Labyrinth | ✓

t h i r d ♂

Tuesday, 09:29 AM

Numbness.

As I woke up from my dreamless sleep to prepare for today, both of my mind and heart sensed nothing but numbness. Despite stimulants such as the cold shower I have this morning and the delicious smell of toasted bread my mother made, nothing triggered me.

In other words, I felt no sensation at all; just plain empty and hollow inside. It was probably because I had been stricken with too much emotions for months. Now, I was getting used to it. It was always an advantage, however, as I didn't want to feel any more pain, especially from past events that couldn't be prevented anymore.

I admit, yesterday, it was one hell of a sleepless night. I have to roll over my bed countless of times to obtain a comfortable position. I have to cover my entire body, even my own face, with my thick blanket to fall asleep. I also have to put away Ted, the teddy bear and the last birthday present from Lynn, from my sight.

I dressed myself up in an black hoodie and sweatpants, hence I reverted back to my old, typical style. To be honest, I was about to wear a shirt and jeans, but it didn't suit the mood, so I changed.

Sighing quietly, I grabbed the bouquet of forget-me-nots from the vase. I put on my shoes and sat down right in front of the door to tie my laces, and that was when I heard some heavy footsteps.

I turned my head around, noticing my little sister appearing from behind the corner.

She was still on her summer pajamas, ambling towards me. Her long, vermilion hair was tousled and tangled, her dull eyes sagged in exhaustion. Inspecting closer, I could see some... drool dripping from her lips, and it quickly threw me back. It was as if she had just recently woken up from her sleep and didn't even bother to tidy up her appearance.

"Aloha." She muttered, covering her mouth as it opened up wide, yawning.

"Hey Lu." I stood back up, slapping any dust and dirt away from my pants.

"...Are you seriously going to your friend's grave this early?" Lu abruptly asked, getting closer to me. She then looked at the grandfather clock at the living room. "It's like... half past nine."

"My friend planned it to be on this time." I tried to clear her confusion, turning my entire body towards her direction. I proceeded to adjust my watch. "How about you waking up this early? Thought you said you wanna wake up at 11."

"I don't know either. Still trying to find the reason why." She shrugged, before scratching her head. "Might as well as going back to sleep right now."

"Then go back to sleep. You might need it." I mumbled under my breath.

For some reason, my hardened eye trailed down to the floor below me, and my lips instinctively tightened. I was self-conscious about this, therefore I decided to try conceal it. Even so, Lu managed to notice my unusual actions.

Of course she does.

From the corner of my vision, I watched as she walked even closer towards me. A pair of hands then rested upon both of my shoulders, and I was slightly pulled back up. I glanced my head up, only to meet up with her pair of brown, chocolate eyes. She tried further assuring by wearing a thin smile across her face.

"...You know, you don't need to hide it, Ed." She commented. "I know you're still depressed from that accident a few months back. Even when you're silent, your entire expression speaks everything."

I didn't respond to her comment, only silence surrounded the atmosphere around us. My only reaction was to clench both ot my hands hard on the flowers.