Chapter 4
He woke up with a startle. Where am I? He thought. Then it all came back to him. The redhead. He got off from the the floor. His whole body was shaking. He was still in the library. Why hadn't anyone noticed him lying there? What time was it? He made his way shakily to the desk he had been using. His stuff was still there. He took his bag and began to make his way out of the dark library. He took out his phone. 15 missed calls. All from Lily. None from his father. He quickly dialed Lily's number.
"Hello." She said. Her voice was shaky.
Something was wrong. Very wrong.
"Lily... I - I saw your missed calls." He said.
"Mic, is that really you?" She asks.
He suddenly remembered how he had watched as the redhead had shape shifted into him before he fell unconscious. Please let Lily be fine, he thought.
"Yeah. What's wrong?" He askef in concern.
"I think you need to get here. Right now." She said, emphasizing each and every word. "Come down to the basement. Don't bother knocking on the front door."
With that, she hung up. He stared at the phone in his hands. They were still shaking. What was going on? And why the heck had his father not called him? For some reason, something told him not to go home. Something told him to it to Lily's house instead. It was already dark outside. A quick peak at his phone had shown him it was now 9.30 pm. He had been out cold in the library for hours. He soon found his way to Lily's home, taking care to stay in the shadows.
Making it to Lily's home, he snuck out back to the basement and gently pushed the door open.
"Mic, is that you?" Came Lily's voice from the other side of the basement.
"Yeah. I came here as fast as I can." He said. "Is everything alright?"
He watched as she approached him, somehow wary. Oh gosh, he thought, that shape shifter guy must have attacked her. She looked at him, somehow studying him with newfound interest.
"So, uhm... Can I ask you a weird question?" She asked.
"Weird? Okay, I guess." He replied.
If she needed proof he wasn't an impostor, he'd gladly give it to her.
"You don't happen to have a twin, do you?" She asked.
So this is about the impostor, he thought. Although the question caused him great sadness, he decided to answer it truthfully.
"I did, once. He died when we were eight." He said sadly.
"Are you sure, I mean, did you see the body?" She persisted.
"Why are you asking me all this?" He asked in an agitated voice.
But now that he thought about it, he hadn't. It had been a closed casket ceremony.
"I'm sorry, it's just..." Without finishing her sentence, she grabbed his hand and began to pull him towards where she'd been.
He was about to protest when suddenly he noticed the figure on the bed by the wall. He froze. That face he'd been seeing. The face that had been haunting his dreams ever since that first lesson with doctor Jordan.
"Michael..." He said in shock.
There could be no doubt. He wanted to reject it but the proof was right there in front of him. That unconscious figure was his brother. Not the shape shifter who'd attacked him. His flesh and blood twin.
"You know him?" Lily asked.
"This doesn't make sense." He said in an agitated voice. "How? How is this possible?"
"Mic, what's wrong?' Lily asked in concern.
" They told me he was dead!" He said.
Lily wanted to say something but she couldn't. She could see that he was greatly conflicted. The only thing she could do was provide him with emotional support. So that's what she did. Stepping forward, she placed her arm on his shoulder to let him know she was there for him.
Hesitantly, he stepped forward and sat carefully on the edge of the bed. With shaking hands, he reached out and placed his palm on the sleeping figure's forehead. He needed clarity. Proof that this was not another dream. Or hallucination to be more precise. He was greeted by the feel of burning skin.
"He's burning up." He said.
"Yes I noticed. I tried to use a wet towel to lower his temperature but it doesn't seem to be working." She replied.
He seemed to be lost in thought for a moment before he turned to face her.
"Do you have some intravenous ibuprofen?" He asked her.
"I think so. Let me check for you." She said whilst getting to action.
Alright Mic, he thought, time to use that education of yours. Taking a deep breath, he proceeded to check the unconscious figure's pulse. It was alarmingly weak. He urged himself not to panic. This is what he was learning to do. Lily returned minutes later with the IV and gave it to him. Grabbing one of the desks, he created an anchor for the IV tubes. Once everything was set and done, he sat down to relax. Well, not really relax. There was nothing relaxing about the scene before him.
"Do you want something to eat?" Lily asked after moments of silence. "I have plenty of left overs. My dad forgets he's only cooking for three sometimes."
He could tell she was trying to break the ice and lighten up the mood and he was grateful for that. He smiled appreciatively at her.
"That'll be great." He said with a nod.
He watched as she headed up the basement stairs to her room from where she would make her way to the kitchen. He guessed her parents didn't even know what was going on in their basement. He turned his attention back to the figure resting besides him. He immediately furrowed his brow.
"What happened to you? Where have been all this time?" He asked.
But of course there was no reply. He put his hand against the figure's forehead again. The fever was finally starting to break. So why was he feeling uneasy?
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