Day 25 Challenge: Gazing Into Each Other's Eyes

Title: "Crazy"

Enjoy!

They were all crazy there, even the ones that were sure they weren't crazy. Gilbert knew he was, he nearly chased some kid he only imagined over the side of a building. People thought he was suicidal, but Gilbert knew that the imaginary kid was the one that was suicidal, he was trying to stop him, nothing else. But adults never listened to him. They just shoved him into a building with a bunch of other crazies and shoved medicine in his face. Any time he got caught talking to someone that wasn't really there, he went to a stupid therapist to talk about his "issues" and what the hallucination "symbolized to him". He hated it there.

"She apparently has some issues with violence," Francis, one of Gilbert's real friends chatted as they sat at a plastic table on plastic chairs. Antonio was there, too, and they were both definitely more crazy than Gilbert. "When I tried to flirt with her, she hit me in the face!"

"Well, what else is new?" Antonio laughed cheerfully. "Anyone you've flirted with has reacted badly."

"Which is why I need to get out of here…" Francis sighed theatrically. "Girls outside would nearly swarm me. All of the girls here are simply crazy and do not understand what true beauty and love is."

"Yeah, I'm sure that's it," Gilbert snorted as he half-heartedly scanned through the people in the room. Some were playing board games, some with dolls, some were watching a calm TV show, one of the few that the adults allowed them to watch. They were all teenagers here, but the adults still ruled over everything like they were still six. It was completely obnoxious. Even the bedtime was stupid, 7 PM for crying out loud. Before Gilbert was forced to come here, he was up until 3 AM every day and slept in until noon, even when he had school to worry about. That was the only good thing about being here, they had to focus on "getting better", so they didn't have to worry about school. The more sane you got, though, the adults did start to catch you up with whatever you missed. It was always hard to tell how much time had passed since they got there, Gilbert honestly had no idea how long he'd been there. It could have been anything from a month to a year. The really crazy ones counted how many times they went to sleep, but they also counted times that never really happened, but no one told them that.

Finally, though, Gilbert saw something interesting. Indigo. Well, the closer he looked, it was blue with these beautiful purple specks in it. It seemed to shimmer and Gilbert realized it was someone's eyes. And they were staring right back at him. Gilbert didn't want to move, not even glance away. Those eyes were probably the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen and he didn't want to shatter the vague peace that came with staring into them. Gilbert had always figured that there was nothing interesting about his eyes, everyone said that he was a freak because he was an albino, but the person who owned those indigo eyes seemed entranced as well, staring right into Gilbert's eyes.

"What has you so interested?" Antonio asked curiously beside him and Gilbert bit his lip, daring to look away from those eyes for half a second.

"Don't you see him?" Gilbert asked.

"Is this another one of your…hallucinations?" Francis picked his words carefully. "If it is, we won't tell of course, but it'd be better if you-"

"No, this is real, I swear," Gilbert said resolutely. "I know what's real and what's fake now, at least I have a general idea." He looked back over to the eyes, and spared a glance at the rest of the boy. He had long, wheat blonde hair and a shy frown on his face. He definitely looked uncomfortable. "He's gotta be knew, I've never seen him before."

"Well, I don't see him," Francis shrugged.

"Because you're stupid," Gilbert muttered, staring deep into those eyes again. He couldn't help it, they were gorgeous and he wanted to just look at them forever. "There's no way you can miss those eyes."

"Then go talk to him," Antonio offered. "If you like his eyes, that means his soul's good too, right? Aren't eyes the gateway to the soul or something?"

"Where the hell did you read that, a magazine?" Gilbert scoffed.

"Ah, you know my memory is only so-so today," Antonio shrugged. "I don't even remember my name at this point."

"Antonio," Francis reminded him.

"Who's that?" Antonio asked curiously and Gilbert fought back a laugh. It was against rules to laugh at someone else's crazy, but Antonio didn't even care. He laughed at himself once his memory came back. The adults were always sure that there was going to be a point where Antonio never fully regained his memory, but as far as Gilbert had seen, it always came back, it was just a matter of time.

"Never mind," Francis sighed. "Gilbert, you should talk to him, prove to us that he's there. If you're so sure, that is."

"If he's not, the adults will drag you to therapy, so there's a lot riding on this one!" Antonio laughed.

"I'll make them drag you to therapy, too," Gilbert smirked, still not looking away from those eyes. And then that stupid little bell was rung by the stupid nurse that came in with their meds. Gilbert groaned.

"Oh, I get it!" Antonio started laughing. "Antonio's my name!"

"Yes, mon ami," Francis patted his hand and they stood up, the person that owned those gorgeous eyes breaking contact to stand and disappear in the crowd of teenagers that were getting their meds. Gilbert stood up with his other two friends.

"So you're deciding that your French today?" Gilbert asked.

"It is my favorite nationality," Francis mused. "France is all about l'amour, correct?"

"And the chicks don't shave," Gilbert shrugged, standing in their "orderly" line. Several people had already downed their meds dry, since they were all so used to it already. Gilbert couldn't see the person he'd been looking at, but quickly found him sitting back at where he was just before.

"Minor setback," Francis shrugged, walking ahead of Gilbert to get his meds first. Swallowing them and showing the woman at the cart that he had actually swallowed them. Then it was Gilbert's turn and he quickly took his meds so that he could sit back down with Francis and stare at the boy some more. "So what has you so interested in this person no one else can see? Is it his good looks, natural charm?"

"His eyes," Gilbert mumbled and looked back at the boy, who faintly smiled at him, wrinkling slightly around his eyes, but they still shone brightly.

"Is the rest of him attractive at least?" Francis asked curiously as Antonio flopped down on the chair he was at before.

"It feels like my pills keep getting bigger," Antonio complained, stretching his arms over his head.

"I don't wanna look away from his eyes for long enough to find out," Gilbert mumbled. Suddenly, the boy stood up and Gilbert ignored the next thing his friends said to him. The boy waved at him happily, his bright eyes shining with happiness. And then, much to Gilbert's horror, the boy disappeared. "No…"

"What happened to him?" Francis asked curiously.

"He wasn't…" Gilbert mumbled, turning back to his friends and staring at the table. "Fuck…I thought he was…"

"Ah," Francis nodded.

"Sorry, man," Antonio sighed, patting Gilbert's back. Gilbert just shook his head and closed his eyes. He could still see that indigo color clearly in his head. He had been so sure that time. That boy had to be real. Gilbert couldn't make up a color that beautiful in his mind, all his creativity had been sapped by these white walls and floors and windows.

"I'm never taking meds again if I can see him again," Gilbert muttered quietly to himself, hoping that his friends didn't actually hear him.

I loved this idea the minute I came up with it. I don't know much about places like this, I've seen a few movies and read a few other fics and novels on it, but that doesn't really mean much when I have no idea what I'm talking about. Anyway, I really have no clue what is actually wrong with Francis and Antonio's heads and I'm sure Gil doesn't even know all of what's going on, but we know that Gilbert hallucinates and he can't tell the difference between real and fake. Poor Mattie…Poor Gil…

Anyway, please review! It's nice.

And join me for tomorrow's challenge, Getting Married, titled "Drunk".