Carlos's Scavenger Hunt

  “Really? ’Cause I see myself much more as the hero type.” Carlos tried to hide the hurt in his voice.

  But Jane must have heard it anyway, because she instantly tried to make him feel better. “Being a sidekick is not bad. Sidekicks are often the most important characters in a story. The heroes can’t succeed without them.”

  “Exactly,” Audrey added. “Just think about my mother. She never would have met my father if it weren’t for her meddling forest friends, stealing dad’s cape and boots.”

  “Great,” Carlos muttered under his breath. “Now they’re comparing me with a bunch of rabbits and squirrels.”

  “What?” Jane asked, tilting her head toward Carlos.

  “Nothing,” he mumbled.

  “Oh, I got one!” Jay said. “Most likely to—”

  But he never got the chance to finish his question, because just then, the loudest bell Carlos had ever heard started to chime across the entire campus of Auradon Prep, and the very next moment, almost all the people in the banquet hall let out simultaneous screams.

  Why did that bell terrify me—and make everyone else shout in excitement?

  When Carlos heard the screams, his first reaction was to duck under the table and take cover—which, of course, was ridiculous. This was Auradon, not the Isle of the Lost. Nothing bad ever happened here. But apparently, his Isle impulses hadn’t yet worn off.

  Carlos chastised himself for his reaction. It reminded him of that embarrassing first day at Auradon Prep, when he saw the statue in front of the school morph from man to beast and he literally leapt into Jay’s arms in fear.

  Maybe this is the reason no one around here sees you as a leader, Carlos thought as he climbed out from under the table and brushed off his black-and-white leather pants. Because you keep doing stuff like that.

  But why was everyone still screaming as though the school was being invaded by pirates?

  The moment he stood up, Carlos realized that his classmates weren’t all screaming in fear or panic; they were screaming with excitement.

  Well, everyone except Carlos’s fellow VKs—Mal, Evie, Freddie, and Jay. They were staring at each other, looking about as confused as Carlos felt. Meanwhile, the AKs (Auradon kids) were all out of their seats, jumping up and down and high-fiving each other.

  “What did we miss?” Evie asked.

  Mal shrugged. “I have no idea. They’re acting like they just announced a royal ball or something.”

  Jay groaned. “Another one? Does it sometimes feel like all these people do around here is have parties and balls?”

  Carlos glanced at Jane, who was also out of her seat, bouncing up and down on her toes like a cheerleader at a tourney match. “What’s going on?” he called to her.

  Jane looked at him in shock, like she couldn’t believe he was even asking that. “It’s the annual Auradon Prep Scavenger Hunt!” she cried ecstatically. “No one ever knows exactly when it will happen—my mother likes it to be a surprise—but those bells mean it’s starting this weekend!”

  Carlos looked to Jay for an explanation. “The what?”

  Jay shook his head. “I have no idea. They have some pretty strange traditions around here.”

  Carlos was about to ask Jane what this mysterious annual Auradon Prep Scavenger Hunt was when suddenly the room got very quiet and everyone turned toward the front of the banquet hall in anticipation. Carlos stood on his chair in an attempt to peer over all the heads, and that was when he saw that Headmistress Fairy Godmother had just entered the room. Her hands were held majestically in the air, like she was about to cast a spell on everyone. And in a way, she already had. The raucous noise that had caused Carlos to jump out of his seat and dive for cover had completely died down, and now everyone was staring intently at her, waiting for her to speak.

  “Students! Students!” Fairy Godmother began in her usual lilting voice. “The time has finally come. The annual Auradon Prep Scavenger Hunt is upon us!”

  The crowd burst into wild cheers and applause again. That is, until Fairy Godmother silenced them with another raise of her hands. Carlos glanced around at his classmates in total awe. He’d never seen them that attentive before. Whatever this scavenger hunt thing was, people were taking it very seriously. You would have thought Fairy Godmother was about to announce the next king and queen of Auradon.

  “For those of you who are new to us this year,” Fairy Godmother said with a friendly wink toward Carlos, Jay, Evie, Freddie, and Mal, “allow me to explain. As always, the school will be divided into teams of three. Each scavenger hunt team will be assigned a captain—chosen by me, of course—and that captain shall lead their team through the city of Auradon on a great quest. Team assignments and captains will be announced tomorrow on the school bulletin board. Scavenger hunt lists will be distributed via text shortly after. Each item on the list is assigned a point value based on its level of difficulty. The team to collect the most points by tomorrow at three p.m. earns the title of this year’s champions!”

  Carlos could already feel himself getting excited. And it wasn’t just because the enthusiasm in the room was contagious. It was because Fairy Godmother had used three magic words that had especially piqued Carlos’s interest: quest, champions, and captain.

  “See you tomorrow morning!” Fairy Godmother said, and then strode gracefully out of the hall. The moment she disappeared, the eager chatter started up again. Everyone was talking about the hunt.

  “Isn’t it exciting?” Jane whispered to Carlos.

  He nodded. “Definitely. I’ve never seen the school this worked up about something before. Not even for a tourney game. Or a party!”

  Jane nodded sagely. “The annual Auradon Prep Scavenger Hunt is the biggest competition of the year.”

  Jay stuck his head between Carlos and Jane. “Did someone say ‘competition’?”

  Carlos rolled his eyes and shoved Jay’s head back. “Go away.”

  Jane continued her explanation. “Everyone around here gets super into it, because the stakes are so high.”

  “What are the stakes?” Carlos asked, and Jane’s eyes instantly lit up, like she was about to share with him the secrets of the universe.

  “C’mon!” she squealed. “I’ll show you.” Then Jane grabbed Carlos’s hand, causing Carlos’s face to warm like an oven.

  Carlos allowed Jane to lead him to a small courtyard just off the dorms. He’d seen that courtyard before. He’d walked through it countless times on the way to classes, but he didn’t understand why Jane had brought him there.

  It was just a normal courtyard, with a few trees, some park benches, and tables for students to study at. He didn’t understand how that had anything to do with a scavenger hunt.

  “Not only does the winning team of the annual Auradon Prep Scavenger Hunt get epic bragging rights,” Jane began. “They also get this.” She dropped Carlos’s hand and spread her arms out wide.

  Carlos glanced around curiously, a scowl of confusion on his face. “A courtyard?” he asked.

  Jane smiled. She had a warm, gentle smile, just like her mother. “No, silly. Look down.”

  Carlos looked down and noticed the courtyard was paved with hundreds of diamond-shaped stones. On each stone, three names were engraved. Carlos had noticed the stones and the names before, but he had never thought much of them. He had always assumed they were the names of some people who were important to the school. He had never even bothered to read the names very carefully.

  He bent down to study the stone he was currently standing on. It read:

  HOLLISTER (TC)

  SUZIE (TM)

  ALIA (TM)

  Carlos looked at Jane, his eyebrows pinched together. “I don’t get it. What does it mean?”

  She walked over and bent down next to him. She ran her fingertip over the letters carved into the stone. “These are the names of one of the winning teams. Hollister was the team captain—or TC for short—and Suzie and Alia were the team members, or TMs.”
>
  Jane stood up and gestured to all the stones in the courtyard. There were lots. “These are all winners of the annual Auradon Prep Scavenger Hunt. The champions will have their names here forever. Like a permanent part of the school. A legacy. It’s such an honor.”

  Carlos glanced around the empty courtyard, taking note of the stones that hadn’t yet been engraved. He walked to one and bent down, then ran his hand over the smooth blank cement. He could almost see his name etched into the surface. He could almost taste the victory.

  If his name was carved into one of those stones with the letters TC next to it, then no would ever doubt his leadership skills again. Everyone, from then until the end of time, would know that Carlos De Vil had led a team to victory.

  I know what I have to do. This is my big shot. My chance to prove once and for all that I am not destined to be a sidekick. I am destined to be a leader. A hero. A winner!

  Carlos paced the length of his dorm room. Back and forth. Back and forth. His roommate, Jay, was at the gym, lifting weights. Carlos was alone—alone with his thoughts.

  And Dude.

  “Woof!” Dude barked. He was clearly getting bored with all the pacing.

  “Shhh,” Carlos commanded.

  Dude groaned and curled up on the bed. Carlos could almost swear he saw Dude roll his eyes.

  “This is serious,” Carlos explained to his scruffy brown dog. “I need to figure out a way to ensure that Fairy Godmother chooses me as a team captain for the scavenger hunt tomorrow. This might be my one and only chance to prove to everyone that I’m a leader!”

  “Woof!” Dude replied.

  Carlos smiled at the dog. “Thanks, buddy. I know you think of me as a leader. But what about Fairy Godmother? If she doesn’t think of me that way, then I can kiss my chances of becoming a team captain good-bye.”

  Dude sighed and rested his head on his paws. Carlos scratched him between the ears. Carlos was running out of ideas. He’d already asked Jane if maybe she could talk to her mother and try to convince Fairy Godmother to pick Carlos as a captain, but Jane had adamantly shaken her head.

  “Sorry,” Jane had replied. “My mother doesn’t let anyone tell her what to do. Especially when it comes to something as serious and competitive as the annual Auradon Prep Scavenger Hunt.”

  So that option was out. But Carlos was getting desperate. And he was running out of time. The teams were going to be announced the next morning, and it was already eight o’clock at night. Carlos didn’t want to leave this to chance. What if Fairy Godmother didn’t see him as a leader, either? What if she saw him the way everyone else at the school seemed to see him: as just the nice guy who helped everyone out?

  Carlos wondered if he should try to talk to Fairy Godmother himself, appeal to her, put his best foot forward. Maybe if he went to her office and tried to convince her of his leadership skills, she might—

  “Woof!” Dude interrupted, jumping up from the bed and running to the door. “Woof! Woof! Woof!”

  Carlos got up and opened the door. Usually when Dude barked at the door, it meant someone was coming, but no one was there.

  “Woof! Woof! Woof!” Dude continued to bark.

  “What’s the matter with you?” Carlos asked. “There’s no one there.”

  “Woof! Woof! Woof!” came Dude’s response.

  “Dude,” Carlos complained. “Stop.”

  “Woof! Woof! Woo—”

  “Sit!” Carlos commanded, and Dude dutifully stopped barking and sat down on the floor. Carlos smiled. “Good boy.” Then Carlos chuckled and sat down next to his dog. “Sometimes it feels like you’re the only one around here who really takes me seriously.”

  Dude looked up at Carlos and seemed almost to smile.

  “Roll over!” Carlos said.

  Dude rolled over, and Carlos rubbed his belly and sighed. “If only everyone else around here listened to me like you do.”

  As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Carlos was struck with a strange memory—a memory from the Isle of the Lost. It was kind of hazy and muddled, like most of his memories from the Isle. He’d tried to block all those out a long time ago.

  But now he suddenly saw his mother’s face, heard his mother’s voice.

  If you ever want anyone to do what you say, you’re going to need help….

  Then he heard his mother’s loud cackle, and Carlos flinched. The memory of that laugh still terrified him.

  But it did give Carlos an idea.

  He jumped up from the floor and ran to his closet. He pulled down the giant duffel bag he’d used to pack all his things when he first came from the Isle.

  He knew that memory he’d just had. He knew it was from the day he came to Auradon. He had been packing up all his things and his mother had come into his room and…

  Whoever wears the collar gives the commands….

  Carlos stuck his hand into the giant duffel, feeling around until his fingers brushed against something soft and worn and leathery. He had never even unpacked it. It fact, he’d forgotten all about it until that moment, mostly because he hadn’t taken it seriously. He’d never thought it would actually work. His mother had been getting more and more delusional, and she oftentimes stretched the truth.

  But now, as Carlos pulled his hand out of the duffel to reveal the small red dog collar with the bone-shaped metal tag dangling from it, he had to wonder.

  Could his mother be right?

  Was the little dog collar really magic?

  Obviously I need to test this puppy out.

  Carlos slipped the collar on like a wristband. Then he opened his dorm room door again and poked his head into the hallway. He looked left and right, but the hallway was still empty. Then, just before he was about to close the door, Carlos heard footsteps. His head whipped to the left, and he saw Chad Charming strolling down the hall toward his own dorm room.

  “Chad!” Carlos called out. “Wait!”

  Chad stopped mid-step, like he’d been physically frozen. Carlos studied Chad. Then he glanced down curiously at the collar around his wrist. Was Chad truly following his command? Or was that just a coincidence?

  Carlos bit his lip. “Chad, come here!”

  Chad immediately turned and ran toward Carlos, as eager and obedient as Dude when he was ready for his morning walk.

  Weird, Carlos thought, feeling a tingle of anticipation run through him. But he told himself not to get too excited. Chad could easily just have been being nice, or maybe Chad was wondering what Carlos had to say.

  “What’s up, Carlos?” Chad asked, his eyes wide, like he was hanging on Carlos’s next word.

  “Um,” Carlos said, trying to think of a good command. He needed to think of something Chad wouldn’t normally agree to do. Something a prince would never do. Carlos’s lips curved into a wicked grin.

  “Chad, shine my shoe!”

  Chad looked at him strangely for a moment, as though he was questioning Carlos’s sanity. Carlos felt his heart sink. Of course it didn’t work. Of course his mother didn’t have a magic dog collar. His mother had probably been playing a prank on him, hoping he’d fall for it so she could laugh her evil, maniacal laugh at him. Carlos felt foolish for having believed it even for a second.

  But then Chad tilted his head to the side and asked, “Which one?”

  Carlos blinked. “Huh?”

  “Which shoe?” Chad said, clarifying his question.

  Was Chad being serious, or was he just joking around? There was only one way to find out.

  “Um…the left one,” Carlos replied.

  And then, in total disbelief and utter shock, Carlos watched Chad pull a handkerchief from his pocket, drop to the floor, and start to shine Carlos’s left shoe. Carlos jumped back. “Stop! Stop! I’m kidding! You don’t have to shine my shoe.”

  Chad remained on the floor, glancing up at Carlos as though waiting for him to tell him what to do next. Carlos subtly slipped the dog collar from his wrist, and the moment he did, Chad leapt
up from the floor, brushing himself off.

  “Uh, what was I doing on the floor?” he asked, looking confused, like he’d just come out of a trance.

  Carlos pretended to be clueless. “I have no idea.”

  “That was weird,” Chad said.

  “It certainly was,” Carlos agreed, and then went back into his room and closed the door. As soon as he was alone again, he stared down at the dog collar in his hand.

  It looked so boring and simple. A red dog collar with a bone-shaped metal tag. Nothing special. It didn’t glow or sparkle or shimmer. In fact, it looked old and worn. Carlos wondered where his mother had acquired it and how it had become magical.

  But it didn’t much matter, did it? All that mattered was that it worked.

  Carlos’s face broke into a wide grin as he slipped the collar back onto his wrist, hid it under the sleeve of his black, white, and red leather jacket, and strode purposefully toward the door.

  “Woof!” Dude said.

  “No, you stay here,” Carlos replied, feeling more confident than he’d felt in a long time. “I have an appointment with a fairy godmother. And just like Cinderella, I’m hoping she’ll make all my dreams come true.”

  I will only use the dog collar to get myself named team captain. I will not use it to win the scavenger hunt.

  As he walked toward the headmistress’s office, Carlos made a vow to himself that he would not cheat at the competition; if he did, the win wouldn’t count. At least, not in his eyes. It would feel empty. Void of any meaning. And he didn’t want to win that way. He knew that if he got a chance to lead a team, he could win the game himself. He just needed help getting that chance. This wasn’t cheating. This was simply a little leg up.

  When he reached Fairy Godmother’s office, he saw she was leaving. She held a large brown leather satchel in her hand. Carlos ran to catch up to her. “Fairy Godmother! Wait up!”

  Fairy Godmother obediently stopped and turned. Carlos gently touched the dog collar under his jacket sleeve and tried to hide the triumphant smile on his face. It was working already!