★ Cho - Story of a CS Dog ♥ / you may post!

[ri bird.]

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I picked at my dinner plate, shoving the steak around with my fork. It smelled mouth
watering, but I didn't trust anything served by Mother. The rest of Church was an ordeal- I
couldn't wait for it to end. The rest of service Mother had had her paw clamped on my shoulder
in a seemingly motherly fashion, but I knew she really didn't want me to slip away to the
bathroom again.

"Cho, why are you picking at your food? I thought you liked steak," Mother scolded.

I did. Just not when she cooked it. "I'm not. I'm just arranging it. On my plate."

I waited for her to look away, then flipped my pork over and stabbed it with my fork
absentmindedly.

"Stop playing with your food, Cho," Father said angrily. "Why do you have to be so difficult?"

I'm not! I'm normally a good kid- if you were my real parents I'd listen.

I stopped playing with my food anyway and I stuck it my mouth, forcing it down. It
wasn't that bad- actually, it was delicious - but I didn't want her to know that I liked
it. Instead, I frowned and went on to the next bite.

"We'll be picking up Nora tonight," Mother announced. She got up and collected Father's
dishes, dumping them in the sink. "So we'll be out for a while. You'll be okay alone, won't
you, Cho?" She fixed her pale red gaze on me. "No throwing parties?"

You mean, don't do anything that would possibly expose you or Father, I thought.
"Yeah. Sure."

Dad laughed at her joke, even though we all knew what she really meant. I nibbled at the
rest of my food and watched Mother and Father put on their coats.

"We'll be back in a bit, don't do anything that might get you in trouble!" Mother called. She
closed the front door, and I heard the doorknob twist as she locked it.

"Well, there go my plans of escape," I said sarcastically. I had already considered running
away, but the strange spirit who had been watching me might be more able to get at me-
it didn't seem to be able to get in my house, so staying was the best option for me. Not only
that, but I would be more able to find my parents if I stayed here. Besides, Mother and Father
didn't act as if they intended any real harm. Not for now, anyways.

I waited to hear the car pull out of the driveway, then shoved back my chair and bolted upstairs.
Earlier this afternoon after Church they had practically moved into my parents room. They
hadn't brought any stuff with them that I knew of through the front door at least, but I had a feeling
they did move some of their belongings into that room.

I jiggled the doorknob. It was locked. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a bobby bin, sticking
it in the hole and wiggling it around. Whenever I tried this on my sister's room it broke, but this
time luck was with me and the door popped open with a satisfying click.

It swung open. I stepped in and looked around, my parents room looking the same as it always had
been. Nothing looked disturbed. I pulled up the rugs- nothing. I tossed back the bed sheets, peeked
under the bed, snooped in their drawers. Still nothing. Then I remembered my mom hiding her
chocolate in a secret drawer behind her dresser- 'So your father won't get it,' She said with a wink.

If Mother knew I liked steak, why wouldn't she know about the secret drawer? Slowly, I reached
behind her dresser and pulled the drawer open, feeling inside. There was something there- cold,
and metal. I snatched it quickly and stuck it in my pocket, quickly trying to arrange everything
just right so it wouldn't look like I hadn't been snooping. My investigation had taken longer than
I thought it would, and Mother and Father would be back in a little bit.

[Tiger;]

Amazing o.o

[ri bird.]

Amazing o.o

Thanks! Apparently one person doesn't feel that way through the poll, hopefully they'll let me know what they don't like about it so I can improve. D:

[Tiger;]

I can't wait for more

[✿Maragold✿]

This is starting to get intense. o_o

[cookies.]

-hums- I think the new chapter is playing hide-and-seek x3 Come out wherever you are Next Chapter!

[clover.]

Amazing! Can't wait for the next chapter. ^^

[ri bird.]

I'm so sorry, I don't mean to keep you on suspense! XD I can't get on a real computer right now, just mobile, but I'm writing the next chapters by hand so by the next time I have some up there'll be two or three of them!

[Fichester]

I love this. Stalker for life in the house. c:

[ri bird.]

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I hastily closed the door to my parents' bedroom, looking at the item in my paws. Cold
and metal... I was looking at the back of a picture frame. It wasn't really what I had
expected - I thought I would be holding some ancient and evil talisman. I hesitated,
then flipped it over.

Mom and dad were grinning up at me, their friendly waves frozen in time and space.
The photograph was in sepia, the background some sort of pier by an ocean. I didn't
recognize the photo. We had never visited the sea. In fact, we lived in the middle of
the country, far from any ocean. I would've thought that this was before they married
or had me or Nora, but they didn't looked very young at all.

"Mom? Dad?" I frowned, slowly tracing the photograph. They were smiling, but their
eyes looked sad. "Is this where they keep you?"

What if they really weren't in the photograph, and mom just slipped the photo in the
drawer out of sentimental reasons? I doubted it, for mom was of the practical sort and
would keep the photo in an album instead of hiding it.

No, it must've been Mother who put the photograph there. She'd only do that because it
held some importance to her, something that needed hiding from me. My parents had
to be in there.

I heard the familiar rumbling of the garage as it rolled open, and I quickly dashed into
my parents' room and replaced the picture frame, adjusting it to look just how I found it.

The garage door opened. "Cho?" Mother called. "We're home!"

I tiptoed out of their bedroom and down the stairs. Mother and Father were hanging up
their coats. I looked around and saw Nora dumping her luggage in the foyer, kicking off
her boots.

"Nora?" Anxiously, I gripped the banister.

She turned toward me. "Hey, Cho."

I searched her face, holding my breath. Her eyes were different - like Mrs. Rohr's after
Mother hypnotized her. Only Nora's were emptier, and cold.

I narrowed my eyes. They did something to Nora too. She didn't listen to me, and now
they got her too. I felt disappointment swell up in my throat, but I swallowed it back
down. I'd find a way to save them, one way or another. But why me? Why abduct
and brainwash my family and everyone else you meet, but not me?

Mother saw me staring and smiled, closing the garage behind her. "Welcome home, Nora.
And Cho...why don't you help bring her stuff upstairs?"

I said nothing, watching Mother drift into the kitchen and microwave coffee. She got out
an extra mug for Father. I wish they'd just stop pretending like they owned our house,
and everything in it. Including me.

I turned towards Nora, who had been watching me. "Do you want some help?" I muttered.
Without waiting for a response, I heaved up her duffel bags and stalked up the stairs,
dumping them in her room. Before walking away, I turned and looked back at her. I didn't
know why - maybe I was hoping to still find a little bit of Nora in those eyes.

We stared at each other. I thought I knew that face, but suddenly, everything seemed
unfamiliar about it.

"Well...good night." I closed her bedroom door and went back to mine, closing the shades
before sinking onto my bed. I wish all of this were just a dream. Somehow I'll get all
of this sorted out, and everything will be back to normal.