Chapter 9: Monsters and Memories

It was the oldest trick in the book. Aladdin turned expecting to see a random circus lion, but instead he went cold.

There was indeed a large white tiger several meters away from them who matched Abbi's description of the princess's prized pet. Luckily, it was no longer angry. In fact, the tiger wasn't much of anything. The poor beast had collapsed onto the ground. A group of men were already surrounding it and preparing to drag it away.

None of this mattered to the street rat. He only had eyes for the group's leader. She was dressed in festive colors and countless shiny beaded necklaces and belts. Most people would describe her as motherly due to her heavy-set frame and kindly eyes.

Aladdin knew better. This…woman made his mother look like a saint. As far as Aladdin was concerned, the woman before him was the devil.

Beside him, Abbi actually took a step towards the monster and Aladdin grabbed Abbi's arm on reflex. He said one word, "No."

"Let go," Abbi whispered in a strangely deep voice. It was like she was in a trance. Her eyes were fixed on the scene in front of them, but when Aladdin didn't release her, she focused on him and hissed, "Aladdin, that's Rajah. I have to-"

"No," Aladdin said.

"Aladdin…" she tried again.

"No," he repeated.

"Allah Above Aladdin! Let go of me!" This time, she spoke loud enough to attract attention.

A few people turned their way, forcing Aladdin to think in more than monosyllables. "Don't mind me and my crazy sister," he said slowly dragging Abbi deeper into the alley behind him.

"Your what!" Abbi cried.

Aladdin covered her mouth.

Despite how fishy Aladdin's explanation was, people accepted it and moved on. Many recognized Aladdin and more just didn't care. Soon their onlookers either returned their gaze to the unconscious tiger or went about their business as if they'd seen nothing out of the ordinary.

This was Agrabah, after all. People were declared crazy on a regular basis.

Aladdin held Abbi in the alley for a few more minutes to make sure no one else noticed them. It was hard work. Abbi kept twisting around in his grip and trying to get free. Still, Aladdin held on. Only after he was sure that the tiger, the men, and that…woman were well and truly gone, did he finally relax.

Abbi immediately seized upon the opportunity and tried to pull away from him.

The sudden movement took Aladdin by surprise, but he didn't let go of her arm. Not even when she shouted far too loudly, "Let go of me! I need to find Ra-"

At that point, Aladdin had regained control of the situation and managed to cover her mouth again. "Look Abbi…" he said, "I get that you're upset and all."

Abbi let out a muted scream. Her nails dug into his arm.

Aladdin winced. "Abbi, listen," he said, over her protests. "This isn't a joke. The princess's tiger is as good as dead. And you'll be next if you go after it."

The words seemed to work. Abbi stopped moving.

Good.

Aladdin waited for a bit longer. Then he released her. As he hoped, Abbi didn't run or shout at him again. Abbi could be smart when she wanted to and the girl was thinking now. She was all questions.

"What are you talking about?" she asked. "Who were those people? What are they going to do to Rajah?"

Abu answered first. "Bad people. Bad things," he said from the awning above them. The monkey had returned upon seeing the sinister group of traders.

Abbi looked between the street rat and his monkey. Her eyes were still filled with anger from what had happened earlier, but she sounded calm as can be when she said, "You two have exactly 4.5 minutes to explain what is going on before I set off to find Rajah without you."

Aladdin exchanged a look with Abu. Aladdin didn't want to explain, but he could tell Abbi was serious. This was life or death. "Those men," Aladdin began hesitantly, "were animal traders. They're led by Syreeta Firdaus. She's…" Aladdin pulled at his vest nervously. He had actually thought he'd escape these memories for a while, but they found him yet again.

"She is what, Aladdin?" Abbi pressed, her voice low and crackling with impatience.

Aladdin couldn't meet Abbi's gaze as he admitted, "She's the reason my friends tried to kill me last night."

More importantly, Syreeta Firdaus was the reason Kassim was dead.