Chapter 2

Ana couldn't remember a time she had ever done something spontaneous like this. She found herself smirking like a cat, proud of herself. Here she was, ditching her Monday classes and walking about downtown window shopping.

It was an amazing feeling to be able to break away like this. To not be cornered by the day and not know what was going to happen next was so exhilarating. She couldn't really describe it. She had a chance to really think about her life, to relax.

She breathed in the scents on the wind, but unlike the perfume of her dream scape, the air held a stale smell of smoke, smog, and regular city stenches. It wasn't exactly fresh air, but it was open air at least. She could even smell the ocean on the breeze from here. It was a lot better than being trapped in a lab with the smell of formaldehyde.

The thought made her cringe and stop outside Anne Summers. That's right, today was that big dissection lab in Henderson's class.

"Great. Just great." She groaned. How could she forget about that? It was a huge percent of her grade. Cursing softly, she turned to head up the street, back the way she'd come.

Now, what was the fastest route back to the college? The 311 bus would take her up to Silver Acres, but then she'd have to switch at 6th and Greene. Damn it. She didn't even know where the closest bus station was in this part of town. She started up the street to head back toward the tram station, figuring if there wasn't a bus stop on the way, there was always the tram.

She turned the corner, mind trying to remember the bus and tram routes, and paused.

Heading up the empty sidewalk toward her was an expensive looking man. At his side was a leanly muscled, sleek Doberman pinscher. The man's suit was tailored, finely cut, and screamed "money" loud and clear. She couldn't help but stare at the man's clean shaven face and cold eyes. What would someone of his standings be doing walking around downtown?

Her eyes dropped unconsciously as he passed her and fell to the dog that brushed between them. It lifted its head from its proud posture and the Doberman halted in his steps, locking eyes with Ana. The man stopped when his dog did not budge, his paws planted in place as if he were frozen, transfixed.

Ana couldn't even muster the ability to blink. Something flooded her mind in waves and flashes. Her eyes searched the dog's, but she could not break the eye contact. His eyes were strange. As if they held knowledge in them beyond that of a canine.

Then her ears began to ring as she saw shadows move across the dog's eyes. Voices. Voices whispered in the back of her mind.

The man looked between them both for an awkward moment then snagged up on the Doberman's choke lead. It yipped as small blunt spikes bit at his neck, forcing him to look away from the girl.

Ana stumbled back a step, eyes wide in confusion, but a growl brought her back to reality.

The Doberman had turned on its owner, ears laid back, lips curled up in a snarl that resonated out from his chest and throat viciously.

The man glared, appalled with the animal and raised the cane he had been carrying in his hand and hit the dog sharply across the side of the head with the metal tip. It hit with such force that the dog went rolling to the ground with a yelp.

"Hey!" Ana yelled, flashing angry eyes to the man. "That's no way to treat your pet!"

"I can handle my own dog, little girl. Why don't you mind your business?" He hit the dog once more as if for emphasis and it again gave a whimper.

"You're hurting it!" She moved to go to the animal, but the cane popped up, tapping her on the chest just above her left breast.

"Good. It needs to learn its place, as do some others." He said that last bit as he poked her once with the cane, eyes bearing down on her with the insult.

"How dare you." She pushed the cane away from her.

"How dare I?" He gave an arrogant chuckle, tapping the insignia for St. Mary's that was on her sleeve. "This from someone who attends a cheap college with mediocre classes and poorly trained professors. Ah, but then again, if you're headed for a mediocre job then I suppose that is perfect for you. After all...we do need Epsilons as well as Alphas to make the world go round..."

"You know, people like you are what make this city stink." Ana muttered as she turned to head away from the man, hands trembling with anger, but she knew better. She didn't have any power in the mind of an arrogant idiot like him. That's why she liked animals...at least they were all equals at the end of the day.

"It's people like me that make this city work." He curl one of those perfect lips back and Ana seethed with anger. Beauty had always been the mask of the beast.

"Arrogant bastards who can't even handle their own dogs?"

The moment she said it she knew she'd regret it. She turned just as he gave a disgusted grunt and raised the cane again. This time, however it was not aimed for the dog, but for her.

She put up her arms to guard herself from the hit just in time and braced herself. She heard it impact, but never felt it. Her eyes opened slowly and she turned to look to the man.

A younger man stood between them, his back to Ana, the end of the cane held firmly in his hand where he'd jerked it to the side, blocking its hit. The arrogant man before him stood with an expression of shock, his hands still on the cane.

"You should never hit defenseless women or animals..." The young man said firmly, his voice low, solid. His hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail at the base of his neck.

"Get out of my way!" The man tried to jerk his cane free of the other man's hold, but stopped when the red head ripped the cane away with ease and broke it over his knee.

"How-Do you have any idea how much that was? You better damn well pay--" The man started, but was silenced when the younger man, who happened to be taller, grabbed him by the lapels of his suit jacket, lifting him up onto his tip toes as he pulled him close.

He came nose to nose with him and chuckled. Ana could only stare in disbelief. Who was this man?

"I don't think you want to try pushing my patience any further than what you have, sir." He spoke the title with venom and shoved the man backward. "Now get out of my sight."

The older man muttered something, eyes large in fear and more apparent, anger. He turned tail and ran off. The younger man watched then tucked his hands in his pockets as he turned to walk off the other way.

Ana only caught a small glimpse of his face as he moved past her. She turned to watch him, still in a state of shock, but finally found her voice. "Wait!"

The red head stopped.

"Th...Thank you."

He said nothing in reply to her, simply moved on down the sidewalk and away from her. His ponytail blowing behind him from the breeze.

Something pushed and licked at Ana's hand and she blinked from her thoughts, finding the Doberman by her side, whimpering. She knelt and stroked his head tenderly. He was a beautiful dog.

"I'm sorry about that...some people are so cruel..." She whispered and the dog merely licked her cheek, as if telling her, no. Not you. She smiled fondly at him and he stepped back before darting off down the sidewalk and down the alley, out of her sight. Dragging behind him his chain.

She stood slowly, watching him retreat. "Strange dog..." Shaking her head as she tried to work through what had all just happened, she sighed. Blinking as she recognized a sound in the distance. Church bells. They chimed ten. TEN?

"Oh, no!" She cringed, turning to run for the tram station. Maybe she could make it still--

"That was brave..."

The voice made her halt in her steps just as she passed the door to a shop. She turned back to see an old face looking at her from the doorway. He gave her a smile and inclined his head back, nodding. Beckoning her to come inside. After a moment of indecision, she followed him inside.

The shop was small, as she would have expected, and dimly lit by the sun through the dusty old windows. She took a moment to look around after stopping once she had stepped through the door. What was this place? A pawn shop?

Scattered all about were tables and racks and shelves full of everything from watches and jewelry to huge, ancient looking books. Swords and knives covered two of the walls. She put her hands in her skirt pockets instinctively like a child walking into a glass shop. This place was full of antiques.

The owner took a seat behind the counter and watched her as she looked around. Silently assessing her with calm, blue eyes. He was old. Well, old to Ana. He must have been about sixty to seventy years old.

"We deal in just about everything from diamonds to tear gas." He chuckled and was rewarded with a smile from the young woman.

"There's a lot of neat stuff in here..." Ana said, pulling a thick, leather bound book from the shelf and dusted it off.

"You really must like animals to have risked your neck like that." The old man spoke as if he were thinking aloud to himself.

Ana looked up from the book, shifting her eyes to the side nervously. "I just couldn't stand there and do nothing."

The old man smiled. "Yes, but most people would have just stood there..."

Ana knitted her brow. "Well, I love animals...I had to do something. What type of doctor would I be if I had let that happen?"

"You're a doctor?" He looked at her curiously in thought and she blushed, blinking at his question.

"Oh, no, not yet. Well...not ever...I mean..." She paused for a moment, flicking through the big book. "I'm studying to be a vet..." She looked down at the book and the blank pages.

"I suppose some people have more of an empathy with nature than the rest of us..."

"Hmm?" Ana tilted her head at the shopkeeper, looking up from her inspection of the book.

"Some people can communicate better with animals than they can with other humans..." He leaned forward on his stool. "I saw what happened back there. You felt something strange, didn't you?"

"What...? What do you mean?" She asked as she flipped through the blank pages nervously.

"You know what I mean. You felt something when that animal looked at you. Something that wasn't natural."

Ana laughed. "That's ridiculous."

"Is it?" The man leaned back in his seat once more after a moment. "You know...I have a friend who has a dog that needs someone like you..."

Ana closed the blank book. "Say what?"

"He's a great dog, but...well, he's not exactly used to domestic life..."

"What do you mean?" Ana's eyes had taken on a curious light with this offering the man was making.

"He's a bit of a working dog..." He said simply.

"Oh. Like a police dog?"

"...More of a...seeing eye dog..." He chuckled softly, smoothing down his slacks.

Ana smiled brightly at that. "I see. So, he needs someone to take care of his dog for awhile?"

"He's going to be disabled by an operation for a little while. He needs a good...sitter to watch the dog until he's able to once more."

Ana's brow furrowed in thought. "But wouldn't he need the dog around? I mean, he'd need help wouldn't he after the operation...?"

The man shook his head slowly. "He just needs someone to watch the dog for him. Others will assist him if needed.."

Ana nodded slowly, thinking on this, then smiled. "I could dog-sit for him. How much trouble could it be?"

The man grinned. "I knew you'd be the person for the job the moment I saw you." He took out a piece of paper and folded it in half. "Now, remember you don't have to do this, but it really would be a big help..."

Ana flashed him a winning smile. "How hard could it be? I mean all I have to do is feed the dog and give him a nice, safe place to sleep."

"Well...there is one thing I would ask of you myself. This won't merely be a sitting job. The dog isn't exactly used to the outside world. He's been...how do you say, more of a house dog all his life. He will need to learn what the world is like, how people in the city act. Once the operation is over, his owner will be able to...branch out more...so the dog needs to learn everything that he can from you..." The old man gave her a level look and she saw a flash of graveness behind his old eyes. As if he were worried about something.

Ana set the book on the counter the man sat behind and picked up a pen from the table, writing down her name and address.

The old man nodded slowly as he watched her write. "I'll have the dog dropped off tomorrow in the morning." He took the paper when she held it out to him and he read the name out loud. "Ana Tristanval? Was your father Eric Tristanval?"

Ana smiled softly. "Yes, he was. Did you know him?"

"I did. He was a good man, your father. Dedicated to his work and family. It's a shame what happened..." He folded the piece of paper up, voice lowering. "The people with the truly good hearts always seem to go first..."

"Yeah..." Ana whispered in agreeance, thoughts wandering. "I'm a little late for school, Sir. I really should get going..."

"You're a lot late for school by my watch." He chuckled. "The name's Johnson by the way..."

"Mr. Johnson." She gave him a slight bow of her head respectfully and turned toward the door.

"Oh. Ana." Johnson picked up the leather bound book from the counter and tossed it to her when she turned to him. She caught it against her chest, giving him a curious look. "Call it a gift, child. Now, run along."

She blinked at him, looking at the book then smiled brightly, nodded, and left the shop with a bounce in her step.