Dawn Davenport: funny, sarcastic and a lovable person. Her world is crazy, involved with a trio and her best friend, Leo who they share many dangerous and fun experiences. Will she fall in love along the way? Or heartbroken by her own family's secr...
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Adam burst back from the mainland, practically vibrating with excitement as he hopped out of the hydraloop, his voice already spilling over with. "Guys, guess what I found!" Before he could explain, a small, scruffy dog trotted into view. His tail wagged in loose, happy arcs, ears perked, eyes bright with curiosity. I dropped into a crouch almost instantly, drawn in by the dog's soft, warm presence. His fur was slightly damp and smelled faintly of salt and sun, like he'd been wandering near the shore. Leo and Bree joined me, all three of us fussing over him as he leaned into our hands, soaking up the attention like he'd been waiting for it all day. "Where did you get a dog?" Leo asked, grinning, though there was a hint of disbelief in his voice. Bree straightened quickly, her expression snapping into something more serious as she blurted. "And please do not say from a guy with sunglasses and a cane." When Adam had tried something like that once, it didn't end well at all—not for Adam and not for the poor man.
"No. He started sniffing me when I got on the hydraloop, then he went crazy and wouldn't leave me alone." Chase, who'd been watching quietly, raised an eyebrow in that knowing way of his. "Annnnd did you, by any chance, have meat in your pocket?" "No!" Adam shot back, already annoyed—but then he hesitated mid-sentence, his confidence faltering. We all looked at him. "Wait, is salami a meat?" A beat of silence passed before Chase sighed, crossing his arms. "He can't stay." "Wow, you really are a Debbie Downer." I muttered, shooting him a look before turning back to the dog—just in time to see him lower himself neatly into a sitting position. I gasped, eyes lighting up. "Whoa! Did you see that? You said 'stay,' and he did. He's a genius." The dog looked up at me, tongue lolling, perfectly pleased with himself as I cupped his face, my voice slipping into a soft, playful coo. "Who's a good boy? You are."
"Otis?!" Douglas suddenly exclaimed, like the name had just clicked into place. He dropped into a crouch and gave a sharp whistle, his face lighting up in a way I don't think I'd ever seen before. The dog reacted instantly—ears perked, tail going wild—as he bounded straight to him. Douglas laughed, reaching out to pet him affectionately, his hands moving with easy familiarity. We all just stood there, staring. "Oh—that's my dog." he added casually, glancing up at our confused expressions before going right back to fussing over Otis like nothing about this was strange. "He was a stray I took in and nursed back to health." Douglas said, his tone softening slightly. "Back when Krane and I bought our first evil lair together." He paused, then smirked a little. "Actually... it was more of an evil townhouse." Otis gave a pleased little huff, leaning into him like he'd been waiting this whole time to be found again, completely at ease in Douglas's hands.
"How were we ever afraid of you?" Bree asked, a crooked smile tugging at her lips. I nodded beside her, snickering under my breath as I watched him—this same guy who once had us on edge now crouched on the ground, completely absorbed in scratching behind Otis's ears like nothing else in the world mattered. "Ooh, this guy got me through some pretty rough times." Douglas said, his voice softer now, almost absentminded as he kept playing with the dog. Otis wagged harder at that, leaning into him like he understood every word. "Well, it's nice to hear you had someone to comfort you while you were plotting to kill us." Leo scoffed beside me, with a sarcastic smile, before walking away.
