Devoid

7. A painting?

Leo was painting again. It had been a while since he last painted. He tried to stop himself but he couldn't. He did not use any colors at all nor did he use a pencil to sketch. His only tool was an old brush.

His brush emitted fire on its own as his skillful hands guided them over the canvas.

Leo tried so hard to stop but he couldn't, the pull was too strong. Leo's powers were taking over him. He was no longer in charge.

He did remember the last time he painted. It had been only two years. It was a painting of a little girl in black and white. The little girl had tiny eyes, a gigantic pair of ears, and thick straight hair. Her face was chubby and her smile was quite bubbly. He still had that painting locked away in one of his cupboards among the others.

The beautiful paintings that Leo made weren't supposed to be very well detailed as his paintings were formed due to the reaction of fire on faint paper* . They were literally just ash. Nevertheless, they were so accurate.

He stared at his work. A beautiful girl with curly dark hair stared back at him. Her facial features were remarkable. She had big eyes that complemented her round face. Her lips were full and round.

They were like the moon on the dark night sky her eyes being two of the biggest stars. Her freckles being the other smaller ones.
The best part was that her eyes seemed to be smiling along with her lips.

Leo smiled looking at the painting as he ran over his hands along the canvas. Then abruptly he jerked it away remembering the horror of the last time. 

The news in the television.

Then again in one of his cupboards, there was a painting of a little boy with chubby cheeks. Nothing happened to that boy he reminded himself. There was hope.

The doorbell to his one-bedroom apartment rang,

 Leo knew someone was waiting impatiently for him as it buzzed and buzzed. However, he just stood there with all his negative thoughts taking over him.

The doorbell rang once again after a small stillness.

Leo hauled himself away from his unusual art to open his door this time, only to be greeted with his obnoxious friend, the only survivor among the people whose paintings piled up in his cupboard.

"What did you paint Leo ? "
"Who is it this time? "
"Tell me it's an inanimate object and not a human being with life"
"Leo, you do remember what happened last time, right?"

Nick bombarded him with questions as he barged into the house uninvited.

"Take a breath, will you?" Leo answered him almost instantly, with clear melancholy evident in his voice.

Nick went straight into Leo's bedroom as Leo followed his overly panicked friend. His phone buzzed.

Leo's face mirrored his friend's as he read the text after he pulled out his phone from his side pocket.

" Oh shoot! How long till 12 ? " Leo inquired.

" An hour, I guess" Nick answered him agitatedly, looking all over Leo's bedroom.

" I have a match today at 12 Nick. "

" Don't worry about it, will take you there, where is the painting? " Nick asked tapping his foot impatiently.

"In the balcony" Leo replied moving towards his wardrobe and going through it to find something decent.

" Leo aren't you worried at all brother. Did you paint an inanimate object? Leo shook his head

Leo was worried not that he wasn't but he had more urgent matters as in for then.

" We can take about it later, I have to go to this match right now, it's important. Remember, Ryan, challenged me last Friday. Fire against water." Leo announced more to himself than to his friend.

" We all know who will win" Nick simply rolled his eyes and walked out of Leo's bedroom and went towards his balcony.

Leo's apartment was on the third floor of the building. His balcony was of decent size which he had to share with his neighbors. Unfortunately for Leo, his neighbors were a piece of god's work. They made their side of the open balcony a dump yard that was filled with filth.
A large canvas was placed in the middle of Leo's clean side. He took a glance at the painting it captured him instantly. This time his friend painted a girl who seemed a little younger than them.

She was beautiful with freckles on her face, big eyes, and a sharp nose. She had dark curly hair that complimented her face.
Nick tried to remember if he had seen her somewhere in the school.

Nothing. He couldn't find anything. All Nick knew was that this girl was in danger. Almost every person that Leo made a painting of never made it more than a month.

Except for that one boy. The only boy that seemed to have been alive among them was none other than he, himself.

That thought was just disturbing to him. His friend made paintings of people that were about to die within a month. Leo made his painting too but he survived.

Why was that? Why was he the only survivor?

Nothing made sense to Nick at this point. It never did. His unusual power did not make sense. Nick had no power of his own he knew that. All the power he possessed were others.

They did stay with him for a while then they fade away, all of a sudden. He again had to steal from others.

Like 

A predator.   
___________

Leo changed into a plain black t-shirt with grey trousers replacing his former jeans and somewhat burned shirt.
"Nick c'mon we gotta go" he screamed.

When they reached outside Leo's apparent building, Nick's car wasn't in the former position. Not just that it wasn't even on sight. In its position was a ticket.
Leo looked at Nick. Nick looked the other way.
"Nick seriously, why would you do that?"

"In my defense I was worried... I wasn't really... wasn't looking where ..."

"SAVE It" Leo half yelled at his irresponsible friend and ran his hands through his hair, frustrated.

" Guess we need to take the stupid bus now" Nick declared like Leo didn't already know.

Glossary

* A type of paper feurogents use to paint with fire.