"She has red hair just like yours. That's why, at first, I thought it was you," he interrupted.
My eyes narrowed. The only thing I was sure about was us not being relatively close because of her brown hair.
"What? Wait... are you telling me she has red hair?"
"Yes, she does. Her hair is bright red, just like yours, but she's cut it short, so it's not as long as yours."
"Have you ever seen her without the mask?" I asked.
I want to be very sure of what trauma she's hiding behind that mask and what prompted her to live the lifestyle she's currently living. I heard she smokes too and does some dirty work like gambling. I'm scared for her sake.
"No, I haven't. She has never taken it off, not even once, at least not as an adult. But as a child, she always wore an eye patch instead. Yeah, the same thing. I've never seen the full circle of her eyes or her entire face," he said as his eyes softened.
My heart fell in my stomach. My eardrums blocked the noise of the world around me. I could tell he has a lot going on in his mind, just as I'm troubled by the same person that worries him. He is very handsome, and the very ideal type I would go for, but I'm not always lucky with men.
"Wow, that's strange, but... but... what worries me is how identical she looks to me. Could it be… could she be family? She might be my cousin or something. I'm not just sure."
"Well, have you ever thought she might be your sister?"
"No way!" I said, shaking my head. "She can't be my sister. If she were, my mom would have told me. My mom has always been clear about how I was born. She's only ever mentioned me. There's no way Serena could be my sister."
I could feel my fears bubbling up. My mouth was acting like it was telling my ears lies.
I won't lie that that memory didn't cross my mind. The resemblance was undeniable, but the idea was too delusional to accept. We both sing. We both have red hair. What else could break my doubt? At the same time, there are people who could look alike without being blood-related, so I can't cross the line yet.
I stared at the fire and squeezed my arms tightly around my knees as the tears in my eyes rolled down my cheeks.
Why am I crying? Why am I crying? Why is this fucking tear coming out of my eyes!
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I shouldn't have assumed. I'm so stupid for saying that out loud. I didn't mean to make you cry, my lady, please forgive me for my vicious behavior," he said softly as he bowed his head a little.
"Can you stop bowing at me? You're causing me some unwanted attention! I'm not a princess or noble lady to deserve such high-mannered respect," I blurted as I wiped off my tears.
"I thought you are like some runaway princess or from a noble ranking, because of how you presented yourself. Only nobles tend to disguise themselves when sneaking to an awful place like this. But still, I give every lady respect, so please accept my apology," he uttered, still bowing his head in front of everyone.
"No, you don't have to apologize. Now you're the one saying sorry when you did nothing wrong. I overreacted out of proportion. It's just... embarrassing to watch, so please stop bowing at me. I'm just a normal citizen."
"It's not embarrassing. Anyone in your position would react the same way," he chuckled.
Nick was the perfect person I needed around in times of mental breakdown. He is a full blossom rose. I hope Serena doesn't miss a chance of having a perfect husband with such a man. Serena doesn't even look like someone who would look into the space of getting married. That's another luck I'm jealous of.
I raised my fingers, brushing over the small X-shaped mark on my neck.
I always called myself special because I was told I was the only one who had a special birthmark. Some confused it as a tattoo and refused to come to terms with the truth that I was born with it.
"Look at this birthmark," I said, pointing at my neck. "It's on the right side of my neck, but the strange thing is, Serena has the exact same mark on the left side of her neck."
He leaned in slightly. "That's unusual."
I nodded, biting my lip. "It's not just the resemblance that brought me here. It's this mark. It feels like everything is connected somehow. It's like we both came from the same string pulled out from the same thread. It's about understanding why this mark exists on both of us."
I swayed my hair gently to the side, ensuring the mark was clearly visible. I noticed how he leaned in closer and touched it gently.
"This doesn't look anything like a birthmark or a tattoo. It's something that was created by a sharp object."
I pushed back a little and stared at him with a questioning look. If what he said was right, then my mum had been lying the whole time. I can't trust his words for that. I can't trust the word of a stranger over my mum's.
"I was born this way! It's one specialty of my features."
"I don't know what it means, but the marks are definitely the same as your sister's. I've touched Serena's neck scar. It feels almost the same, like it was made with the same tool," he muttered. "Don't worry, I'll do my best to make sure you get to meet her."