Shrunken

Chapter 2

Seto's POV

What's taking her so long? I wasn't trying to be impatient, only concerned about whatever could possibly hold her up. A loud crash and the piercing noise of breaking glass snapped me out of my trance.  I crept over to the door, pleading in my head that she was alright. Slowly, I opened the door, the hinges creaking slightly. The light was flickering and swaying back and forth on the ceiling, casting dim shadows across the small room. Shards of glass were scattered around the floor, along with a puddle of green liquid. Tyra was nowhere to be seen.

"Tyra?" I called out.

She couldn't have just vanished... I knelt down to look at the potion, trying to figure out what it was. Teleportation? Shape-shifting? Invisibility? Instant Death.....? My frightened gaze fell on something lying next to it. My eyes stretched wide when I looked closer. It was her, but smaller. Much smaller, tiny enough for her entire body to fit in my hand. I stared down at her unconscious body in horror, the breath catching in my throat.

I bit the inside of my cheek and lightly touched her with my fingertip. Thankfully, she was still breathing. I exhaled a sigh of relief.  At first, I wasn't sure what to do. I didn't want to hurt her, and she seemed so frail at this state. Should I pick her up? But what if I hurt her on accident?

My question answered itself when a shiver ran through her limp body and she sneezed, a (rather cute) high-pitched sound. I made up my mind at the thought she could catch a cold or worse staying on the floor, and carefully slipped my hand under her tiny form, lifting her up as slowly as possible. Placing my free hand over her, I sauntered back to my desk and sat down.

I grabbed a folded spare pillow case out of a cabinet and laid it out on the desk, setting Tyra on it with utmost care. I simply sat there and stared at her, wondering how she'd react when she woke up. Leaning back in my desk chair, I gazed up at the ceiling hopelessly. Why did I ever make that potion?

Tyra's POV

My eyes opened to blinding light flooding into my vision. My head throbbed and ached agonizingly, the intense pain searing into my skull. I had a bit of trouble remembering what had happened before, and wondered where I was. My eyes adjusted to the light, and I could see clearly, but everything was so... different. I was lying on some kind of white cloth, but when I sat up, my entire body started to ache.

I ignored the pain and stood up, observing my surroundings. I was still in Seto and Brice's room, but everything looked so much bigger. My eyes darted from one thing to the next, eventually to myself. I was hit by a potion! But what happened to me? Where's Seto? Why am I here?

My questions were all answered at once when I saw a pair of caramel brown eyes staring at me. I gasped and slapped my hand over my mouth, seeing the now enormous form of the sorcerer I knew. I wasn't scared of him in particular, he was the kindest person I knew, but it was his size that horrified me, and made me realize what had happened. I shrunk.

"You're awake..." he said, his voice barely above a whisper. His gaze was locked on me, full of fear and concern.

I knew he'd never hurt me, but I was still terrified at this new perspective. I backpedaled hastily, practically stumbling over my own feet to get away, not being able to find my voice. He frowned at this action, looking rather hurt. "Tyra, please don't be scared. I won't hurt you, I promise," he coaxed, as if speaking to an injured animal.

I shook my head in uncertainty, backing further away from him. This can't be real! I'm just having a weird dream, that's all! Right..? In my pursuit of getting away, my eyes still on him, I ended up tripping over the edge of the cloth, landing on something soft and warm. I looked up, trembling, to see that Seto's finger had curled around my waist and suppressed my fall.

"Be careful," he warned in a soft tone. "I don't want you getting hurt."

I pushed myself away from his digit, my head spinning. His other hand extended towards me in a slow manner, and I cowered into a fetal position, shutting my eyes tight. I had expected him to grab me, but I only felt a soft pressure on my head. Puzzled, my eyes fluttered open again, seeing his index finger on my head, stroking my hair in a calming way.

"It's okay... I'll fix this, I promise," he murmured reassuringly.

My face started to burn and redden slightly, and I froze, his words echoing in my head. Seto moved his fingers down from my head and laced them around me, and I finally managed a small squeak of protest. Why do these weird things always happen to me?