For a while, Iris just lay hidden, feeling lost. She had no idea what to do next. Flashbacks of what had happened when she'd been kidnapped last time ran through her mind, and she rose to her feet. If she could do it once, she could certainly do it again too.
Although she wasn't too familiar with the city, she had a vague idea about its layout. Kyro's parents' house was really far off, in a residential area away from the hubbub of the main city, so reaching it was out of the question.
Kyro's apartment was much closer, but what would be the point of going there? They had abandoned it for some time, and Kyro was taken in by the government, so he wouldn't be able to look for her there, either.
That left her with only choice. Taking in a deep breath, she left her hiding place and dashed away in the direction of Gale's apartment. It was close to an hour's journey away by car, but at least it would have a person she could ask for help. No matter what arguments they had, she didn't believe that Gale wouldn't come to Kyro's aid. She just had to let him know of it.
With such a mindset, she set off in the general direction. However, since it was day, the streets were filled with people. She had to keep on dodging the passers-by. And that was when they were just walking past her.
There were plenty of those who tried to catch her. It was a rare sight for a large-eared little fox to be running between people's feet, but Iris was even carrying a thin letter with something inside. The credit card was underneath, so people wouldn't notice it.
Still, that didn't save her from people's interest. It wasn't greed, but curiosity that brought most to try and catch her. Some just called her in sweet voices, hoping to attract her attention, but others chased and tried to corner her, giving up only moments before she fell over in exhaustion.
If that wasn't enough, she would often have to look for a map in bus stops to locate herself, and it took time as well as effort when trying to see words written high up for human height. Every second wasted for that was like a dagger being stabbed deeper into her heart at first, but soon, everything started to go faint.
As the sun moved through the sky, she kept walking and walking, running and hiding. When exhaustion overtook her, she slowed down, but never stopped. What if Kyro was in danger? She needed to hurry and tell Gale about what had happened.
By the time she saw the outline of the apartment building towering high above other buildings, her vision was a blur. Her mind was empty, but for the single thought of her goal. It was all that mattered.
There was a time when her feet had hurt, but it was long past. She put her small feet one before the other, pushing herself to go forward. It was important not to stop. If she let herself go, she wouldn't be able to rise up again.
The doors to the apartment building were closed, but Iris managed to get through when a couple went in, totally blind to their surroundings. However, they lived on the ground floor and didn't use the elevator. Iris paced around for a bit, but there was no movement.
It was impossible for her to reach the elevator buttons, and even if someone came, would they let a dirty fox go up with them? The question didn't even need to be asked.
With limbs weighted down by 100 kg weights, she went toward the stairs. The door to them were closed, but when she pushed against it with all her weight, it opened a crack. She dashed through, which was more like a nose dive forward, and sprawled on the ground as the door closed behind her.
The letter and the cards slipped from her teeth and slid on the ground, landing by the first step. Iris pushed herself to stand up, putting all she had into it. The effort yielded a result, and she rose to her feet, but all her limbs were shaking.
'A step forward and lower your head, then pick up the letter and cards. Step forward, then up. Gale.' Her thoughts were fragmented, hardly connecting with each other. She kept on repeating what she needed to do as if afraid she was going to forget it.
Every step required conscious effort.
She collected her things, almost falling twice, and started to climb the stairs. Each one was a new torture device, but she persevered, ignoring that her body was beyond the point of mere exhaustion.
Red sunlight washed over her when she rounded the corner, and she blinked a few times. When had the sun went so low? It didn't matter though. She didn't have the energy to count time.
Instead, she just climbed higher. One step after another, she rose and rose, pulling herself up. Then, her nose suddenly bumped into a wall. She looked up, blinking to understand what had happened.
The haze in her vision cleared for a moment, and she realized that there was nowhere higher to climb - she'd reached the thirtieth floor.
Too tired to feel any joy, she dragged herself over and pushed at them. Yet they didn't move. Not in the slightest. After trying three times more and thinking for a good ten minutes, it finally came to her that they might open in her direction.
After all that time pushing herself to reach Gale, she was going to be stopped by a staircase door. At that thought, a hysterical laugh escaped her lips. It echoed eerily in the large open space, turning into a mad cackle.
This was pathetic. Stupid really.
She changed, and almost collapsed where she stood. With all her weight, she pulled the door open, then tumbled through while changing back. Her small form lay in the long corridor with only a single door some five strides away.
Not having the energy to reach it, Iris just screamed as loud as she could. Her voice was hoarse from all the panting, but hysteria worked its magic. In no time, Gale opened his door to look around for the origin of the unbearable noise.
His eyes landed on her, and he rushed over to pick her up. "What happened?" he asked as he collected her and her possessions.
Inside the apartment, he brought her to the bathroom and ordered, "Change!"
The moment he left the room, Iris did just that and pulled a bathrobe off a hook. It was a challenge to dress herself with shaking arms that refused to enter the sleeves, but in time, she managed it. "Come in," she whispered, holding herself standing with willpower alone.
"What happened?" Gale repeated his question from before.
"Have you heard from Kyro?" she asked instead. Maybe he was already free? That was all she wished at that moment—to hear that Kyro was safe and sound, not hurt by her actions.
Yet her hopes were all dashed to pieces. "I haven't talked to him since yesterday. Is something the matter?"
Iris nodded, the tears she'd been holding finally spilling out. "We- I-I wanted to meet someone outside, and… and…" She hiccuped, not wanting to remember how Kyro had been apprehended and taken away. "Kyro warned me to hide, and I-I e-escaped, but he… he… How could I let that happen? I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have left the house! I—"
"Shut up!" Gale glared at her, his face tense. "Tell me exactly what happened to Kyro."
"He-he was surrounded by uniformed men," Iris said, trying to push her hysteria away, even if it was all that kept her from falling over. "They then took him away."
"Did they use force?"
She shook her head, feeling her heart trying to beat out of her chest. "They argued, and then they led him into their car."
Gale's face relaxed a little at those words. "When did this happen?"
It took Iris a moment to recall when she had agreed to meet Elise. The event seemed to have happened forever ago. "After eleven. Eleven twenty or thirty? I didn't have a clock." Or more like she didn't care for it when hiding from her pursuers as a fox.
"Eleven?" Gale gave her a look, and something seemed to have clicked in his mind. He nodded, then called for Lily. "Help her take a bath, but make sure she doesn't fall asleep. Then you can bring her to your room."
"What about—" Iris began, taking a step forward, but Gale waved her away.
"I'll take care of it. You rest so Kyro doesn't have a heart attack after seeing you like that."
Iris wasn't certain what he meant and instead focused on what she understood. "You can help him, right? I don't want…" She didn't finish the sentence, afraid that it would make it become reality.
"Lily, take care of her," Gale repeated, then put on his shoes and left the apartment. His actions weren't hurried, and Iris put all her trust in that. If he didn't seem panicked, then it had to be that everything was going to be all right. Somehow.