Weightless

Monster Dog

Koda found herself face-to-face with some sort of monster.

The creature was massive, around the size of a Rottweiler, though it more resembled a strange fox because of its long, narrow snout. It was pitch black with pale pink markings on its large ears, fluffy tail, and cat-like paws. Its eyes were blood red and its teeth were bared as it growled lowly and foamed at the mouth. Koda wondered if it had rabies, though that was really of no concern to her at the moment. She was already deceased, so it couldn't hurt her, right? She hadn't the faintest idea how, but something in her gut told her it could. She considered that such a huge creature may be able to swallow her whole. Then what would happen? She didn't want to find out.

"Nice doggie...?" Koda tried, but the thing only snarled louder. She grimaced and pressed herself as flat as possible against the wall. She glanced around for an escape route; she could easily fly away, but she couldn't risk being spotted. Odds were, in this close proximity of living spaces, someone would notice a neon-haired girl zipping above the skyline. Even at night, her fluorescent locks were a glowing beacon of rebellion. Oh, the price she paid for fabulous hair.

She didn't know what to do. As an angel, she couldn't hurt an innocent creature. She was trapped.

Heavy panting was heard from the stairwell as someone quickly stomped their way up to the second floor. "Ariel!" it shouted. "Ariel, wait for me!"

The voice's owner, an extremely pale young woman, leaned against the railing at the top of the stairs to catch her breath. She had three bags overflowing with groceries strung up each arm. The plastic on one gave way and items poured onto the grimy carpeting. The lady groaned, and as she bent to pick up her things, the other bags slid off her arms. She groaned louder.

Ariel looked from her hostage, to the bag lady, and back to Koda. She apparently decided that Koda was not an immediate threat and pounded over to her human, yet continued to eye Koda suspiciously every few seconds. The woman stood from her grocery pile and unlocked the first door on the right. The animal grabbed a carton of whipped cream in its mouth and used its fluffy tail to corral some smaller items into the apartment, though it left them just inside the doorway.

"Ariel," chided the bag lady, "you know where they go. Put them in the kitchen."

Her dog glanced back at Koda distrustfully, as if it still thought she might be dangerous. Koda put her hands up in a sign of surrender. Ariel seemed to accept this and complied with her owners request. The woman finally took notice of Koda as well. She seemed to stop in time as she stared, frozen. Koda stared back. The other's familiar, glinting, ocean-blue eyes grew wide and her mouth fell agape. Her hair was a short mop of ginger curls that stuck out in every direction, diverted only from her right eye by a minute hair clip that resembled the face of a rabbit. Her ears were humorously large in comparison to her slim frame. Her azure jacket was zipped up to her throat against winter's chill, and her hands as well as her gray jeans were splattered with paint.

Koda was dumbfounded. It couldn't be who she thought it was, but she had to take the chance. "Oliver?"

The other silently rushed forward and pulled Kodalinn into a bone-crushing hug. Koda was lucky she was magic, or the woman actually might've hurt her.

"Koda, Koda!" Oliver cried into her shoulder. "It can't be you! Is it really you?" She combed through Koda's long dreadlocks with her paint-stained fingers as if she feared the other would disappear from between them any second.

Koda was in shock as well. What were the odds it was indeed her old friend, her backpack-buddy? She managed to stutter out, "Y-yeah, it's me."

Oliver hesitantly pulled away from Koda, not bothering to hide the tears streaming down her face, to examine her like an art project. "I-I can't believe it - am I dreaming?" She pinched her own arm. "Ow! I'm not dreaming! How can you be here? Y-you- we buried- I mean, you d-!"