Rita woke up late the next morning, feeling rather the worse for wear. The stress of the night before had left her exhausted, and though she'd slept well, she'd been knocked for six. She looked around with droopy, tired eyes, taking a moment to remember where she was. For a little while she just sat there as the reality of the situation came back to her. It was rough, but she had no choice but to make herself get through it. Coming out nervously from behind the bin, Rita looked out into the streets and set started off toward the apartment, or at least her best guess at the direction to the apartment. It occurred to her that she might have wandered a little too far away from her old home and she wasn't quite sure how she'd gotten there. In the light of day her surroundings looked different, but she told herself that she couldn't have been walking for too long last night as she'd been very tired. She needed to get back to her home… or what had been her home, or her friends might never find her. The thought of seeing Dodger again lifted Rita's spirits, and she walked out, ready to face her future. Before too long, she was trotting along merrily, the sounds and the energy that surrounded her gave her a much needed optimism.
Rita kept on going for a couple of hours, getting confused and frustrated as nothing looked at all familiar. Everything had looked so different last night in the dark, when Rita was tired and upset, and she'd not been in the state of mind to pay attention as to something so trivial as the directions taken. It was certainly not easy to find her way amongst all the hustle and bustle of the humans all around her. It seemed that she'd been going around in circles. She ran out onto the road, onto the top of a stationary car for a better view of her surroundings. With a rush of excitement she realized that she was getting close, some of the buildings looked familiar.
As Rita approached her old home, she felt foolish. It really was not so far away from where she had slept and could've been reached easily in a quarter of an hour if she hadn't gotten so lost and confused. Rita sat down and waited for Dodger and Einstein to come and get her. Never had been so desperate to see their faces, to just have a friendly someone on her side.
By mid-afternoon, Rita was starting to wonder if her friends had come for her while she was away and missed her. Having not eaten all day, it was hard to just sit there when there were so many interesting smells all around her. Deciding not to go far- and by that, this time she meant only as far as she could go without losing sight of her old home, she got up to find a few morsels to keep her going. If she'd missed them, her friends might not come for her until the next day, and that was way too long to go without eating. Still keeping an eye out for any sign of her friends coming for her, Rita spent the next hour or so wandering the nearby area in search of scraps to eat. Feeling slightly fragile after the ordeal of being abandoned, she wasn't up to anything particularly daring and was happy with the few nibbles she managed to pick from the trash. As the sun began to set, Rita quickly returned to the security of her apartment building, not wanting to end up lost in the dark. She settled down, anticipating another cold and lonely night.
Just then, Dodger finally made an appearance from around the corner.
"Dodgie!" Rita shouted, overjoyed. She bounded over and greeted him with a very enthusiastic hug and a vigorously wagging tail. To no longer be all alone was the most wonderful, wonderful feeling, and Rita felt like she never wanted to be away from her friends ever again.
Dodger was a little taken aback by Rita's slightly over the top welcome but gave her a friendly nuzzle, or rather a head-butt. "Hey Rita, where've ya been? I came 'round earlier and no one was home."
Rita looked away, feeling herself getting upset all over again. "They're gone, Dodger, they all left yesterday without me. I'm sorry, I wasn't here. I wandered away last night 'cause I was upset and got a bit lost coming back." She looked back around at Dodger and smiled. "I'm so happy to see you."
Dodger felt a little awkward, unsure of his friend's emotional state and not sure how to comfort her if she was still really distressed. "Are you okay?" he asked tentatively.
"Yeah, I guess so. I can't wait to go home with you guys. I just want this to all be over."
"You wanna go now? Einstein's already back with there with Fagin."
Rita's eyes lit up. "Yes, please!" she replied enthusiastically, and trotted after Dodger who was thrilled to be bringing a girl home.
Rita followed Dodger through the city, taking many twists and turns until they were far from anything familiar to her. After a while, a saltiness reached Rita's nose, and the smell of water. It was strange to her, but she trusted that Dodger knew where he was going.
As the sky darkened, the pups came close to a tired wooden barge, hidden away underneath the docks. It looked as though it had been long forgotten, and debris littered the surrounding water.
"Here ya go, Rita," Dodger said proudly, looking out to the old boat. "Home sweet home."
Rita wasn't sure what she was expecting… it looked an enormous step down from the relative luxury of her apartment, but even the thought of having a roof over her head was comforting. She couldn't wait to be able to properly relax after a stressful twenty-four hours.
"Wow, I've never been on a boat before! Is it safe? We're not going to float away in the middle of the night and end up on some jungle island somewhere?" Rita looked at the floating home with great interest, having no idea that people lived in places like that.
Dodger laughed, "Yeah, we're tied down pretty good. Not sure it's up for any long voyages, but it's a roof over our heads. Come on, let's go. Einy's gonna be happy to see you." He started off again with a glance over his shoulder to encourage Rita to follow.
Rita was suddenly very nervous. Sure, Fagin had liked her before, but that didn't mean he'd be happy to let her stay and live with them. She had to trust Dodger's assurance that his master would welcome her with open arms, but there was no way of really knowing. Her mind raced as she wondered what she'd do if Fagin wouldn't take her in- would she just have to spend the rest of her days sleeping alone and vulnerable amongst the trash? Surely, Dodger and Einstein would still be her friends and see her every day even if their human didn't want her? Scared of what was coming, she slowed down, her stomach feeling like it was tying itself in knots.
Dodger sensed Rita's anxiety. "Don't worry Rit, it's gonna be fine," He noticed that she was still wearing the collar given to her by her previous master. "Hey, we'd better get that collar off though, we don't want Fagin to try and take you back."
Rita leaned in close to Dodger and allowed him to unbuckle the collar with his teeth. It was a bittersweet feeling as the collar fell away, effectively taking away Rita's ties to all she'd ever known. She breathed deeply and walked close to Dodger, hoping to pick up some of his easy confidence. She followed him closely down the stairs into the barge, taking in the scent of her new surroundings as she went. It smelt damp, with a strong stale smell of rotting wood and dog.
"Oh Dodger, you've got Rita with you!" Einstein bounded cheerfully up to the pups and in his joyous 'hello' pounce he knocked them both down the remainder of the stairs. "Hello Rita, welcome home!"
The sight of Einstein, so happy to see her, lifted Rita's spirits and soon she found herself smiling in spite of her churning stomach.
"She's here for good Einy!" Dodger exclaimed and then added, "Bringing girls home already, pretty impressive, huh?"
Einstein was about to give Rita a proper licky greeting, when Fagin approached and knelt down to the dogs. "What're you doing here?" he asked, picking Rita up and scratching her behind the ears. "Where's your collar, hey girl? Aren't your folks looking for you?"
Rita leaned her neck upwards and licked Fagin's face. Her heart pounded in her ears, and time seemed to slow as she waited for the reassurance she so desperately needed, telling her that she did indeed have a home.
"Don't go bringing too many friends home with you, Dodger!" Fagin said as the little mutt joined the two of them and looked up expectantly at his master. "But I think Rita can stay."
The three dogs barked happily and clambered over their master, licking his face in happiness. Rita felt a weight lifted from her chest as she knew that she had a loving family. Finally, there was a place somewhere for her- she was wanted. Rita squirmed happily amongst her friends, her tail wagging in joyous circles and happy tears threatening to fall. Nothing could feel better than this.
Rita appreciated the constant attention of her friends- now her family, which prevented her from dwelling too much on the family she was now missing. With Dodger and Einstein keeping Rita busy with their enthusiastic play-fights and games of chase round and round the barge, it was hard for her to worry too much.
Finally winding down after all the fun, Einstein snuggled up on Fagin's lap like a hugely oversized lapdog and was soon gently snoring. Dodger and Rita had stayed up late chatting and playing together, trying to be as quiet as possible despite their excitement.
Soon enough, Rita could barely keep her eyes open. She was drawn to a large red case that lay strewn beside a dirty bathtub. She sniffed around it, figuring it would make a good little hidey-hole.
"You want somewhere to sleep, Rita?" Fagin asked, yawning. He got up and modified the case so it sat on its side with tatty fabric hanging down like curtains to give her some privacy; Rita was the only girl after all. Fagin then manoeuvred himself back into his chair, moving the dopey-eyed and very heavy Einstein who was only slightly awake. "Goodnight guys,"
Rita walked up to Dodger and gave him an affectionate nudge of her head. "Thanks for everything, Dodge," she said softly.
"I'd told you I'd fix it up. I'm good, huh?" Dodger said with a cocky grin, causing Rita laugh at him quietly. He padded over to Fagin's chair and jumped into his master's lap to sleep, somehow finding room next to the snoozing Great Dane. He could barely believe that he now had his best friend with him, to stay. While he'd had Einstein with him his whole life, it was in his friendship with Rita that he'd been able to move past his sadness over the loss of his mother. Dodger had made up his mind when he was very young to never bring up the rejection that had haunted him, but then he didn't need to. The hole that had been left in his world had been filled by someone who lived and breathed and moved with the city in the same way he did, someone who could rival his knack for thievery and a big attitude. He looked over to Rita as his eyes drooped, knowing that in that moment there was nothing more he could want.
"Goodnight," Rita said, smiling, and she walked over to her new bed. She curled up tight and gazed happily around the barge. In less than a minute she fell asleep for the first time in her new home.
Sleep for the new recruit was short-lived, and Rita woke abruptly in the early hours of the morning, troubled by nightmares. After a few seconds, she registered where she was, and sighing, rested her head, attempting to fall back to sleep if she could. She wished that Dodger or Einstein were awake to keep her company and to reassure her that all would be fine. The future seemed a whole lot scarier when there was no one to make her smile; her whole life had just been turned on its head after all.
Several long minutes passed as Rita lay there, thoughts running through her head. Had her mother known they would be leaving? Why would she let her go out without first saying goodbye? Rita remembered that on that morning, her mother hadn't tried to stop her from going out to see Dodger; in fact, she'd encouraged her and had been very loving, showering her with kisses. This had seemed very unusual, as her mother was appalled by the idea of Rita running wild out on the streets with some mongrel. Usually Rita would have to sneak quietly out of the apartment, or be stopped in her tracks by her disapproving mother. Was her mother trying to protect her… encouraging her to escape with Dodger while she still could? Was it a goodbye?
Suddenly, Rita missed her mother with a terrible aching sadness. She knew that asleep or not, Dodger, Einstein and Fagin were close, but they simply weren't her very own mother. The realisation that she'd now spent two nights away from the family that loved her, and that she'd never see them again finally sunk in. She knew her mother and sister, despite the rowing that had become commonplace in recent weeks, really did love her, even if the humans cared little. The reality of what poor, unwanted Willow would now be faced with hit Rita like a speeding freight train. Whether she'd been dumped at the side of some road, surrendered to the pound- or even something worse, Rita didn't know. A tear rolled down her cheek as she imagined what her little sister was going through. Rita felt a terrible pang of guilt as she realised that she'd never even considered that she could have taken Willow with her to meet Dodger, and given her a safe place to go. She wished that Willow was with her now- even though they were no longer close, Rita still loved her. It was a horrifying realisation that the fate of her own little sister hadn't even graced her mind until that point- what kind of a person did that make Rita? Scared perhaps, but she knew that was no excuse. She had been too wrapped up in the attention Dodger had been giving her to give Willow a second thought, and as far as she was concerned, that was unforgiveable. Rita tossed and turned some more, deeply distressed. If her mother had suspected that the move was imminent, why hadn't she encouraged her to take Willow when she left the apartment that morning? It was all so confusing for the little puppy, and she was left sniffling back tears.
After several miserable hours of lying awake, Rita found her eyelids heavy, exhausted from the stress of the past two days and the lack of a good meal for some time. It was hard to sleep in this new environment, and as much as she appreciated it, it was very different to what she was used to. The smells were uninviting, and the sound of the wind through the holes in the roof was unfriendly. With her friends now asleep, she felt alone in the dark, and the relief she'd felt just hours ago was gone. She was in a half mind to wake the others up, so at least she'd have some company to fall asleep to. Rita looked over to Dodger and Einstein sleeping peacefully and sighed, curling up with her tail over her nose, and gradually fell back into another troubled sleep.