text: Growing up, Gracie was my best friend. She still is, only much much better. She was the only one who ever understood what I was going through. Sure, I had other friends at school, but they didn’t truly know me. Only Gracie knew me. They say that a dog is a man's best friend, but in this case she is my best friend. Every day after school I would walk home through the dull countryside. to find Gracie sitting on the front porch waiting for me to play with her. I never understood how she got out, or the fact that she never ran away. I always locked the door before I left, but Gracie was there day after day. No matter, she could always sense the mood I was in or the day that I’d had. It felt as though she could read my mind and understand my emotions. Maybe that’s why I never questioned it. I was afraid to lose my one true companion. One time when I was eight, I was riding my cute little bike with Gracie, and out of nowhere a big blue truck came racing down the deserted street right at us. I was so terrified that I could hardly move. I tried to scream, but it got caught in my throat. The next thing I knew, I was sitting on the sidewalk, perfectly safe, with Gracie by my side. I was in such shock that I thought it was a dream. I couldn’t believe my eyes, so I didn’t. I later found out that my really real dream was, in fact, real. Now here is where the adventure begins. It was the summer of eighth grade, I was so excited to start highschool! My family decided to take a random road trip. For some reason I wasn’t allowed to know where we were going, just that we were going somewhere. I was happy to do something for the summer, so I was okay not knowing the destination. Gracie came with us, of course. She and I had a blast playing together, napping together, and even eating together. I don’t know why, but it struck me as odd that my favorite breed was an Australian Shepherd, and that’s what she happened to be. I mean we got her when I was just a baby, so they couldn’t have known. I looked at an old photo of us together. It was the strangest thing, in the photo she was a border collie. It’s not much of a difference, but she’s definitely a different dog. But that’s impossible, she has the same personality, and the same connection with me. I asked my parents about it, and they exchanged worried glances. My dad took the photo, inspected it, and then handed it back saying that she looked the same to him. How peculiar, I wondered. But I knew better than to say something. When we arrived at the destination, I knew something was up. It was a huge mansion on a remote beach. We hadn’t passed a soul the last hundred miles or so. My parents were both just office workers. They weren't rich. But I guess in all honesty, I didn’t know what they’re job was. We went inside and my parents immediately locked all the doors and windows. They went through the entire house, checking every room, closet, and potential hiding spots. They opened things that appeared unable to open, and protruded a key from inside a bar of soap. When they determined it was safe, they turned to me and began to explain. My parents were both spies working for the CIA! I could not believe it. How? Why? What were we doing there? These questions were answered shortly. Then came the ultimate shock; Gracie was not a dog, she was a Kearot. A Kearot was an animal of sorts that could shapeshift into anything. The government put her under my parents guardianship, but now they needed her help. A missile was coming to destroy a large part of the United States. Gracie was supposed to turn into anything that would stop it. The key was to a shuttle that Gracie could take if she so chooses. I didn’t want to know anymore, so I went to bed without supper. I cried, knowing what her fate was. Impressed that she is so brave, I embraced her and wept. We slept together that night. In the morning I woke up to a beautiful girl, about fifteen, making breakfast. I knew it was her, I knew she was human, only so that I could hug her a last goodbye. I helped her finish up, and told her that I loved her. Breakfast was quiet. I don’t remember what happened after that. I think that I passed out from all the crying. When I woke up, my parents were smiling. They told me that Gracie stopped the missile, and came out without a scratch. I was so relieved and ecstatic! They told me to look outside, and I saw the most majestic horse I'd ever seen stood tall and fierce, yet somehow inviting. My Gracie was the best thing to ever happen to me. After this, my life got crazy. I went through very extensive training, and became a spy alongside my parents. Gracie and I went on countless missions. My favorite was the Bahamas! The best part was always having a big sister to talk to, or something anyways. Her favorite form was human. We said that she was a cousin who moved in with us so that we could go to school together. It became weird to ride her or swim with a “dolphin”. She soon stopped shifting unless we were on missions. We grew up, and never left each other's sides. Now we save the world for a living, and look good doing it. Gracie is my best friend, and I never would have known if the missile was never a threat. I wonder if Gracie knew. But I’ll leave that thought up to you.