The Powerful Chronicles of Cayro and Zlyph

Chapter Four

As the adults brought Zlyph and I back to our room, I started to get bored of nothing exciting happening except my arms being gripped for dear life so I wouldn't run away.

So I turned to Mr. Mean Glasses and Mr. Beardy. "So, um, hi," I said directly at them.

The two men turned to me. "What is it, brat?" Mr. Glasses sneered.

Ouch.

"I was just wondering what your names were," I said. I decided it was best to not to tell them the names that I had previously been calling them.

The men sighed, Mr. Beardy a bit more gently than Mr. Glasses.

"You may call me Selvin if necessary," Mr. Beardy said.

"And me Castillo," Mr. Mean Glasses told me, his eyes narrowed.

"Yes, sirs," I murmured. "Thank you."

Selvin, Castillo, and the two other people who were holding onto me continued to take Zlyph and I back to our room. They threw me inside, my head almost hitting the low door frame. They tossed Zlyph, who was still unconscious, next to me. I kneeled in front of her protectively. The men and woman gave us stony looks before closing and locking the door. Now, again, I felt more trapped than ever.

I looked down at Zlyph. I pushed her off of my lap and onto one of the small, thin mattresses. I brushed some long strands of green hair out of her face. She looked so peaceful, but for some reason, a bit too peaceful for me.

I extended my arm to touch her neck to check her pulse. Did Mehtaalians even have pulses in their necks?

Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum.

I exhaled. She was okay.

I sighed and pulled my hand back. I leaned back against the wall. I was sitting on the other mattress. It was filled with almost nothing. I saw that there was a white sheet and pillow at the foot of the bed. I wondered how cold the room would get at night, if a thin sheet was all I had as a blanket.

I then thought about my house. My home. Mind-time-traveling to back then really made me nostalgic. I thought about Mama and Daddy. I thought about Zavier and Alyson. I thought about my two younger siblings, Annabel and Maxwell.

My family. They were all I had left. And now, who knew what was happening to them? Have they forgotten about me?

No. They wouldn't. They were going to come for me. I knew that Mama would never stop until she found me. Right? Of course.

I snapped out of my thoughts when I heard a soft moan come from next to me. I looked to my left. Zlyph's eyebrows were furrowed, and she was stirring slightly. I got up onto my knees. "Zlyph?" I whispered.

Zlyph's eyes fluttered open. They darted around for a few moments before focusing on me.

"C...Cayro?" she murmured. She tried to sit up with a small groan.

"Hey, hey, take it easy," I told her.

"No, it's okay. Mehtaalians do not get severely hurt by normal weapons as the ones that they used," Zlyph said. She rubbed her eyes, then blinked and looked around. "Are we back in our room?" she asked me.

I nodded. "Mmhm. I don't know what's gonna happen next," I said.

We were quiet for a second, when Zlyph said, "Will there be another 'testing' tomorrow?"

My hands fidgeted in my lap. "I don't know," I said.

There was more silence. Then I covered my mouth and yawned. When I finished, I moaned. "I'm tired," I said. "What time is it?"

"I do not know," Zlyph said. "Earthlings use different time systems than Mehtaalians. But you should sleep. Your eyes have dark rings underneath them."

"Rings under my eyes?" I mumbled, tilting my head in confusion. "Oh," I said as I realized what she meant. She was talking about the dark colored bags under my eyes that people get when they're tired. I wondered if Mehtaalians had them, too. "Yeah. I guess I could take a nap," I admitted. I was feeling a little drained after the testing, so I could use the sleep.

Zlyph smiled at me. "Rest, then." She pointed to my bed.

I smiled weakly and lay down. I pulled the sheet over me. "Thanks, Zlyph. But aren't you tired?" I asked her, my eyelids getting heavier as my head hit the pillow.

"I am not tired, but if you are, I probably will be soon," Zlyph said.

I nodded and closed my eyes. I snuggled into the bed and felt myself dozing off. Soon, I found myself asleep.