Blank

Frank opened his eyes, a bright light from the window greeted him as he sat up. He looked around with a blank expression. The familiar room and a girl laying beside him holding his hand.

'Is this heaven?' Frank thought. 'Lia is here. Lia. Lia. Lia. Lia.'

He stared down at her with dead dark blue eyes as his mint hair, partially translucent to the morning light, created an illusion as if they shone. His eyes had no bright life in them as it had before.

Frank could see everything around him very clearly. First, only the people had lights, now every object, even air, the sky, the ground and even the birds outside the window had lights. It was like his eyesight became tenfold stronger. He had thought he would never be able to see those lights ever again as he sank into the darkness.

He kept silently staring at Lia as his shadow shaded her from the bright light and in the white beddings, they both stayed this way for a long time.

He, for some reason, wanted time to stop. Having to wake up, walk around, talk and even looking at things seemed tiresome. He thought it would be great if he could just be locked in that moment with Lia. Breathing was troubling, it seemed too much effort. He just wanted to rest, doing nothing, ever again.

If that moment could stop, he could wish for nothing else. If this was a dream, he wanted it to never end.

Raymond came in with breakfast after some time, watching Frank sit there looking at Lia, he ran towards him and hugged him tightly. Tears of joy and relief flowing down Raymond's eyes.

But as Raymond looked at Frank's face, he could very clearly see the blank emotionless eyes and an expressionless face. Frank had always been a bright child; he would smile if he was happy and cry if he was sad. Raymond had never before seen such a lifeless expression on Frank's face.

It sent chills to Raymond's spine. It was as if, Frank was not alive anymore.

"Frank… Are you okay?" asked Raymond holding Frank's face in between his palms. He got no response. Frank completely ignored him and continued again to stare at Lia.

"Why aren't you answering me, Frank?" Raymond said again turning Frank's face towards himself. This time, an invisible force pushed Raymond back away from the bed.

Thrown near the door, he looked up instantly at Frank after sitting back up. Frank had the same blank and indifferent face. The thing that scared Raymond was that Frank wasn't even looking at him after attacking him in such an eerie way. His gaze was fixed at Lia, who was sleeping peacefully beside him.

Taken aback by this indifferent treatment, Raymond left the food near Frank on the bed and left the room.

Frank was quite confused by what happened. He didn't know who that man with glasses and black hair was. All he knew that he was disturbing him from peacefully looking at Lia. No one could stop him from doing so. He felt angry just at the thought of looking anywhere else.

As Raymond had left the room, Lia opened her eyes. She sat up and looked around, suddenly remembering something, she shouted, "Frank!!"

A hand held her hand tightly and she looked beside herself. There, with blank dead eyes and strangely shiny mint hair, was a boy looking at her. She knew at once who it was.

Without another word or enquiry, Lia took him in her arms and cried as if the whole world was ending. After sobbing for some time, she looked at Frank's face, who stared down at him with the same blank face. She kissed his lips and smiled gently while touching his face.

"You're alive," she mumbled burying her head into his arms. "Thank goodness, you're alive."

But soon enough, she realized that something was wrong.

Frank was strangely irresponsive. If it had been normal, he would have become red by now and would have been stuttering while talking in his tears. But the Frank right now, was staring down at her with an indifferent face and no light in his eyes.

She said nothing and suddenly her sight fell on the breakfast left on the bed.

"You should've woken me up, look, the food's becoming cold," Lia said as she advanced towards the tray with the bowls of porridge. She tried to leave Frank's hand for going over, but as soon as she tried, Frank held her hand even strongly and slightly shook his head.

"You don't want to eat?" Lia asked.

Frank didn't give any response but kept staring at her blankly. Lia blushed for a moment as Frank's features were now somehow more defined and he seemed bigger than before.

Frank's previous image in Lia's mind was like a small furry and cute animal. He always smiled brightly, so the image even suited him well.

But now, he wasn't smiling and his eyes didn't appear to be as big as they did before. He was staring down at her with dark blue eyes and those strange but beautiful mint hair slightly reigning below his hair line, it was the first time, Frank had looked at her with his complete face uncovered and without a smile. It was like being looked down upon by a beast.

Now that his features were clearly in her front of her, she doubted herself for ever thinking him as a cute animal. If anything, he looked like a beautiful devil whispering into her ear and taking her entire being.

Lia looked away, embarrassed, and said, "Let go, Frank, I want to eat."

He didn't let go of her hand but quietly watched and followed her around as she ate her breakfast.

This whole situation was making Lia struggle so queerly that she felt that she would have indigestion for sure that day.