Musical Sketches ✔️

30| What Really Happened

Present Michael's POV 

Even though I was sleeping, I could still hear my voice being called. It sounded like Marc, but I had learned to ignore it by now since I was probably just hallucinating again. After all, I had to get over him.

All my thoughts were quickly put aside the second I felt a warm hand touch my face. Slowly, I opened my eyes and quickly closed them. But when I opened them again, Marc was still there.

I managed to smile a little at both Marc and Hannah despite being chained to the floor of Vanessa's basement. She had told me that I owed my love to her because she had saved me from drowning in society's measures. I guess she did save me, but if I knew that things were going to end up like this, I wouldn't have wanted to be saved.

"M-Marc," I managed to stutter. "Are you real?" I felt his hair and his face, trying to convince myself that this wasn't a dream. Maybe, it was a very vivid lucid dream and I had finally gone crazy. But I hoped not. He was there, right in front of me. I think. I hoped.

I kissed him and the taste of his lips were the same as always; he tasted like oranges. "I know I'm real but are you real?" He laughed through tears. He was covered in blood and I hoped that it was Vanessa's. I wanted her dead more than I wanted myself dead.

I tried to hug him, but the chains restrained me from doing so. I pulled him closer and hugged him. He had grown a bit taller and he looked a lot more put together. Did I grow at all? Did I look like a mess?

"You're real!" I cried. "I'm so sorry. I really am. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to apologise for," he whispered. "This isn't your fault."

"But it is! If I had— Marc, it's all my fault."

"We can talk about this later," he stated. "We need to get out of here." He managed to undo the ropes and chains and whatever else Vanessa had used to pin me down for the last year. As we passed by her body, I kicked her. She looked like she was still alive, she had probably just fainted.

"Were you the one sending me those messages?" Hannah asked. "The ones that weren't in a full sentence, just a letter or whatever."

"Yeah, I was hoping that you would track down the number. I used Vanessa's phone," I said.

"Vanessa's phone? But it didn't show up as her number?"

"I don't even want to think right now." I looked up at the sky and smiled again. It looked pretty and I got to see the sunrise because I wasn't dead.

"I'll get us a taxi back to the bus stop," Marc said as he took out his phone. "Last time, we ended up biking an hour just to get to the hotel."

I didn't want to speak since my voice was weak, but the thought of my sister and Marc spending so much time together pissed me off. I was too weak to be mad, though. I'd just keep my thoughts to myself and be grateful that the two of them found me despite Hannah's stupidity.

Hannah hugged me. "Why did you send random letters instead of real messages?"

"I was constantly being watched by her. I just sent whatever I could, hoping that you'd track the number."

She shrugged and smiled. "I missed you, brother. Twin brother."

"I spent my whole life chasing you, Hannah. You despised me over something I couldn't even control—" I quickly stopped myself from saying any more. I wasn't mad at her, but I was upset that she never understood me.

"The taxi is going to be here any minute now," Marc said. "We have a lot to talk about."

Our eyes met as I said, "Yeah, I guess we do."