"Wha- Eww! Get- off!" I stammered, pushing at the ball of fuzz on my stomach. My efforts were futile, and the thing continued to slobber all over my face, coating it in slime.

My butt still stung, and so did my feelings. This was not my cat. I thought, for a split second, that it could be. I allowed myself to hope. And this is where it got me. I think that it was at that moment that my heart finished off it's covering of steel, as if it was protecting me from being hurt ever again.

Trying another tactic, I pushed myself up from the floor with my hands. The drool machine attempted to cling to my pajama shirt with its claws, but ended up sliding down my stomach to the ground. From my higher vantage point, I was able to fully get a look at it.

The bundle, from my educated guess, was a puppy. He- or she, for all I knew- was a light brown color, like caramel. It's eyes weren't very large, but they were dark brown, like Reed's. (The thought made my ears change color again. Shut up.) A bandanna printed collar was already around it's neck, and tied to it was a red and green bow. And the ears- OH MY GOSH, HOW DO I EVEN DESCRIBE THE EARS?! They were big, that was for sure. They both hung down below the puppy's chin, and the tips were rounded. I found myself admiring how adorable they were, then mentally kicked myself. The dog's muzzle was lightly dusted white, like a soft powder of snow.

I don't know much about dogs, but this puppy looked nothing like any other breeds I have ever seen before. In fact, this thing looked nothing like ANYTHING I have ever seen before.

I glared down at it, my arms crossed. The puppy sat down at my feet, it's whole body wiggling with excitement. It let out a little yip, and proceeded to flip onto its back so that I could scratch it's belly. I was really getting sick of referring to it as an "it", so I quickly checked. To my knowledge, this was definitely a boy.

Though he was kinda cute, this dog wasn't Obsidian. That's what kept me from letting myself like him. But it wasn't enough to keep me from scratching his belly, which he seemed to appreciate. The dog wasn't that big, maybe 3 times the size of my cat. Which meant that it had been enough to knock the breath out of me when he had jumped onto my stomach.

Crouched down onto my knees, petting the dog, a thought hit me hard. This was my dog. This was my Christmas present. This dog was replacing my cat. I hurriedly stood up, breathing hard.

The puppy gazed at me, confused. I met his eyes, searching for anything evil in that face, something that wanted to separate Obsidian from me, to make me forget her. But there was nothing. I realized I was being stupid, and looked away. The puppy wasn't to blame. I just missed my cat. My vision began to turn black at the edges, and I took deep breaths, thinking that I was too upset and needed to calm down. When I started seeing stars flashing, I sat down slowly, and closed my eyes. After a few seconds, I opened them, to see the dog staring into my eyes. Eerily silent, he seemed like he was searching into my soul.

A shiver traveled down my spine, and goosebumps raised up my arms. I felt like I should move, but couldn't get my limbs to cooperate.

"HEY, MELODY! DO YOU LIKE YOUR PRESENT!" I heard Simon holler, and suddenly the spell was snapped. I stood up quickly, frowning down at the dog. He was wagging his whip like tail, like nothing had happened. Could I be going crazy? No... It's fine. Whatever.

"MEL! THERE YOU ARE! AHHHHHHHHHH, HE'S SO CUTE!" Simon squealed, loud enough to shatter glass. I moved out of the way of the doorway so that he could run past and hug the dog, giggling as he licked his face.

Rachel followed soon behind, grinning at me. "You're so lucky, Mel. He's adorable!"

I shrugged, examining the dog. "Yeah, he's definitely something." I murmured so that she couldn't hear me.

Alright, don't get me wrong, here. I absolutely love animals. Well, most. Not squirrels. They freak me out. Anyway. I just love cats most of all, considering Obsidian was my best companion. I don't hate dogs, I just very, very strongly dislike them. I could make a whole list of why, but that's for another time. So you can understand why I didn't exactly appreciate my Christmas present. Sure, he was cute, but all I wanted was Obsid. And if I couldn't get her, I didn't want anything.

Someone put their hand on my shoulder, and I jumped backwards, startled, hitting my shoulder into Dad's chest.

"Oof!" He grunted, steadying me. "Whoa, Mel. Someone have a bit of the jitters? So? What do you think?"

The rare, goofy grin on his face made my stomach hurt. I pressed my lips together thinly, trying not to cry. "I, uh... He's adorable. How old is he?"

"About a year. Thought that we could get a dog that doesn't have as much puppy energy, you know? Though I think that might have been a false thought..." He smiled as the dog chased Rachel around the small room. "He was found as a stray, so he might need some house training, but he's a big sweetheart, from what I've heard. A bit crazy, but the shelter liked him enough."

I was a bit surprised. A year old? Definitely older than I had previously figured. Still puppyish, but not 4 months or something little like that.

"How did you hide him?" I asked quietly, my voice cracking slightly. Dad didn't seem to notice, and looked pleased that I had asked.

"It was pretty difficult... Heck, when that boy brought him yesterday, I thought for sure that you would figure it out. Apparently the dog had been a pain on the way over here, and with that weather, I'm surprised he was able to bring that big box all the way over from the shelter. I just kept him in here, brought him out to pee once you were in bed, and kept him occupied for as long as possible. He's a quirky little fellow, though. I swear, I thought..."

After a while, I slipped into a daze, my mind wandering elsewhere. Reed. Of course. For some reason, I felt like he had betrayed me. That by bringing this dog here, he had deliberately hurt me. I knew it wasn't true, but it still made me mad.

"...and so here he is. Was found a stray, about to be euthanized. I called right up and asked about the adoption program. I'm glad you like your present, Mel." Dad squeezed my shoulders, hugging me closer in his strong arms. I blinked rapidly, trying to rid my eyes of the tears. I should be happy, but... Obsidian. No. I couldn't be happy until she was home. I would do whatever it takes...

"How is it going down here? Oh geez... Thomas, that thing is bigger than I thought it would be." Mom said in her concerned voice, coming up behind us.

"I know, isn't it just great?" He exclaimed, letting loose a childlike yell.

Mom rolled her eyes, leaning up against the door frame.

"Melody, you gotta name him now!" Simon squealed, tugging on my pajama shirt.

"That's a great idea. What do you thi-"

Cutting Mom off, without warning, the dog zipped under our legs and charged up the stairs. His nails clipped on the hard wood floor loudly, and we all looked shocked for a few seconds, our eyes wide.

Then Rachel screamed, "DOG CHASE!" And we all scrambled after him, Simon in the lead. I trailed behind, deciding it was best if I didn't get trampled on Christmas. Black eyes and bloody noses would just make the holiday all the more merrier.

"Simon and I will check the bedrooms, Ray, you check the bathroom. Honey, you stay here." Dad seemed to be enjoying this way to much as they split up into groups and resumed the hunt. What was this, some cop show that Mom always watched?

Since I hadn't been assigned anywhere to go, I moped around, deciding to sit on the couch amidst the thousands of left over wrappings strewn everywhere. My heart ached, and I sighed, trying to make my hair look presentable.

In the corner of my eye, I saw movement under the tree. You know, one of those fake ones that aren't that hard to put up, but end up leaving millions of needles everywhere? Yep, that's ours. Dad had hastily shoved it back into place after looking for it in the moving van for 3 hours for it. What does a Christmas tree even symbolize during the holidays? Nature?

I bent down, twisting my head so that I could get a better look. My hair fell in long blonde strips over my face, and I almost smiled. Almost.

The dog was on his back, his lips pulled back over his sharp teeth in a creepy dog smile. His tail wagged loudly, thwapping against the Santa tree skirt that we'd had for years.

"What are you doing under there?" I murmured, giving him a look. An idea for a name had popped into my head. Although my mind told me that no, it was stupid, I still thought that it was perfect.

In his thick, fuzzy fur, pine needles had lodged themselves everywhere. He sneezed when one flew up his nose, and I slightly giggled, then stopped myself. No. You do not like this animal. No. No. No. No... No..? Maybe?

I didn't want to call anyone in, saying that I had found him, but Simon solved that predicament really quickly. "HEY, WE COULDN'T FIND HIM... OH, MEL FOUND HIM! QUICK, MEL HAS THE DOG!" Laughing giddily, he danced over to my side and bent down to scratch the dog's head.

Trying to withhold my scowl, I watched everyone run in, smiling and laughing their heads off. Like there was a punch line to a joke I didn't hear. Because one joke was for sure- Obsidian was not here, and I had gotten a mutt instead.

"Alrighty, a name. What do you think, Melly Smelly?" Dad asked, tickling Simon as he shrieked. I winced at the old nickname; I hadn't heard that one in a while.

I licked my lips. I was sure about his name, as sure as I was that I wanted my cat instead. "Needle. Needle is his name. It's perfect."

Rachel wrinkled her nose, but I was satisfied with my choice. He was poking away painfully at my protected heart, trying to find a way in. His being here just speared old and new wounds, and every time I looked at him, I was reminded of Obsidian. This dog was like a little, sharp point, trying to find a way into my heart in a good and bad way, and I wanted that to be his name. Only later would I find out how true this would become...

But of course I couldn't tell them that reason why. They'd think I'd need psychiatric help, which I don't. I just want my cat back... But anyway. I slapped a forced smile on my face and looked everyone in the eye cheerfully.

"Needle. Cuz he's lying right in the plastic pine needles from the tree. See?" I gestured to the weirdo, who was rolling on the tree skirt, attempting to get the needles out of his fur. Simon cracked up, and Rachel looked amused.

Mom still looked worried, but Dad grinned boyishly. "Perfect! Needle, come here, boy!"

The dog looked up, wagging his tail and gazing at us each with his small, brown eyes. Then he got up and streaked across the kitchen, running in circles.

"What in the world has he been on?" Mom wondered out loud, scratching at her auburn hair.

Needle it was, then. I sat there on the couch, silently reveling in the glory of my secret reason for the name. I felt accomplished. Like I was striking back at my family for getting me a stupid dog. But without them knowing, of course. I sent a mental message out into the world at that moment, aiming it at the dog chasing his tail in the kitchen. Yeah, maybe you're kinda cute. Sure, my family adores you. But you wanna know the real reason I named you Needle? Because I miss my cat. I miss her. And I don't want a stupid dog around, trying to replace her. Now, if you were able to get her back, I'd do absolutely anything for that. But you don't, do you? Cuz you can't even hear me. I'm talking to myself, and you're just a stupid, drooly, mangy mutt-

I was stopped from my rant, and my mouth went dry. The dog had stopped short in his tracks, and was staring right at me. His eyes were now an icy gray, holding me in their grasp. I tried to swallow, but couldn't get past the lump in my throat. Then a voice, echoing from inside my skull, seemed to speak to me, loud and clear. A male's voice. You don't know a thing about me, Melody Sue Riller.

Instantaneously, everything was back to normal, like nothing had happened. I rubbed at my eyes, but Needle was currently running laps around the table. What... Just happened? I shook my head, my heart pounding. Was I seriously going crazy? Was that a sign of depression or something? Was I depressed? Or just crazy? Maybe it was some other kind of diagnosis... Like sleep deprivation or something. Yeah. I was kind of tired, and maybe that was enough to make me hallucinate. Yeah. Ok. That voice wasn't there, and I was tired, and I needed to go to bed. It was still only 6:00 in the morning. It felt like it had been much longer.

I leaned back on the couch, resting my head on my hand. Right before I closed my eyes, I caught a glimpse of Needle being chased around by my two younger siblings. He looked right at me, his white muzzle curled into a doggy smile. I slammed my eyes shut, trying to summon some anger towards him. None was coming, so I gave up. Just before I fell asleep, listening to the soft rain outside and Simon squealing, "Get back here, Needle!", I could hear a very quiet voice whisper, I can help, Melody. If you help me. Nope. Go to sleep. You're tired. But I couldn't help but wonder if I was going crazy, or if something over my head was going on with my new dog, Needle.

Ooooh! :) Anyway, thanks for reading! Have a great day!