Sleeping Dogs

Chapter 9: Rat in a Cage

Chapter Nine:
Rat in a Cage

Caroline awoke before the sun peaked itself over the trees in a cold sweat, unable to go back to sleep. Charles was scratching and whimpering at her door. She didn't take him on a walk yesterday so he probably was just restless.

"Okay, okay," she grumbled softly to herself. "I'm coming." She got dressed quietly in her usual running clothes and opened the door for Charles. He ran around her to her window, growling outside. "Charles, if you want to go outside, we'll have to take the door, not the window," she chastised. She walked over to him and grabbed his collar, but stared intently out the window. What was throwing him off?

Caroline took Charles downstairs and put on his leash. The weather was beautiful that morning but she put on her rain jacket that had a reflective trim in case and cars past her, it was still dark outside and she didn't fancy the idea of getting struck that morning by a tired driver on their way to work.

The moment she opened the door Charles pulled her towards the woods, now snarling viciously. She wrapped the leash around her hands and tried to keep him close. "Charles! What has gotten into you?" She tried to follow his line of sight, but it was too dark for her to see anything in the trees.

She felt her heart rate spike but she pulled him towards the road. It's probably just an animal she thought, a deer maybe. A small voice in the back of her mind whispered to her: Charles never chases after deer.

She managed to get him down the street, putting whatever had excited him - or spooked him - behind them. He started barking but the fur on his neck never fully settled as they got into their run. Caroline felt herself flinching at the slightest sounds and checking behind her every other step.

The sun had just started to rise when they finally made it home. She turned into the driveway when she spotted him, just within the treeline.

"Ranger Daniels?" She turned her head to get a better look but he was gone. She locked the door when she got inside.

"You're up early," a cheerful voice from the kitchen nearly gave Caroline a heart attack. "Oops! Did I spook ya?" Aunt Sue laughed. "I'm glad I caught you actually, I was going to leave a note but this works a lot better." She was rambling, Caroline realized. Her aunt rambled when she was uncomfortable, something the two of them had in common. "Billy just called, he wants to reschedule dinner for tonight, said you had something important to talk about." And there it was.

Jake must have told his father about the pendant, and in turn, Billy told Aunt Sue. Which only lead Caroline to believe that Sue also knew what it meant. Everyone knew but her. She tried not to let the suspicion - or hurt - leak into her voice. "That works for me, I'll give him a call to confirm." She filled up her water bottle and ran upstairs.

Caroline grabbed the folders she had hidden under her mattress and the pendant from the bedside table. She put them into a backpack and made her way downstairs, passing Sue on her way.

"Leaving so soon?" her aunt asked.

"I was hoping to take Charles for a quick nature hike," Caroline called behind her. "I'll be safe, don't worry," she said.

"Where are you going?" Sue asked.

Caroline thought of the most recent animal attack and swung the front door open, leash in hand. "La Push."

Apparently Seth's idea of negotiating better terms with the vampires was letting them stay for another week. Because of that, everyone was on double patrols. Jake didn't like admitting it, but he did have a certain respect for the Cullens, and he trusted them to an extent. That didn't mean he could allow them to walk all over their treaty.