Friday was a quiet day, especially as she walked home, the day just a little too cold for anyone to be out and about. There was a chill to the air, and a biting wind that worked its way through any clothing, sent by the heavy storm clouds that had loomed all day and now hung ominously overhead. The only noise Izzy could her was the muted clap of her feet against the cracked sidewalk as she trudged ever onwards toward home, accompanied occasionally by the brief echo of thunder rippling across the sky. Her school bag dragged at her shoulders, threatening to sink her deep into the ground, and air thick with the promise of rain fought its way in and out of her lungs, heavy like soup.
Izzy had been dawdling again, not really caring about being soaked by the oncoming storm. Shawn had gone to his dad's place for the afternoon, and despite an open invitation to come round to the Wheeler's whenever she liked, she didn't want to encroach on the place without him. They wouldn't mind her presence there at all she knew – in fact, they'd probably just install her as a temporary substitute for Shawn in his absence – but still, she chose to walk the streets and wait for evening to roll around.
Lost in thought, she turned onto a long street with a ditch on one side where she suspected a creek had once run. Thick slabs of concrete made the driveways that stretched across it, each with a wide hole punched through the bottom for water to run through. She found herself wondering if anyone ever drove off the sides of such stupid driveways. The sides and bottom of the ditch were covered in long grass reminiscent of reeds but more likely to be harbouring snakes than ducks. This was Australia, after all.
She almost missed the whimpering off to her left….almost. The sound lifted her from her reverie, out of time with the monotonous rhythm of her footsteps and emanating from the long grass of the ditch. Turning, she peered through the yellowing plants to try and find the source of the noise, spotting something black and moving in the midst of all that grass. Her first thought was a snake, and she almost walked away; but no, on second thoughts, it didn't look anything like a snake.
Hoping she wasn't about to be bitten by anything unpleasant, she slipped and slid down into the bottom of the ditch, pushing through the grass. There, right in front of her, was a pitch black puppy. It was wriggling around madly and making all kinds of pitiful noises, trying to free itself of the brick that was attached to its leg by a length of rope. Crouching, she rocked back on her heels, wondering what to do about it – she couldn't just leave it here to struggle and cry and eventually starve. If she freed it though, who knew where it would go or what sort of trouble it would get into. People didn't like stray dogs, anyone could tell you that. She couldn't take it with her either, however much she wanted to.
She'd always wanted a dog too. And she still did, no matter how long ago she'd told herself she was giving up on that dream.
Slowly, she reached out towards the puppy. Rather than snapping and trying to defend itself like she'd expected, it cowered at the sight of her hand, forgetting its struggle with the tight rope. She could see it waiting to be hit or kicked for nothing at all, expecting pain at the very sight of her. Softly, she stroked its head, smoothing down matted fur and big, silky ears. The puppy whimpered again, but this time the sound didn't sound quite as pitiful.
Crooning softly, she moved to the rope, struggling with the tight knots around the dog's leg, trying to loosen them enough for slip out the trapped paw. As she worked, a single, huge raindrop splashed onto the back of her head, soaking through her hair to her scalp. More followed, slowly at first and then faster and faster, building up into a steady downpour as the storm finally broke. "Dammit," she swore under her breath as her fingers slipped from the knot again. By the time she got the rope undone, she was soaked through and the dog wasn't faring much better, though she had managed to protect him from the worst of it.
Feeling that it was free, the little black puppy got to its feet, limping a step or two and favouring the foot that the brick had been tied to. She reached out to it again and this time, it came towards her warily, checking that she wasn't a threat before pressing up against her, using her to stay out of the rain.
What now? she asked herself silently, stroking the puppy again. She loathed the idea of leaving it here to fend for itself – sure, she'd freed him, but he couldn't walk and it was raining. Really, he wouldn't be much better off than he was tied to that brick. She wasn't sure what her parents would do if she brought him home. Probably shoot it or something.
In her pocket, her phone buzzed. Crouching over it to protect it from the rain, she pulled it out and unlocked it. It was a text from Shawn, something about video games. Seeing his name on the screen gave her an idea. He wouldn't mind, she was sure. Tucking the phone back into her pocket, she reached down and picked up the shivering puppy, tucking him into the front of her hoodie and zipping it up until just his head was visible. With one hand, she flipped the hood up to cover her head, and then pulled herself up out of the ditch and turned back the way she'd come, walking at double the speed she had previously been travelling at. This time, she felt light on her feet, the weight of her bag and tiredness in her legs forgotten in light of her new-found purpose.
She reached the Wheelers in record time, drenched to the skin and shivering. When she knocked on the door, she could hear a brief shouting match about who would answer, and then Wayne appeared in front of her, warm light spilling from the house behind him. "Isabel!" he greeted her, cracking a smile. "What brings you here so late?"
It occurred to her suddenly that it was well past six and the sun was going down behind the thick bank of clouds, not that the Wheelers would mind. "Izzy," she corrected, returning his smile. "Is Shawn here?"
"You know, I think Amber just left to get him…"
"Babe, who is it? I-" Julie came out from the kitchen, her sentence falling away as she answered her own question. "Izzy! Shawn will be here soon; come inside." Unable to get a word in edgewise, she was swept inside, away from the downpour and into the entrance of the Wheeler's large home. For a minute, she stood there dripping onto the tiles while Julie talked about blankets and dry clothes and such; then, the puppy started wriggling out of her jumper, trying desperately to get to the floor.
"What is that?" Wayne asked as she unzipped her hoodie, freeing the dog.
"Is that a dog?" Julie added. "Where did you get that?"
Attracted by the noise, Brianna appeared at the top of the stairs, watching for a moment in confusion and then barrelling down with a squeal of delight. "Izzy! It's so cute!" she practically screeched, her voice going up a few octaves as she reached for the dog.
Alarmed by Brianna's sudden arrival, Izzy took a step back out of reach, trying to calm the now frantic dog. "He's scared of people," she explained to them, holding him as tightly as she dared. "I found him in a ditch, tied to a brick."
"Oh, poor puppy," Julie said, edging closer. The dog froze, watching her warily, but after a moment accepted her into his trust, letting her touch his head. "Who would do something like that to you?"
"He's so cute though," Brianna gushed, blessedly quieter than before. She approached too, copying Julie's actions, and winning the dog's trust. For a moment, Izzy wondered if she'd been wrong about this puppy having trust issues – but then Wayne approached and it cowered in her arms, retreating as far as it could.
"He's a bit of a ladies man, I guess," Wayne joked as he retreated.
The sound of the door opening made all of them turn around, just as Amber and Shawn hurried in out of the rain. "Izzy!" Shawn said, grinning wildly. "Hey."
"What the fuck is that?" Amber said bluntly, looking from the dog, to Izzy, to each of her family and back again.
"Swear jar," Julie replied automatically.
"It's a dog, Amber," Brianna added, rolling her eyes.
"Where did you get a dog?" Shawn asked, dropping his school bag and stepping closer, watching the animal warily. It didn't react like it had when Wayne approached though, just eyed him for a moment and then decided he wasn't a threat.
"Someone dumped him on the side of the road," Izzy explained patiently, eyes on the dog as it sniffed Shawn's sleeve.
"And you brought it here?" Amber said, not bothering to hide the disdain in her voice.
Izzy hesitated with an answer, arms tightening around the puppy. Whining at the sudden restrictions, it wriggled and squirmed in protest until Shawn saved it, prying it from her arms. Her eyes followed it, watching it settle in Shawn's arms instead. "I didn't know where else to go," she admitted boldly, not letting herself falter.
"Uh, how about home? To your own house?"
"Amber, stop it," Julie intervened, sending her daughter a meaningful look. Amber just rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, the very image of defiance. "Izzy's welcome here any time she wants." For the first time, the blonde woman fully noticed Izzy shivering, still completely drenched. "Oh, look at you love. Brianna, take Izzy and find some dry clothes. Do your parents know you're here?"
Not for the first time, Izzy was stunned at Julie's ability to take complete control of a situation and put everyone at ease, no matter the circumstances. In one blow, she'd subdued Amber, set Brianna to a task, and dealt with Izzy's own dismal state. "No," she replied eventually.
"Have you even been home yet?" Shawn asked, nodding towards the bag on her back.
She shifted uncomfortably, moving her weight from one foot to another. "No," she admitted.
"But school finished four hours ago."
She shrugged in answer. "Okay well, call your parents and tell them you're staying here tonight," Julie intervened. "Shawn, bring that puppy here." With that, they disappeared out towards the kitchen and Brianna was dragging her upstairs, apparently unconcerned about getting water or mud on the carpet. There, she was pointed towards a bathroom, and handed towels and clean clothes a moment later. The shower was the best she'd ever had – the pipes didn't rattle, tiles weren't falling off the walls, the shower head worked, and there was actual hot water (all problems present in previous houses she'd lived in). For a while, she just stood there, letting the water pressure pummel heat back into her body and loosen her muscles, which were tight from all the walking and shivering she'd done.
When she finally stepped out and wrapped herself in a towel, she felt better than she had in months. Drying herself off, she dressed in the clothes Brianna had given her – track pants and a t-shirt that hung off her thin frame but was comfortable at least. Her school bag had disappeared from outside the bathroom, a mystery that was solved as soon as she came downstairs and saw it sitting next to Shawn's by the front door.
A variety of noises spilled from the kitchen/living room but she didn't head that way quite yet, instead sitting down on the second-last step of the staircase and pulling her phone out of the pocket of her pants, scrolling through for her mother's number. She picked up on the fourth ring, the background noise of the TV and her father's voice feeding through the line instantly. "Where are you?" came the sharp voice that she knew well, the one that had earlier in the week softened and shaped almost into one of kindness as it warned her against mentioning Shawn to her father again.
"At Shawn's place," she said, pushing any thoughts on her parents becoming decent human beings to the back of her mind, to wonder on later. "I got caught out in the storm and his Nan said I can stay the night. That's fine right? It's Friday anyway."
"Yeah yeah, whatever." Had they been drinking or something? Her mother wasn't usually this uncaring about anything she did.
"Okay," Izzy said, leaving an awkward pause where her mother didn't say anything before closing the conversation. "Bye." The line went dead a second after that, leaving her with a silent phone pressed to her ear. Shaking away any bad feelings, she shoved the phone back into her pocket and headed towards the cheery atmosphere of the rear of the house.
Most of the family was gathered in the TV area, one eye on the puppy and the other on some show about extreme sports. The dog itself was on the floor squirming around in an old towel at Shawn's feet, the boy seated at the foot of the couch. She joined him on the floor, watching the puppy stage an escape and ignoring the howls of disappointment as another round of thunder shook the sky and the TV reception became spotty.
"I thought dogs were scared of storms," Izzy commented, as the puppy proceeded to ignore the thunder completely.
"I think this one likes them," was Shawn's reply.
"What do we do with him?" she asked quietly.
"You aren't going to keep him?" Shawn sounded surprised, and looked even more when she shook her head.
"I can't," she explained. "My dad would go nuts if I brought a dog home. He'd be dead within the hour," she added sullenly, staring hard at the black ball of fur at their feet.
"Hey Nan," Shawn began, turning around. "Can we keep the dog here?"
"I'd love to Shawn, but Kayne's allergic." She pointed down the couch to her son, and then went back to watching the show.
"What if he stayed in the bungalow?"
"No." Amber's voice left no room for argument, not that that would stop Shawn.
"But it'd only be for a few days, just until we find him a home." Izzy glanced at Shawn, mildly surprised. Deep down, she knew neither of them would be able to keep the dog. She hadn't expected to have to get rid of it immediately though.
"Come on Amber," Brianna whined, apparently on their side.
Amber sighed heavily. "Fine," she agreed reluctantly. "But it stays in your-" She poked a finger at Shawn, "-room, and I don't want anything to do with it."
With a satisfied smirk on his face, Shawn turned back to the TV. Finally free from the towel, the dog stood and shook itself violently, before looking around with big, worried eyes. Izzy leaned forward, holding a hand out for it to sniff and petting it when it shoved its head up under her fingers. "What are you going to call it?" Shawn asked in a low voice, leaning across her to scratch behind its ears.
The question made her sink back against the couch, deliberating. She hadn't even thought about naming the dog until now. Staring at the dog, she willed an apt name to come to mind, but came up empty. There were generic, over-used names like Blackie of course, but he didn't deserve a stupid name like that. No dog deserved to be a Blackie, or a Fluffy, or god help them, a Lucky.
"We should call him Spot," Shawn suggested cheekily, a shit-eating grin on his face, She gave him a hard shove, knocking him sideways, but he just bounced right back with a widening grin (if that was even possible).
"He doesn't have any spots, idiot," she replied. A flash of lightning lit up the rain outside, followed a moment later by a rumble of thunder that sent the puppy cowering into her leg. As her hand fell to comfort him, the name came to her, riding on the trembling air and falling rain.
"We'll call him Storm."