The Dog

I did not mind crying, I often expressed my emotions this way and I was not ashamed of my tears. But I wanted the reason why I looked so horrible now with red eyes, wet cheeks, and sniffling every now and then, to be joy, not pain. At one point, I realized that I no longer felt them flowing downward, I had nothing to cry anymore. This surprised me and allowed me to shake off a bit.

I had already forgiven my brother for telling the rest of the family about my abilities, but I couldn't shake off the pain it caused when it just happened. I told Tetsuya about it in a fit of stupidity, although I did not regret it now, it was not a planned action. Alex found out after we talked to Victor about it, and I trusted both of them so much. Just because I did it didn't mean I was ready to share it with more people. He told me he was upset by Hyacinth, but he didn't go into detail about why he felt that way. I guessed it was about me, only in my defense could he jump on his brother like that.

I was a little angry with him, but not enough to not want to see him soon. For now, I had to summon up the courage to somehow confront what fate would bring. For the time being, however, I didn't know where to look for her. Once upon a time, I had to deal with my family if they still considered me a part of it.

I was worried about my father, my memory was always vivid about our first trip, and how worried he was if Martha found out about my abilities. After all, he wondered if I could be a threat. It is certainly not easy for him now. I could only imagine Martha's fierce face and her gaze demanding explanations. She certainly didn't say much, but enough to make him feel bad. I didn't want to be responsible if something went wrong between them.

I didn't even want to think about it, as Hyacinth reacted, I wouldn't have survived if I had lost him. Even if he would never love my feelings, which I began to doubt at times, I wish he would have been a part of my life as he was when we were little and I only saw him as a great older brother.

I curled up a bit and hugged my backpack to me as if it would help me feel calmer. I'd like to take my glasses off, but I knew I couldn't afford such freedom, I had to buy new lenses as soon as possible, or get a spare at home. Tetsuya said nothing, focusing all his attention on driving, I didn't want to know what he was thinking. Now I was afraid to look at anyone without learning anything about myself.

My abilities weren't superpowers that caused excitement and envy. This is how there would be people who would like to have such a skill but have not realized what a great inconvenience it is when you cannot control it. The feeling that you may be hurting them, that you are interfering with their privacy, and that they have no way of defending themselves against you. At some point, everyone will start to hate you or be disturbed by you. For Victor, at first, it was salvation to be able to communicate with me unhindered, but since he started dating Alex suddenly there was fear and an attentive attitude. I've seen him stick around with his own thoughts a lot of the time, and no one should feel that way. What if Tetsuya feels the same over time? What if…? Does it even make sense to start when it may turn out that nothing will come of it? It's good for the initial happiness so that the broken heart hurts even more afterward.

"Tetsuya, I am very grateful to you for what you have done and want to do for me," I whispered, staring at the road. I thought that without looking at him it would just be easier to say that I wanted to say goodbye. "But I don't think it's a good idea for me to come to you, or that we should continue this relationship at all. Kiba can handle it somehow. If I could ask you to drop me off at my aunt's, I would be extremely grateful to you."

"And I don't think you can make such decisions without consulting with me," he said slowly and confidently. “I know the situation we're in is insanely strange, we don't know each other at all, but we're grown-ups and we don't have to worry about certain things that much."

"You're an intelligent man, but you don't know what that entails," I said, surprised by his demeanor, but still didn't turn to face him. The atmosphere became a little tense as if he was a little nervous. “Eventually, everyone will start to hate me or push me away because they are hindered by my abilities. I'm sure you too ..."

He stopped the car and I closed my eyes so I wouldn't be tempted to look at him.

"Can you also predict the future?" He asked.

"No," I replied quickly.

"Then get out of the car because we're there," he said firmly and reached out to the door handle. "And please do not assume anymore if and how I will do something in the future. I will decide about it myself."

I guess that was a sore point for him. I never thought the few hours of the journey would be so fast. I didn't even have a chance to try to implement my plan. The realization that the journey was over made me feel very tired and I just wanted to lie down, or at least sit-down. Tetsuya waited for me to finally get out, all the time my eyes were on the ground. He still had an aura of trust around him, but at that point, there was a hint of aggression in it, as if he were imposing it and not accepting a refusal. I couldn't do it anyway. No, I didn't want to do that, even though I should have.

"I wasn't expecting guests, but there's a 24/7 little shop nearby, I'll jump there for a quick shopping, I'll just let you in, okay?" He announced in a calmer voice.

I agreed and hesitantly followed him, seeing him turn every now and then to check that I was definitely going. He led me to a high block of flats and let me through the door. I blushed and thanked him for the gesture. The staircase was clean and tidy, although it had not been built recently. We took the elevator to the sixth floor, his apartment right next to the lever. I suspected that the rumor I heard outside the door was Kiba. Tetsuya took the keys out of his pocket and asked me to be careful because he wasn't how the dog will react.

He went in first and tried to stop Kiba from going outside. The quadruped already smelled the new scent and knew that someone was with his master. I finally went inside and was able to say hi to the pet. He stopped when he saw me and didn't believe I was really there.

"I'm sorry I didn't come then and for making you upset," I said, addressing the dog, crouching down to be at his level. Kiba came up to me and nudged me lightly.

"It's really you," he said after a moment, then he easily rolled over and began licking his face. "The Lady is here! He will be with me forever now!"

"Kiba! Tetsuya had to force him away from me again. "Don't overdo it, Lucretia will stay with us for now."

"That's true?" the dog asked me.

"Yes, I'll stay here for now," I confirmed and reached out to stroke him.

Kiba's fur actually felt different than the last time we saw each other. It didn't have that much shine and fluffiness. I also felt his ribs and looked worried.

"I'm going to eat right now! You will see it! But you have to, too, because you look like a stick," he accused me, and I started to laugh. This dog could always make me laugh.

"What he said?" Tetsuya asked as he readied his backpack and leash.

"He just compared me to a stick," I said, bringing a smile to his face.

"Maybe he's right. Do you need anything before I go to the store and take Kiba out by the way?"

"If I can, I would like to take a shower, but I don't have any things...," I replied sadly, I still felt strange and the situation in which I found myself seemed unreal to me.

He walked over to a large wardrobe in the wall with a sliding door and handed me a towel, then asked me to wait a moment and asked if some of his T-shirts would be enough for me to sleep. I acknowledged, embarrassed, and accepted these things gratefully. He showed me the bathroom and, a bit nervously, then asked me to make myself comfortable. Kiba resisted when Tetsuya tried to take him outside.

"Will you be here when I get back?" asked the dog sadly, not wanting to leave my side.

"I will," I replied, smiling.

"I wanted to ask the same, but he was faster," said Tetsuya.

I could feel his gaze on me but still couldn't summon the courage to look up. As they left and there was silence, uncertainty began to creep into my mind. So I went to explore the tiny apartment. The corridor led to an open living room with a kitchenette. The room was modestly furnished, with a couch with a low table beside it. The kitchen area contained all the necessary furniture and appliances, and there was also a small table with only one chair. There were dog bowls next to it. Kiba's lair was placed in the corner and toys were scattered on the floor. A large window overlooked the city, still noisy and full of light despite the late hour.

There was another door to the right that led into the bedroom, but I didn't want to look in there. There was also a bookcase with shelves in the living room, the two lower ones were filled with books, and the rest of the framed photos, including Kiba and Tetsuya's parents, as well as himself surrounded by friends. I watched them for a moment, but then I thought I might prefer to wash up before they come back from the store. In general, the whole thing was neat and clean.

In the small bathroom, she just took off her glasses and in the mirror, I saw how swollen my eyes are from crying. I looked lousy, I had to admit it to myself. I was very emaciated and there was no life in me, bags under my eyes, and a jagged posture. I didn't want to look at myself as I got undressed. Fortunately, I did not have a tendency to have deep life thoughts in the shower, so the bath itself went quite smoothly. I hid my stuff in my backpack and sat down on the couch with it. I wasn't sure what to do with myself now. I was holding glasses in my hand, to put them on quickly in case they came back, but I looked at the pillow that looked extremely inviting to lay my head on. I guess nothing terrible will happen if I do that, right?

I didn't wake up until the next morning and, surprised, threw back the covers. I didn't remember covering myself with anything, and it took a moment to realize that these were Tetsuya's bedrooms and bed. I got up quickly, embarrassed, looking for him with my eyes, but after a while, all I saw was Kiba, who was wagging his tail happily when he saw me.

"I've been watching over you all night," the dog said happily. "Well, not all of it, because sometimes I fell asleep too, but when I was awake, I kept an eye on it."

"Thanks, but when I got here, I fell asleep on the couch?"

"Master brought you here, when we came back you slept, he was asleep on the couch, but now he has gone somewhere and said that he doesn't know when he'll be back. You're gonna play with me right?" he asked excitedly.

"Yes, of course," I said, searching for my things.

I went to the living room, Kiba followed me and he remembered that Tetsuya had left breakfast and a message for me. It was late morning, so I was surprised to hear the urgent doorbell. Kiba didn't know what was going on either, but we decided it might be worth checking out. I opened the door and looked slightly to see who it was. I couldn't believe who I was seeing there and took a step back. Though I should slam the door shut right away. Kiba was barking upset when a stranger suddenly entered the apartment. He wanted to protect me. I felt my power starting to work. I forgot my glasses, and lenses, I couldn't hurt him, please not him.