When They Were Gone

Were

[Trigger Warning]

The sun had set three times and the girl had long since realised that her current state was the longest she'd been awake. Why? She still had no idea. Was there a purpose to her being awake this long? Was there a reason why she had been forced into this continuous reality?

She hadn't clicked anything out of existence since the buildings and it hadn't been brought up. She thought all issues the boy had would subside if she waited to make anything else disappear, since he had responded so oddly to the previous vanishment. 

However, her interactions with Richard had only grown in intensity. He continuously gave her strange looks - expressions like he was both nervous, scared, confused and admiring her at the same time. And yet, those expressions only managed to fill her with something... light.

She couldn't help feeling warmth inside her chest whenever he directed those expressions, those silent thoughts, those eyes her way. And his eyes were stunning. Brown and blue. Two differing colours. And from them ebbed two conflicting ideas - one of need and longing to come closer, and the other of a faint feeling of familiarity.

Brown hair came into the light as slow movement brought Richard over. The girl stared at him, thoughts mingling to a multitude of different areas. She cocked her head.

His tongue flicked out, wetting his lips as his mouth parted, eyes shifting to the side slightly. "Pea?"

"Yes?"

A pause and another lick of the lips. His hand rose to his neck. "Okay, I need you to be very calm. This isn't a big thing... but well... I don't know... It may not be a big thing to me, but I don't think you'd handle it well, which is why I need you to remain calm and hear me out. Completely. Let me explain before you rush to any conclusions..."

There he was. Nervous again. And again, there was a barrier between them. Why was there always a wall? What was missing?

She pursed her lips, cutting in. "When we first spoke on the roof, you wanted something to disappear. If I disappear something you want, will that make you happy?"

His words caught and he frowned. "Pardon?" A sigh and a smile. "You don't need to do anything to make me happy. You know I'm happy just being around you. I mentioned getting rid of the war before by weeding some people out to kill from the State; and I think, with some time, we could find exactly those people and get rid of them. Of course, if you're able to disappear ideas and thoughts or something from the population, that would be preferable...?"

She shook her head. "It'd be easier to just disappear people."

"Can you disappear ideas?"

"I don't know. Probably not."

Richard nodded, turning away. "Alright, but we've got to make sure we disappear the right people... Sorry, you disappear the right people..." He swallowed. "Whatever you do, make sure you don't disappear people from the Sovereign, because... Well... They're not all as bad as you'd think. They actually have some really good values and are a good nation. If the Sovereign gained ownership of the State, the war would easily end and the world would be a much better place... You see, I'm actually-"

"Why do you care so much about the Sovereign?"

He swallowed. "Well, if you want to know, I'm actually-"

"Are you attached to the Sovereign?"

He shrugged. "Well, yes, I am... You see..."

He was attached to the Sovereign. That attachment was making him nervous. That must be why he was so unhappy that he was barely speaking to her, avoiding her, barely looking at her, not coming close enough to her. That was the reason. Because of the Sovereign.