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Real life hurts
by TigressPL
Chapter 1: Everyday life's difficulties
Sun of late August shone brightly, its rays beaming into the house. Gleeful sparks of light danced on a vase with flowers and some glasses, standing on a table in the living room. No one was there to watch and admire their beauty though. The only living creature in the room, a small black cat lying under a windowsill, was focused on her own thoughts...
'It's perfect. Sun shining brightly, no sounds breaking the peaceful, lazy atmosphere… Can a cat ask for more? Especially wonderful: no sign of any dog being anywhere nearby. Perfect…'
Bark.
'It's nothing. Stay cool, rest, Mittens… It will pass, he will go away soon…'
Bark.
'Oh, God damn it, would somebody shut that dog up?'
"Mittens!" sudden sound right next to her ear made her jump up from surprise, causing a painful impact with a windowsill.
'That's it for sleeping in this place, never again. Now, on to the culprit…'
"What the hell is so important to interrupt my late afternoon nap, Bolt?" she asked in a weary voice, yawning and stretching her back.
"Penny's disappeared! She is not in the house, she's nowhere around… She must have been kidnapped!"
Mittens' jaw dropped.
"Before I answer this, please, confirm one thing Bolt. You got to know the difference between stage and real life like what, a month ago?"
"Six weeks, to be precise. But this is leading us nowhere, now get ready, we have to hurry to save her!"
"Bolt," she sighed. "I don't know what pushed you back into insanity, but I'm already fed up with it. Go and search for her at your own if you like, I don't give a damn." She laid back and closed her eyes.
"Told ya," Bolt said, seemingly without any sense to it. Mittens glanced at him to assure it's another symptom of his mental illness, but instead she saw Rhino, rolling from behind an armchair.
"I'll never doubt your acting talents again, Bolt!" the chubby hamster exclaimed with admiration. "She totally fell for it!"
With a sarcastic parody of a laughter she closed her eyes again and added, "Why don't you try your stupid jokes elsewhere? I'm in no mood for such games."
The dog snorted and looked at his rodent companion. They uttered only one word, almost simultaneously. "Females…"
Mittens sighed in response. "Males," she muttered under her breath.
"Fully awesome!" Rhino exclaimed when they got out of the cat's hearing range. "Let's do it again!"
"No," Bolt firmly stated. "Granted, it was great, but some borders should never be crossed."
"Okay… what do we do now then?"
"I don't know, it's still uncommon for Penny to disappear for such a long time. I wonder where she could go…"
"Well, let's find out."
"Rhino… seriously, what chance do we stand to find her? She could be anywhere… Plus, it's worthless, she'll be back today one way or another."
"I didn't really mean going after her… Come, there is another lesson that you need to master," he gestured towards the stairs. Bolt took his ball into mouth – granted, Rhino could go up by himself, but it would last much longer. Prepared that way, they quickly reached first floor.
It was late August, which meant that almost seven weeks have passed since Bolt had escaped Sovereign Entertainment, trying to save his beloved person. During his journey back, he learned much about real world from Mittens – she showed him what normal dogs do, how do they behave… The lessons didn't end after saving Penny, though. Even now there were still many things Bolt had to learn about the surrounding world. Granted, he was no longer lectured daily by Mittens, but every now and then she or Rhino would have to explain something new to him… such as now.
They came into Penny's room. It was sparsely furnished – small bedside table, big bed and a little cupboard on the other side of it, plus a desk in the corner was all she needed in her private space. Walls were covered with a pink-and-violet stripes wallpaper, one of them barely visible from beneath a hundred photos of the inseparable duo. The best one, showing whole 'family' together on a sofa wasn't there though – it stood on the table, framed appropriately.
Rhino rolled over to the desk and asked Bolt to help him up. Having got there, he immediately found the thing he was looking for and pushed it down. Bolt sprang aside to dodge the falling object, so it landed on the floor with a thud, then another thump accompanied Rhino's purposeful fall. Bolt examined the item, finding it was some kinda book. He knew what do people use them for and understood they are of no use for animals. When reading one word is hard thing to do, an effort needed to get through one page would be unimaginable. Save the fact that none of them would probably understand more than one in a hundred… or even a thousand words. Taking that into consideration, he was even more curious about how the rodent was going to use it.
While Bolt was pondering over the book, Rhino turned the entrance piece of his ball and got out of it, then trotted over to Bolt.
"This," he said, pointing to the book, "contains various information about what and when is Penny going to do."
"Why would she write something like that? It could fall into the wrong hands and cause some disaster…"
"Yeah… It seems people have too short memory to remember about some things."
Rhino opened the book and showed Bolt one of the pages , smirking knowingly. The dog examined it, but found nothing understandable – it was full of various words he couldn't comprehend.
"I see nothing we could use here" he admitted. "How is this gonna help us find Penny?"
To his amazement Rhino asked him to look at an electronic clock, standing atop the bedside table. It read "19:04" and, below, " Thu 21 Aug".
"Another cryptic human words, this is leading us nowhere," Bolt snorted.
"No, actually, this gives us the answer" Rhino responded, reading something from the book. "Here, let me explain. The second part is like… a name, that people give to the current day. I don't know why, but it is certain – the letters are different every day and they change only overnight. Now, compare those characters with these written here," he pointed to some letters in the book. Indeed, incomprehensible as they were, the signs looked identically. They seemed to be some sort of a title.
"Rebecca's birthday party," Bolt read the words slowly, stammering all the time. "Boy, I hate reading human writing. I just hope it is more intelligible to you than to me, 'cause I don't have a clue about what does it mean."
"It just so happens that I do. It is one of the words I learned from watching the Magic Box… When there is party, many people gather, they talk much, eat and drink… And sometimes have some fun, but usually it's the straightest way to get bored to death."
"Well, it's not like we have better situation here."
"Yeah," Rhino admitted. "Are you suggesting what I think you are?"
"Searching for Penny to save both her and us from boredom? Yup, that's what I'm on… But our intel is incomplete, we have to decipher the rest of this code… Are you familiar with 'birthday'?"
Rhino thought for a minute."Nope, nothing comes to my mind. Our last chance is 'Rebecca's'. I have no idea what could this one mean too, though. Sorry."
"Wait a second… Rebecca's, Rebecca's… I heard it somewhere, I just can't put my paw on this…" He trailed off for a while, then suddenly exclaimed "I know! During several occasions, Penny would go with me to visit her friend, Rebecca - maybe Rebecca's… She has a Labrador named Tom. But the point is, it's not far away from here. Wanna join me?"
"Are you kidding? Why are we still here?"
Penny's family's house was located quite far to the north from the center of Hollywood, in the least built-up area. Houses stood very sparsely there, making it look more like a village than suburbs of Hollywood. However, the area wasn't vast, covering less than four square kilometers.
While Bolt and Rhino were examining Penny's diary, two kilometers east from them, slowly setting sun was illuminating many houses, crammed along an empty street. One of them, a brown-painted bungalow with a small garden surrounded by a hedge, was currently holding a teenager's birthday party. Under dying rays of the sun, slowly beginning to set, a bunch of adolescents was running in the garden. Granted, they all thought of themselves as of 'almost adult', mature etc, but when it came to it, most of them still found open-air activities the best way of spending free time. Only a clique of party guests decided to stay inside, preferring talking to running around. Currently there were two girls and three boys inside, which, of course, meant two separate groups. It just so happened that one of the girls was Penny, while the other – party's host, Rebecca.
"Now, how long has it been since you quitted that show, Pen? A month?" shorter of the girls asked.
"One and a half, why?"
"I was just wondering… Don't you miss all that? You know, constant action, several people catering for you…"
"…most exhausting job I could imagine and agent, who wouldn't listen to anything I said? Actually… I do. I don't think I would quit in the first place if it ever was my decision to make. You know, my mum became highly overprotective after that accident in the studio."
"Accident? You're saying it like it was nothing, while I heard you could have got killed in the process!"
"I had Bolt on my side, I never doubted he'll guide me out of there… Plus, it was an accident – come on, how often does something like that happen?"
"So… are you planning to take the job back?"
"It would be hard now, you know – they already found a new actress, plus I'd have to convince mum."
"Right…"
"I believe it's here," Bolt said, stopping beside a high hedge.
"Hmm," Rhino murmured, examining the obstacle. "It seems to have a highest level of protection. No way in without a human companion… I think you should superbark this leafy wall so that we can pass it."
"Rhino, you know I don't have such powers… Best thing I could achieve that way would be scaring some spiders to death. Even though… it doesn't look like impassable for me. See?" he put his paw deep into the hedge.
"You don't know what hell awaits you on the other side… And I won't be able to assist you."
"Well then… guard the entrance. I'll get inside and see if I can let you in somehow."
Rhino agreed, so Bolt paced back a few steps and suddenly broke into a fast run, jumping up in the last moment. Thanks to his weight he got through the hedge quite easily and painlessly. He quickly inspected his new surroundings. View of a bunch of kids running around the garden confirmed he was in the right place, although he couldn't spot Penny anywhere. He only caught sight of one familiar being, namely Tom, Rebecca's black Labrador.
That's also when Tom noticed a trespasser. He dashed in his direction, barking and looking daggers at him.
"Get outta here, you bloody stray, before I make you-!" he suddenly recognized the newcomer and stopped dead in his tracks. "Bolt?"
"Evenin', Tom," the dog in question greeted.
"What's wrong with you? Have you gone nuts to break onto my terrain without a reason? It's a manner of stray dogs, not civilized ones like you and me."
"Not without a reason, Tom. I'm here to accompany my person."
"If you came with her in the first place, I would let you in immediately. You didn't, so you're not welcome here. Now, don't make me repeat the threat…"
"My person's somewhere here and I won't yield-"
"I don't care a fig about your reasoning. You're trespassing and you are to leave!"
"Was this a challenge?"
Penny and Rebecca were sitting inside, discussing various subjects and unwittingly watching their colleagues run in what they identified as a game of 'blind man's bluff'. The outer scene caught their conscious attention immediately though, when some of the teenagers screamed, pointing at something invisible from inside the house. When all the teenagers huddled, the girls stormed out to see what's going on.
First, they heard unrecognizable growling, then they saw two blurred shapes of animals, rolling on the ground. it hasn't been a second later that they distinguished the fighting figures as their dogs.
"Bolt! Tom!" they screamed in unison.
Hearing his person's command – or maybe just recognizing the voice – one of the struggling dogs, an albino German Shepherd, quickly gained an upper hand. He caught his opponent by the scruff of his neck and slammed him to the ground. Having done this, he quickly came over to his person, expressing his pride of winning and mirth of seeing her through a rapid wagging of his tale. But she didn't share his joy, looking concerned at the other girl, who darted towards her lying dog and examined his body in search of potential wounds.
"Is… is he okay?' Penny finally asked.
"Yes, thankfully, he is. I do not blame you, Penny, I don't know why the hell did that happen, but you can't leave Bolt here… I suggest you better take him home and make sure that he won't escape next time."
"But…" Penny was speechless. The best part of the party was about to begin, with a huge bonfire, with singing and dancing… How could she do it to her? But she was right, she couldn't just leave Bolt here.
With a heavy sigh she got up from the ground and left through the garden gate. She didn't bother to say goodbye to anyone, knowing perfectly well they wouldn't probably answer after what just happened. Instead, she simply walked back towards her home with a sullen expression on her face. She didn't care if Bolt followed her, angry with him for making her leave the party.
Mittens awoke without any specific reason. She got up from her sleeping position, but couldn't believe she stopped dreaming. The house was thoroughly quiet, no sign of life could be heard or seen. It wouldn't probably be anything new for someone else, but after six weeks spent together with Bolt and Rhino she didn't believe in silence existing wherever near to this duo. Judging by the fading light, it was already growing late, so their absence was eerie.
As if on cue, she heard the front door click, then slam. Curious, she went in that direction. She saw Penny, somewhat angry, headed into the kitchen from the front door. And where Penny was… She immediately conjectured that the duo she was looking for had to be outside, so she went out through the pet door. Just as she thought, they were sitting on the terrace.
"Hey, Bolt," he glanced at her for a short while, but it was enough for her to notice something was clearly wrong. "What happened? You look as if you have lost something."
"No," he said quietly, "it's just…" He sighed. "I did something wrong, something that outraged Penny. Worst thing is, I don't know what, I just came to see her and she acted like…"
"Nah, it was probably nothing, maybe she just has a bad day."
When he didn't respond, blank expression on his face, she demanded his attention by standing right before him.
"Listen… There's a saying: Shi… bad things happen. You can't do anything about this, you have to let it pass."
"But… if she won't forgive me?"
"She will, you'll see. Both of you just need to drag your minds from this matter for the time being. By the end of the evening, she'll probably by as cheery as always."
"If you say so…" he didn't smile, but seemed kinda convinced. "What shall we do then?"
"…five…" murmured Rhino, "six… seven!" He let out an exclamation of joy. "It's been seven days since last episode of 'Bolt', and it was a replay, so today it's time for a new piece of pure awesomeness! And I think it's about time!"
"Weren't you fed up with 'Bolt' after the aliens appeared?" Mittens asked, more of sarcastic attitude then curiosity though.
"Nah… Granted, they're totally unrealistic, but it's Bolt we're talking about! He'll blot them out in no time."
They went to the living room, Mittens and Rhino still arguing. Having sat at the sofa, Rhino found the remote and turned the TV on.
Penny's mom, Beatrix, was preparing a supper for herself when she heard the front door being opened, then slammed shut. She looked at the clock, as Penny planned to come back from the party at 9 earliest and it hasn't even been 8. But it was her, undoubtedly. As if she wanted to confirm this, her daughter stormed through the living room and was about to go upstairs when Beatrix called, "What's up, sweetie? The party ended sooner than planned?"
Penny looked as if she was about to explode, but she settled down and managed to answer calmly, "No. Bolt decided to pay me a little visit and almost tore Rebecca's dog apart."
Beatrix sighed, "I'm sorry honey. But how could Bolt know…?"
"I don't care, he made me leave right before the best part of the party. And what will I tell Rebecca?" she sighed. "I'm tired, mum, I'm going to sleep."
"Okay. Sleep well, it always helps with problems."
"Ah, professor. It's always such a pleasure to see you. Looking at you, I see myriads of plans formerly impossible to achieve, now becoming fully realistic thanks to your help."
"I'm also thankful for every possibility of looking at you, doctor. I'm learning to appreciate everything else in a flash."
"Still in mood to talk back, aren't you? Good, good, but remember, professor. I have an upper hand in our little… conflict."
Professor sighed heavily. "You're right. But I've done everything you asked for so far-"
"So far, professor," Calico cut in, "so far. Your next appointment won't be too hard though. You see, I simply admire the powers you implemented in that damned canine. Now, I want you to repeat the procedure, with two felines this time."
"It would be easier if you hadn't blown up my laboratory."
"Oh, I'm sure it won't stop you, professor. Not when I can forcefully implement few small pieces of lead into a certain head."
"You're a monster, doctor," another weary sigh could be heard. "But I am forced to cooperate. I will need some barely available chemicals. Behemothea Amonamarthian, Korpiklan Ensiferumel, some Equilib. Oh, and at least three hundred grams of plutonium."
"Have you noted it?" Calico asked.
"Yes sir," a new voice answered.
"Gorgeous! We will meet again soon, professor, as fast as I will be able to collect all the indispensible ingredients. For the time being, I suggest you better make yourself comfortable in this cell, as you are going to spend some time here."
"Awesome!" Rhino commented immediately after a 'to be continued' information appeared on the screen. "Genetically modified cats… but Bolt won't let that happen, he'll surely cut off the electricity! Or-"
"Rhino…" Mittens cut in. "Bolt is in the space, how can he possibly affect anything that's happening on Earth?"
"He is fully awesome. He'll find a way, you'll see."
They kept quarreling, but Bolt didn't pay attention, focused on what the nearest future was holding for him.
By the time they ended watching TV it was already dark, so they entered Penny's room quietly, sure that she was sleeping already. Mittens and Rhino then proceeded to get onto the bed and they fell asleep almost immediately. Bolt stayed behind. He was fighting his own mind, trying to convince himself to do the thing he never needed invitation for and lay down beside his person. After a long while he finally decided and put both front legs on the bed. That's when he met Penny's stare – cold, discouraging, stern look. He endured it for a while, but seeing that nothing more is coming he made the last step, leaping onto the bed. He was about to settle down in his favorite spot when unexpected thrust made him collapse from the bed. The only thing he saw while falling were Penny's outstretched arms. Strength of the shove made him hit the bedside table with his head. He didn't feel the impact though. The act of violence from Penny caused an inner pain, way worse than any bodily injury he could get. He shakily stood up and silently left the room, completely broken down.
A sudden thud immediately made Mittens wake up as she was very susceptible to any sounds in the early phase of sleep. She looked around semi-consciously and spotted Penny in a position indicating that she just pushed something… Then she saw Bolt coming out through the door – and judging by the heartbroken pose he had, she guessed the rest.
When she found him, he was sitting on the terrace, looking at the moon with water-filled eyes. She tried to move towards him as quietly as she could… Effortlessly.
"What if I'm not good enough for her?" his tone made her heart skip a bit from sorrow.
"Of course you are… Come on, she's your person, you're her dog, there's nothing better than that! She'll forgive you in no time."
"But… What if I won't be able to forgive myself?"
That did it. That short sentence expelled whole her rebellious, provocatively sarcastic edging, leaving only a close friend… One of the only two friends he had.
"Shhh…" she tried to comfort him. "You need to rest now, time solves all problems."
She led him back into the house, made him jump onto the couch and laid beside him, leaning her head on his neck.
"Now," she whispered into his ear. "Close your eyes, drift away and let the beneficial power of time heal your wounds… Everything will be better when you wake up. I promise."
"Mittens…" he whispered so quietly that she barely heard him. "Thank you… you're one in a million."
"Yeah," she replied even quieter, so that he never heard her. " You too."