Imagine

Chapter three: Alone

The world was silent, as if it was watching with bated breaths.

Colorless quietly played with the food on the ceramic plate, steak. His throat was dry, and his tongue was heavy. 'She forgot,' he thought numbly. 'Or she never bothered to listen to Mr. Error about how I have trouble eating.'

He glanced up nervously, at where his mother was eating. The table set up for three only had two occupying it, since his fears had been confirmed. His father was out, leaving him alone with his mother.

"...How was your day?" she finally asked, breaking the thick tension.

"...It was good," Colorless answered softly, too nervous to speak louder.

"...That's..." the mother awkwardly looked away, as clueless as Colorless himself when it came to socializing. Even with her own son. "That's nice."

They fell back into the sea of stillness.

A pounding on the apartment door started, and the muffled sound of shouting. Making a rather ugly sneer, his mother got up and walked to the front door, opening it with an impolite hello. "What is it?!"

"Mrs. Mizeria! The main office is in an emergency and your phone isn't picking up!" a man's voice said, his mother swore and rushed out of the apartment swearing. The door closed and there was the sound of a lock, Colorless was left alone. The food untouched on his plate with the too-rich sauces congealing, he pushed away the unappetizing food. Crying, he returned to his room and dug out the care package Mr. Error had given him.

Colorless laughed as he flew in the air, Shells larger wings flying them across a fantastic landscape. "So many stars!" Colorless cried happily, the sky was too smoggy back... there to really see them.

"A Sea of stars, out of this world," Shell said landing on a grassy hill, he sat with Colorless in his arms as they just took in the never-ending sky. "Outerworld?" Colorless giggled. "Maybe an Outertale," Shell said nuzzling him, making a chirp-like sound.

"What's that star?" Colorless asked excitedly, pointing at the brightest one. Shell smiled happily and began to tell him about stars.

"Colorless." a familiar static-filled voice called out to him gently, pulling him away from the visuals of a starry night.

"Colorless, you need to take your medicine. Where's your mother? She was meant to be here."

A cough rattled their chest, and fuzzy eye lights opened weakly. "Mr.. error.... moth.. cough... emergency cough work," Colorless said, feeling extremely exhausted with a bitter taste in his throat. He'd likely been sick in his sleep, as there was an off smell in the air.

"Open your mouth," Error told him, a pill and a cup of water in his hand. "When did she leave? How long have you been alone for?"

"Dinner?" Colorless half asked half stated, Error helped him sit and drink the water and take the pill. "Dinner?" Error mumbled, "Colorless, you were meant to take your medicine hours ago. It's already late afternoon. She left you for too long."

Colorless gagged, the water, pill, and stomach acid spilled out. Error grabbed some paper towels and wiped Colorless' face as well as the floor. He picked the child up carefully and took him to the bathroom. "take some water, swirl it in your mouth and then spit it out."

Colorless followed Mr. Errors' instructions, then leaned against his caregiver's chest.

"There there," Error said softly, rubbing circle motions on Colorless' back. "I know that it must hurt right now, and how terrible it must feel. You need to eat your medicine, it'll make everything better"

Instead, Colorless fainted. Error cursed under his breath and took out his phone, dialing a number. "Dr. Reaper? Yes, it's about Colorless..."

Sirens filled the air.

A melody of beeps broke through the quiet darkness, the only other audible noise being a quiet mutter of a conversation between two. Colorless slowly opened his eye sockets. They felt heavy, and the deeps of sleep threatened to pull him under again.

"You gave us a scare Colorless Mizeria," came the gentle voice of Dr. Reaper. Colorless blinked slowly, mind struggling to wake up. "O-Oh..." he mumbled, "sorry..."

"Kid, you won't be going home for a while... your parents are being investigated and won't be allowed to see you due to this," Dr. Reaper said, lightly rubbing Colorless skull.

"W-What?" the haze of sleep was gone immediately. "No! What about mother? S-She'll get lonely without me!" he couldn't imagine being separated from his parents, especially his mother.

"The law is the law Colorless, she left you alone without a second thought. Error is supposed to be called for emergencies, you almost died kid," the doctor told him "Missing you, doesn't mean she can neglect you when she knows how fragile your health is."

"She was busy, and her c-coworkers really needed her." Colorless shook his head, "mother didn't do anything wrong! A-and she was upset because father wasn't home either..."

"Colorless..." Dr. Reaper said very gently, grabbing his attention. "A parent's job is to be a parent," he didn't tell the child that Fai and Shade Mizeria, for extreme child neglect and almost killing their child, had been arrested. Only Error's snack pack had kept his body from giving out.

The child teared up, excuses spilling out of his mouth as he tried to defend his parents, but knew that in the end, it was too late already.

Once again, he was left alone.