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“I’ll be there with bells on,” Monty crows. “Will Miss Annie be there too?”

“I go wherever these two idiots go,” I say, and he lets out a barking laugh, which quickly devolves into a cough.

Ben frowns. “I’ll see if I can find someone to take a look at that cough too, alright? I know the VA clinic shut down recently.”

“Sure thing, Father,” Monty says, “and thanks for the cocoa.”

“Saturday, 11am, meet us here,” Ben says, patting him on the shoulder and bending down to pet Roger. I give the dog a wide berth as we walk away, but he does not bark at me as the others have—just watches me with his wide, golden eyes.

“Why does Mr. Monroe not have a place to live?” I ask as we continue through the park.

“It’s complicated,” Ben answers. “You couldn’t see it, but Monty lost one of his legs a long time ago, when he was in the Army. He had to stay in the hospital for a long time. The medicine they gave him…made him really sick, and when he got out, he couldn’t find a job because of it. No job, so no money, and no house. He’s not sick anymore, but now…it’s been such a long time that he doesn’t know what else to do, and he won’t go anywhere without Roger.”

“And no one will help him?”

“It’s not that, it’s just…there’s more to it than handing him a house and a job.”

“My dad works with homeless veteran charities,” Theo says quietly. “I could have him ask around…pet-friendly housing or something.”

“That would be great,” Ben replies. “I try to help him out where I can, but…only so much I can do when I’ve been living out of my car.”

The two of them fall silent as we walk, and I cannot help but think about Monty and Roger. In all my centuries of life, I have been told that humans will go out of their way to hurt one another. I have been told that suffering, such as Monty’s, is due to human greed and selfishness. Perhaps it is, in ways that I cannot see, but…Theo and Ben seem willing to go out of their way tohelphim. Just as Ben seems willing to go out of his way to help Theo. I consider what Ben said before, about some people being lights in a dark sky, like stars, and wonder why I was never told of this.

17

Theo

When we get backto the apartment, I notice that Annoth is unusually quiet. She sits down on the couch and puts a movie on, but doesn’t seem to be watching it. I’m preoccupied letting Ben write more messages to my friends and family, but if I didn’t know any better, I’d say she might be sad.

Once I send off the last message, I glance over at her, then back at Ben, raising my eyebrows. He shrugs and points at me, then at himself. I shake my head and point at him. Annoth and I have been at each other’s throats all day. Trying to talk to her would probably make it worse, so I sit down at the kitchen counter and open my laptop, pretending to browse job listings while I eavesdrop.

“Annie,mi amor, is everything alright?” Ben asks softly, sitting on the coffee table across from her. “You haven’t violently threatened anyone in,” he checks his watch, “at least an hour.”

“I think…my human body is cold,” she answers.

“How about a hot shower?” Ben suggests, and Annoth finally looks at him, raising an eyebrow.

“A shower?”

He shrugs. “Always helps me warm up.”

“Can you show me?” she asks, and I have to stifle a laugh. I don’t think she quite understands what’s involved.

Ben just grins and shakes his head. “I’ll show you the general concept, but…after that you’re on your own.”

She hesitates, but I can tell she’s interested. “Very well, show me the ‘general concept’.”

Ben holds his hand out and she takes it, letting him lead her to the bathroom. Just to ensure that she doesn’t try anything crazy, I follow and stand outside the door.

“So, the water is simply…hot?” she asks skeptically, holding her hand out to feel the stream coming from the showerhead.

“Yeah, but…you close the door and the room fills up with steam and it’s just nice. Trust me,” Ben says. He looks back, as if asking me for help, and I suddenly remember that I still have a few things Ros left behind. From the cabinet under the sink, I take out an unused loofah, some orchid-scented body wash, and one of those aromatherapy tablets that dissolves and makes things smell nice.

“If you’re gonna do it for the first time, you might as well do it right,” I tell Annoth, who narrows her eyes when I hold the loofah out. I unwrap the tablet and toss it onto the floor of the shower, where it begins to fizz. She inhales the rosemary and citrus scent, and her face relaxes, then she opens the shower door to step in.

“Uh…Annie,” Ben chuckles, “you have to…take your clothes off. We’ll leave though.”

Before we can actually go, she just turns her back to us and waves her hand casually through the air. In wisps of shadow, her t-shirt and jeans vanish, leaving her completely naked.