The next two weeks seemed to fly by. Jen lost herself almost completely in her new role as a dog. She loved playing fetch with the carers and running free in the side yard. Amelia and the trainers praised her for her progress in class. She had learned not just the spoken commands, but even hand and clicker signals as well. Mina improved greatly thanks to her collar. She would still have at least two more weeks of training after Jen left, but Amelia commented that there wasn't much left for her to learn.
Kyle was also on her mind, at least whenever she wasn't lost in doggy thoughts. One of the carers was dating a male trainer and liked to gossip. Apparently he hadn't taken to being a dog very well. Betty had to redesign the gloves because he kept slipping out of them, removing his kneepads and collar, and trying to hop the fence. Enrique, a very large and fit man, had grown tired of trying to wrestle him down before he sliced himself up on the razor wire and requested a locking collar. Betty refused, for safety reasons, and instead revised the system so it would deliver a TASER-level shock if you tried to remove it without a special key. The gloves she was more than happy to lock in place, along with the kneepads. After that the only word Jen ever heard about Kyle was how he was very moody during training and refused to play in the yard.
Jen was happy. There was no other way to put it. She had achieved a level of contentment that would make a Buddhist monk jealous. It was rather jarring when on the morning of her final day Amelia told her that her mother would be there soon to see the results of her study. She was given an extra helping of breakfast to celebrate completing her month of training before being lead out to a large room just off the foyer. Rex was already there. He seemed excited to see her, but still sat obediently next to his trainer. Amelia took up a position next to them and signaled Jen to heel. She obeyed without a thought. Once all four were in position the door was opened by Betty who led Jen's mother in.
Tracy gasped when she saw her daughter and dog sitting so patiently next to each other. Betty pulled up a chair for her and Amelia gave a short speech about the history of the school and the pride it took in its training. Then Jen and Rex were run through a series of commands in tandem to show just how well they had learned. Both of them executed their synchronous display flawlessly. Tracy clapped in admiration as they returned to their respective trainer's side. Amelia then announced them both as graduates of Chesterton Heights Obedience Training School and placed small mortarboards on their heads. Betty took their pictures.
Rex's leash was handed off to Tracy and Amelia presented her with both of their diplomas along with a book that detailed the commands they had learned so she had a handy reference. While they were talking Betty took Jen's leash and lead her out of the room and down the hall to her office. Once there she helped the girl up onto the exam table and removed her collar, gloves, and pads. Jen felt very odd without them. They had practically become a part of her over the past month. Betty then pulled out a box containing the clothes that Jen had been wearing when she had arrived. Jen found using her hands to be incredibly awkward, Betty had to help her dress, and when she stood up her knees almost gave out under her.
"It's okay," Betty said, helping her up, "You've been crawling all month so your knees are just a bit weak. Hobble around for a bit and they'll recover in no time."
Jen took her advice and stumbled her way around the exam table, holding onto its metal surface for balance. She was still shaky, but after a few laps her legs began to find their old balance and she could at least walk unaided. Betty gave her a few checks then had her perform a series of stretches.
"I want you to do these every day for the next week," she said, "and after any time you spend as a dog."
"As a dog?" Jen croaked. Her voice had deteriorated even more since her meeting in Amelia's office two weeks ago.
"Of course." Betty said eyeing her oddly. "You seemed to be having a lot of fun as a dog. Are you saying you're just gonna go home and give it all up?"
Jen opened her mouth to say 'Of course!' but froze. She suddenly felt a little sad at the thought that she wouldn't be able to play fetch anymore, or run through the grass on a warm afternoon. She felt a tear run down her cheek. Betty handed her a tissue.
"Don't cry Jen." she picked up a wooden box and handed it to her. "Here, a gift from me and Amelia. We have a feeling you might enjoy it, but don't open it now. Wait until you get home. We need to get you back to your mother so you can go home. Just remember, there is always a place for you here. Maybe instead of training you would like to try our boarding program. No charge since you're the first graduate of our newest course."
Jen was touched. Betty gave her a big bear hug and took her hand, leading her back to the foyer where Tracy, Amelia, and Rex were waiting. They all said their goodbyes. Jen got another hug from Betty and, surprisingly, from Amelia as well.
"I know Betty probably already told you this, but you're always welcome to come back whenever you like. We'll keep a cage open for you."
Jen felt the tears welling up again. She was on the verge of begging her mom to let her stay but Tracy seemed to read her mind.
"You have to be back at school on Monday." she said. "I can't get you any more time off, especially since finals are next week. Your teachers sent a packet for you to study so you hopefully won't be too far behind. If you do fail any of them then the principal said you can retake them during the summer after you do a bit more review."
Jen nodded and hung her head. They all said goodbye once more and Tracy, Jen and Rex walked out the door and climbed into Tracy's SUV. Jen sat on the back seat and watched as the large wood and stone building got further away. Tracy pulled up to the gate and waited as it opened then drove through.
The instant the car passed though the gate Jen had a sudden, sharp headache. The world spun briefly and a certain telephone conversation from a month ago sprang back into her mind. She froze stiff, unable and unwilling to move a muscle. They drove on for some miles before Tracy looked in the rear-view mirror at her silent daughter.
"Are you OK sweetie? You're very quiet, and you look a little pale."
"Fine." Jen whispered hoarsely.
Tracy kept driving, checking on Jen in the mirror every once in a while. She looked ashen and her eyes were bulging slightly. When they arrived home Jen didn't say a word, she just grabbed the box that Betty had given her and climbed stiffly and awkwardly from the vehicle. She walked carefully through the door, down the hall, up the stairs, and into her bedroom. It was exactly as she had left it. She placed the box on her desk and walked to the bed. She stood there for a few brief moments while her brain finished processing everything that had happened. Then she collapsed onto the bed, buried her face in her pillow, and screamed.
That pathetic little piece of shit Kyle Perkins had cursed her. She remembered it all now. It was conflicting with her other memories of how fun it was to be a dog, happy and free. Her face burned. 'You will believe that this whole thing is your idea and are excited to do it.' She had spent a month crawling around naked and acting like an animal because of that fucker, and she had liked it! 'You won't remember this conversation until you are entered into the course.' But she hadn't, not until after she had graduated and left. 'And once you are in and remember, it will be to late to get yourself out of it.' She thought long and hard about that last bit. Kyle had meant for her to remember, then be forced to stay by the staff... But he never specified the that the staff *would* force her to stay. Sure, they wouldn't believe anything about the curse, but what if all she had to do was just say she was done and go home? They couldn't realistically force a human to stay in an obedience school against their will, not unless the curse changed things so they had to. Kyle's poor wording had kept his curse from working as he intended. Not that it mattered in the end.
She wanted to scream again, but she didn't have any energy left. She lay there and tried to fall asleep. If she was asleep then she wouldn't have to remember. She couldn't get comfortable though. Her clothing felt tight and itchy. Without thinking she pulled it off and lay there in the nude, curled up in the middle of her bed. She stared blankly across the room and saw the box. Betty had said to wait until she got home before opening it. She was home now, right? She stood up, then realized she was on all fours and got to her feet properly. Walking upright still felt odd to her. She approached the desk and touched the box gingerly, like it might explode. It had a simple latch on the front which she undid with a click and slowly pulled the lid up.
The inside of the box was lined with pink silk. Nestled in this was a collar, gloves, and pads, all in bright pink leather, a pink leash, and a pink rubber ball. There was a note tucked under the ball. She picked it up, grabbed the note, and held the ball tight while she read.
Dear Jennifer,
I hope you enjoyed your stay with us. It was the most fun I had ever had working here. I figured that after all the good times you had at our school you would want to play at home as well. I made these specially for you, completely custom. I hope you think of us when you wear them. Come back and visit us soon.
Sincerely
Betty
Jen found herself fighting back tears again. It had been fun, she could not deny that, but how much of it was genuine and how much was the curse? She dropped the note back into the box and fell to her knees. The carpet felt rough beneath them, so unlike the soft leather she was used to. She stared at the floor through eyes blurred with tears. Her hatred of the curse Kyle had given her and the happiness she felt from obedience school were tearing her apart inside. She looked at the ball in her hand. It was round and perfectly pink with little nobbles on the surface for grip. She put it in her mouth and bit down. It squeaked, and Jen lost herself in the happy memory of playing in the yard with the other dogs. She hated the curse. She hated Kyle. But she couldn't find it in her heart to hate this.
Tracy poked her head in a few hours later to ask Jen if she was hungry. She found Jen curled up on her bed, wearing only her new pink collar and pads. She gazed at her daughter for a while, contemplating. Then she smiled. Jen had been such a surly teen, if this is what made her happy then Tracy would support her all the way. She closed the door and went to order a new dog bed.