Chapter 25: Extent of Misery

KIX:

“Hey, be careful… Don’t drool on those papers. They’re not mine,” Jade said as she stroked my fur.

I whimpered at the sight of what Jade was busy with… Why did she have all these pictures of the final victim? Where did she get these books? Was she actively pursuing Marian’s case?

“Did you know? The owner of these books just died. She was murdered,” she told me absentmindedly. “I was there at her final resting place… I was probably one of the last people she saw…”

I whimpered some more. I could only imagine Jade’s horror as this happened. Why did she have to be in that place at that exact same time?

“I fainted after seeing her dead body. Then, when I was in the hospital, I dreamt of her. She was asking for my help,” Jade continued as she browsed some more into Marian’s social media pictures.

“I wanted to uncover the truth about Marian because I think she was misjudged and misunderstood just like me, but not everybody is on my side… They think I was just being reckless, crazy, and sensitive…” Jade’s countenance drooped.

It made me sad to see her in this state too.

Well, I couldn’t possibly stand making her this sad… I needed to cheer her up the only way I knew how.

I closed my eyes and went toward Jade’s face, and then I kissed her.

“Ha ha, quit licking me up. That’s ticklish,” she said laughing softly. I gave her another wet kiss on the cheek, just to make sure I had washed her fears and worries away.

“Thank you. You’re really a life saver,” Jade said, hugging me after I gave her all those licks.

My heart ached again. My Jade had been through a lot… Making her feel happy was the very least I can do…

“Now, where do I return you,” Jade said. She began looking underneath my neck. “You don’t have a collar with you, but I’m sure a luxurious boy like you would have an owner, right? Did you wander here from a far?”

I whimpered as she talked of sending me back. I don’t want to be sent back yet. I was having a lot of fun with her.

“Don’t give me that pretty dog stare… I really need to give you back.”

I cried some more.

“Okay, okay, I won’t send you back tonight since it’s late… We’ll look for your owner tomorrow, okay?”

She carried me into the bed laboriously, and after fixing her table a bit and shutting down her laptop, she lied beside me and stroked my neck.

“Thank you for coming tonight… I had a really rough day at school, but finding you this evening melted all my worries,” she said quietly as she caressed my body.

“Good night… Little fella….”

“Good night, my Jade,” I growled softly back after I was sure she had already fallen asleep.

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JADE:

I woke up to the sound of birds chirping at the window sill. The sunlight peeped through it. It was a pleasant morning.

I was still very sleepy in bed when I realized something was amiss.

“Hmm, little fella,” I mumbled, feeling around for the snowy white fur of the dog I welcomed the night before.

Unfortunately, after groping around, I was still not able to find him.

I looked around my dorm room and found nothing. I reluctantly got up from bed and checked the bathroom. Still there was nothing…

Did I dream the snowy white dog yesterday? I checked my mattress and saw dog hairs lying all around. Thank God, I didn’t dream it. I wasn’t turning crazy yet.

“Where did he go?” As soon as I said this, I looked at the partly open balcony. He must have slipped out from there and went back to his owner.

The thought that he had left while I was asleep made me sad… Ah, it was good while it lasted.

When I was young, I had always wanted to take care of a dog. However, my parents did not approve of it. As a result, I always went around petting stray dogs or the dogs of our neighbors.

There was one particular animal I could never forget though… I remember the time Kix showed me his true form… It was a white wolf too, but it wasn’t as big as the little fella from yesterday. It was quiet, shy, gruff, an a bit jumpy… It was just like Kix…

I shook my head violently awake. Why was I thinking of Kix? I have already tried so hard to delete all my memories of him from my mind… Doing this reminiscing thing would not help me at all…

Maybe it’s because the smell of that little fella reminded me of Kix. He smelled like the cool night wind and cinnamon.

I wonder if all canine creatures smell the same though… Maybe, I just really missed the neighborhood dogs back home.

I sighed. Speaking of Kix, I must get ready for school now. Today, I shall be seeing him and Liam at school again. I have to be ready.

Yesterday, I have decided that I would focus on helping Marian. Although I like Liam, my heart was not yet ready to trust and love someone again. With Kix at school now, things would just get complicated between us. Besides, just one slip of the tongue from Kix that he and I are acquainted and I would be sent back into that nightmarish high school existence I once had…

I don’t want to put Liam in such a predicament. I must tell him about Kix and I and our high school life before attempting to start anything with him. Only then will I have the right to claim his love for me should he still decide he wants me…

Right now, I have to focus on the task at hand – helping Marian, and I know just where to start.

The two boys from Marian’s class – the ones talking to each other at the library, I recognized their faces. If I could see them, I could surely find them again.

There were also some names written on the library card that I took a peek at yesterday before Dianna made a scene at the library.

One of the names was a John Floyd and the other was Marcus Lorde.

If they had anything to do with Marian, I’m sure I could probably find them at the most probable place – the College of Health Sciences...