"Colt?" Zyca sniffled. She could not believe her eyes, nor could she utter any other word after she called out his name. Was she seeing incorrectly? Was Colt standing right beside her in her room? Her questions were answered when he bowed in mockery, sporting a boyish grin on his bluish face.

"Colt?" she voiced his name, but this time with certainty that her best friend stood in the same room, in the same space and breathed the same air.

"In genie flesh," he said and held one of his hands out in front of him, signally she should grab a hold of it. "C'mon. We have no time to waste."

It seemed he had come to save her like he always did.

Zyca turned away, ignoring the hand fanning her face. She placed the hand that wasn't on her injured side on the hard floor, and hoisted herself up with the little strength she could muster.

"You should leave," she muttered. "If they find you, you could be thrown into Laddendebt with Allet and me." Zyca huffed marrying her behind on the stony wall. She knew, if Colt were to get into trouble because he tried to help her escape, she wouldn't stop blaming herself for as long as she lived.

"Who cares!" he exclaimed, taking the hand he once held out back to his side.

"I care!" she exclaimed immediately. Who did he think he was, showing up out of nowhere to play Mr. Knight, when he could end up in the same situation? Had he no value for his life? "I don't want you to go down with me."

"Bull Zyca. That's bull," he said. "Look you have less than thirty minutes to get out of here with Allet - I saw them Zyca - They looked fierce and angry," he added hurriedly.

"How did you know?" she catechized.

"I told you. My mother works for the higher ups. There's nothing she wouldn't know," he stated as a matter of fact. For a second, she wondered if he knew about the message ball his mother sent to her. She decided to mention none of it.

"Well, if you really insist on helping me," she started, taking a deep breath. "LEAVE!"

"Stop your nonsense - I'm getting you and Allet out." Colt started for the door, taking long strides.

"What are you doing?" Zyca hurriedly moved, jerking her body towards the door. She rammed herself in front of it, stopping the advancing Colt.

Ouch! She wished she had time to think before she threw herself.

"Get out." he said, taking a hold of her legs, dragging her back with no break of sweat to where she once sat. "I'm getting you out whether you like it or not." He added sternly. Zyca silently winced in pain, from the now throbbing sensation she felt from her injured side.

Zyca watched as Colt laid his hands on the steel handle, twisting and wriggling and twisting and turning but to no avail the door could not open.

"It's... locked." she stated out of breath. "Lady Penicillin pinned it after she left– give up Colt... its heavy steel no one can break."

"Did you forget, I went to genie school?" he grinned. "I learnt a thing or two from my school mates where we were locked in our hostels with magic or iron doors."

Zyca watched Colt like she was witnessing the birth of a bird, as he rubbed his hands ceaselessly together, scratching with his nails on each palm like he had an itch. He continued until a tiny blue flame lit from his palms.

She was astonished.

It was the first time she'd seen someone use genie magic. Even Master Kane and Lady Penicillin had never openly used their magic for her to see and because of the cuffs that clammed her hands, she could not perform any magic for herself to see.

The blue flame rose up and morphed into an item, a black key. He snatched it and placed it in the diminutive key shack. He placed his face close to it, curling and twisting the key, waiting for any sound at all. They heard a click from the door. He had unlocked it with no effort.

Colt placed his hands on his chest and breathed out a loud sigh. "Honestly, I thought I'd done it wrong," he said swinging the door open and gestured with his hands, out the hall.

Zyca stared at her access to freedom. She was torn in twos. She could step out the door, take her sister and leave like she originally planned with the possibility Colt could get intertwined with her ugly fate or she could stay put and continue to insist Colt should leave while she awaited to be thrown into Laddendebt. Zyca shivered.

Zyca had a faint idea of what needed to be done. She loved her sister so very much and it would be unfair to let her perish without knowing a reason why, and besides Colt wanted to do this for her. He insisted, didn't he?

As she continued to deliberate Zyca heard voices up the stairs.

"May I offer you something to drink?" No doubt it was the Lady's voice.

Zyca had to choose quickly. Leave or Stay. Stay or leave, she chimed in her mind. What about Master Kane? She thought for a minute. Would it be fair for her to leave without saying goodbye? And what if he was taken to the prison alongside his fiancée – not like she cared about the latter.

Zyca was taken from her thought when Colt slipped away and grabbed her hands, pulling her up with a puff. Zyca winced again from the pain which throbbed again.

"Ouch," she screamed, when the pain became unbearable.

"They hit you again." Colt stated, rounding his neck with one of her arms.

Zyca could not reply but her wordless cry did.

They heard again feet's clamoring down the stairs followed by a high-pitched laughter from Lady Penicillin.

"C'mon. We have no time to waste." Colt slid into the darkened hallway.

He dashed with Zyca hoisted by his side, to the door Zyca pointed was hers. The oak door.

At last - panting from the race, they entered her room after a check down the hall for any surprising movements. The boy released Zyca from his hold and hurried toward the still sleeping Allet and carried her on his shoulders like a new baby.

"Anything you want to take?" Colt asked.

Master Kane coughed. It sounded loudly like they were just seconds away. Zyca knew they were closer than she thought.

"I'll pack," she finally said. "I'll leave." she whispered finally deciding for herself.

Zyca disappeared, into a walk-in clothes shack, the size of a miniature closet. She pried the inside open and swiftly pulled out an empty black bag, and a bundle of clothes and clammed them in.

"In here," she heard Master Kane speak.

"Hurry up!" Colt exclaimed.

Zyca zipped up the bag but she had done it a little too blistering, making the zip chap in half.

"Oh no!" Zyca cried. "It's chapped."

"Just leave it!"

"I'll try again." she insisted.

Before she could try the zip a second time, there came a sudden screech, followed immediately by the thundering footsteps she heard from outside Master Kane's house.

"THEY ARE GETTING AWAY!"

Zyca had no choice but to leave the bag and limp hurriedly across the room to where Colt stood rubbing his palm again like the way he did when he made the key.

It was in that second, she noticed that the genies that came for her weren't a hundred nor a thousand, not even two thousand. They were just three, all blues in iron raked vests and a helmet of the same kind. Only three made those thundering sounds? How terrible it would be if they got their hands on her. And standing in their midst were Lady Penicillin trying hard to hide her laughter which she was failing woefully at and Master Kane whose hands were folded across his torso by the door pretending not to care.

Zyca pleaded silently for her master to help her out just like he did years ago. But with the way his eyes glazed over, she knew it wasn't happening anytime soon and she didn't blame him. She understood, he had no say in the matter. The higher up made him do it. She blamed them for it. She was sure he wanted to protect her with all he had but was afraid of what would happen to him if he challenged them -to Laddendebt perhaps or maybe paraded on the streets to be laughed at? Oh Colt, she thought. He could end up that way. It was okay for Master Kane to be scared of such dreadful state, she was afraid of it too. Scared out of her wits.

"SEIZE THEM!" The blue genie in iron with a large forehead barked, who she assumed was their leader thundered from the feather on his helmet.

"Colt!" Zyca called hurriedly at the boy who was still rubbing his hands fanatically.

"Got it!" he suddenly exclaimed as a twirl of wind appeared and began to blow. The air it emanated was terrible, it blew everyone and everything in the room. The two military genies who advanced were drawn back by the force of the wind and Lady Penicillin and Master Kane were thrown out leaving behind a mixture of gagging screams.

Mouth hanging open, Zyca saw an opening seemed to have emerged from the twirl.

"Get in," Colt said pushing Zyca forward. Zyca feared it but she knew she had no choice but to get sucked in, into the large square opening.

Zyca hurried to the twirl with Colt tugging behind with Allet on his back.

"I've got you now!"

Zyca dismally heard the same voice that ordered for them to be seized grunt from behind. So, she turned and saw Colt fighting him off as he tried to grab the little girl on his back. To her horror, he let out a bellow like an angry animal and dived at Colt, grabbing Allet's tiny ankle.

"NO!" Zyca seized Colt's arm and pulled as hard as she could.

"THEY'RE GETTING AWAY!"

The other two military genies clammed hands on their leaders back on each side and gave a gigantic tug as she did the same on her end.

Allet slid out of his back - Colt and Zyca fell into the twirl.

****

Life was not all milk and honey, or a sweet crispy food, and Zyca knew that all too well. Heck, even the Crisscross lines on her laps, the draining slap and not to forget her still throbbing side reminded her so. But she hadn't expected a moment so tremendous, hard and sharp like the end of a piercing needle to turn her life around.

Zyca could dine with Lady Penicillin and let her taunt her with her anyway she liked, than to feel the way she felt; mentally drained, tired and worn out.

Trinkets of sweat lined her forehead, in contrasting dots. Her breathing came out in loud puffs as she paced the airy cocoon biting nervously on the tip of her finger nails. Her feet left tiny dents as she moved with quick steps.

"Can you please stop pacing?" Colt grumbled. "You're making me dizzy."

"Let's go back," said Zyca hastily. "We need to go back." she added intensely.

"You and I know we can't afford to go back."

"But my sister is back there Colt." she stressed and pointed to the dark airy wall surrounding them. "I can't leave her. Who knows what might happen – will happen – take me back Colt." Zyca's eyes watered at the corners, wanting to spill out like a can of over shaken bottle of soda. Zyca didn't know what to do anymore. Her fist met the surface as she punched again and again, but the walls only bounced back, jiggling from the impact. It was too thick.

"Colt!" she stressed again, when she noticed him watch her make feeble attempts to find her way out and had not made a single move to help.

"They'll be long gone by now," he finally replied turning his head to the side, away from the glare she fixed him with. "To the prison - Maybe." He whispered more to himself, unintended for Zyca to hear – but she did. Clearly in fact.

Zyca let out an audible cry and collapsed because she knew indeed, he spoke the truth. But it was difficult for her to accept. Her sister could die.

Just as it came precipitously the last time, the ringing sound resonated louder than she heard it in her room. It must be because she was outside and soaring the air, four feet off the ground, she could hear the piercing sound blustering.

They whipped their hands on their ears to barricade them from falling aloof. There was something about the intonation – something so urgent – something that made Zyca quiver and wonder. She had never heard of such before - since she was born, till now - since she ever lived.

The tiny hairs on her olive looking skin rose. Her head banged at an erratic rhythm. She was sure, her brain could pop out with only a minute to spare.

Again, it stopped abruptly. Silence stretched for a while.

Zyca opened her eyes, one after the other, something she didn't realize she had done. She saw Colt standing by the wall, peering through a small opening.

"What was that?" Zyca asked.

"White wash." He said turning to her.

"What! What is –" she began

"What I can tell you is that, it announces when a prisoner escapes or a suspect. My mum will explain the rest." He pasted a reassuring smile on his face. He peered again through the opening "We're a little bit outside town. You'll be safe here. Both of us.

A soft garish glow, different from the one she saw every morning, shone visibly along the horizon to the east. A gush of wind wheezed out the tiny hole as they descended lower and lower. The cocoon, in which they were in, suddenly moved faster tilting to the ground, just as a bird ready to land. An inaudible yelp flew out her mouth when she felt a bump from where she sat, before it finally came to a slow stop.

"C'mon."

They stepped out through the square opening they used previously.

The scenery was mesmerized with trees all over. The green leaves, luscious and full of life were a direct contrast to the darkened sky above. How could they survive without the sunlight? It must be the Aster's powers that kept them looking that way.

A two-story house, with multiple windows and luxurious front door was the first thing that caught her attention. It looked like one of the houses she saw on the back pages in the books she read. They were owned by the wealthy – which reminded her Colt was of wealth.

"Finally!" Colt screamed unexpectedly from her side, raising his hands to the air like a young bird unable to fly. "I'm safe. I'm safe." He kissed the wet floor, leaving granules of sand right on his lips.

Seemed like she hadn't been the only one nervous.

Unable to hold it, Zyca let out a snicker at Colt's sudden display. He must have been darn scared to let his lips touch the dirty ground. "We're you that frightened?"

"Ah, the question of the moment," he started sarcastically. "I thought I was going to die when he grabbed a hold of me." It irked her this time when he rubbed his tongue on a rough stone which broke in pieces when he touched it.

"Colt?" a feminine voice spoke from behind one of the trees. Smooth hands grabbed the trunk and a head spilling from grey locks of hair popped out. It was Mrs. Aster. The real Mrs. Aster this time, not the thing that pretended to be her. She wore a color-coded gardening tong matching the tools in its pockets.

Colt turned a certain shade of color, almost like hers, as Mrs. Aster marched with heavy steps, across the yard to them, baring her teeth, ready to bite. For a minute there, she reminded her of Lady Penicillin.

"Sweet butter muffins," said Colt.

The woman reached them in a matter of seconds, setting loose with her hands the gardening tongs.

"Mum I can -" she whipped Colt's retreating back heavily with it and followed him as he ran.

"WHERE WERE YOU?" she thundered. "IMAGINE GETTING TOLD YOU HAD LEFT SCHOOL HOURS AGO." The sound of the tong sounded harsh when it met his back again. He yelped.

Zyca only kept silent and watched.

"I WAS SCARED SOMETHING HAD HAPPENED TO MY BABY BOY. WHAT IF YOU DIED, MUTATED? OR SOMETHING WORSE!" she continued. "OH, WAIT TILL YOUR FATHER GET'S BACK."

"No daddy please," he cried

"OH, HE'LL HAVE YOU FOR LUNCH!" she whipped again, missing by an inch when Colt jumped at the last second away and hid behind her, using her body as a shield.

It seemed centuries passed, as he propelled her body, to avoid getting hit.

"And who is this, Colt. One of your girlfriends. IS THAT WHY YOU DIDN'T COME HOME!" she roared.

"Zyca. My free-end I told you about." he stuttered from behind.

Mrs. Aster stared at Zyca who escaped from Colt's grip and backed afar.

"Zyca Abram?" she asked surprised, breathing heavily from the race.

It was indeed a reaction, she hadn't expected.