Ch5-The Race

CHAPTER FIVE The Race As they followed Alexander, Jack wished he hadn't shown off. What if the prince challenged him to mount a moving chariot? Or hunt a lion? As he followed Alexander out of the room, Annie hurried along with him. Prince Alexander strode ahead through the courtyard. He led Jack and Annie to a covered

porch behind the house. "So, what would you like us to do for you?" asked Annie, smiling. Alexander gazed down at her. "Well, I would like a girl to do nothing for me," he said. "You should be with the other females, cooking and spinning." The smile left Annie's face. "Fine," she said. "I'll go back in and hang out with Aristotle." She started back through the door. "I'll go, too," said Jack, eager to get away from the arrogant prince. "Halt!" barked Alexander. He looked at Annie. "I will endure you awhile longer. You boast that your brother likes to write things down? Well, now he has something very important to write about: me! Do you have something to write with?" he asked Jack. "Sure." Jack pulled out his notebook and pencil. "When you return to your own country, your writing could bring me lasting fame there," said Alexander. "You bet," said Jack. Writing was easy, he thought. Mounting a moving chariot wasn't.

"We will walk and talk," the prince ordered. "Come." Jack and Annie followed Alexander off the porch, stepping into the hot sunlight. The prince led them through a garden overlooking the hillside. On a plateau near the bottom of the slope was a long barn with a riding ring. "You said Hercules is a favorite hero of yours," the prince said. "Did you know he is my greatgreat-grandfather?" "Who? Hercules?" asked Annie. "Yes. And since he is a son of Zeus, I am a living Greek god myself," said Alexander. Whoa, thought Jack. He rolled his eyes. "You mock me?" Alexander asked. "No, no, I just got some dust in my eyes," said Jack. He rubbed his eyes. "A living Greek god," said Annie. "Write that down, Jack." "Of course," said Jack. But he wrote: This guy's a raving nut.

Annie read Jack's notes and snickered. Alexander turned and looked at her. Annie tried to change her snicker into a snort. "Sorry, got some dust up my nose," she said, scratching her nose. The prince kept walking and talking. "This means, of course, that when I go to war, I will never lose a battle. Soon I will be master of the universe." "Cool," said Jack. But he wrote: This guy should be locked up. Annie glanced at Jack's notes and stifled a laugh. Alexander looked at her again. "Dust in my throat," she said. She coughed. Alexander kept walking. "You said you went to the Olympics in Greece?" he said. "Well, so have I." "Were you competing?" said Jack. "Of course not. I never compete with other athletes," the prince said wearily. "I would win every time. I am the greatest living athlete in the world."

"Amazing," said Jack. But he wrote: What a show-off! He could never have friends. Jack looked up. "More?" he said. "First I would like to see all you have written so far," said the prince. "You would?" said Jack, gulping. "Yes." "Uh—but I'm not finished," said Jack. "I don't like to show my writing until I've gotten all my notes together." He closed his notebook and started to put it in his bag. "I want to read it now," said the prince, snatching the notebook. He opened it and looked at Jack's notes." 'A raving nut'? What is that?" "Um… in our land, a 'raving nut' is a very rare and valuable kind of nut," said Jack. "Right, by comparing you to a raving nut, Jack's saying you are very valuable," added Annie. Alexander looked at Annie suspiciously, then back at the notebook." 'This guy should be locked up,'" he read.

"For protection!" said Annie. "Someone as great as you should be locked up for your own safety. You're a living Greek god, for goodness' sake!" Alexander read more: "'What a show-off!'" He looked puzzled. "Show-off?" he asked. "That means you can't help showing the world how great you are," said Jack. "Ah, that is true," said Alexander. The prince then read Jack's last note: "'He could never have friends.'" For a second, the prince looked hurt. "That—uh—I mean it must be really hard for you to find people who are as great as you to hang out with…," Jack said lamely. "Hmm," said Alexander. He closed the notebook and handed it back to Jack. "Perhaps we should compare athletic skills now," he said. "Your skills with mine?" said Jack. "Don't you want to tell us more about yourself?" Annie asked the prince. "No, I want to learn more about Jack," said Alexander. "Let us race one another," he said to Jack. He pointed down the hill. "To the stable fence and back."