The Serpent Within

Chapter Seven

Previously...

With that, Zuber pulled the blanket over Kyrah, looking at her for the last time. Walking away, he stopped and hesitated. Rushing back to her, he pressed a kiss to her forehead and returned to his room the next minute.

Zuber woke up from his sleep. What was that? A bang? He got up immediately from his bed, running out of his room.

Whack!

He hoped Kyrah was alright.

Rushing towards the source of the sound, he found Kyrah clearly frustrated. Her unwashed pink pajamas were wet and littered on the bathroom floor with a grain or two of washing powder on them.

She was trying to wash them, but to no avail. Her curly hair hung loosely on her shoulders, covering her face partially now and then. She was so engrossed that she didn't even notice Zuber standing there, watching her.

"Kyrah..."

Her head shot up. "Who is there?" she called out.

"Kyrah..."

"Enough of this hide and seek. Show yourself!" she screamed, getting fearful. She got up from her sitting position and exited the bathroom.

Upon reaching the living room, she stood in its middle, listening attentively for any sound. She heard a movement behind her. She didn't turn back. She clutched her chest, fear gripping her heart again. Her horrible nightmare started replaying in her mind.

More movements...

Then a whisper, "I am here..."

She turned around abruptly, coming face-to-face face with her nightmare.

"Boo! Got you!" Zuber said, and laughed merrily.

Kyrah's fearful face turned into a look of surprise and relief mixed in one. However, her temper quickly flared up by seeing Zuber laughing at her.

"How dare you?" she screamed, clutching the collar of his denim shirt. "What do you get by troubling me? Is this some joke to you?

Her anger subsided in a minute, and was replaced by sadness. She left his collar awkwardly, without meeting his eyes. She turned towards the bathroom once again, returning to "wash" her clothes.

Zuber stood there, speechless after her outburst. He didn't expect Kyrah to react this way. He felt that he needed to apologize to her. Grabbing a hair tie from the drawer, he reached the bathroom.

Kyrah looked up, scowling at him.
"What do you want?"

"I am sorry, princess. I didn't mean to frighten you."

Her scowl was replaced by a blank expression.

"Here, I got something for you," Zuber said, handing her the hair tie. "You won't get distracted."

"My hands are wet. I will tie my hair later," she replied with a sigh. "Keep it with you."

"Princess, I--"

"Why are you calling me princess again? Is it "Annoy Kyrah Day" today?" she asked, making invisible inverted commas with her fingers.

Zuber smiled looking at her. "I like you."

"What did you say?"

"I mean, I like annoying you," he corrected, smiling even more brightly.

Kyrah stared at him with a questioning glare.

He sat down next to her. Touching her hair, he clutched all her curls and tied them in a loose ponytail.

"I can make my own hair, thank you very much," she muttered.