• Chapter 1
    Dogs under the Blue Sky

    I looked behind myself and sighed; Nick was sleeping lazily on the front porch while I labored to walk the dog he had recently purchased; a large German Sheppard dog at that, big black and certainly powerful, as I had discovered when he had dragged me through one of the villa’s many gardens. Nick peered out from over his sunglasses and smiled. “Nick, you evil little witch!” I glared at him and clenched my teeth, leaning back to stop his dog, Cerberus from running away. Nick sat forward on the bench and rubbed his sunburned nose, “Yeah, what’s up, squirt?” he asked, casually as ever.
    “What’s up!?” I shouted, getting dragged by my heels across the front lawn to the porch as Cerberus excitedly tried to run to his owner’s side. Cerberus jumped up to lean on Nick’s lap and pulled me forward so suddenly I lost grip of his leash and fell forward. I flung out my hands as to catch myself.
    I blinked twice and looked up at Nick who had caught me, his sunglasses slowly slipping off his nose, “Uh…thanks…” I murmured, feeling his arms around my waist as I faced the ground, “No problem,” he replied, “you know you are the most clumsy person I know, you better let me walk Cerberus…” I growled as he set me down, shaking on the bench and took Cerberus’s leash and trotted down the porch’s white washed steps. I held up my hand and watched it shaking.
    I had three dogs of my own, a small shiba inu, a sheltie, and a small puppy basenji. I sighed as my sheltie; Darling, galloped over to me and stuck her head up under my hand which I had draped dramatically over the back of the bench, I smiled and scratched Darling in between her ears, muttering comforting words, not as much for her as they were for me.
    Darling suddenly jumped up and ran across the yard over to the gate where an odd looking stranger stood, watching…me.