Lost and Found

~Juliette~

"It's just you and me now Teddy..."

I said lightly to the adorable husky puppy in the passenger seat next to me. My Nana and I adopted him together and now he's the only family I have left. My Nana died of lung cancer a week ago and she wasn't really my Nana but in my heart she was. She said my family died in a fire when I was a baby and she adopted me but now she's gone, and I don't know what to do. She was all I had, and the truth is I'm terrified.

I'm on a highway headed to a small town called Riverwood in my black 2005 mustang. It was my Nana's.

I felt something wet and cold touch my arm and looked down to see Teddy pushing my arm up so he could climb into my lap and warm up. The heat on the car was broken and it was the middle of the night, so I reached into the backseat and pulled a brown blanket forward and draped it over the shivering puppy. The sound of Teddy's soft snores calmed me and reminded me that I was not completely alone, I will always have him.

We were about 12 miles away, so I decided not to pull over and just keep driving. I wasn't tired anyway and it was too cold. It was mid-October so it would get even colder later tonight. Canada gets so cold so fast. I used to live in Greenport, New York but after my nana died, I would probably have been put into the system and I wouldn't be able to keep Teddy so, I decided to run away to Riverwood, Ontario. (Fictional place)

I rented a basement suite for me and Teddy for $800 a month. I don't have much money left so I'll have to find a job and I enrolled in the only high school in town, Riverwood Secondary School. I told them I was 18 and I will be in February, so I don't have to lie about having parents.

Teddy started kicking his feet and whining. He was having a bad dream. I lightly shook him and started stroking his ear. "Are you okay little Teddy bear?" I whispered to him. He just nuzzled back into me snoring louder this time. I chuckled and continued driving.

~•~

I drove by a sign that said 'Welcome to Riverwood' in big block letters and sighed in relief. "No more cold nights for us little Teddy bear," I said in a puppy dog voice while tickling his snout. He yipped at me and then started jumping around. Yep his puppy energy is kicking in.

Eventually I started driving by gas stations, fast food, Cafe's, and houses. I looked all around the little town for Willow Street, but I just couldn't find it. I didn't have any data left either and I couldn't find any places with public internet so I couldn't use Google maps. I pulled into a gas station to get some snacks and fill up on gas. I walked through the door leaving Teddy in the car and the gas station was completely empty. There wasn't even anyone at the till. I continued through the aisles and grabbed a bag of Doritos, a sandwich, a can of dog food, jug of water, and plastic cups.

I shuffled over to the till and placed the items on the counter. I tapped the little service Bell on the side a couple times, but no one came into view. After a couple minutes I tapped it again and heard a loud bang like a chair falling over or something. I then heard yelling and what sounded like "keep quiet mutt!" Maybe he has a dog? This thought brought a frown to my face. As an animal lover I believe that if people aren't going to treat their pets with respect, they shouldn't have them.

"What do ya want?" A man with brown hair and a lightly greying beard came into view. He was probably in his early to mid-forties and it's safe to say I already dislike this man.

I raised an eyebrow at him and gestured towards the items. What does he think I want? To ask him about the weather.

He rolls his eyes and punches a couple numbers into the cash register. Yeah that's good for customers. I push my items towards him and place a fifty on the counter. "Use the rest for gas in number 2." I said in a monotone voice. I will not be showing this a**hole any kindness. I look at him more and he seems to have rugged features and lots of scars, the biggest one had three lines going from his jaw to his collar bone. It looked like a scratch mark.

He nods and hands me a plastic bag and I remember that I was supposed to ask for directions. " Hey, do you know where Willow Street is?"

He stares at me for an awkward amount of time before nodding and giving me directions. I walked back out to my car and filled it with gas before driving to my new home.

~•~

The basement suite is pretty nice actually. It's got a living room/kitchen with a sliding door that leads to a decent sized backyard for Teddy. It has a huge bedroom with a bathroom connected to it and a walk-in closet. It's all fully furnished, and it comes with internet! That's a pretty good deal if you ask me.

I go back out to my car let Teddy out while lugging my 2 suite cases, duffle bag and backpack because God forbid a second trip. Somehow, I make it to the door and twist the doorknob kicking it open with my foot. Teddy runs past me almost tripping me in the process and goes straight for the couch. For a puppy he's a huge couch potato.

I pulled all bags in and throw them on the floor before collapsing on the couch myself. "Do you like it boy?" I said while scratching his ear.

I got up and headed over to the bag of snacks. I pulled out a plastic cup and the can of dog food and opened it. I dumped the dog food in the cup and set on the floor. Teddy immediately rolled off the couch and over to his food face planting in the process. I chuckled and then got another cup filled it with water from the sink and placed it next to the food. " There ya go Teddy bear." I ruffled his head and then collapsed on the couch yet again. I closed my eyes and 5 minutes later I heard Teddy's nails hitting the hard wood floor as he trotted over to me. He hopped up next to me and soon we both fell into a peaceful slumber.