-The Princess and the Genius-
#2 Beautiful (1.1)
She was freefalling in limbo, without direction, without memories, without any sense of time.
There was no capacity for thought nor feeling, and as such, fragments of data flickered before her eyes, scrolling upwards, but she had no consciousness with which to register them. There was something missing. Someone important, she knew, but she couldn't remember... in fact, she could remember nothing, not even her own name.
At that time, for however long it passed, she merely - barely - existed.
Then somewhere in the darkness, she vaguely recognised a sound; a lever being pulled downwards and old machinery creaking back into life. Suddenly there was a brightness of such intensity as to hurt her eyes. She felt a solid platform beneath her feet and a window in front of her.
She couldn't think about where she was, her mind so blank that not even the smallest recollection could provide a foothold for beginning to make sense of her surroundings or her situation. So instead she turned to the person in front of her, her one hope for clues as to her existence. Through the tiny window she saw that he was staring at her, slack-jawed, hunched over in a large chair. Blue eyes set in a pale, pinched face that never saw enough sunlight, with thick black glasses perched awkwardly on his nose. Blond hair hung limply in his eyes, and a baggy blue jumper settled awkwardly on his skinny frame.
She had no idea who he was, but she smiled her sheer relief to see him.
He was light, freedom, the blessed return of consciousness.
He was the most beautiful boy she had ever seen.