Tiffany ran along the sidewalk, her morning jog relieving some of her aches from the night before. She had moved into this nice house, in this nice neighborhood a few days ago, busy unpacking all the items she purchased. The new furniture was delivered and in place, the new appliances installed and working fine, all that was needed were the odds and ends she either brought from her parents' place or bought as part of her interior design of her new place.
Tiffany Adams was twenty-two, still a college student, who moved out of her family's mansion to be on her own. No one thought she would succeed, her own parents keeping her room for her as they figured in a few months she'd return, living on one's own tougher than their daughter thought. At home, someone did the cooking, the cleaning, the worrying about a checking account, paying the bills. Most of all, getting a job to pay those bills. No, Tiffany Adams wasn't prepared for any of that. She only knew there were too many memories in that mansion.
Tiffany knew it was going to be tough, that she wasn't brought up like the average child, learning about the value of money early. Tiffany simply got what she wanted; no price even noticed. She had two credit cards of her own by the time she was thirteen, never running out of funds, never concerned when they were billed. She was sure she was up to the task, even if she didn't know anyone to ask, her classmates were all in the same place as the private education, with no real-world knowledge.
Every morning for a week Tiffany ran around her new neighborhood, sometimes seeing people leaving for work, none seeming to see her, getting to know where the dogs were that would bark and growl or simply attack the fence as she passed that particular house. She also saw a dark-haired girl, always running her own route and always alone. Tiffany realized this neighborhood was more into running on treadmills than the sidewalks. No problem, she enjoyed the solitude.
A few mornings later, Tiffany ran past a house where the dog enjoyed attacking the fence, snarling, and growling, Tiffany heard it once again thump into the slat covered six-foot chain-link fence, shaking her head at the dog never learning as it thudded into it every morning in an effort to attack. She kept on, half a block away when she came out of her thoughts to realize something wasn't right. She turned to see the dog snarling as it gained on her, Tiffany putting on speed right away. It wasn't long before she knew she was tired from her run while the dog was fresh and getting much closer.
The dark haired girl ran from the opposite side, looked at the commotion and ran towards Tiffany. Tiffany was going to warn her she was headed in the wrong direction but as soon as she neared, the girl started flapping her arms, growling as loud as the dog.
Tiffany turned to see the dog look a bit confused but regaining the sense to attack this new menace as it went for the girl's legs. The jaws snapped shut on air, as the girl twisted in the air, grabbing the collar as she jerked back to land on her feet, the dog snarling and twisting in an effort to remove the issue.
"Knock it off, mutt." The girl said just before swatting the nose hard. The dog shook his head before trying again, this time being hit harder. As the dog struggled, the girl reached down, grabbing the hindlegs and pulling them off the ground. The dog had no leverage to turn to bite her. The girl looked at Tiffany.
"You know where he came from?"
Tiffany pointed to the house and the girl started dragging the dog. Tiffany ran back to grab the hindlegs, helping to guide the dog back as the girl undid the latch on the gate. She looked around the yard.
"Yeah, dug under that area. You might want to take off before he gets out again."
Tiffany shook her head.
"I'd feel terrible if he bit you when you tried to help me. What's the plan?"
The girl looked young, most likely not even able to drive, but Tiffany figured the girl knew more about this than she did. She at least managed to secure the dog.
"Give us time to get away."
She partially lifted the dog off the ground, suddenly slamming its head into the metal post of the gate. She slammed it a second time before they heaved the dog free of the gate, snapping the gate shut as the dog stood shaking his head.
"That part you care about is getting away."
It was said as the girl started running her route again, Tiffany taking the clue and moving as fast as her legs could take her. If the dog got loose, he didn't chase her, all she was concerned about.
She saw the girl a few more times, finally crossing the street to get in her way.
"I didn't thank you for your help." Tiffany told her when she stopped.
"No worries, dogs get loose all the time. Mostly you can scare them into going away, but he seemed to be more aggressive. At least I haven't seen him loose since."
"He still attacks the fence, so they must have filled the hole." she held out a hand, "I'm Tiffany."
The hand was grasped.
"I'm Kate. Welcome to the neighborhood."
"How did you know I arrived recently?"
"You'd know how to handle dogs if you were here any length of time."
The hands remained together, Tiffany feeling some pleasure from the grip. Or maybe the cute look or the genuine smile on that cute face. Or, well, she had no idea, but she didn't pull her hand back. Her mother would be mortified at this breach of etiquette.
Kate saw the expressions in Tiffany's face, realized she didn't have her gloves on this morning and suppressed a sigh. Stupid demon outsmarted her, and Kate was still learning how to handle this.
Kate was a runaway from a foster home, getting caught in an alley by men who saw earning potential in the very young looking eighteen-year-old who was trapped by them. Kate heard a voice and did what it told her, escaping the situation, following the voice to find a place she could shower, eat, and sleep in safety.
