Chapter 28 Strange Morning

Chapter 28 Strange Morning
The next morning, Nina woke up in her bed and immediately stretched. She turned to see that Nadine was still asleep beside her.

"Hey... wake up. Let’s get to school," Nina said.

"Uhm... five more minutes," Nadine muttered, still lost in sleep.

"Wake uuuup!" Nina shouted.

"Huh... huh... yeah, okay," Nadine replied, startled. She sat bolt upright in bed with her eyes still squeezed shut.

Nadine slowly opened her eyes and rubbed them, then looked around the room.

"Oh... wait, why am I in your room... oh right, I slept here last night," Nadine muttered.

"Yeah... I wonder if Nolan plans on going to school?" Nina asked.

"Who knows... let’s go check," Nadine answered.

The two of them climbed out of bed and crept toward the hole in the wall. They peeked through and were shocked to see Nolan in the exact same position as the night before. They turned to each other, their eyes locked in a silent conversation that basically said, "You go in first." Eventually, they decided to go in together and approached him.

"Um... morning. Did you get any sleep?" Nina asked.

Nolan raised his head and turned to look at the two girls. Suddenly, he smiled. Both girls flinched; in the time they had known him, however short, Nolan rarely ever smiled.

"Morning... you’re up already?" Nolan asked warmly.

"Huh... y-yeah, we are," Nina answered, stammering.

"You just woke up, didn't you, Nadine?" Nolan added thoughtfully.

"Huh... huh... huuuh... y-yeah, just woke up," Nadine replied, completely bewildered.

"Alright then, you two head off to school. I’m staying home for the day," Nolan said.

"Oh... okay," they both replied at the same time, their voices stiff and their faces masks of confusion.

Nolan then stood up and walked out of the room. He opened the fridge and gathered some ingredients, then took two lunch boxes from the cupboard. After that, he put on an apron and began chopping vegetables at the kitchen counter. Nina and Nadine, still peeking at him, exchanged puzzled looks as they watched him cook.

"Um... Nolan, what are you doing?" Nina asked.

"Oh, this... you guys want to take a lunch with you, right?" Nolan answered in a casual, friendly tone.

"Huuuh," they both gasped. Their jaws practically hit the floor and they were left speechless. They immediately stopped peeking and scrambled back into their own apartment.

"Wait... this... this is weird," Nina muttered.

"Yeah... why am I getting goosebumps? When he was indifferent and a little blunt... I actually felt fine. But seeing him making lunch for us... am I dreaming?" Nadine asked, lost in thought.

"Let’s take another peek," Nina suggested.

They peeked again and saw Nolan still chopping vegetables, whistling a tune. He turned on the stove and tossed sausage and bacon into a pan. After that, he went back to the fridge for eggs and brought them to the counter. He fried the eggs, grabbed some bread, and began assembling everything into sandwiches. Watching him, Nina and Nadine were stunned by how skilled and fast he was in the kitchen. Once he finished, he neatly packed the sandwiches into the lunch boxes, making sure the portions were even.

As soon as he snapped the boxes shut, he took off his apron and carried the food toward the living area. When he opened the door and saw Nina and Nadine peeking, he didn't seem surprised.

"These are for you, Nina and Nadine. Eat them later at school," Nolan said, smiling as he handed over the lunch boxes.

"Y-yeah, thanks," Nina replied, taking hers.

"Um... thank you," Nadine added, taking her own.

"Alright, stay safe on the way... hurry up and get ready or you'll be late," Nolan said, patting both of them on the head with a smile.

After that, he went back to his mattress and leaned against the wall. He picked up his cigarettes and started smoking. He glanced at the closed window, stood up to open it, and then sat back down. Nina and Nadine stood frozen, watching his every move. A chill ran through them from head to toe, and they quickly scrambled back through the hole into their own apartment.

"What the hell is actually going on? Why did he suddenly turn into a housewife?" Nina asked, her voice laced with panic.

"I don't know... I’m completely lost myself," Nadine replied, looking genuinely bewildered.

"Look, if things stay like this, I can't even focus on school. I'm too worried. How about we pretend to head out through the other apartment, then sneak back in here?" Nina whispered.

"Okay... agreed. To be honest, I'm worried too," Nadine added.

The two of them got ready and changed their clothes before heading back through the hole into Nolan’s apartment.

"Nolan, I’m heading out now," Nina said.

"Yeah... me too," Nadine added.

"Oh... leaving already," Nolan murmured. He immediately stood up and rested his cigarette in the ashtray.

He walked the two girls to the door. Once they reached the front, he kissed both of them on the cheek and saw them out. As they stepped into the hallway, Nolan waved at them with a smile—a gesture that made Nina and Nadine force a smile back while their skin crawled. As soon as Nolan went back inside, they doubled back, slipped quietly into their own apartment, and peered through the hole from a strategic spot.

Meanwhile, Nolan had sat back down and was reflecting while dragging on his cigarette. Suddenly, he stretched out his hand, and a portal-like hole opened up. He reached into the void and pulled out a duffel bag, setting it on the coffee table. He unzipped it to reveal stacks of cash. Nolan stared at the pile.

"What am I supposed to do with these 35,500 gallars now... originally, I was going to use this money to buy Heidi back... but not anymore... Heidi is finally free," Nolan muttered in his head as he stared at the money on the table, lost in thought.

Meanwhile, the two observers watching Nolan’s every move turned to look at each other.

"That's money, right... that’s definitely cash?" Nadine asked.

"Yeah... a lot of it... and did he just pull that bag out of a hole in thin air?" Nina added.

While the two of them were lost in a maze of unanswered questions, Nolan sat in reflection. He looked around his apartment until his eyes finally settled on the hole in the wall. An idea began to take shape in his mind.

"That's right... alright, I’ll fix that hole. It’s not fair to the landlord. At the very least, I can use some of this money to buy construction materials. Time to head out," Nolan said to himself.

Nolan grabbed several stacks of cash, zipped the duffel bag shut, and stowed it back into his dimensional storage. He then stood up and changed his clothes, which left his observers even more confused. Even though his new outfit was just another black t-shirt, Nolan headed out of the apartment carrying the stacks of money. Seeing this, Nina and Nadine prepared to move.

"Let's follow him," Nina said.

"Ready," Nadine replied.

After hearing the door to the apartment next door close and the sound of footsteps passing by their front door, Nina and Nadine—who were listening intently from behind the wood—slowly cracked their door open. They watched as Nolan began making his way down the stairs. They slipped out quietly, locked their apartment, and began following him to see exactly where he was headed.