a knot in her throat. "Noelle... Are you okay?"
The other's hands came up to cover her face, trying to hide the evidence of her distress. "I'm fine," she said, backing away slightly.
Morrigan hesitantly turned back towards Noelle. She watched her shift to put distance between the two of them. She knew they weren't nearly close enough to have a heartfelt conversation about whatever the other was going through, but she figured she could at least try to lighten the mood. Something she learned from Hawthorne.
"I should probably also apologize for Louis and Lottie. I can assure you that my instructions did not involve any sort of break-in whatsoever."
Noelle startled at the sudden change of topic, then cautiously shrugged. "I'm just glad my parents didn't find them here..."
Morrigan hummed in agreement. "Personnally, I would have thrown them out if I found them in my house. I commend the self-restraint."
"I thought you were friends?"
"I just keep them around for entertainment value," Morrigan winked. Noelle's mouth twitched up, and if Morrigan didn't know any better, she would have almost called it a smile.
"They were going on about magic doors," Noelle remembered. "And there was one, a door, I mean."
"Right. Lintel-hopping."
The other frowned in confusion, then scoffed. "Okay. Whatever. That." She seemed to be searching for the right words. "Is, I mean, is it true that they can bring you anywhere..?"
Morrigan searched Noelle's expression. There was a hopeful gleam in her eyes. "Kind of. There are a few that drop you into Nevermoor, and from there, there's a miriad of ways to get around the city."
Noelle nodded thoughtfully. "And you know how to use them?"
The girl aquiesed.
The brunette looked like she was contemplating something.
"What?" Morrigan asked.
"Would you, I mean since you're so desperate to be my friend or whatever-"
"I never said I wanted to be friends," Morrigan deapanned.
"Well- Good! I don't want to be yours either... But if you want to make it up to me, then... show me how to use the lintel thing, then we'll be even."
Morrigan considered this. She wanted to keep a low profile around the Silver District and that meant avoiding it as much as possible. She definitely wasn't ready to face her relatives so soon after the whole Silverborn debacle. However, she would probably feel guilty for the rest of her life if she denied Noelle right now, while a cloud of sadness still lingered around her. "Alright," she agreed, "but not tonight."
Her shoulders dropped a little. "When are you free, then?"
Morrigan thought about it, "next Monday."
"Come at night. And don't ring the doorbell."
"Uh, alright..."
Noelle nodded, satisfied. "Great, now that that's settled, leave."
Morrigan held back a scowl. She was going to regret this, wasn't she? "Bye, Noelle."
She rolled her eyes at the lack of response. She stepped outside, feeling the shift in temperature.
Until Monday, she thought.