They had a sweet setup here. Dante was able to walk to work, so there wasn’t much wear and tear on the expensive vehicle he loved and babied.
Noah hadn’t been working as long as Dante had, but he was saving for his own vehicle…a Jeep or something he could take off-roading on the weekends.
Living in South Boston and working downtown was plenty convenient. On good days, he could walk, and when the weather was rotten, Dante took pity on him and dropped him off at work before going to the South Boston fire station. It really was a shame he couldn’t shift and fly. But a phoenix with its colorful plumage would attract way too much attention.
It hurt to think his brother would just up and leave. Noah needed to give him some space and let him calm down. So he grabbed his coat and set off on a long walk.
After wandering for a while, he turned toward the Quincy Market area. Sometimes things were going on down there, by Faneuil Hall or Government Center. Who knew, maybe there’d be some sort of protest, or street performers would be doing something interesting.
It was a Wednesday, so there wasn’t much happening. Just the usual tourist buses rolling by, foot traffic going in and out of shops and restaurants, and the business commerce that took place every day.
Noah spotted an old bookshop on the corner that he’d forgotten about. The place looked like it had been there for at least a century. They specialized in rare and antique books. Feeling drawn to the place for some inexplicable reason, he stepped over the threshold onto wide oak floorboards. Row upon row of bookshelves held any number of leather-bound tomes, torn book jackets, and an impressive amount of dust.
He scanned titles as he strolled by with his hands in his pockets. At the end of one particular shelf, a book leaned precariously. Noah picked it up, only intending to straighten it, until something caught his eye. The gold lettering on the cover glinted in the sun filtering through the windows. He tried to read the title and quickly realized it was in Latin. He’d had to take one year of Latin in school but never saw the point in spending a lot of time or attention on a dead language.
He flipped open the book and found himself fascinated by some of the beautiful scrollwork on the capital letters at the top of each page. It wasn’t like a religious text. There were columns that looked like bullet points. Like lists. It almost looked like a recipe book. He frowned at some of the text, but he recognized the word forgoldand couldn’t help being curious.
Dante was better at Latin. He had taken two or three years of it in school, and Noah wanted to show this to him. There was something about this book…
* * *
“I think this is alchemy,” Dante said as he examined the book a few hours later. “You brought me a book of ancient science experiments, turning lead into gold.”
“Seriously?” Noah exclaimed.
“Yeah. From what I can tell…” He got up off the couch. “Let me get my iPad. Maybe we can find some kind of Latin app or downloadable translation software.”
“You don’t have to do that now.”
“I’m just glad to get off my ass and do something. I actually watched the fishing channel, and the only thing more boring than fishing is watching people fishing.”
Noah laughed and followed him as far as the hallway.
The whole time he was fetching his iPad from his bedroom, Dante kept talking. “You’re the science geek. Maybe you can set up a lab in the spare room.”
“Sure. And instead of taking a second job to afford another place, I can just churn out enough gold to stay here.”
Dante had just exited his room, iPad in hand, but stopped in his tracks and hung his head. “I’m sorry, Bro. I didn’t mean that part about moving out.”
“Good. I was hoping that was the case.”
“You didn’t deserve that. I know you’re trying to look out for me, but…”
“But deciding what’s best for you is out of line. I know.”
Dante nodded. “I’m glad I didn’t have to be the one to say it. So, do you still want to go out tonight? I’m willing to wing it for you, if that’s really what you want to do.”
“Yeah. I’d like to meet somebody. Even if it’s not ‘the one,’ I feel like doing things with someone other than my brother. No offense.”
“None taken. I’m still bummed about Mallory, but I can turn on the charm when I need to—as long as we’re there for you, not me.”
“It’s either that or stay home and set up an alchemy lab to keep me busy in my old age.” Noah was still planning to turn the tables, but he’d be a lot more subtle about it.
Dante laughed. “Old age. What are you, twenty-three?”
“Yup. And I’ll be twenty-four in about two months. I’m getting up there.” He aimed a teasing grin at Dante.
“Yeah, and a month later, I turn twenty-six. When are you going to catch up, Little Brother? I keep trying to wait for you…”
It felt good to be kidding around with his brother again. They had been living here for three years, ever since Noah had gotten through firefighter training and his probationary period. They’d had their ups and downs, but neither had ever talked about splitting up and going their separate ways…until today.
