A Hairy Tail Collection
Also by the Author:
Ashes to Ashes
Gifted
Trouble
Dark Eyes: Cursed
Before The Fall
A World Without Angels
Angel’s Uprising
Cinderella is Evil
Saving Rapunzel
Killing Snow White
A Hairy Tail
Collection
JAMIE CAMPBELL
Copyright © 2013 Jamie Campbell
Smashwords Edition
Jamie Campbell asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the author.
A Hairy
Tail 1
Dedication
For Snoopy.
Chapter 1
Most people enjoyed their summer break. The sunshine, the beach, the cold drinks on a hot day, and, most importantly, not being at school. But not Hannah, she didn’t find them interesting at all.
Of course, most people didn’t enjoy school as much as she did. There was something about the buzz of getting things right, the way things were organized, and the idea you had to do something a certain way that just pleased her. It was everything else in the world that scared her. Unpredictability was a nightmare.
Hannah slumped on the chair, counting in her head how many days she had to wait for the chaos to be restored. Ninety-three, that’s how many. She considered making a countdown calendar, that would take up a few minutes of her boring existence.
“You’re not going to laze about here all summer.” Her mother, the irrepressible Coco, butted into her thoughts. She stood over her, both hands on her hips, with that ‘I’m not taking no for an answer’ look on her face. Hannah hated that look.
“Well you wouldn’t let me go to summer school, so what am I supposed to do?”
“Get a job, I don’t care, just get out of this house. Be normal for once in your life and have some fun.” Coco turned and left her there, letting her words sink into the seemingly impenetrable skull of her daughter.
Hannah waited just long enough for it not to be because she was told, to get up and do as she was told. She picked up her handbag and made a point of slamming the front door behind her.
So she was outside of the house, just like Coco ordered her. But now what? She looked from left to right at the other houses in the street. They were all exactly the same, two storey, shutters on the windows, friendly doormats on the porches. It seemed like the entire world was conforming and giving up on any hope of being an individual.
Hannah sighed and started walking. Mom said get a job, so she’d start there. At least when it all went wrong she would have someone to blame. Better than being accused of being lazy.
There were always jobs posted on the board outside the supermarket, Hannah had passed it thousands of times growing up. She never imagined she’d be using one of the ads to actually get employment, but there you go. Life was full of the unpredictable.
She stood in front of the board, searching for anything that appeared even remotely tolerable.
“I’m going to be a microbiologist and they expect me to have waitressing experience?” Hannah mumbled to herself.
If the jobs were menial, they required way more experience than she had. It seemed you either had to be a robot or a genius, there was nowhere in between where she could fall.
Buried underneath all the new advertisements, there was one faded sheet of paper. Hannah pulled it out, trying to work out what the words were. A large corner had been torn away, she had to fill in the blanks just to read it.
As she scanned the flyer, Hannah knew she had found her summer entertainment. The local animal shelter was looking for volunteers, apparently for a long time judging by the condition of the flyer. She carefully folded the piece of paper and started moving.
At fifteen years of age, her bicycle was the only form of transport she had – besides her feet anyway. She knew the streets of Mapleton like the back of her hand and able to fly along the roads without thinking twice.
Hannah had lived in the town since she was born. People rarely left the small county, preferring to make their way within the community. Hannah knew she would be different, she would happily leave one day to pursue her dream of being a scientist, they were rarely needed in Mapleton. She would come back to visit but that was it.
The Mapleton Animal Rescue Centre came into sight as she approached. Leaving her bike at the front gate, Hannah carefully entered, wondering if she had made the right decision or not. Animals weren’t entirely her thing, she couldn’t even remember why it had sounded so good in the first place. Perhaps it was the lack of customer service skills that it required.
“Can I help you?” The lady at counter asked, she seemed friendly enough. It helped calm her nerves slightly.
“I’m wondering if you still need volunteers?”
“Are you kidding, honey? We always need volunteers,” she smiled an impossibly wide smile. “How old are you?”
“Fifteen.”
“Can you work at least one four hour shift a week?”
“I can work every day over the summer.”
“Can you speak cocker spaniel?”
Hannah was stumped, unsure if she was serious or not. That was the kind of unpredictable she feared. Still, the woman didn’t seem like she was going to continue without an answer. “Um, I don’t know, I’ve never tried. I’m smart, I’m sure I can learn it quickly.”
The woman burst into laughter. “That was a joke, honey, but I like you. You’re hired. You can start tomorrow, dress in something that can get dirty… and wet.”
Hannah smiled, gulping at the same time. Either she had just made a huge mistake, or the best decision of her entire life. It could go either way.
Chapter 2
“These are the sponges, first you have to get them all wet and then rub in the shampoo,” the manager, she had introduced herself as Cory, explained. “Then rinse them off again. Let them shake off the excess water and give them a rub down with the towel. Got it?”
Hannah seriously doubted whether she did indeed get it. “Got it.”
“Good luck then.” Cory left her in the room alone with nothing but a tub and a sponge. She didn’t even have a clue where to start. When Cory asked Hannah if she wanted to get close and personal with the dogs, she didn’t think she was being tricked into washing them.
Looking at the row of animals in their cages, Hannah questioned for the hundredth time whether she was doing the right thing. She didn’t think it would be so sad seeing all the animals without homes.
But she had a job to do and unless she did it, she would be there all day with her hands in warm water. She started with the smallest dog and worked her way up. After all, how much trouble could a little dog be?
Hannah soon found out. The little ones were wily and tricky, they were smart enough to avoid the sponge wherever they could. As it turned out, the bigger ones were much easier. They just stood there, unable to thrash about in the tub. Hannah made a mental note to keep her eyes on the small ones.
With one dog left, she stood in front of his cage. He was lying down, his head resting on his front paws. He didn’t move to look at her, instead just his eyes lifted to meet hers. They were big and brown
, but she didn’t notice this at first. What Hannah saw was a painful sadness in his eyes.
“What’s up, boy? You want a bath?”
He didn’t move, just turned his eyes back to the floor again. She wasn’t sure what breed he was, a little Labrador, a little Terrier, and perhaps a little German Shepherd. He didn’t seem to be anything in particular – just depressed.
“A warm bath will make you feel better.” She tried to sound excited but it wasn’t convincing either of them. He could probably see how wet she was and sense it wasn’t making her feel any better.
He wasn’t budging. She carefully slid a hand underneath his belly and carried him over to the tub. He didn’t argue or fight, he didn’t even fidget. He just sat down in the water like he was pretending he was somewhere else.
Hannah sponged him carefully in case he was in any pain. He wasn’t whimpering or anything, he just wasn’t doing anything. It was weird, and she had to admit it made her a little uncomfortable.
“What’s your story?” She asked him, never expecting an answer. It would have been cool though.
“He’s been here for three months.” The male voice came from behind, startling Hannah so much she threw the sponge into the air. It came down – right on top of her head. Soap and suds slowly started sliding down her face.
“Do you always sneak up on people?” She asked grumpily as she turned around. “It’s not very-”
She stopped mid sentence as she saw who she was talking to. He was probably the cutest guy she had ever seen in her life – ever. His dark hair was thick with waves as it framed his gorgeous face. Setting it off were emerald green eyes that sparkled with his amusement. All the words suddenly fell right out of her head.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” he started. She instantly forgave him. “His name is Basil and he’s been here for three months, that’s his story.”
She suddenly realized he was answering her question and she needed to say something too or she would look like an even bigger fool than she already did. “Oh. Three months? That’s a long time, right?”
“Yeah, I think that’s why he’s so sad, nobody’s claimed him yet. You must be new here, I’m Harry.”
“Hannah. I started today.”
“I can tell.” He grinned.
“I wouldn’t have thrown the sponge if you didn’t sneak up on me,” she pointed out, hating the way her face was burning with blushing.
“I just meant they always make the newbies wash the dogs. It’s like an initiation ritual.”
The burning was even worse now. Hannah doubted whether she would ever recover from the embarrassment. “Oh, right.”
“Have fun,” Harry said before walking backwards to sidle out the door.
Hannah let out the breath she was holding, wondering where her dignity had gone. The cutest guy on the planet and she had already made a fool of herself within ten seconds of meeting him. She deserved an award, it had to be a record.
She finished washing Basil and gave him extra attention when drying him. If he was lonely and missing his family, she wanted to at least let him know someone cared about him. If only she could get the dog to cheer up, his sad look was starting to get to her.
Cory returned to check on her progress. “All done?”
“Every single one of them. As you can see.” She looked down at her soaking wet clothes. Every dog there had managed to spatter her with water. Plus the walls, the floor, and the windows too.
“Good job. Why don’t you mop up this water and then play with the animals? You’ve earned some play time.”
It sounded a lot easier than her first task. “Sure, I’d love to.”
Hannah knew exactly which dog to start with. She quickly ran a mop over the floor and opened Basil’s cage. Again, he didn’t even begin to react. She picked him up and took him outside to the play area.
The area was really just a patch of grass with a fence around it, but it was outside in the sunshine and that had to make any dog happy. She placed him on the ground, making sure his four legs were holding his weight before letting go.
“Go for a run, Basil, go on,” she urged. When he didn’t move, she gave him a gentle nudge of encouragement. He took one step and stopped again.
She did the running for him, trying to get the dog to chase her. He reached almost up to her thigh so they couldn’t run too far in the pen. Basil just stared at her like she was too much trouble.
Giving up, Hannah sat on the ground next to him. She put her arm right around his shoulders, bringing him in for a hug. Basil just let her, not doing anything to encourage or dissuade her.
“Someone will come and get you, Basil,” she whispered.
Footsteps stomped behind her, Hannah looked around quickly and saw Harry standing there, waiting.
“I thought I would make sure you heard me coming this time, I wouldn’t want you to accidently strangle Basil.” His impossibly beautiful smile spread across his impossibly perfect lips.
“How kind of you,” she replied sarcastically, trying to play it cool. The last thing she wanted to do was betray her fast-beating heart.
He sat on the other side of Basil, his hand absentmindedly stroking him. “He misses his family.”
“I would too if I hadn’t seen them in three months. Is he always this sad?”
Harry nodded. “Ever since he arrived. When he was found he was all thin and his hair was scraggly, he’d been out on his own for a while.”
“He doesn’t have a microchip or any identification? Something we can use to find his family?” Hannah figured they’d probably already done all they could, but had to ask anyway.
“He’s an enigma. He wasn’t wearing a collar and he’s not microchipped. There’s no way of telling where he has come from. Cory ran his picture in the paper a few times but nobody ever came forward.”
“So how do you know his name?”
Harry held Basil’s face in his hands, rubbing his ears. “Don’t you think he looks like a Basil? I think he does.”
Hannah couldn’t argue, he did kind of look like a Basil. She couldn’t see him as a Buster or Buddy or anything else more dog-like.
“So what’s going to happen to him?” She asked, hoping for some good news.
“He needs to be adopted,” Harry started. “But the problem is, he ignores anyone that looks at him. Everyone that wants to adopt just walks straight on by.”
“He’s waiting for his real family.”
“I think he is,” Harry replied. They both nodded in silence as Basil laid himself down, his head on his paws.
Chapter 3
“He’s not on any of these ones either,” Hannah sighed. She turned away from the message board and all the Lost & Found posters. A picture of Basil wasn’t amongst them.
“Maybe he’s not missing then,” Veronica said. “Perhaps he was never owned by anyone in the first place?”
“He misses someone, he had to be part of a family.”
“And you know this, how?”
Hannah shrugged. “I just know, okay? Maybe I’m psychic or something.”
Veronica rolled her eyes but didn’t say anything. They finally sat on the bench outside the supermarket in defeat. Hannah was all out of ideas. She couldn’t get Basil’s sad eyes out of her mind and it was driving her crazy. It was like having the pieces of a thousand piece jigsaw puzzle and not having the complete picture. In other words: Impossible.
Across the parking lot, Hannah spotted someone waving. She looked at him, trying to focus across the distance. She realized it was Harry.
“Is that guy waving at us?” Veronica asked.
Hannah shyly waved back, feeling like an idiot for not seeing him sooner. “Yeah, but don’t look at him.”
“Why? He’s cute. How do you know him?” She waved too, even though he wasn’t paying any attention to her. She didn’t notice.
“He volunteers at the shelter too, his name’s Harry.”
“Harry the hottie. Please tell me
you’ve been flirting with him.”
Hannah could feel the familiar heat crossing over her face as she blushed with the thought. “No, of course not. He wouldn’t be into a girl like me. Guys that nice and good looking go for the popular girls. Not the nerdy, clumsy girls.”
“There’s no harm in a little flirting,” Veronica replied resolutely. She was always trying to pull her best friend out of her shell but never really managed it.
“I don’t even know how to flirt.” Hannah stood, signaling the end of the conversation. Her love life, or lack of it, was not open for discussion. “Are you coming?”
“Fine.” Veronica sighed as she followed.
They spent the rest of the afternoon at the beach. Hannah slathered herself in sunscreen and sat under the shade of an umbrella while Veronica basked in the sun in her bikini.
By the time evening rolled around, Hannah was glad to retreat back to her home. Veronica may be a great friend, but she was relentless in her attempts to get her to have fun.
“You’re finally home, how was it at the shelter today?” Coco called from the kitchen. Hannah stopped, regretting not coming in through the back door.
“Fine.”
Her mother leant against the kitchen door to speak with her, standing between her and the stairs. Hannah wasn’t going to be able to pass without having a conversation.
“I’m pleased you’re spending your time volunteering and helping the animals.”
“Yeah, it’s great.” She made a move for the stairs but her mother wasn’t quite done yet.
“I hope you realize that you need to do more than spend all your summer at the shelter.” She scrutinized her daughter, searching for a reaction. “You need to spend time having fun too, socializing and enjoying being young. You’re not going to be fifteen ever again, you do realize that, right?”
She couldn’t help it, Hannah rolled her eyes. Perhaps Veronica would make a better daughter for Coco, they certainly had the same soundtrack. “I don’t like going to parties, Mom, you should be happy about that.”
Hairy Tail Collection Page 1