book 1 of the windows of the soul duology
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lucent: softly bright or radiant
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My brother's hand traces the cut on my right cheek for some minutes. I have no idea how a cut can be so interesting, but I won't judge a book by its cover.
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I stare up at my brother bemused for a second, wondering where the question came from. When he notices my confusion, he tries again. "Do you like dogs then?"
I nod very slowly. "Yeah." I swallow. "Why?" I question, wanting to know the reason behind this abrupt inquiry, as everything my brothers asks has a motive behind. Always.
Zeke puts away the empty plates in the dishwasher, washing his hands then in the sink. Instead of answering to my brief question, my brother responds with another one. "Do you like a particular breed?"
I rummage through my brain and picture various breeds of dogs. I go from a golden retriever to a pomeranian; from a german shepherd to a yorkshire; and finally decide my answer. "I like golden retrievers, but also huskies and sometimes german shepherds if they're friendly," I enumerate, recalling how frightening my encounter with the german shepherd living in this house was.
Zeke nods while cleaning the counter with a cloth, a downturned smile tugging at his lips. Once he's done, he hands the cloth back in a hanger on one of the cabinet's side and gestures me to follow him into the living room. He sits down on the couch and I soon follow him, plopping down by his right side.
He clasps his hands together. "Do you remember that german shepherd you met the other day?" He shifts his face so that he's looking directly at mine, awaiting for my reply.
"Yes. Why?" I try again getting answers, wishing this time he does give them to me.
"Well, that actually was one of our dogs that we have on patrol in the garden." Ezekiel pauses for a moment, probably to check if I'm following what he's saying right now. "Each one of us has one, so there's six in total and the one you met was Nikolai's," he finishes.
No wonder that dog wanted to rip me to shreds if his owner's got the same hatred for me.
"Okay," I speak up to let my brother know I understand what he's implying.
"Would you want to meet them? They're quite docile with us, they won't hurt you," he assures me.
My ears perk up at that. "Sure." I smile.
"Great." Zeke makes a move to stand up from the couch, and just as I'm about to follow him, he stops me in my tracks. "I'll go get them, stay here. It's too cold to be outside right now."
"Okay," I breathe, watching his figure retreat back into the kitchen. I hear the glass door opening and then a whistle cuts the air like a knife.
I wish I knew how to do that. I have attempted countless times in the past but never got it right. Maybe Zeke will be willing to teach me now.
A second whistle travels through my ears, and then the sound of paws running through the house is heard from the kitchen. I hear some barks before the kitchen door leading to the garden is firmly shut and Ezekiel ushers the dogs into the living room — towards me. I hear the sound of paws hitting the floor closer and closer till one of the pets jumps over the couch and turns to look at me. It's a german shepherd. If I'm not wrong it might be the same one from the other day. At least he won't try to attack me as if I were a stranger in this house.
