The next few weeks at D's pet shop seemed to fly, and my arm healed quickly. One day I woke up to two voices coming from the parlor, one of them I knew was D's, the other was a man's, but I wasn't sure if it was another customer or an ally of D's. "I'm can't believe that I can't put you in jail D!" the new voice calls. "If anyone was to arrest me," this voice I knew was D's. "I'd want it to be you." As I entered the parlor I slightly hid behind the doorframe for a bit to listen to what was happening.
"There was another mysterious death," the man said with anger in his voice, I could even feel anger radiate from him. I would have entered the room to hear more, but I didn't want to intrude. "We found a person drained of their blood, and their pet bird they recently purchased from your store was missing. Have anything to say about that?" the man asked. I entered the room with half of me hidden behind D. "Is everything all right D?" I asked, looking over the new man in the room. He wore a shirt with stars at the bottom, and he had a gun strapped to his belt, which was hidden under his brown jacket. I assumed that he was a detective, but a poor one at that.
The detective looked at me, then back at D, and with a dirty smirk he gestured," Wow D, I didn't know you were into that kind of stuff." I saw D flush a little out of the corner of my eye, and decided to intervene at the point. I grabbed the man by the collar of his shirt and looked him right in the eyes, seeing my own eye reflect in his, as they turned from a soft brown to golden slits. "Never accuse people of things they haven't done." I spoke sternly. As if struggling to find a way out of my stare, he glanced at D than back at me, as if pleading to have him let him go.
"Please ma'am," D spoke softly, whispering into my ear. "He is a good friend of mine, and I'd rather not see a beautiful girl like you get arrested for intent to harm a policeman." I looked him in the eyes and suddenly noticed that his eyes were two different colors; one a pale yellow and the other a light purple. I than looked back at the paling man that I held in a death like grip, which I then decided to finally let him go. With a quick shove I stormed out of the room and into the back room of the store.
As I walked more and more, I got even more lost within the maze of corridors. And the sound of animals I heard all around me began to get stranger and stranger. It went from the usual sounds of a pet shop; barking and mewing of cats and the occasional bird. Then as I went on, the sound became more exotic; the call of a peacock, the cooing of the monkey and even a tiger's roar. I suddenly found myself in a room absolutely filled with…well, nothing. The only thing that made the room slightly homely was a single armoire that sat sadly in the corner of the enormous room. Upon crossing the room and sitting down on the soft chair, a small sound was heard from the hidden child at the opposite corner of the room.
The small boy wore only an off-white t-shirt and pale blue shorts, with light yellow hair and big black eyes. As he came out from behind the hiding place the look of fright came across his delicate face, but with a touch of curiosity. I thought that if I spoke abroad, it would have scared him, with I whispered softly," Hello there. Are you lost, little one?" The boy seemed a little more curious to come closer, but not before mumbling, "A-are you the guest Count D found?"
"Yes, my name is Marianna, what's yours?" I whisper. The boy took a look of surprise but then smothered it with an even more frightened face."I don't have a name until my master gives me one." I tried the hide the look of shock that came on my face, and decided to ask D what kind of "pet shop" this was. "Well," I started, getting off the chair and onto one knee. "You're the first I've seen since I got here, so thank you for being so courageous."
The small boy now looked at me and grew an ear-to-ear smile and a loud giggle. I now realized that the boy and I weren't the only people in the room, for now I noticed that there was a wonderfully decorated man behind me. Only, he wasn't human, he had two large white wings coming from his back, and I sensed that he was a bit more rare than I, a mermaid, was. The new person opened his mouth, as if he was about to say something, but not a single sound nor syllable came out.
But then I heard it, such singing could only be made by a creature of pure element. It was so beautiful, that I couldn't help but join in with him, a mermaid's singing is so wonderful, any man's heart would literally melt. We sang with such harmony, it was like the wind and the earth itself, and without warning we took to the air with a single beat of his wings. 'Join me,' his thoughts begged me, and now I too took to the air, for I also had an ever changing animal blood. For what seemed like hours, even days on end, we danced and twirled and spun like we had practice for years.
As my body grew heavy, I fell with grace to the ground, and the winged creature fell with me. I now grew more in tune with everything around me, and I realized that we were now not alone; the boy and the flyer and I. All kinds of people were now draping all over the ground on their bellies as well as leaning against the wall with the look of awe on their face.
"Well," a voice somewhere within the crowd spoke. "That was quite a performance, I guess now that you're a part of the pet shop family." With a great cheer from the crowd I couldn't help but realize that the voice came from a tall pale boy, no taller than I, standing in the back of the room. I went into his soul and noticed that we had already met, for me was the curious little creature from the parlor.
As I perceived the name of this new figure, Tetsu, I also perceived that he was an even rarer of creature than I as well, for he was a totetsu. He had feathery pink hair two large curly horns atop his head, and wore only an opened vest and the kind of baggy pants a genie would wear. "What are you looking at?" he smirked, breaking my concentration. As I was about to see what his issue was another voice came from somewhere else. "Now Tetsu, be nice to the new family member." D had been sitting in the far back, and I was surprised at how well he hid within the throngs of people.
Feeling suddenly very dehydrated, I looked at D with serenity," I think I'd like to see that cove now." As D held out his hand to guide me, I put my wings away and gladly took his hand. As I also realized that Tetsu fallowed us there, I couldn't help but feel his stare on the small of my back. Without even a hint of how he could perceive anything, 'You're not the only one who can see people's emotions, you know." He smirked. Not entirely knowing what he meant, I found myself now on a beach of white sands and calms surf. "Beautiful, isn't it?" D said, letting go of my hand. "Please, take as much time as you like." As a smile crept across my face I ran toward the pleading waves tearing off my kimono and leaving it just above the high tide mark. I ran into the waves until my hips were in the embrace of the waves and I dove with a single ripple.
Hours and hours past, as I danced and frolicked with the dolphin that played in the cove. After I felt thoroughly tired, I dragged my heavy golden tail out of the surf. Tetsu handed me a towel, but along with the look of disgust was a look of interest in his eyes. Refastening my dress, D stood on the beach waiting for me to become decent once more. And taking D's hand once more, all three of us went back to the shop. After we dropped off Tetsu at one of the rooms- and Tetsu giving me a wink before closing the door- D and I went back to his room for the night.
Knowing that the bed was rightfully D's, I decided to sleep on the floor, when a bolt of lightning lit the room like a giant candle. As a look of fear came on my face D shyly spoke," If you would feel safer, we can sleep in the same bed." I looked at D, who was already in what looked like Chinese sleeping robes, I shyly crawled into the opposite side of the bed ad he did so as well.
"Good night…" he trailed off; I thought that being able to sense my difference from everyone else he would have gotten my name already.
"Marianna," I squeaked.
"Marianna." He restated.
"Good night D," I called, giving him a kiss on the cheek and instantly fell into a dreamless sleep, where D and I danced in a large ballroom, sharing sweet kisses.