Watch and Learn

Chapter 9

"Okay, Carlos. We're going to do some sprints, you ready?" Ben called over to the other boy after writing something down on a clipboard and Carlos nodded, getting into position.

Right after Ben hit the timer, a dog barked in the background. Carlos could be seen running from a small dog.

"Oh no!" Evie gasped. "Ben, you better be a fast runner!"

"Why?" Ben asked.

"Gil once pretended to be a dog to scare Carlos when he was eight," Mal explained. "Carlos ran all the way to the other end of the Isle before anyone caught up with him."

"Oh! Ah! No, wait!" Carlos screamed, running away from the dog.

"Sweet!" Ben shouted, pressing time on the timer, not realizing the reason for Carlos' speed.

"That's on me," Ben said, sighing. "I didn't notice Dude."

"Or hear the screaming?" Lonnie asked.

"No! Ah!" Carlos shouted, continuing to run from the dog.

Ben spun around and realized what was going on. "Carlos? Carlos!"

"Took you long enough," Emir muttered. He liked Carlos, though he often felt like the younger boy didn't have the right body type for Tourney. Being so small, he'd get squashed for sure.

Ben sprinted after the younger boy, throwing the clipboard on the ground and following them into the wooded area. Carlos continued to run before jumping onto a tree, climbing up a bit to make some distance between him and the dog.

"No, stop!" He shouted, the dog barking at him from the ground.

"Dude wasn't going to do anything, were you boy?" Carlos said, flushing a little at his past phobia. Dude barked in response and licked Carlos' hand, causing Rodger and Anita to smile softly at the sight.

"Carlos!" Ben called out, trying to catch up to them.

"Ben? Ben?"

"Whoa-whoa-whoa!"

"Ben, help me!" Carlos shouted as Ben came into the clearing. Seeing the younger boy clearly afraid, Ben used his arm to cause the dog to back away from Carlos and then picked up the dog. "This thing is a killer! He's going to chase me down and rip out my throat! This is a vicious, rabid pack animal!"

"Hey, who told you that?" Ben asked, surprised by the younger boy's fear.

"My mother," Carlos said, his tone implying it should have been obvious to the future king.

Anita sighed and shook her head. She couldn't imagine how her old friend could have turned into such a creature that she would willingly cause a young boy to become afraid of dogs.

"Cruella?" Ben asked, slightly shocked.

"No, Mary Poppins. Who did you think?" Mal asked, turning to her boyfriend.

"It was a lot of information," Ben told her, chuckling at the slight smirk on her face.

"She's a dog expert. A dog yellerer."

"Yellerer?" Belle asked slowly.

"Remember what I told you earlier, your majesty?" Mal asked. "We on the Isle love to make up words."

"Why are you holding him? He's going to attack you!" Carlos shouted, slightly hugging the tree in fear.

"But it's Dude!" Georgie Banks called out with a smile. "The most he can do is attack you with kisses!"