“So, she came back?” Bentley's muffled voice asked from the other end of the phone.
“No. I buried her. My mom saw me. And now she's back. She didn't just come back,” I said slowly, pausing a lot between my words.
“And where's your mom now?” he asked. My skin started to crawl and I felt my fists clench. How dare he not actually believe me! I wasn't crazy. He should know that.
“At work,” I said calmly, trying to control my temper. My emotions were all high-strung due to Star's appearance; it was all I could do to keep myself from crying.
“I'm coming over. Don't take this the wrong way, Mel, but you don't sound stable right now.” Don't take it the wrong way? He thought I was crazy! He was coming over to see Star for himself because he didn't believe me. He was supposed to be my boyfriend, the love of my life. He was supposed to trust me no matter what... but he didn't. But, it didn't really matter. He would see soon enough. I couldn't wait to see the look on his face when he saw Star, sitting here, wagging her tail.
“I'll be here,” I said quietly before hanging up the phone.
I turned around to see Star sitting there, looking up at me. Her tail wagged back and forth, her big blue eyes innocently looking at me. She pawed at her muddy, mangled fur and wined a little bit.
“You need a bath, girl,” I said. I never thought I would be so excited to give my dog a bath... before I thought of it as a chore, whereas now I realized it was a privilege. I was so happy she was here with me. No one was going to take her from me again... no one. Bentley will try... the voice in my head warned. I shook it off; nothing was going to get me down or control me or my thoughts.
“Come on,” I said, patting my leg. She jumped up and followed me into the bathroom. I turned on the light, only for it to blow out. Star whimpered, and hid under the sink, backing into the darkness of the cabinet. Her muddy fur rubbed all over my fresh and clean towels. I took in a deep breath, trying not to be annoyed.
“Come here, Star, it's okay,” I said. She'd never been scared of the dark before... I didn't know what had gotten into her.
C
R
A
S
H
!
A high-pitched scream escaped my lips, as I jumped back, whacking my ankle on the side of the tub. I stumbled backwards, my arms flailing behind me, attempting to catch myself. Clank, clink, shatter... the sound of my mother's crystal soap dish. Slash... the sound of my mother's crystal soap dish running down my arm, turning my entire forearm red.
I felt my stomach start to churn, and my head began to feel distanced from the rest of my body. I closed my eyes tightly and took a deep breath. It wasn't the pain... it didn't even hurt that badly. It was the blood... I couldn't stand the blood.
I could feel Star's warm breath panting next to me, her tongue slowly licking my wound. I wanted to pull it away, but I was beginning to lose all feeling and consciousness. The world around me dimmed, only Star remained in my sights. Little black dots began to corrode her, drifting in and out until all I knew was a world of pitch-black... a world of numbness... a world that was known as the subconscious... the unconscious... I drifted away... away... away... nothingness surrounded me with warm and welcome arms.
