Alex and Cassie brought Jared into the living room, where their parents were both sitting down on a green couch. “We took Shaggy out for a walk, mom”, Alex piped. The Henderson parents both nodded without looking up, showing that they had paid attention to what their son had just said, and went on about their business. Mr. Henderson was filling out a crossword puzzle, and Mrs. Henderson was working on a cross-stitch of sorts.
Jared was about to go on his way, maybe spend more time with Cassie, when Mrs. Henderson asked a question that send a chill down his spine. “How did he like the food I made for him?”
Jared began to worry that she had suspected something about the fiber-infused swill that Alex had so generously saved him from eating, but once again the young boy genius came to his rescue. “Oh, he at it all, mom. Yeah, his bowl is outside if you want me to go get it.”
This time, Mrs. Henderson looked up, surprised. “Really? He ate it? All of it?” “Yeah, all of it. Right, Cassie?” Cassie began to open her mouth, but proceeded to just nod and smile, going along with her brother’s plan. “Um, yeah. He ate it. But, uh, tomorrow, can we can go get him some real dog food? You know, just so he doesn’t start thinking he can eat scraps and stuff from the table?”
Jared was floored by both Alex and Cassie’s quick-thinking and improvisation, and began to wonder if intelligent minds ran in the family. He felt happy, knowing Cassie was beautiful, kind, AND smart.
He wasn’t exactly keen on the idea of having to eat real dog food, but anything was better than what Mrs. Henderson thought he would enjoy.
Mrs. Henderson nodded, smiling. “Okay. Yeah, that’s probably a good idea Cassie. Thank you for suggesting it.” Mr. Henderson remained unphased. “Well, I suppose he’s not all bad. But I’m still not exactly sold on him. You can still keep him, but I don’t want him bringing any puppies into the house.”
Jared groaned in his mind. What was this mans fixation with having him... well, fixed? He thought he had escaped this threat after being taken away from Cy, and the image of his coin purse being taken off haunted him. What if it stayed that way when he turned back into a human? He shuddered, which Cassie mistook for him sneezing.
“Aw, bless you, Shaggy.” Once again, Jateds mind was put to ease by Cassie’s heavenly voice. He almost felt completely calm when he heard what Cassue had to say next.
“Well, I’m going to go take a shower. It was kind of warm out, so I’m a little sweaty. May I be excused, please?”
Jared’s face felt like it would burst into flames. Cassie? Shower? Naked? Look? Yes? No? Maybe? A torrent of conflicting emotions washed over him as Mrs. Henderson gave her daughter permission to leave, prompting her to head to the upstairs bathroom.
He might never get a chance like this again, though he was unsure if he could live with the guilt and shame of watching Cassie naked as her trusted dog. The teenage hormones flowing throughout his mind pulled him one way, but his moral compass pulled him another. What would he do?