They stared up at the wall. Goldie paced back and forth. She wasn’t good at waiting.
“Maybe I should have put on the doggie suit,” she said.
“Or maybe you shouldn’t spy!” A voice behind Li and Goldie made them jump. Zeek had snuck up on them.
“We weren’t spying,” Goldie said. “We were playing Frisbee, and it went over your wall.”
Zeek pointed to a security camera above them. “I’ve been watching the whole time. There’s no Frisbee.”
“What was in the big crate?” Li asked.
“You think I’m going to tell you?” Zeek sneered.
Li’s shoulders dropped.
“Actually, I am going to tell you,” Zeek said. “Because there’s no way you’re going to win the contest. Once you meet Ace, you can stop wasting your time on this pageant. If I were you, I wouldn’t even show up.”
“Oh, we’re showing up,” Goldie said. She wouldn’t know how to give up if she wanted to.
“Who’s Ace?” Li asked.
“Follow me.” Zeek walked them through the front gate.
“After we meet this Ace,” Goldie whispered to Li, “maybe we can look for Nacho.”
A large crate sat in front of the garage. One side of the box lay open, but Goldie couldn’t see inside.
“Ace, come!” Zeek ordered.
A pair of glowing green eyes appeared from within the dark crate. Goldie and Li stared as a robot dog walked into the light and over to Zeek. The robot’s head came up to Zeek’s shoulder. Its body was silver and sleek. The tail was an antenna.
“That’s Ace?” Li asked.
“That’s your pet?” Goldie said.
“He’s mine for the weekend. I’m renting him from the army,” Zeek explained. “He’s super expensive, but I don’t mind paying for perfection.”
“That has got to be against the rules,” Li complained.
“It’s not,” Zeek said. “My dad’s lawyers checked. Do you want to see what he can do?”
“No,” both Goldie and Li answered. But that didn’t stop Zeek.
“Ace, sit. Jump. Lie down. Roll over. Beg. Heel.” Zeek gave the basic commands, and Ace obeyed them. Then he gave harder commands.
“Ace, dig a four-foot hole.”
Ace dug a perfect hole.
“Ace, climb that tree.”
Ace climbed to the top of a birch.
“Ace, snap that flagpole in half.”
Ace, with his huge jaw, did.
“He’s…um…great,” Goldie said. She wanted to get out of there. “We’ll just find Nacho and—”
“Ace can do that for you. Ace, fetch Nacho.”
“No!” cried Goldie. But Ace was already gone.
“He’s not going to eat Nacho, is he?” she worried.
“Or snap him in half?” Li added.
“No.” Zeek laughed. “Not unless I order him to.”
A few seconds later, Ace rounded the corner with Nacho riding on his back like a cowboy. He delivered the dog safely to Goldie.
“Thanks…I think,” Goldie mumbled.
“We gotta go,” Li said.
“Okay,” Zeek said. “You probably have to get home and not enter the contest.” He fell back laughing.
Goldie, Li, and Nacho walked out the gate.
“Maybe we shouldn’t enter,” Li said as he grabbed his hoverboard. “I don’t want to be there when Zeek wins.”
“No way. We’re entering,” Goldie said. “And if Zeek is entering a robot pet, we will, too.”
Nacho growled. It was as if he understood what a robot pet meant for him.
“Don’t worry, boy.” Goldie scratched him behind the ears. “You’ll always be my number one pet. But this is about winning. And getting to name the animal shelter.”
“Where are we going to get a robot pet?” Li asked. “How are we going to afford it?”
“I can engineer it,” said Goldie, jumping on her skateboard. “Come on. We’re going to need Val and Ruby. Time to get to work.”
Goldie stood at her workbench with her safety goggles securely in place.
“Wrench,” she said.
Nacho wagged his tail and ran to the toolbox. He grabbed an adjustable wrench in his mouth and brought it to Goldie. She had to wipe off a bit of drool before she could use it.
Each of the Gearheads had a job. Ruby programmed the robot using her minicomputer. Val helped Goldie hold pieces in place. And Li calculated the force needed in the springs and mechanisms of their project.
“Flathead screwdriver,” Goldie called out. Nacho got that for her, too.
They worked all day and through part of the night. But finally, the project was complete. Goldie slipped in a battery.
“Introducing eCat!”
eCat opened her huge eyes and yawned. Nacho sniffed her from head to tail. eCat growled and took a swipe at him.
Nacho yelped and backed away from the mean robot. Val gave him a doggie treat. He took it back to his bed. Alone.
“None of that,” Goldie said, picking up eCat and placing her on the floor.
“Let’s try her out,” Li said.
“Go ahead,” Goldie told Li.
Li stood in front of eCat and said, “eCat, run in circles seventeen times.”
The robot cat started racing around Li’s ankles.
“Geez, most people would start with something simple like sit,” Val said.
“Simple isn’t going to win,” said Li as he watched eCat go around and around.
“Is anyone counting?” Ruby asked.
“I bet eCat is,” Goldie said proudly.
After eCat finished her laps, Li gave more commands. Some were normal, like lie down. Others were crazy: hang upside-down like a possum. eCat did them all perfectly.
“Time for the obstacle course!” Goldie shouted.
The Gearheads and eCat walked toward the door. Nacho whimpered. They were all leaving him. Even Val.
eCat raced through the obstacle course. The robot made it look easy. She bounced, ran, swung, and leaped without making a single wrong move.
“Wow! eCat beat my time,” Li said. “We might actually win this thing after all.”
Nacho watched from the window as Goldie and her friends surrounded eCat. They smiled and high-fived. Nacho whimpered.
When they came back inside, Ruby was suggesting ideas for the talent portion. “With a few small changes to the program, I think I can have eCat rapping songs in no time. We can have a hip-hop kitty.”
“That’s a great idea, Rubes,” Goldie said. “Let’s do it. And I want to add suction cups to her back paws. I think eCat will be able to scale walls even faster.”
“I have some at my house,” Li said. “Be right back.” He grabbed the zip line and swung out the window.
Nacho walked over to Val. He rubbed against her leg, then rolled onto his back, looking for a belly rub.
“eCat could use a treat,” Val said, ignoring him. “Maybe some grease for her joints. We don’t want our star getting stiff.”
“This might be our best invention ever. We rock!” Goldie said.
“eCat rocks!” Ruby added.
This time, while the Gearheads worked on improving eCat, Nacho didn’t help. Instead, he stole eCat’s battery and hid it. But Goldie quickly found it.
“How did eCat’s battery end up in a shoe?” she asked.
“No idea,” Ruby answered.
“Bet I could guess,” Val said, staring at Nacho.
Nacho dropped his head and slinked off to his doggie bed.
While the Gearheads took a snack break, Nacho lured eCat away with a piece of string. She followed, and Nacho trapped her inside a laundry basket. But a laundry basket didn’t make a good cage for an animal as smart and well-equipped as eCat. She found her way out in seconds.
Then Nacho accidentally-on-purpose knocked eCat out an open window. But eCat landed gracefully on her feet.
“eCat, get inside. We need you!” Goldie yelled. “
And it’s about to rain. You can’t get wet. You’ll be ruined.”
“I guess I won’t be giving her a bath,” Val said.
“No baths for eCat. She can’t get wet at all,” Goldie explained.
A few minutes later, Nacho walked into the BloxShop carrying a pail of water in his mouth. He went straight for eCat. Maybe he hadn’t heard Goldie’s warning, or understood it. Or he totally had heard and understood.
“No!” Goldie shouted before Nacho could dump the bucket of water over eCat. “Nacho, stop. Bad dog! You know how important it is that we win this pageant. You could ruin everything.”
Nacho set down the bucket. Not a drop spilled. Then he tucked his tail between his legs.
“Goldie, you’re being harsh,” Val said. “I’m sure Nacho doesn’t want to ruin anything.”
“I know.” Goldie petted his head. “Why don’t you just take a nap? We don’t need you right now.”
Nacho crawled back to his doggie bed. He buried his head under his paws. He whimpered. But no one gave him any attention or tried to make him feel better. The Gearheads were too busy fussing over eCat.
Li returned with the suction cups. Val polished and greased the robot. Ruby worked on the program. And Goldie put it all together. They rebooted eCat and she worked even better than before.
“eCat is the best. She is so going to win!” Goldie said.
“And we’ll get to name the animal shelter after my mom.” Li smiled for the first time all week.
They huddled over eCat and put their hands in for a cheer.
“On the count of three, say hip-hip-hooray for eCat,” Goldie said. “One. Two.”
Nacho left the BloxShop before the count of three. No one noticed.
That evening, Goldie brushed her teeth, then went to her room and climbed into bed. eCat was lying on a pillow, and Nacho was curled up on the floor.
There was a knock on the door, and her parents came in to say good night.
“Big day tomorrow,” said Goldie’s dad, kissing her forehead.
“Yep, and we’re ready.” Goldie patted eCat on the head.
“I’m sure you’ll do your best,” her mom said. “You always do.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Goldie gave her a hug.
“Just like I’m sure Nacho has been trying to do his best, too.” Goldie’s mom gave Nacho a doggie treat from her pocket and scratched him under his chin.
“Good night, Goldie,” said her parents, and they walked out of the room.
Goldie closed her eyes. She fell asleep quickly with a big smile on her face. She dreamed of eCat winning the pageant and Li doing a victory dance. In her dream, he danced like a crazy chicken.
The next morning, Goldie woke with a gushy, sick feeling in her stomach. She bolted up in bed. She knew something was wrong. But she didn’t know what.
At first, she thought she’d overslept and missed the pageant. But she looked at the clock, and it was hours before they needed to be at the town hall.
Then she thought about eCat. Goldie found her lying still next to her. eCat was in the exact same spot she’d been last night.
Must be my imagination, Goldie thought.
She hit her bed’s ejection mechanism and flew into her waiting overalls.
“Time to get up, Nacho,” she said as she fastened the buttons. “I’m in the mood for spicy, cheesy waffles.”
Usually, Nacho was in the mood for waffles, too—or any food. But he wasn’t racing toward the door like he normally did.
“Nacho?”
He wasn’t in his bed. Or under her desk. He wasn’t in her room at all.
Goldie ran, swung, climbed, and jumped through the entire house calling Nacho’s name. It was useless. He was gone.
“Calm down, Goldie.” Her dad made her sit in a kitchen chair. “We’ll find him.”
“I’ve called your friends,” her mom said. “They’ll be here any minute.” The Gearheads showed up two minutes later. But to Goldie, it felt as if Nacho had been gone for days.
They all gathered around the table.
“What could have happened?” Li asked. “Do you think he was dognapped by aliens?”
“No,” Ruby said. “Stop talking crazy.”
“Well, someone must have dognapped him,” Goldie said, biting her lip to keep from crying.
“Or he ran away,” Val mumbled.
“Why would he run away?” Goldie asked.
Val shrugged. “Maybe he feels unwanted. Like he was being replaced.” She looked at eCat, who was standing perfectly still in the kitchen doorway.
“He’s totally wanted,” Goldie replied. “I just wanted to win the contest, too.”
Li slumped into a chair. “And you were doing it for me, G. This is all my fault.”
“No.” Goldie shook her head. “This is on me.”
Goldie felt awful. She would give away everything she owned to save Nacho. She’d say goodbye to her favorite overalls, her tape measure, all her tools, and even the BloxShop. Nothing was more important than her parents, her friends, and Nacho.
“I messed up. But we’ll find him,” she said.
“Yes, we will,” Ruby said, tapping on her minicomputer. “And I’m one step ahead of you. I’ve sent out a drone with a camera to check out all of Nacho’s favorite places.”
“Where did you get a drone?” Val asked.
“I may have borrowed one from HiBo Prep. And I may have hacked the system. And I may need you to keep this a secret.”
They huddled around the screen.
“Try Frothy Formulas,” Val suggested.
Ruby controlled the drone on her keyboard. On-screen, they saw the smoothie shop come into focus.
“Is he there?” Val asked.
The drone circled the building and peered in the windows.
“No,” Ruby said.
“How about the Galaxy Diner? Nacho loves their bacon-flavored ice-cream,” Li said.
The drone checked it out. No Nacho there.
Ruby flew the drone over the deli, the grocery store, the bakery, and the pizza parlor. There was no sign of Nacho.
“Where could he be?” Ruby asked. “There’s nothing Nacho loves more than food.”
“Yes, there is,” Goldie said. “Us. And I know where he is. Let’s go.”
“You don’t want to use the drone?” Ruby said, but Goldie was already running out the front door.
Li took his hoverboard. Goldie rode her skateboard. And Ruby and Val shared a two-seater bike that was fitted with rocket boosters.
“You promise you won’t use those, right?” Val asked Ruby as they rode down the street.
Goldie led the way. She took every corner at top speed and went downhill so fast her hair flew straight back.
“We might need them if Goldie goes any faster,” Ruby shouted to Val.
“I can’t watch.” Val left the driving up to Ruby.
“Where are we going, G?” Li yelled.
“There!” Goldie pointed to a building.
A few seconds later, they were in front of the town hall. They jumped off their vehicles.
“This is where the pageant will be held in a few hours,” Val said. “You think he’s in here?”
“Yep. Come on.” Goldie ran around to the back of the building, where the obstacle course was set up. And just as she’d thought, Nacho was there. They watched as he tried to jump over the hurdles, run around the cones, and cross the balance beam. When he stumbled, he got back up and tried again.
“He refuses to give up,” Val said.
“Reminds me of someone I know.” Li elbowed Goldie.
Finally, Nacho crossed the finish line. The Gearheads cheered and shouted, “Nacho! Nacho! Nacho!”
The dog jumped in surprise. But when he saw who they were, his tail wagged with excitement.
Goldie ran over to him and wrapped him in a big hug.
“I was so worried,” she said. “And I’m sorry. You’re the best pet in all of Bloxtown, and I want you to ente
r the pageant.”
Nacho licked her cheek.
“I have an idea.” Goldie stood up. “Li, you can enter the pet pageant, too. With eCat.”
“Good thinking, G,” Li said. He patted Nacho on the head. “Let’s do it.”
The Gearheads burst into the kitchen of the Blox house. Goldie’s dad looked up from the table where he was fixing a hairdryer.
“You found Nacho.” He smiled.
“Yep. Now we only have an hour before we need to get to the pageant,” Goldie said.
“I’ll grab Nacho’s costume,” Ruby said. “I left it in the BloxShop.”
“Come on, Nacho, I’ll brush your teeth,” Val said.
Nacho froze in his tracks.
“After I give you a yummy treat first, of course.” Val opened the cabinet that contained doggie snacks.
“And I’ll get eCat,” Li said.
“eCat?” Goldie’s dad said, rubbing his chin. “You need eCat?”
“Yeah,” Li said.
“Sorry, kids.” Goldie’s dad stood up. “I disassembled her. I needed the battery back for my electric razor, and I needed the motor back in the Weedwacker. I didn’t realize she was still part of your plan.”
Li’s shoulders slumped. “It’s okay, Mr. Blox. eCat wasn’t a real pet.”
Goldie kneeled down in front of Nacho. “You’re a true pet, Nacho. You’re part of this family.”
“And you’re a Gearhead,” Val added.
Goldie stared at her dog. “I still think you can win this.”
“It’s all up to you, boy,” Li said.
Goldie hugged Nacho. “Just try your best.”
Goldie couldn’t believe how many pets were entered in the pageant. People brought dogs, cats, snakes, parrots, lizards, and mice. But there was only one robot—Ace.
“Zeek and Ace are up next on the obstacle course,” Goldie said, pointing at the schedule. “Let’s go watch.”
But in the minute it took them to walk outside, they were too late. Ace had already completed the obstacle course. He did it perfectly and in record time. The judges were taking selfies with the amazing Ace.
Goldie Blox and the Best! Pet! Ever! (GoldieBlox) Page 3
