Chapter 13
The Letter
Monday felt unusually quiet.
Luna arrived at school earlier than usual. The hallway was nearly empty, with only a few students chatting as they walked to their classrooms. She couldn't explain why, but the uneasy feeling from Friday still lingered in her chest.
When she entered the classroom, Noah's seat was empty.
Again.
She stared at it for a few seconds before placing her bag on her desk.
"Maybe he's just late," she told herself.
But as the minutes passed, the chair remained empty.
The first bell rang.
Then the second.
Noah never came.
Throughout the morning, Luna struggled to focus. She copied notes without reading them and answered questions without remembering what had been asked. Every now and then, she glanced toward the door, hoping Noah would suddenly walk in with his usual apologetic smile.
He didn't.
---
During lunch, Luna wandered toward the library instead of the rooftop.
She wasn't in the mood to eat.
The library was peaceful, almost silent except for the occasional turning of pages. She walked between the tall bookshelves until she found a quiet corner by the window.
As she reached for a novel, she heard two teachers talking nearby.
"...He left early again."
"I hope he's taking care of himself."
"I'm worried. A student his age shouldn't be visiting the hospital so often."
Luna froze.
Hospital.
Her heart skipped a beat.
Before she could hear more, the teachers noticed students nearby and lowered their voices before walking away.
Luna stood motionless.
Hospital.
The word echoed in her mind.
It wasn't proof.
But it confirmed what she had feared all along.
Noah wasn't hiding a simple cold.
He was hiding something much bigger.
---
Classes ended beneath a cloudy sky.
As Luna packed her things, Mia walked over.
"You're heading home already?"
"I think so."
"I forgot my notebook in the art room. Can you wait for me?"
Luna nodded.
"I'll be outside."
She wandered into the nearly empty hallway, stopping near the classroom windows.
A gust of wind swept through the corridor, causing a few loose papers to scatter across the floor.
One sheet drifted toward her feet.
She bent down to pick it up.
It was folded neatly.
At first, she assumed it belonged to another student.
Then she noticed the handwriting.
It was Noah's.
She hesitated.
She knew she shouldn't read it.
She really shouldn't.
But before she could stop herself, her eyes caught the first sentence.
"If one day I disappear..."
Her breath caught.
She unfolded the paper just enough to continue.
"I hope no one blames themselves.
Some people are born carrying storms inside them.
Even when the sky looks clear, the rain never truly leaves.
If I ever have to leave without saying goodbye...
Please remember me smiling.
That's the version of me I want to leave behind."
Luna's hands trembled.
The words didn't sound like homework.
They sounded like a farewell.
"...Noah?"
She whispered his name, barely able to breathe.
Just then, footsteps echoed behind her.
"Luna?"
She quickly turned around.
It was Mia.
"What are you doing?"
Luna immediately folded the letter and looked away.
"...Nothing."
She slipped it into her bag without thinking.
All the way home, the letter weighed heavily against her heart.
That night, she lay awake staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep.
She read the letter again.
And again.
Each time, one sentence hurt more than the last.
"Please remember me smiling."
Tears silently rolled down her cheeks.
For the first time since meeting Noah...
Luna wasn't afraid of losing her own happiness.
She was afraid of losing him.
Outside her bedroom window, rain began to fall once more, tapping softly against the glass.
Somewhere else in the city, Noah sat alone in a dimly lit hospital room, staring out at the same rain.
Neither of them knew it.
But fate had already begun counting down the days until everything would change forever.
