Clay's Hope Read Online Free PDF Page A

back north.
There were things I’d left behind, papers my father saved for me
after my mom’s death. He’d shown me the hidey-hole three times as I
grew up, making sure I knew how to find it. In the human world,
those papers proved I existed. I’d need them, now.
    It took three days to reach the spot and
another half-day to get to the Compound and grab some clothes.
After I dressed, one of the primary Mated pair’s pups gave me a
ride into town and dropped me off at a shopping center.
    “Want me to wait?” he asked.
    “Nah. I’m wearing fur from here. Thanks for
the ride, Paul.”
    The boy nodded and left.
    I went into the store and found one of those
tag machines humans used to label their pets. Grinning, I bought
myself a dog tag.
    What’s the address of her new place? I sent the thought to Sam.
    After his reply, I went to look at the map
pinned to the wall near the checkouts. I’d never traveled that far
south but figured I’d be there in plenty of time. I had weeks
yet.
    I left the grocery and walked a ways out of
town before I stripped out of my clothes. Using the shirt, I tied
everything into a pouch I could carry with my mouth. Then, I
shifted. My skin barely tingled as fur covered me. It was getting
easier, which was good. Hopefully, I’d be doing a lot of shifting
in the next few months.
    Picking up my bundle, I set out. Instead of
heading toward Gabby’s new address, I detoured and made the long
journey to Sam’s once more. I needed to see her again. Now that I
knew she existed, I could think of little else.
    I arrived well after dark on the third day.
No light shone from Sam’s house, and I knew Gabby was most likely
sleeping. I settled in behind the neighbor’s house across the
street, sleeping between their hedges and a fence. Before dawn, I
shook out my fur and left my spot to watch Sam’s place. A light
turned on. Through the windows, I watched Gabby move around the
house. Seeing her again, feeling the pull she had on me, only made
me more sure I was doing the right thing.
    I waited for her to leave for work,
breathing in her scent one last time before I continued south.
    It didn’t take long to reach the address Sam
had given me. The house looked small in comparison to Sam’s but
nice enough as houses go. I scouted the neighborhood before I
settled in to watch the woman who lived there. She wasn’t around
much, and the neighbors seemed to mind their own business. It was a
generally quiet neighborhood, especially during the day.
    Taking advantage of the quiet, I broke into
the house to have a look around while the woman was away. I wanted
to know more about Gabby’s new roommate. The first room, the
kitchen, was clean and uncluttered. The roommate’s bed was made,
and the top of her dresser was clogged with every piece of jewelry
imaginable. Scarves hung over the posts on each side of her mirror,
and several pictures were tucked into the mirror frame. One of a
dog caught my attention, and I smiled.
    The rest of the house checked out fine. Only
her scent perfumed the air. No males. Good.
    I studied some of the mail stuck to her
fridge, then carefully let myself out to settle in for the
wait.
    * * * *
    From the hole I’d dug under the neighbor’s
shrub, I watched a light turn on early the day Gabby was due. The
woman, Rachel—I’d read her name on the mail—started to open the
windows. It was still pleasant out, summer not yet ready to leave.
After a while, the smell of cleaning products drifted out. The
neighborhood slowly woke as she cleaned and sang to some music. I
stayed where I was, watching through the fence.
    For such a small house, it took some time
before she finished and the music turned off. It wasn’t long after
that the front door opened.
    The neighbors had already left their house
so I crawled out from under the shrub and stretched. In the
distance, I heard the familiar rumble of Sam’s truck. A tightness
grew in my chest. She was almost here. As much as I wanted to