Porcelain ♡ Frerard

Chapter 19

"Can you hear me? Can you feel me in your arms, holding my last breath. Safe inside myself are all my thoughts of you. Sweet raptured light, it ends here."

— 'My Last Breath', Evanescence.

— 

Frank couldn't precisely remember the moment he surrendered to slumber. He'd been encouraged to lay back against the backseat of an unfamiliar car, a pillow and blanket awaiting him that his new friends had brought along to accommodate him, and the moment Frank's head made contact with the plush surface, the rest was a blur. He supposed a certain amount of emotional drainage caused his physicality to wither, his body aching for much-needed sleep.

The next moment he opened his eyes, he squinted at the pale blue and gray light from the sky pressing against darkly tinted windows. The shade obscured by the dark filter of the glass reminded his sluggish brain of the phases of a bruise or the darkened skin of a ripe blueberry. However subtle it may have been, he found himself struggling to adjust to the shift in lighting after meeting with darkness behind his lids for an undisclosed amount of time. Once Frank adjusted, he focused on the subtle rocking motion of the car, the significant warmth that worked its way into the vehicle with the trick of the heater vents. At some point in the night, he'd overheated and the blanket laid in a tangled heap around his feet. He instinctively dislodged his legs around the nest of fabric and winced at the stiffness in his body, leaving him to wonder how long he'd slept in the same position and for how many hours his slumber lasted. A wave of confusion rested heavily over him and he sought out to break through it.

Slowly, Frank pushed himself up, looking over to the front where Mikey and Kristin were situated in the driver and passenger seats, still and quiet, though on guard as was required of them. Grogginess invaded his mind one minute, the next it was eviscerated as recollection brought him to a state of alertness.

Kristin twisted around in her seat, her eyebrows raising above her disarming faint smile. "Morning, Frank."

"Morning." His voice came out hoarsely from the thickness of sleep lingering in his throat. Frank looked out the window uneasily at the bustling city life and tall building reflecting the strong sunlight. "Where are we?"

"We're entering Spokane. We're headed towards a hotel right now, we're gonna stay there until we receive another update from either Gerard or Donald."

Frank inhaled a quick gust of air at the mention of his name, a curl of longing aching in him. "You haven't heard anything from them?"

"Just that Stefan's caught onto the false scent trail and he's currently following it." Kristin's mouth tilted sympathetically. "Nothing from Gerard. I suppose he'll be reaching out to you first if he has anything to share."

Frank should hope so. He breathed out the softest sigh of relief that thus far, everything was going according to plan and choosing to sleep didn't welcome him with unwanted news to awake to leaving him to regret his decision. He wondered how long Stefan would be fooled, knowing at any second, he'd discover the truth and scour the earth in search of Frank. The cutting edges of his anxiety rushed back, but he willed their thorned corners to stay low, it was only the start of the day and he refused to collapse less than halfway into it.

"Okay, now I'm gonna be checking my phone every three minutes." Frank sighed, running a hand through his unruly hair and catching Mikey's eyes in the rearview mirror. "What time is it?"

"Six in the morning." Kristin glanced out the window, a strange nostalgia overcoming her expression. "Merry Christmas Eve, Frank."

Frank almost startled out of his own skin. As he followed Kristin's gaze, he found a towering Christmas tree nestled in the center of the square surrounded by opening shops lines of people stood before in hopes of getting first servings on their late Christmas shopping. Time had fogged over and become undetectable through all the chaos of the past several days that it completely evaded Frank's mind that the holiday everyone outside of his inner circle had been anticipating all month finally arrived. A pang spread through his chest of guilt and sadness as he thought back to the state he'd left his mother in. On Christmas of all holidays. He thought about the presents he hadn't gotten the opportunity to wrap, the plans they loosely created together for a quiet Christmas, and his friends who'd asked to borrow him for the second half of Christmas day for a gathering of their own. Secret Santa, a tradition Frank had never partaken in, but had been all too eager to participate. Gift giving, as long as the gifts weren't going towards himself, was a cherishable notion he enjoyed.