Shrunken

Chapter 32

3rd Person POV

Brice traipsed through the threshold of the small, dimly lit room, glaring daggers at the young sorcerer slouched over the desk (Yep, there's a desk in the closet where Seto works on potions. I dunno, just roll with it.). He slammed the door shut, making the hanging lightbulb above them sway and flicker. Seto flinched in alarm, but avoided the blonde teen's icy glare. Brice's lip curled into a snarl, "What the hell has gotten into you?! You freaking rage quitted and scared Kay to tears!" he scolded.

Seto kept his head down, his eyes focused on the tiny, motionless body lying on the desk. "I'm sorry," he uttered sadly. "I don't know what came over me, I was just angry."

Brice cocked an eyebrow, unconvinced by his brief explanation. "Maybe you should think before going all magic psycho on everybody!" he shouted angrily, slamming his fist onto the desk. The desk shuddered at the impact, the surface nearly cracking at his fierce blow. Seto jerked out of his daze and quickly grabbed Tyra, gentle enough not to bruise her unconscious form, and cradled her protectively.

"Please Brice! Stop!" He looked up at Brice, his now dull, grey eyes full of stress and grief. "I got scared and lost control, you know how my magic can be! I said I was sorry, so please, just calm down!" Seto cried, almost desperately.

Brice's glare faded upon seeing his friend in such misery, "What's been going on with you lately? You seem...." He paused, trying to find the right word. "stressed."

Seto avoided his gaze again, and only now did Brice notice the purplish black bags under the sorcerer's eyes. "I am stressed," he responded simply. "And exhausted. I've been using so much magic, along with constant worry about the girls and what's happening." He sighed, slipping his free hand under his brown bangs and leaning his elbow against the desk.

"Sorry man, I was kinda hard on you, wasn't I?" Brice apologized, feeling guilty about his previous actions.

"It's okay." was all Seto said in reply. Silence hung in the stale air for a few moments.

Brice rubbed the back of his neck, choosing his next words carefully in hopes of lightening his friend's mood. "Is Tyra okay?" he asked hesitantly.

Seto held the wounded girl out in front of him, gently brushing her black bangs out of her pale face with his pinkie. He moved his fingers down, touching the red bandages along her body. "I've bandaged her wounds and used a bit of marigold, but her wrists won't stop bleeding," he said, pain scratching at his voice. "I'm so worried about her, she's lost so much blood over the past few weeks..." His voice trailed off.

Tyra shifted in her sleep, mumbling incoherently. Her eyes opened slowly, blinking at the dim light. She sat up in Seto's palm, moaning in pain when she moved her arms, and stared into the grey eyes of her boyfriend.

"S-Seto?" she stuttered. "What happened? Is everyone okay?"

A faint smile tugged at the young sorcerer's lips as he gazed at Tyra's pitiful expression.
"I'm glad you're okay," he replied. "I was going to ask you what happened, unless you can't remember."

Tyra stared blankly in front of her, racking her brain for memory. "I-...I fell on top of Kay on accident, and the-the dragon girl pushed me off an-and Kay had a nosebleed...." she paused, her going wide. "Is Kay alright? I hurt her, didn't I?" she asked miserably, her breathing becoming shallow and raspy.

"Hey, calm down," Seto urged. "It wasn't your fault, she's okay." Under his breath he added "Sort of."

Tyra nodded, sighing as she stared at her bandaged wrists. "I hate this. I'm like a freaking danger magnet. All I ever do is cause more trouble for everyone unintentionally."

Seto ran his finger along her braid and gave her a stern look. "Tyra, that's not true. None of these things are your fault." His expression softened once again, but his eyes remained their grey color. "Truly, it's my fault that you're like this. But it'll be okay, the remedy will be done soon."

"That's good." Tyra responded, averting her gaze downward.

Strangely, Brice had stayed silent the whole time Tyra and Seto had spoken. He didn't think it would be necessary to butt in to the conversation when everyone was feeling so down.

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Seto and Brice stepped out of the closet, Seto holding Tyra against his chest in a cupped hand, not expecting the scene in their room. Matrix was nowhere to be seen, and Kay sat in front of the window with her head against the pane. She stared out the window, her eyes focused on nothing in particular. Tear tracks and blood trails stained her face, but she was no longer crying, rather singing, her voice full of melancholy.

"♪ I know there's something in the wake of your smile,

I get a notion from the look in your eyes. Yeah.

You've built a love, but that love falls apart.

Your little piece of heaven, turns to dark.... ♪"

She paused, choking back a sob, then continued.

"♪ Listen to your heart, when he's calling for you.

Listen to your heart, there's nothing else you can do.

I don't know where you're going, and I don't know why.

But listen to your heart, before... you tell him goodbye... ♪"

The three teens simply stared at her, confused and taken aback by the words she had sung. Brice broke the silence by clearing his throat. Kay's ears shot upward and she jerked her head around to look at them, a blush creeping over her face.

"Um... y-you didn't hear th-that, did you?" she stammered, her cheeks reddening. Small tears had formed in the corners of her eyes, stinging her vision.

Seto spoke up, "Let's not... focus on that... Kay, what happened? Where's Matrix?"

Kay didn't look him in the eyes. "We got into an argument, and she left."

"Good riddance," Brice muttered, loud enough to be heard. Kay glared at the window sill beneath her, offended by Brice's comment.

"I tried to warn her about the danger, but she didn't listen to me," she continued. "But why would you guys care?" she snarled, her eyes cold. "You never liked her anyway."

*[So sorry I haven't updated in a while! I've been EXTREMELY busy, with tons of homework and Writer's Block to way me down. I'll update again soon, hopefully not as long as this took.]*