PROJECT: CAYRO

Cayro Bracton:

August 18, 2025

16:35 EST

The Bracton House

Hampton VA.

I watched Star glare at me as her skycar lifted off, leaving nothing but the receding hum of its engines and a seething rage simmering in my chest. The nerve of that girl, acting so damn nonchalant about everything! Does she have any clue that my entire life has been flipped upside down? All I ever wanted was a normal life—graduate high school, go to college, become a pro skyboarder, and live out my dreams. But instead, I’m some failed experiment with a ticking clock over my head.

Sighing, I tore my eyes away from the sky where Star had vanished and turned to find my grandfather and Captain Clark watching me.

“What?” I snapped, unable to keep the frustration and anger out of my voice.

“Problem?” my grandfather asked, one eyebrow arched in that familiar way that meant he wasn’t buying my bullshit.

“Nope,” I shot back quickly, walking over to them, trying to rein in my temper.

“Uh-huh…” Captain Clark muttered, his tone laced with skepticism. “Well, Cayro, it was a pleasure to meet you again, even if our time together was brief,” he said, offering his hand with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

Out of respect, I shook his hand, though I couldn’t muster the energy to make it anything more than a formality. “So, what’s the plan, sir?” I asked, letting go.

“Well, I believe I might know where your father hid the C Drive. We’re going to continue searching for it. Once we find it, we’ll contact your grandfather so we can complete your procedure. That way, you can live a healthy and happy life,” he explained.

“Good. Is there a way for me to contact you if I happen to find it?” I asked bluntly. I saw his eyebrow twitch at my tone, and I couldn’t help but feel a small spark of satisfaction. At least he understood I wasn’t happy about any of this.

“I’ll have Star send you an email when we get back to the Autumn. Your grandfather can brief you on how to encrypt it. Also, be careful about what you say in the email,” the Captain replied, his patience clearly wearing thin. Oh, joy… more interaction with her royal grumpiness. Just what I needed.

“I’m perfectly capable of sending an encrypted email, thank you,” I growled, the frustration bubbling back up.

“Cayro… that attitude isn’t necessary,” my grandfather grumbled, though I could hear the exhaustion in his voice. He was just as fed up with all of this as I was. Maybe this whole situation would teach them not to play God with someone’s life.

Captain Clark nodded before heading back to his vehicle. As he opened the door, he turned back to me. “Cayro, keep practicing your skyboarding. Your grandfather mentioned you’re one of my biggest fans. From one professional to another, don’t give up,” he said, his tone softening.

I nodded curtly before turning away and heading towards the house, my grandfather silently trailing behind me. I heard the click of the door shutting behind us as I made my way up the stairs, not bothering to look back. My mind was racing, and all I wanted was to be alone to process everything.

In my room, I collapsed onto my bed, staring blankly at the picture of my father holding me as a baby, propped up on my desk. Without thinking, I reached out and laid it face down. I didn’t want to see his face, not now. Closing my eyes, I tried to sort through the mess in my head, but all I could see were bright amethyst eyes—Star’s eyes. Her face filled my mind, her soft smile, the way her sharp features seemed to soften when she wasn’t being so… frustrating.

My heart picked up speed, a frustrating reaction that only fueled my anger. Why was she stuck in my head? A knock at the door interrupted my spiraling thoughts. I sat up, glancing over to see my grandmother standing in the doorway, her expression a mix of concern and tenderness.

“I’m glad you’re back and doing better,” my grandmother said softly, her voice filled with the warmth that only she could provide.

“Hey, Grandma. I’m guessing Grandpa told you what happened?” I asked, my voice betraying the exhaustion that had settled deep in my bones.

“Yes, he kept me updated on everything,” she replied, her tone calm, yet laced with the worry I knew she was trying to hide.

“Ah,” I murmured, lying back down on my bed, the weight of the world pressing down on me.

“I brought pizza home for dinner if you’re hungry,” she offered gently, always knowing how to comfort me with the simplest things.

“I’m not all that hungry,” I said quietly, the thought of food making my stomach turn.

I heard her step further into the room, her soft footsteps barely making a sound on the carpet before she sat down at the foot of my bed.

“Cayro, honey, I know it’s a lot to take in. Your grandfather and I are here for you. There’s no reason to worry,” she said, her voice as sweet and soft as ever, trying to soothe the turmoil raging inside me.

“I know,” I replied, my voice barely above a whisper. “I’m just… not hungry right now. There’s too much on my mind.”

I felt the bed shift as she stood up, followed by the soft click of the door as she closed it behind her, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I closed my eyes again, hoping that sleep would take me away from this nightmare.

As I drifted off, the sensation of falling overwhelmed me, the wind whipping past my body. My eyes snapped open, and I found myself plummeting through a sky-blue abyss, no ground in sight. Panic began to set in until something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. I turned my head to see the strangest thing—a white cat with a black tail calmly walking on what seemed like nothing, heading toward me.

The wind that tore at me had no effect on the cat; its fur remained perfectly still as if it were immune to whatever force was pulling me down. I stared at it, my mind struggling to make sense of what I was seeing. After what felt like an eternity, I tried to speak, but no sound came out. My voice was gone, as if it had never existed. I tried again, but it was useless.

The cat stopped and looked at me, its mouth moving as if it were trying to communicate. My confusion deepened. Was it meowing? Talking? I couldn’t tell. In response, I scratched my head and gave the cat a bewildered look, hoping it would understand my confusion. I held my palms up, trying to convey that I had no idea what was happening.

Without warning, the cat turned and started walking away, its steps sure and deliberate. Something deep inside me urged me to follow. But how could I? I was falling, helpless against the pull of gravity. Then, a thought sparked in my mind—swim. Skydivers used their arms to control their descent. Maybe I could do the same.

Moving my arms in broad, sweeping motions, I began to propel myself through the air. To my surprise, it worked. I was moving toward the cat. As I got closer, it stopped and faced me again, its eyes locking onto mine. The cat’s mouth moved as though it were speaking to me, but still, I heard nothing. Confused and increasingly desperate, I hoped the look on my face was enough to show that I didn’t understand.

That was when the cat really surprised me. It seemed to understand my confusion, padding up to me before sitting down right in front of my face. The cat looked at me for a long moment, then did something that threw me for a loop—it pushed itself up onto its hind legs and just stood there, like a tiny, fur-covered human. I’ve seen some crazy cat videos online, but this was next-level weird.

I gave the cat an odd expression, trying to figure out what it was trying to communicate. The cat, in turn, seemed to give me a look of annoyance—yes, actual annoyance—before it sat back down, twitching its tail in what I could only describe as impatience. Once again, I raised my palms in a gesture of confusion, hoping the cat could somehow explain itself better. It responded by tapping one of its claws on the invisible ground, like a person drumming their fingers on a desk while deep in thought. This cat was seriously strange.

Then, with a loud pop—the first sound I’d heard besides the roaring wind—a black notebook appeared in front of the cat, its cover adorned with little white cat heads. A matching black pen with a tiny white cat figurine, complete with a black tail, appeared in the cat’s paw. At this point, I was pretty sure I was dreaming or had somehow ended up in some bizarre, Alice in Wonderland-type world. I closed my eyes, desperately trying to wake up, but when I opened them again, I was still here, falling endlessly with the cat in front of me. Great, just great—Alice in Wonderland, here I come.

I watched as the cat deftly flipped the notebook open and began to write. It was surreal, to say the least. Once it finished, the cat turned the notebook toward me so I could see what it had written:

STAND UP.

I quirked an eyebrow at the cat, half-expecting this to be some kind of prank. But, shrugging, I decided to give it a try. Placing both palms down, I pushed up with my arms. To my surprise, I felt a solid surface materialize beneath me, allowing me to stand. As I rose to my full height, the wind ceased, and silence filled the space around me. With another loud pop, the notebook and pen vanished, and the cat began to walk away, its tail flicking as if to signal that I should follow. Cautiously, I took a step, feeling the reassuring solidity under my feet.

Shrugging again, I fell in line behind the cat, keeping close so I wouldn’t lose my footing. We walked for what felt like ages until we reached a free-standing mirror. Something about it felt oddly familiar, like a memory just out of reach. I watched as the cat walked straight into the mirror, then turned to face me from within it. I just stared in disbelief as the cat used its tail to beckon me forward. Well, what the hell, right? What could go wrong? Steeling myself, I took a step into the mirror and was immediately plunged into a dark void.

I jerked awake, my heart racing, and found myself lying on my bedroom floor. I lay there for a few moments, my breathing heavy, as I tried to process what had just happened. Then I heard my grandfather’s heavy footsteps approaching my room, followed by a knock on the door. A second later, he poked his head in.

“You ok, Cayro?” my grandfather asked in a concerned voice, his silhouette framed in the soft light spilling from the hallway.

“Yes, Sir, just had a bad dream and fell out of bed,” I responded quietly, looking up from the floor. I tried to sound reassuring, but a small part of me wasn’t entirely sure.

He hesitated for a moment, his eyes searching mine for any signs of deception. “Are you sure?” he asked one final time.

“Yes, Sir,” I assured him again, trying to put a little more conviction into my voice.

Seemingly satisfied, he softly closed my door behind him and quietly walked back to his bedroom. Left alone, I sighed and looked over at my desk. There were a couple of slices of pizza sitting on a plate with plastic wrap over them. My grandmother must have placed them there for me while I was asleep. I reached past the pizza and grabbed my cell phone, noting that it was nearly four in the morning. The night had passed in a blur of surreal dreams and unsettling revelations.

Yawning, I stood up, stretched, and glanced at my bed. Sleep felt like a distant possibility after that weird dream. My mind was still buzzing, making it impossible to settle back down. Deciding I needed a distraction, I sat down in my desk chair and booted up my computer. The bright screen illuminated my room, casting reflections in the mirror mounted behind me.

I sighed and opened a movie app, hoping to find something to take my mind off everything. After scrolling through several options and finding nothing that caught my interest, I gave up on the idea. Accepting defeat in my search for entertainment, I decided to turn on some music instead. Setting the volume low so it wouldn’t disturb my grandparents, I started to spin around in my chair slowly, letting the music fill the background as my thoughts drifted back to the strange dream I’d had.

The cat was an odd, almost abstract element, yet it felt familiar in a way I couldn’t quite place. As I spun around, I caught a glimpse of something bright green in my mirror. Frowning, I looked around my room, trying to locate the source of the green hue. But there was nothing.

That was until I looked back at the mirror and realized the glow was coming from my own eyes. My heart skipped a beat. I slowly pulled the chair closer to the mirror to get a better look.

My eyes were glowing a bright emerald green. The color was captivating, almost mesmerizing. I sat there for a good ten minutes just staring at my reflection, trying to make sense of what I was seeing. What was happening to me? Were these side effects from the operation on the Autumn?

I leaned back in my chair, my mind racing, when something moved just outside of my vision. I jumped, barely managing to stifle a gasp. My eyes darted back to the mirror, and that’s when I saw it.

The white cat from my dream was standing in the mirror, staring back at me with its glowing blue eyes. I ran my hands through my hair, trying to convince myself I wasn’t hallucinating. But no, the cat was still there. It looked at me for a moment, then turned and walked out of the mirror, vanishing with a flick of its tail.

I sat there, staring at the mirror for what felt like an eternity, waiting for the cat to return. But it didn’t. My music continued to play softly in the background, and as the adrenaline from the encounter faded, my eyes began to feel heavy. I yawned, the tension slowly draining from my body.

Stripping off my clothes, which I had once again fallen asleep in, I crawled back into bed. The darkness of sleep quickly overcame me, pulling me into its deep, dreamless embrace.