2.2 Chemical Reaction

Hey everyone! This chapter reveals more information than I intended it to, but the game threw me a meteor so I just had to go with it. I hope it isn't moving too fast, because there is a lot more information that has to be unfolded. Enjoy! :)

"Is this like a family meeting thing that we're going to have every week?" Noah asked. It had been the second time they had been called to sit with Mason upstairs. Both Mondays.

"I guess you could say its something like that. I know you're not children but you have to understand that in the state that you're in...I have no other choice than to keep an eye on you," Mason said.

"I thought that's what Farina is for," Noah joked. "She's my wife right?"

Mason wasn't laughing though. "She isn't doing her title justice," He said slowly. She turned away from him.

"What the..." Noah was about to ask but Mason cut in once again.

"I think it's time you get a job. It'll be helpful to all of us to have some more money coming in as well as give you a better sense of Oasis Landing. I'm not sending you in on your own. Farina's boss was nice enough to let you follow her around for the next few days and assist her. If she gives you a good review, which she will, you can continue on the path to becoming an astronomer. Sound good?"

"Astronomer? What do I have to do?"

Farine sighed and rolled her eyes. "Why Mason? You can't let me have just one thing to myself. That's all I ask!"

"You wanted the job as caretaker," He answered back. "And you know damn well what that entailed."

"I'm going to take a nap," She grumbled and left the room.

"Well...the carpool is coming at 4 pm tomorrow. Be ready.  It's time for me to take a nap as well. Good night Noah,/" Mason said  before leaving the room as well.

"What the hell just happened?" He thought to himself. Caretaker.Wife. A glimpse of orange flashed through his mind. He couldn't discern it from anything else, but it seemed familiar, something he had loved.

Noah didn't fight it this time. He hopped right into bed with Farina. It had been going on two weeks at this point, but all it felt like to him was two people coexisting, but never meeting.

They were awoken with a loud bang. Farina was the first outside, shouting about a fire on their home lot. Mason wasn't too impressed. He looked like he was deep in thought. It was definitely a meteor shower. Things had been much worse than he had originally thought.

At this point, Noah had heard the commotion and rushed down the stairs.

"Whats going on?" Noah stopped to catch his breath.

"A meteor shower. Nothing to worry about," He said as he effortlessly put out the flames.

"But...!" Farina seemed shocked and scared.

"I said its nothing to worry about." Mason repeated sternly. "You have to prep Noah on today's job. Go inside you two."

Noah wasn't so sure. He stayed in place and watched Mason. "What are you hiding?"

"Hmm?" he asked without looking up from what he was doing.

"Noah! Lets go," Farina said, grabbing his arm.

"Leave him be then Farina. If he want's to question me then he'd have no problem sleeping outside."

"Mason...stop it! This isn't how everything is supposed to go. Noah...lets go I have some important papers to show you about work!" She tried to drag him inside. Noah gave in this time, but he knew Mason wasn't the cool older brother he was making himself out to be. 

The paperwork was long and annoying. "Did you expect it to be fun?" Farina sighed.

"No...but come on, this is a lot of paper. It's got to weigh at least a pound." The two stood in front of the science center, ready to start their job.

"Hey...so, earlier...Mason, he didn't mean any of that. He's just got a lot on his mind because of work," Farina said awkwardly.

"Uhh...right." Noah shrugged. "But...you have to know that I'm not ignorant right. Don't talk about your plans in front of me."

"I know you're smart. You caught onto chess really fast. Trust me...if Mason was hiding something, he wouldn't undermine your intelligence by leaving it right in the open."

Noah frowned. Maybe he was overthinking it.

"What the hell are you thinking damn it!" Mason shouted.

"Mason...stop it! Everything is going as planned right? So stop!" Farina begged.

"That meteor strike...was that part of the plan?" He raised his voice. "WAS IT?"

"Why would I plan that...?" Farina shrunk back. "I don't want to do anything but help people...to help Noah and his siblings..."

"You don't get to make the decisions. You do what you're told. Noah is fine and in good health. One Gray child at a time. Now, listen up...continue what you were told to do and everything will be fine."

"You promise?"

"I'm a man of my word."

That night, Noah had went straight to bed. Farina had ordered him to stay at work a few hours later, as Mason had asked her to do. When he finally got home, he was too tired to do anything and just went to sleep. With a moment to herself, Farina decided to examine the meteor. Something was drawing her near it. She couldn't help but be attracted to it, like a bug to a bright light. She walked aimlessly towards it until finally she collapsed to her knees with a shriek.

"What the hell..." She cried out in pain.

She didn't even have time to see Mason's figure looming over her. "Hmm...so it's reacting to the meteor? Very interesting..."

"Whats going on?" She gasped.

"The chemical I used to bring you back to life...its reacting with something in the meteorite. This could be an incredible discovery.  On a scale of 1-10...how much pain are you in?"

"Mason!" Farina cried out.

He chuckled. "I know what to do. Lets go before the brat wakes up."

They ended up at the hospital. Mason had known someone who used to work under him as an apprentice. The poor scientist owed him a favor for not turning him in for an earlier incident and so Farina's negative reaction was of utmost priority. At least to him and his gang of chemists. There was nothing a normal doctor could do and thus...it had to be kept a secret.

Because of Noah's presence in the house, Mason found it unfit for any more experiments than were necessary to be done on Farina. She was brought home that night and ordered to be kept inside of a dream pod for a few hours to help stabilize her chemical makeup. None of this was to be brought to Noah's attention. But he was much more perceptive than that. 

"Noah....Caleb...Kayden..." Farina whimpered in the dream pod. She tossed and turned. A dream was being activated and the only thing Mason could see from the machine she was hooked up to was a single still picture.

He frowned. "Her memories need to be erased as well."