Static Reflections: Book 1 of The M... - Chapter 29: Chapter 29

Tyler stayed in the shower for far too long. At first, he just got in to wash himself of the blood and the previous day. Then, one thought led to another, and he ended up sitting down, resting his head between his bare legs.
The hot water fell against him and moved through his dark fur as memories of his grandfather, Hugh, played out. Have there been any happy memories? Was it all just bruises and yelling? Was there anything?
Tyler didn't understand in the slightest. Why did he, an orphan, get pawned off to someone who didn't care about him? And why did his own flesh and blood treat him that way? And in the end, why did he feel sad now, of all times, and not when it happened?
Tyler was just as confused as back when he woke up to Boris having kidnapped him—seeing the otter covered in crimson and being terrified. That was only two days ago.
Boris. His feelings on the entire matter were incredibly complicated. It was so sick and wrong what Boris was doing, and Tyler sure as hell didn't want to be a part of that mess. Then, on the other hand, he cared about Boris more than he initially thought.
Before all of this, he and the otter would constantly get into kerfuffles about this and that, always spurred on by Tyler making a joke that went too far or doing something that bothered Boris and the mustelid's incessant need to open his mouth to respond to it.
And yet, Tyler never realized that even someone who had it all could be going through the wringer. He came to understand that Boris was a very troubled animal inside who wasn't happy with himself, and, though Tyler had been harsh in his words, Boris took them to heart when Tyler told him to change.
After that, there were fewer spats between them, and Boris even began messaging Tyler on the side. They had started building up a close bond, and then the German shepherd had felt it shatter when he woke up in that car.
Boris was a stranger. But he was still an animal Tyler cared about. Then, the animal murdered his grandfather, the most significant thing he was dreading in life, to the point of risking sleeping over at Nick's only to come home to a beatdown. But it was worth it just for a little longer time away. So why did he feel like a sandcastle on a beach at high tide? Was it because he had nowhere to go and, despite saying he wanted to have agency in this situation, felt like he had none? Or was it because he always felt that way?
Whatever the case, he felt low now. Looking at the white floor of this fancy bathtub that he didn't belong in, watching the water flow between his legs toward the drain, exhausted from the day prior, Tyler felt utterly defeated.
And speaking of Boris, why the hell had he wanted to come back? What was here for him that could help them? He sure was acting strange, and when Tyler touched him, he'd been cold. Now he wondered if that had been Boris that made that decision.
Then, there was everything that happened with Amaranthe. His mind pictured cop cars pulling up to the scene and finding those bodies, the wolf with an entire eye missing, the bloody footprints Tyler had worked to clean up. Shit.
Would they do DNA tests and find Boris connected to the entire thing? Would Absalom pull some insane trick that kept them safe? Not only was he in a rush, but the German shepherd had been freaking out so he wasn't as thorough in covering up their tracks as he would have liked to be.
After stewing in the hot water for as long as he could, Tyler stood up and fiddled with the controls, figuring out how to turn off the diverter valve, and a few seconds later, before the water coming from the faucet burned his feet, he shut the water off entirely. Pulling back the curtain, Tyler snatched a fancy white towel off the bar against the wall. It was soft to the touch, and the German shepherd wondered just how much this towel alone cost.
As he dried off, he looked around at the rest of the much-too-white bathroom. The fancy toilet with its slow-closing seat and buttons to push, the foggy mirror with its golden border, and the faucet that matched that border in color. And what was the tub so big for? There were only otters here, after all. It was a little excessive.
Going over to his suitcase, he slipped on a pair of red plaid boxers, then a simple gray undershirt with Water on Fire's logo on it. The canine also took a pair of purple-rimmed glasses from his suitcase and set them on his head. He exited the bathroom and made his way to where he remembered Boris's room was, pushing open the door.
On the bed, the titular otter was passed out; no doubt exhausted from the fight earlier. Tyler was curious about what he talked to his sister about. He had met Leah before, sure, but there was no way Boris's fake blood act was going to hold up with someone like that. Had he told her the truth? He would have if he thought it was necessary. All Tyler hoped was that it wasn't a mistake.
The canine looked at the space next to Boris, which enticed him oh so sweetly just by being there. The German shepherd thought about sleeping somewhere else, but he also knew that he wanted to look out for Boris if anything happened.
He decided to sleep there, anyway. The dog walked forward and slowly mounted the cushiony mattress, cool on his hands and knees. He slowly lowered himself and put his head against what had to be the softest pillow he had ever felt. Not to mention the surface below, which lulled him toward sleep with every second. He grew heavier.
Tyler had to admit that the luxury felt nice. He had never been jealous of the higher class. Hell, he had never even wanted a large sum of money or anything. But he had wanted to escape his home life to somewhere better, at least. But with no job and no skills, where would he even begin?
Tyler was thankful his grandfather was a lazy piece of shit because at least he ended up learning how to drive, despite never having his own car. This had made him feel small amongst the other students in school.
If they had known what he was going through or about the bruises, would they even really care about how deep the cuts ran?
Nick cared. His best friend.
Contrary to popular belief when they were in school, Tyler and Nick weren't childhood friends. Instead, they had met in junior year of high school due to sitting next to each other in math class. Tyler would always make jokes that the rest of the course seemed to laugh at, and Nick would always end up talking to Tyler about random disconnected topics.
One day, the German shepherd decided to ask the hyena to sit with him at lunch and found that Nick spent most of his meal in the band hall, where he ate and worked on songs he was writing. When Tyler asked what he was writing songs for, Nick responded with a resounding, "Nothing. Just because I like writing songs."
Then, the canine got to read those songs and found the lyrics to be insightful and exciting. Knowing the two already played guitar, Tyler pitched the idea of starting the band a little later, and Nick was excited to give the idea a shot. After holding auditions at the hyena's house, they ended up meeting Page, Nora, and Boris. Water on Fire.
Now, everyone was surely separated, and Tyler wondered if their band he had loved so much, that other animals had loved so much, would ever play again. It was this last thought that floated in his mind as sleep pulled him under.
"Tyler," a voice rang in the German shepherd's ears like distant chimes. "Tyler, wake up." The voice was feminine and familiar, though he hadn't heard it much. He flicked open his eyes behind his glasses to see the severe gaze of Leah Downing meeting his own.
The canine blinked. "Leah . . . what?"
"Come with me," she said, grabbing his arm. "I need to talk to you about something." She kept her voice quiet.
Tyler glanced to his right and saw the still slumbering Boris, looking as peaceful as he ever had. "It couldn't wait until later . . . ?"
"I wanted to do it while he was still sleeping. Come on." She whispered, pulling him.
Tyler reluctantly got up and stretched, then followed her, still wearing his boxers and undershirt. They entered her much-too-Valentine's-Day-themed room, and Leah shut the door. Tyler blinked. "What's going on here?"
"First of all, I'm a witch," Leah told him as if it was nothing. "And before you ask, I already asked my coven if it was alright to tell you."
"The fuck?" Tyler was flummoxed. "A witch?! Witches fucking exist?!"
"Keep your voice down! Boris is possessed, and you're questioning that?" Leah looked at him judgingly.
"I just . . . yeah, I guess I should expect all this now, but I'm still tired." Tyler scratched his head. "Anyway, what did you want to tell me?"
Leah walked to the window and looked outside at the perfectly kept courtyard. "I assume you know how movie possession works, yeah?"
"Yeah. The body gets controlled by the ghost or demon or some shit." Tyler yawned, putting a hand over his mouth.
Leah fiddled with the bracelet on her right wrist, and Tyler wondered if the charm on it was some kind of magic item. "In real life, it's more complicated than that. There are rules to that and limitations to every being. For example, creatures that use magic become tired with continued use.
"As a witch, I can use magic for a longer time, among other things. Well, possessed creatures can only use bodies when they're awake, and the host sees everything through their eyes. That's one of the reasons possession, real possession, is horrific."
Tyler raised a brow. "Uh . . . right. But I think that the thing possessing Boris used him before we got here, and he didn't seem to remember coming here."
Leah turned around. "Huh? That's not right. He would remember his body being used; he just wouldn't have been able to control it."
The canine shook his head. "You're the witch, you tell me."
Leah put a hand on her hip. "Fuck, I don't know, dude. Has his body ever been controlled before then? Does he usually remember it?"
"Yeah, actually. He remembered the one time I've seen it before yesterday."
Leah shook her head. "So . . . it changed? But how?"
"Changed?"
"Yeah. The rules of possession are usually the same. It's unheard of that a real possession led to the host losing their memory by a spirit of some sort. Now, demonic possession is different because it has the opposite effect, but it doesn't add up, from what you said. It's either one or the other, you know. Not both."
"We could just wake him up and ask, ya know," Tyler said, crossing his arms.
"Eh, that's not a smart idea," Leah told him, looking at her claws. "Then, whatever's inside him will be listening. Tell me, have you ever noticed anything strange happen when he's asleep?"
"Not really," Tyler responded. He looked up. "But, ya know, I think he goes somewhere . . . ."
Leah stepped closer. "Somewhere?"
"That's how the thing inside of him tells him who to kill next."
"Does this thing have a name?"
Tyler looked down. "I can't tell you. It will protect you but there's no telling what will happen if a witch is connected to it."
"But you said I'd be protected from his influence," Leah said.
"We just don't know how far the protection goes," Tyler said. "It's fucked, but maybe safer if we didn't tell someone who can do magic."
Leah weighed her options for a moment. "Well, I'm gonna start researching based on the information you told me. It's not like anything I've heard before. It's also gonna take me a few days, so keep an eye on him."
"I guess I can do that," Tyler yawned again. Then, he scrutinized her for a moment. "How can I just believe you're a witch?"
"You'll see, in time. Please, please, keep this talk a secret. We don't want that thing knowing our plans. I'll update you regularly, alright? Meanwhile, just act as normal as you can. Both of you."
Tyler nodded. "Sounds impossible, but when has this ever been easy?"