Fantasy

I slowly got used to living with Five-O's occasional words. Aside from being able to understand him, he was the same as all other dogs, so it no longer bothered me.

Perhaps I'd awakened a special ability—that was what I told myself to feel better. It was a dream for many people to want to be able to understand their dogs, right?

I said, "I'm going to work, Five-O. Be good at home, alright?"

He was already the size of a regular Golden Retriever and reached my knees when he sat. I rubbed his head.

He said, "Great. I have to open that cabinet today."

I faltered. "I'll kill you if you dare sneak any treats."

His ears drooped. 

Meanwhile, I went to work in a good mood. When I got to my office, I saw Janet standing outside and peeking inside. "Why are you standing there instead of working?"

She turned to me with a frown. Then, she grabbed my hand a little anxiously and leaned close to me. She said in a low voice, "Maisie Granger is dead."

Maisie was Cameron's true love.

For some reason, I was reminded of what Cameron had said before he'd left the other day—he would make me get back together with him.

I pulled Janet into my office. "When did it happen, and how? How'd you find out?"

I opened a bag of coffee beans with familiarity, but my hands wouldn't stop trembling.

Janet sat across from me, her expression grim. "It happened three days ago. I've been paying attention to Cameron since he came to you. I had someone contact his high school classmate some time ago, and we exchanged numbers. Yesterday, he told me Maisie died after she wasn't given timely treatment for a food allergy."

"A food allergy?" I exclaimed.

She nodded. "She was severely injured after the accident, and Cameron was by her side while she was being treated abroad. It's only recently that she showed improvement. She trusted him with all her heart and left many of her matters in his care. That's why I suspect—"

"That Cameron killed her." I finished her sentence.

My words were a statement, and Janet nodded firmly at them. I spilled my coffee beans all over the table.

To this day, I still couldn't believe that the young man who'd followed me with breakfast would be an immoral, inhumane piece of trash. How could he be?

Janet held my hand worriedly. "What are you going to do, Savannah?"

I looked at her dazedly and shook my head. "I don't know."

I didn't know what to do. What could I do? Run? I had friends and my career here. Where could I go? I thought about the young man who'd claimed he would love me with all his heart. Would he do anything to me?

Five-O seemed to sense my preoccupation when I got home. He stuffed his furry head into my palm. 

I smiled and petted him. "I'm glad you're here, Five-O."

On my way home after buying a surveillance camera, I detoured to pass by a dog café. The dog barks coming from inside didn't sound any different to me, though. This only solidified my guess that Five-O was the one with the problem.

After installing the surveillance camera, I could already see the dollar bills waving at me. However, to my dismay, a whole week passed without Five-O doing anything special when alone at home. He didn't morph into anything. All he did was curl up on the couch or my bed while waiting for me to come home.

When I was almost at the door, he would shoot toward it and wait there, his tail wagging like helicopter blades. He didn't morph into a human and help me tidy my messy home, nor did he become a handsome guy who could warm my bed.

He was just… a dog. And as all dogs would, he chased his tail while I watched.

"My, my. Look at you, watching your precious little Five-O like that. I didn't expect you to be so loving, Savannah!" Janet appeared behind me with a cup of coffee without me even realizing it. 

I chuckled awkwardly before turning off the surveillance footage. "Why are you here?"

"No reason. I just came to tell you that someone told me Cameron is back. He's searching the world for you."

I rolled my eyes at the mention of Cameron's name. We'd gotten into a serious car crash when we were out celebrating our third anniversary. Our car and the one ahead of ours had suffered the brunt of the crash.

At the time, I couldn't budge because my legs were trapped in the wreckage. Cameron had managed to get out, but he hadn't bothered helping me. Why? Because his first—and true—love had been in the car ahead of us.

He'd saved her and taken her away for medical assistance, leaving me behind as I felt the blood slowly trickle out of my body. Later, the doctor told me that my legs would've had to have been amputated if I'd been rescued any later than I had.

As I recuperated in the hospital, I didn't get an apology or a proper breakup from Cameron. I even had to hear from someone else that he'd taken his true love out of the country.

My three-year relationship came to a dramatic and ridiculous end just like that.

"Searching for me? Does he want to see whether I'm actually dead?" I growled.

Janet shrugged, not knowing the answer to that.

I didn't expect my reunion with Cameron to come so abruptly. I was walking Five-O in the neighborhood and listening to him scorn the other dogs for looking hideous as they peed. I had to pinch my thigh to stop myself from laughing.

When I looked up, I saw Cameron standing underneath a streetlight. His gaze was filled with love and longing as he stared at me.

"Savannah, I'm back…" He approached me as he spoke, but I instinctively backed away.

Five-O moved faster than I did, though. He'd already shot forward to stand before me. He was usually so gentle, yet he now bared his teeth and started barking and snarling at Cameron.

Cameron stopped. Still, he didn't stop talking. He sounded quite creepy. "Are you still mad at me for not saving you back then, Savannah? I had my reasons for that. I can—"

I held up a hand to stop him. "I don't want to hear any explanations, Cameron. There's no changing the fact that you left me at the scene of the crash, leading to me almost getting amputations. I won't forgive you no matter what you say today, so just go."

His lips trembled like he'd heard something he couldn't believe. He made it seem like I was the one who'd done him wrong.

"That's the spirit! A scumbag like him needs to get as far away as possible from us!" Five-O said. That almost made me laugh. He continued, "He's all talk and no action. I would never have left Sav alone!"

Sav? Was he referring to me? That warmed me, even if I didn't know why.

Cameron evidently wasn't willing to let me go just like that. He ignored Five-O's warning and stepped forward, grabbing me by the shoulders. He put so much force into it that I suspect his fingers were digging into my flesh. It hurt, and I cried out.

He merely continued looking at me with that dogged and creepy gaze. "You have to believe me, Savannah. I genuinely love you. You're the only woman in my heart! You can't leave me! You promised you would always be with me. I only saved her because I owed her my life! We swore we would never be apart, Savannah!"

His tone scared me. I tried hard to break free of his hold but ultimately was no match for his strength. I could only roar at him to make him release me.

Just then, Five-O barked, "Let go of Sav, you scumbag!"

He bit Cameron's calf, making the latter cry out in pain.

"You fucking animal!" Cameron snapped. He kicked Five-O in the belly.

I watched as Five-O was sent flying and crashed against a tree. He let out a pained howl. At that moment, all my guesses and doubts about Five-O's identity flew out of my mind. I cried, "Five-O! Have you lost your mind, Cameron? I'm not interested in your story with that woman, so let me go!"

I kicked Cameron's calves, but he didn't budge. It was almost as if his body had been filled with lead. He only released me when a man approached from a nearby corner and shouted at him.

Before fleeing, he held my face and looked into my eyes. "Wait for me, Savannah. I'll make you get back together with me!"

Every part of my body that he had touched made my stomach churn in disgust. I ran to the tree and carefully touched Five-O, who was so weak that he couldn't make a sound. Still, he stuck out his tongue and carefully licked my palm, seemingly comforting me.

He was… a dumb dog.

Fortunately, he wasn't badly injured. The vet said he'd done a good job protecting himself, so his bones and organs were unharmed. The only thing was that he was quite glum after we returned from the vet.

He curled up in the dog bed I'd just gotten him, muttering, "So many people touched my body and felt me all over! It's abominable! It's such a…disgrace!"

I couldn't help laughing. I wouldn't have expected him to be such a prideful dog.

I'd texted Janet on the way back from the vet to tell her what Cameron had done. She was scared out of her wits and insisted on coming over to ensure my safety. Once she arrived, she felt Five-O all over. All I could hear was her wicked snickers and his complaints.

"Focus, Janet. We're talking serious business here," I said.

She came back to me. Five-O refused to have anything to do with her and ran to a corner to be alone.



I slowly got used to living with Five-O's occasional words. Aside from being able to understand him, he was the same as all other dogs, so it no longer bothered me.

Perhaps I'd awakened a special ability—that was what I told myself to feel better. It was a dream for many people to want to be able to understand their dogs, right?

I said, "I'm going to work, Five-O. Be good at home, alright?"

He was already the size of a regular Golden Retriever and reached my knees when he sat. I rubbed his head.

He said, "Great. I have to open that cabinet today."

I faltered. "I'll kill you if you dare sneak any treats."

His ears drooped. 

Meanwhile, I went to work in a good mood. When I got to my office, I saw Janet standing outside and peeking inside. "Why are you standing there instead of working?"

She turned to me with a frown. Then, she grabbed my hand a little anxiously and leaned close to me. She said in a low voice, "Maisie Granger is dead."

Maisie was Cameron's true love.

For some re

Chapter 6