Chapter 124

NOAH The area near Golden Gate Avenue was already crowded when we arrived. What was usually just another busy stretch of the city had transformed for the holidays. Streets were partially closed, traffic crawled forward, and people flooded the sidewalks in thick streams. Strings of lights glowed across storefronts and lampposts, while older buildings became canvases for projected displays—slow-moving patterns and bursts of color that made people stop and look up. Music drifted through the air, blending with laughter and excited chatter. The scent of roasted nuts, hot chocolate, and fried food hung around the pop-up stalls and food trucks lining the side streets. I instinctively slowed my steps. “Aiden,” I said, keeping a hand on his shoulder. “Stay close.” Not far ahead, a large light installation flickered to life—white and gold sparks shooting across the side of a building, mimicking fireworks. A crowd had already gathered beneath it, packed three or four layers deep, phones raised hi