Shrunken

Chapter 4

~Seto's POV~

It's been two days since Tyra shrunk, I've had to work on the counter-effect potion in the evening. She trusts me now, but she doesn't trust anyone (or anything) else. I'm glad she's being cautious, but I'm afraid that'll escalate to paranoid. And paranoia will just make matters worse. Brice has been on my case, I guess I look flustered. In fact, everybody's confused that Tyra has missed two training periods. Brice thinks I'm hiding something, which I am. I'm not sure if I should tell him yet... I don't know how he'll react.

~

I was walking back to the room I share with Brice, tired and frustrated. I went to open the door, then heard something that made me flinch. A tiny, muffled scream. "Oh crap," I whispered. Before I could do anything, the door opened. Brice looked at me with a bewildered expression. "I'm guessing 'this' belongs to you?" He held up Tyra, who squeaked "Put me down!". She hung upside-down, suspended by Brice's fingers pinching her leg. Tyra stopped struggling and stared at me, her eyes bulging and fearful.

"Brice! Be gentle!" I snatched Tyra out of his grasp and cupped my hands around her trembling body. "If you dropped her, that would be it!"

"Why didn't you tell me about this? Do you not trust me?" Brice questioned.

"Not if you hold her like that!" I countered. Tyra winced and covered her ears, my shout must have hurt her tiny eardrums. "Sorry," I whispered.

"How'd she get so puny? She wouldn't tell me anything. She could get stepped on... or eaten..." Brice mentioned.

"Eaten? Who in their right mind would do that?" Tyra scoffed.

"There's a new cat..." Brice glared at her.

"Sorry I asked..." Tyra clutched my sleeve and shrank back in fear.

"What happened? How'd you find her?" I asked.

**Earlier (3rd Person POV)**

Brice walked down the hallway, throwing his sword in the air and catching it repeatedly. 'Seto's hiding something... I wonder if it has anything to do with Tyra's disappearance...' he thought. 'Maybe I should question him...' He opened his door slowly, seeing no one.

Tyra jerked her head up from her position on Seto's desk. Her eyes widened at the sight of Brice and she quickly ducked behind a book. Clinging to her scythe, she peered over it. She flinched, cutting her arm on the book's pages. "Ow!" she yelped. Big mistake.

~

Brice was about to leave, when he saw a shadow move quickly across the desk. He stopped, 'Coulda swore I just saw something move...' Brice closed the door behind him, stepping towards the desk. His ears detected a tiny cry of pain, "What the-" Hesitating, he grasped the book, took a deep breath, then pushed it away. This revealed a tiny, cowering figure about three inches tall.

Tyra shrieked and tried to run, only to be grabbed by a giant hand. She was brought up to eye-level, Brice just stared in awe, "Tyra? Is that you?" "Of course it's me! Brice, please put me down!" Tyra pleaded, struggling in Brice's grip.

He ignored her pleas and examined her, "What happened to you?"

"Brice, you're hurting me..." Tyra whimpered. Pain shot into her middle, leaving bruises in her hips.

"That has nothing to do with my question," Brice replied, eyeing her dully.

"Put me down or so help me I will cut your fingers off!" Tyra raised her two inch scythe threateningly, ready to strike. Brice chuckled, "You're gonna fight me? Well aren't you smart," he smirked, flicking it out of her hands. "You son of a *****!" She sank her teeth into his finger, drawing blood.

Brice winced, gritting his teeth. He dropped her, clutching his finger. Tyra landed on the desk, and started running for her life.

****

"You came as soon as I caught her again," Brice explained. "I wasn't trying to hurt her, but she BIT me!" He sent Tyra a dirty look.

"What else was I supposed to do?!" Tyra protested, glaring up at Brice. "You could've killed me! Your grip hurts! You can't just grab me and examine me like a friggin bug!"

"Maybe you are one," Brice growled. "You're just about small enough to be mistaken for one, you helpless little rat. I was only trying to get answers!"

"Shut up!" Tyra spat. "I may be small, but I'm not a stupid rat! And I'm NOT helpless! The only way I differ from before is in size!"

Brice lunged at her, blue eyes narrowed. I held her closer to me, "Brice, calm down! She's fragile at this state! You could snap a bone easily when you handle her like that!"

"God, was she always this irritable?" he muttered.

"Seto? I think we have a problem," Tyra said, looking at her bloody arm.

"Its not that bad, don't worry," I told her, caressing her gently. I lifted up her tiny dark blue shirt carefully, only revealing her midriff, seeing purple bruises in her middle. "Brice, you need to be more gentle! She's covered in bruises!"

"I still don't understand..." Brice complained.

"You want answers? Ask Seto, I'm not speaking to you!" Tyra turned around and stuck her nose in the air defiantly.

"So you let HIM do what he wants with you..." Brice mocked.

She shot him a death glare, "Because he's gentle and considerate, unlike you."

I smiled, of course I didn't like the fact that my friends were fighting, but I was glad she trusted me. One wrong move, and she probably won't talk to either of us again, much less let us handle her. "Guys, come on. Fight when this is over with. Now's not the best time, so please just get along," I reasoned.

"I'll try, Seto, but if he does that again I'm biting him harder..." Tyra agreed, hugging my index finger. 'Okay, THAT is adorable.'

Brice shrugged, "Alright, but first I wanna know how this happened and how long she's gonna be this way."

"I guess you guys are gonna have to deal with me for a while..." Tyra said sadly.

"Uh huh," Brice said bluntly.

I punched him in the arm, "Brice, you're not usually this rude. What the hell?" He punched me back, harder, "Shut up, the little rat BIT me!"

"Well, I guess curiosity kills cats," Tyra jested mildly. "Still got the instincts, cat***?" (Dare reference)

"I'm not a cat, you little-" He reached out again, trying to catch her. She shrieked and almost went up my sleeve.

I put a hand over her and walked past Brice, "I don't have time for this. The longer you guys argue, the longer it'll take for me to make the counter-effect potion."

I pulled Tyra out of my sleeve and set her on my desk, she was still trembling at her near-death experience. "I'm never hiding behind a book again..." she murmured. "You learn something from all your mistakes, Tyra," I smiled.