Ali had sent me home with a trusted friend whom I did not know. He seemed nice enough and I sat between him and his cub, a tall, pale, brown-haired boy a few years older than me. We raced home though I couldn't see much through the dark windows.
Dr. Hamad was waiting for me when the SUV pulled up to the front of Ali's family home. The lion in charge of taking me home lifted me up onto his lap as the car stopped. He stepped out of the car and passed me to Dr. Hamad's waiting arms. I was greeted with an oddly adoring smile from him that didn't fit the circumstances.
I flung my arms around his neck, needing to be close to Ali's blood line, my comfort and protection. He pulled me up into his chest just like Ali always did. Dr. Hamad may be older, but the family's strength training lifestyle had originated with him. He hugged me to his chest as I nuzzled my chin against his shoulder, my nose into his neck. He set me on my feet and then stroked my back, I felt him breathing comfortable words against my ear.
I didn't turn to see the SUV pull away, but Dr. Hamad paused there for a minute most likely exchanging words with the lion who'd brought me home. And then, after a wave goodbye to the men, he guided my whimpering frame into the house like a sleepy child.
I suddenly realized I was in still dressed in the bunny costume. I'm sure that was why Dr. Hamad had given me that look like he'd just watched a kitten climbing out of a tea cup.
He took me up to Ali's boyhood room. He pushed me away from his face and started talking. I sniffed back tears and shook my head to remind him that I was deaf. I looked down and saw Kadir pad in behind us with an expectant panting.
"Oh!" he mouthed with shock and then shook his head with a laugh. He held out his hand for me to wait here by the bed. He patted my head with a smile. I nodded and he left the room, closing the door behind him. My mind reeled with what had happened with Caleb. I knew they were out searching for him furiously, but Ali's things suddenly seemed like a welcome distraction.
I hadn't really spent time in there, but Ali let me peek in once before. It could have belonged to any American teenage jock, the kind of boy who'd either ignored or bullied me through my grade school years. I could never imagine being in a room like this, much less having it belong to my love, my owner, my lion.
Shelves lined with pictures, trophies, awards, it was a shrine to Ali's legacy. I looked through the frames of his teenage year pictures. He was always surrounded by guys of equal height and strength. There was not a single girl in any of them. He was always in the center, the idol, the leader of the pack.
I fingered his trophies. They were in Arabic, but the little figurines represented a wrestler, a soccer player, and some sport I didn't recognize, the man holding a long flat stick towards the ground. I wandered over to a chest of drawers. It was tall and sturdy dark wood.
I didn't worry about Dr. Hamad finding me snooping. He had told me to wait in the room, not to avoid looking through his son's things. The top drawer was socks and boxers neatly folded in expectation of a boy who would never return to claim them. They hardly looked worn, and the styles seemed to belong to a version of Ali forgotten long before I'd met him.
They were all very colorful and youthful, different from the solid colored more mature styles he usually wore with me. I took one bright neon orange jockstrap and folded it, setting it on top of the dresser.
The next drawer was old t-shirts. They were all too big for me. As he'd told me before, he hadn't been my size since he'd hit puberty. I took the smallest, a worn red t-shirt with a NY Yankees logo on the front. I changed out of the costume shirt and slipped it on over my head. I left the bunny ears on top of the chest.
The lowest drawer was pajamas. It made sense to me that his clothes would be organized in the order in which he dressed. Military-like organization was something Ali must have been born with. I found a small pair of pajama pants, blue flannel, well-worn. They must have been his favorites. I slipped off the little bunny shorts and put them on, feeling myself warm up in his aura. I slipped the jock into the pocket of the pants for later use.
Dr. Hamad returned and found me looking through photo albums. He saw I had changed out of the costume. He nodded his head approvingly, but then took the bunny ear headband from the top of the chest and settled it back into my hair. He gave me a smile and a kiss on the forehead. He didn't seem the least bit anxious about the situation.
He was holding his tablet and invited me over to the bed with a gesture of his hand. I turned to see him closing the door. Before he did, I caught sight of a bodyguard poised at the door. I swallowed back the anxiety and followed him to the bed. He stretched out and patted his chest for my head. I snuggled into his side and he slipped an arm around me as my head rested on his heartbeat.
"I know you're worried, but I just talked to Ali. Izem does have him. The boys will retrieve him soon. The police are en route." Dr. Hamad typed.
"What can we do? He's my best friend. If anything happened to him. I don't even know what I'd tell his parents. I was supposed to keep him safe here." I replied.
"It is our job to watch over the guests and cubs. Not yours. This is not your fault. Trust me that he will not be harmed much. Izem is impetuous. I have already spoken with his father. I'm sure Izem just meant to take you and give us a scare. He will be dealt with sharply. There is nothing to worry about. The boys have always fought for top dog. It is what your people would call a prank." Dr. Hamad assured.
"A prank? I don't think Caleb will think that. He is probably scared to death! How can you say it is a prank? He's a human being this is kidnapping!" I was getting angry and forgetting that I was speaking to the patriarch of the family.
"Technically, it isn't. In this country, cubs like you and Caleb are legally classified as property. You are Ali's to protect, and he loves you very much. You are the cub of my child so of course I would do anything to protect you. But legally Izem will be charged with property theft if it comes to that." Dr. Hamad typed.
"I am property?" I asked as that word pounded in my brain in swift repetitions. His arm pulled me in closer as he read it.
"No, sweet one. To Ali, you are everything. You are his baby. To me, you are my youngest child, so young and fragile, the cub of my cub. You are just as important as my own children. I would protect you like my own flesh. But to the law... it is considered theft. You and Caleb are not citizens... not native sons of Satra," Dr. Hamad typed with shame.
"Theft?? Is that a joke?? What the" I started to type, but Dr. Hamad took back the tablet.
"You are getting too excited. I am going to give you something to calm you. Your lion is out bringing back the cub, and this matter will be settled out of your sight. This is too much for you to comprehend and there is no need to get emotional. Your friend will be safe. You have my word. Go in there and take a shower, get ready for bed," Dr. Hamad took the tablet with him and left again as I padded off to Ali's old bathroom.
Afterwards, I put back on the clothes I had taken from his drawers. I curled up around the pillow and Kadir came to nuzzle my neck. I pet him and felt guilt for speaking harshly to Dr. Hamad. He came back with a pill and some juice for me.
