Chapter 4No Longer Your Silent Knight

Noah hated being touched.

It wasn't because he was antisocial; it was a reflex from the trauma. When we were kids, before the "incident," he was the most vibrant boy in the neighborhood. I was the chubby kid nobody wanted to play with.

Noah was the only one who let me play the Knight in our make-believe games. “Knights have to be strong,” he’d say. “That way you can protect the Princess.”

“Are you the Princess then?” I’d asked.

He’d blush furiously. “I guess… but you have to keep me safe.”

Then, Noah disappeared. The adults said he’d been taken. Kidnapped.

I was there the day the police brought him back. He was covered in dirt, his eyes vacant and hollow. I had been so happy to see him that I reached out to grab his hand.

Noah screamed. He pushed me away with a strength that terrified me.

His mother, her face white as a sheet, whispered a tearful apology to me. “He’s having nightmares, Sadie. He’s not himself.”

They moved away shortly after. When we met again in middle school, he was silent. He let kids push him around like he didn't even exist.

Seeing him like that—knowing how bright he used to be—felt like a physical pain in my chest. I decided to pick up my "Knight" persona again. I watched him get better, watched him lean on me, and I felt a secret, dark pride in it.

I wanted him to need only me.

Under the moonlight, Serena’s hand stayed on his neck. Her lips were moving—she was probably coaching him, telling him how to feel the vibrations, how to find his voice.

I wiped a stray tear, but Noah caught my eye.

For the first time, I saw a flicker of guilt in his expression.

“Why didn't you wait for me?” I asked, my voice trembling with the last of my hope.

Noah started to sign a response, but Serena stepped in front of him like a shield.

“Why does it bother you so much when anyone else gets close to him?” she asked. Her voice was soft, but her eyes were venomous. “You don't actually want him to have friends, do you?”

“That’s not—”

“You think you’re so noble,” she cut me off. “But if it wasn't for you, Noah would have had a normal life years ago. You’ve kept him small so you could feel big. You just want to control him.”

I looked at Noah, my eyes stinging. Please. Tell her she’s wrong. You know it’s not like that.

Noah didn't move. He didn't defend me.

His fingers moved, and Serena smiled a satisfied, triumphant smile.

“Sadie,” he signed. “I think I want to try living a life without you in it.”

The rain felt like needles against my skin. I didn't say another word. I turned and ran into the darkness.

In my peripheral vision, I saw Noah instinctively reach out to stop me, but Serena caught the edge of his jacket.

He hesitated. And for the last time, he didn't choose me.

Fine, I thought, my heart going numb. I’m done being the Knight.