the blood in my veins ✧ PLOT WITH sᴇʀᴇɪɴ ✧ is made up of mistakes

When Muse A purchases a new home, they are quick to dismiss rumors of the residence being haunted. Even when the realtor declines to give them a guided walkthrough of the property because of strange occurrences the last time they showed the listing, Muse A just laughs it off as a silly joke. Everything weird that happens from the move-in day has a perfectly logical explanation as far as Muse A is concerned. When the lights flicker, Muse A chalks it up to faulty wiring. When a door slams, it’s obviously because of a draft. When their keys aren’t where they left them, it’s probably because they have a poor memory. Muse A is a firm believer in everything having a logical explanation; they definitely don’t believe in ghosts or anything of a supernatural nature.
For years, Muse B, a poltergeist, has been trying to make contact with the living inhabitants of their home with unfavorable results. Typically, when Muse B’s done all they can to make their presence known to someone, making noises and moving items throughout the home, they end up scaring them off without intending to. Being stuck on this plane with no idea how to move on, unable to be seen or heard, is endlessly frustrating. Muse B is desperate to make a viable connection with Muse A who doesn’t seem so easy to frighten. After many failed trials, Muse B attempts to tap into Muse A’s mind while Muse A is asleep. If Muse B can meet Muse A in a dream, maybe they can convince Muse A that they exist and ask for help.

In a world in which people are born with soul-mates, distinguished by identical marks on their forearms, Muse A was born with no such mark and therefore destined to be alone. Ashamed of bringing an outcast into the world, Muse A’s parents abandoned them when they were just a few weeks old. A compassionate couple brought Muse A into their home and nurtured the unfortunate child as if Muse A was their own flesh and blood (though there was no official adoption). Muse B was the only child born to the couple before they took Muse A in. Muse A and Muse B were instantly inseparable, even as infants one would cry if the other wasn’t beside them. As a child, Muse B happily shared all they possessed with Muse A and was always there to comfort Muse A whenever they were sad about not having a destined love. They lived like siblings, but even more like best friends, in the same home until Muse A turned 18. Though Muse A grew to love their foster family, they felt that it was time to move on and see the world, even if there was no one waiting out there for them. Though Muse B has met their soul-mate by this time, they are adamant about taking this journey with Muse A, who they haven’t been without for so much as one day of their young life. They set off to explore the world with Muse B’s parents’ blessing with the condition that Muse B will return home in 3 weeks time to marry their rightful soul-mate, whether or not Muse A returns home with them.

Muse A has been admitted to a psychiatric hospital, and is currently undergoing a long term evaluation. Muse B is a volunteer at the hospital. They bring the families of the residents anything they may need, sit with patients that have no visitors, or simply act as a good listener when needed. A doctor on staff directs Muse B to Muse A, explaining that Muse A is very much alert, but does not respond to anyone that attempts to interact with them. The doctor suggests that Muse B sit with Muse A on the next day, perhaps reading them a novel or telling stories in the hopes that a fresh face who is neither staff nor patient will garner a positive response. Muse B signs in the following day with a copy of their favorite book in hand and sits at Muse A’s side to read. Muse A does not respond for days on end, but one afternoon they finally make eye contact with Muse B, the hint of a smile on their features, looking forward to continuing the story. Muse B is overwhelmed by the small gesture, suddenly hit by the realization that in spite of Muse A’s complete and utter silence, they have grown incredibly fond of them. As the novel progresses, so does the connection between volunteer and patient. Only when the last page has been read aloud does Muse A finally speak to Muse B.