City of Massachusetts
At half-past seven in the morning, Noah Eveline woke up abruptly in the dimly lit room on the bed, covering his head and curling his body like a shrimp.
His head throbbed as though it were on the verge of exploding, as if it were adorned with steel needles. Subsequently, he began to experience hallucinations, with vivid images flashing through his mind, while his ears were inundated with nonsensical noise.
Noah knew that his old illness had resurfaced.
Trembling, he got up from the bed, pulled open the drawer of the bedside table, and nervously searched for the pill bottle. Impatiently, he unscrewed it and poured five or six small blue pills into his hand, swallowing them whole.
Then he threw himself back on the bed, gasping for air, and had to endure the pain.
A dozen seconds later, the mental headache subsided and eventually disappeared.
"Phew..." Noah exhaled with relief, his body covered in cold sweat.
When he was in high school, he had a strange disease which symptom was the uncontrollable retrieval of all memories from the past, including forgotten information.
His brain uncontrollably collected information from the outside world and analyzed it, to the extent that it took control of his body in an incredible way.
Fortunately, this condition couldn't last long before his body would experience a strain and interrupt it.
Because of this ability, he playfully enrolled at the University of Massachusetts, a prestigious institution that ranks among the best in the world.
Noah called this condition "brain overload" and believed he could evolve into "Superman". However, this development was repeatedly interrupted because his body couldn't support it.
When he shared this speculation with his doctor, the doctor couldn't understand it but was very shocked and eventually suggested that he should go to the psychiatric ward on the ground floor.
However, the hospital couldn't find the cause. Later, his mother brought him a special medicine from abroad, which brought his condition under control. As long as he took the medication regularly, he didn't experience any more seizures.
"It's probably 'cause I didn't get enough sleep last night and was dead tired. Totally blame Nina for barging into my room in the middle of the night to play games..."
Although his words sounded like this, his heart was quietly oppressed because Noah knew that the effect of the medicine was gradually diminishing and his illness was worsening.
"From now on, the dose of medicine must be increased..." Noah put on his cotton slippers, went to the window, and pulled open the curtains.
The sunlight poured in and filled the room.
It was a bright April day in Massachusetts, and the morning breeze that greeted him was cool and pleasant.
"Don!"
At that moment, there was a knock on the door, and Grandma shouted from outside:
"Noah, get up!"
"No, thanks!" Noah coolly refused; he wanted to go back to sleep.
It was a bright spring day, and it was the weekend. Wouldn't it be a waste of life not to sleep in?
"I'll give you three minutes to get up, or I'll wake you up by force."
Grandma was even more cold-blooded and ruthless.
"Understood, understood..." Noah immediately relented.
He knew that his grumpy grandmother was capable of such a thing.
When Noah was still in elementary school, his father died in a car accident. His strong-willed mother didn't remarry and brought her son back to settle in Massachusetts, leaving him in the care of his grandparents.
Then, she threw herself into her career, and became a financially independent woman who was praised by her relatives.
Later, his mother bought her own house, but Noah didn't like the large, empty apartment and continued to live with his grandparents.
Anyway, his mother left early every day and came back late, occasionally going on business trips.
Most of what she said to her son was, "Do you have enough money?"
But Noah always answered his mother with a smile on his face, saying that the pocket money he received from his grandmother and Nina was enough.
Well, there's Nina too.
The woman who insisted on coming to his room last night to play computer games was Nina.
Noah yawned and turned the handle of his room door to enter the living room.
His grandmother's house had an area of one hundred and fifty square meters, including common areas. When the old house was sold to buy this new house, Noah remembered that the price was more than 5252.48 dollars per square meter.
Six or seven years later, the price in this neighborhood had risen to 14444.31 dollars per square meter, almost doubling.
Fortunately, grandfather was foresighted at the time. If they hadn't replaced the old house, Noah would have had to sleep in the living room because he was already an adult and couldn't share a room with Nina.
Sitting at the long dining table in the living room was the person who caused his headache. She was eating porridge, while her pink slippers slid back and forth under the table.
She possessed delicate and charming features, with a face that had the gentle contours of a goose egg, lending her an adorable allure. A dainty, burgundy birthmark adorned the corner of her eye, adding a touch of uniqueness to her overall beauty.
Freshly awakened, her tousled waves cascaded in fluffy disarray, framing her face with an alluringly lazy and subtly flirtatious vibe.
His little aunt-in-law's name was Nina Caroll, four years older than him.
When Noah came out, Nina wiped the porridge around her mouth and said in surprise:
"Man, early mornings aren't your thing, huh?"
"Blame it on your mom."
"Oh, really? Is that how it is?"
"Well, I guess I can't really complain, can I?"
Grandma heard the commotion in the kitchen and looked out for a moment. Shortly after, she came out with a bowl of porridge.
Grandma's raven-black hair was streaked with silver strands, and her eyes were sharp. She resembled one of those old ladies in a bad mood.
Although sagging skin and slight wrinkles took away some of her radiance, it was still evident that she had a beautiful face in her youth.
Noah took the porridge his grandmother handed him, swallowed it, and asked:
"Where's grandfather?"
"He went for a walk," she replied.
Grandfather, a seasoned retired police officer, maintained a remarkable sense of discipline despite his age. Like clockwork, every evening he retired to bed at ten o'clock, only to rise promptly at six o'clock in the morning.
With a graceful sip of her porridge, Nina grinned mischievously and said, "Once we're done fueling up, I'll whisk you away to the mall. And guess what? I've got a little surprise in store for you."
"Are you so nice?" Noah was about to say yes when his grandmother gave him a murderous look. "If you dare to go, I'll break your legs."
"Mom, why are you like that?" Nina said with an unhappy expression on her face. "I just want to buy some spring clothes for Noah, and you don't like that? Just because 'nephew' sounds trivial, doesn't mean he's any less important in our life!"~"
Grandmother interrupted her with a threat, "Do you want to break your legs too?"
Nina resisted and bowed her head.
No sooner did Noah catch wind of the exchange between mother and daughter than he recognized it as yet another attempt to set Nina up on a blind date, with him inevitably being roped into the whole affair.
It was always the same routine: she would bring her nephew along to these arranged encounters orchestrated by their grandmother. With his natural social adeptness, Noah would seamlessly assume her role, engaging in conversation with the prospective suitor while she casually sipped her drink and toyed with her smartphone. The other party would leave feeling elated, convinced they had showcased enough social finesse and perceptiveness in front of the beauty.
From a young age, Nina possessed a captivating beauty and charm. During her junior high school years, she was discouraged from dating male classmates.
Throughout her academic journey, she refrained from having a boyfriend, waiting until her university days were behind her. However, once she ventured into the realm of adulthood, particularly after reaching the age of 25, things took a different turn.
The grandmother says that she just doesn't really want her to fall in love too soon, but not that she doesn't fall in love at all.
So she rounded up her friends, scoured the world for information about young talented men, and arranged blind dates for her daughter.
"Grandma, it's obvious that she's not in the mood for a relationship yet. You can't force the fruit to ripen." Noah nibbles on a bun while he brings himself into the game:
"But how about me?"
Grandmother said angrily, "You are still young, what is the rush for? The university is full of female students, can't you find one yourself?"
Grandmother was a woman from the south and had a quick-tempered temperament.
Even Noah's mother, a strong career woman, did not dare to contradict her.
After breakfast, Nina prepared herself and headed out for the blind date.
She adorned her face with alluring makeup that accentuated her radiance and beauty.
She wore a cozy, knitted sweater with a round neckline, paired with a long jacket. Her long and beautiful legs were wrapped in light-colored skinny jeans, complemented by black Martin boots.
Nina gave Noah a sly look, picked up her bag, turned around, and walked out, saying, "Mom, I'm off!"
Noah returned to his room and hastily put on a black T-shirt, boxers, and running shoes.
After a few minutes, he opened the door to his room.
Their grandmother was cleaning in the living room. Upon seeing him emerge, she paused her work and silently observed him.
Noah imitated Nina's tone of voice and said, "Mom, I'm off!"
"Turn back!" Grandmother waved her broom threateningly and warned, "If you dare leave the house today, don't bother coming back."
"Okay!" Noah obediently retreated back to his bedroom.
He sat at his desk, holding his smartphone, and sent a message to Nina:
"The hero is unfortunately perished on the path to victory."
"???" Nina promptly replied, presumably behind the wheel..
"Grandma put the brakes on me at home, so you're gonna have to handle that blind date alone."
Nina sent a voice message.
Noah clicked on it, and Nina's angry voice resonated from the speaker, "You useless pig!!!"
Nina immediately deleted the voice message and sent another one, this time with a different tone, a stubborn and endearing one:
"Good nephew, come on! Auntie loves you the most, Mua~"
Ha, woman...
"You think I'll upset Grandma just because you act like that? Well, at least 10 euros pocket money..."
At that moment, the doorbell rang.
Noah entered the living room, pressed the intercom call button under his grandmother's watchful gaze, and inquired, "Who is it?"
"FastExpress Package, Sir!"
The voice echoed through the loudspeaker.
Noah pressed the door opening button, and after a couple of minutes, the uniformed delivery boy arrived upstairs in the elevator, holding a package in his arms.
"Hi! Are you Mr. Eveline?"
"That's me."
I didn't order anything online...he signed with a perplexed expression, glancing at the package information. There was no sender specified, but the address was from a neighboring city, Manchester, in the state of New Hampshire.
He returned to his room, retrieved a paper cutter from his desk drawer, and opened the package.
Inside, he discovered a black card carefully wrapped in shock-absorbent padding, along with a letter adorned in yellowish paper.
Noah delicately snatched the black card, about the size of an ID, with a metallic sheen that sent an unexpected warmth coursing through his fingertips.
The card boasted intricate designs, with a delicate silver cloud pattern encircling the edges and a majestic black full moon prominently displayed in the center.
The black full moon was exquisitely printed, with clearly visible irregular spots on its surface.
"What is this?" Noah wondered with a sense of uncertainty as he opened the envelope and unfolded the letter.
"Noah, I have been entrusted with something remarkably captivating that I believe has the potential to bring about significant changes in my life. However I realize that I may not be able to make full use of it. Nevertheless, when I think of you, I am confident that you will handle it with ease."
"My comrade-in-arms, this is a gift for you."
-Aubrey Fielding!