Plague of Mybyncia by C.G. Coppola

“she’s not walking after what she’s been
through.”
    “Always the gentleman,” Sampson smiles.
“Alright, we’ll see you in a few.”
    Reid nods and with Pratt cradled in his arms,
he makes for the exit, Mae and I following behind. We walk in
silence, past the Great Hall and towards the tunnel leading to our
room in the East Wing. When we finally arrive, Reid approaches the
bed and gently lays Pratt in the middle.
    “Thanks,” she murmurs, already half
asleep.
    He doesn’t say anything, but pulls some of
the burgundy blankets over her and steps back. He nods at Mae and
then turns to me. We stand staring at each other for an eternal
second, waiting for the space between us to dissolve. When it
doesn’t, he nods with a disappointing exhale. “See you
tomorrow.”
    “Night…” is the only thing I can manage, and
poorly at that.
    Reid turns on his heels and heads out,
leaving me breathless from his visual assault. A minute after he’s
gone, when my heart is still playing catch up from the intensity of
our stare, Mae startles me with a question.
    “Why don’t you guys talk?”
    “What?” I spin.
    “You’re together, right?” she blushes
suddenly, shaking her head. “I’m sorry—I know I’m being
intrusive.”
    “What makes you think we’re together?”
    “The way he looks at you,” she shrugs. “The
way you look at each other.”
    “Oh…” I move for the bed, uncomfortable with
the direction of the conversation. I strip off my suit and throw it
next to the cobalt skirt and shelled bra on the coral floor. “Well,
it’s been a long day,” I climb in next to Pratt. “We should get
some sleep. Plus, you need to rest.”
    “It’s really not so bad,” she murmurs,
already half asleep. “I don’t remember much of it.”
    Frowning, I wipe a few strands of her light
brown hair back, tucking it behind her hear. “I’m sorry this
happened, Pratt.”
    “ ‘S okay…”
    “No matter what Sampson or Clarence say—we
won’t ever leave you. You know that, right? We will always come for you,” I brush another lock from her face and look up to
Mae. “Same goes for you.”
    Mae smiles, leaning back on the bed. “We need
our rest to eat the Glippis heart in the morning.”
    “And the Wigwig…” Pratt murmurs. “Whatever that is...”
    “As long as it’s better than the eye…” I
whisper, already drifting off.
Chapter Six: Food and
Facts
    “ I don’t believe this,” the lady with the
red bandana retrieves her hand from the other two. “This makes no
sense. There’s no way that—”
    “ It is the truth,” Granny Ruth sighs. “You
are as he says…”
    “ But how—”
    “ Helen…” the man’s hand reaches out to the
younger woman. “Please understand. I’ve always wanted you to
know.”
    She pulls away again. “I don’t know what to
believe.”
    The porch fades to an opaque fog as the same
woman’s face appears—the one with white hair and large, piercing
silver eyes. Her mouth never opens but her voice is solid,
strong.
    “ Wake up, Fallon... you must
awake.”
    Her white hair blows around her, billowing in
the unfelt breeze.
    “ You must awake now.”
    Suddenly her eyes widen, the silver
overwhelming into two shining lights that erase everything
else.
    “ AWAKE, FALLON!”
     
    “Breakfast will be served in ten minutes,”
Salva’s voice pulls me from sleep.
    It takes a minute to remember where we are
and when I do, I sit up, eyeing the cavernous, coral room. We’re
not in Harrizel’s green terrain for the first time in days, but
here in the East Wing of Mybyncia’s Foreign Headquarters, deep at
the bottom of the ocean. Images of last night rush back and I whip
to my side, finding Pratt still asleep next to me.
    Salva stands in the entrance to the tunnel,
arms behind her back. “We will be in the Dining Hall so proper
dress is required.”
    “Proper dress?” Pratt rubs her good eye, the
other slightly discolored. The Vilbrees definitely helped—only