Falling. She was tumbling into darkness.

"Zyca... Zyca." It was her sister's voice. It was calling out to her. She stretched forth her hands, wanting to reach out but she felt nothing, nothing but the dark and empty space.

****

She woke up on a very hot day, her face sweaty like a bail of water had be thrown on to her face. She squinted from the bright light that peeked through the curtains giving the room shades at different sides.

She groaned. "Where am I?" she asked to no one in particular. Her head ached when she turned to take a view of her surroundings. It was her room, the room where she stayed at her masters but it was different, clean, and smelt of disinfectant.

She grunted as she tried to get up, feeling an ungenie crack in her lower back. Zyca climbed up with the strength she could muster, vividly recalling the events of the previous night. She remembered the tarantula and its venomous sting but why was she alive? Not that she wasn't glad she had survived, it just confused her how she managed to beat the poisonous venom that coursed through her body. And her shoulder – she glanced at them quickly, it was under a white cloth slashed across was a brown bandage. Lightly, she touched it – it didn't hurt that much.

Her memory was failing. Except the two headed tarantula that attacked her, she remembered nothing else of the events after – maybe it was the effect of being infected.

Zyca exerted her strength when she got up and staggered to the window, she pried open the shutter – between the paved stones came the aroma of an infused breeze, a newly radiant sun stepped forth wrapping her with its blinding rays.

"Even the atmosphere is different." Something had changed, the feel of the sun was hotter than before, and the green grasses were much darker and fuller.

"I see you're awake," an airy like voice said just as the door creaked open. It was a middle-aged woman with a pair of folded clothes in her gloved hands. She smiled. "Everyone will be happy when they hear this – oh I work here," she added quickly when she noticed Zyca's quizzical stare.

"The maid who comes to help?" she questioned.

"I'm Mary and this is my daughter Kate," the woman turned slightly. "C'mon," she pushed forward a little girl of about nine from behind who spotted a short pigtail on her head. She wore a pleated skirt and a flowery blouse but she couldn't tell what she looked like because she had her head tucked into the older woman's dress. "She's a little shy – Kate introduce yourself."

The girl shook her head.

"I won't bite." Zyca said inching closer and swatting beside her. "Hi my name is Zyca. What's your name?"

"K-Kate," she stuttered. Her voice muffled.

"You have a beautiful name."

"Did you say your name is Zyca?" The little girl raised her head.

Zyca nodded.

"You have the same name as Mama's boss's books," her eyes brightened up.

"Is that so? Can you tell me about them?"

"I can tell you about them if you want, that's if Mama wants," she looks up at her mother who bobbed her head in response.

"I'll be glad to hear them," said Zyca.

****

Apparently, Kate loved to read which reminded her so much of herself and a little bit of Allet when she used to sit on her lap as she read to her the books she stole down to their chambers. Zyca found it refreshing when Kate described the world of genies which made her wonder, if the human knew about them like how they knew about humans back at her world.

"They are of two colors. Green and Blue. The other colors are meanies to the greens," Kate said jumping on her bed as she talked. It surprised Zyca how the shy girl suddenly became the opposite as soon as she began narrating the stories.

"Fantasies are her fort. Harry potter, Darren Shan, just name it, she loves them all," her mother explained with a laugh before disappearing into the bathroom to wash her hands saying they were soiled with dust.

"That's fascinating. How was it written?"

"In third person. I'm waiting for the third part but I don't really know if it will get published."

"Why?"

"I heard the book didn't sell much because it lacked romance, you know, all those irk stuff." Kate shivered.

"So, the third part is a big no?"

The little girl shrugged. "Who knows," she slumped beside Zyca. "I'll still get to read it from Mama's boss's son."

Zyca wondered if Daniel had a brother who wrote books. "Can I read them?" she was curious and wanted to read the book the girl was fascinated about.

"You can ask mama's bosses son or buy them in the market. They are not that difficult to find – your name is at the front."

"Me?" she pointed to herself.

"Yes."

Zyca craved to know more after Kate's last sentence. She thought of asking Daniel for it but she remembered he had been annoyed with her the last time they spoke.

"Can you give me yours? I promise I'll return them when I'm done."

"I don't know," she placed her hand on her chin in thought. "Hmm."

"C'mon. I promised." Zyca nudged her playfully to which she laughed showing her set of chipped off teeth.

"Ok," she agreed.

"You remind me so much of my sister."

"What's her name?"

"Allet," she smiled. Zyca suddenly felt at the back of her mind she had to remember something, something important but whatever it was wasn't coming to her.

"That's weird. That name..." Kate started.

"C'mon let's leave Zyca to wash up." Mary said walking out of the bathroom as she dried her wet hands on her shirt.

"But I'm not done with my story," the little girl kicked her legs. "Two minutes."

"Kate."

"But mama."

"Kate," she added sternly.

Kate sighed getting off the bed. "Fine," she said going over to her mother's side. Zyca enjoyed watching the both of them relate with each other, it reminded her of what she didn't have and what she and her sister could have had. "I promised her a copy of Zyca, can we at least give it to her before we leave for summer?" Summer? Zyca was befuddled.

"We will come by and give it to her okay?"

"Awesome."

Zyca asked darting her eyes between them. "How long have I been asleep?"

"I think, about four months."

Gracious.

****

Clad in the new pair of clothes, she wore after a cleansing bath under the cold shower in the bathroom, and a new pair of bandages on her shoulders, she tugged down the stairs descending into the living room that held so many memories.

She couldn't believe she slept that long. Four months they said. Four earthly months and now it was the middle of June. How time had flown by so soon before she'd realize a year would come to an end.

Reaching the peak of her destination, a soft classical music from outside caught her attention, its tone resonating steadily beat by beat – it was beautiful.

Zyca peaked through the opened front door, peering at the yard from where the music came from.

"Fur Elise," said Riel with a bunch of cleaning tools in his hands; a rake and a broom in both. "A master piece composition by Ludwig Van Beethoven – It was or rather is one of his most popular compositions." He strode to her swinging the equipment's as he walked.

"Is that so?" Zyca smiled.

"Nice to see you awake," he returned the smile. "How are you feeling? I thought you were dead when the young master brought you in and I would say he was very worried."

Her heart fluttered like a butterfly at the thought of being carried in Daniel's arms. "He was worried?"

"Of course! Who wouldn't be? Finding another woman for him was already hard enough."

She crunched her face in confusion. "What?"

"Oh nothing, nothing," he replied quickly.

"Ok?" Her eyes followed him suspiciously as he walked over to the door. "Where is Daniel?"

"He has a visitor in his company. That's the sole reason why everyone has to put up with this annoying music," he huffed.

"But it's beautiful," she voiced her thought.

"Well not to me. The young masters Father loved to place it on repeat anytime he had his bath, yapping and yapping to me about his old life and I would tell you he made me stay in the bathroom the whole time."

The old man scowled as he remembered what seemed to be his worst nightmare.

"Why didn't he tell his wife?"

"Young Masters mother died a long time ago."

"Oh," she knew how it felt to lose a parent, two in fact.

"To say he was devastated is an understatement. Young Daniel left home for school, his only companion was his best friend, so I heard. I hadn't gotten the privilege to work for the family by then."

"What did he do?"

"He remarried," he scowled letting his gray eyebrow tense at the center. It didn't take any more words from him to let Zyca know he didn't fancy the new wife. "She was the reason I listened to all those stories – she was always busy with whatever she did. I believe she pretends to care about the young master."

"Why would you think so?"

"I feel it in my guts. Something is shady about her," he shook his head.

"Have you told Daniel about this?" she inquired.

"Of course not. Yes, he hates her butting into his love life but he loves her very much as much as he did with his late mother – how dare I say such to him."

"Then why are you telling me all this?" She asked.

He shrugged. "I feel you should know a little about the family you might join soon," she wanted to correct him about the mistake he made but his voice over shadowed hers. "I should be on my way now. I have work to do."

Riel bowed and pushed his way outside the door.

Zyca couldn't help but wonder why he would think the woman was shady, well what was her business with what goes on in the family. She'd be long gone before she met anyone else and besides why would he think she might be a part of Daniel's life? Last time she checked, he wasn't so fond of her.

Silence filled the room as the music came to a halt, followed by a voice which brought the memory of that night crashing on her like a strong wind.

Icy fingers raked through her back, over to the scratch Allet had given to her under her cuffs. Zyca jumped.

'Zyca,' Allet's tiny voice said.

She raised her gaze blinking. "Allet?"

'Yes,' the voice answered breathing on her face.

"Oh my," she placed her hands over her mouth. "But how... I'm so sorry I left you back there. I should he never listened to..."

'Shuu,' she felt again the icy hands over her mouth putting a pause in what she had to say. 'Under the dry tree Zyca.'

"What tree? I don't know what you mean."

'Come with me.'

Zyca felt the presence leave, the chill strangely moved outside the door toward the same direction Riel had gone.

"What is under the tree Allet?"

'Just come'

Without caution, Zyca followed the voice. Millions of questions ran through her mind as she followed edging closer to the wall for it seemed she could hear clearly the voice through it.

'A minute further. A dig will do'

At the far end of the yard she could make out the shape of Daniels figure alongside a shorter man; they were walking towards the gate, perhaps which was why the music ceased. His guest was leaving. Zyca turned back at once remembering she was indeed on a quest.

'This way' the voice disappeared through a door at the back of the house.

"This is crazy." Zyca gently opened the door and slipped through it. What was she doing? What if Daniel caught her snooping around his house?

She followed her sister? He would think she was crazy.

Her curiosity made her continue to follow. Moving down the passage way to another, she followed the mist which she seemed to make out in the darkness to the end, making a turn to the right.

Zyca swallowed a lump down her throat. She remembered where she was, it was exactly the same place she saw the shadow.

"Was that you Allet? The shadow I saw?"

'Yes' the voice came out misty.

With small movements she crept down a stair she hadn't noticed the last time, placing her hands on the dusty wall so as not to fall down, her hands made out the contours on them until the very end. The house was creepy and too big for she was positive a scream from her from where she was would be like a tiny ting from a pin to those in other parts of the building.

She dusted off her hands on her clothes following to a door less room. Light suddenly illuminated the room from the glassy roof. It was an old greenhouse.

'Zyca under the old tree'

"What tree? Everything's dead." She glanced around the abandoned greenhouse, the plants were dead, brown and crispy and no tree standing in the space. The plants were surrounded by tiny insects crawling all round ranging from spiders to other creepy crawlies.

When she stepped deeper, her shoes crunched a leaves and branches leaving them in tiny pieces as she explored. The place was indeed abandoned, a year or maybe five... she could not tell.

'Zyca under the tree'

She was annoyed. She had run her eyes a thousand times all over and she was sure a tree was not in the room. "There is no tree," she said sternly. "If this is a joke Allet, it's not funny."

Zyca's leg got caught in a branch making her fall forward on her face down to an empty clearing. "Ouch!" She rubbed her shin.

'Here Zyca. Here'

"Here? Where? There isn't any tree."

'There was a tree. Just dig Zyca dig'

She pondered for a while. She had not any tools to help her excavate but the urgency in Allet's voice made her use her hands to hollow the ground which was soft and sandy thus which made it easier for her to get deeper down.

Bones. Embedded into the ground were bones and it seemed they belonged to someone? Zyca let out a scream falling backwards as her hands met with the hard surface of the tissue.

'It's fathers'

"Naxeremis," she whispered. "Are you sure?"

'Look'

A stone glittered inside to which she picked. It was the crystal, she knew it at a glance for the genie crest at the bottom was just like the one on her lamp.

Zyca wished she could put out a joyous grin but her search wasn't over yet. The crystal was chipped.

Well, now she had a clue where the crystal laid, it was in the house not in the little town, she knew that now.

"How did you know all this?" Zyca questioned but no reply came. She looked around and noticed the little mist was no longer by her side instead it was replaced with the deserted scene of the greenhouse.

.....................