FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

I slowly open my eyes and see a bright flash which makes me cover my eyes with my paws. My eyes adjust themselves to the light and everything around me starts to take shape. Right, I'm in my room and cried myself to sleep with the lights on. "Pathetic, aren't you?" I push myself up from the bed, seeing the wet pillow I was hugging. "Geez, you just can't help yourself, can you?"

I tidy up my bed then look at the clock on the wall above the door. It's still around 5:05 which gives me enough time to cook breakfast, prepare my lunchbox, take a bath, get changed, and ready myself for school. I get off my bed and put on my slippers, letting out a loud yawn afterwards. "What dream did I have? I forget," I think out loud as I scratch my head and open the door. "All I can remember is something black and white..."

I climb down the stairs then go to the bathroom, taking my time to look at it for a while. White tiles cover the floor and walls, making it a rather pleasant sight to look at, and it comes with the usual sink, mirror, toilet, and bathtub with a shower. My bath towel is still hung on the hanger, so that's convenient.

I take off my clothes, dumping them on a basket at the corner of the room, and proceed to go in the bathtub. Despite being the only Fur in the house, I slide the cover close then turn on the shower, letting the warm water soak my blue and white fur. The water feels very refreshing after waking up, and it feels more refreshing after yesterday's events. I usually tend to daydream while taking a shower, unconsciously letting time pass by and realizing I've been standing around for five minutes or more. And I just happen to notice doing that right now, and I just happen to have unconsciously turned off the shower as well. At least I managed to save a bit of water.

I let out a sigh and finish up, grabbing my towel and rubbing my fur dry before covering myself with it. I get out of the tub and proceed to climb up the stairs and to my room where I put on some casual clothes first: a white t-shirt and black shorts. I wouldn't want to stain ny uniform while I'm cooking some food, after all. It rarely happens though, but it's better safe than sorry. I go down the stairs and to the kitchen, opening the fridge and inspecting what's inside.

"Hmm... okay, so I have enough ingredients for the rest of the week but I should definitely go to the supermarket afterwards. Saturday, Sunday maybe. I believe there's still enough rice for another week. The neighbors have been kind enough to give me some of their extra fruits that they harvested, so that's a plus. They're very nice Animas. I should try gardening when I have the time, maybe, when I have some extra money. It's nice to have a little bit more green at the back. I'm getting off-topic here, where was I. Ah, right, breakfast. Let's see," I continue mumbling stuff until I decide to just go with two egg on toasts for breakfast. I also prepare my lunchbox, the same lunch as yesterday. It takes a while to cook them, but I have the time.

After some preparing, cooking, and washing, I go up the stairs to get changed. I have this habit of locking my doors even though I know no one is around. I quickly change to my school uniform and glance at the clock. It's still around 6:40, so I definitely have enough time to just... lay around. I fall down backwards, letting the bed catch me on its soft mattress. I let out a loud yawn, feeling a bit tired all of a sudden. Beds really do tempt you to fall asleep then and there. I push myself up, freeing myself from the chains of drowsiness, and stand up. After tidying myself, I pick up my bag, grab the key to the house, and decide to leave my room.

"I remember what I dreamt about, now," I say to myself as I open the door. Before going out, I take one last look at the inside of the house. I've been living like this for more than a year, huh? It honestly felt longer than that. Slowly, I exit the house and close the door and lock it, and putting the keys in where I usually hide it. As I start walking past the small fence around our house, a familiar face comes by.

"My my, isn't it a tad too early for you to be going already, Val?" an elderly Avian comes up to me and asks. I smile in response and give him a nod.

"Hello Sir Cubert, are you on your morning walk again?" I ask him.

Sir Polly Cubert is an elderly brown Hawk, his posture is a bit slouched probably due to his old age, and is one of my neighbors who is living only a few blocks down. He's a kind Avian who visits and brings me fruits from his garden from time to time, which I hesitate to accept but he keeps on insisting on giving them to me. Despite him being old and bald on some parts, he's a rather healthy and lively old Avian. I heard stories that he used to be a soldier back in his days, flying through the sky with his wings, but I never had the time to talk to him about it. It'd probably take a long time, and I usually only see him in the morning when I'm going to school. He's still wearing a poncho which Avians used to wear back then to easily fly around and baggy pants, but now there are more clothes that accommodate to Avians. Maybe he's just used to the traditional wears.

"Aye. I don't do it as much as I used to, though. By the by, I heard that your first day of school was yesterday. How was it?" Sir Cubert asks with his kind, elderly voice.

"It was... fine, I guess?" I say, uncertain of myself.

"You look like you're looking forward for today, though."

"What... do you mean?"

"You have someone you want to meet up with, yes?" he says. I'm taken aback by his statement and give him a puzzled look. "Now go, don't let this old bird stop you," he smiles and ushers me off before I can even say something. I forgot the mention, he's also cunning with his words and can be perceptive. To be honest, I don't know how to respond to him, but do I really have someone I want to meet up with? I wonder what makes him think of that. I think about it as I walk down the sidewalk and to the school bus stop

I wait for the school bus, still thinking about what Sir Cubert just said. If there was someone I want to meet up with, it'd definitely be my mom. But she's no longer here, so that can't be it. The bus arrives and I sit down on the middle-left seat which was still empty. It could be my dad that I want to meet up with, but he's in Japan at work. That's right, they're not here with me for more than a year already. Of course I want to see them again, who wouldn't want to see their parents after not seeing each other for so long. I let out a sigh as I stare at the window.

The sky is as blue as always, with the white cotton candy clouds decorating it with different shapes and forms. The sun is up, but not high up enough that it makes everything so hot that you'd prefer to just stay in and turn up the fan to the max. An airplane is zooming through the sky, leaving a trail of puffy smoke that slowly dissipate in the blue space up above. It's actually a very nice scenery to look at. I continue staring at the sky, forgetting about what Sir Cubert said earlier until the bus stops and the sudden realization comes to mind.

A pair of black ears pop up from above the seats and it slowly makes its way toward me. I then see the same pair of goggles, the same lopsided smile, and the same blue eyes as yesterday. "Yo," he says before sitting down beside me.

Of course. Despite my constant complaining about yesterday, I'm actually not angry or anything. I'm actually happy about yesterday, no matter how tired I am because I'm looking forward for another day with him, the Fur that I happen to dream about last night. We were little children playing on a playground, sliding down the slides, going up and down on the seesaw, and climbing up the monkey bars with our parents on the sides watching us. Then, a very boisterous cat joined in and we continued to have loads of fun together, making sandcastles on the sandbox, throwing mud balls at each other, making silly faces. Then two other Furs joined in and, though their faces were very blurry, we had lots of fun.

That was the dream that I had, and it was a fun dream. Sure he may be annoying, a pain in the neck, and completely random in real life but... he managed to make me forget about the past that I keep running away from. He made me smile despite all the reasons I should be sad about. All in all, I just want to say is thank you, Riese.

---

We arrive at the school and unlike yesterday, he comes along with me as we exit the bus and go to our classroom. "Three members down, two more to go, this is so exciting," he says, fist pumping, and I can't help but smile at how carefree he sounds.

"We got lucky with Ken yesterday. Don't assume that we'll still get lucky today," I say to Riese bluntly and he raises an eyebrow at him. I let out a sigh, "I forgot, you didn't ask his name. You just suddenly invited him."

"Oh, I see," he says, slamming his right fisted paw on his left open paw like in anime when one gets the idea. "The sil-fur Akita's name is Ken, right?"

"Sil... fur?"

"It's a combination of silver and fur. Sil-fur," he says, and I start giggling before letting out a laugh. I'm a sucker to puns, and this one just caught me off guard.

"That... was one horrible pun," I continue laughing. He sticks out his tongue playfully then starts to giggle afterwards. I notice that we're attracting a few eyes from other students so I slowly try to stop laughing and so does he. We continue walking and we arrive in front of the door to our room. I reach for the handle, hopefully praying that yesterday's incident won't happen again today. I slowly slide the door, correctly this time, and nothing happens. I sigh in relief as I go inside and to my seat while Riese goes to his.

"Hey, Varu, can you ask him if he wants to join the club?" he whispers to me, pointing his finger at the green Fox at the back of the room. Huh, I didn't even notice him.

"Why won't you do it?" I reply, already knowing what the reason is. Riese scratches the back of his head, looking guilty.

"Well, I may have offended--"

"May have?" I cut him off with a sarcastic voice and a crooked grin.

"Okay, I offended him so I might be on his bad side. You happy now?"

"Yes I am," I say bluntly.

"You just want to see me suffer don't you?"

"Yes I do," I reply to him. Jokes aside, I'm actually a bit surprised at him, thinking about what he said yesterday. I mean, from the way things happened yesterday, he could just ask someone and they'd join him. Call me pessimistic, but I still can't believe that Ken would suddenly join just like that. "But we are in the same club. He might ask who the other members are and would decline if I won't tell him or that you're part of it."

"It's worth a shot. Who knows, he might actually join," he says. He's rather optimistic, and a complete opposite compared to me. Before I can respond, something orange slowly pops up from below my table. A pair of cat ears and orange hair appears, then a pair of orange eyes, and finally a Cat's face.

"Hey."

"Hi."

"What club?"

I shake my head, "You don't wanna know. What about you?" I ask and she stands up and crosses her arms with a frustrated look.

"Haven't decided yet. There aren't any clubs that I found interesting," she then crouches again and puts her chin on the table, "so I asked you. Maybe you're in an interesting club," she says lazily while lazily looking at me with her ears drooped. "C'mon, tell me your club," she pouts, but before I can reply, a pair of black ears slowly emerges from beside Tabitha.

"We're in the High Flyers Club," Riese says, his chin resting on the table and in-between his two paws, "wanna join? We has cake."

"No we don't" I respond but it falls on deaf ears.

"Wazzit do?" Tabitha asks, her ears perked up. She sounds interested.

"Cake makes you--" "I mean the club. We all know cake is delicious and makes you barf when you eat too much," Tabitha cuts Riese off.

"We do anything we want with high spirit, thus High Flyers," Riese says. Tabitha raises an eyebrow, looking slightly confused at what Riese said.

"So I can roll around on the floor, sleep, and do nothing as long as I'm doing it with high spirit?" she says, each word making her voice slowly rising with excitement. But how does one even do those things with high spirit? I can imagine someone rolling around the floor so fast while screaming that they're practically cleaning the floor, screaming their lungs out instead of snoring, or staring intently at the ceiling that it slowly burns and pierces right through it.

"Of course, as long as you do everything with HIGH SPIRIT!" he jumps up and yells, getting some attention from the other students in the room. "You can read, you can roll, you can jump out of the window, anything as long as you give it your ONE. HUNDRED. PERCENT!" he says with some over-the-top random gestures. I can hear a few students talking about Riese, but it either doesn't affect Riese or he can't hear them.

"Ooh, that sound awesooome! Can I join?" she asks, shaking Riese violently while Riese keeps up his smile. When Tabitha stops shaking Riese, he then gives a lazy thumbs up. Tabitha then screams in a deeper voice "Yes! High Flyers!" and pumps her fist in the air.

"High Flyers!" Riese echoes while also fist pumping in the air, connecting it to Tabitha's fist. More students start talking about them, heck their yelling even caught some attention to those outside the room. I furrow my brows at them acting like children, so carefree, oblivious to the world, but I can't help but smile to it as well.

"High Flyers!" I stand up, joining in the air fist pumping and our three paws connect. At that moment, I'm reminded of the fun times I had with my family. The times when we'd make silly faces like the ones we see in cartoons, the days when we'd spend hours thinking and sharing random things and ideas, and nights when we'd read comics and mangas, laughing and crying instead of sleeping. I feel so happy, like I'm with them again.

Tabitha then starts talking and asking about random things popping in her head with Riese answering everything along with some dramatic pose and gestures. They look like they're having a lot of fun together, sharing and laughing with topics that seem absurd and exaggerated. If anything, I want this moment to last or that there'll be more moments like these. These fun, familial-like conversation.

"So, how many members does the club currently have? Since you're recruiting and all," Tabitha asks, still maintaining a cheery voice.

"You're our fourth member," Riese points at Tabitha, "so we just need one more to officially become a club, otherwise it'll be disbanded and can never be reformed ever." A shocked gasp escapes from Tabitha, but Riese is quick to assure her, "But not to worry, 'cuz our club is awesome enough to get one more!" he adds with a thumbs up.

Tabitha is still a bit shocked, probably because of the "can never be reformed ever" part. She snaps out after a while and breathes in deeply, her expression shifting from a serious look to an excited and happy one. "Then I'll scout with you! This club already sounds like a lot of fun," she says with high spirit.

"Alright! This way, we can cover more ground!" his eyes sparkle like the stars and his smile radiates brightly like the crescent moon, both being in his fur like the night sky. Even though the night isn't the same as the blue sky at day, it has this special thing about it that makes it look as wonderful. And his smile right now, it truly is as wonderful as the night sky. "Oh, and Varu promised to help. I bet we can find a fifth member before the end of the day!"

"Yeah, yeah," I smile as I sit down. Of course I'm helping you. If I hadn't, you'd continue clinging to me yesterday, and God knows who could've seen that embarrassing display of yours. If anyone have seen that, I'd probably die in embarrassment. But honestly, that's not all. You make me remember what a hug felt like, so warm and comforting like I'm being shielded from everything. That hug that I always feel when I'm hugged by Mom and Dad, but they're not here anymore.

"Hey, are you crying?" Tabitha asks me with a worried look. I didn't notice the tear that's slowly running down my fur. This is very embarrassing. I quickly wipe the tear away and rub my eyes.

"Varu, you okay?" Riese asks, his voice genuinely comforting.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine. I just got something in my eyes," I assure then with a smile. Tabitha is unsure at first, but then smiles back, patting me in the head gently in which I shoo her away. Riese also smiles and helps me in shooing the Cat away. Right as Tabitha is seated, the door open with Sir Kelt emerging from it. Riese hurriedly dashes back to his chair, almost toppling down from it. I chuckle at Riese, to which he just laughs it off.

---

Morning classes pass by fast. Either that or I keep getting my heads up in the clouds a bit too much now. There's really a lot going on in my mind like how the club will be doing if we're able to make it, what does the club really do, where is this club room that Sir Kelt told us. If I remember correctly, the room has a faded sign to distinguish it from others, but why would it be faded in the first place? Shouldn't the signs be replaced or rewritten when it starts to fade so that we'll know what room it is? These thoughts are distracting me from class, but I make it sure that I look like I'm listening. Well, I am listening, just that I keep straying from reality to my thoughts.

The bell rings and the male German Shepherd dismisses our English class, ending the last period of the morning. Before I can even get my lunchbox out of my bag, Riese slams his lunchbox in front of me, making me jump a few feet in the process. He then starts to gobble down his food, making it look like he's not even savoring his delicious pork chop. I lend him my water bottle the moment I see him chocking and pounding his fist on his chest and he drinks down almost half of it. Inhaling deeply and probably regretting what he did, he starts to eat slowly, but still faster than normal, and within a few minutes he finishes his lunch.

Without any warning, he stands up with lunchbox at paw, puts it back in his bag, and dashes off outside. I don't know how long he ate, but I think it was only around four to five minutes. Tabitha stands up as well and follows suit. I sigh deeply, looking at my barely-eaten bento. I was hoping that we'd eat together again, maybe inviting Tabitha but I guess that's not happening today.

As I continue to slowly eat the lunch that I prepared earlier this morning, I notice something or someone standing in the corner of my eyes. I look to my left and up and see the green Fox carrying a blue lunchbox, his legs shaking and his ears drooped. His lips are quivering and he looks very hesitant to say something. He opens his mouth, trying to say something, but closes it again. The process goes on for around three more times. He then inhales deeply, mustering what courage he has in him, and starts to talk with a shaky voice.

"F-Foks, was it--r-right?" he asks with his child-like voice. I smile at him and give him a nod, probably easing his nerves a bit since he lets out what sounds like a sigh of relief and his legs aren't shaking as much. Of course, they're still shaking more than a nervous Fur with stage fright about to give a speech to a large crowd.

"So, what's up?" I ask the green Fox.

"Uh... if you don't mind... I... um... m-may I eat... with you?" he says, voice fading after each pause but it was still loud enough to be heard. I've heard of introverts who are very nervous at talking, heck I am an introvert myself, but this is the first that I've seen someone who's quaking in his shoes as if he's facing a twenty-feet tall enraged Draconian who's ready to burn him to a crisp with their flames. I haven't met a Draconian yet, but I heard stories and that they're said to be gigantic, fierce, and terrifying when you encounter one and even more up close. They supposedly separate themselves from crowds, so they live on top of mountains in solitude. I'm getting off-topic here.

I pat my desk lightly, inviting him to join me. I think he knows what I meant, but he's too nervous without a response. "I don't mind. Also, you can just call me Varu," I add and I can see a faint smile on his face with his tail wagging slightly. He slowly lifts a chair nearby, probably to not make any loud grating sound, and sits in front of my desk.

"So--" "Yes?!" the green Fox jumps up as I try to initiate a conversation, his tail raised and his entire body stiffens. I let out a nervous laugh, not really knowing how to respond or continue. "Um... what are you having for lunch, Rue?"

"Oh... um, they're--" he slowly open his lunchbox to reveal three onigiris. They're white rice formed in a triangular shape with the bottom part wrapped with a short strip of seaweed wrapper called nori, just enough for a paw to hold it. My eyes widen with fascination as I look at how well-made it looks and the smell of the rice mixed with the nori reminds me of the time when I used to make these. "I heard, uh, overheard that you like Japanese food so, I, uh," he picks up one onigiri with both his paws and extend it towards me. I then notice the palm of his paws being as white as snow and blends with the onigiri he was holding. "I thought that... maybe, we could... eat together?"

I look at his eyes, both of which having mixed emotions of fear and joy, but his smile only showed the latter although slightly quivering. I give him another friendly smile and nod. "Of course," I extend my paws and he gives me the onigiri he was holding. He is definitely beaming with joy as I accept it since the atmosphere around him feels different now. It isn't the old stuffy, sad, and scared one but a warm, happy, and inviting one. He then picks up another onigiri from his lunchbox.

"Let's eat...?" he says, though it sounds more like a question. I decide to nod in response and he takes a bite of the food in his paw. He chews it slowly, probably savoring the flavor since he's humming as well. I take a bite of mine and I'm immediately transported into a whole new world.

I'm soaring through the sky with my arms and feet spread wide as a sweet cold air brushes through my fur. The sweetness isn't too much like chocolates that makes your throat hurt, but not too little that it leaves you discontented and it feels like nothing. The air then slowly warms up, though it's more of spicy than warm, but it also mixes with the sweet air, greatly enhancing the flavor. Then white, fluffy cotton clouds surround me. I grab a bit of it and take a bite. The soft cloud is filled with the mixed and enhanced air of sweet and spicy, giving my mouth a flavorful experience that isn't supposed to exist. This feeling. This is the feeling I'm getting while eating this... this masterpiece!

I slowly fade from my fantasy and go back to reality. I can hear myself humming while chewing the onigiri before I swallow it. It's really been a long time since I've had something this delicious. "This is delicious! How did you make it?" I take another bit, again humming while savoring the flavor.

"Uh... I'm sorry but I can't tell. Mom said I should keep it a secret. Sorry," he says, looking down at the onigiri before taking another bite. I can clearly see the frown on his face as he chew, and I can no longer hear him hum. Maybe he wanted to tell but just can't? I shouldn't stick my nose on other Fur's businesses.

"Hey, no need to apologize. I should be thanking you for this," I lift up the onigiri I'm holding and take another bite off it. "Ish derishoush," I say with my mouth full as an attempt to cheer him up. He looks up to me and I can see a smile across his face. I'm glad it cheered him up. I try asking him if he wants some of my lunch, but he nervously and politely declines. We both finish the onigiri and I put my lunchbox back in my bag. Honestly, that food experience was enough to fill me up for the day, or maybe just half a day. I then notice that Rue hasn't eaten the third onigiri. "You're not gonna eat that?"

"Um... it was supposed to be for him. Uh, your Husky friend. But he already left. I was... thinking..." Rue turns his head to the door, perhaps Riese will come in anytime now, but he doesn't. Rue then looks back at me. "Wonder when he'll be back..." I hear him faintly say.

"Your guess is as good as mine," I roll my head backwards, staring silently at the ceiling. Those two, I wonder where they are right now. I turn my attention back at Rue and I can see that he looks slightly flustered.

"Oh, y-you heard that?" he asks. I nod in reply. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize for everything, Rue. I don't even know why he was in a hurry," I take a glance at Riese's empty table, the annoyingly lively Husky not present on it. I then notice Rue slowly putting the lid back on his lunchbox and staring quietly at it. I feel like I should say something but I don't know what to say. Maybe I can pass some time by getting to know him more. After all, he shared some of his food with me. "So, want to pass some time by talking a bit?"

"T-Talking?" Rue says with what I believe one octave higher than his usual tone, which is high enough as it is.

"Well, that is if there's nothing wrong with it," I try reassuring him. He then shakes his head vigorously in response.

"I don't mind, it's just that..." his tone starts to go back to normal before getting silent. The silence goes on for a while. "Um... what topic are we...?" Rue asks, not finishing his sentence but I know what he means. At least, I think I do.

"That's a good question," I'm really stupid. I asked if we could talk but I don't even have anything to talk about. I try finding something that might be a worthwhile and not boring conversation. His past? No, that's not something that one should talk about, and also very uncomfortable. How's his day? Uh duh, we're at school, that's a very stupid question. Yesterday? Uh, let's not. The sky...? The club... I could ask him that, but I'll definitely not be as straightforward as Riese. "Have you joined a club yesterday? It's the first time for me that a school encouraged their clubs so much that they allow club screening on the first day."

"Yeah, but," he lowers his head and shakes it slowly. "I'm... not really planning on joining any," his voice starts to fade again.

"Why not?" I try asking him, but he doesn't respond. "I was gonna ask if you wanted to join the High Flyers Club, but I guess you've made up your mind already."

"High Flyers..." I hear him mutter.

"Yeah. Riese said you can do anything as long as you give your one-hundred percent, but you probably already heard that. Riese really is a weird Fur."

"Sounds like a club I won't fit in," he says quietly. I want to try cheering him up, but I don't know what to say to comfort him. He sounds very sad.

"Well, you can always apply anytime this-- er, yeah, anytime you want," I stop myself from saying what would happen to the club should we fail getting five members by the end of this week. I don't want him to think I'm forcing this unto him. He nods in response and looks down on his lunchbox.

"Thanks for... taking your time to talk to me," he stand up, carrying the lunchbox.

"You're not gonna wait for Riese?" I ask. He shakes his head slightly, mumbling something that I'm not able to hear, and proceeds to walk towards his seat. Just after Rue takes his seat, the door slams open revealing two familiar faces. They were Riese and Tabitha, both looking very annoyed and depressed. They sluggishly go to my table, crouch, and lean their heads on my desk. "And what's wrong with you two?" I ask the duo.

"It didn't go so well," Riese grunts.

"Yeah, that mean meanie is such a meanie," Tabitha adds, puffing her cheeks and fuming smoke from her head

"What are you guys talking about?" I ask.

"The scouting, of course. We couldn't get another one to join us and it sucks," she says with a childish tone. Looking at these two, you can pretty much think they're just children stuck in a teenager's body.

"And what's worse, the disciplinary committee came and scolded us," Riese adds, "I mean, is it wrong to scout for club members?" Tabitha nods in agreement with a humming sound.

"Honestly, I wouldn't want someone coming inside our room while I'm eating my lunch and they suddenly ask me if I want to join their club. That's like being asked to join a cult while you're just minding you own business. Some Furs want to eat in peace and savor the food, you know," I say and they both grunt at me while giving me an annoyed glare.

"Boo, you no fun. Let's recruit again later then, Riri," Tabitha says to Riese and I let out a chuckle. That's honestly a horrible nickname, not because it's bad but because it just doesn't fit someone like him. Though, thinking about it, I don't remember them introducing themselves while they were talking about the club. Maybe while they were away, they talked with each other.

"Sure, Tubby," Riese says back. I unintentionally let out a laugh and I see them staring at me narrow-eyed.

"You're gonna be helping us later, right Varu-ney?" Riese says with a smug and a sarcastic tone. I shudder at the nickname he gave to me, but can't help but laugh at it as well. Though, if possible, I don't want to be called that.

"Please don't call me Varu-ney. I never liked it when I was a kid. If you want, you can just call me 'Val' if 'Varu' sounds too Japanese," I tell them. I'm a Telechubby Fur for life, and I still have their plushies somewhere in the house. I loved that show when I was a kid and I used to watch it a lot with my mom.

"Why's your name Varu anyways?" Riese asks but before I can even respond, he covers my mouth with his paws. "No, wait, don't. We'll do the 'proper' introduction when we find our fifth member," I remove Riese's paw and shoot him a glare.

"Seriously..." I mutter while getting my handkerchief wiping my mouth a bit with it. "That was rude, you know." I tell Riese but he just shrugs it off. Sigh, this Fur.

"Okay, we'll continue scouting later during club hour. High--" he poses himself with his right fisted paw in front of him. I cock my head at his gesture, not following on what he's doing. "This is our signature club fist bump. All clubs should have something to pump themselves up."

"Oh, I see," Tabitha says before standing up, doing a different pose, and fist bumping Riese's paw. I decide to follow and the two of them say "Flyers!" together while raising their fists in the air. I'm late on the reaction so I say "Flyers" with a less energetic sounding voice and raise my fist last. They seem to be able to understand each other like their minds are connected. Reminds me of the other Fur that Riese's mind can seem to connect.

"By the way, about the club room--" "Woah, we already have one?" Tabitha cuts me off with a surprised shout the moment I say "room".

"Yep. Mr. Kelt was kind enough to already give us a club room and he'll be the one doing the paperwork as well," Riese says.

"Woah, awesome. How'd you persuade him?"

"We never persuaded him. He just... accepted our offer and decided to help us." I say after a few seconds of thought, but I'm still unsure if what I said is even correct. His help was really out of the blue without him even saying why he is helping us. Maybe he's connected with Riese somehow.

"Anyways, what about the club room, Varu-ney?" Riese asks. He mocks me.

"Again, please don't call me that. Also, we don't even know where exactly the club room is. I mean, he told us where, just that we'll still have to look for it. Maybe even clear it up a bit," I add the last part unintentionally. I have a habit of wanting things cleaned, especially if it's a room that I'm going to use but haven't been there yet. I don't mind a bit of chaos and mess here and there, but if it's as if a typhoon has flown by and everything is scattered everywhere, then I sure as hell want to clean that room up because the sight of such a thing is a major distraction for me. And it's unsanitary. More on the latter.

"Ew, cleaning. I'd rather scout than clean," Tabitha says with disgust and Riese nods in response.

"Same. So Varu will be on cleaning duty, then. Alright, it's settled. We'll be the two scouters and you'll be the room cleaner," Riese says, settling things even though I never agreed to do it. Alone, anyways. If the club is big, it'll take more than one Fur to clean it all up. Before I can even tell him my stand, the two are already talking to each other about their plans on scouting and such. It would be rude to interrupt Furs on their conversations so I guess I'll just have to deal with it.

They continue their talk, but now they're about random things rather than about the club. Or it could just be related to the club. Only those two know. I watch them idly as they start talking about artificial wings or if Avians are able to carry Furs with their claws. Just the thought of their idea is painful to hear because, if I know anything it's that Avians have sharp claws and talons and aren't meant for holding things with. Sir Cubert demonstrated some of his flying skills when I was a kid and he accidentally scratched the roof of someone's house and almost hit a glass window because his flying was getting rusty. That was partially my fault for asking him to fly. I remember Sir Cubert apologizing sincerely to the owner of the house. I felt really bad back then but I didn't know what to do. Though the owners were really nice and just smiled it off. They already knew that Sir Cubert loves trying to impress little kids with his flying. That old goof.

I stop my train of thoughts when the bell rings and the next teacher comes in. I didn't realize that I was reminiscing about the past for so long that the students are already back in the classroom and that Riese and Tabitha are already in their respective seats. I let out a sigh and prepare myself for class.

---

And now it's time for History class. I already dislike the narcissistic Horse with his dark brown fur and long, red, pony-tailed hair. He always smile like he's trying to show off how white his teeth are (and they are too white that a flicker of light temporarily blinds me from time to time), he looks at other students with a smug face, and I still remember how he threw a chalk at me on the first day of school. Let's just say I'm holding a petty grudge against him.

"It's only been the second day of school and you already look like the dead walking in the night. Speaking of dead, Foks," the teacher calls me and I'm taken by surprise. Dammit, why me? "I believe you are familiar of the latin term 'Anima'?" I nod in response. "Then stand up and tell us what it means?"

I stand up and answer, "Soul."

"Yes, that's correct, soul. However, we also use Anima in another term. What is it?" he asks with a condescending smirk.

"It's to differentiate us bipedal animals from the four-legged ones."

"Tch, you may sit down," I hear the Horse click his tongue as his smirk fades into a scowl. "His answer is correct. We often just say Furs because we are in a Fur-dominant area. You rarely see Avians or Reptiles or any other bipedal vertebrate within the vicinity, that is why we often just use Fur instead of Anima. Fur is also more commonly used mainly because Anima is more used in the field of psychology. Other Animas even accept the usage of Furs for recognizing other species even though they are not Furs themselves mainly for ease. Though, I highly suggest that you use Anima instead of Furs to recognize everyone since it's rude for the other species."

"Woah, did you know that?" "I never even knew that term existed." "He must be smart to know these stuffs." "Maybe I'll ask for help for him when I need it." "He's definitely worth keeping an eye out."

"Settle down. Now that Foks gave us the answer, we're going to proceed to the Species War. That is why I asked about Anima, because the term wasn't used until after the war. That doesn't mean that four-legged animals don't have a soul, but Anima is also a symbol of unity and a tribute for all the lost souls during the war, but it seems to be fading to history fast." I thought for a moment that I saw a hint of sadness on his face but he immediately starts to smile and look condescending again.

The class passes by fast and it's already 4:00 PM, signalling the end of the last period of class and the start of club hour. As I pick up my bag, I hear Riese talking to Tabitha about where they're going to scout first. Riese then dashes off and Tabitha gives me a small cheer before following Riese out. I let out a small sigh before I swing my bag over my shoulder. I guess I'll be cleaning alone. It won't be so bad... no, it'll probably be bad since it probably hasn't been properly cleaned since who-knows-when. Though it'll probably be faster that when I clean my house alone, but we'll see.

I exit the classroom and climb up two flights of stairs and reach the third floor. If I remember correctly, it's on the end of the hall on the third floor and has a faded sign... but on which end? I guess I'll find out. I'm going to try the right end first because rights seem to be more favored than left in this right-dominant world. Without further delay, I proceed to the right end of the hall and reach a door with a faded sign. I wonder if this is it, or that there are also different rooms with a faded sign.

I examine the door carefully, wiping my finger on the handle and notice that I gathered a bit of dust. This room seems to be used but not a lot, which makes me think that maybe this is the right room. After all, it has a faded sign and the door seems fine. I grab the handle and slowly open the door, making an eerie creaking sound in the process. I look inside and all I can see is a dark room with only a bit of light from the entrance. It looks like a portal to a never-ending darkness at the end, sending chills up my spine. I look down and I see something, a body, lying on the ground, lifeless. No... it can't be... that's not my mom. My mom didn't die here.

I take one step backward as I look at the floor in horror as its head starts to turn to look towards me, it's eyes hollow and showing a dark void within. Its deathly black arms start to reach out towards me but slowly starts to melt as it does. Instead of bones, there's nothing left from the melted arm but a puddle of black liquid below it as it still tries to reach out towards me. It then starts to scream as it starts to crawl towards me but, no matter how much it tries to, it always melts before reaching a certain point. All I can do is watch as I look at how much in pain it is... No, this is just an illusion. An illusion made by my weak mind that keeps on haunting me. I have to stop being weak and... I... I...

I can't...

I slam the door closed, breathing heavily as I try to compose myself. I can feel myself shaking and sweating a lot as I use the handle to balance myself. Taking in a deep breath, I look to my side and hope that no one saw that. Luckily I see no one nearby and that hopefully means no one was there or they are just passing by. I start to gain balance and slowly let go of the handle. I take in deep breaths, in and out, in and out, then finally I'm back to my normal breathing. It was just an illusion. It was not real. I shake my head vigorously to try and forget what just happened.

"Maybe I'll try the other end," I say to myself before turning to the other end of the hall. "Hopefully it's the right one this time," I mutter to myself as I slowly go to the other end. I look at the sign and it's also faded. It's the same as the other, but this one seems less faded. I can make out a few letters like "h" "F" and "b" on different parts of the sign and the more I look at it, the second word seems to have "Fly" written on it in cursive. I can hardly make out the other words, but maybe this is it.

I reach for the handle but stop midway as I'm reminded of the other room and that... horrible illusion. I shake my head, thinking that this one will be right one. No, it has to be the right one. I take in a deep breath and slowly open the door. The first thing that I see inside the room is a silver furred Akita sweeping the floor right next to an open window. With the light reflecting on his silver fur, he looks a lot less intimidating. He then notices me and looks at me in the eye. Either my eyes are deceiving me or I'm actually seeing his cheeks flush pink before continuing to sweep the floor.

"Oh, hi Ken. I didn't know you're already here," I say as I look around the room. I can tell that he just started recently since only part of the floor is swept, but nevermind that. How did he know where our club room is without us being able to tell him, let alone clean the room? Maybe Riese was able to tell him? Or he bumped into Mr. Kelt? But how could Mr. Kelt have known that he's part of the club? Maybe Mr. Kelt was able to hear us outside? Ugh, so many questions, but I have to focus at the task at paw. "I'll help you with cleaning, Riese went scouting along with the new member Tabitha, a Tabby Cat," I say to him as I go to a nearby table and he nods back. I trace a line on the table before putting my bag down. It's dusty, but not so much. I find a feather duster and a few dry cloth on the nearby shelf and grabbed them. I also notice a bucket below me and grab it as well. Time to start cleaning.

I tell Ken I'll be back shortly to get some water. I noticed a bathroom when I was going to the club room so I'll get some water there. I come back to the club room with a bucket of water and Ken is already done sweeping the floor. He even dusted the shelf and table while I was away. It did took a bit of time to fill the bucket because the water was running so slow. They should really fix that, or maybe I'm just unlucky and that it's only for today.

I pick up a dry cloth and soak it with the water in the bucket before wiping the table clean. Ken does the same for the shelf. I finish wiping the table earlier than Ken so I proceed to help him. We then continue with the chairs, then the window, and lastly the floor before going outside the room to let it dry a bit. A silent three minutes pass by and everything is almost dry now. We then proceed on arranging them and Ken is kind enough to be the one to throw the garbage. I pat the chair gently to check if it's dry enough to sit on, and it is. I sit on the chair and look around the room.

The room is actually quite spacious. It's definitely enough to fit around seven or eight Furs. The room's wooden floor is a bit clean now, but I think it hasn't been waxed for a long time and thus it looks a bit dull even after cleaning and wiping it. There is a shelf half the height of the room on the side where a few books are stacked, some looking interesting enough that I'm planning to read someday. The six chairs are arranged around the rectangular wooden table near the window, two on each of the longer sides and one on each of the shorter sides. There's also a locker in the corner near the door where I decided to put the cleaning supplies in, and supposed to be a trashcan in the other corner near the door but Ken's still not back from throwing the garbage yet.

I decide to stand up and check the books again. There are indeed some interesting books in here, though they're mostly fiction. I happen to find a title that catches my attention and take it off the shelf. I look at the cover and I see a picture of a... the face is scribbled with ink but it's someone riding a plane. "Take Flight" is the title of the book. I decide to open it and take a look inside... they're also scribbled on. What the heck? Hopefully the other books didn't encounter the same fate as this one. Before I can pick another one up, Ken comes back, carrying with him the empty trash bin.

"Done," he says before gently placing the bin back to where it once was.

"Thanks for taking out the trash," I say and he nods back. He then proceeds to the chair nearest to the window, from my point of view on the upper-right, and sits on it. I follow him and sit on the other side of the table, on the lower-left chair. I feel awkward being with him, not only because it's so silent but he sits too formally that it somewhat makes me uncomfortable. I should probably say something to break this awkward silence, but what...?

"So... how'd you know where the club room is? I don't remember telling you yesterday," I ask what I think will be a conversation starter.

"Mr. Kelt told me," he says with a flat tone.

"Oh... I see," well that failed. I can't think of another topic to talk about so that awkward silence is taking over again. Come on, I have to think of something. Think, think, think.

"Varu," I hear Ken call my name, making me jump a bit.

"Yes?" I turn my head toward him but he then looks away. What was that about?

"It's nothing, sorry," he stares at his paws on his desk. He looks sad for some reason.

"What's wrong?" I ask him, but he just shakes his head.

"It's nothing," he says again. I want to try to cheer him up, but how do I do that? We barely even know each other, but he looks sad... maybe I can try asking more about him. Ken Aki. Aki. I can try asking if he's Japanese, but his English is quite fluent that you can't tell... wait, how would I be able to know that if we never had a long conversation to really recognize his accent. His voice is almost monotonous that I can't tell. Ken Aki. Aki. Wait, that last name sounds familiar. Aki. Japan. Aki Minami... Minami Aki? Maybe...

"Do you know Minami Aki?" I ask him. His ears perk up and he looks at me with wide eyes, well wider than usual, but he still has that straight face on him that I can't tell if he's surprised or not. He then looks away and stare back at his paws, completely silent. The silence goes on for a few seconds until he nods slightly.

"She's my mother," he says. I see... he's her mother... wait what? This Akita, Ken, is the son of Minaki Aki... what? Minami Aki is a famous businesswoman in Japan, having branched her business even overseas and worldwide. I've read articles about her and how she became successful at the age of 20 when her father passed down his inheritance to her. She was a child prodigy, excelling in different activities in sports, school, and other stuff. Her strategies, systemized planning, and wit are what carried her up in the world of business, climbing higher and higher in the charts. And here in this room is none other than his son sitting on a chair.

"W-Wow, that's... amazing," I try to say something else, but I'm still left speechless about the fact that a famous businesswoman's son is here in school. Though the moment I look at him, his brows are furrowed and he looks annoyed rather than proud.

"She's... always busy," Ken says, gritting his teeth. I should've known. Business is, well, a busy job especially in this busy world. Each minute is planned so that they'll be able to get the most out of things. At least, that's what I think. Though, why would he be here and not in Japan? Wouldn't he have been better to be there than here? It doesn't make much sense.

"So, where do you currently stay?" I ask him.

"I'm living in my grandmother's house," he says.

"I... see," I try to come up with other things to say but there's nothing that crosses my mind. And yet another awkward silence surrounds us. This is probably the most awkward conversation in my life with the awkward silences, the awkward talks, the awkward movements, everything is awkward. I let out a sigh. I should stop probing him or else I'll be an annoyance to him. I somewhat knows how he feels with his mother leaving him, and I know how annoying it is to have people constantly questioning about it.

The silence continues for around a few more minutes until the door slowly opens with a creaking sound. In the back of my head, I thought it is Rue deciding to join us but it's just just the duo, Riese and Tabitha, coming in with exhausted looks but they also look like they just accomplished something. Wonder if they were able to recruit someone. "Finally we found you! We opened every door we could find just to get here. Why didn't you tell us it was here all along?" Riese says. I give him a disappointed glare and let out a sigh. "And you must be Ken, right? Name's Riese Michael Fritz, nice to meetcha," he dashes towards to table and lean on with one paw as a stand and the other extended towards Ken.

"Name's Tabitha Melow, fourth member of the group," Tabitha says with a salute.

"Ken Aki. It's a pleasure to meet you all," he shakes Riese's paw and nods slightly. He's way too formal with these two.

"Mr. Kelt told us where the club is. You just either forget or didn't listen," I tell Riese bluntly who flinches in response. I notice Tabitha giving Riese a cold stare before jumping towards him and shaking his head violently while yelling at him on why he forgot. Riese tries to talk back but I don't think he can talk with his head being shook. I try to help Riese, but I think it's a bit too funny of a scenario to be happening in real life. I laugh a bit at them as Tabitha stops shaking Riese and they start bickering childishly. I laugh a bit at them before I happen to notice Ken's eyes. It no longer look emotionless but rather, it has a little sparkle, like he found the two's act funny but he's just not showing his feelings.

They soon stop their bickering and take a look around the room, looking very pleased. "Ohoho, good job on cleaning the room, Varu," Tabitha says and Riese nods in agreement. I smile in embarrassment and shake my head and paws.

"No, I couldn't have done it without Ken. He helped a lot in cleaning," I say before gesturing my paw at Ken. His cheeks then turn into a shade of pink and looks away. Tabitha goes to Ken and shakes his paw vigorously, earning her a surprised and panicked look from Ken. I can see his cheeks turn from pink to red, looking very embarrassed. It doesn't help that Riese also shakes his other paw and complements him.

Riese and Tabitha stops shaking Ken's paws when the bell rings, signalling the end of the club hour. Riese lets go and back away a few steps before taking his phone from his pocket. "Before we leave, we should exchange numbers so that we can communicate with each other. That way, I won't have my head shaked like a maraca again."

"Good idea. I also don't want to shake your head like a maraca," Tabitha says as she takes her own phone. Me and Ken also take out our phones and we quickly exchange numbers before leaving the club room. We say goodbye to Ken as he goes on first because two certain Furs forgot to get their bags from their room and I, being the person who has nothing to do at home, decide to tag along with them.

When we arrive at the gate, we see a red car's window open with a Tabby Cat that looks similar to Tabitha inside, smiling and waving his paw like he's trying to catch someone's attention. I give Tabitha a glance and she chuckles nervously in response. "That's my dad. He's a bit goofy at times. Welp, see you guys tomorrow, m'kay?" Tabitha waves goodbye as she dashes off, but she suddenly stops and goes back to us, a mischievous grin creeping up on her face.

"What's wrong?" I ask her and she just giggles and leans toward my ears.

"Forgot to tell you, you two look cute together, especially yesterday," Tabitha whispers. At first, I give her a cold stare but that last part threw me off and now I'm just... speechless.

"Wh-What do you mean?" I ask her, but I feel like I already know the answer. I can feel myself blushing harder already

"Nothing ~ bye," she runs away as if she just planted a bomb right in front of me and quickly gets inside the car. "Drive, old man!" she says with a cheerful sounding voice and her father just laughs it off and drives away. Meanwhile, I'm just here thinking about what Tabitha actually meant. Did she really...? Man, and I really thought no one was there to see it. Damn it, Riese.

"What's wrong?" Riese asks innocently.

"N-Nothing's wrong!" I try to compose myself as Riese gives me a suspicious look. "Seriously, it's nothing!" I tell him off and he just shrugs.

"Well, if you're not telling then fine, so be it. Anyways, I'll be taking the school bus today. I think it's still around, so laters," Riese waves goodbye as he starts walking away.

"Why didn't you take the bus yesterday?" I ask. He stops and turns towards me.

"I went to buy the latest chapter of One Piece. I took the public bus afterwards."

"Why not just walk home? You get in the bus only a few minutes after I get in, so our houses should be close by."

"I'd rather not torture my legs, thank you. Well, laters, again," he waves goodbye again and dashes to the school bus nearby. He gets on and the bus then starts after a few seconds and goes off.

I let out a sigh as I look down the gray, slightly cracked sidewalk. The immediately thought of the saying "don't step on a crack or you'll break your mother's back", but my mom isn't here anymore. Step. Heh, I used to be scared of stepping on cracks, but there's nothing to be afraid of now. I take another step forward of the thousands of steps it will take to get me back to my house.

Walking isn't really that bad for me. Besides, two kilometers away isn't really that far. Sure, I may get tired but I always take a break from time to time to enjoy the neighborhood. For instance, I happen to find a cat, a four-legged cat, that reminds me of Tabitha on the way home and play around with it. The cat's curious, energetic, and a girl. It really is kind of like Tabitha in some ways. I continue to play with it for around three more minutes before continuing my walk back home. Sudden thoughts suddenly come to mind as I think about the cat just now. How are there animals who can walk on two legs and some walk on four. Why are we different from them? Why do we resemble them or why do they resemble us? This world is full of questions that I wish there was an answer to everything written in a single book. It'd be a small, magical book and not those big ones. Ah, I'm getting way too distracted with these thoughts. I should focus more about where I'm going or else I might hit or bump into something.

I arrive at my home after a while more of walking and take a look inside the mailbox. Nothing. Not like I'm expecting to get any mail, but there might be some. It could even be junk mail, at least better than nothing and can be recycled. I close the mailbox and look up the sky. It's getting dark already. I should probably get inside now.

"I'm home," I say as I close and lock the door behind me. I take off my shoes and put on my indoor slippers while looking at the clock on the wall. 6:03 already, huh? I guess I really did take my time in walking with all these random thoughts. I climb up the stair, go to my room, and change into my casual clothes: a blue shirt that blends a bit too well with my fur and a pair of black shorts. I then climb down the stairs and proceed to go to the kitchen to see what I can cook for dinner. I check the cupboards and a pack of dried spaghetti catches my eye. Spaghetti sounds good today. Get ready for spaghetti, tummy. Okay, that was bad even for me.

Honestly, I don't really like spaghetti and, even though I eat them more often nowadays, I still don't. It's just that they're easy to cook and are enough for food for the day. I heat up a pot of water and wait for it to boil before putting in the spaghetti. In the meantime, I get one of the premade packs of sauce inside a cupboard and heat it up in another pot. I always choose the sauce with the cheesy flavor because it's cheese. Well, I guess it's not the actual spaghetti that I don't like but the sauce used. Cheesy sauce is passable for spaghetti.

I notice the spaghetti starting to soften so I take a fork and spin it around. I also have to take in mind the sauce and stir it from time to time. The stirring goes on for a while until the spaghetti looks cooked, or rather hydrated enough to eat and the sauce is heated up. I turn off the stove and strain the spaghetti from the water before mixing it with the sauce, which is kind if an obvious thing to do. I decide to add some grated cheese on the mix to make it more cheesy.

With a plate on paw, I scoop a large chunk of the spaghetti and put it on the plate before putting the plate on the table. Deciding that that's enough for the day, I put the leftover spaghetti in a tupperware and put it in the fridge. Now, with dinner. With the fork on my right, since I use the spoon with my left, I pierce through the pile of spaghetti and swirl it around to get a decent amount from it. When I take a bite, I'm don't taste the coldness but rather, the warmth of the food that I'm eating. It's been a long time since I had spaghetti like this... that reminded me of Mom. Haha, just look at me crying not because I'm broken, but because I finally had a warm meal for once. What changed in this house that I'm able to eat food this good again? In this "home" that I now call a "house" since Dad left, it's starting to turn back into the "home" that I once knew.

I wash the dishes and the utensils I used in cooking before going to my room. There's no need to clean today since I already cleaned the house yesterday. I usually clean on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and weekends since I feel like cleaning everyday is a big chore and I still want to do other stuff. I sit on the chair, turn on my laptop and check out Facebook to see some memes. Heh, I can't help but chuckle on some of these videos. Moving on from that, I notice that Dad's online. He sends me a message from time to time about his day and chat a bit when he's "supposedly" not busy. Speak of the devil, he actually sends a message to me. I read it, trying to imitate his voice.

"Hey there sonny, how're you doing?"

"You sound like an oldie, Dad.

Also, I'm fine. You?"

"Watanabe. I'm fine" Damn, he got me to chuckle there. He's a great dad, kind, caring, and his jokes somehow manages to get to me every single time. Either that or I just easily laugh with him and his jokes that are between us. I wouldn't say we're weebs since we both study Japan's culture and history, but it could be a term used to define us. In a joking manner of course, because I'd give a long rant about what weebs are if one actually thinks we're one of them. Internet Furs, I'm looking at you.

"Work's been a pain in the behind lately. It's not easy here in JP even after a year.

Anyways, how's school?"

"You're not chatting while working, are you? You'll definitely get caught.

Also, school's fine."

"Hahaha, give me a break. I can't survive if I only work. And c'mon, details. You got some friends? Maybe got yourself a girlfriend? ;)"

"Uh, no? Why do you think of that?"

"Dude, you're already old enough for a GF. Nothing wrong with it.

And besides, a character from a game once said, "The more GFs you have, the stronger you become".

"If Mom was here, she'd definitely slap you. Twice."

"Haha, true."

"As for friends, I do have a few now. Also, the school has club screening on the first day. Crazy, right?"

"Hoho, that is crazy. Back then, there wouldn't really be much time given to clubs. I wonder when that change was implemented."

"Probably just recently, but it's pretty cool." I type back and I don't get any response. It does say it's read, but he doesn't seem to be typing back. After around five minutes, the sign that Dad's typing appears in the chat.

"Sorry, got caught by boss. It's great to make friends on the first day. Anyways, gtg now. Enjoy yourself, your life, and your friends. Chat ya next tinw.

*time"

"Alright, g'night. Cya." I reply but he's already offline before I manage to send it. I let out a disappointed sigh and close the laptop before laying my head on it. We don't really get the chance to chat since he's busy with his work. I take a look at the clock and see that it's a bit past 8. It's a bit too early to sleep, but I need all the rest I can get anyways. Who knows what plans that Husky has concocted in that weird mind of his.

I get up from the chair and drag myself to my bed. I lie down on it and stare at the ceiling. The light's still on. I get off my bed to turn off the light when I hear my phone vibrate afterwards. I forgot that I left it in my uniform. The message is from Riese. "Hey, scout with me tomorrow. No excuses, you already cleaned yesterday. That's all, bye."

I chuckle at his message and put the phone on my desk. He really is something. I go back to my bed and lie down on it, feeling sleepy as my eyelids start to get heavy. And, for the first time in more than a year, I manage to sleep a happy, tearless night.