TWO HEART ONE STAGE

Blanch

It was calm too calm, like someone who had already rehearsed what they were about to say. Th

k years of pain. Sophie was by the piano, her fingers curled around the edge like it was the

s trespassing. Like I didn't

o talk," he

phie opened her mouth, but Marc cut in. "Don't make this

ore than I w

t about just me. It's about all of us. You're my brother. And

u did. What you keep doing-grinning at my face while stabbing at my back." Sophie stepped in between us.

? What do you want, Sophi

ecause I have something t

and pulled out a flash d

rding. He said if M² doesn't fall apart by Reunion Festival, he'll leak it.

en lit up with grainy footage. A backstage hallway. A timestamp

hen I saw us-me and Marc-scream

"You're a selfish, egotistical clown," I had snapped. "Rosalie deserves better." In the pre

myself. "I was angry." "No,

o Sophie.

to leak it the day before the Festival. The blogs are

. He's attacking us-what made us real." I nodded slowly. My words

"But you can still fight b

aw tight. "You sure there's

answer, we he

ed to the window. "S

rst through the door and into the all

es slapping against wet pavement, but

ss, holding something in h

apped it. A live stream. We watched in horror-our entir

arc. He looked at me. We didn't say anything. Beca

. I cradled my guitar in my lap like

aned against the wall,

out to explode. "I want to talk about the tour,"

ath. "We can

? You and Sophie. The late-night writing sessions. The private studi

ew out of pain? That wasn't planned, but couldn't be undone? "I di

across his face. "We used to

ers. Rivals. Somewhere along the line, the music sto

ss it," I said. "The m

, "you should stop choo

st maybe... that's what I'd done. A knock shattered the te

She handed it to me. A breaking

Confirms Silent Split, Solo Careers

s is it, then," I whisper

r mouth. "They've already got timeline

"I'm calling Raymond." B

us to decide-togethe

ave this?" "Don't you?" He hesitated. And in that secon

me. He was mourning us, So was I.That

rs staring at the city we'd

going to keep coming. Korex

ust surviving." I nodded. "We go live. F

oward me slow

er." The next morning, before the sun could rise, we went live. No edits. No makeup. No glamor. Just me, Marc, one

orld that M²

en't broke

te message hit our i

atter. Ask your mother about t

scanned birt

ng where a fat