The next day, Isabelle came downstairs to search for her mother. This time, she found her mom near the kitchen counter, sipping her cup of coffee while checking out her phone.

Irene glanced up from her phone. Her daughter stood there, leaning over to take a peek at the screen.

“Hey Isabelle, thanks for helping me with dinner yesterday.” She greeted, covering the screen of her phone. “So, what can I do for you?”

“Oh, hi, mom.” Isabelle waved, giving off an innocent smile. “What made you think I wanted something other than a drink?”

“I know you. You got that look that tells me you want something from me. So, what is it?”

“Well, I was wondering...” Isabelle twiddled her fingers and looked down at the floor. “Since summer is coming soon, and you wanted me to leave the house more...”

“I’m aware, which is why I considered summer camp. Science or Math Camp I think is something you’d enjoy—”

“Really?” Isabelle’s eyes widened. “But I already had an idea in mind.”

“Oh? What did you have in mind?”

She hesitated, trying to come up with a good response. “Acting Camp, for sure.”

“Huh?” Her mom nearly dropped her phone at the response. “But you don’t like theater. Why do you want to go there?”

“Well, um, I want to try something different, that’s all.” Isabelle went over to the refrigerator to grab a cold juice box. “You know, get new hobbies and expand my horizons?” She continued as she sipped on her drink.

Irene raised an eyebrow as a smirk formed on her lips.

“You’re doing this for a boy you like, aren’t you?”

Isabelle almost spat out her drink as she coughed with her mouth closed. Her mom rushed over to pat her on the back.

“Sorry about that, dear.”

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“Thanks, mom, I appreciate it. Also, no, that’s not the reason!”

“Can’t I at least see what this theatre camp is all about? I’ve never heard of this before.”

“But why? Don’t you trust me?”

“I want to make sure this camp you want to go to is a good place for you to spend the summer.”

“Look, I understand that, but—” Isabelle’s phone rang loudly in her pockets, interrupting their conversation. “Excuse me for a moment.” She reached into her pockets and answered the phone call. Benjamin? What could he want? “Hello?”

“Isabelle, hey, could you come over to my place real quick?” Benjamin asked.

“Oh, is it urgent?”

“Yeah, it’s important that you come to the base.”

“Ok, but what should I tell Mom, though? She’s right over there and might be suspicious if—”

“Can’t you just tell them ‌you’re visiting a friend? Or you were called from school to get something?” Benjamin suggested.

“I guess that works, thanks.” Isabelle moved the phone away from her face. “Mom, I got some plans today with a friend. Can we talk about the camp thing later?”

“Sure thing. Have fun, sweetie.” Irene gave her daughter a warm smile as she waved goodbye.

“Alright, see you later.”

.-.-.-.

Isabelle got up to the doorstep of Benjamin’s house to knock on the door. Not long after, Harry opened the door to let her inside.

“I’m here, you wish to see—?”

She didn’t finish her sentence, watching Benjamin, up and out of bed, caught her off-guard. He pulled off dramatic poses, in better condition than yesterday.

Normally, Isabelle would laugh it off or tease the magician for his shenanigans. However, considering how he felt the other day, she couldn’t help but get concerned.

“Uh, are you sure it’s ok for you to be out like this?”

“No sweat, I’m alright,” Benjamin replied, puffing his chest. “In fact, I’m feeling a lot better, thanks to you and that medicine you brought over.” He looked away, muttering, “So, thanks for that.”

“No problem. Glad to know that it worked.” Isabelle chirped, clasping her hands together. “So, what do you want to do now? What’s the plan?”

“Well, to get back at our plans of world conquest—”

“You mean make the world a better place?”

“No.” Benjamin gave out an exasperated sigh before finishing his sentence. “We’ll need to take multiple trips.”

“Ooh, ok, where’s our first stop?”

“The Library!”

The group cheered as Harry and Chi-Chi headed into Benjamin’s hat as the team prepared to head out.