Chapter 13
That day, I left the Andersons' house before Mrs Anderson woke up from her nap. I told Helena to help me convey my thanks to Jarell's parents, in which she replied that they would welcome me back anytime. I could feel my eyes prickling with unshed tears, but it was considered minimal compared to what I felt when I caught the look Jarell had given me. It was something gentle and warm while we laughed together in front of his piano. Besides the fact that it was getting late, that was the other reason I wanted to leave, because the rate at which my heart was racing had taken me by surprise, even though it was only for a split second. I didn't know if Jarell had noticed my weird behaviour, but I was happy not knowing. This was the one thing I was sure I would never be curious about. I gave myself a few days, and sure enough, the significance of it was no longer there. For this, I had the twins and Simon to thank.
Their pranks had gotten from bad to worse, and no, I wasn't saying that their pranks were getting more stupid as the days went by. Rather, they were getting more... violent. I thought at first it was just my imagination, but even Jarell had realised it.
On Monday, I found a thumbtack on my chair. I'd sat on it without looking, because yet again, I was late for school. Yowling in pain and shock, all eyes had landed on me in the middle of Ms Reed's English class, and I was so sure if the Simon and the girls weren't able to control their laughter more properly in the future, they were going to get more suspicious. The rest of the week included trying to trip me, even going as far as throwing a pail of soapy water just outside the toilet on Wednesday, in which I let the school's office know immediately (I didn't want anyone to get hurt for my sake). Fortunately, I was able to avoid most of it because Jarell was there to keep a look-out, something he had taken upon himself willingly.
When Thursday arrived, something out of the norm happened.
"What's going on?" I stared at the flower. "Why is it that three petals have turned gold overnight?"
"I thought for sure we're right that one petal represented a day," Jarell said in disbelief, disappointment clear in his voice.
In truth, we had already found something wrong with the petals last week, when two petals had turned gold overnight, making a total of ten gold petals even though only seven days had passed. It was a routine of ours to count the number of petals every morning. Right now, because of these strange three petals, we only had...
"Forty-two petals left," said Jarell, a little panicked.
I sighed. "Well, at least we still see a pattern. We are definitely certain this tells the time, right?"
"Definitely, but only in a more complicated manner."
"If we're correct, there will be four petals turned gold next week, all at once."
"That's about right."
We both stared at the rose solemnly, thinking how little time we had left. The thing was, we had no idea if what we had been doing were correct so far. There was no indication whatsoever. The only thing we knew was to do the best we could.
~*
I already felt myself smiling with anticipation before I stepped into Madam Clar's, excited to see the dogs again. Seeing my expression, Jarell had taken on a smile of his own as well. I didn't know how he managed to do that, considering his cynophobia. Was my smile that contagious?
Lillian and Becca, who were inside the office, were delighted to see me again. There was one other woman in the office as well. Seeing as how she was wearing the shelter's khaki polo t-shirt, I knew at once she was Teri. She had her hair tied into a ponytail, just like Becca. They seemed rather close in age, Teri looking a few years older. A striking feature of hers were the light brown highlights through her jet black hair, which became gold when they were caught in the light. When we were introduced to each other, Teri put out her hand stiffly for a handshake.
"We'll be starting with cleaning up soon." Becca grinned, then looked at my attire. When she saw my choice of footwear, she said, "I see you've remembered my advice on not wearing your sneakers."
I looked down at my slippers, then giggled. "Yeah."
"You'll be glad you listened, Ellyn Rosieh."
I nodded. "I'm sure."
"In the meantime, we could play a little with the dogs. Let's go," she beckoned. "Is that okay, Teri, Lillian?"
They nodded their heads, and so we left without them. They had quite a number of administrative matters to settle.
We slowly made our way around the kennels. With this, I was able to remember more names, although I did find some of them that I already remembered beforehand gone. When asked, Becca explained that some of them had gone for a home-stay.
"We are proud to say that a puppy was adopted earlier this week. Remember Lilly?"
I was surprised. "That's fast. She had only been here a few weeks, right?"
She nodded. "While dogs like Luky have been here for months." She looked quite affected as she continued, "It's just the way things work. The younger ones usually find a home more quickly." I nodded slowly, distracted. "Anyway, now that we're on it, we should think of better days for you to come, since it's obvious you have a slight problem with getting into a crowd." When I looked at her in awe, she chuckled. "I could tell from your messages last weekend."
"Sorry about that," I said, feeling embarrassed.
"That's all right. It's not your fault; you can't help being who you are. I'd prefer for people to come here willing and comfortable than to have them stay because... well, because of whatever reason they might have, whether they were forced to or not. Some parents want their children to come here because they felt it would be great exposure, but some of these children don't seem to enjoy the company of dogs, preferring technology." She shrugged. "Teri told the parents straight away never to bring their children back here again. Lillian wasn't happy with her, but that's just the way she is: mostly quiet, but straightforward when it comes to something she felt strongly about. So don't take it to heart if she ever says something hurtful. It's just her being passionate about something."
I nodded again, still thinking deeply about Lilly.
After making one round, Becca told me to choose a kennel to be in. She said it would be better for her to return to the office after all, and it would be better for me to spend some time alone with the dogs to build stronger bonds. She even passed me a bucket full of toys.
Thinking back to the time I was attacked by Bill, I decided on the puppies. I wouldn't be needing anyone to get them off me if ever I got tackled. Plus, their energy was contagious, jumping about when I first entered, and so adorable, I almost made the mistake of squealing again in front of Jarell. After going through another round of introduction, Becca left, making sure to let me know that they would be there for me if I screamed for help.
I reached out an eager hand for the two Western Terrier puppies to sniff. "Hello, Silver and Sunny. I'm here to play with you," I said gently, then picked a spot in the kennel to sit. Both puppies barked at me. I snickered, amazed by how fast their tails could wag.
"You're jealous of Lilly, aren't you?" said Jarell, who was standing just outside the kennel.
My smile dropped, and I felt the hand holding onto the squeaky toy go limp. I sighed, not meeting his eyes. "How can I possibly be jealous? I'm happy for her. It's wonderful she gets to find a home so quickly." I tilted my head. "It kinda makes me realise that I shouldn't be getting close to any of them though. They will go away sooner or later and I don't know how I can stand it."
"Ellyn," Jarell breathed. I could just detect a note of sadness in his voice.
I forced out a chuckle. "Did you realise that's the first time you called my name? That sounded really weird."
"Since I couldn't find a suitable nickname for you, that's all I can call you. For now."
"I see."
"Hmm."
"I'm okay. Thank you for your concern. Really."
He didn't reply to that, so we stayed in silence. After a while, I took a deep breath, then went ahead to play all out with the puppies, feeling a lot better.
Half an hour later, Becca came back with a burly man. They were talking amicably with each other, but there was something... I smiled inside when I realised what it was: Becca was blushing. Was he too? I diverted my focus, but before I could confirm anything, they had already stopped talking, and were standing right outside the puppies' kennel.
"Ellyn, this is Oliver. Oliver, this is Ellyn."
Oliver sent me a friendly grin. "Hello."
I smiled back, and found myself staring into his enrapturing eyes – blue like Jarell's, only more piercing while Jarell's were a little more like a forget-me-not blue. They were hooded under thick, dark eyebrows, which would have given him a more mature look if not for the constant cheerful smile on his face. Looking at his frame, it was obvious that he worked out. A lot. I could tell why Becca was attracted to him.
"Ellyn, it's time for cleaning. Let's go get the supplies."
I stood up and followed after them, but not before seeing how Jarell's mood had changed. There was now a deep-set frown between his brows, and his gaze looked threatening. What he was thinking about, I had no idea. A part of me wanted to know though, but it wasn't a time for me to ask, so I glanced at him questioningly. He just shrugged, and followed slowly behind us.
Cleaning was not an easy process. You'd have thought someone like me would get used to it by now, but no, the challenge was different in an animal shelter, because we had to wash up while the dogs were still inside. There weren't any proper place to tie them to, and while it was possible for some to head out to walk the dogs while their kennels were being cleaned, there were too many to clean, and more manpower meant more efficiency.
By the end of it all, I was exhausted. Oliver was kind enough to take over some of the kennels I was assigned to, and I was extremely grateful. It would definitely need getting used to, this cleaning process.
"So, how long have you been volunteering?" Oliver asked while I stood outside the kennel he was cleaning now with a water hose, his slippers and feet getting drenched along with the tiled floor.
"This is my second time here. You?"
"Really? You seem really comfortable with the dogs already. Any past experiences?" I shook my head. "Wow. Well, I've been here for about a year now. Are you still schooling?"
"Yep. Junior college. Let me guess, you just got out of university not too long ago, just like Becca." I looked intently at him, and was satisfied to see a small blush creeping up his cheeks.
"You're smiling like a creep."
My head snapped to Jarell, who was staring at me angrily. I started to frown. Oliver's laughter brought me back. It all happened so fast, it took quite a while for me to register.
"What got your attention so quickly away? Your expression just changed, like that." He snapped his fingers.
I apologised, and the conversation continued for a while. A few minutes later, after everyone had finished cleaning, I volunteered to bring the food and bowls, seeing as how I hadn't cleaned as much as the others. They didn't let me have any of it though, and we continued our chores together. I finished it off by walking Bill for the first time. Just Bill, because his enthusiasm had not once diminished, and he was eager to explore more than I did. Oliver had offered, yet again, to help, but I refused.
I was just barely aware of Jarell's bad mood, and although I wanted to ask, I couldn't with Oliver and Becca around.
~*
"What's going on with you?" I asked him as we walked back to the house from the train station. That question helped relieve so much tension in my chest after having to suppress my curiosity for close to two hours.
"Nothing."
"It's most definitely not 'nothing'. You've been in a mood since just now. You were still fine until—" I paused. "Oh, I get it now. You're jealous of Oliver."
He stuck his hands into his pockets, looking straight ahead. "What gave you that idea? Of course I'm not. I have no reason to be."
"You like Becca, don't you?" I teased.
"Wait, what?" He looked confused.
I sighed. "Poor Jarell." I shook my head.
"Shush."
I chuckled, but it immediately died down when I saw that the lights were turned on in the house.