Tragedy of lies

chapter-20 . the truth-||

Pov- Jessica

I wake up blurry eyed in a light walled room. I hear faint beeping of machines, talks of people, then I realise I'm inside the hospital, on the bed.
I look around to see coral seated beside me, deep in thought, she glances towards me and realizes I'm awake, she pours me a glass of water and I take it, trying to smile but I can't.
She keeps her warm hand on my shoulder and surprisingly, it helps.
I put the glass of water back to the table. while doing so, I hear the crack of the door of my room. the brown haired, freckled noah enters inside, holding a piece of paper.
And then I remember everything, my fight with him, dad, drake.
Did he bring me here?
I turn to coral, " how did you find me?"
" a boy was cycling in the rain, he found you there fainted alone. Luckily, you had not gone too far from here and called the hospital and everyone recognized you" she says with her soft voice.
" alone?" I furrow my brows then look at noah who was now sitting on my bed. I remember drake being there- did he leave me alone.
But he would never do that.
Before saying something to me, noah turns to coral and asks, " found emma ?"
" not yet" she answers.
" Emma? where'd she go?'
Noah can't help but look at me with-not rage but sadness? " I don't know.listen-"
" I am sorry" I say before he continues, then look down at my hands which were sweaty with the panic and anxiety I just had, " I shouldn't have said that " coral looks between us and leaves us both alone, she pats noah's back before going,getting his comforting nod in return.
He shakes his head, " nevermind that " he says with comfort, " I need to see drake "
" what?"
He takes a breathe and says again, " I need to meet him "
"why?" I ask, why is he so suddenly asking about him?
" do you have his number?"
I shake my head, " he doesn't keep a phone "
Noah's hands form a fist, as if I said soething he didn't want to hear. " tell me how he looks "
" wait what? Why are you-"
" tell me " he is desperate now, what happened?
I sigh and tell him about his appearance, including his scars.
He pinches the space between his brows, " it doesn't make sense " he whispers to himself.
" what doesn't make sense noah ?"
He thinks before handing me the piece of paper I saw in his hand before. " read this, he points to a title which states the train accident which took place two years ago "
" I had heard of this " I say while reading, " but why are you showing me this "
Noah hesitates a little before pointing me to the list of people who died,and then to a name.
I look at noah in confusion but follow his finger to where he points and -
And I see the picture of him.
In the list of people who died.
The name of the boy I love.
Drake misscheva,age -19 .
I get déjà vu at his surname but I ignore it. How-how can it be? This has got to be a typo. This-this doesn't make sense.
" it's got to be a mistake " I whisper, my voice is trembling again, my hands shake.
" I'm afraid it Is not " he takes the paper away from me , " has anyone met drake before?"
" just emma but she had acted - weird, strange "
he makes a tch sound at that, confusion overwhelms us both.
How can it be?
We are both overwhelmed by confusion, fear until someone says,
" schizophrenia "
We both look up to find kobe and a doctor beside him, I hadn't noticed when they came inside and by the expression on noah's face, he didn't too.
" you have schizophrenia " the doctor repeats, " I heard all your talks"
Schizophrenia.
Does that mean-
" do you hear voices, girl?" the male speaks harsh, but he speaks to the point. I nod. " the name of people who died in this accident is a hundred percent true" kobe speaks.
" the person who you speak of , drake? He isn't real " the male speaks again, without any comfort.
And when he speaks, I feel like dying.
" drake is dead. He is just your imagination "
Time seems to stop again, the back of my head buzzes. The harsh words of the male fade away.
He isn't real
All this time-
Drake is dead.
It was just my imagination
He doesn't exist
Things make sense now.
How his jacket vanished, how the feather he gave me was nowhere to be found, how he wasn't in my room when dad came, how the fork had disappeared, how the flowers were never there, how he seemed to follow me everywhere, how he knew everything, why he never had a phone, why he never met people,how he came in the parking-
Everything makes sense now.
He never existed.he was just a hallucination. But it felt so real.
So real.
A single tear falls on the bedsheet when I realise that yesterday, I'd slept alone. I'd cried alone and when he said he did'nt feel alive, he'd meant it.
It was me all along, there was no drake.
There is no drake.
" Jessica?" noah's touch brings me back to the living world. " are you OK?"
" she is not " the doctor answers before I can say anything. " she needs mental treatment" he looks at me with slight pity before going outside.
Kobe looks at noah and whispers something in his ear before saying it loud, " tell her. she deserves to know the truth, or it will hurt her later "
Noah nods, thinning his lips.
Before I ask noah what kobe was talking about, another thought enters my mind.
If drake doesn't exist and only I could see him because of my schizophrenia-
Then why did emma pretend to see him?
When I look at noah, I know he's thinking the same.