"You were electrocuted?"
I nod. "That's what I remember. It felt horrible…"
"I'm sure it did."
I examine my mate. His expression is incredibly angry. "Are you cross?"
"Of course I am," Perry snaps. "But not with you. With those people who deemed it okay to do that to you. They electrocuted you over and over again! What possible purpose could that have?"
"Torture," I mutter sullenly.
"That might just be it. I'm just glad Ferris was there to help you."
Ferris…
When I think about him, I feel a sharp pain in my heart. I don't want to remember what happened to him because I think I know and I don't want to be proved right.
"Are you okay? Do you want to go home?" Perry asks.
I shake my head. "I want to stay here for as long as I can. I'm going to go for a walk."
"Are you-?"
"Yes I'm sure!" I snap.
I turn and leave the office in a huff. I know Perry loves me and he's only looking out for me but when I say I want to do something, I don't need to be undermined all the time with "are you sure?" because yes, I'm sure! I wouldn't be doing it if I wasn't sure!
I go for a long walk around OWCA HQ. I do feel a bit anxious every now and again, but this place is starting to become familiar in my mind, rather than unfamiliar. I chat to a few people and I even find OWCA's doctor, Apollo. I visit his twin sister Artemis, who is OWCA's counsellor, and she gives me a few tips to calm myself down, and she even listens to me prattle on about my problems. She tells me that that's her job.
By the time I get back to Perry, it's actually evening time. Perry looks worried.
"Goodness me, Judy, you were gone a while! I almost sent out a search party for you."
"I'm fine," I smile sweetly, which makes him look at me weirdly. "I promise. I had a nice chat to lots of your friends, and the twins, Apollo and Artemis. They're all really friendly."
He stares at me. "Who are you and what have you done with my mate?"
"It's true. I'm feeling a lot more relaxed here."
"Oh…well that's good. Anyway, I was about to head home. Coming?"
I nod. "I'm coming."
When we get home, Perry takes me inside the Flynn-Fletchers' house. "What are we doing in here?"
"I just wondered if you wanted to sleep in my bed with me tonight."
"Oh…okay." Honestly, I'm a more surprised than worried by that. "Cool!"
We sleep in his bed for a while, before Perry wakes me up at about ten pm. "Come on, she's asleep."
"Who's asleep?" I ask sleepily.
"Candace. Her bed is so soft but she doesn't like me so she doesn't allow me on her bed. But I sneak up there when she's asleep, so let's go."
"What if we get caught?" I ask worriedly.
"It's okay, she likes you more than she likes me because you smell better."
"What?"
Perry blushed. "Okay, that came out wrong. It's because you use that perfume you like, don't you?"
I nod.
"I don't, so I smell really bad to her. That's one of the main reasons she dislikes me. Whereas you smell really nice to her so she won't be as angry at you."
"That's reassuring…"
But Perry's right. Candace's bed is ridiculously soft. How on Earth did she get her bed this soft? It's like sleeping on a cloud!
The next thing I know, a female human voice is screaming, "EW! GET OFF MY BED!"
I fall off the bed in fright. Perry soon follows me. "There's the anger," he says, sounding slightly amused.
One of the boys—Phineas—comes into the room. He scoops up Perry. "You don't do it on purpose, do you, boy?" he asks Perry, who chatters in response.
Candace apparently overhears the question. "Of course he doesn't! He's just a dumb animal who doesn't know any better!"
The words "he's just a dumb animal" echo in my head over and over again. I've heard that before…where have I heard that before? And why does it come with such a sharp sting to my chest?
Then the voice gets deeper and I know exactly where I've heard it before.
A final memory shoots through my brain, and I almost pass out from the pain. I quickly race as fast as I can out of the room and downstairs and outside and into my shed. I jump onto my bed and lie on my side, shaking.
Perry comes in a minute later. "Are you okay? Is it another memory?"
I nod shakily. "It's horrible…make it stop!"
"Shh…" Perry sits down next to me on the bed and puts his paw on my shoulder. "Why don't you tell me about it?"
So I do.
