My Brain and Other Things I Don't Understand

Three

Alex

We went to an animal shelter. 

I didn't know why we were even here in the first place but I was guessing Cassidy knew this place head to toe as soon as she went inside its metal doors with people greeting her with big, fat smiles on their faces.

"Good afternoon Lila! Is it okay if my friend over here tag along with me?" Cassidy immediately said as soon as we were approached by one of the pet rescuers, I think.

Lila, I was guessing, was this golden-skinned woman in her early thirties, with a full silhouette, her short, black hair tied behind her head. She had a kind smile on her face too, the same one Cassidy always puts on.  

"Always a pleasure to see you too, Cass. Your friend over here can tag along too. I'm guessing he's okay being around animals?" she asked as she eyed me from my head up to my soles. I felt my chest pounding hard with anxiety and cold sweat ran down my forehead. 

I haven't been around animals for the longest time. The last time we had a pet was when Dad was still--

Yeah. 

When he was still here and he got me and my sisters a Labrador for Christmas. It was unfortunate how our dog died only after a few years with us from being bitten by a snake when she was with Dad on one of his camping trips. I wasn't even that close to our dog back then. She always favored my sister over me, anyway.

"He's great with animals. Aren't you Alex?" Cassidy asked me, turning her head in my direction with a look on her face that told me to just go with it.

I shakily nodded, confused at how she imposed a lie upon a lady like Lila. Finally, the woman sighed and pointed us toward another door. 

"Fine. He can tag along." she answered without a tone in her voice. She just seemed done with Cassidy. That, I found weirdly amusing.

Cassidy brightened up, letting go of her walker a bit as she went in and hugged the woman, making her jolt before she wrapped her arms around Cassidy as well and patter her back.

"Thank you! And please don't tell my parents I went here again. Or my brothers. They would kill me." Cassidy said with her eyes big with warning, as soon as she let go of her hug and gripped her walker again.

"Okay. I won't. Make sure the dogs won't bite you again, alright? We don't want your family suspecting anything." Lila said with a stern look on her face as she narrowed her eyes at Cassidy.

"That, I would never let happen again. Thanks Lila!" Cassidy said as she nudged the side of my leg with her walker and motioned me to come with her. Of course, I followed her and to my surprise, she led me to one of the areas with dogs running, sleeping and staring at us. Some barked. I widened my eyes at them and looked at how many dogs were here.

"These dogs were abandoned, stray, and abused. The shelter takes in those kinds of animals here and instead of keeping them in individual cages, they all bond here with us." she said as soon as she noticed my lingering stare on the dogs who were loudly barking at us, spinning all around as they tried to grab our attention.

"Why do you go here?" I asked.

I was curious. Given how she uses some sort of mobility device to get around, people would usually expect her to lay low and avoid going to such places. Cassidy was different.

Noting how she told Lila to not tell her family about her recurring visits to the shelter, I was guessing she had been previously prohibited to return here. Cassidy didn't listen to them obviously, hence, our presence here. She doesn't listen to anyone.