The Invisible Museum (Noah, Age 13)
- Noah is being tormented by the neighborhood bullies, Zephyr and Fry. One guy is holding him down while the other looks through his sketchpad.
- Noah seems worried he's going to be tossed over the cliff. Sounds like these bullies mean business. Also sounds like foreshadowing.
- Noah's sketchpad is filled with drawings of naked men. This does not help his situation.
- Now Zephyr and Fry are making fun of Noah for being gay. Charming.
- Zephyr is the one holding Noah. Noah starts noticing sensual details like Zephyr's wet hair and the smell of his suntan lotion.
- Fry is ripping up Noah's sketches. For some reason Zephyr tells him not to. Noah wonders if it's because he's friends with Jude, Noah's twin sister. Or maybe because of that nice suntan smell.
- Noah's still about to get tossed off the cliff, but he's resisting. In the middle of it all, Noah's alarmed to realize he's becoming aroused. Now that's awkward.
- Zephyr notices, but he doesn't say anything. Now the two guys are walking away. Noah's not sure why, but he's grateful.
- Noah grabs his sketchpad and runs away. He's fast. He eventually settles into a cave to draw.
- Um, Noah's just drawing page after page of black with his charcoals. What happened to the naked men? He's maybe not in a good place.
- A day later, at dinner, Noah's mom is talking about a visit she had with the kids' Grandma Sweetwine. Who is dead, by the way.
- Jude, Noah's sister, doesn't seem surprised by this. She's excited. Their dad, on the other hand, seems super skeptical and annoyed.
- Noah idly wonders if his dad knows that he's gay. He doesn't use the word "gay," though.
- Noah thinks about how much he dislikes his dad. One time he secretly keyed his father's car. What a bad boy.
- Noah's parents are arguing. They don't seem to like each other very much, either.
- Grandma Sweetwine's message from beyond the grave was that Noah and Jude should attend art school. Noah's very much into this idea. Jude, not so much.
- Dad is resistant to the idea. Mom asks Noah and Jude to leave the table so they can argue. Jude and Noah try to eavesdrop, but no dice.
- Jude is worried about the art school idea. She thinks it's for freaks. Noah is beyond excited.
- Noah tells Jude maybe Grandma Sweetwine saw her sand sculptures. He doesn't really believe this, but he thinks it'll make her feel better. Aw.
- Jude says Noah shouldn't spy on her at the beach. One of these days she might be making out with a boy instead of making art.
- Jude wants to know what happened between Noah, Zephyr and Fry the other day. Noah's not talking.
- To make themselves feel better, Jude and Noah lean into each other. Apparently this was how they were situated in the womb, so it's calming.
- Next week, Mom takes Noah and Jude to a museum. They're in the café. Mom is checking out their portfolios.
- Noah's checking out some guys at the next table. One of them winks at him.
- Mom says that Jude has inherited Grandma Sweetwine's "bible," which is sort of like a superstitious journal she kept. Jude's super excited.
- The guy at the next table is still flirting with Noah. Noah is dying (in a good way).
- Mom's talking about what kind of ghost she would make if she died. This kind of talk troubles Noah (which, um, makes sense).
- Mom's checking out Noah's sketchbook. She's mucho impressed. Jude is jealous.
- Jude is so distraught that she won't even show her mother her own sketchbook. At the same time, she and Noah notice that he's suddenly become their mother's favorite.