Guardian

Poppy looked up at the lady, "Daniella", as he trotted along beside her. She was a very nice lady, and he liked being around her. She didn't ignore him like the others. Still, he found it hard to trust her completely, but that would be true with any human. He had not had a good past. He had been near death when that man found him out in the grass. He hadn't had anything to eat for days, and was badly malnourished. He had been brought up with people who didn't pay any attention to him, people who didn't need him, didn't want him, people who hurt him...

One day, they pushed him over the edge. That boy kicked him because he took a chicken bone out of the garbage. They hadn't fed him that day, and he was starving. He was never a violent dog, but he had been turned into one by these people. He attacked the boy, ripping a chunk of skin off his arm. The boy screamed, and that man came in, saw what had been done, and grabbed a knife from the holder, yelling something. Poppy wasn't stupid, he knew what would happen. He ran, ran until he was outside, and kept running, far far away.

And he thought it was over until the man with the red hair had taken him in. He never paid the dog any attention, but at least here he was fed and taken care of. His whole life, he had just wanted somebody who loved him, who would play with him, and this girl seemed to like him very much. He had decided to stay with her, at least for the time being, because she made him feel not only wanted, but needed. There was a man coming after her, trying to hurt her, and he knew what that was like. He wanted her to feel like he could protect her so she would stay with him.

She stopped at a wooden door and looked down at him, apparently unsure of whether she wanted to enter. Poppy just looked up at her face, his mouth hanging open. After a moment, she smiled, patted him on the head, and opened the door, looking back once and walking into the room. He looked around outside one more time before following her. He heard the man with the white face. He knew it was his voice, and it sounded like he was in pain. Seeing nobody, the dog followed her in. His stomach was starting to feel a little upset... Must have been something he ate.

The scream had upset Daniella. It was one of the most horrifying noises she had ever heard. She just wanted to meet this "master" and get the hell out of this place. Never mind she had no idea where she would go, where she could run. As far as she knew, she was a wanted criminal. The police were obviously after her, but she had no idea what she did, who she was... and that's why she was still here. She needed to know. She remembered Fiona's words clearly:

"... I think you're a clone. The police are chasing you because they don't want what happened at the castle to be known about by the public."

...She was still in denial. Not about being a clone, she had come to believe that, and was trying to come to terms with that fact as best she could. It was the thought the police wanted to secretly kill her off. She didn't want to believe the world was that corrupt. Her dark thoughts took her all the way up to the second floor balcony. She looked around when she reached the top, wondering where the bedrooms were, realizing for the first time that she was extremely tired. There were a few doors up here, and she just decided to try the one on the far left. She approached it, her hand on the door handle, but didn't turn it. She didn't want any more surprises today.

Daniella looked down at Poppy, standing by her side, his dark eyes staring up at her, with this stupid grin on his face. She couldn't help but smile, reaching down and patting his head. She felt a lot more comfortable with him now. She wondered if he would stay with her while she slept. Taking one look around the foyer, she opened the door. She suspected that agent was still here, somewhere, but he was gone, at least for now, and she needed sleep. Entering the doorway, she found herself in a long stone hallway, with wooden doors lining the sides and a dark stairway heading downwards about halfway through, and a long window that ran along the top of the passage, lighting the hall with the ethereal glow of the full moon shining brightly overhead.

Daniella looked backwards, noticing that Poppy had not come to join her. The dog came in after a few seconds, looking around the hall. She closed the door behind her and, calling him, headed for the door closest to her, on the right side of the passage. As she opened the door, Daniella sighed with relief. The room had a single bed with red covers, white pillows, and a beautiful white nightgown already laid out for her. There was also another door, presumably a bathroom. It was a small bedroom, but it was more than good enough for her. She entered the room, Poppy following by her side.

She closed the door behind her, hoping to god there was a lock on it... but no such luck. Just the brass handle. She groaned, sitting down on the soft bed. What if as soon as she went to sleep, that man came in and trapped her? She crossed her arms, shivering. That didn't matter right now. She decided she needed sleep more than anything, being up almost a whole twenty-four hours, so she took the nightgown into the bathroom and changed into it, then came back out and sat back down on the bed beside the dog. She leaned forward and stroked Poppy's fur. The dog brushed its head against her hand, yawning. He really liked her. He was her only friend in this place. She was reminded of Fiona and her dog Hewie. They had been through a lot, there was no doubt of that.

Poppy laid down, putting his head on his paws, and Daniella laid back in the bed, drawing the sheets over her and switching off the lamp on the nightstand. She heard the dog sigh... My dog, she thought as she smiled and got settled in. She wasn't afraid of anything as long as Poppy was here with her. He would protect her...