Tiredly, Chloe clambers up on to the roof of her house, having already hoisted me up here before her. She struggles a bit so I tug on her jacket and help her along. "Thanks, girl," she mumbles, laying back on the tiles as she catches her breath, softly stroking my fur. Neither of us slept last night, both of us too afraid to close our eyes. Chloe had pulled the truck off the road and into an empty parking lot about an hour after we gassed up, clearly afraid of whatever lurked in the dark. Nothing happened... I made sure of it, standing guard next to Chloe throughout the night. "Alright girl," she continues, pulling herself up to the window and leaning against it, "No one should be home so I can get a few hours of sleep in before work".

So, Chloe pushes the window open and peers inside, scoping the place out before gesturing me inside, softly encouraging me to go. I obey and carefully jump into the warm house, landing on the desk and avoiding all the junk, trash, bottles and papers strewn about on top of it. Once I'm inside, I turn back and look at Chloe, expecting her to climb through the window after me but... she doesn't.

Chloe vaults herself over the window sill and crashes onto the desk below, knocking over all the things I just avoided. "Ah, shit" she grumbles, rolling off the desk and onto the floor where she grunts and grumbles again, pulling an empty beer bottle out from under her, "Ugh... yeah, I'm gonna feel that later". I rush up to her just to make sure she's alright and she laughs warmly, giving me even more pets. "I'm okay... I'm okay" she coos, using me to help her get up into a sitting position, "Thanks".

I woof in response and lead her to her bed, watching as she lays back and sighs, rubbing her eyes and yawning. "Okay... I'll sleep till 1, go to work and then we'll see if Rachel is home, alright?" she says to me, patting the bed beside her for me to join her before tapping on her phone as she sets her alarm for later. I go to join her but something stops me and I freeze. I feel my hackles rise, a low growl rumbling from my chest.

"Blu?".

Someone is coming. I can hear them walking up the stairs.

They aren't friendly.

"Blue what's wrong?" she asks, looking up from her phone for a moment.

I start barking when David bursts through the door, anger wafting off of him.

Chloe jumps from the sheer force her step-father enters her room, startled. She grips her phone and pockets it, jumping off the bed before turning and faces David. "What the fuck, man?!" she yelps, "Get the hell out of my room!".

But David ignores her wishes and comes dangerously close to Chloe. I put myself between them, continuing to growl. "Where the hell were you last night?!" he snaps.

Chloe furrows her eyebrows, "Not here, and clearly, you know that or you wouldn't be asking".

"Do NOT talk back to me like that. Now, you WILL tell me where you were last night!".

I continue to growl, trying to hold down the feeling of impending doom.

"Why should I tell you?" she asks, trying to size up the mustache clad man, but she's small compared to him.

"Because I'm the adult here and you need to learn some discipline for once! You WILL respect me!".

"I will once you start respecting me!" she retorts.

"You'll earn my fucking respect when you stop acting like a fucking loser! Getting drunk and high every night, worrying your mother sick!".

"I don't get drunk every night, asshole!" Chloe yells, quickly losing her temper, "I haven't gotten drunk in months okay? I haven't since I started working!".

"Then fucking explain THIS!". David grabs the bottle Chloe had landed on earlier and shoves it in her face, refusing to respect her boundaries.

She pushes his hand away and groans, "That's old. In case you haven't noticed I'm not the best at keeping this place clean, so can you please get the fuck out of my room?".

"Then why the hell are you acting all loopy, eh? Your eyes are fucking bloodshot! Stop lying to my face!".

"I'm exhausted, okay? I fucking slept in my truck last night, alright! Now, piss off! I don't want to fight!".

"If you don't want a fight, don't start one!".

I start barking again, getting sick of this asshole continuously push Chloe to her breaking point, knowing very well (at least I assume) that she has a short temper. He's just doing it because he thinks he can.

Not anymore.

The man looks down at me and I can feel the anger in his eyes, but I refuse to cower under his gaze, continuing to bark and growl.

"Cram it you little shit!" he yells.

Suddenly, I feel a sharp sting in my foot and I yelp in pain and David kicks me, his shoe jamming into my paw. When she realizes what happened, watching as I stumble to the ground completely stunned, Chloe fucking snaps.

"DON'T YOU DARE KICK MY DOG!" she screams, shoving him away from me with all her strength.

David reacts quickly, not even fazed by the action, and does the last thing I expected him to do. He turns, and he punches Chloe.

Not hit.

Punches Chloe.

She goes falling backward, crashing into the boxes and other things that were strewn across the floor. She hisses in shock and grabs the side of her face, groaning and squirming in pain. "Aggh! Fuck, Fuck, Fuck! You fucking punched me, asshole. Fuck that hurt, that fucking hurt!".

I lose it.

The overwhelming instinct to protect Chloe takes over and I lunge at the still stunned David, grabbing his ankle in between my teeth and biting down hard. He screams nearly as loud as Chloe did and starts thrashing around, which only makes me bite down harder. "Call her off, call her off!" he cries, falling to the floor and using his other foot to try and kick me off.

"Blu!" Chloe yells scrambling up to her feet and ignoring the small trickle of blood that drips from her nose, clearly startled by my action, "Get off of him!".

But I don't.

And Chloe doesn't stop me.

Not yet.

By now, David has kicked me a good 3 or 4 times, and I feel my own blood trickle down my muzzle, fuzziness forming at the edge of my mind.

"David! Stop kicking her and she'll let go!" Chloe continues, seeming scared to approach me, "Blu. Blu! let him go! I'm fine, see?".

T̸H̴I̷S̸ ̵I̸S̸ ̵W̷H̴A̷T̶ ̷Y̸O̸U̵ ̴G̴E̴T̵ ̷A̴S̴S̴H̵O̵L̶E̷!̸ ̵T̶H̷I̶S̸ ̴I̶S̶ ̴W̴H̷A̶T̷ ̷Y̸O̴U̵ ̵G̵E̷T̴ ̶F̵O̶R̶ ̴H̶U̸R̸T̶I̷N̷G̸ ̷C̴H̶L̷O̸E̷.̴ ̸M̶Y̷ ̸C̵H̷L̸O̸E̸!̵ ̵I̶ ̸A̴M̶ ̸N̷E̷V̷E̵R̴,̶ ̵E̶V̷E̵R̵ ̷G̸O̶I̶N̴G̴ ̷T̴O̷ ̵L̷E̵T̴ ̸Y̴O̵U̶ ̵T̷O̴U̷C̷H̸ ̸H̶E̸R̴ ̴A̷G̵A̸I̸N̴,̵ ̶Y̴O̴U̶ ̸H̸E̸A̵R̴?̸!̸ ̷I̸'̷M̸ ̴N̴E̷V̴E̵R̷ ̵G̶O̵I̵N̴G̶ ̶T̴O̵ ̴L̵E̶T̴ ̵Y̷O̶U̵ ̸H̸U̵R̶T̶ ̸H̵E̴R̷ ̷A̶G̵A̷I̴-̸

"BLU!".

I jump when I feel two hands, Chloe's hands, grab me, pulling me off and away from David. I release my grip on him and go stiff, allowing her to push me back, my whole body shaking with fear and adrenaline.

What just happened?

"You're okay, you're okay" she coos for a moment before turning to David who grabs his foot and scrambles away from me, leaving a smear of blood on the hardwood floor.

Where did I just go?

He groans in pain and pulls up the leg of his pants to reveal where I bit him, "Fuck...".

All I see is red, but in reality, I barely broke the skin just enough to draw a good amount of blood. Nothing serious.

"I want that thing out of my house! That's an order!" he hisses, sounding even more pissed off than he was before.

"I don't take orders from you, asshole. Now get the fuck out of my room!" Chloe yells back, trying to mask the fear that's clear in her voice.

I can't tell if she's scared of David... or me.

"That thing attacked me, Chloe! I will not stand to have it in the same house as my wife!".

I can taste his blood in my mouth, mixing in with my own.

"And why do you think she attacked you! You fucking punched me! Punched me!".

"That was an accident and you know it," David tries to justify, even though we all know it wasn't an accident.

"Oh, and all the other times were accidents too then, huh?" Chloe says with a mock laugh, "I'm not your fucking punching bag, okay? You need to stop treating me like I'm your property and start treating me like a god-damn human being. Then, maybe you'll get your respect".

"I will not be spoken to like this. As long as you're living under my roof, in my house, eating the food I pay for, you will listen and respect me... or there will be consequences" David says as he picks himself up off the ground, standing on one foot.

I bit him... I bit him, I actually bit him. Oh, god... oh god oh god oh god... what did I do? What have I done... oh, god.

"Newsflash, asshole, you're living under my roof, and just because you're my step-dad doesn't mean you're the man of the house, that job belongs to Joyce".

"Do not call your mother by her first name, have some fucking respect for her" David hisses again.

"She's my mom, I'll call her whatever I damn well please!".

"She's my WIFE!".

"I've known her longer!" Chloe retorts.

"You're treading on some mighty thin ice, missy. Now I suggest backing down".

Everything is shaking now. My body, the room, my breath. Everyone knows what happens to dogs who bite.

"What are you going to do? Hit me again?".

David doesn't respond to that, his anger refusing to subside. "I might have a little talk with your mother about your job".

That gets her attention.

"What about my job?".

"The deal was that you can keep it as long as you respect me, and that still hasn't happened. I've been giving you the benefit of the doubt for months. That ends now".

"You can't fucking do that!" she yells back, "I've been doing fine at work and it's been keeping me out of trouble... hasn't it?".

"No, you keep picking fights with me, so consider your job gone".

"You can't do that!".

"I just did, and consider that mutt gone too. Fucking thing bit me and I will not stand to have it in the same house as my wife" David says, shifting around of his bad ankle as if to prove his point.

My paw is throbbing and the room is starting to warp at the edges. Chloe and David's voice are dipping in and out of earshot.

"You attacked me! You fucking barged in here on your own accord and started harassing me! You're the one who punched me when I was just trying to defend myself, and Blu just reacted like a fucking dog! She was trying to protect me!" Chloe yells.

I flinched when she says my name, my legs shaking as I struggle to keep myself upright.

"She attacked me, Chloe! And she's a mutt! You don't even know if that fucking thing has rabies!".

It's an empty argument and David knows it.

"She got all her shots the day I found her and she's been friendly ever since".

"Stop arguing with me god-dammit! What I say goes, understood? The moment your mother gets home I'm fucking taking that thing to be put down!".

My vision is starting to swim more intensely and I stagger and whine a little, but no one notices.

"You touch my fucking dog I'll tell mom the real reason she attacked you," Chloe says, her voice cold and bitter.

"Please, she won't believe you," David says, laughing at her threat, "She hasn't before, what makes you think she will now?".

"The fact that I have proof".

"What?"

What?

Chloe pulls her phone back out of her pocket and waggles it in front of Davids ugly face, "I just recorded this entire conversation".

David's face goes white.

"You're bluffing...".

Chloe taps something on the screen and shows him a new recording but doesn't play, "You take my dog, I expose you".

"You're blackmailing me?! Are you fucking insane?!"

"Yes! I fucking insane in the brain! And I'm fucking sick of being your personal punching bag! Now... you and me are going to make a little deal".

"I'm not-".

"Do we have a deal?!" Chloe snaps, using more force.

David grumbles in pain and stares Chloe down, "I'm listening".

"Good. So, you tell mom you got hurt at work... twisted your ankle, stepped in some thorned bramble, I don't give a fuck... and I tell her I got into a fight. She'll believe that. If you so much as look at my dog wrong, I expose you. If you touch me again... I'll expose you".

"Fine. But if you so much as-".

"You try and start a fight with me? I expose you. I don't go looking for fights with you, David. You go looking for them with me".

Another grumble.

"You're still losing your job".

"That's fine".

I can tell that it's really not.

"Now get the FUCK out of my room".

And with that, David staggers out of the room, limping himself down the stairs, and out of the house where Chloe and I stand and wait. We listen as he gets into his shitty car and starts it's shitty engine and drives away. Neither of us moves until the sound of his car fades from earshot.

All is silent.

"Oh fuck, fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck. Oh god... I can't believe that happened. That actually happened. Oh god," Chloe mumbles, starting to struggle for breath, leaning up against her desk for support. "I have proof... I- I have proof". She looks down at me and laughs shakily. "We did it Blu".

I flinch again when she says my name again. Chloe stiffens at that, noticing th blood on my face, not all of it David's. "Blu?".

I can't move, I can't breathe. Everything is fading to white.

She moves in closer, but I don't notice, "Blu?". Her hands are on my chest and I only get the slightest sensation that something is there. "Blu, are you okay?". I can't feel her and everything is starting to go numb. I sink to the ground as Chloe cries out my name.

"Blu!".

"I- it's cool, Nathan... Don't stress. You're bro. Just count to three. Don't be scared... You own this school... If I wanted, I could blow it up... You're the boss".

What... this again? Why am I hearing this... what does this mean? I ask myself, realizing that I'm back in the bathroom that I dreamt of yesterday, except this time things are much more vivid. I can feel the chill in the air, much too cold for this time of year in Arcadia Bay, and I can feel the sharpness of the boy's words piercing my eardrums.

I cant see who it is, I can't see anything really, I just have the vague idea of where I am and where things should be.

Suddenly, another person joins the boy.

"So what do you want?".

"I hope you checked the perimeter as my step-ass would say," the unmistakable voice of Chloe says, "Now, let's talk bidness-".

-YOU CAN'T SAVE HER-

"I've got nothing for you," the boy says.

"Wrong, you got hella cash".

What? Chloe... what are you..?

"That's my family, not me".

"Oh, boo hoo, poor little rich kid. I know you've been pumpin' drugs n' shit to kids around school here...I bet your respectable family would help me out if I went to them. Man I can see the headlines now-"

"Leave them out of this bitch!" the boy snaps, quickly losing his temper.

-THIS IS DESTINY MAX-

Chloe, get out of there! I yell remember how my last dream ended, it's a trap! he has a gun.

But my words go on unheard.

"I can tell everybody that Nathan Prescott is a punk ass who begs like a little girl and talks to himself-".

"You don't know who the fuck I am or who you're messing around with!" the boy named Nathan yells, shoving the gun at Chloe.

-CHLOE PRICE WILL DIE AND YOU CAN'T SAVE HER-

"Get that gun away from me psycho!"

BANG!

I jolt back into contiousness...

What...

What happened?

Where- am I?

I'm vaguely aware of the passage of time, but as I open my eyes, something tells me a few hours have passed since our confrontation with David. My paw is still sore and I can feel it throb along to the beat for my heart. I focus on that for a while, listening to the steady strong rhythm of my own heart, reminding me that I'm still here, alive, with Chloe. Chloe... I whimper, shifting around slightly on the soft surface I'm laying on. I can hear people moving around me, both girls, one older, one young. One of them is the punk herself.

"I think me 'n' Blu are gonna head out soon. Thanks again for letting me crash her for a while, Ms. Amber. It means a lot" Chloe says, trying to sound sincere even though it's clear she's visiting (where ever we are) unannounced and this Ms. Amber lady, who I can only assume is Rachel's mom, took pity on her and let us stay.

"It's no problem, Chloe... I just hope Rachel will get here soon. I'm worried about her," Ms. Amber says.

"I am too. it's not like her to just... not call me, or... you" Chloe replies.

"I know. I've already called James and he said he hasn't heard from her since... since... with everything happened. Do you think... do you think something happened to her?".

"I- I dunno, Ms. A... maybe she needs time away from drama or something... I think she's under a lot of pressure with school and shit, ya know?".

Chloe doesn't sound like she believes her own words, but I guess sometimes you have to lie to yourself to keep moving forward.

Ms. Amber is quiet.

"Do you think she's miss-"

I'm fulling awake at that point, and Chloe notices before the other woman can finish her statement. "Hey, girl," she coos, walking over to the couch I'm laying on, "Feeling better?".

I woof softly in response, my paw still sore from David stepping on it, but the pain has dulled down into a simple ache.

"Good... I was worried about you".

"How is she doing?" Ms. Amber asks, walking up behind Chloe, allowing me to get a good look at her.

She's about Joyce's height, dark brunette hair and fair skin. she's beautiful and yet... she looks nothing like Rachel. Not in the slightest.

"She's looking better," Chloe continues, rubbing behind my ears and making me grumble with pleasure, "She's sorta been out of it for most of the day, wandering around like a zombie, but it mighta just been the drugs the vet gave her for her paw".

I blink, my ears perking up with confusion, Drugs? Drugs for what? And then I look down at my paw, seeing it's concealed by a cast, meaning that that bastard David broke it. I let a small growl escape my lips at the thought that he hurt both of us, but I settle down when Chloe continues to stroke my ears and I feel myself relax again. I won't let him hurt you again, I promise silently, seeing a dark ring around her eye, knowing that it's a bruise from David. As the punk pets me, I watch as Ms. Amber comes closer and pets me too.

I give her hand a sniff and lick it, deciding that she's friendly enough to trust.

"She's really sweet for a shepherd, I don't think I've ever seen one this calm and still before,".

"That's cause she's a good dog, right girl?".

I wag my tail as she praises me and nuzzles my nose against her face.

"Well, I guess I'll be seeing you soon, Chloe," Ms. Amber says, pulling away and giving Chloe's shoulder a reassuring squeeze, "I'll be sure to call you if Rachel shows up".

She nods and sighs a little, standing up to face the other woman, "I'll keep an eye out for her too, send her your way if I see her".

Ms. Amber smiles and hugs the punk, "Take care of yourself, alright? And try not to get into any more fights".

There's a heaviness around Chloe again as she chuckles shakily and laughs, saying how she'll try. "Ya know how trouble always seems to find me, whether I want it to or not". I slink off of the couch and nuzzle her hand, knowing first hand that Chloe doesn't want to fight, not with anyone... but the world sees that differently.

"Do you wanna take some dinner with you, sweetie? I made Chicken a la King?".

The heaviness continues and I can't help but whine when Chloe fakes a smile to cover up whatever pain she's hiding.

"I'm good... but thanks. My mom's making pot-roast tonight".

Ms. Amber frowns a little, and I can tell she doesn't believe her. "Alright... I'll see you soon,".

Chloe nods and pulls her hand away from me, shoving them in her pants pockets, "Yeah... see ya".

So, Chloe makes her leave with me in tow, seeming slightly more depressed than she was this morning.

It takes me a bit to get used to walking with the cast on my foot, but I quickly catch up to Chloe again. I go to nuzzle her hand again, but as we leave the fancy house, I can't help but notice how dark it is, which makes me pause in my steps, a cold chill down my spine.

How long have I been out? I think to myself, sniffing at the air with fear and confusion. I don't... I don't remember passing out, all I remember is... just...

When I bit David... that wasn't me, not entirely... It was as if something else possessed me for that time and I was just a bystander, watching helplessly as my body did as it wished. It was like... I lost myself for a moment, Like... I lost the last part of Max, the human, that I had left. I lost my humanity. Is that what happened to me? Did... Did I just cease to exist for a few hours and was replaced with an alternate version of myself? A version where I'm just a dog, not actually a human in a dogs body? A small whine escapes my lips, catching Chloe's attention.

"Blu," she says, noticing that I've paused in the middle of the walk, "Let's go"

She's cold and distant and growing bitter, so I shake off the unnerving feeling of not knowing where half my day went and go be with her, knowing that she needs me. And I need her. Soon we're in the truck and everything is still and quiet but the emotions are raging... my anxiety and her anger combat and collided with each other in a dangerous mix. We sit on the Amber's driveway for a while, Chloe just sitting there, her knuckles turning white from gripping the steering wheel.

"Life is so unfair... isn't it, Blu" she mutters, deadpan and cold, "My dad died, my best friend died, my mom gloms onto step-fucker, and now, Rachel bailed on me...". She turns to me, her eyes filling with tears, "Is it really worth all this? All the is pain and suffering? I'm jobless, friendless, I got kicked out of school with no chance of them taking me back, I just..." she chokes on a sob, "I just don't know how much longer I can do this".

I stare at her for a moment, seeing the same vulnerability I saw at the cemetery and whine, not really sure what I could do to make her realize that this is worth it, that this life she has will one day get better. But I have no worlds or ability to tell her who I am, and even then I doubt the knowledge that I'm still somewhat here will help because someday I'm going to forget who I am and who I was and Chloe will be alone again... I can already feel it happening. So, I do and as I've always done, I nuzzle myself between her arms and press my head against her chest, feeling as she wraps her long, slender arms around me and holds on tight as she cries.

"The recording isn't real, Blu..." she continues, "I didn't get anything... nothing at all... It's fake, I lied and he's going to take you and hurt me again!".

Her grip gets tighter as reality crumbles.

I had a feeling it was fake, Chloe was too nervous to mask her anxiousness from me.

"You're the only good thing that I have left... don't leave me too, Blu".

Never... I'm never leaving you, Chloe. So long as I live...

I hold there again, for as long as Chloe needs me, and I'm not even sure how long that is, but soon we leave the upside suburban neighboorhood and head back to the smaller rundown side of town, much to the punks dismay. We pass by my old house... the one where Max (me) and my (her) parents once lived, and I have to do a double;e take when I don't see the infamous "FOR SALE" sign out front, the one that haunted me my last few days alive as a human. I whine a little, shifting in the passenger seat as I try to keep the house in sight for as long as I can, but soon it fades from view.

"Hush," Chloe says, trying to sound optimistic about the situation that is bound to present itself the moment we return home, "We'll be okay".

She's lying to herself again, and I don't blame her, it's what I've been doing for as long as I've been back.

I turn to her, seeing her eyes red and puffy from crying, her black eye almost swollen shut.

"I got into a fight, mom," she mimics the conversation she plans to have with Joyce as she pulls into the driveway, "No, I didn't see them, the assholes jumped me and hurt Blu... No, I didn't call the police because they don't care about trash like me... and apparently, you don't care either. If you did, you wouldn't have hit me, and you wouldn't let David abuse me like he does. If you really cared about me, you'd see how much pain I'm in... and... and how much I need my m- mom back"."

Her voice breaks but she holds strong and wipes her face clean of tears, taking a few forced deep breaths before slipping out of the truck and leaving me inside for a few minutes as she gives herself another rambling pep talk. "Okay... okay, you got this... you got this, Chloe" she mumbles, finally opening the door for me. I hop out and nuzzle my head against her legs as she walks, trying to get her to look at me, but her rambling continues all the way up until we reach the door.

"I got this," she says, unlocking and pushing the door open.

Joyce is at the door in a moment, and I can't help but yelp in surprise when she grabs Chloe and hugs her, hell, Chloe's just as surprised as me, and forces herself not to push the older woman away.

"Oh, Chloe! Where were you? You didn't come home last night and I was so worried and I-".

Uh oh...

"Your eye, Chloe what happened?".

For once Joyce seems generally concerned, but her mood sours quickly when David appears at the doorway.

"Speak up soldier, your mother asked you a question and you WILL respect her by answering, are we clear?" he says, a smug grin hiding under his gross porn stash.

She sighs.

"I got into a fight...".

"You and the dog?".

Another sigh.

"I got jumped okay, Blu tried to fight 'em off but they got a few good kicks in before running off," Chloe continues just like she rehearsed, "She's fine though... has to keep her paw in that cast for a month or two".

Chloe looks down at the ground, noticing David's barefoot wrapped in bandaging. She chuckles with mild amusement, "What happened to you?".

"Bramble," he says, mildly annoyed, "Shit's everywhere".

Joyce looks at Chloe, her gaze softening ever so slightly as she reaches over and touches the side of her daughter's face, "Are you oka-".

"She's fine," David intervenes before his wife can show any real sympathy of concern, "Now... what are you going to do".

"Go eat? Sleep? I dunno, what's it to you?".

"Take out the trash first, then you can sleep".

Chloe sighs and rolls her eyes, "Fine, but I'm going to eat first".

As she goes to move to the kitchen, David stops her, placing his hand on her.

"No,"

At first, I think she's going to snap...

But nothing happens.

And Chloe shoves his hand away.

"What?".

"After the shit you pulled yesterday, the way you spoke to your mother. You don't get dinner tonight".

"David-" Joyce begins but David cuts her off.

"Joyce, let me handle this".

She backs down.

"If your hungry, you have your own money to buy something with...".

Chloe furrows her eyebrows and fumes visible, "You can't fucking do that! You can't starve me! Mom tell him!".

But Joyce doesn't do anything.

"Mom!".

Still nothing.

"MOM!".

"Do as he says, Chloe".

She wants to fight, it's in her blood, But Chloe knows that it's useless, and David might not keep his promise.

"Fine... fine...fucking fine!" She snaps, pushing past him making her way into the kitchen, where I quickly follow, not wanting to stick around and hear Joyce and David bicker more. Chloe is continuing to mutter to herself, angry and cussing harshly under her breath, calling David words I never learned as a kid. "I fucking hate him... that fucking bastard is going to get whats coming to him. I swear one of these days I'm gonna-". But I cut her off by pushing my head into her side, causing her to teeter off balance. "Not now, Blu" she hisses softly, really not wanting to bother.

"Don't forget the bin in the garage too!" David calls, having returned to the dinner table with Joyce.

"Fine!" Chloe snaps again, seriously losing her cool.

I keep at it, nudging her with my nose even after I follow her to the garage, the kitchen garbage bag in her hand.

"Knock it off, I'm not in the mood," she continues.

I need her to focus on something else before she completely loses herself in anger. So I give her space for a moment, I watch as she ties up the bag and drags it through the house again and out the door. "Asshole can clean up his own crummy shit," she mutters, shuffling to the curb with me still nudging her every so often, "Maybe if mom wasn't so fucking desperate, things would be different". As she throws the bags inside the one from the garage makes an odd plastic sound as if something was being banged around.

It catches Chloe's immediate attention, and, after looking around for any peeping neighbors, she opens the bag digging through it for a moment before producing an old VHS tape from inside the waste, cover and all.

"What the-?".

She looks at it closely, the anger slowly draining from her body.

"Who the fuck still has VHS tapes? Ugh, must be David's... welp, good riddance to literal garbage. Too bad I can't throw David out with this" she says, throwing the tape back in the garbage without a care or second thought. I keep my eyes trained on it, forgetting about teasing Chloe. Something about that tape makes my insides squirm uncomfortably, but something inside me tells me I need to save it. That it's important for some greater reason that I'm not supposed to know yet. I keep an eye on the bin, watching as Chloe replaces the lid, dusts her hands and heads back inside, calling me to follow.

I don't at first, staring at the bin for a second before trotting lightly over to her truck, watching as she kicks the tire once before heading back inside. "Come on, Blu," she says, "At least you get to eat...".

I stay in the backyard that night, knowing Chloe needed her space to fully cool down. So... once everyone is asleep, I find my way to the front yard where the trash can still stands. Whatever was on that tape... David wanted it destroyed, so it must be important. And If it'll help Chloe stay safe, I need it. Knocking the tall green bin over, I watch as the black bags tumble out of it, a small smile of satisfaction coating my lips. After making sure that I wasn't heard, I begin to dig and root through the thin filmy bags, ignoring all the pungent yet...interesting smells until I find the tape in its plastic casing.

I take it in my teeth and hold it, deciding to leave the mess for David to clean up. (Unless her forces Chloe to then I'd feel bad). With my reward in my hands (paws?) I head back to the backyard where I bury the VHS in the last place anyone would expect.

Where our time capsule rested nearly 5 years ago.

It's gone now, Chloe and I never having put it back after finding out about William, so the spot remains vacant.

As I dig with my one good paw, I can't help but wonder what happened to all our stuff in the capsule... or, our stuff in general.

Our pirate gear and toys, books and clothes.

Our entire childhood... could be gone.

I push that thought out of my head and focus on digging, wanting to remember my past, not get stuck reminiscing in it.

Once the whole is big enough, I place the tape inside and cover it up, hoping that one day... I'll see what's on the tape, and see if it will help, or hurt Chloe.

God let it help her... I pray, give my Chloe a break... I don't know how much more she can handle...

I just hope digging through the trash to save my owner's life doesn't backfire...

The next day, David blames the raccoons.