001Chapter 71. The warm kitchen. Tasting that cheese brought back the Besser's warm kitchen. The smell of freshly baked parmesan bread. The salty snap of salami and cheese. The fluffy softness of a cheese sule. There was always a treat in my bowl. And Jesse and Professor Besser were always there to wrap me in a blanket when it was cold, take me swimming when it was hot, dry my paws when it rained, and pull foxtails from my fur after a walk in the woods. How safe I had felt with them. Chapter 72. The cheese helped. When you're finished, you can let yourself out, said Metalhead. The garage door often misfires for no apparent reason. No one will think it is unusual if it's open. if it opens now. I felt a certain fondness for Metalhead right then.
002He'd given us a gift. In case you're wondering what to give a dog and a mouse, a cheese sandwich is it. Then we all said our goodbyes. I was still biased against metal dogs at that point, but I was opening my mind to the possibility that a bond between a real dog and a robot robot dog might be possible. I had come to respect Metalhead, maybe even like him. The cheese helped. Okay, it did. Chapter 73. Jimmy. We watched as metal head went into the house through the door at the front of the garage. He was sure of himself. And why shouldn't he be? Everything he'd said had turned out to be true. We were just packing up the rest of the cheese sandwiches when we heard a teenage boy shout, "What is that stupid
003dog toy doing here? I thought you gave him away." What dog? Oh, yeah. We did give him away months ago, a lady answered. Your dad took him to the shelter. Why is he back? I have no idea. Well, can you please take him? Ben is coming over after school when he might bring Derek. Derek, I can't have a dog, a dog, a toy dog following me around like I'm five. I know, sweetie. Mom, my name is James. Not sweetie. Not Jimmy Poo or Jimmy face. James, do you understand? Right, James? I'm sorry. Here, take him. Okay. Okay. I've got a donation box in my trunk. I'll take him this afternoon. In her trunk. Uhoh. Mouse and I dove behind the recycling bin. Oh, how you love that dog. Mom said, "Don't you remember how you
004breed to him for hours?" Mom, hello. I'm in middle school. I know, James. I got it. Turn him off. Otherwise, he'll find me. He'll find you. Mom laughed. Don't make fun of me, James shouted. I'm not making fun of you, but he's not going to find you. He's just a toy. Now, eat your breakfast. You'll be late for school. We heard footsteps in the garage. I peeked out and saw a woman with a ponytail and squeaky yellow sneakers come through the door carrying Metalhead. She turned him over and flipped off his switch. Then she reached through the open driver's side window and clicked a button. The trunk popped open and she placed Metalhead inside. Then she closed the trunk with a w and walked away. Chapter 74. Part of our pack. The garage and the
005house were quiet. Evidently, James had finished his breakfast and gone to school. The car was still in the garage, and there was no sign of mom. I considered hightailing it out of there, but I couldn't abandon Metalhead, especially since mom had turned him off. I could never leave a dog defenseless like that. Even if he was made of metal, he was part of our pack. One look at Mouse and I knew he felt the same way. Chapter 75. The dashboard. The first order of business was getting Metalhead out. Mom had reached through the window and pushed a button that released the trunk. But which button? I'd been in the Besser's car a hundred times before, but who noticed the location of the trunk release? Besides, their car was different from this one. Even so, I
006knew more than Mouse, who had never been in a car before. Mouse climbed up the tire and tried to get a grip on the slippery metal of the door. He wedged his toes in the door crack and held on with flat palms. Slowly, he worked his way up to the handle. From there, he dove into the open window. Once he was in, I began began explaining the dashboard. Each button and dial operate something, but I don't know exactly what. You'll have to experiment. Mal started pushing buttons and twisting dials and flipping switches. Nothing happened. Then, suddenly, the windshield wiper started up and the lights went on. Then, the horn blared. "Hide quick!" I shouted, diving behind the recycling bin. We waited a long time, but it was quiet. No one had heard us, so Mouse,
007who had slipped into the inside door pocket, climbed out and began pushing buttons again. Then, bingo, the trunk popped open. But just as it did, Mom flung the door to the garage open and peaked out. I dove behind the tire and held my breath. Mom trotted over to the car and turned the lights and the windshield wipers off. "Very funny, James," she called out. "Now, please go to school. I don't want to get another email that says your child has been tardy." She went around the back, slammed the trunk closed, and stomped into the house.