Hey everyone, the next chapter is here! Just a bit of warning, this chapter could be on the heavier side of things, but I hope that's alright. Otherwise, enjoy this next bit!

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Chapter 16: Hidden Beneath

Night, the same day.

I spent the waning hours of this long day helping Bluey and Bingo clean the playroom. We had all eaten take-out not too long ago and now it was time for the girls to get ready for bed. I helped brush their fur and accompanied them as they brushed their teeth (and I did the same myself.)

As all of this was going on, I studied Bingo Heeler: she seemed happier again, her old self once more. As I washed my face and dried it with a towel from brushing, I looked down to see the Red Heeler brushing her doll. For a brief moment, I felt myself enter a trance…time seemed to freeze. It wasn't Bingo I saw not too long after…I breathed in sharply (though almost quietly) as I stared at the entity in front of me.

In place of Bingo was what appeared to be a human girl, about her age…holding the same doll, although her face was hidden by her long, healthy, locks of hair. My mind made the connections, tried to understand what was happening at this moment and I came to the conclusion that this wasn't supposed to be Bingo in human form. No, it was my own, unborn, daughter…as if five years of my timeline had passed. There she stood…waiting for my direction, waiting for me to help her to the safety of her small bed…to reassure her the next day would, in-fact, come.

This all happened for just a few seconds, but with another blink of an eye: she was gone, and Bingo Heeler had returned in their place. A hallucination, or was this real? Speculation, perhaps…maybe my mind just thought of Bingo as something my daughter could…or would become? A tunnel into the not-too-distant future of my life and what I will see. Or perhaps: I was starting to see Bingo as my daughter…I didn't want to think that way…no, it can't be. No, that's not the case, my mind reassured me. Ever since I ended up here, Bingo had been my tether to this world and my own, for some strange reason she appeared as though a personification of my life to be?

Perhaps, but I wouldn't dwell on it for long, for the small pup's voice ringed in my ear…louder…louder…sharper and sharper in tone to get my attention, and soon…they pulled me from this spell I was under…

"Dustin?"

I shook my head and looked down at her again, and ultimately, I smiled…like a loving father would, and with a confident tone said, "ready for bed?"

She giggled before I put my paw on my hips in jest, "what?"

"You sound like an adult."

This, unknowingly, made my heart skip a beat. I remembered I hadn't told the sisters yet of my pedigree, my origins. I couldn't keep denying them the truth…what was the point? They deserve to know. This opportunity to tell them came when I went to their bedroom, helped the siblings to bed and Bluey asked calmly, "have you heard from your family, Dustin?"

I pulled away, and the same thoughts from the bathroom overwhelmed me.

My face darkened slightly, and I gave a weak smile to the Blue Heeler, but that smile disappeared once the truth attempted to surface, "I…I have so much to tell you and your sister. Things that you both should know. I'm not sure where to begin…"

She, understandably, gave a confused look (and so did Bingo across the room.)

This was the moment, and it came out unceremoniously too. You'd expect some grand reveal or something else to happen, but I said it without hesitation…no regret. I didn't care about the ramifications; they deserve to know.

"My family isn't here, Bluey…they never were. I'm…not a dog, I'm not from this world."

She sat up more…confused as I expected her to be. Bingo (who was already passing out) heard what I had said and moved up from her sleeping form.

"W-what?"

"I never should have lied to you both…or to your parents, but I-"

My cone-shaped ears twitched and I looked toward the door to see Chili. Her face was one filled with anxiousness. The adult canine made her presence known, "girls, I'm sorry but Dustin has to come with me for a minute." Her voice suggested it was urgent and dire, but it was barely masked with controlled assertiveness (Bluey and Bingo wouldn't have been able to identify the subtly at the time.) From how casually the mother had said it I deduced that she had not heard what I had just said to her daughters.

I stood up and with one last look to the girls, I gave a disheartened look (one directed at myself) and I, unfortunately, left them to wonder what had just happened.

Chili led me through the house to the entrance downstairs where Bandit Heeler was…standing by the door…talking to what appeared to be police officers.

"Dustin…" Chili muttered softly, she knew this was serious…and Bandit knew also.

"Is this the one?" A female officer inquired to the male Heeler who hesitantly nodded.

"What's going on?" I asked, feigning ignorance in the form of an innocent child, but I knew what all this was about…it was about me.

It was explained that a couple had reported a missing child: days prior and my recent fight with the bullies had led them to the residence. I thought today was long. It was about to get even longer…

The parents were questioned outside…asked to show anything that I belonged to them, but they had nothing, and the police became suspicious as a result (but they're trained to be subtle. I knew this, and I had to act to try and deflect blame off them…otherwise this would end VERY bad for Bandit and Chili!)

My heart sank to the floor and my ears flattened behind me. I walked up to the officers and stated, "I came to their house to play with Bluey. They're not my parents."

"Oh?" The female police deputy said, bending slightly down to appear less imposing to me, "who are your parents, honey?"

"Mr. and Mrs. Cierly" I said, telling them the truth.

"Thanks" they finished, signaling their partner to find my parent's whereabouts on their database. It took a few minutes, but their male associate returned and stated in a confused tone, "there's no one in Brisbane with that surname."

"That's because I'm from Canada" I told the truth, but my new Aussie accent betrayed my statement. They seemed perplexed but had to make a decision: I couldn't stay…child safety officers were soon called to take me away. Bandit would end up catching blame, and he would be the one detained…

Chili had to stop Bluey and Bingo, who had panicked and were confused beyond reason. I was taken away in a black car…looking back to see the three family members and the look of shock and uncertainty on their faces.

The weight of everything came crashing down like an avalanche: Bandit was taken in for questioning and I was on my way to be assessed by child services…all of which was my fault.

My fault…this was all my fault…why did I have to bring them into this!? H-how could I!? How did I not see the ramifications of ending up in the Heeler residence like this? Such an event today spiraled out of control and now the consequences had finally surfaced.

Ultimately, I didn't fear for my safety. It was Bandit I was worried about…and Chili…there had to be a way to convince the authorities they had nothing to do with me…something…anything!

My fault…my fault…my…fault…

…

They couldn't find my name anywhere, or my parents (which meant they didn't exist in this world.) No registered name, no address, no phone number…nothing.

The next logical step for the officers was to ask me themselves. The room was quite welcoming…a place fit for people Bluey's age who had no home or were there as a result of an abusive family. The walls were painted with hyper-expressive animals and landscapes and the room had toys…and seats fit for small children. The adults sat across from me on blue sterile school chairs.

"You have to be honest with us, hun. We're not finding anyone with your name…Dustin Cierly." A female border collie inquired.

"Dustin…" the other child safety officer, a male golden retriever, had their backs against the seat in a calm, open manner…as if to build a rapport with me, but they soon leaned in with a friendly, yet assertive manner, "you can tell us the truth. You can trust us. What were you doing in that house today?"

"I am telling the truth. I stayed with the Heelers because I had nowhere else to go" I retorted, with some harshness in my tone.

The two investigators looked at each other but soon looked back toward me. I gave a harsh grin, quite confident…too confident, but I leaned toward them and said, "I'll just cut to the chase, I'm not from this world. I am, but not this reality. I am not a canine…I am what you would call a human, a primate. I was transformed into this body, and I was brought to this realm against my will" I stated bluntly in my seven-year-old voice, which didn't help in convincing them…not that anything would.

Their faces stiffened as a result. They made ready for a reaction; they wanted real answers, but they wouldn't get any today. They just stared at me for a few moments, and I simply scoffed at their expressions, "yeah, that's the reaction I expected. So then, I must ask…am I under arrest?" I demanded. They were, now, surprised by my sudden "adult" talk but they shook their heads to shake off their disbelief.

"If not, can I leave, please?" I narrowed my eyes.

"I'm afraid we're not done yet, dear" one of them stated.

I scoffed again, turning my head away…crossing my legs in retaliation, "of course not. You're doing this for nothing, you won't find any information on me anywhere."

"Listen, hun. We can't just let you go on your own…you're smart enough to know that."

"Cause I look soooo innocent in this seven-year-old body, right? You think I don't know what's out there? I was in the custody of the Heelers temporarily…I willingly stayed with them; THEY are not at fault here."

The Border Collie and Retriever looked at each other just as the latter raised an eyebrow to me, "you are quite intelligent for such a young girl…with such an extensive vocabulary for your age group. You're speaking as though you might be someone our age."

"That's because I'm not supposed to be a seven-year-old, I'm thirty-one. Listen, I know my rights…I know this sounds ridiculous, but I think we're done here" I retorted.

The female Collie shook her head, not believing a word of what I was saying, and neither did the officer next to her. She sighed softly under her breath, "that's not how things work, mate."

"Okay, but how about this…I'm an orphan! I got no family here, just put me in an orphanage or something and be DONE with it" I lean back against my "child-friendly" colorful chair…folding my brown arms in response.

Ultimately, they didn't know what to do. Child services spoke to the Heelers, particularly Bandit, but he was being as honest as he could. There was no sign of child abuse, however, and the authorities would continue diving deeper into what was happening the past few days since I ended up with the family. Thankfully, the police saw no ill intentions from the parents, and they were allowed to continue living their lives (although they would still be monitored by the agency for some time.)

As for me: I was placed in a shelter. It was miserable, but I didn't know what else I could do…I felt like a literal prisoner in this place. It wouldn't be a good idea to try and escape either…all I could do was wait.

It seemed as though nothing good would come out of all of this.

Unknown to me: Bandit and Chili considered their options. The husband knew I would eventually end up on the streets and he didn't want that. Then came a radical idea in his mind: maybe they should consider "adopting" me. It's clear they had grown attached to me and with their names cleared by the police…the next step was to see what would happen to me. They made their intentions clear a day or so later.

…

It's been a week…I'm still in this shelter for orphans and whatnot. I sat by myself in a corner: humming a soft tune "No Name" by Ryan O' Shaughnessy. It reminded me of my time with Julie…

I miss her so much…I just feel like I may have taken things for granted, for sure. I miss waking up, turning my head to meet her happy gaze…starting our day together. Every day was an adventure with her, filled with unforgettable moments…Bandit and Chili's relationship reminded me strongly of Julie and me. Even after all I've been through in Bluey's world: I felt empty without Julie…even more now than ever.

This is a place I dread to think about…I hoped that if I somehow managed to return home, Kailey wouldn't end up in a place like this. It shocked me to my core: thinking about how it could happen somehow.

Think positively, I think to myself.

Sure enough, positivity WOULD shine through, for the Heeler family was allowed to finally visit me. Bluey and Bingo were more than excited to see me (even a little heartbroken with everything that happened.

I take note of their expressions: they knew the truth and had plenty of time to let it sink in. Of course, they had asked their parents, so the two knew their daughters found out.

"Hey kiddo" Bandit had a reassuring look on his face…even after everything. Chili held the same definite gaze, and she took the initiative: she crouched down with her arms out for me. I couldn't resist…I ran to them and soon the whole family surrounded me. Thoughts about what happened in the house days ago compelled me to step away and look toward the siblings.

"Girls…I'm…"

"Human" Bluey stated, "mum and dad told us."

"I…I was going to say I'm sorry for everything." I nodded in return, thinking to myself a moment about previous events, "Oh yeah…I remember telling you, but…" I sighed…trembling a bit from regret, "I feel like an absolute fool for not telling you girls much earlier…"

"It's okay, Dustin…" Bingo walked toward me, hugging my side…much to my muted surprise. For Bluey and her sister, they were explained the situation by their parents in the best way possible…but they still had questions…LOTS of questions.

Bluey moved closer as Bandit and Chili remained idle behind us, "so…humans do everything dogs do?"

I had to let out a forced chuckle, the first light-hearted gesture in a good while, "in my world yes…it's kind of the opposite. I can explain everything better."

Silence took over for a bit, I swallowed hard. My face contorted a bit in solemn, "I-I can't believe all this happened…all 'cause of me…"

Bandit shook his head, walking up to crouch down in a father-like gesture, "we'll sort it out, mate…you know we will! Don't sweat it!"

"We're here for you" Chili added, joining our side.

"In fact, we got some good news for you, kiddo" said Bandit…soon taking out an adoption form. I stared at it as time slowed, "is-is that…"

"That's right, you're one of us…a Heeler!"

"You are a part of the family now, Dustin" Bandit and Chili said respectively.

Bluey and Bingo soon joined in with their arms in the air with excitement, "Dustin Heeler!"

I had to take this in a small, instinctual, smile inched up in my face in the meantime, but the reality of it all didn't fully hit until I passed the doors…outside…to freedom.

I walked out of the shelter alongside the Heelers, and I finally heaved a much-needed sigh; however, my thoughts went to Bandit. I still felt so bad for what happened to him, "Bandit…I'm…sor-" he stopped me, placing a paw on my back and said, "no worries, Dustin. Everything should be alright now."

I nodded, smiling back as Chili helped the girls into their seats in the jeep, "I appreciate everything you all do; you know."

"Never lost faith in you, kiddo. None of us did" Bandit finished, "welcome to the family."

"Dustin's going to be our sister!" Bingo said excitedly before Chili laughed back a bit, more like your brother, in fact, she thought. Just as I joined the siblings, Chili helped strap us in. Once everyone was in, Bandit Heeler keyed the ignition, and we left this dreadful place…back to our little paradise in Brissy.

Bluey and her sister started humming a song unfamiliar to me as I moved along to the beat, making them smile even more. They giggled, of course, and I just had to join along. I wouldn't have done it when I first got here, but in many strange ways…whether it was in writing or not: they are family now.

Great, now I got TWO families to take care of and be a part of, I thought amusingly.