Tangled

15 Ava: Settling In (I)

Waking up with a dog is both better and worse than waking to an alarm.

Selene starts with a cute little nose bumping against my hand. Then a head burrowing beneath it. Then her entire body on mine, as her dog breath–which smelled particularly fishy–assaults my nose.

She finishes it off with a low, mournful howl, and I

open my eyes with a groan. “I’m up. I’m up. Come on, Selene. You couldn’t let me sleep for fifteen more

minutes?”

Her huff sounds a lot like you slept for six hours, you’ll

be fine to me, but I rub her ears and roll out of bed anyway, only to screech a few seconds later when something sharp tries to murder my foot.

“Shit! Ow, ow, ow. Fuck. Oh, my God. I’m dying. Holy shit.” I fall back onto the bed and check the bottom of

my foot. Only a little bleeding where something sharp broke the skin, and a nice big scratch. I grab my glasses and peered at the floor, shocked to see a purple crystal there.

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15 Ava Settling in (1)

Selene must have gotten into something overnight, because that was not there last night.

I shoot her a dark look. “This is the thanks I get for giving you a home?”

My sweet little husky just tilts her head, staring at me like I’m stupid, and I sigh, tossing the crystal onto my night stand. For a second, I feel a tingle on my

fingertips, but when I grab it again and hold it in my palm, there’s nothing.

Weird.

chest seems subdued, almost as if there’s some sort of

heard of crystals having magical properties, but Dad always said it

not.

to the light to admire its colors. “Pretty. Think I should get a chain for this?” I ask, as if

neck.

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Ava: Settling In (1)

the time I dash outside, finishing the messy bun I’d corralled my hair into. I’ve been pondering cutting and dyeing it

a sign on the door has my pace

the door.

bonding with your new

sounds amused. I’ve learned in these past few days

have their human

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Ava: Settling in (1)

disconnect from that.

mouth opens, holding up a hand to stop my torrent of mild outrage. “Don’t even think about it, Ava. Martha agrees. You’re banned. Go home, relax, get to

my mouth opens and closes as all my arguments dissipate in

down to see Selene with her ears back and her eyes twice as large as normal. Or maybe it’s just in my

I sigh.

hate every

rest.”

figured. Martha said it’s paid time off, for–um, I think she

mouth, then close it again. Yup,

fish face.

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Ava. Settling in

know. Like you gave birth or something. But Mrs. Martha says fur babies are still babies, so get out.” He winks before

It has a built–in soft close, because banging doors doesn’t fit a bookstore cafe’s ambience. It’s just the overall sentiment of the

high–pitched vocal melody pulls me out of my daze and I look at Selene, then the door again. “I guess we can just… go home?” Because what else am I going to do? I could go hiking, but I don’t know the area. With my luck, I’d get lost in the middle of

moment that I have no life