204 Unwelcome Visitor (7)

Sunlight woke Iris up. She wanted to sleep more, but the light went through her eyelids, repeating for a hundred times that it was morning and she should be up. Iris did not wish to do that in the least, her mind heavy like she had just fallen asleep, but the sun gave her no option. It was just too bright to remain in bed.

Her eyes fluttered open, and she saw something familiar. But it was somehow wrong. Oh, she was human.

The snail-like mind required a moment to recollect what had happened the night before. Iris blushed at the memory of the way she had acted at the time, like some jealous girlfriend. It didn't seem that Kyro was too angry, though.

Otherwise, would he have let her do as she wished? Her head was resting next to his shoulder, her hand thrown around his waist to keep him close.

In a haze, she could recall waking up once more at night, after she found herself in that dark cage again. At the time, she could have sworn that someone was coming for her, someone she couldn't fight, and they left her too terrified to move. She just flattened herself against the back wall, once the rocking of the ship stopped, and shivered while staring at the other wall, listening to the sound of footsteps coming closer.

Kyro had woken her up before she could see who was coming for her. There was a chance that Iris could've learned something if she'd seen them, but she had no wish to live through that. The memory of waiting alone was enough to send shivers down her spine.

Her unconscious tremble didn't go unnoticed. Kyro's eyes opened, and he looked at her with his dark brown orbs. "How are you?"

There was a gentleness to his voice that chased away all recollections of nightmares. "Fine." It was a word no one would believe, but at the moment Iris was realizing her current position.

They had actually slept together! The literal meaning, not the other kind, but still… And she was even in her human form!

Swiftly, she retracted her hand and pulled away, a self-conscious smile on her face. "I'm all right," she reassured him again and jumped off the bed. Her eyes scanned the room for clothes, and she noticed them on the other side, where Kyro slept. After coming in yesterday, he had just left her dress and other things on the dresser on his side.

At night, Iris had grabbed a few things from her packed stuff and worn her pajamas, but now she needed to change.

The walk around the bed was akin to three minutes of shame. Kyro's stare that didn't leave her turned her legs wooden. Her movements were choppy and robot-like, and her cheeks began to flame even more. Why couldn't he just look away?!

It took her twice as long to get dressed as usual, but she managed. The feeling of being on display didn't fade for one moment, though. Kyro remained in the bed, watching her with a faint smile on his face.

Iris really wanted to ask what he found so amusing, but she didn't dare. Nothing had happened, and yet she felt like something had changed between them. Something important.

Yet she had no idea what it was!

"I-I'll head downstairs first," she said and escaped through the door before he could reply.

She almost ran all the way down. To the left was the terrace, and her eyes landed on the table and a couple chairs there. It seemed like a great place to rest. Without much thought, she dropped into a chair and sprawled on the table, her cheek against the cold surface.

There was a hurricane going through her head, and she couldn't focus on a single thought. It was too unbelievable. With everything that had happened, she didn't know what to focus on first.

There was the possible kidnapping, the new phobia of ships and boats as well as Kyro not running away. Instead of seeing her as a freak, some damaged goods, he actually stayed around and helped her to get through the night.

The more she thought about it, the worse the situation looked. He seemed like the perfect human being while she was worse than even something average - not fully human and plagued by a plethora of problems. How was she worthy?

'Don't think about it, don't think about it. You've got bigger problems than that.'

And for once, she really had. Within her head, there were clues as to how she had come to America. Unlike what she'd thought before, there was a chance for her to learn about what had happened a few months ago. It was all locked away in her own mind.

"Is everything fine?" a woman's voice asked.

Iris raised her head to see Marge standing in the doorway. Dressed in a green shirt and jeans, she looked full of energy and youthfulness, but a frown was on her face.

"Yeah," Iris answered. She rose from the table and brushed her hair back, to make it a little more presentable. "Was just thinking."

"About leaving? Do you want to go back already?"

Her words threw Iris off for a moment. She hadn't considered it, but now that the offer was in front of her, she found it a temptation hard to resist. The idea of just falling into her bed and resting for a day sounded heavenly. In comparison, the thought of having to interact with people and leave a good impression while her mind was elsewhere seemed abhorrent.

While she thought that, Kyro came down the stairs. "We'll be leaving," he said without preamble, having overheard the conversation. "It's not like anyone's awake to interact with."

Marge turned on him, her hands balled into fists. "So I'm nobody now?"

Smartly, Kyro took a step back, hands raised in a give-up gesture. "I meant that there's little for us to do here with everyone sleeping till evening, and Iris could use a rest. It was a mistake on my part to bring her for introductions on such an occasion anyway."

'Mistake?' Iris wasn't certain what he meant, but Marge seemed to get it. Her hands relaxed, and she sighed. "It was partly my idea, sorry."

"It's fine…"

Nobody listened to Iris, though. They exchanged a few more words, and then Kyro drove the car back home. The ride was mostly silent, with but a few words exchanged.

When they reached the apartment, Kyro led her in, then said he was going to go get some groceries and grab take out for lunch. Since they had planned to stay the weekend at Ted's place, the apartment was empty of food.

Kyro didn't let her come, saying she should stay inside and rest, so Iris went into her room and flopped onto the bed. Sleep didn't come right away since she had woken up but a few hours ago, so she took out her phone and started scrolling through the updates.

Not four minutes later, she heard the door being unlocked. 'Did Kyro forget something?' As she thought that, she realized that the person who entered was walking in an unfamiliar gait. Their footfalls were rushed, covering the living room and entering Kyro's bedroom in seconds.

Iris froze on the bed, the phone almost slipping from her hands. Unbidden, the nightmare rushed into her head. The sun's rays turned sharp from warm and welcoming in her mind, putting her on display. If the stranger came, she'd be in full view.

Alone, without anywhere to run… She was once again caught in a trap, unable to escape the predator that came for her.