Beauty and the Beast | Camichael

Chapter 2: Off to the fair

"Hello, Camila," Luke greeted her. 

"Bonjour, Lucas,' Camila glanced, though she didn't seem interested in his company. As she walked away, Luke snatched Camila's book, making Camila uneasy and disturbed. "Luke, may I have my book back, please?" 

"How can you read this?" Luke asked as he flipped through the pictures in annoyance. "There's no pictures"

"Well, some people use their imagination" Camila crossed her arms. 

"Camila, it's about time you got your head out of those books and payed more attention to more important things" Luke threw Camila's book aside into the mud and Camila bent over to pick it up. "Like me" 

Blonde triplets wearing green, orange and red sighed in the corner. Camila ignore that and got her book up, cleaning it up before she put it back in her basket. 

"The whole town's talking about it," Luke said. "It's not right for a woman to read. Soon she gets idea... Thinking?"

"Luke, you are positively primeval" Camila said as she put away her book and walked away. 

"Why thank you, Camila" Luke smirked. He then placed an arm around her shoulders, taking the book from her once again. "Hey, what do you say you and me take a walk over to the tavern and look at my trophies?" 

"Maybe some other time" Camila replied. 

"What's wrong with her?" the green triplet asked. 

"She's crazy!" the red triplet replied. 

"He's gorgeous" the orange triplet said, batting her eyelashes.

"I have to get back home and help my father. Goodbye" Camila she said, backing away. 

'That crazy old loon! He needs all the help he can get" Calum said. 

"Don't talk about my father that way!" Camila snarled. 

"Yeah!" Luke scowled at his sidekick. "Don't talk about her father that way!" Luke bonked Calum on the head. 

"My father is not crazy!" Camila hissed, putting her book away. "He's a genius!" 

Suddenly, there was a rumble on the ground and an explosion was heard in a far off distance. Camila  walked to the source of the noise while Luke and Calum continued to laugh. Camila opened the cellar door. She got in and there was smoke all around, making her cough. "Papa?" Camila coughed a little. 

There was a barrel in the middle of the floor and inside revealed a tall, slim man with snow white hair, a snub nose and overalls with some goggles over his head. "Are you alright, Papa?" Camila walked over to him. 

"I'm about ready to give up on this old hunk of junk" Alejandro said as he walked to the machine and kicked it. 

"You always say that" Camila shook her head with a smile. 

"I mean it this time" Alejandro snapped. "I'll never get this bone-headed contraption to work!" 

"Yes, you will," Camila said with faith. "And you'll win first prize at the fair tomorrow. And become a world famous inventor" 

"You really believe that?" 

"I always have" 

"Well, what're waiting for? I'll have this thing fixed in no time!" Alejandro walked over to slide under his machine as Camila handed him a tool. 

"I got a new book," Camila put her basket down, then looked down at her father. "Papa, do you think I'm odd?" 

"My daughter, odd?" Alejandro came from under the machine and had goggles on his eyes, making his eyes look cartoonish. "Where would you get an idea like that?" 

"Oh, I don't know. It's just I'm not sure I fit in here," Camila sighed.

"Well, what about that Luke fellow?" Alejandro asked as he fixed his invention. "He's a handsome fellow" 

"He's handsome alright. And rude and conceited" Camila slumped into a chair. "Oh Papa, he's not for me"

"I think that's done," Alejandro said as he got up under the machine, pulling the goggles off. "Now, let's give it a try." He pulled on a lever and the machine started to go on. Alejandro flinched a little, as if expecting to get hit by some wood. The machine was chopping wood like it was supposed to. The chopped wood flew over to the wood pile.

"It works!" Camila cheered. 

'It does?" Alejandro looked, then ducked down as wood flew over his head, then smiled delightfully. "It does!" 

"You did it!" Camila hugged her father. "You really did it!" 

"Hitch up Philippe, Camila. I'm off to the fair!" Alejandro chanted, but then a log hit him in the head. After Alejandro came to, he was on a brown horse with a platinum blonde mane, Camila and Alejandro's horse, Philippe. 

"Goodbye Papa!" Camila called out as Alejandro rode off. 

"Goodbye Camila!" Alejandro called back. "And take care while I'm gone!"