Lena

I’ve had a good life. And before I join the stars I’ve watched twinkle above me all these years, I have one thing left to do: tell our story. She chose me from the whole litter. I’m sure her dad would’ve let her pick any of us, but she saw me. I told my brothers and sisters I’d stay in touch, but I never saw them again, not yet. Maybe they’re already out there, dancing among the stars.

Puppyhood was great, and my adolescent years were even better. That was when the old ones started calling me T-Rex. I think it was because I charged through the house like I owned it. They spoke with fire in their voices, but I could always feel how much they loved each other. Lena didn’t always see it that way. When her parents yelled, she thought they were mad at her. They never were. But it was always up to me to remind her, again and again.

One night, her parents were yelling louder than ever, screaming right in each other’s faces. Lena was scared, so she asked me to go for a walk. I was just a pup then, so of course I said yes. Time of day didn’t matter. When I heard that chain, I knew it was time to roam my world. It was always Lena and me against everything. But when that chain was clipped to my collar, something changed. I felt bigger. Braver. Like I could protect her from anything.

Once we were on the leash, I noticed how dark it really was. The streetlights looked brighter than ever. Cars already scared me, but when their lights beamed straight at us, all I wanted to do was run. When the fifth car flashed its lights in my face, I forgot everything even that I was walking with the most beautiful person in the world. I bolted for cover.

Lena ran after me. I thought maybe we were playing some kind of take-cover tag. But the thing about being against the world with someone is that sometimes the world sees you first. And sometimes, it brings something you didn’t even know was allowed. That’s what Derek did that night.

Derek lived a few streets over, and in a town like ours, that basically makes you neighbors. Or at least, it’s supposed to. I always knew what was going on in the neighborhood. I could tell when Fido got a haircut a week before anyone saw him, or when Lola was in heat. I could also do something most humans couldn’t. I could feel which dogs were good, and which ones weren’t.

Some dogs aren’t bad on their own, but if they’re friends with the wrong kind of dog, the energy changes. That’s why so many of us bark. We know who to stay away from. I don’t know who could’ve been a good friend to Derek or brought out his good energy, but i still believe everyone has someone who can do it. If Lena could’ve felt his energy the way I could, she would’ve known to run.

While I was running, Derek saw Lena chasing after me and pretended to help. We’d lost sight of each other, and he used that moment to lie! He told her I ran into his yard. Lena should’ve known better. I would never break the dog code like that. Every yard is sacred. A home. I’d never just run into one.

Derek had built an underground bunker. Nobody knew about it—except me. He worked on it at night, which kept me awake. I could tell he used quieter tools, quiet enough not to wake the humans. But to us dogs, it was six months of stolen sleep. The whole dog community felt it. Derek was never someone I paid much attention to, but looking back, I wish I had. He was always around the neighborhood walking his dog, Max—an old pit bull who clearly didn’t enjoy three walks a day. Derek never seemed to be watching the houses. His eyes were always straight ahead. I thought he was just mapping out the best route for Max, not planning which girl to steal.

I was out by the train tracks, finally free of all those blinding lights, just playing around, when I saw a pair of headlights I recognized. It was the parents. As soon as they saw me, the man jumped out of the car, grabbed me by the collar, and hit me in the head. Then he picked me up—me, a big boy—and threw me into the car like I weighed nothing.

He was screaming louder than I had ever heard, and for the first time, it was at me. The only words I could make out were "Lena" and "where." My head was spinning, and the pain made everything blurry. We drove home in silence, and just before the man dragged me inside, the woman grabbed his hand and whispered something. I’ll never know what she said, but I do know what happened next. He kicked me so hard, they later had to amputate my leg. But I’ll get to that part soon.

Once the kicking stopped and I was left alone, I pushed through the pain and went back to the last place Lena and I had been together. I followed her scent all the way to Derek’s house. The whole place was dark, not even a porch light on. His car sat in the driveway, and from inside, I heard the dull voice of the news playing on the TV.

Then I caught it. A whiff of Lena.

I ran to the backyard. I knew I was breaking a rule, a serious one. But I didn’t see Max anywhere. I slipped into the yard, every part of me alert. I used every sense I had, but only my nose gave me anything. That faint smell of Lena, already starting to fade. The wind was picking up, and a storm was rolling in. I could feel it. The kind of storm that doesn’t just shake trees. The kind that shakes everything.

As the rain started, familiar headlights passed Derek’s house just as I was leaving. The man jumped out again, but this time he ran to Derek’s door and began banging loudly. To my surprise, the woman got out of the car, picked me up, and put me inside. When she saw my leg, a tear fell from her eye.

Derek took his time coming to the door. To anyone watching, he looked like he had just rolled out of bed. But when a person wakes up from bed, their hair is a mess, and why did the house smell anything like Lena? She’d never been to this house before. Scents don’t last that long, so she had to be here somewhere. Because I still smelt her. But I knew he hadn’t slept at all. When he opened the door, the man went inside. I thought Lena would come out, but she didn’t.

A few minutes later, we were driving home. The storm was moving in fast. The pair fought louder than ever on the way back. They would never admit it, but I wasn’t the only reason Lena left.

When we got home, the man grabbed me for the third time that night. He tied me to a post outside. Minutes later, lightning started striking all around. I was alone in the dark, watching shadows dance every time the sky lit up. I swear I saw giant shapes running. I couldn’t tell if they were good or bad.

Lightning struck closer and closer to the chain and post I was tied to. I thought if Derek, the man, or the storm didn’t kill me, something might steal my soul before sunrise. Despite the rain, noise, and fear, I passed out in the yard.

When I woke up, police cars were everywhere around the house. Before I could feel relief, a cop nearly scared me to death. Her name was Officer Mills. She saw me in the yard and said, “Oh, you poor sweet puppy,” and some other kind words. All I could think about was Lena. The woman came out and spoke quietly with Officer Mills. I could tell she felt terrible for me.

Officer Mills scooped me up and put me in her car. She took me to a huge building full of other sick and injured dogs. They gave me medicine that felt like magic. For three weeks, I felt like I was floating, maybe the first ever dog-bird, free and light, with Lena right there beside me, jumping on clouds.

If I had gone back, the man, Lena’s father, I think would have killed me.

I ended up at the animal shelter, feeling scared and unsure. I’m a purebred, and dogs like me don’t usually end up in places like this, at least according to the papers. Then I saw Sophie! The most beautiful doodle, no, the most beautiful dog I’d ever seen. She was pure black. When our eyes met, it was love at first sight. It felt like we belonged together.

The shelter staff noticed we couldn’t look away from each other and let us go on a play date in the biggest yard either of us had ever seen. We were only supposed to have fifteen minutes, but they let us play for forty-five.

We stayed together in the kennel, and one day we even got ice cream. It was like something out of Lady and the Tramp. But in an overcrowded shelter, time runs out fast. Sophie had been there a while, and one day a vet assistant came and took some dogs away, never to return.

We said goodbye as best we could, and now, when the stars shine brighter, I like to think Sophie is dancing with my siblings too. My story didn’t end at the shelter, though. Officer Mills heard about Sophie’s fate and came to adopt me.

I was grateful for everything Officer Mills did, but I still had to find Lena. Somehow, I got a reputation as an escape artist, so Officer Mills set up all kinds of obstacles to keep me inside. I overcame them all quickly and got out. I always went to Derek’s house. He was always home, but I never saw Lena.

I checked every day for weeks until one day I finally saw Max. When I asked what was going on, Max said his owner only let him go in the front yard because he had business in the back. I asked what kind of business, but Max just looked at me like I was crazy. I didn’t know either.

For almost two years, I had to plan my search around Officer Mills’ work schedule. She usually worked days. While she was gone, I wandered the town looking for any sign of Lena. I never found anything. I just roamed the streets, peeing on fire hydrants and sniffing roses—the second best thing after Lena’s scent.

Living with Officer Mills meant lots of peanut butter and watching reality TV. Lena was only thirteen, so she wasn’t allowed to watch shows like that. I couldn’t understand all the words, but I loved the way people argued happily, making you think, “Wow, that’s crazy,” in a good way.

One night, Officer Mills worked late on a case. In a town like ours, detectives don’t often work late. I went straight to Derek’s house. I had been there so many times I knew the way like the back of my paw, so getting there in the dark was easy. During the day, I’d never seen another car visit Derek. Who would want to visit him? Sometimes I thought about stopping. The place barely smelled like Lena anymore. But somehow, I just couldn’t give up.

I thought it was strange that Derek had his first visitor so late at night. I peeked in the window and saw Derek yelling at another man……or maybe the other man was yelling at Derek. It reminded me of how Lena’s parents used to fight. But if they were fighting that fiercely, why was it happening at night? Had I not looked hard enough for Lena? Could it be lovers fighting?

I couldn’t help but notice the boxy shape of the man’s car. Then it hit me! I’d only seen cars like that behind the big stores with all the great food. Those were delivery vans. But what could Derek be delivering?

The door was open, so I peeked inside. The van was just a big open space, perfect for carrying lots of tasty things. My time with Officer Mills had made me a bit of a detective, and I knew my investigation was heating up. I sneaked into the cab and found a spot to hide under the seat.

I couldn’t tell what Derek’s friend was delivering until we reached our destination. The car ride was very long! What felt like weeks but was probably only about twelve hours. It was bumpy and got hotter with every mile. A few times, I thought I might not make it. I was also so scared. I knew my owner was a cop and could find me, but this far away? She had no chance.

When I finally got there, it was worth every second. At first, I thought it was just a cabin in the desert. Then I looked in the window and saw lots of girls. I didn’t see Lena at first, but when I did, she turned her head away, trying to ignore me. She probably just didn’t know it was me! Maybe she thought it was some puppy that looked like me, and it made her sad.

I started barking loudly. She looked up, put her hand in the air, and waved. I barked louder. Then her face went red, and she put her finger to her lips. I knew she wanted me to be quiet. But why?

Suddenly, a man appeared in front of me. My life flashed before my eyes. I hadn’t seen a man in so long, and this one looked like he had it out for me! His eyes looked like he was thinking I put every piece of dog poop on his lawn.

But he was fat, so I ran him off quickly. I found a hiding spot under a pile of wood and watched the sunset—the most beautiful one I’d ever seen. Purple, orange, and yellow danced together, fading into dark blue. I stared at the building where Lena was and realized I understood nothing.

What if Lena wanted to be here? What if she went with Derek willingly? What if she was mad at me for not fighting harder for her? I had spent so much time sniffing the town instead of searching for her. The sky had gone dark and I was alone with my thoughts and the stars. I was staring at a constellation that I swear looked just like Sophie.

Then Lena appeared. She said, “Scout? What are you doing here? How did you find me? Do you know the way out? How long have you been here?” I didn’t understand a word, but when she grabbed my collar, I knew she wanted me to move. So I did. I led us all the way home somehow. My ancestors guided us just as much because I was confused and never that good with maps or directions.

It turned out Lena was abducted and taken somewhere called Ixico. The room Derek built was where he kept the girls until his accomplice—still out there—brought them to Mexico to be used.

By the time I found Lena, she already had puppies. After bringing her home, we went back for them. I found 27 missing girls from five states and 27 different towns. They never took the same girl twice from the same place. In rural towns, it was easy to target law enforcement that wasn’t well connected.

I never got to thank Officer Mills. I never saw her again. I spent the last ten years helping Lena raise her puppies—the most precious job. We played hide and seek and dress up enough to break world records. But every dog grows old, and I’m already nineteen. Lena says I have years left. It’s scary because she doesn’t know that’s not true.

In the quiet hours of the night, I licked everyone goodbye and gave one last wish. I looked back on our years with a wagging tail and wished for more time. But I couldn’t hurt Lena, so I left. I hope she thinks I went for a run like when I was a puppy and got lost. I went for a walk to my favorite spot, looked up at the stars, and heard them calling me.

I’m finally free. The toll on my body aches, but I savor every pain because it holds a memory.

I had a good life, and I saved a life. Now, it’s time to dance with the stars. My body relaxes, the ache fades, and I run and dance among the stars. Maybe when Lena realizes I’m gone, she’ll smile and know I’m finally dancing with the stars