IncuBUST

A Day in the Life of Chase McManus

I left behind an angry car loop full of parents and only had to speed a little bit to make it to work on time.

"Chase, where have you been? We have an appointment at nine!" a small Japanese woman cried as I entered the staff lounge and clocked in.

"I know. I'm sorry. I had a thing this morning," I replied draining the last of my Chai tea latte and stuffing my phone, wallet and keys into my locker.

"A thing?" the woman asked and when I turned to look at her she was right behind me her emerald green eyes wide with curiosity. I took a step back and replied, "Just a girl I had to drop off at the high school."

She leaned forward and sniffed at me her pupils narrowing to vertical slits. She grinned showing off a row of pointy white teeth.

"Did Chasey finally get a human?" she asked and I sighed responding, "No, Nora, I did not get a human. She's just a girl that lives with me now for...reasons." Nora sighed and rolled her big green eyes the furry black ears on top of her head twitching.

"First appointment is here. I'll check them in then you can take them to an exam room," she said whisking out of the room.

I sighed and followed after her coming into the waiting room and seeing a middle aged woman at the desk confirming an appointment. Her daughter was sitting in one of the chairs with a small terrier puppy quivering in her lap.

I walked over to them and smiled politely. She smiled back awkwardly and I asked, "Can you follow me to exam room one please?" She nodded and stood up and her mother joined us and we walked down a short hallway entering the first room on the left.

I closed the door behind them and took the folder from the pouch on the back of the door. I turned to face the two ladies and the puppy and I asked, "So who do we have here?"

The girl looked down at the puppy curiously exploring the exam room to the full extent of her leash and she replied, "This is Charley. We just got her yesterday.

"Hi, Charley," I said crouching down so the puppy could sniff me. I scratched the little dog behind her ears and she stared up at me with big brown eyes. I grinned and mumbled, "You're so cute."

I wanted a pet, but I'd have to rely on Sissy to take care of it while I was at work and well...I had a plant once, peace lilies, and all I asked was that Sissy set it by the window for a couple of hours for some sunlight and fresh air.

They made it five days.

We had a lot of animals when we were kids; cats, goats, a few pigs, but those were working animals. I wanted a pet that's sole purpose was just to sit there and be cute and cuddly. 

Sigh.

I stood up and asked the girl, "Can you put her on the table and take her leash off, please?" She nodded and gently scooped the puppy up off the floor and placed her on the table unhooking the red leash from the pink halter.

The girl was odd. She smelled like a Mythic and her aura was spiking with power, but I couldn't tell what she was. I was usually quite good at it. What was more odd was that her mother was human.

I coaxed the little dog onto the scale and recorded her weight at 8.41 pounds. Maybe the girl took after her father. Some Myths skipped a generation but it was rare. Some even seemed to pop up out of nowhere out of completely human family lines...or so I had heard.

"So what are we here for today?" I asked looking up at the girl and her mother. The girl glanced at me and replied, "Just a well check and shots. Also the rescue we got her from had her spayed and her incision opened up and we wanted to see what we should do about it."

I nodded and turned to grab the thermometer off the counter behind me. I pet Charley on the head and said, "Alright. We'll take her temp and test for worms and get her shots and the vet will be in in a little bit to check out her incision, okay?" The girl smiled tentatively and nodded in understanding keeping the puppy focused on her while I took its temperature and a sample for the worm test.

I didn't know if this puppy was just unnaturally calm or if it was her owner but she didn't seem to really notice I was there. I glanced at the girl and said, "I'll be back with the shots."

"Okay," she replied and I saw her eyes change color. Not like light brown to gold in the right lighting, but from dark brown to magenta like a mood ring. It was rude to ask another person's Myth especially if you were strangers in a professional setting, but her aura was whack and it was making my skin buzz.

I left them in the exam room and went to get the first year shots.