The Mindless Man's Paradise

Chapter twenty-seven | Cyrus

“Cyrus!” a female voice called.

  It wasn’t just any female voice. It was a voice he had come to know very well in the past days. A voice he then valued just as much as his own.

  The girl.

  She had returned.

  He was expecting her to be gone for at least more than a few hours, but obviously he had underestimated HQ’s medicinal technology.

  Cyrus didn’t take a second to stretch or even open his eyes for more than a second. As soon as his eyes opened, he dashed to the door.

  The comforters fell in a heap on the floor. As he twisted the knob, he tried to smooth down his rustled hair, but not caring enough to look in a mirror. He swung the door open wildly and zoomed into the living room.

  And there she stood, as beautiful as ever, her black hair freshly groomed, and her leg fully intact.

  He didn’t stop running until she was in his arms. In their embrace, he could feel her breath on his neck. There was nothing more precious than that, because her breathing was steady. It wasn’t ragged, or labored, or sickly. She was truly healed.

  The color was back in her face. The bags under her eyes were nonexistent and she was walking without a problem. Any doubt Cyrus had had about his decision to come to the Society had dissipated right then.

  All that mattered was that this girl was safe. She was healthy.

  Cyrus didn’t want to let go, but the girl pushed away from him.

  “Cyrus, it’s not that I’m not happy to see you… actually, I’m thrilled. Last time I was conscious I was thinking the next time I’d be seeing you, it would be in the next life. But…” she looked to their hands which were intertwined. “But, Cyrus… why would you bring us here? Of all places…”

  Cyrus sighed. “It was my mom’s idea. At first I wasn’t on board… but then she said that we could escape. Just like my parents. Plus, I couldn’t stand the idea of not having you in my life.”

  This made the girl blush furiously. She squeezed his hand gently to assure him.

  “Ditto.” she grinned.

  “Where’d you learn that one?” he asked, surprised at her diction.

  “My foreigner’s manual.” she teased.