Evelyn sat on her couch, her face contorted into a twisted expression. A ghostly pallor clung to her skin, and confusion danced in her eyes. Her hand fluttered over her forehead, then drifted to her cheek, as if kneading her temple could somehow untangle the web of bewilderment she found herself in.
"Did grandma sell her eyes while she was at the hospital? Or did she go brain-dead over that guy?" Evelyn muttered to herself, exhaustion evident in her voice.
"Like, with which eye? Which eye did she see this horse of a dog and think it was a puppy and not a bull?" she continued, flicking her tongue in frustration. Her gaze landed on the black monstrosity sprawled on the rug, clutching one of the couch pillows. It was a colossal creature, enough to make Evelyn mistake it for a wild beast rather than someone's pet. Adding to the surreal scene, a handwritten note, sent along with the creature, was ensnared in its razor-sharp fang, resembling more of a menacing message than a friendly introduction.
"How am I supposed to take care of this thing? Gosh!" Evelyn hissed, punctuating her frustration with an angry kick into the air.
"You know what? I don't care. I am going to sleep! And you can sleep here in the cold." Evelyn got onto her feet and suddenly realized that she was still in her underwear. "Gosh! What am I entertaining wild animals with my body? Has the demand for my glamorous body fallen so low that I am here displaying it to a dog? Tsk, I am disappointed in you, Evelyn… Sad!" She clicked her tongue and walked past the animal without giving it another glance. As she walked past it, her movement blew a slight breeze through its fur, causing it to shift slightly. But Evelyn was too engrossed in her monologue that she barely noticed it and proceeded to walk up the stairs until she was halfway through when she stopped, as if something dawned upon her, and her eyes widened.
"Wait a minute! I have seen this dog before!" She said, her memories finally coming back to her, and she turned her head backward in lightning speed only to find the wide dark eyes looking at her from two steps below her. Its height almost reached her abdomen even though it was two flights below her. The sudden presence made her jump up in fright, and an excruciating scream escaped her throat, ringing all across the neighborhood and causing the sleeping birds to get a heart attack, and the others lucky ones to immediately fly off their nests. Back at the stairs, Evelyn had lost her balance and had a mini-heart attack, but before she could fall to her death, the dog grabbed onto her jacket and caught her midway. Evelyn's face was headed downwards, almost hitting the corner of a stair when she stopped abruptly.
"Hah!" She took a deep breath. "Good doggie, don't let go now. Just pull me back gently," she said in a soft voice, completely different from the one where she called him bull, horse, and all sorts of hurtful nicknames.
Evelyn felt the sound of the jacket start to tear through the dog's teeth. "No! No, no, it's my professor's jacket, let go of it!" She urged, and before she said the last word, the dog actually let go of it, making her fall face forward onto the last step and landing on the flat surface on her back.
"Hah!" She groaned in pain but gave out a soft, sarcastic laugh. "You did actually let go, didn't you?" She muttered and wished to get up but was in too much pain from the fall that she could barely move.
"Was it fun?" She asked and heard the footsteps of the cushioned paws beside her before she saw the furry face in the light that started to look upon her fallen face. Their eyes met, and she bared her teeth towards him. "You remember how I saved your life back there, don't you? Is this how you repay me?" She said with gritted teeth.
"Gosh, I thought dogs are loyal." She said in a heartbroken manner, acting as if she was actually hurt.
"Huh! What are you doing?" Evelyn was so into her dramatic acting that she failed to notice how the dog had sat beside her, pushing against her, seemingly trying to get her on his back.
"Wow! Are you trying to carry me? Hah!! I was joking! You are such a dumb animal!" She chuckled and sat up, grabbing onto the vicious-looking animal's face in her hands, which almost disappeared in its fur. "Gosh! You are a good boy! Aren't you? Oh, wait, are you a boy or a girl? I mean, grandma didn't tell me, so…" She gave it an awkward smile.
"Well, whatever it is, I think you are likable, and so, I have decided to keep you for a few days, even though you are ugly and vicious-looking, but it's inside that matters, right?"
The animal looked at her with a plain expression, seemingly completely uninterested in her rambling. Instead, it appeared somewhat irritated by whatever she said, trying to make things better but only succeeding in worsening its impression of her.
"Gosh! You look just like the guy I saw at the elevator today. I mean, not that he looked like a dog, but bro, you have the same expressions. Are you two related by any chance?" She said, and it seemed that this was the breaking point for the dog. It instantly pulled away from her, making her balance fluctuate as she was partially sitting up with its support.
"Oh! I think me comparing you to a douchebag was where I crossed all the lines, right? See, I think both of us do think alike. We can become friends." Evelyn continued to ramble without shutting up at all.
"Now that we are friends, we should give each other fun names. Like I should call you… DOG! How is that?" She suggested, thinking she was being very creative, but the dog was already uninterested and threw itself back onto the spot where it was sleeping.
"Rude, but okay," she said, got up, and pulled the jacket off herself, causing her skin to feel suddenly very cold. However, she was more concerned about the tear in the jacket, so she needed to get a clear look. The previously closed eyes of the dog opened partially before shutting down again.
"Tsk! I need to sew this back," she muttered and started to climb the stairs. "Dog! My room is upstairs. If you feel cold, just come up to the room; it is warmer than the living room." She announced while walking and disappeared into the corridor.